cindi gant

Call your surgeon's office anyway. His nurse or partner should be able to help you. I would not jump ahead without approval.

In 23 months I have had too many stalls to count. I did not have the 3 week stall. It seems like my first stall was at about 3 months. Not sure though. I have probably had 10 stalls or more. Some were longer than others. The sleeve was a revision so I know how this goes. I have not had many surprises. When you have a stall try the usual things, drink more water, increase your protein, exercise more, reduce your calories by 100 - 150 or maybe add 100 - 150 calories for a week or so. These things may or may mot help. Bottom line, trust the process. Don"t worry. Depending on when your surgery was, call your doctor if the stall lasts more than a month. You have to be comfortable with what your body is doing. You may not be losing pounds but you are probably losing inches.

I was sleeved 23 months ago and I still have 1 protein shake a day (35g protein). I would not get in enough protein without it. My doctor approves. I know others that no longer drink the shakes and do get in the 65g of protein. Every one is different.

Look for the NSV's and rejoice in them. Like, do your clothes fit better? Can you buckle the seatbelt fit better? Can you walk to the mailbox without getting out of breath? Do your knees hurt less? Is your sleep apnea gone? Those were my non surgery victories. Yours may be different.

You are correct about burning fat and building muscle. I weighed 350 pre op and now weigh 203. I have a lot of loose skin. I work out like crazy but I know it will not ALL firm up. Ever! I weighed 350 for close to 25 years. I compare it to a water balloon. If u fill up a balloon and immediately release the water, the balloon will closely return to it's original shape. If you leave the water in for 2 days then release the water the skin will be very wrinkled and stretched out. So..... The higher the starting weight and the longer the person was overweight, the more damage there is to the skin. It will improve with exercise and time, but if your weight was similar to mine, don't expect miracles. Don't worry about the skin. You are getting healthy and that's the main thing.

I love the compliments too. Just be prepared for down the road when they stop. Be good to yourself and find the little improvements that matter to you, or that others may never see. Congratulations on the 25 pounds!

I don't drink coffee but I drink iced tea a few times a week. I never bothered with decaf. I have heard caffeine is an appetite stimulant so be careful if u choose to have caffeine.

Sleevers have to stop drinking 30 minutes before eating and can resume drinking 30 minutes after eating. There are a couple of reasons. 1. The liquid may push the food out of your stomach, enabling you to over eat and consume too many calories leading to weight regain. 2. If you do not wait 30 minutes after drinking, your stomach may be full of liquid then there is no room for food. Different doctors have different guidelines. Some only say to wait 15 minutes. Personally I have to wait 45 minutes to resume drinking. I feel miserable if I drink too soon.

I know several ppl that have gone from band to sleeve. If you have acid reflux or gerd be sure to discuss this with your surgeon. The sleeve is generally not recommended for ppl with acid reflux. RNY or DS may be a better choice for you.

My shake of choice is PURE PROTEIN. It has 35g of protein, 170 cals, 4g carbs, 1g sugar. It comes in several flavors. You can get it at Vitamin Shoppe, Sam's and I think Costco.

I suggest taking your spouses and other loved ones to a couple if support meetings with you. They learn a lot.

It sounds like you are drinking too fast. My sleeve was 23 months ago. I think the early rule is 2 ounces in 10 minutes. By drinking too much too fast, you run the risk of vomiting and eventually stretching the stomach. You need to get in the habit of drinking slow now, because when you start eating you won't have a choice. If you eat fast you may throw up or experience horrible pain in your chest, neck or shoulder.

Congratulations on hitting ONEDERLAND! I am right behind you. I hope to hit 199 by Christmas.

Great advice for the newbies!

Here is what my doctor told me when I said I wad craving mashed potatoes...." You may as well eat a bowl of sugar". That freaked me out. I do not recommend cheating early on. The sooner you can make better choices a new way of life, the better off you will be. This journey is one day at a time. You have a lifetime to eat the foods you are missing today. There is a grieving process that many of us go through. I actually cried over the foods I missed. I actually wrote out a list. Keep a journal. Be aware of your feelings about the food. It gets better

Awesome! Woo Hoo! Congratulations!!!! ????

Try the water based protein drinks, like Isopure. I did not care for those but some people like them better than the shakes. Protein promotes healing and weight loss. It is important to find a way to get in the appropriate amount.

Check out the website for Seven Bites. It's a mother daughter team that have been sleeved. They have recipes for WLS patients. They also have a cookbook on Amazon.

Do not wait. Call your doctor ASAP about all of your concerns.

My hair started falling out around months 3 or 4. This lasted about 3 months then it began growing back. Again this is one of those things that is different everyone. Be sure to take your vitamins. It really is important.

At 5 days post op a sleeved stomach cannot handle the digestion process. You just had approximately 70 - 80% of your stomach removed! You have very little stomach acid to aid in digestion. Surely your doctor explained this during your initial consultation when he explained the various procedures. An RNY patient has a more complex surgery but they do not have most of their stomach removed. They follow different rules than we do. I am surprised that you are hungry after 5 days. It happens but it is not common. I am sure that will pass. Are you drinking your 65 grams of protein? Are u drinking enough water? It is very difficult to drink enough at this point but u have to do the best you can. Ask your doctor about head hunger and the grieving process. About 2 weeks after surgery the grieving kicked in for me. I cried for several weeks because I was missing certain things. Green beans, believe it or not. Of course nachos etc too. It might be helpful to keep a journal. I also began seeing a psychologist before surgery. I knew if I did not deal with my food issues I would never be successful. Hang in there! You are not the first person to be frustrated early on.

Sounds like you are right on track. In those first days I could not even finish a small sugar free jello. I could make 2 or 3 meals out of it. You will be able to eat a little more as time goes on. Eat very slow. Chew 30 times. Put down your fork between bites. Be sure you are not drinking and eating at the same time.

Michelev97, I recommend a book called "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies". It is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble for about $20.00 or so. It answers tons of questions regarding pre and post op. I had the sleeve 23 months ago. I was in the hospital 2 nights. A few doctors do this as an outpatient procedure. My doc does not. I had a catheter just for the first day. I live alone so when I was released I went home to my house and no one stayed with me. My family lives close by and called daily to check on me. I went home with a drain and I had a follow up with his RN 7 days after I was released and she removed the drain. I did not have any major complications. Be sure to buy the groceries on your doctors list. Follow the rules. Walk as much as possible every day. Have a heating pad handy just in case u need it. My pain was minor. Just a little discomfort. Remember everyone's journey is different. If u can attend support groups before surgery I highly recommend it! Those people will become your friends. You are on your way to joining the losers bench. Welcome to the club.

65% is just the statistical loss. Don't worry about it. If you keep doing your part (because the surgery only does so much) you can lose more. My doctor's WLS goal was about 120 and I have surpassed that. I want to lose another 38 pounds. For me, this is the most difficult part of this journey. The weight used to drop off like crazy. Now it is very slow. Keep doing EVERYTHING you were told to do. Go to all of your follow ups. Your weight loss will slow down but then you just kick up what you are doing. If you are stalled after a couple of months call your doctor. He may have special tips or supplements for you to take. Every doctor had different guidelines.

I weighed 350 December 2013. Today I weigh 203. I hope these pics are ok. I had trouble attaching them.