catwoman7

yes - I do crave sweets more than I did pre-surgery

I've taken a lot of FMLA. It just grants you permission to go and to use leave (whether paid or unpaid). It also guarantees that your job will be safe (i.e., you won't lose it because you left for x number of weeks). It IS separate from leave itself. In my case, I used accumulated sick leave for my leave. If I didn't have any, I would have taken it unpaid. But FMLA just guarantees you can take the approved time off and won't lose your job because of it.

constipation is one of the most common side effects of weight loss surgery (well, with the exception of DS - I think many DS'ers have the opposite problem). I think it has more to do with the diet and supplements than the surgery. High Protein, low carb (meaning low fiber), Iron and Calcium supplements all factor in. I take magnesium capsules and Benefiber every day and take Miralax a couple of times a week whether I need it or not. Some people take Miralax every day. Others find relief with things like Smooth Move Tea. Some take Colace every day. You just have to experiment with different treatments and combos of treatments to see what works for you. But definitely keep on top of it so you won't get really backed up and be miserable!!

if you have GERD or anything related, I'd go with the RNY. The sleeve often (but not always) makes that worse. I had GERD pre-surgery, which is why I went with the RNY. I didn't want to risk it getting any worse.

most people who've had RNY have no complications or only minor ones (like a stricture). Complication rates are higher with RNY than with VSG, but they're still pretty low.

I took three weeks off. I probably could have gone back after about 10 days - and certainly by two weeks, but I developed hives the third week (not sure what from), so I was glad I'd arranged to take three weeks off because I would have ended up taking that long *anyway* (the hives might have been unrelated to the surgery - we're not really sure what caused them)

Agreed!

I told my surgeon before I had surgery that I was going to be the most compliant patient he's ever had. And I *have* been super compliant. I'm sure that's why I've been able to reach a normal BMI. I am NOT going back to where I was, so I'm going to continue being his most compliant patient ever...

I had bypass. I've had no complications, either. I chose it because there's a lot more long-term research on it, and because I had GERD pre-surgery and didn't want to risk it getting any worse.

I ate A LOT of sugar free Jello, since it was the only semi-solid thing I could have. Stock up!!

an occasional piece of dark chocolate or an occasional 1/4 C ice cream shouldn't cause you to stall. Are you sure you're measuring/weighing everything? You should be losing weight if you're eating 800 calories a day.

I was also told never to drink orange juice. Yes it's acidic - but it's also the sugar content

I had the same experience as djmohr. I started out at 373. It was fairly easy to get down to 200, and I probably could have stayed there without a huge amount of effort, but that wasn't good enough for me. I wanted to get down to a normal BMI. And like djmohr's surgeon, my surgeon said that would take *a lot* of work and dedication - and it has. And I know it'll be a struggle to keep myself there - weighing and measuring and logging everything for the rest of my life. But I'm willing to do it to stay where I am!

if you're not ready to stop losing, you could drop your calories a bit, exercise more, or just change things up. On the other hand, if you like where you're at, you can always stay there...

I didn't eat either early out. I still really don't eat them at 17 months out, although I probably could. I occasionally mix a tablespoon of oatmeal into my yogurt and let it sit in the fridge overnight - but that's about the extent of it.

that's about how much I lost in the first two months, and I've lost 214 lbs. Don't worry - just stick to your plan. People lose at all different rates. You'll lose the weight if you're diligent about sticking to your plan.

you should lose more weight as long as you're sticking to the plan. I had a two-week stall within the first month after surgery. Actually, I know someone who had a 3.5 week stall early out - so maybe you'll be OK. Just remember to keep following your plan...

I'm not sure why it would matter if you had it done before or after. You can always ask the surgeon if it's OK to be on antibiotics during the time you're having surgery. If not - have the dental work done after - or a couple of weeks before.

you should be able to lose more weight. Four weeks is starting to get pretty long given you're still early out. Are you weighing, measuring, and logging everything you're eating?

I had to stay on puree for the first month, I think. I would follow your surgeon's advice. You don't want to hurt anything.

Stalls during the first month post-surgery are very common (actually, stalls are *always* common). Most people do hit their first one within a month out of surgery. I had one during weeks 2 and 3. It broke during week 4, and I dropped 6-8 lbs within just a couple of days. As James said, just stick to your plan and the stall *will* eventually break.

check with your surgeon. Nausea while eating could potentially be a stricture. If so, you'll want to get that fixed (and it's a very easy fix - I had two of them early out)

you likely won't feel the restriction until you start eating solid food. In the mean time, don't push it. Your nerves were cut during surgery and you're still healing - you don't want to do anything that will harm you also, weight loss - most people have their first stall sometime during the first month after surgery. I had mine during weeks 2 and 3. Week 4 it broke and I lost like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. Just follow your plan and you'll lose the weight....

] after all the complications people have had with the lapband (they got it at the time it was considered the greatest thing since sliced bread), I'd be a little leery of surgeries that don't have a lot of long-term data behind them. I'd stick with the bypass or the sleeve - but in your case, probably the bypass.

if you're intentionally low-carbing, then you WANT ketones in your urine. That indicates your body is burning fat. If you don't want the ketones, then eat more carbs. But a lot of dieters WANT to be in ketosis (i.e., ketones in their urine)