helenpgh

Out of plus size women's clothing! Hooray!

12 weeks since my surgery and I am in one-der-land. Haven't been at a weight below 200 in over 25 years! I was on a vacation last week and we did a lot of walking. I did not have access to a scale during that time. So came back to find that my weight had dropped to 196. [emoji4]

Thanks Kathy. Yes my weight has continued to go down. A bit more slowly but that's okay. This past week I went shopping for some new clothes and got a size 12 pair of jeans and 2 size medium tops!!! I really can't remember the last time I wore sizes like that but over 30 years ago at least! I'm feeling good and happy with my decision.

My surgeon says no drinks a half hour before and a half hour after each meal. I try to only eat at a scheduled meal time. I haven't had too much trouble with doing this. And sometimes I lose track of time and go longer than the half hour. Then I might end up drinking a little less that day which can result in some constipation.

I am nearly 5 months out from my surgery (sleeve) and have an under active thyroid. I take synthetic thyroid medication daily. My starting bmi was 38. I am now down 50 pounds with a bmi of 30. Weight loss has slowed but I am still losing. I eat 800-1000 calories per day and walk for an hour or more nearly every day. I work out with a trainer ( mostly strength training) a half hour twice each week. I am feeling great!

Hummus, puréed soups, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt

I made a scrambled egg with cottage cheese. Keeping it moist and soft at first was my approach. And eat really slowly.

When you can stand easily with your feet together.

I also had those feelings before my surgery. I went back and read something I wrote when I started down this path that spoke of all the reasons I wanted this surgery and that got me through those minutes of doubt.

This is pretty common. The first stall is a little scary but just hang in there and follow your program and it will end eventually. You will probably experience many stalls on this journey. I also had the dreaded 3 week post op stall. But now I am 3.5 months since the operation and am down over 45 lbs.

The Bariatric chewable vitamins I had bought made me gag. I ended up taking centrum vitamints but they don't have iron so had to take a small iron pill at night. Now I am using Flinstones children's complete (my surgeon recommended). They have iron. I take 2 in the morning. Then I take viactiv chewable for calcium -- one with lunch and one with dinner.

@@SweetStarlight Sorry you are feeling so down. :-( Hang in there -- hopefully you will start to become more comfortable with your new normal. It will get better as the swelling inside from the surgery goes down. Give yourself time and try to rest and drink fluids (little sips only). I am 3.5 months out and can eat most types of food now. just not very much. I don't have the hunger that I used to so it is easier for me to avoid temptation right now. I am 61 years old with a thyroid problem but am down over 40 lbs. haven't weighed this low in over 25 years so am quite happy. Getting some liquids is the most important thing right after surgery. If you get dehydrated you may end up back in the hospital. Take tiny sips and try different temperature liquids to see what works. Also different non-sugar nob-carbonated flavor a can help. Try sugar free Popsicles. And try warm broth (I used imagine fake chicken broth and also their vegetable broth warmed the first few weeks). See what works for you. Pre surgery I used to gulp/guzzle plain, room temperature Water. Now I like it with ice and prefer with crystal light. Your tastes will change. I was on Clear Liquids only the first 2 weeks after surgery (Dr said I needed to let my stomach heal). If you can't get your liquids in call your surgeon!

My husband is also a meat and potatoes guy though he will eat fish. And my husband can cook which is great. As you ease into regular foods ask him to cook meat or poultry in ways that keep it soft (like in liquids). Then you can eat a small amount. The extra that you don't eat, freeze for a future meal for when he makes something you can't eat. I try to stay away from eating out or takeout too often because restaurants use a lot of salt and fats which are not good calorie or health wise. Maybe try to learn how to cook a few simple recipes for when your husband makes something you can't eat. I often make something simple like scrambled eggs with cheese or baked tofu in bbq sauce when I am on my own. And I cook my own vegetables as my husband doesn't like or cook them. Cook the veg on Sunday and eat them all week because I eat so little.

@@GeeMarieThe full feeling after the sleeve is different than the feeling of fullness I used to get before the operation. Puréed foods and liquids don't always give me any kind of full feeling but once I moved on to mushy and solids I get this pressure in my chest if I have eaten too fast or too much. Also if I eat to much I get a runny nose! I mostly measure and weigh my food so I eat the right amount to make me satisfied but not full. At 3.5 months out I eat about 6 ounces or 3/4 cup of food for a meal. I eat between 800-900 calories per day. My challenge is eating slowly. If you are still hungry after your 4 ounces it might be because of acid in your stomach. Check with your doctor as you may need a different or stronger dose of whatever you take. Also I found that sometimes I think I'm hungry when I am actually needing fluids.

@justhere4theshow. Hang in there. Just keep following your doctors plan and the stall will end. Maybe put away your scale for a few weeks and focus on NSVs. Measure yourself and see if you are losing inches. Congrats on getting to 200! Think what you would weigh now if you hadn't had the surgery. When I start to question if I did the right thing I go back and read a diary entry that I wrote before my surgery about why I wanted to have it. That helps me.

@@heidikat72 I take 2 fibercon daily and try to drink 48-64+ ounces of water daily. Take a stool softener (I use Senekot) if I need one which is only occasionally. You could check with your doctor about what to do/take. That's what I did.

I also don't enjoy salads like I used to. Find that cooked veg are easier for me to eat and enjoy. Steamed or sauteed zucchini, summer squash , asparagus are my go to veg right now.

Some other breakfast ideas. Cottage cheese mixed with some sugar free jam. Or cottage cheese or ricotta cheese with fresh diced cucumber and / or tomato. Morningstar farm sausage patties are good and have 10 G protein. (They also make sausages but haven't tried them yet). I recently made some cottage cheese oatmeal pancakes that were a nice treat. I have also made omelets with one egg and 1-2 egg whites with some shredded reduced fat cheddar and some sautéed veggies (I like mushrooms, onions, and / or zucchini). Saw a recipe for a tofu scramble that I might try (tofu instead of eggs). Eggs scrambled with smoked salmon or smokes trout is good. I am 12 weeks out and trying to minimize the carbs too.

Did you talk with your nutritionist (abbreviated as NUT on this site) or dietician? On my program I was on Clear liquids for 2.5 weeks after my surgery. No fruit juices and had to even dilute sugar free non-carbonated beverages. My surgical team said it was to allow my stomach to heal. But different surgeons have different instructions so check with your team.

I take 2 fibercon daily. If I still have a problem I use a couple of Senecot before going to bed. Check with your surgical team first. Mine warned me to take a gentle stool softener so it didn't cause problems with my stitches healing and suggested the 2 products I have mentioned here.

No complications or problems for me. I had some pain in my left shoulder the first couple weeks until I figured out that it would go away if I sat differently and was tired / weak the first few weeks but that was all. Did not take any pain meds after I left the hospital. Periodically I get some nausea and discomfort with certain foods or if I eat too fast. I will say that I think it is very important to have a good surgeon. Ask your surgeon about the risk and how many vsgs that perform each year or have performed. I went to a center of excellence for Bariatric surgery and am glad I did.

I did not have to go through any pre op diet other than nothing by mouth 12 hours before the surgery. I had my surgery 12 weeks ago at a center of excellence.

If I eat too quickly or take too large of a bite of food it is uncomfortable. Also certain food seem to bother me like the ribs of leaf lettuce or a small piece of toasted wheat bagel that I tried last week. Couldn't eat tuna for the first many weeks either but now not a problem. Soft foods are still tolerated the most easily. People heal at different rates I guess. I am also 12 weeks out and down 40 lbs.

Hang in there. Maybe you are getting hungry because of your high level of activity? I kind of got that you were not excited about having to do such a high level of activity every day like you previously had to do on diets past. If that is true (maybe I misread that) see what happens if you just do an hour a day of fun activity? Think of this as a lifestyle change maybe and try to develop something that you want to live doing the rest of your life. Weight will come off. Different people lose at different rates for various reasons. Your body has just gone through quite a shock and needs time to recover. Be patient with yourself and think about the long game. I know that my first stall lasted a couple of weeks and I was convinced that I was going to be the 'exceptional' case where the surgery didn't work. I am now 12 weeks out and down 40 lbs. and I am 61 yrs old with hypothyroid. I walk around 1 hour per day and do strength training 2 x per week for half hour each. Hang in there!

I've been keeping a personal diary in a document that I store online. It is in s kind of blog form with most recent entries at the top. I also wrote a 'my story' that I wrote before the surgery as to why I wanted / needed it. Have found it helpful to read back through these.