LittleLizzieLilliput

My hunger in the first few months post surgery was mostly stomach acid. Once i was put on the correct drug protocol that all went away.

I had a massive hiatal hernia repair as well, I am so sorry to hear about your complications!! I can't imagine how worried I'd be, but please try to give yourself the time and not freak out yet. Good luck, I will be sending you all my good thoughts!!

Hormel precooked bacon, zapped in microwave and patted down to absorb all the grease. String Cheese. Roasted chicken.

my surgeon was explicit, no pills for 12 weeks. I crushed mine. Each surgeon is different but I'd recommend crushing your pills. It sucks but it sucks less than swallowing the pills and then possible getting an ulcer because it sits on the unhealed seam while it's disintegrates.

I'm 100xs happier I'm so mobil. I RUN now. I feel like I'm flying. I look at myself in windows when I pass. I'm not afraid to be seen in public and am willing to look people in the eyes when I walk by a stranger. I go hiking and do outdoor activities every weekend. I've started dating. I've had men half my age aggressively hit on me, while surrounded by hot young 20 something girls. So I feel beautiful in a way I didn't think would be possible for me anymore. I'm more successful at work because moving is so much easier, my attitude is amazing and my drive to be more successful in other areas of my life now that I am successful with my weight is astronomical. I'm allowing myself to dream of a bigger and wider future. I'm traveling. I'm basically beaming almost everyday. I LOVE not being shackled to food, not being shackled to my fears and sadness, I feel like I am no longer bound to this earth the same way I was before. If that makes any sense at all. Everything is different...except the me on the inside. I'm just happier now and more active now. I guess you could say I went from just being alive to fully living.

OMG. I didn't know I could have asked for a video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would try that. Were you given postoperative instructions? What preoperative planning prep were you given? Did you have to go to classes or anything? There is a lot of options out there about protein mixes or different ideas/recipes. Do you go to soft foods soon? If so you could try the Ricotta Bake, google Eggface Ricotta Bake and you'll see a BOATLOAD of recipes for all the stages post surgery. Good Luck!

When was your surgery? Have you tried Unjury's Chicken protein soup?

You're only 24? Oh sweetie you are in such a good place! Your skin is most likely going to bounce back to such a better condition than I am at 42. My doctor, my general practitioner, told me that even my arms are going to bounce back so much more than I thought they were so your arms probably will too. I also do a lot of arm strengthening exercises and toning exercises with 2 to 5 pound weights. I recommend going online and finding arm toning exercises and just starting on them now. Actually, just do everybody part toning exercises. LOL!! No but for real's I focus on my arms and my abs and my thighs. I do stairs, I do crunches, I do arm exercises, hiking and yoga. I also run. The closer I get to goal the harder I'm working to try to pull this **** together. LOL! But at 24 you were in SUCH a good spot! I'm so excited for you actually. Please don't start hating your body right now. This is when you need to love it the most!!! if you have any questions or need any encouragement or ideas please feel free to message me. This is been such a crazy journey for me and I wish I had done it 20 years ago. If I can help somebody like I wish I could've been helped then I'll be so happy. Let me know if there's anything I can do. Please don't hate any part of yourself right now. please love yourself because you were about to have an amazing life!

ok!! So I'm 5' 1" and weighed over 350 lbs up to 5 years ago. The loose skin is something that may get better with exercise, toning, using cocoa butter creams, etc. but depending on how much you had it's something you are going to have to come to accept. But it's not easy. In fact, I'm almost 9 months down the road on this particular part of my journey and I JUST started trying to put this ego issue to bed. I have a lot of loose skin and depending on what angle my arm is at it changes the manner in which the skin appears loose. lol! It's not just one look, no, it's a few! haha! But even as I joke you should know just how hard it was for me to expose that part of my arm. Or upper legs or abdomen or breasts for that matter. But the arms are the most commonly exposed portions. Below is a link to something I bought but have never worn as it just doesn't look right with any outfit. Last week I finally wore a short sleeved shirt. I wore it to work and just exposed that part of myself and allowed myself to feel vulnerable and embarrassed but then as the day went on and nobody's eyes ever glanced towards my arms, nobody made any comment and I was told I looked good that day! Yesterday I wore a short sleeve shirt to work and today as well. I'm trying to put down that issue because I don't want anything holding me back from feeling great - even myself. But it's so much easier said than done and don't push yourself to just accept it. Find your natural pace. Additionally, I plan on having surgery to remove my extra skin. That helps my peace of mind as well. I fully understand that the surgery will replace skin with scars and that's a whole other issue as well. But regardless of what I do about skin removal I'd much rather feel a bit embarrassed about some skin I'm showing now than feel worthless as the person I was before this journey. Here are some arm compression things I bought but never used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1L2F1S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C83CHSY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

*Waves* Hi, I suffer from dumping. lol! Of course I get one of the most rare side effects. lol! It SUCKS. But survivable. Usually only happens to me at night and I get the joy if it not being limited to sugars. YAY! lol!! Anyway, regarding food you can and can't eat....well, once you are fully recovered you can really eat anything you want. Though, i mean, when I say eat I really mean taste. Sure, I've had some fried chicken since I was fully recovered...I took a bite of nieces and she howled with indignation. hahahah! I've had cheese cake. I mean, it's only 3 bites but it was totally satisfying and I was full. Pizza I eat Pizza all the time. I only eat the top. just the cheese, sauce and toppings. Love it! Cheese steak. Oh man, do I love cheese steaks. I'm from PA so... Anyway, I had 2 bites of a friend of mine's and it was glorious...and I was full. Of course, these are the few and far between moments of a highly regimented and dedicated diet and exercise routine. But as I told my doctor, and he was in full agreement, I didn't have this surgery so that I would be limited my whole life. I did it so I was would free my body and allow myself to enjoy the things I used to love in moderation. But you need to be at least 6 to 8 months down the road before incorporating any of these food into your diet. Because we need at least half a year to reset our bodies and minds. And many would disagree with me 100% and would say to never eat those things, even a bite such as my process.

AHHH!!! Ok, working from home, that makes sense. When I have time at home I make more than just my roasted chicken. I make low carb butter chicken, chili, etc. And then I have lots of little meals in the day. But in general I leave my house at 7 AM, I get back around 6:30-7:00 and then exercise for 1.5 hours and then basically shower and crash and do it again. I only get about 20 minutes of time at home on an average work day where I could make a meal. Lots of times I will pass on activities with friends in order to prep on Sunday for the week. But with Summer here my schedule is totally crazy and it's way too hot to cook. lol!

What is your exercise routine? You have to keep the engine pumping in order to burn calories.

I eat so much less than that! lol! Reading your list I'm like...holy ****, I don't have TIME to eat that many meals in a day! I get 5 in: Breakfast: 4 slices precooked bacon, 1 slice american cheese, 1 low carb English Muffin - Make a breakfast sandwich Lunch: 4 oz roasted chicken/chicken teriyaki (home made low carb) Snack: String cheese, peanut butter Dinner: Veggie patty/roasted chicken/amazing pork street taco from next door with only pork, onions, cilantro, spices and 2 avocado slices ( don't eat the soft taco part - I'm diabetic so I pack most of my carbs in the AM) Snack: Unsalted nuts, string cheese Water water water water water. I always have water with me. Of course, I ended up in ICU last year super sick and part of that was dehydration so I'm kind of a stickler about water. Once you get so dehydrated you need medical assistance your attitude about water changes....lol!

Even though you are taking an antacid you might want to check with your surgeons office to see if you need a different or stronger med. Feeling that level of hunger is not normal at this point. Regarding depression, I suggest you get yourself to a doctor or therapist that can work with you and prescribe meds STAT. This is the most important time in our journey and it's important you have peace of mind and your soul is ok. I'm so sorry you are doing through all of this. For me I find the more active I am the more it helps fight the depression. So the other suggestion I have is to walk at least 30 minutes twice a day. That really helps clear out my brain. The sunshine, the upbeat music, the air and the exercise. All those things help elevate my mood.

I feel like I've been on a major mood swing since the surgery. lol! Yes, it's totally normal IMO. Just be glad your body will be flooded with Testosterone and not Estrogen like us lucky ladies get. You guys get to lose weight quickly and Testosterone helps you build muscle quickly and you get super focused on being jacked. Us? We get to cry and get irrational crushes. lol!! But yes, totally natural. I mean, it feels completely insane but it's apparently totally natural.

I was sore for a while, I like the back brace idea. If he could hurt your incision area than take the precautions you need. You can be injured right now.

Do you have gallbladder issues? This could be from eating fats and if your gallbladder isn't great it could freak out from that a bit. But I had constipation, not diarrhea. And I'd hate to have you use immodium and then become constipated! Ugh, this is a bad situation, I'm sorry. How are you feeling now?

Well, I almost died from my gallbladder so I'd go with get it out now. I mean, you can get a second opinion of course. Personally, I was throwing up every few hours and about 3 time each night. It was killing my pancreas and I am now a full blown diabetic because I threw a gall stone, got stuck in the duct, backed up the pancreas and it started digesting itself as well as no producing any insulin. I found out about all of this when I woke up in ICU. My gallbladder is actually the reason I got the VGS. My brothers gallbladder burst while he was at work and almost died. I don't want to scare you but if they have picture evidence of gallstones I'm not sure what second opinion you need.

I am just reposting this because I don't have enough time to write it again but I want to help. My surgery was 10/10/16, I've had more stalls than active weight loss weeks. Yet here I am in a size 14 about to move to a size 12 (edit, update, this post is originally from about 5-6 weeks ago. I'm now moving from a size 12 to a size 10 but I'm only 6 lbs lighter than when I posted this...to give you an indication of the scale is not the full story). They aren't stalls, I call them Pauses. Nothing's stopped, your body is still working, you have done so much to it, it needs a little time. The first 6-12 weeks are about recovery and healing. You will lose weight but your body is also in shock, it will retain Water, be swollen, sore and need time. But then it will happen again and you won't have a good reason. You will be following all the protocols and you will be walking and drinking your water and hitting your Protein goals and yet you will hit another Pause. You need to be mentally prepared for that. It's not all a down slope. So to prepare you need to do a few things: Measure yourself, your head (yes, you lose weight there) your neck - super satisfying to watch it shrink, your biceps, your forearms, your writs, hell - measure your fingers too and your palm, your breast, under your breasts, your waist, your hips, your thighs, etc. All the way to your toes. Then do that about once every few weeks or so. And then when you hit another plateau you pull out that sheet and measure yourself again and see that your body is still changing and evolving. The scale does not tell the whole story. When I get discouraged I like to take a few moments and feel the changes in my body. I run my hands along my feet and ankles, my calves and knees. I feel the bones and muscle revealing themselves. I wrap my fingers around my wrist and feel how much smaller they are now. I run my hands along my forearms on the outside and feel my bones up to my elbow. I run my hands along my collar bones, revel in the fact I have them now! I continue on up my neck, circling it with my hands to feel how small it is now and then along my jaw bone, a bone I haven't seen in decades. I take these moments and remind myself how great this is and how great I'm doing even if I don't believe it in that moment. I move. When I'm discouraged I now move. I used to eat. Now I want to remind myself how much easier it is to move. So I go for a very vigorous walk, I put on the happiest, bounciest, fasted rhythmed music I have and get to steppin! Blast that brain with some oxygen, sun, music and endorphins. There are going to be MANY pauses and stalls and plateaus. It's our job to prepare your coping tools and mechanisms so that you can self-sooth and re-motivate without need for food or a serious mental adjustment. Before I let myself get that far I use these methods. They work for me, you will find what works for you hopefully. Good luck and congratulations!!!

do you know what happens when someone punches you in the eye? The eye swells up, retains fluid and looks like crap. for a long while. And that was just a PUNCH, imagine having someone reach in and pull out an organ...wait, you CAN! Because that's what happened. lol! Your body is recovering from a trauma, it's gonna hold onto fluids and doesn't want to let go, it's healing and freaking out. You are still working out the gas in your system, your body is only JUST figuring out how to digest water let alone function normally or release the fluids and nutrients it's afraid of losing. Give your body some time to recover. It's totally ok, you aren't a failure except in the fact that you are failing to give your body the time and consideration it needs. You are gonna do great, I PROMISE!!!!

I remember the day I broke down in my endocrine specialists office 3 weeks post surgery. The nurse thrust my meter into my face and asked why I had elevated numbers. I just told her I was still working on my protein shake from the morning, that I'm struggling, etc. She just kind of sugar shamed me without listening to me and I lost it. I started crying, and I didn't stop for 5 days. I'm not kidding. And when it was over I was ready to start this thing for real.

I don't want to dissuade you from going to gym, I think it's the best thing to get out there and start working out. I just want to give my opinion - which is probably not worth much. But here it is anyway...I found that walking is all I needed to do. Walk walk walk. Not a little walking. I get my 10 -14k steps in a day. I started slow and now I'm jogging. When I go to the gym I feel like it's a chore, I'm embarrassed, it takes a long time, I deal with the locker room, changing, finding the machines, figuring them out, using them, feeling ridiculous because I could barely do much, go to the next machine, repeat internal and external process. So I just get home from work, change my shoes, grab my ear buds and go. I walk for 30 minutes mid-day at work and then at least an hour when I get home. I started jogging on my evening walks about 3 weeks ago. Just walk walk walk. Breath the outside air, let the sun be absorbed into your skin, listen to boppy, happy music and enjoy. The gym is very effective for many people, but for me I found it to be ineffective and demotivating. Good luck to you, it's so exciting to be at this juncture!!!! Edit: Stupid me!! I just realized you wrote that you already walk and want to do more. lol! ignore me!

I'm gonna try not to cry while typing this up. Would I do it in my 20's? Yes. Would I do it when I was 16? Yes, if they had let me. I'm 42 now. I spent my entire life fat, shy and scared to share my body or life with someone. I wanted the bypass done when I was in my 20's but it never worked out. I was scared or no insurance, etc. I wasted my youth. I am so happy now but the regret I feel is the regret of 20 years in a shell, living like I wanted to die. Now I'm alive, I'm free, but it's hard because I'm in my 40's. It's bittersweet. I feel WONDERFUL, I am on cloud 9 most days. But sometimes i think of all that lost time... Would I do it in my 20's, yes, a 1000xs yes.

I needed the full 12 weeks for recovery. I was unable to get in and out of bed on my own for about 7 days.