helenpgh
Gastric Sleeve Patients-
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Everything posted by helenpgh
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Thanks. It's been over 25 years since I wore regular sizes.
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I'm 51 and hope to be sleeved in the next month or two
helenpgh replied to kat27641's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I am 61 and had the sleeve surgery 2 months ago. I am down 32 pounds so far and I have an under-active thyroid. I walk a lot daily and do strength training 2x a week. Feeling great so far. Need to lose another 65 pounds to get to a healthy BMI. -
Feeling frustrated-Not going to meet the goal
helenpgh replied to FabFemale's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Wow. 40 lbs in 8 weeks is fantsstic! I had my sleeve on May 10 and am down 30. Maybe the surgeon meant to do the 600 cal for a day or 2 to change things up so your body starts losing again. And no carbs would be extremely hard as it would mean no vegetables, no fruits or whole grains. If it were me I would check back for clarification with you surgeon to understand how long he wants you to eat the restricted diet and why. -
Feeling frustrated-Not going to meet the goal
helenpgh replied to FabFemale's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
@sleever068. How long ago did you have your surgery? I was on Clear liquids only the first 2 weeks after my surgery. Then the 4 weeks after that I was on soft / mushy foods and Protein. shakes. Those first weeks on soft foods I could probably only eat about 600 calories a day because of the swelling from the surgery. At that point most of what I ate was protein. At my 6 week follow up I asked how many calories I should eat and was told 1200-1400!! Since I can't eat that much in a day I usually eat between 800-1100 calories. I am now 2 months out. I try to eat 60-80 grams of protein and eat fruit once a day and grains 1-2 times a day. My surgeon recommends eating a balanced diet and of course I take Vitamins, Calcium and Iron supplements. -
Feeling frustrated-Not going to meet the goal
helenpgh replied to FabFemale's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
My surgery was May 10 and I have lost 30 pounds in the 2 months since then. I use an app called 'get~2~goal' by geisinger health and it shows trends for weight loss after Bariatric surgery. According to their graphs I am better than the average in my weight lost since surgery. I assume they get that data from their patients. (I did not use them for my surgery but like the app for tracking my weight). And your loss is pretty close to mine. You should feel really good about how much you have lost so far. Keep up the good work! -
Hope things are going better for you this week.
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Vitamins/Supplements?
helenpgh replied to LACRACRA2's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
My surgeon recommends 2 children's Flinstones chewables with iron. I plan to switch to those when I finish the Centrum vitamints. -
Vitamins/Supplements?
helenpgh replied to LACRACRA2's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I take centrum vitamints. They taste like mint candy and are easy to digest. However they don't contain iron so I also take Slow FE iron supplement and later in the day I take a Viactiv chewable calcium supplement. -
Surgery tomorrow morning and I'm thinking about cancelling.
helenpgh replied to LA_lady's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I also had doubts. I went back and read my journal entries that I wrote when I started down this path as to why I wanted to have WLS. That helped calm me down and I had the surgery 2 months ago. So far I am doing great and down about 30 pounds. -
If it was me....I would definitely consider counseling for the two of you. He may be afraid of the changes that will come with your surgery and need reassurance that you won't leave him when you become thin. Or he is sabotaging you for some other reason. The two of you need to work this out if you value your relationship. That's my opinion.
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I don't really worry about what anyone else thinks. I had this surgery 8 weeks ago at age 61 because I want to live a healthy active life and after being unable to lose this weight with dieting the past 30+ years I am doing what I need to for me. I am not afraid to tell people that I had the surgery if they want to know how or why I am looking thinner.
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62 having doing the sleeve on May 3rd.
helenpgh replied to Jazzcat's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I spent 3 nights in the hospital. First day or so they gave me a button to push to give myself pain meds. I remember using it but I was also sleeping a lot the first day. Then I don't think I had much pain after that but did have nausea so they kept me an extra day to keep me pumped with fluids as I couldn't sip enough water. -
How do people lose 40 lbs in a month?!
helenpgh replied to Mjohnson4631's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
That first stall is the worst. At least it was for me because I had failed in so many previous weight loss attempts that my confidence that the surgery would work for me was low. But after 2-3 weeks the scale started to move again. After the first 2 weeks after my surgery when I was on clear liquids only and lost 20 lbs. I am now losing an average of 1-2 lb per week. After 8 weeks I am down 28 lbs and weigh less than I have in 26 years! -
Do you think I'll be ok?
helenpgh replied to jennmonterrozo's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
If it were me I would try to get work done ahead of the surgery. In other words see if you can get ahead on the class work. I know that I had very little energy the first 2 weeks. -
62 having doing the sleeve on May 3rd.
helenpgh replied to Jazzcat's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
After surgery I had some nausea for the first few days but was in the hospital then and they gave me something for that. When I got home I was on clear liquids for 2 weeks so I was weak and mostly rested and sipped fluids and tried to walk a few minutes every hour ( I did laps around our dining room table). Moving on to soft foods after 2 weeks was a relief. By 2.5 weeks I could walk a mile and tried to get a mile walk in three times daily. Went back to work after 3 weeks. I am now 8 weeks out and eating regular foods (in small amounts. Approx 3/4 cup per meal). Still having one protein shake daily ( I mix chocolate protein powder with decaf coffee and serve on ice. Yummy). I feel great. Though my clothes are loose since I am down 25 lbs I am still having trouble believing that this weight loss is real. After so many years of trying and failing it is difficult to accept that this is actually working. I don't have hunger but still have to work at eating slowly, chewing more and resting between bites. If I eat too fast or too much it is very uncomfortable. -
Not getting enough calories
helenpgh replied to parsonsholsten3's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Are you on soft foods? I made the ricotta bake and also a baked cottage cheese /broccoli casserole which upped my calories. Also make a smoothie with protein powder, banana and peanut butter. Which can add 300 calories to your day. -
62 having doing the sleeve on May 3rd.
helenpgh replied to Jazzcat's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Good luck. Make sure you have sugar free Popsicles, tea at home for after. What suggestions did you want specifically? -
Bariatric weightloss medications
helenpgh replied to Mapleleaves Welch's topic in GLP-1 & Other Weight Loss Medications (NEW!)
I am 61 and just had sleeve surgery in May because I want to live actively and be able to move without pain for whatever number of years that I have left. So far down over 25 pounds and feeling great. That said, Surgery is not necessarily the answer for everyone. Research all your options. -
I had my surgery May 10. So six weeks out and down 25 lbs. feeling pretty good!
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How many calories a day are you eating? You may not be eating enough for you activity level. Salty foods (many processed foods and carbs) will make you retain more water and result in increased water weight.
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I am 61 and had my sleeve surgery on May 10, 2016. 5 weeks out and down 25 pounds. So far I feel great and have no regrets. @@Cathy48 I hope your surgery went well.
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Me too!
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Has anyone experienced a leak due to drinking protein prior to 5 weeks?
helenpgh replied to sleeverv's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
My surgeon's nurse called me a few days after I got home and I asked her about the clear liquids only and no protein for 2 weeks after surgery. She told me it was to give my stomach a chance to heal. I guess so it didn't have to work at digesting anything. I wasn't hungry though I did have dreams about food! And I lost about a pound a day during those 2 weeks. -
Has anyone experienced a leak due to drinking protein prior to 5 weeks?
helenpgh replied to sleeverv's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I had a leak test in the hospital before drinking anything. Then I was on clear liquids for 2 weeks after my surgery with no protein. Then after 2 weeks I started on puréed food and protein shakes. I had my surgery at Magee Hospital in Pittsburgh which is a center of excellence for Bariatric surgery. -
Having trouble with Calcium Citrate. What do you use?
helenpgh replied to Thecloude1's topic in Protein, Vitamins, and Supplements
I use viactiv chews. Take with each meal.