Pam_2-06-2017

Getting all of anything early in your recovery is going to be tough. Do the best you can is the best advice I got. Remember that everything you drink this early is fluid. I counted it all and that helped take the pressure off getting all my "water" in. Your new, tiny tummies are so swollen right now sips are all they can handle. Just work hard to stay hydrated and you'll start to see your ability to take in more fluids increase as you heal. The biggest concern is dehydration so keep that water bottle close and sip, sip, sip. It helped me to put my shakes in 2 oz containers and set my phone to remind me to drink one ever hour and a half. I couldn't consume a whole shake until I was over a month out from surgery. Take care

I think there is some merit to alcohol affecting you differently after surgery. I know it did me. Rightfully there is much concern for addiction transfer but also alcohol is pretty harsh on a tender tummy. That first 6 months could be particularly sensitive. Considering that, I am a wine maker. I make berry wine from wild Alaska berries and I could not imagine missing out on that. I made a dryer (less sugar) wine with a lower alcohol content and it is so yummy. I spoke with my surgeon about my winemaking hobby and he did not seem at all concerned. There is no doubt that I can't hold my alcohol like I used to. I feel the buzz very quickly. Oh and I'm nearly 8 months out.

Yay! Congratulations!

I had plain vanilla yogurt that first week. I put a little milk in it to thin it out. It was a great way to get protein and NOT a protein shake:-)

Today: 170.7. Forgot to give you a goal. I'm hoping for 159

Hmmmm... I drink from a straw. I drink water with meals. I don't chew my food as well as I should. I sometimes don't eat my protein first (shhh). I still struggle getting 64oz of water in a day. I suck at a regular workout schedule. My nutritionist says I eat too much cheese. I sometimes forget to eat in the middle of the day and have only had breakfast and it's too late for a full meal when I finally think about it. Boy, I better stop there... <<walking away self-reflecting>>..

I absolutely weighed myself everyday and sometimes twice! It was exciting and one of the only positive feedback moments I had that first week. I didn't rely on the scale for my joy because it will inevitably slow down but when all you can have is clear liquids, then full liquids and your previous joy (food) has been taken away you have to find it somewhere. I am no longer a slave to my scale but I do weigh about 2 times a week. I only use the weight I get on Friday as my official weight for the week. But I do like to compare my food journal to how it affects the scale. I also no longer dread the scale. If weighing causes you anxiety then don't get on the scale as often. But, quite frankly, weighing myself often has numbed me to any anxiety. And besides the 1/2 pound one way or the other, or no weight loss at all could mean your just constipated from surgery, you have to pee or your pre-mentrual. No stress, right? Enjoy your downward trend and know that it may pause but if you're doing everything right it will continue to move down hill. Good luck

7 months post op and my hair is finally coming back in. i faithfully took Biotin and it didn't help prevent my hair loss at all. I lost a whole lot of it and now I have a poofy head of baby hairs coming out all at once:-) I do still take Biotin as I did notice nails are healthier and stronger. I hope this also helps with healthy hair growth. I wish it would have worked with the fall out. Now I'm sporting a cute short haircut so my baby hairs can catch up.

I am so sorry you are going through such a hard time. Pain is never good and it also increases your stress/anxiety which can push you to the edge of sanity. Have you spoken with your surgeon about how you feel? I would call my team and find out if this is normal or expected. WLS is tough, making huge changes to your life is tough and your PCOS/endometriosis is tough. Considering your difficulties I suspect you are already one tough cookie and have what it takes to see this through. Call your team and bounce your symptoms off them as a way to ensure that they know where you are right now. Is your difficulty that you can't medicate your PCOS/endometriosis right now in preparation for surgery? If so, then you can look forward to this temporary struggle in the anticipation of relieved symptoms as you lose the weight and begin to feel better as well as being able to take your medicine again to relieve symptoms. On top of all this just having WLS is scary. Many people post pre-surgery jitters before the big day. Keep us posted on your progress. I will be thinking of you as you head into surgery on Monday. Take care and focus on your goals. With WLS they are attainable. p

Ok, you look amazing!!! Your skin looks amazing!!! Your bum looks amazing!!! You have every reason to be proud. Congratulations!!!!

Missed the start date but plug me in anyway. Friday September 22 I weighed 171.8

7 months post op and down 48 pounds. I see others lose much more. So many factors that influence rate of loss. I learned I'm a much slower loser but I'm also not a fanatic to every morsel I eat. I started out a fanatic when I was healing. Now I am losing at a much slower rate but still going down. I had 80 pounds to lose and am more than halfway there. 32 pounds don't seem so far away now but at the beginning it seemed like a lot. My next check up at a year out is in February. My doctor has a goal of 11 pounds from now until then. That almost seems like a drop in the bucket and I will surely meet that. This is not a marathon but a long slow sprint. Your body, skin and future success depend on it.

7/17/2017 - 172.5 and that's my final answer:-) Thank you for another great challenge!!!

I have no eating disorder history to understand but I am now sleeved like you and can say that this may also be your sleeve and not the disorder at all. I eat chicken with no problem but cook it in curry and it will come up virulently. I puked in my soda cup it caught me so off guard. It is surely important to be mindful of your past eating disorder but also understand that you also have new tolerances to food. You will learn them and continue o be proud of yourself that you've gotten all this under control. Take care

First foray into unplanned eating since my surgery in February 2017. Took a last minute trip, 150 miles, to a funeral for a friend. Did not plan any meals or snacks. After the funeral we gathered at my friend's house for dinner. It was Popeye's Chicken with all the sides and some homemade red beans and rice. I had some red beans and one chicken wing. This is also my first time eating something fried. Within about 20 minutes I felt sick to my stomach and the nausea was overwhelming. I went to throw up in the bathroom but just had a watery mouth and spit a lot. I got a horrible headache and felt like I needed to lie down and sleep. I excused myself by saying I needed to start my long drive home and stopped in the Costco parking lot, took a tylenol, and took a 45 minute nap. When I woke up I felt fine, shopped and drove home. What the heck was that? Does anyone else feel that sucky when they eat fried food? Never again!!!!! This has happened once before when I had a yellow chicken curry dish. I know it's not "chicken" because I eat it all the time.

Creamy soups were awesome for me during purée phase. I know carbs and all but sometimes you just gotta mix it up. I made tuna salad with tuna a little mayo and dill pickle relish...that was very satisfying. I had Miso soup. Grab a packet of miso soup spice mix, beef broth and soft tofu. Good protein with fluids and oh so yummy. Drop some egg in for extra protein. Boil the heck out of a chicken breast. Put fresh onion, a little cabbage, cilantro, pepper, celery salt, and a touch of cumin. Cook it until the chicken falls apart it's so soft. Remove the chicken, blend the juice and then put the chicken back in. It will knock your socks off. Like a yummy Mexican caldo. Take care

8/11/2017 = 175.4.... No way I gained 3 pounds damn PMS!!!!

Love this perspective and have never heard it quite like this. Many on here talk of head hunger. At 6 months out I've gotten much of my head hunger under control. I always feed my head hunger but I feed it on plan. If I am no longer hungry, it was real. If it did not satisfy my hunger I would recognize it for what it was and power through using distraction (exercise or other activity). Log it, count it and move on. This is helping me learn what true hunger is...feeding my body nutrients. If you're a food addict you MUST start building a repertoire of solutions to get through these tough moments.

I totally get longing for weight loss to be faster. I'm a slow loser so at 6 months post op I'm down 47 pounds. The first 30 came off the first 6 weeks. As long as the scale is going in the right direction I feel good about it. I haven't gained at all but I have had numerous and lengthy stalls. I try to get 60-100g of protein and 25-50 carbs a day. I keep most days at 25 carbs but a couple days I may go over so I gave myself a range. I still drink one protein shake a day because I have great restriction and can not eat much. Sample meal: Breakfast One egg 1 piece whole grain toast - I grind my wheat and make my bread to it's pretty clean and really my only major carb for the day. sometimes a small piece of fruit or berries Coffee (Instead of creamer I use caramel flavored Premier Protein shake) Snack Love me a tablespoon of Almond Butter right from the jar or Cheesestick wrapped in ham Lunch Salmon Salad on a lettuce leaf (I live in Alaska so this is abundant) but canned from the store would work great too. or Grilled chicken breast cut in strips with a bit of ceasar dressing rolled up in a lettuce leaf Snack Protein Shake, handful of almonds, or pork rinds with hummus (gross I know but I love it!!) Dinner I cook for my family and eat a small portion of whatever they are having except I will serve myself by picking around major carbs. So Meat, veggie and starch... (Example: Pork Chop, Green Beans and Rice). I'll eat the pork chop and green beans but skip on the rice Evening snack If I've gotten all my protein I'll have three tablespoons of ice cream, if not, I'll have a greek yogurt

Absolutely hormones can cause so many changes in the body. After any surgery a woman's hormones go wack! A couple days late is normal. I've heard of some starting early as well. Surgery sent me into full blown peri-menopause and I went from being able to set a clock to my cycle to only have two periods this year. If it continues to hold off you can certainly call your doctors office and get reassurance. take care

Welcome to the forum! You look like a different person and certainly happier. You will find the low carbers here too but they are good people:-) Actually, I think there is a great balance of different perspectives. Some here have stronger opinions than others but that is what keeps the board exciting!!!! I tend to eat low carb because my body just doesn't lose weight if I have too many. I am about 35 pounds away from my goal and boy does the weight loss slow down. Again welcome...

IDK why it is that everyone (including me) want to lose faster? Since I started this journey I feel like I should have lost more. Then I look at all my previous attempts and realize that I could never have lost this much weight and felt so confident that I can keep it off...never. I have learned that I am a slow but steady loser. This no longer bothers me because I have gotten small enough that I feel good, can exercise comfortably and can enjoy so many things I couldn't before. I'm in it for the long haul and the 40 pounds I have left to lose will come off. How can it not with great restriction and good eating? At 5'4" I get about 1,000 cals a day although I don't really track calories. I track protein (60-100) and carbs (25-50). As tall as you are and being male you should be getting more. Your body will hold on as long as it can when it is starving. Up your eating and I bet it comes off faster. Enjoy the marathon...I've learned I don't sprint very well:-) take care

It really is difficult to stretch it much depending on how your surgeon did the procedure. As you heal and the swelling continues to go down you will be able to eat a bit more so it may feel like it's been stretched. At this point you should still be measuring your intake and taking it easy on portions. The surgery cuts into some pretty serious nerves making it hard to determine full sensation for awhile. This is another good reason to measure your food. When you know that 5 ounces makes you sick then make sure you only measure 4 for a while. Throwing up is a sure sign that you are eating too much or too fast. Good luck

I try to stay under 50 carbs a day. Some say 25 is a good number. Lately I've been loving fruit so it has been hard for me to stay under 25. My goal is always 60-100g protein and 25-50 carbs. Definitely when I stay closer to 25 I lose faster but man fruit has been so good to me lately:-)