catwoman7

it's the three-week stall - right on schedule!

re: vitamins: there were a couple I couldn't handle right away. The PA at my surgeon's office said a few days would probably be OK. You have a lot of vitamin stores in your body. I wouldn't go too long - but a handful of days without probably isn't going to cause problems. as for the patch, a lot of people have great success with those, but I've read about a few (on another forum) that had deficiencies with them. With my luck, I'd be one of the latter. I've considered buying a box to use when I travel, though - lugging all those bottles around is a pain - esp when I'm flying and want to take everything carry-on.

I still wear a 12 in some things and I'm 5'6" and 138. Sizes aren't very consistent - and a lot depends on your shape and (bone) frame size, too (I have a fairly large frame)

almost everyone experiences that. In fact, we have an official name for it - "the three-week stall". If you do a search on it, you'll probably find thousands of threads on it

I drink a lot of Crystal Light

your BMI is a 25, so you're fine. It's probably just loose skin. Of course, you can always try to lose more weight if you want to, but 25 is in the normal BMI range. if you really want to know where you stand, get one of those commercial DEXA scans where they do the body composition analysis. It's one of the more accurate ways of measuring body fat. If your body fat percentage is normal, then it's definitely just loose skin. I had one of those scans and my body fat was 22%. The technician said that was fine, but not to let it get much lower or I'd just be consuming muscle. Between that and my PCP telling me it was time to stop, I decided to stop, even though I felt "chubby", too, with all the loose skin.

you typically lose the most the first month because some of it is water weight. That said, I also lost 16 lbs the first month. After that, it dropped to 10-12 lbs until about month 6 or 7, then it dropped even further. I know you read about people losing 30 lbs the first month, but those people are the exception. I've been hanging around these boards a long time, and my perception is that most people lose in the 15-25 lb range the first month, so you're absolutely normal! btw - it adds up over time. I ended up losing over 200 lbs, so....

I also take Centrum - or the CVS equivalent (which are cheaper and go on sale all the time to boot!)

I had GERD prior to surgery, so my choice was a no-brainer: RNY. If it weren't for that, I could have gone either way. They're both good surgeries. I've been very successful (lost 100% of my excess weight - over 200 lbs) and would do it again in a heartbeat. The first few weeks can be a little rough, but after that, I was fine.

I thought you just go back to regular calorie absorption, like you had before surgery. Are you saying it's more? Haven't heard that - but I'll look for some research articles on it. You can rapidly regain from any surgery if you're not careful. You don't have any calorie malabsorption from the sleeve, so it never really changes. That's why there's usually more rapid loss initially with the bypass, but it evens out by the end of year 2. EDIT: what I meant was, the rate of calorie absorption goes back to about what it was before surgery. I'm sure the remaining villi have to become more efficient over time since some of the small intestine has been bypassed. But I would assume this happens gradually over time - over the course of the first year or two - it's not like it's abruptly switched off and on (although I have never actually read any research studies on this). So anyway, you would have a lot of time to adapt to that. So I'm not sure why rapid regain would be any more of a risk with RNY than VSG. I've never read anything that would indicate that. I think it depends a lot more on how vigilant you are on monitoring your weight and your food intake.

my hunger came back at five months out. I think it's different for everyone, but it's usually sometime within the first year (although for a few lucky people, it never comes back. Wish I would have been one of them!). let your surgeon know about the nausea. It could be that you're introducing things too fast, or it could be that you have a stricture forming. Just let them know in case they suspect the latter. If that's what it is, it's an easy fix.

I don't think it's possible to lose it too fast, as long as you're getting all the requirements in. Consider yourself lucky. I was behind the crowd from pretty much day one.

I went back after three weeks but could have gone back after two if necessary. I was feeling fine after two weeks - just very tired.

the first few weeks can be tough, but after that, you'll be feeling totally normal and loving it! At two years out and having lost all my excess weight, I can tell you that it's the best decision I ever made! So no, no regrets, other than maybe the first month or six weeks. It'll pass. also, if the nausea keeps up, let your surgeon know. Occasional bouts happen early on, but if it's a lot, call them. Could be something like a stricture if you're having constant nausea and trouble keeping things down.

they're really not common in any of the surgeries unless you slack off on your vitamins. Although the above posters are correct - it's less of a risk with the sleeve.

I take Centrum Silver chewables (or the CVS equivalent, which goes on sale all the time). for protein, you're bound to get 100 different answers on this because people's tastes are so different. I like most of the Unjury and Syntrax powders. Your best bet is to get a bunch of samples (even if you have to pay for them, which you usually do) and start trying them *after* surgery. That way you won't get stuck with a $40 tub of something you hate.

keep on top of the constipation and the hemorrhoid problem may take care of itself. Just figure out what treatment or combo of treatments work for you. A lot of post-ops deal with constipation forever, although it's a little easier when you're further out and eating more fiber. But I still have to keep on top of it so it doesn't get out of control. I take magnesium every day, plus Miralax a couple of times a week, plus Milk of Magnesia for a night or two if I get really backed up. But figure out what works for you...

I lost 16 lbs the first month, so you're fine. It seems most people lose in the 15-25 lb range that first month, so you're exactly where you should be. You'll see people here and there who drop 30 lbs the first month, but that's the exception. You are fine and perfectly normal.

we were told to avoid gummies

I went through this myself with my father just a month ago. I know how tough it is. My heart goes out to you.

I think the only way to assure it'll never happen is to have plastic surgery. It happens to me pretty much all the time (although the airports I've been to have those full-body scanners - sounds like the older ones might not do it?). I always tell them I've lost over 100 lbs and it's loose skin, but they pat me down anyway.

Yep. Every time (I fly a lot). It's the loose skin because I never wear belts and never have anything in my pockets. This is really common for people losing massive amounts of weight, btw...

I try to avoid sugar free versions of trigger foods, too. After all, it triggers my eating - and I'm not going down that path again. I try to find substitutes that hit the right spots but aren't too closely related - like Greek yogurt when I'm thinking ice cream...(dairy, sweet, creamy - but not too closely related...)

I remember being worried the first few days that they didn't do the surgery since I felt so good. I've heard others say that as well - so you're not alone!

a lot of people drop weight really quickly the first month (unfortunately, I was not one of them). But no worries - it's mostly water and will slow down *a lot* after your initial drop.