Finding_Stacy

Up until this morning, I haven't lost in a week. I dropped a pound today and was so happy to see the scale moving again. I know it's my body readjusting itself, so I'm not worried, but of course, I'm thrilled to see the scale going down again. So far, I've lost 24 pounds since my surgery day, April 24th, and 38.1 pounds since April 15th. I don't think I could ask for better progress. Isn't it crazy to watch people eat and think that was just us not too long ago? Hell, yesterday, a Subway commercial had me pondering my existence a month ago. How did I eat an entire footlong in one sitting???

I'm 14 days post-op and hit 65-70 grams of protein, 72 oz of water, and 550-800 calories. I've been thinking too about adding another shake in. It scares me how easily I can drink water and shakes again. I mean I'm happy but thought there'd be more restriction this early out. Now, tonight I made tilapia and broccoli and there were all kinds of restrictions happening after eating 2-3 oz of fish and one small piece of broccoli, but liquids seem to go right through me. I stopped needing to sip by the fourth day. This is normal, right?

I had vacation plans in March and April that I made last summer and it ended up delaying my surgery till April 24th (I was supposed to have it first week of March). My doctor is a stickler about not flying for six weeks after surgery. But you know, people come and go to Mexico for their surgery and fly out days later, and they're fine. If you're concerned about blood clots, see if you're able to take lovenox, which is a blood thinner and helps prevent blood clots. I had to inject myself twice a day and took my last shot today. Just remember, walking is the best thing to prevent blood clots, so do what others have said by leg pumps on the plane, and once in the airport, walk, walk, walk. Good luck!

My approval date on my acceptance letter was for March 1, 2017, but my surgery was on April 24, 2017--over seven weeks later. From what I understand, with at least my insurance, is that the date on the paper is good for six months afterwards. Edit to add: I have BC/BS of IL

I'm hungry too sometimes when I'm probably really not. I know they call that head hunger, but also remember it takes a couple weeks, if not longer, for the brain to know that the majority of the stomach is no longer there. The brain is sending signals to you to fill the stomach up, thinking it's still big and empty. It has no idea that's it's now only 20% of what it was. It will pass soon. It takes time when those nerves are severed for the rest of the body to get the message.

So good to hear from you, Cass <3 I haven't lost anything in three days. I think my body is picketing this whole low calorie/weight loss thing and is trying to wait me out . Plus, I'm constipated again. I swear, this blows. I went out and bought my milk of magnesia and benefiber. I'm so done with this. I'm hitting the benefiber hard from now on. How are you feeling, though?

I'm currently in a research study for the effects of the VSG on type II diabetes. I don't have diabetes myself, which is why they're testing their stuff out on us 'healthier' patients. Anyway, I guess this is one of the first long term studies being done on this topic. All they know is that after a very short period of time following the VSG surgery, diabetes seems to go away even before there is any major weight loss. They don't know why it is, if it's from the removal of the stomach or what. It's pretty interesting. I guess what I'm saying is don't discount the VSG because of diabetes. Chances are, you'll be off your medicine within a month or two following surgery. For me, the VSG was the only option since I wanted something permanent that wasn't a malabsorption surgery. Good Luck!!!

Courage and patience--that's all you'll need. I thought I'd need everything else from what I read, but I was so out of it, there was no way I was doing anything on my phone or applying makeup. The first day you're pretty much sleeping from the anesthesia and drugs, and by the second day you're trying to get in liquids and walking. But on a serious note, chapstick, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Even the chapstick I'm not sure on, because even though my lips felt dry, I think it was more from the film on them from the surgery and I just really needed to properly wash my face, which I finally was able to do once I got home. You're going to worship that little blue sponge soaked in ice water to care about chapstick. It was a Godsend. I think I even growled when my husband tried taking that out of my hands that first day, hahahaha.

Oh boy, pancreatitis is no joke. I had no idea I had so many pancreatic attacks in the past until they opened me up. I guess when you have gallbladder attacks it can trigger pancreatic attacks. My doctor had the hardest time getting my gallbladder out during my vsg surgery, and he even dropped two stones inside me, which is why he left my main incision open for my husband to pack twice a day. He said getting my gallbladder out was like wrestling an alligator--and my stomach was stuck to my pancreas because it was so sticky from the many attacks in the past. I'm telling you, all this was because of a fatty and enlarged liver. I thought the gallbladder hurt the liver and pancreas, but I now believe the fatty liver is what took down my gallbladder and scarred my pancreas. If you look up the symptoms of a fatty liver, you'd be surprised how it has affected our bodies without us knowing, blaming other things for those symptoms. I also believe thats why we're dropping weight faster after vsg, opposed to dieting before. A fatty liver makes our metabolism sluggish, causing us to gain weight, feel tired, depressed, and achy. But within two weeks of a low calorie/low carb/low fat diet, our livers shrink back to a healthy size, melting away the fat that was on there so it can properly do its job. And one of its jobs is giving us back a healthy metabolism. I hope you feel better soon, I truly do. I can't imagine how miserable you've been feeling :-(

Hahaha, I wish I liked them more because they're so good for me. It seems whatever stage I'm in, I crave what the next stage offers. For instance, I'd sell my neighbor's wife for a grilled chicken breast and garlic green beans. Soon Stacy, soon.

I'm sorry, I hope you feel better soon. I wonder why you've been so sick.

I was only on a liquid diet for 24 hours, then moved to puréed food, cheese, and eggs by the second day. A typical day is 2 protein shakes a day, which is 2 carbs total. A half an egg, which is 0 carbs. A stick of vermont sharp cheddar cheese is 1 carb. A quarter cup of triple zero vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt is 2.5. This is what I had today, plus 70 oz of water. It feels like a job, but today is the first time I met both my liquid and protein goals. So for today, 5.5 carbs--556 calories. Some days I'll drink a half of cup of fairlife milk, but not today

Maintenance to me, from everything I've read over the years, is life after goal. Maintaining that weight loss. Now, and hopefully in the future, I'll stick to my high protein-low carb, too. This is the only plan I've done for the last seventeen years, allowing me to lose a hundred pounds a few times, but hopefully this time I can keep it off and keep going. Right now my carbs are below ten, but once I'm healed, I'll probably stick to 20 net a day. If you can do that, there's no need to count calories. The higher the fat the better for the brain and body, too. I think people call it a Keto diet, but Atkins has been preaching this for four decades. I love low carb, but now with this restriction, it's even better. I can see why they call this the honeymoon period, and I suspect I too will miss this once the swelling goes fully down and I'm left with my new normal size stomach which holds six ounces--which is still miles better than what I had. This surgery was the best thing I've ever done for myself!

I've tried almost all the flavors of the Premier Protein shakes and chocolate so far is my favorite. Everything else is too sweet. I like the Atkins shakes too, but they just can't compare protein wise to the Premiers. You'll be surprised how overly sweet things post surgery can taste disgusting.

This is new to all of us. Currently, I'm pondering on why I can drink a protein shake (11.5 ounces) within an hour when previously (a few days ago) I could only do 2 ounces every half hour. Intellectually I know it's because of the stomach swelling going down, allowing for more room, but losing that extreme restriction makes me a little sad. So, yeah, I'm a little nutty too.

No to bypass. I'm not a fan of malabsorption surgeries. I know some love them, I'm just not one of those people. But there's nothing wrong with sixteen pounds a month, silly goose. I hope I'd be able to do that every month for a year, because that's a whopping 192 pounds in 12 months! I'd be at goal by my one year surgiversary.

I didn't lose that much for pre-op since I was on a sodium filled cruise two weeks before surgery. So, I look at it this way. A lot of my weight loss, post surgery, should've been during pre-surgery. When we're dropping 15,20,25 pounds, that's not fat we're losing, that's mostly water weight. You probably dropped it previously and now you're burning fat. Plus, you still have the swelling from surgery. I know I do and I had my surgery the same day as you. Just remember, it doesn't matter if you're losing slower now, because soon, you may start losing faster while someone else is in a stall. In the end, what's important is consistency and focus to make it to goal and beyond. I'm sure you're doing better than you think, it'll be okay

I'm still amazed you could do all that your first week. How? lol. Maybe it's because I had my infected gallbladder out along with my vsg, I had zero energy that first week. On my fifth day post-op I drove around and went shopping and I was pooped after a few stores. I'm probably at 50% power right now and will attempt to walk a mile this afternoon. But, wow! 7 thousand steps? Amazing. I am struggling with the whole hydration thing. Yesterday, when I thought I was finally on top of it, I made homemade broccoli-cheddar soup--which was super delicious--but salty. Which isn't saying much since I'm consuming considerably less salt by drinking protein shakes, water, and diet cranberry juice mainly, which all have minimal sodium in them. I swear, I woke up feeling like Spongebob out of water. That's a no go-no go. But as for today, I drank 16 oz of ICE water and am working on a chocolate premier protein shake. Hopefully today will be better. I'm averaging 600 calories a day, more or less, where are you at? Maybe you need more calories somehow since you're doing so much exercise.

Wow, I'm glad you said that. In the beginning I could only get in a quarter cup, or 2 oz, but now I can get 4-5 ounces in--especially with protein shakes. The first time I ate an egg, I think I did three tiny bites and today I think I'm eating half to 3/4's of it. Maybe I can do more, but I'm still feeling around to what 'full' feels like.

Good luck! I was excited even when they rolled me into the surgery room. I guess knowing I was doing something that would heal my body, and give me a 1000% better life, just somehow took the nerves away

I love ice water. It took me an hour, but I actually drank 16oz this morning. When I read others having a problem with cold water a couple months ago, it just made me sad. So I'm glad I'm able to drink it. I've been on the puréed diet since day 2 and eggs, scrambled or a cheese omelette, have been on there. Actually, I just made a one egg cheese omelette and ate half. They go down easily and the restriction gets real about four small bites in. I'll be in the soft food stage soon and will try your bean recipe. Hope you're feeling better everyday!

I just have to say, when I first read 'Adam & Eve', I thought 'they make apple juice?'. So I googled it and found out, no they don't, but Apple & Eve do, hahaha. Thanks for the laugh and I'm glad you found something you like to drink!

I highly doubt they'll have you off your meds. I met with my anesthesiologist one week prior and she gave me a list of what I'm supposed to keep taking and what not. Prescription medication I stayed on, vitamins I was off until I got home. I'm only on my thyroid pill and so I kept taking that. They should tell you and probably will either before or the day of surgery. You'll be surprised how many pills you can swallow that first day. Heck, I swallowed two pills alone while in recovery, and many more later on. I remember being surprised how painless it was after reading how painful it was going to be. In fact, drinking for the first time was one of my big fears, and in the end, it was no big deal.

And also, I was 'healthy'. Even though I was a 61 BMI, my blood pressure was always 115/62, sugar's 75-80, and my cholesterol is 130. I thought I was healthy until I went through this. My liver showed signs of getting ready to riot. My gallbladder got destroyed by 37, filling with stones, which in turn caused me to have pancreatic attacks I knew nothing about until they opened me up. This surgery saved my life, weight aside. Even if you're healthy now, you're just running on borrowed time. There will be a point your body will begin to back pedal out of exhaustion, and your numbers will start climbing.

Today it's considered an extreme surgery, but I can totally see down the line it will be used like braces on crooked teeth. Out of all the bariatric surgeries out there, the vsg is so easy to do with everyday life. I'm nine days out and can drink normally and feel better than I have in decades. My liver is shrinking, therefore allowing my body to heal itself, which in turn, gives me back my metabolism I haven't seen since my 20's. It's completely understandable to be nervous, but it's one of those things you just have to get past the surgery to reap the benefits, and remember, the uncomfortableness of the surgery is just a few days compared to a lifetime of doing things you may not have been doing due to being overweight. What's wrong with feeling satisfied all the time, with boundless energy, and still lose 10-20 pounds a month and reclaiming who you used to be? Who wouldn't want that?