catwoman7

are you still measuring/weighing and tracking your food? If you're not, I'd consider it. I'm 4.5 years out and still have to do this - and probably will for the rest of my life. I've learned I'm not good at estimating and remembering what I ate. My weight starts heading north pretty quickly when I stop closely monitoring my food intake.

Unjury products were one of my favorites - but then, everyone's taste is different. A lot of people love Premier Protein, which I couldn't stand - I could taste the protein in that one. Just keep trying different brands - you'll eventually find one you like.

it happens to a lot of us

oh great! I figured this far out I'd be lucky to get at least *some* sensation back - but your comment gives me some hope! (although like I said above, I'd kinda gotten used to the numbness...)

it does feel weird, but you kinda get used to it after awhile. In fact, when my sensation started coming back about a year later, I thought something was wrong. I kept feeling things like little twitches of pain, pulling, burning, and tingling. I thought maybe I'd pulled some muscle off a staple or something while exercising. I even emailed my surgeon's office (I was overseas at the time, so I couldn't call or make an appt to go in). But they didn't seem very concerned and just said to massage it when it was bothering me. In retrospect, I'm pretty sure it was the nerves starting to regenerate. Since the sensation has gradually gotten stronger. I don't know if it'll ever fully come back because I'm 17 months out now, but at least it's not as "dead" as it was.

a lot of patients do go home the same day, but I'm really glad I had to stay overnight in the hospital. I think it would have been tough to be home (or in my case, at the hotel). I still felt like crap the next day, but I was definitely more functional.

I was numb from my navel to my public bone for at least a year. My sensation is now starting to come back. Some people lose it forever. With others it comes back, but it's often permanently numb at the incision line, as I understand. I didn't have that numbness with my brachioplasty or breast lift - or if I did, it didn't last that long. LBL is a different story.

complications - esp major ones - aren't that common anymore. Maybe she just sees more since she works in the medical field (and doesn't see all the people who DON'T have them). Or maybe she's got outdated views of WLS. Back in the 60s and 70s, it WAS dangerous - but not anymore. They've come a long way since then. It's become a very safe and routine surgery. Sounds like she's the one who needs to do some research!

as long as you've been cleared for solid foods and as long as you can tolerate chicken, yes. Some people have a hard time with chicken the first few weeks or months.

is bread on your surgeon's plan? It wasn't on mine. If it's on yours, then fine - but follow your plan. yes, weight loss does slow down after the first month or two. But 40 lbs in two months is a lot!

40 lbs in three weeks? No - that would be extremely rare. The average WLS patient loses about 15-25 lbs in the first month. There are some exceptions, but again, those are rare. People that lose that much weight the first month are usually people who start off at something like 500+ lbs - like the people on "My 600 lb Life" P.S. I started off at over 300 lbs and lost 16 lbs the first month, if that gives you any idea.

it was awhile before I could eat salads and other raw vegetables - maybe four months or so? I could eat cooked ones a lot sooner, but I can't remember when. Someone not as far out probably remembers...

if you had gastric bypass, the two sections of your stomach are probably sectioned off by staples. I suppose they could have sutured it off, but they usually use staples.

none at all or just this week? If the latter, you're having the dreaded "three week stall" that most of us have...

I thought any excess protein was just stored as fat (??). At any rate, I wouldn't count excess protein as carbs. Your body will burn whatever it can for energy if there aren't any carbs available....but I wouldn't count excess protein as part of your carb intake. P.S. I should add that I am NOT a dietitian or any sort of expert on this, but this just doesn't sound right to me.

yes. Surgeons leave staples in with a lot of types of surgeries - not just bariatric. They're made of titanium and won't hurt you. I have some from my plastic surgery, too (in my abdomen)

I personally wouldn't do a pouch reset (I've read too many negative things about it) or liquids/protein shakes only - that's pretty hard to sustain for more than a couple of days. Just start eating the way we're supposed to - protein first (60-80 grams a day for most of us), then non-starchy vegetables, and then, if you have any room left, a small serving of fruit or "healthy" carb (like something whole grain). Log everything you eat and be mindful of your overall calories (and calorie range is an individual thing - you may to experiment for awhile to find your "sweet spot"). I agree with the above posters that a support group might be helpful, too... also, some anti-depressants can cause weight gain. I'm not sure about the one you're on, though. If it's one of those that does cause weight gain, maybe check with your doctor to see if there's a different med that might work for you?

I could walk right away. I was cleared for most things at four weeks out. For weights, I had to wait eight weeks. Depending on your age and how much weight you lose, loose skin will probably be unavoidable. Toning may help some, but you may still be "blessed" with it. Fortunately, most of us can hide it pretty well.

If you're following your surgeon's plan, then you've just hit your first stall. Almost everyone has their first stall sometime during the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. Just stick to your plan and the weight will start to drop again.

the boobs will definitely drop. I was really freaked out by mine at first, but once they dropped they looked great. I love them! I think it took maybe two months before they were fully dropped. and yes to the Care Center. My surgeon will only do his surgeries in a hospital (he's on the faculty at a med school) and makes you stay in the hospital until he feels you're ready to leave. The other two consults I did sent you home that same night. That didn't sit well with me. Even though it was more expensive to have to stay in the hospital (and a care center would have been OK, too), I'm super glad that I did. I can't IMAGINE trying to deal with that at home (or in my case, at a hotel) the first night or two. Yikes. A lot of people do, but....no thanks. I wanted the peace of mind. Plus the catheter. Plus nurses and CNA's taking care of me.

surgery doesn't solve that. At first it takes your hunger away (at least for most of us) for a few months. It can also reset your metabolism. And also, for the first few weeks or months, it makes it tough if not impossible to eat more than a few tablespoons. But at some point, you can easily return to the bad habits you had before surgery and gain much - if not all - of your weight back. You have to be diligent for the rest of your life if you want to keep the weight off. My weight quickly heads north if I stop paying attention. At 4.5 years out, I still weigh myself daily, watch my calories, and weigh/measure most things and log everything that goes into my mouth. I've accepted the fact that I have to do that for the rest of my life.

like someone else said, chicken is hard for a lot of people at first. Try something softer and moister - like shrimp or tuna.

that works for sure. Or some protein powders are available in individual packets. I've often taken them on trips.

I had to do clear liquids for something like 24 hours before surgery. That part is to clean out your GI tract. The rest of it is to shrink your liver to make surgery easier.

How far out are you? Are you following your surgeon's plan to a T? I almost never went off it while i was in weight loss mode. Are you weighing/measuring and logging everything you eat?