Rev Me Up!

Hello and congrats on your progress! Setting a goal also depends on your height. How tall are you?

<p style="margin-left: 40px">Congrats on the cruise weight loss!! Travel is an entirely different experience after VSG. Awesome!</p>

I was always told to drink as much as possible in the first few weeks. It is more important to fight dehydration. I think the benchmark was about 500 cals per day, but it depends on your doctor. Just do your best with the flluids and Protein. BTW - I was also told not to worry about Vitamins until 2 weeks or more out from surgery.

I think the whole "too thin" thing comes from the fact that almost everybody is overweight these days. Normal weight does look really thin next to the 2/3 of the country that is overweight or obese. I get a lot of those comments now - but I could still stand to lose several inches on the waist / hips region. I'm not going to kill myself chasing the last 10 pounds, but I figure my body is going to settle where it wants to - I was surprised to get below 150, my body wanted to go further. People can be really mean. And, yes, this surgery was the easy way out for me. It was hard emotionally. It was hard during recovery. However, the weight loss was really easy and has been easy to maintain so far. I didn't get the surgery do it WOULDN'T work. I made a decision and I am thrilled that it delivered on its promise. I can't waste time thinking about whether or not I "deserve" what happened to me. Besides the health benefits, its not much different than getting a new pair of boobs. Are my boobs morally superior to someone with fake boobs? No! Would I consider surgery if I wasn't happy with my boobs? Yes - if it really bothers me, I am going to take care of it. I don't want to live a life of fear and regret because someone is judgmental about surgical procedures. I also had a C-section when I had my daughter. It wasn't medically necessary - I just wanted one. Guess what? I did it the way I wanted to, we are all healthy and happy, and it's no ones business. Just because I took a different path doesn't mean I am less of a mother. Ok, I'm stepping off my soapbox.

Hmmmm.... I don't see them. I think the banner ads are customized based on internet searches and things like that. For example, When I was looking at jewelry last year, all of a sudden my banner ads were all from jewelers.

If I twist just right, I can still feel that familiar pull at my port site. I think there must be a ton of scar tissue there that is a little bit tight, which I can only feel if I really over extend. It doesn't hurt when I tought it or poke at it, only when it is stretched in a certain way. Hpwever, it is nothing like it was when I had the band - I couldn't even sleep on my side for an extended period of time without pain. Man, that band SUCKED!

It's all about appetizers for me. I went on a biz trip about 2 momths after my sleeve and it was tough. Luckily, the breakfast was a buffet and I had a little yogurt and then shoved a yogurt and packet for hot Cereal in my purse for later. I went out to nice restaurants and I had the experience of not only the waiter, but 2 managers come out and ask me about the food and why I didn't eat it. EMBARRASING!! I am a big fan of ordering an appetizer plate or single side dish for my dinner. A couple of scallops, a single skewer of chicken, whatever they have. Another fav of mine is to order a cheese / cured meat appetizer - you know with salami, prosciutto, mustard, etc. You will usually be able to get someone to share a little of it and you can just pick at it. I also find I eat a lot of Asian food now. It is usually served family style so you can take a small portion for yourself and enjoy the meal without having a giant plate in front of you. Spanish tapas are also a good call. It is really uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier. No one knows about my sleeve. Don't be afraid to order a small plate of food. That will keep you from having the waste anxiety. Also, don't eat the bread they put on the table - you will be full before dinner comes :-)

I had pain where the drain had been for up to 3 weeks after surgery, but it seemed to be a little less every day during that time. I could not live without my heating pad for the first 3 weeks - seriously day and night. Try to use the heating pad and lay in a comfortable position to try and relieve the pain. You have to remember that you just had 85% of your stomach removed. It's traumatic and your insides are working furiously to heal themselves. There will be spasms, pains, itches - all kinds of things that will happen while your body miraculously repairs itself. It is good that you are diligent with the bloodwork and make sure to report any nausea or fever. Otherwise, keep taking your PPI, keep taking the gas x, keep a heating pad with you at all times, and maybe stay off your feet for a couple of days.

the dreaded 3-5 week stall strikes again! Do a search on the 3 to 5 week stalll and you will see that every sleever experiences this and every one gets through it. My best advice to you is to walk away from the scale for 10 days if you can manage it. The scale may not move again until then and you don't want to drive yourself crazy over it. You will break through it and you will lose the weight. Calories in < calories burned = weight loss no matter which way you cut it. Concentrate on staying hydrated and feeding yourself through recovery. Good luck!

I don't think I could take more than 2 normal sized bites of anything for a couple of months. When I first started mushies, I used a baby spoon to get the very smallest bites possible and force me to slow down. You won't be eating normal food for a while. I was stuck in the quasi-mushy stage for a while. 2 oz of food is all your pouch can hold - wheter you eat it fast or clow, there will be a hard stop at that point. As the weeks and months go by you will find that some food sits better with you than others. It is part of the process to try things and see if they are OK. If they are not, wait 2 weeks and try again. My first 3 months were all about: - cottage cheese - flaz oatmeal - trader joes mini brie bites with multi grain pita crisp crackers - 1 oz cream cheese wrapped in 1 oz slice of deli turkey - soft rotisserie chicken thigh meat mixed with cottage cheese - homemade mashed sweet potato woth a little salt All of the above in strict 2 oz portions were the only things I ate (literally) for a couple of months. I ate 6 times a day (or more) to get in my Protein because I can't stomach the Protein drinks. Some people eat eggs right away and I couldn't choke down a bite of egg for almost 6 months - just didn't work for me. Everyone is a little different.

My lifesaver was tupperware-type container that was 1/2 a cup. I bought a pack of six of them, filled then halfway with food (to equal the 2 oz portion) and that was the only thing I would eat out of - FOR MONTHS! What's funny is that in the first 2 months, I would rarely finish it and it would still take me 20 minutes to get it down. Eat slow, chew A LOT, and if you feel a little weird, take a break and come back to it. Focus on nutrition, not finishing everything. I packed mine with: - cottage cheese - greek yogurt - mashed sweet potato with a little salt - meat sauce mixed with cottage cheese - curry sauce mixed with cottage cheese (notice the pattern) Yes, cottage cheese was a staple for me because I tolerated it well and it was full of Protein. I also had a daily habit of eating 2 oz of organic oatmeal with flax (for fiber). My other daily was one Trader Joes mini-brie bite that I would divide into 4 and eat on 4 multi grain pita bites (crackers). Tasted amazing, had a crunch which made me happy, and would keep me full for a while. This early out, you probably couldn't eat the whole thing, but its easy portion control because of the size fo the cheese. 2 oz is your limit :-) I still use the containers, but I fill them up a little more since I am 9 months out. I still can't quite eat 1/2 a cup in one sitting, though, unless it is really soft food.

Ha ha ha!! Awesome!!!

I love shopping!! I keep saying I will wait, but I never do :-) I am an avid JC Penney shopper now. The interesting thing is that I never know what size I am until I get there. Even though I have a general size that I may usually fit into, there may be a certain cut of pants or shirt that fits differently. in the past, it would kill me to wear a size bigger than my normal size, but now its not a problem. Most of my pants are size 8 now, but I still have 2 pair of size 10 jeans that fit and are a little tight because of the way they are cut. It's truly OK with me now. When I try clothes on, I have to drag in at least 2 sizes of everything. The worst for me is bra shopping - the sizes are so complicated to begin with...

Fantastic!! Thanks so much for posting and keeping the dream alive for all of us!!

Yikes!!!! That's scary! I am not allergic, but the taste makes me gag. You'll find a way around it. I either have regular sugar drinks, watered down. or I just go for naturally sugr free stuff like tea or milk. I hope your hives are getting better. Its a bummer to go to the emergency room for hives. Last time I ended up with a ton of steroids which then led to an infection. Feel better!

Honestly, I don't clearly remember about the cell service because I was lucky enough to have an epidural-type line and I was on DRUGS the whole time I was in there. I want to say that I did send some text messages and it was through my regular carrier. I think they do offer to call someone for you, but I had someone with me and wasn't able to test that theory. The best thing I packed for my trip: Biotene. Your mouth will be unbelievably dry and there are no fluids by mouth the first 24 hours after surgery. I would swish / brush with biotene and my mouth felt great. The staff at the hospital are really fantastic and there is usually some good camraderie with the other sleeve patients in your wing. You will notice that the hospital is a regualr general hospital with an emergency room, etc. However, it is really clean (a lady comes in to mop your room several times a day) and the nurses are very sweet. Also, do your best to learn some of the Spanish phrases they send you via email. At a minimum, bring it with you so you can point to phrases so you can communicate - they don't speak English. I think I have a blow-by-blow account of my time with Dr Aceves. You can go to my profile, look at my posts and it should be there. I don't want to re-post it and bore everyone with the details. If you have any questions, please ask.

You should be OK, but you won't know what your eating habits will be until you get closer to that time. I was 100% eating solids by the 5 week mark, just very little of them. I have never really been into the Protein drinks, so that was never an issue for me. You will want to have some Snacks tucked into your purse at all times so you can have mini-meals during the day as needed. If there are cheese or deli meats served at Breakfast, bust out a zip-lock bag and save them for later in the day. If there are yogurt cups, tuck one into your bag. That will keep you from having any meal panic during the day. Most of all - do not push yourself while on the trip. Drink a lot of fluids, don't forget to eat, and make sure you get plenty of rest. You may still have fatigue at 5 weeks (mine lasted more than 8 weeks). Good luck - you can do it!

I agree - some people either don't see it or they don't want to offend you by pointing it out. But wait - when you get down near goal weight, people who haven't seen you for a while will start asking if you are "sick" or have cancer or something. You're doing great!!!

Hi- You can't judge anything by what happens in the first week! It took years to put the weight on, it is physically impossible to lose it in 10 days. You would do yourself a huge favor by not weighing yourself for 10 days or longer if you can stand it. Your body is recovering from major surgery and meeds time to adjust. Do a search and read about the 3-5 week stall as well so you don't freak out when the weight loss stops in a month. The stall passes and you will feel like a completely different person after 8 weeks or so has gone by. Follow your doctors instructions, stay hydrated, put the scale in the closet, and concentrate on your recovery. Good luck!

The dreaded 3-5 week stall strikes again!! If you search the forum you will find every sleevers has experienced this slow down. It passes after 2 or 3 weeks. Don't worry, it will pass.

Nice to see you again, Crosswind-- I would say that your overall downward trend is fantastic and it will continue. I noticed a massive slowdown around month 7-8 and then this last month I lost 4 pounds in one week. Random. So, even if it is slow, it will continue. It sucks to not be where you want to be. You have done the right thing by not living for the scale. You can send yourself straight to the looney bin worrying about day to day fluctuations. Hopefully some more long-timers will reply and give you some 9 month to 18 month weight loss stats. I don't think 12 months is a hard stopping point. Congrats on your success!

The only thing that breaks a stall is time. The 3-5 week stall is something that every single one of us went through. Your body is in shock and just holds on for a couple of weeks. After that, the weight loss picks up. It is not unusual. It is nothing to be afraid of if you are a pre-op. Do a search for 3 week stall and you will see hundreds of people with the same experience. And every single one of them got through it and went on to lose a lot more weight. Seriously - step away from the scale. Put it away. Try to focus on how loose your clothes are starting to feel and how different your face looks (we all lose the face fat first). At this early date there is no way on earth you are messing up the program. Adding water or protein may make you feel better, but the stall breaks when your body feels comfy enough to let the water go. Cals in are less than cals burned and this will always add up to weight loss. Hang in there!

Hi- There are lots of us out there - LilMissDiva and Tiffykins are prolific writers on the board. You can look through the revision forum (about 1/2 way down on the mainpage) to get the names of more of us and you can follow our posts for lots of info. Personally, I am thrilled with my revision. Had a great surgeon and lost all the weight that the lap band promised, but never delivered. The sleeve really works. The lap band SUCKED. Do your homework and good luck!!

All I can add here is that you are going to have moments that are emotional. I remember being in my kitchen after having a bad day and I wanted a big bowl of Cereal. I grabbed a bowl and I started to fill it up. I started crying and I actually said out loud "all I want is big bowl of cereal!". But I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it. I poured it anyway, took my 4 bites and that was the end of it. It was completely irrational, but that was a moment in time where my emotions bubbled over. You can't really mess up on the scale that you could before. But, you will be facing your demons because the sleeve will force you to. You will find some urges easier to fight because your taste buds will change and you may not like the foods you used to crave. However, the desire to shovel food in your face because life is tough still happens. I think these feelings are the worst in the beginning beause you are so limited in what you can eat. You start to wonder if you will ever enjoy food again. But you will, it just takes time. No one said the emotional road was easy on this one... :-)

Definitely get a blood workup to see if there are any problems with your Vitamins. Don't be afraid to take the B Vitamin every day too. I had varying levels of exhaustion for months after surgery. I didn exercise at all because of it. I would say I didn't feel like I could exert myself very much until I got into the 6th month. I could walk at a leisurely pace all day long, but if my heart rate went up, I would start shaking... it was bad. Hang in there, make sure you are eating enough and that it is good quality, have your blood checked to rule out something obvious. Take care---