Lizardlady

I can't really chime in on the weight gain thing because I really didn't gain much at all with my last pregnancy (he's 4 months old now). I gained a total of 8lbs but it fluctuated up and down consistently. Some weeks I would gain 5-6 lbs and others I would lose it all. The baby was 7lbs 6oz at birth so technically I actually lost weight during the pregnancy when you consider water, blood and placenta weight on top of baby weight. I really wasn't able to eat a whole lot because of my sleeve and I was sick the entire way through (was similar in my first pregnancy prior to my surgery but this one was way worse). However, I can tell you that if you can breastfeed and pump, you should TOTALLY do it.... I'm still losing weight and I'm sure it's from breastfeeding because my appetite is fine now. Keep in mind that being pregnant doesn't mean you have to eat a lot more. In fact, I ate a lot less because most of what I did manage to eat... didn't stay down!

I actually lost weight in both of my pregnancies (one being prior to my surgery) and this last one I lost at first and only gained 8 lbs total for the entire pregnancy which fluctuated up and down. The baby was 7lbs 6oz at birth..... and after I had him I lost over 25 lbs within a few weeks. I think it really depends on your weight going in on how much you will actually gain or lose (if any). If you are overweight then you aren't supposed to gain much and the more overweight you are, the less you are supposed to gain if that makes sense. I was sick the entire way through but the Drs were not concerned as I was still overweight and the baby was absolutely fine. Just stay hydrated is what they will most likely tell you and if need be then get on some nausea meds to help keep some kind of food down. However, I wouldn't worry about it as long as the baby is healthy at ultrasounds and is kicking, I think you'll be just fine.

I had the same issue throughout my entire pregnancy. I'm not sure if it was just me because my first pregnancy (prior to my gastric sleeve), I was also sick throughout the whole pregnancy and not just "morning" sickness. HOWEVER, this was on a whole new level! I felt like I was full ALL DAY after only eating a small amount of food and like maybe it wasn't digesting. I was told even in people without gastric sleeve that this is completely normal and one of the most common complaints from pregnant women. While you are pregnant, your digestive system changes from the hormones. I was put on ranitidine as well as a nausea medication for pregnant women but honestly it didn't help much. I also tried Preggy Pops which didn't do anything either. The farther along I got, the less room I had for food but the good news is that it is only temporary! 😃

My breasts were actually MORE sore with my pregnancy after weight loss. My first son I had at 19 and didn't notice much breast tenderness or soreness or even sensitivity but THIS time it happened early and very noticeable.

I've used Isopure but I didn't even know Premier had clear ones. I guess I'll have to try those as well! Isopure is kind of hit and miss for me. Some flavors I could tolerate and others I couldn't but it definitely got me through the times that I just COULD NOT stomach another shake so maybe the Premier is the same?

I have PCOS and I'm almost 2 years post op. Although I am having issues right now with regaining weight, it's not all because of PCOS. I'm 5'6" and started at 369 as my highest weight. Surgery day I was around 325 and after surgery my lowest was 235lbs (up until September when hurricane Irma came through Florida). So I lost quite a lot (134lbs total) but I would say that PCOS definitely played a role it keeping the weight loss slower and maybe not as much as most people would have. I did have several long stalls even in the early honeymoon phase that I think I would attribute to PCOS. I was pre diabetic before my surgery and I was on both Metformin and Spironolactone to control the symptoms of my PCOS. After surgery I am no longer on those medications and MOST of my symptoms seem to be somewhat under control. HOWEVER, there were/are some issues for me. Many women with PCOS have issues with hair growth (in places you really don't want hair) as well as issues with hair loss on your head. If you are one of these people then I will warn you that the hair growth has gotten worse as it grows much faster and the hair loss although it is finally starting to get better for me now, my hair was VERY VERY thin for quite a long time after surgery. I always had hair that would fall out a lot in the shower but I always had thick hair even still and that part of PCOS never bothered me because it wasn't really noticeable. My hair was able to keep up and replace the hair that I lost fast enough that it didn't cause thin hair issues. After surgery it fell out pretty dramatically and the backs of my shirts and pillows were always covered in hair that had fallen out and the hair itself seemed to get frizzy and a lot less healthy. It is only now STARTING to come back but it has a long way to go still before I would say it's back to normal. Obviously the surgery doesn't cure PCOS because there is no cure, you will always have it, but it does help with many of the symptoms. I will say that I would do the surgery all over again though so don't let what I say dissuade you. It helped to give me my life back and I have NO regrets about having it done.

Well, it happened, I am completely off the wagon and I need a reset. After Hurricane Irma, we had no choice but to eat some MRE food that was given out for free (we had no power for 2 weeks where I live). This was our first hurricane and we didn't quite plan accordingly. Know better next time but regardless, I have no excuse NOW and I am wayyyyyy off on what I should be eating and my portions. I'm not really sure what kept me going with eating garbage and too much of it but it seemed like the more I ate, the less I cared about what I was eating and had cravings more often and snacking between "meals" even though it was more like just constant snacking with the MREs. Now I'd like to fix it and get back on track. I have gained back a huge amount of weight from went from 235 to 267 and although I did lose some last week and dropped down to 250 (I was super sick and couldn't eat anything), I'm back up to 267 in a matter of a week of being able to eat again. I think my biggest problem is eating way too much and too often. While it's true I have been eating some things I shouldn't be eating, this week I have actually tried cutting way back on carbs but I'm still ravenously hungry even if it is for steak or a protein shake! I could drink a shake and then 20 mins later I'll be hungry again and it's head hunger as there is no possible way I could actually be hungry with how often I am eating. I have heard of the 5 Day Pouch Test and was wondering if anyone on this forum has used it and if they had any luck "resetting" themselves? I need my post surgery stomach and appetite right now and it's just not there! I am still eating less than pre surgery but if I'm being honest, not by much! The portions may be smaller but I'm eating much more often. Anyone have any tips/tricks? I am in definite need of some support. It's already gotten out of hand.

I had my surgery almost 9 months ago. I can only tell you my own personal experience but everyone seems to have a unique experience so I'm not sure if it will help you or not but here it goes: 1. I've had several surgeries done in the past. Back surgeries for ruptured disc and also to widen my spinal canal as well as a C section. This was by far the easiest as far as pain goes. I even had some issues with the dry heaves and vomiting the same night of surgery and it wasn't nearly as bad as what I thought it was going to be. I thought if I vomited I might rip something open or at least be extremely painful and that just wasn't the case. Sure it wasn't the most pleasant experience but it's not nearly as bad as one might think. 2. Again the pain wasn't anywhere near being as bad as the other surgeries. Actually, I didn't even take any of the prescribed pain meds once I got home except later in the week and that was only because I had a pretty bad migraine so I more or less took it for the headache pain. The pain from the surgery itself was there but more of a tenderness and stiffness. The only sharp pains I had was if I turned or tried to move suddenly. Once relaxed, the pain is pretty bearable. As far as the other things you listed goes: Yes, I did throw up some things for the first few months and honestly, even now sometimes something just doesn't sit well but it's usually when I eat something that I really should not have eaten and early on it may have been from just trying to eat too much. Certain things just turn my stomach but not very often now. I can pretty much eat anything I want (if the mood strikes me or there is a special occasion) and if it doesn't sit well then it just doesn't. I should mention, it's hard to explain but for me, it is a much different experience than your normal "sickly" vomit. It's not nearly as big of a deal and I throw up and feel fine after. Constipation was another issue I had and it was unexpected as I had NEVER had issues like that before. However, it was more than likely from the vitamins I was taking (too much iron) combined with protein shakes and peanut butter powder as well as lots of cheese (it was about the only thing I really wanted to eat). it was only really bad up to about month 5. I can still have some minor issues with it now but nothing some Milk of Magnesia or an Enema can't fix. No issues swallowing. As a matter of fact, I asked my surgeon about that since it was a concern for me since I had issues with my swallowing sometimes pre-sleeve. I no longer have issues at all which is a bonus I suppose. Gerd is a common issue, yes. Especially if you had issues with acid stomach before surgery. My surgeon gave me a prescription for it which I did take for the first few months. Now I can usually pop a tums if I need one and be good to go. 3. Follow your surgeon's instructions to a T to minimize your risks. Also, there is never any harm in asking your surgeon about his history with potential issues. Ask how many times he has done the procedure and how many issues he's had. I did and it certainly made me feel better! Make sure you have a great surgeon! I was also extremely nervous about the risks of surgery but mine was mostly worries about waking up after anesthesia. Honestly, I shouldn't have worried so much. 4. That seems to be a pretty common question on here. I can say with all honesty, the only real regret I had was when I was having major constipation issues and I worried it would last forever (which it didn't). Here are a few other posts that I had replied to that had a similar question. Maybe reading all of the replies on these will put you more at ease (or not?): 5. When you eat it might feel funny. I remember feeling my food move through when I swallowed which was pretty weird. Almost like I could put my finger on the exact spot my food was as it went down and it would make funny noises (sometimes still does). Other than that, it feels pretty normal. You don't feel like you are missing a piece of yourself if that's what you mean lol. 6. Can't really answer this honestly since I'm not THAT far out yet but so far so good. 7. It's tough at first but your surgeon's team probably expects that. Stay hydrated and treat every day as a new one. Don't dwell if you don't make your goal for the day. You won't want to eat much at first but if you're anything like me, just give it some time. I know this was a lot to read, but I wanted to cover all the questions as much as possible and hopefully it helped you some in your decision. Having the surgery done is a very personal decision that nobody else can make for you or tell you what you "should" do. For me, I don't have any regrets. I'm down 123 lbs from my heaviest weight and I would not have been able to do it without this surgery. Other than a few very minor issues here and there I feel back to my normal self only much healthier and happier, a lot less pain (from being overwight) and I'm able to do things I never thought I'd be able to do again. The trade off was more than worth it for me. I would wish the same for anyone else!

I have been away for awhile due to remodeling and a move and I just noticed the update to the site today. I went to enter my new weight and look at my "chart view" but it is showing starting at the date of 1970 and not from the date I had used for my starting weight. It's pretty weird. Anyway, thought I would post it here since it was not like this before the update and also it's kind of hard to read the chart now lol.

Wow, my surgeon actually let me keep vaping. I specifically asked him and he said it's fine. I asked because there was a part on one of the papers I had to sign for surgery where I had to agree not to smoke and I didn't sign it. I vaped right up till I walked in the hospital for surgery. No issues but maybe there is a reason for it?

Honestly, going through the pre-surgery and post-surgery liquid diets should help to cleanse your pallet if you do them properly. I drank A LOT of soda and really 0 Water pre-surgery but now most things taste way too sweet and I just don't like them anymore. Cake at a birthday party I can eat a few bites of and I'm done. Same for carbs. I LOVED carbs pre-surgery and sometimes my nose thinks it wants them still but if I do decide to have a bite of something, it's not nearly as satisfying as it used to be. As a matter of fact, it just simply doesn't taste good anymore and it's not worth the extra lbs to me. However, there are some things that I loved before that I still love now. One of them being sea food! I can't eat as much of it of course but I actually enjoy my food more now since I only get a little bit of it and seafood is something I don't need to feel guilty about eating. It is hard to explain, but the best I can say is that the voice inside my head that used to tell me "You love the taste of this food so eat it!" is almost entirely gone. Some explain it as a scream has become a whisper and that is pretty darn accurate. I would definitely say your tastes will most likely change but not all of them so pay attention to what your body tells you and if you know you have a weakness, use caution if you decide to give in to it because you CAN go back to craving things over time if you let it get away from you.

My fiance is a thin guy and really he can eat whatever he wants. I didn't do this surgery to make him change his lifestyle, I did it for my own. I just have to learn to respect that and he has to learn to respect what I am able to eat. If I say "no, we're not eating that crap tonight" then no.... we are not eating that crap tonight! There are times on occasion where I let my boys (fiance and son) have a pizza (they are pizza crazy) and I'll eat the toppings of one slice or find something else on the menu that is agreeable. If my boys want to go out and grab something then that's fine, but the menu HAS to have something edible for me as well. Most of the time it ends up being a salad with some chicken in it and they get pizza/burgers which honestly doesn't bother me anymore although, it definitely would have pre-surgery! I really feel in situations like that, there has to be some give because I personally couldn't stand eating tuna and eggs every day for the rest of my life either and I'm the one that actually had the surgery done! This is just MY opinion of course and I'm sure not everyone will agree. Also, keep in mind, If your relationship has been long then he has probably gotten used to asking you if you want him to pick something up. Sudden change, especially change that he doesn't want to make himself, can be very difficult to get used to. Pre-surgery I would have had a royal fit if he would have gotten himself something to eat and didn't ask me if I wanted anything.

Not sure about other people but I am a little over 2 months out and my new stomach doesn't tolerate potatoes in any form very well. I'm not sure why since I have heard that others are allowed mashed potatoes very early on but it doesn't sit right with me. I get a full feeling after a few bites and then it just refuses to stay down. Cottage cheese I do fine with but I know that you can become lactose intolerant after sleeve so maybe that's a possibility? How are you doing with other dairy products?

I had extremely poor eating habits pre-op. Most of my food was carbs. I ate tons of Pasta and most meat was breaded and a lot of the times it was deep fried. We also ate fast food quite often (multiple times a week). Not only were the things I ate extremely bad, but I usually only ate 1 - 2 times a day but in huge portions (you'd be surprised how much you can fit in when you wait too long to eat something!). I also ate very few if any veggies. Today (2 months and almost 2 weeks out), I start my day off with a Protein shake, I may have a salad (with lots of added protein) for my lunch and then some kind of protein with a small side of veggies for my dinner. If I feel the need to have a snack then I'll grab some cheese or something acceptable that will help with my protein intake for the day. None of these meals are large meals. About child sized or less I would say and I don't have any regrets. I never would have been able to make these changes on my own because I would have given up and went back to my old ways by now. Over 80 lbs lost in a matter of a few months so it is definitely working for me which makes me want to keep pushing forward. I would love to say that I changed on my own but my sleeve deserves a lot of that credit. If I can change my terrible eating habits then you can do it too! I'm not sure what the lady your mom met with was doing but I really don't see HOW you could keep your bad eating habits and still get the nutrition you need. With a little bit of willpower, I'm sure you will succeed if you really want to!

I use milk of mag in the morn after my protein shake if I haven't gone in a few days but that really only helps me if I take it BEFORE something gets "stuck" then I have to resort to a Fleet enema (cuz it's an emergency at that point!). They do work quickly so be prepared but when you are that uncomfortable, it is a lifesaver.

I would say find a surgeon that works with you. If coffee is really the deal breaker and you must have it then find a surgeon that allows coffee. There are so many different surgeons that have different requirements and different ways of getting you to where you need to be which is the important part of the whole deal. Everyone is different and has different needs. I'm not saying that you should get one that lets you do whatever you want and doesn't care but find one that works with YOU and doesn't try to fit everyone into the same category.

I threw up the day after surgery. I also had the dry heaves several times during my hospital stay. I won't lie, it hurt, but it wasn't as bad as you might think. At this stage, you really don't have a whole lot in your stomach to throw up but I was definitely worried about the dry heaves since I kept thinking how hard it must be on my new stomach. Apparently quite common though!

Yup! I would absolutely do it again. As scared as I was pre surgery, it was mostly all just in my head. 2 months should be more than enough for you to be feeling better. As far as throwing up..... well it does happen and even now something may not sit with me well but it's usually something that I probably should not have eaten in the first place and I immediately feel better after. Even if I threw up every day, it would still be worth it for me. You have to be willing to take the good with the bad and weight the pros and cons for yourself.

I was actually JUST reading your thread! I'm glad you came here and didn't let the support group beat the determination out of you! I have yet to attend my support group first because I already know some of the attitudes I will be dealing with there since I had to attend some classes with some of the same people pre op. Second, I am a pretty quiet person in real life and I just don't feel comfortable with sharing my struggles with people who may be judgmental (let alone a whole group of them). It's easy to ignore judgmental/rude/nasty people on the internet but in real life I'm not sure how I would react. I am determined to keep pushing forward and hope that I make the progress I am aiming for. I hope the same for you!

The past few weeks have been a bit stressful trying to stay on track. I'm almost embarrassed to admit the things I've eaten, but I figure it's probably better for me to be embarrassed and shamed instead of keeping it to myself and not being held accountable for it (I really should probably get a buddy to hold me accountable). So here is my confession (skip over the next paragraph if you aren't interested in reading all of the crappy food I ate): My fiance had his birthday July 23rd and I had a few small bites of cake with not even a whole scoop of ice cream (maybe 1/2 or less). I didn't think much of that since I have never had a problem with cake/ice cream/candy type of sweets, but then he requested and ordered pizza for dinner but I skipped the crust and only ate the toppings. It didn't make me feel too well after but I figured it was ok since him and my son are both huge pizza fans and because of my surgery they have been deprived lol. This week my nephew came down for a visit (lives in a different state) and we had a family dinner. Although they did try to accommodate me and get some rotisserie chicken, the store didn't have any so they ordered Popeye's instead. I ended up just pulling off all of the breading and eating the chicken. I know it still wasn't the healthiest but I figured it could have been worse. Last night everyone wanted Chinese and I've never been a fan of anything Chinese except for the sweeter stuff (general tso's, sweet and sour chicken, sweet and sour shrimp) so I had a bit of General Tso's (a few pieces of the chicken) and mostly ate around the rice. Although it did NOT stay down, I still put it in my mouth and attempted to eat it even though I knew I probably shouldn't have. With all that said, I had a short stall (at least I think it was short?) before all of this that lasted a few weeks and I hardly lost anything even though I was actually doing everything at that point that I was supposed to be doing. However, once I started to "stray" a bit I started losing weight again (go figure). Still, I know that is a fluke and I don't want to fall back into bad habits so I'm thinking I will probably start a full liquid diet tomorrow just to kick me back into gear and cleanse myself. I have to ask, for those who are successful and years out, how often (if ever) do you "splurge" and have something not your norm? Also, I'm not sure if I'm "on track" as far as weight loss goes and it doesn't seem like I'm losing enough, so I would value your opinions and any tips you might have. I start my morning with a premier Protein shake and usually have a packet of Starkist tuna Creations for my lunch and some kind of meat or a Protein Shake for dinner. Snacks are usually cubes of cheese or a Breakstones brand Cottage cheese double (the cups with the fruit). Surgery was June 15th and weighed 326 Current weight is 296

Your post makes me feel much better. I definitely do not want to cheat all the time. I want to be successful so I'm hitting the "reset" button and doing a liquid diet just to make sure I don't fall off the wagon from the past few weeks of splurging. Even with all of the "bad" things I ate, I at least attempted to make it healthier (taking the breading off, skipping the crust, avoiding the rice). I know they still aren't healthy things but compared to what I USED to do, I'm at least making an effort now if I do eat something unhealthy and I'm conscious of the things I'm eating. I'm just not sure it's enough of an effort to continue losing weight even if it isn't every day (or every week/month) that I eat the unhealthy things. It makes me feel like I'm going to fail when I eat something unhealthy.

I was also told that the act of chewing gets your saliva (starting process to digest food) and the acid in your stomach going because it makes it expect food. If you don't give it food then it just confuses your body and I forget how, but it makes you gain weight indirectly. I'm not a doctor and this could be a myth (even some professionals believe some things that later turn out to be myths) but I don't think it's worth the risk if it is true.

I'm now on phase 5 which says "regular textures." Examples given are moist solid Protein such as chicken, beef, pork, fish and shrimp. Fruit and vegetables as tolerated. So my question is, which fruits and veggies should I try first? I was half tempted to eat some raw green bell peppers that I cut up for my son earlier but I caught myself and figured that might be a bit too crunchy yet. I've read others on here say that salad didn't go over very well till about 6 months, otherwise I'd love to go with that. My book ends it's advice here so until I get to my first support group to ask, I figured I'd ask you guys. What veggies worked well for you at about 1 month post op? Anything that DIDN'T go over well? I'm supposed to "avoid carbs" and I'm trying to limit sugar as much as possible as well. I admit, I've never been very big on cooked veggies unless they were buttered or topped with cheese. I've always loved raw veggies though. With that in mind, what would you recommend?

Yup! I had cravings JUST like when I was pregnant as well. I wanted tacos soooooo bad! There were several cravings I had (seafood was another) but that was one that lasted for about a week. I still get cravings even now but it has lightened up now that I'm 1 month out. First few weeks were the hardest I think. Now I'm so focused on trying to figure out food that will give me more protein without all the carbs that if I do have a craving, it's fleeting because it usually doesn't fit with what I NEED for that day.

That actually sounds delicious! I think I will have to try that tomorrow. I've never been much of a cook either so thanks for the directions lol!