Berry78

Well, I saw your photos, and can see a difference! Maybe put the before pics away for a while so you can see them again with fresh eyes in the future You are doing great!

Get plenty of new photos and videos of yourself. Compare new pics/ old pics... not mirror/old pics. Mirrors lie! They show you what is in your head instead of reality. Photos and video tell the truth. If you are familiar with Harry Potter, Harry finds a magic mirror that shows this concept to a tee... The other problem is we are sensitive to fat vs. thin... not fat vs. fatter, vs. fattest ... as long as there is an ounce of fat, that's what we see. I think this is where BMI and body composition measures come in handy for our population. It is easier to see how your #s compare to an "ideal" then to recognise ideal when you see it. And, even if we never quite make "ideal", we can still see, numerically, that we are closer than we were, and thus the efforts weren't in vane.

This deserves the start of a sticky... 1001 [WRONG] reasons you look like a million bucks! 1. Drugs 2. Tapeworm

Oh man, this thread has taken a terrifying turn! Alka seltzer! Oh man... According to my discharge instructions, soft fish chewed to a pureed consistency would begin at 3 weeks. It seems my plan advances more quickly than most do too.

Don't forget, your stomach might still be numb. It won't finish healing until 8-9 weeks out. Just keep doing what you have been. Weigh, measure, puree, and chew. You are golden!

Pain meds are important because when you are comfortable, you will move more, moving more helps with the gas and healing process. If you are immobile from pain, you will have a prolonged recovery. Just take the meds as prescribed for the first 3-5 days at least. For those that have had problems with addiction before, let the doc know so the correct med can be prescribed.

3 ounces of protein food and a couple ounces of cooked vegetables sounds about right. Total about 1/2 cup.

General body coldness is definitely a side effect of the surgery. I imagine that goes for fingers and toes too. Hope you don't mind wearing layers!

Yes, you are heavier because of the IV fluids. The discomfort will be much better in 2 weeks, and all better around a month out. You might be more uncomfortable the first few days while your body realizes it has undergone trauma. Congrats, and good luck!

The yo-yo dieting has really done a number on your metabolism. The surgery should still work, but you should expect to be an extra-slow loser. A good, experienced NUT will help you figure out your best course. Good luck!

I just had a thought.. if you still have your gallbladder, have it checked out. Gallstones can cause nausea.

Ok, so the Water pill is for more than just invisible water. In that case, it is the right thing to do to follow Dr.'s orders. The walking is a good thing. Weight lifting might be more strain than you need quite yet, especially if you are pushing yourself. Hopefully your system will get rebalanced soon, and you will feel better.

Be sure to keep doctors looking at you. Ulcers wouldn't be good, and maybe a different type of pain med could be taken. Are you still on acid reducers?

Do you have visible swelling? Hands, feet, ankles? There is a post somewhere that basically states that while your body is breaking down fat to turn it into glycogen, it requires Water to do so... and the assumption is something like 8 pounds of water weight is typical. If you are busy building additional muscle, that probably takes even more. Please don't take the water pills. Your body is holding onto that Fluid for a reason, and when it doesn't need it anymore, it will let it go. You are still very early in this process, and are doing great! We have "the 3 week stall"... I think we need to coin "the 6 week panic" everyone goes through this! The last diet I went on I lasted for 6 weeks. Lost about 15lbs and thought I had done a great job! The difference is this is a new lifestyle for you. This isn't just another diet.

Surgeon recommendation

Individually wrapped bars could be donated to a food pantry. At least someone might get some use out of them

I use the phone app, and it shows me new posts from all the forums.

This is a huge, life changing decision. It is good you aren't taking it lightly. Take some time imagining your future life. Do you see ill health or good health? Plump or not-so-plump? Who is the real you? If you had surgical complications Or Obesity related health problems, Which would be worse? Personally I am 38 years old. My life has entered a downward spiral of obesity-related conditions. Without the surgery, there is no "up". If you are young, and haven't exhausted the diet/exercise train, and have no physical complaints, then maybe it is premature to pursue the surgery. You have to dig deep to figure out your path. Do not let others dissuade you from doing what is right for the YOU. Those people don't have to live in your body, and they won't have to live with the consequences/benefits of the surgery.

Definitely get it looked at! Even if it is constipation, they may be able to give you something for it.

Don't forget your stomach is numb for the first weeks. Like Orion says... measure, measure, measure!

No, your pouch is not torn or leaking. You would be extremely sick. It is possible it is stretched out, or your body has just gotten accustomed to it, allowing you to eat more. Either way, you need to get to a lower caloric intake/more exercise in order to lose the weight. Whether a revisional surgery would help you is something you and your doctor could discuss.

It is possible to stall because you are eating too little. In general, 800cals is a good starting point, tweaked up or down depending on how much you work out.

If you want another surgery, you probably want to consider a bypass or duodenal switch. The sleeve can be converted to either of these.

Sounds good! That elevated blood pressure might be your ticket in. 36 BMI usually needs 1 or 2 comorbidities. Good luck!

If you are that close, be willing to delay the surgery if necessary. It is a ton of money that will be better spent buying protein or new clothes I also have tricare and decided to do self pay in MX because there was no proof of dieting with my pcp. I would have had to start from scratch and surgery would be a year or two out. You are so close.. a week or two should be no biggie.