orionburn

Sorry to hear you had such a rough start. I had some complications as well so I feel your pain. It wasn't the best start to this new road but things do get better. Promise! Despite the early setbacks I wouldn't change a thing. Still one of the best decisions I ever made. Just listen to your body and take your time with it all. It's better to give yourself plenty of time to heal and start the journey right. I was always jealous of people that could manage to exercise a month after surgery. I was happy to walk around for 10 minutes without any pain and/or feeling exhausted...lol. Best of luck to you.

I always recommend Unjury. IMO they have the best chocolate protein drink around. The nice thing is that they have single serving packets available to order so you can try out different flavors without being stuck with a tub of something you hate (i.e. I was not a fan of the strawberry but choked it down anyway!). They have a chicken flavored one along with unflavored. While I haven't used Premier myself there a lot of folks on here that say their stuff is top notch. One of these days I'll get around to trying it.

Eh, no worries. It's the internet. It's easy for things to get taken the wrong way so no harm. You say you're drinking lots of water. Are you keeping your fluids seperate from your meals? I know that I've noticed a difference of not feeling as satisfied with a meal if I ate too soon after drinking or started drinking too soon after eating. That is one thing that can hamper things. If you're waiting about 30 minutes before/after a meal to drink they you're doing it right. To be honest if you're exercising that much you could very well be not getting enough calories to keep up. When I hit my first stall I actually found out that by increasing my calories by about 200/day it helped the weight come off. I know it seems odd but the body is a strange thing at times. If it goes into starvation mode it wants to hold onto every ounce that it can. You may want to actually tone down your routine a bit. I know doing journals can be a pain but keeping an accurate log for a few weeks will help. There's always little tweaks that can be made. I was using a little bit of strawberry preserves in my cottage cheese up until I realized just how many empty cals/carbs where in a serving. I at least switched to sugar free, but even then I stopped using it as often and considered it a treat when I did have it. I really don't want to say cut this/that out because God knows any morsel of food was a Godsend at 4 weeks...lol. You might try looking closer at carbs. Those do more harm to me than calories ever do.

IMO that's the better way to go. Even if it's simply a matter of using a different cardio machine on gym visits. I used to rule the stair climber and that's how I lost a lot of my weight when I was younger (and then regained it all back!). But it got to the point where I could go 30 minutes all out and I wasn't losing anything. Your body does get used to a certain routine. Looking back I think I would have had more success doing one day of interval training and other days of a more moderate/steady type of pace. Today at lunch I used the stair climber and it has a interval program that is totally schizophrenic…lol. It’s all over the place but kept me on my toes. The nice thing about those programs is that you can start with the lower level and increase/decrease if it gets to be too much. My knees can't take running much anymore but I do enjoy a bit of jogging followed by walking when I'm outside.

I had a sleeve but in the same boat - not allowed to take ibuprofen anymore. I will say that since surgery I find that I get headaches a lot less these days. Sometimes a bit of caffiene will help. Other than that I have to hope that Tylenol does the job. I'm all for finding other options as well.

I'm not snubbing my nose at you. It's just the truth of the matter. I saw it with folks long before I had my surgery and time and time again. It isn't worth stressing about, honestly. Your other thread showed signs of classic worrying about the scale - weighing on different scales, multiple times a day, etc. It's just sad seeing people get really freaked out over it. Not saying you, just people in general. Only trying to get you to take a deep breath and relax. I'm seen some people really wig about about the scale and it isn't fun to see people beat themselves up because they didn't lose 10 lbs this week. You have to remember - if you are losing any weight that is not a stall. A true stall is annoying as crap, believe me. What protein brand are you using? I know my "cheaper" brand runs about 200 calories a serving for 30g of protein. My more expensive Unjury is only 100 cals but only gets you 21g protein. With skim mik then it's pushing 200 cals and 30g of protein. It does seem like your calories are a bit high this early on so there might be some diet tweaks that can be made, but also don't spend so much time trying to get it down too low if you're exercising on top of it. I had complications after my surgery so I couldn't fathom exercising at 4 weeks out.

About a year out as well and pretty much in the same boat. I go out with friends but there are always leftovers. Do I miss pounding down some wings and beers with my mates? Eh...yes and no. I'm still having a good time going out with friends despite not eating a dozen wings and having 2 beers. Now it's maybe 2 wings and half a beer and that's it. Head hunger is a very real thing. When I was on my 2 week pre-op diet I had a big come to Jesus moment in my relationship with food and how much control it had over me. I had the same questions/fears as you did. How could I ever enjoy Thanksgiving again if I can't eat 25 lbs worth of food!? Turns out it really isn't that big a deal. As far as the stomach stretching thing a lot of that is myth. You're going to be able to eat more over time. That's supposed to happen. People can also fool themselves by eating too many slider foods. For instance let’s say you sit down at the table to a portion of chicken, some mashed potatoes, and some green beans. Your protein is the most important thing so you start on that. By the time you’re done you can barely eat any of the taters or greens. Now, if on the other hand I started with the potatoes I could probably get them all down and the chicken, and maybe some greens as well. Why? Because the potatoes are going to make their way through easier by being a softer food. Head hunger is something that you have to learn to deal with. To me it’s no different than fighting other urges/addictions. I could eat something at work and feel stuffed, then get home an hour later and feel like I need to eat because I had a bad habit of always doing that. That still happens. I have to remind myself that I only think I’m hungry. It’s not true hunger. This is a lifestyle change. The surgery is just a tool. If you don’t it right then you won’t have success.

Long, long time ago I sought out the help of counseling for some issues I was dealing with. Finding the right one can be really tough. One was meh. One's solution to everything seemed to be "read this book." One was some feel good nonsense crap that was a complete waste of time. Finally found one that was a no b.s. type of person and (mentally) kicked my ass to get to the right place. She was freaking awesome. So if you feel that counseling is still something that would help don't give up hope. Getting back onto the forums can help motivate you as well. I'm coming up on my one year mark and have decided to get active again to give myself some more accountability. I've pretty much been stuck at the same weight for the past 2 months and haven't lost anymore (I have lost over 100lbs though). While I'm not worried about regain the fear is there that eventually it will. Random internet people can sometimes be pretty good counseling too.

How are you getting 1300 cals at 4 weeks? It still isn't all about calories at this point (it is about protein and water) but that seems high. Even with food and protien shakes I could barely hit 600 cals a day a month out. Seriously people need to stop freaking out over stalls. They happen. Just accept it. Stay the course and the scale will start moving again. This forum has hundreds of threads on this topic. It isn't the end of the world. Your body is still healing and it will do amazing things to hold onto any weight it can if it feels like it is starving. Track your food. Do some exercises. And quit obsessing over the scale. The people that seem to fret the most are the ones that weigh themselves 3-4x a day. Weigh yourself once a week. Do it at the same time of day (first thing in the morning) and on the same day each week.

You're making awesome progress man. I know exactly how you feel. Despite losing over 100lbs there are times where I still feel "blobby". It's mainly due to feeling like I have the same shape...just less of it...lol. I look back at photos from a year ago and can't get over the difference in my face. While I may not feel like it's been a huge change I have run into old friends that didn't recognize me at first. That's when it sinks in a bit more that I really do look different even if I don't feel like it some days. And remember in the end our outside is going to change. It's inside that still matters most. You're doing great. Don't take that away from yourself! I know it's frustrating to look back on those old pictures of ourselves but let it serve as motivation to stay the course. Keep up the good work!

Congrats to you both! First month is a challange but things will continue to get better and better, and yes being able to change up the diet is a huge boost to morale and mood.

Same here. Honestly I think the human body is just too different due to genetics for any single diet/exercise program/routine to work for everyone. I'm sure for some doing fasted cardio is great. For me there wouldn't be any point because I'd lack any energy and would end up quitting early. You may instead want to look into foods that are good energy sources but don't necessarily cause your blood sugar to spike like certain carbs/foods can do. From my personal experience I've always felt HIIT (high intensity interval training) is better. I always did a modified program. The core idea is to do 30 seconds of sprints followed by 30 seconds of jogging. Granted my body would explode if I tried doing that starting out...lol. So what I would do is 30 seconds of a moderate pace followed by 60 seconds of walking. You can pretty much do this on any type of cardio machine (bike, stair climber, etc). Over time I got into better shape and could push myself more. Most of the time I kept to doing 30 seconds of walking rather than jogging. The main takeway is that you want to change up the pace to keep your body in state of flux. Like anything what works for me may not work for you or anyone else. I also didn't do this all the time. It was just one other cardio routine that I did. Most machines at a gym will have some sort of interval program so maybe try that out and see how it goes.

I will say this - as difficult as it is these two weeks can serve as a major eye opener to your relationship with food. It made me realize how many times before I simply had head hunger and not real hunger. That was a big wake up call for me. My biggest struggle was not working to cut out my diet sodas and caffiene earlier. Most of my misery was from caffiene withdrawls. As dumb as it sounds when you find yourself dwelling on thoughts of food it really does good to just get up and walk away and go do something for 5-10 minutes. It helps break up your thoughts about food and distracts you for a bit. Keep telling yourself that the better you do over these two weeks the better success you'll have during surgery and reduce the risks. It will all be worth it in the end.

Yep. It's a nice way to know I've got almost half of my protein intake covered for the day. It takes the pressure off of eating. I mean we're all happy to get back to eating real foods, but dammit there were times where I wanted green beans (or any veggie) rather than more chicken or yogurt. Doc may not have approved of the extra meals but it's what I needed to do.

Just have to get it through your head that it's a only a few days of suffering for a year worth of rewards on the other side. What kept me going is that my doc said he had started into surgery and could tell people didn't go through with the liquid diet because their liver didn't shrink like it should have if they were following plan. I was so paranoid about that happening it helped me stick to it. The first few days are tough but honestly it will get easier. Best of luck to you!

I have Anthem and it was required. I don't know if there is any variation between states. My doc's office made it sound like the 6 month program was mandatory with them. Honestly I'd just let your doc's office handle it. They'll know all the ins & outs with the various insurance requirements. If I recall correctly Anthem requires the following: 1) Must be over a certain BMI (if you actually fall under their mark they won't approve you) 2) If under a certain BMI you must have certain comorbidities that would justify the WLS 3) Must complete a 6 month supervised program I had a hard time trying to get an answer when doing research on my own. Their website made sleeve surgery look way more expensive than a bypass and/or didn't cover it at all with certain bariatric programs in the area. When I did my first appointment with my doc's office they had the answers I needed. Kind of sad that you'll get more solid info from your doc than the insurance company itself.

I think a lot of us to. The bariatric ones are nice but it's still cheaper for me to just take an extra multi of my old standby. If you have bloodwork done a few times after surgery they'll be able to tell if you're deficient in anything. I'm coming up on my 1 year mark so I'll likely be due for another test. Helps give some peace of mind knowing that my levels are okay.

Yeah, definitely talk with them and see if there's a way. Going that long will make it difficult to not only hit your water goals but also your protein. I would think there would be something they could do to make it work! I'm a big drinker so I can't imagine going more than an hour without anything.

It's different for everyone as Intro said. Honestly the stall thing annoys me more than anything else on this site. Not because of your question, but because I've been there like you and you'll eventually realize how pointless it is to fret over it. Just accept that it's going to happen, it'll be annoying to see the scale stuck for a week or two, but then things will start moving again. You also have to remember that you can lose inches without losing pounds. This is why worrying about the scale isn't worth it. One of the best things you can do is this: 1) Pick a day and weigh yourself only once a week (so pick Fridays or whatever day you please) 2) Weigh yourself first thing in the morning (if possible after visiting the restroom and before eating/drinking anything) 3) Only use one scale Edit: 4) Either weigh yourself in your birthday suit or wear the same clothes when you weigh yourself. I always tried to wear roughly the same thing when I had to do my weigh-ins at the doc's office.

The first week can be a real bear. Once you get over that hump it isn't so bad. Best of luck to you!

How long do you typically have to go without being able to drink? Meaning how long on average are you in the OR? It's not the end of the world if you can't get something to drink for an hour, but for the first few months it can be a struggle to get your daily intake in. Lot of folks have no issue at all, but others like myself had a hard time getting 64oz a day in. Once you get behind it can be difficult to get caught up.

My doc said to plan on them for life. I was taking the special bariatric vitamins that they sell out of their office, but came to hate the taste and went back to my regular ones. They don't pack as many vitamins/minerals but when I had my subsequent blood tests done to monitor levels I was looking good so I've stuck with them. I try to take a regular multi twice a day and my calcium twice a day. With the bariatric ones they wanted me taking those 3x day but I get a lot of calcium in from my yogurt and other sources.

I go through some weird phases where one day I can get a portion down no problem, then the next day the same size portion would make me feel miserable. I'm a year out now and chicken still will get me from time to time like no other meat does. Haven't been able to figure out any rhym or reason to it. All I can guess is that I didn't chew a few bites well enough, or took a few bites too quickly. For instance, if I was eating a hunk of chicken I wouldn't be able to eat a whole one. However if I took that same size chicken breast and shredded it into chicken salad I could probably get it all down. Most of us get burnt out on protein shakes but try to keep them worked into your diet to hit your daily goals. At least until you can your protein in directly from food sources. My doc used to get "mad" at me for telling him I was eating 3 meals a day plus 2-3 "snacks", but those snacks were good protein sources. There was no way in hell I could get all my protein in from eating in the course of 3 meals. I had no choice but to have a protein shake as a fourth meal or a random Greek yogurt to hit my goals.

Had a sleeve by doc had us avoid gum as well. There's 2 main reasons: first is the risk of accidentally swallowing it and it getting stuck. Second is that the act of chewing is sending signals to your stomach to preapre for food. Although it may be different between people it can lead you to feeling hungry when you really aren't. I had horrible dry mouth or bad tastes in my mouth with low carbing after surgery. I just went with some sugar free mints when needed and avoided the gum.

Sorry for the confusion. No, carbs don't have anything to do with the healing process. There's just the concern that even fruit blended down could still work its way into somewhere it shouldn't be. With bananas being a stringy fruit that's one I would avoid (on top of its high carb content). When I hit the pureed stage I started mixing in yogurts to my shakes because I needed something to add some flavor to them. Granted at that stage I hated pretty much everything as my taste buds had rebelled...lol