FocusOnMeNow

I agree with @@KindaFamiliar in that when people ask how much weight I lost I tell them, when they ask how I did it I tell them, and I don't have anything to hide. Hiding and stuffing my feelings is what got me fat in the first place. To each his own but please re-read his post and think about that. I own my $hit and if someone doesn't like that then they can go f themselves. Because it was THE BEST THING I EVER DID. That being said if all your friends want to talk about is your weight loss, then maybe it's time to get new friends. My ex husband just moved in with my best friend two doors down from me. Needless to say I will be moving soon and making new friends way sooner;-)

I could not take capsules till my 9th week. If your "supplements" are your vitamins though you cannot wait that long and need to cough up the cash to get liquid vitamins and/or chewables. Bariatric advantage has a good selection of chewables. Good luck !

One rock solid post surgical maybe day 2 or 3 due to the anesthesia. Then around day 4 the liquid barium for my leak test and it was atomic. Then after that tiny marbles from so much protein and dairy. If you are still on opiate pain meds those will keep you stopped up. When you get to purées and soft foods keep some fruit and veggie skin on when you purée and it will give you a little more fiber. Don't fret over poop on this site. Wait till we start talking bout FUPAs.

I would call it 100 % normal. I was on zofran for three - four weeks post op. Your stomach was just cut in half. It will take about 12 weeks for it to heal. And I was also on phenergan in hospital. Phenergan by iv in hospital was wonderful. By mouth not so much. Zofran makes a tablet that dissolves in liquid. That was the first sip I took every morning. Couldn't stomach anything else without it. Definitely call the doc and set yourself up. I also had a scopolamine patch behind my ear as well. Good luck.

Depending on your size too many grams could burn out ur kidneys. 150 or 250 sounds like quite a bit but best to go with what your Dr recommended, because larger people may need more. Also you want to spare muscle mass and lose fat so you may need more protein.

I am 7.5 months out. I do about 50g a day in "supplements (shake and bar) alone plus actual food. I think I'm getting about 75 or more g a day.

Seriously get in your liquids. Vitamin water zero rise orange was a life saver. I still drink one first thing in the morning 7.5 months out. I used medicine cups to sip sip sip for my first two weeks. Throw in a premier protein shake now and then and you've got this. Just do one"shot" of liquid like every 3-4 minutes during waking hours and you should be good.

I was on full liquids for 3 weeks and honestly it was hard for me to do the purées the first week. If I had to do over I would think 4 weeks of liquid was better

Yes but gaining and then losing the weight repeatedly is not going to do skin any favors. Nonetheless better to get the sleeve and be religious with skin care and start serious weight/strength training after 12 weeks. And walk everyday!

If too sweet thin with milk or plain yogurt.

Honestly not sure why you are trying to eat so much at one time. My nut told me 1/4 cup of purées and yogurts at 3 weeks and that was all I could take. Even that would take me at least 1/2 hour to get down. So if you're trying to eat a half cup in 15 min three weeks out, perhaps you are just trying to eat like way too much. Protein shakes are what they are and you gotta do a lot of them the first few weeks.

@@Babbs looking awesome.

Congratulations!!!!

Might I recommend "Bone Broth" and "Bone Stock" chicken and turkey flavors at whole foods pack 9-14g of protein per 8oz. I started purées on a very thinned out yellow squash and/or zucchini blended with twice as much of this broth. I would start there and if you tolerate well you can always add a scoop of unflavored protein powder. Of course sautéed the squash within an inch of its life first;-)

Quest Protein bars are very portable. There are also some salty protein Snacks like nuts but don't overdo them. I get individual serving packs and I can take them with me ANYWHERE. I also ship premier Protein shakes to whichever conference I am going to so that I always have some on hand. I use the vanilla Premier Protein as the creamer in my coffee every morning. I'm not sure if you are flying or driving, but you can always pick up premier protein shakes from any wal-mart or sam's club and then put them in a cooler in your car or in the mini-bar in your hotel room (or even an ice bucket if you don't have a mini-bar). If you were not told what to eat. Have you had your blood levels checked? If you are only eating once per day and its a bagel you could have a nutritional deficiency and should get your levels checked. Mine are checked every three months.

I had the sleeve with zero complications. My mom had the bypass with lots but she had a LOT of of other health problems going into the surgery and has for her entire life. It depends a lot on what your goals are. There are less side effects with the sleeve for MOST people. However, the weight loss is also a lot less and a lot slower. I am happy thus far with my sleeve. I have lost 86 lbs in 7.5 months. I'm approaching onederland and at this point I have zero nutritional deficiencies. BUT I wanted to lose 100 lbs in 6 months and I didn't. My BMI was 43ish and I wanted to get down to a BMI of about 23. I'm still going to go for it, but now I am thinking that it might be much more realistic to aim for 25 or maybe aim for 23 in 18 months and just aim to reach the 100 lb weight loss by the one year mark instead. We shall see. Keep in mind that most sleevers only lose about 60-70% of their EXCESS weight (not their weight but their EXCESS weight). Most people that you see on here actually lose much more (but many of those who do not are not exactly advertising that fact on these message boards). So that means your excess weight is a BMI of 56-BMI 24(normal weight)= 32 (excess), and 70 % is 22, so your expected BMI would be about 33. My weight loss has slowed dramatically. I know that I need to step up my game in terms of exercise especially if I want to firm up and keep losing weight. Lots of people who have these surgeries gain weight back. Until I recently dropped the last 8 lbs, I was a bit panicked like - oh no, what if this is not just a stall but I actually start gaining the weight back? Well thankfully I'm not there yet, but its not because I'm doing all the right things really, its just because I'm kind of stressed right now. I can tell you the few things I wish I had changed. I promised myself that I was going to start going to overeaters anonymous meetings right away, during my two week recovery from the actual surgery, but I didn't. I went to my first OA meeting at 6 months post-op. I would strongly advise you not neccessarily going to OA, but to START doing the work on your HEAD and your HEART that you need to do to start to HEAL them PRE-OP. Now I wish I had started going to OA and really tried to get a sponsor once my surgery was scheduled. I started therapy, it was a start, but it is not enough. And in all HONESTY the number one best thing I EVER did for myself in my entire life was to get this surgery. Once I did that I felt so empowered. But now life is taking over again. I am still the same me. I am better much better and I am NOT EVER GOING BACK, but make the most of the "honeymoon" period when you are rapidly losing weight regardless of which surgery you have. That is the best feeling in the world. Just making progress and being so proud of yourself. I have now lost my 70% of my EXCESS weight, BUT I want to lose so much more. Talk to your doctor about what the right surgery for you is. Regardless of which surgery you have there are things you can do to ameliorate any potential side effects. I started taking tons of bariatric Vitamins for two months PRE-OP and extra Calcium and Iron (4 hours apart so they don't block the absorption) and Biotin. Now at 7.5 months out I can now eat like a normal person. A normal skinny person that is. I canNOT eat anything like I used to, but if I went back to sugar and flour I definitely could put on weight again very quickly so except for the very occasional treat I stay far away from that stuff, but I can because I don't have a husband and kids around. Work candy would still get me but I bring tons of Protein bars to work so that when the work candy starts calling my name I have a Quest Protein Bar instead. Regardless of what surgery you do, start doing what you need to do now to take care of YOU! Exercise can be a big part of it, but that has not exactly been my strongest point. I have a lot of work left on this journey. But honestly I still do not have a healthy way of coping with very difficult emotions. Good luck to you and regardless of which you choose JUST DO IT! You will be SO HAPPY that you did:-)

I am very sorry to hear that you are having this problem. So what is the QUALITY of the Iron supplements that you have been taking to date? And are you sure to take them at least 4 hours away from any and all Calcium? Most supplements do not contain the actual amount of active ingredients stated on the label. Nor do they always contain an absorbable version of the Vitamin in question. Most supplements at Walmart and GNC are crap. My iron only slightly dropped. I started supplementing with Vitron C with a handful (1/4 cup) of whole cashews (which also have iron) as my post-lunch but pre-dinner snack about 2-3 times a week and my iron came right back up. I also had to supplement Calcium with cal citrate. I got a chewable version from Country Life. It was tricky to do both of these simultaneously. Also, how much red meat are you eating? Meat is the best source of iron.

I've heard to forget the bed altogether and rent the most comfortable recliner that you can. But I am NOT speaking from experience, rather have heard others also say that getting in and out of bed is a non-starter. I have also heard that recovery is harder/longer than the sleeve. Is this what you are expecting?

So is it falling out in a patch in the back in the "male-pattern"? Or all over? If all over then possibly due to nutrients. Usually Iron and/or Biotin and of course, Protein. If its coming out in the "male pattern" then dude - go get some rogaine and put it on there every night if it means that much to you. And yes, go see your PCP get your levels checked and also your hormones.

I recommend Paula's Choice 2% Salycylic acid "BHA exfoliants" www.paulaschoice.com I use them myself and my skin is like a baby's butt and no I'm not selling it myself or getting anything for promoting.

Search Amazon for "Explore Asian" - they have some high protein "bean pasta". The spaghetti is not to bad, but probably not something you can eat for a few weeks.

@@Elode - did you try them on with a bra? If so what was the cup size? This is something you will want to know like the poster above, if you can even get a bra in that size.

@InnerSurferGirl Brene Brown is the bomb. I believe OKC Pirate or someone on here posted a link to her TED talk. I am trying to read at least three of her books. Her work on vulnerability, guilt and shame are phenomenal. I would highly recommend to ANYONE who has had or is considering weight loss surgery to go to OA. Try at least 3 different meetings at least 3 times until you find a good fit. The good thing about OA and about seeing a therapist (I am doing both)... is that we cannot do this journey alone. Yes there is a lot of introspection, self-awareness and self-care going on and ultimately you have to do the work for you. BUT I realized that all of the activities I was doing by myself after awhile was pretty isolating. Part of the reason, is that I have been hurt before a lot. OA and/or a therapist gives you some acceptance and some interaction which is an important part of healing, and I feel its very important.

@@rileysmom - I have had a dating profile since 2011 that I only revisited this year.

I'm upfront with everyone. I tell it like it is. If they have a problem then its just that: their problem. I'm very proud to have had this surgery. One of the best things I've ever done. Every person who compliments me on my weight loss or wants to know my "secret." I say diet, exercise and a VERTICAL SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY!