YeaMe

I talked to my surgeon about it. He said if he knew of a prevention he would be a billionaire!!! There is nothing you can put on topically or take orally that will change the outcome.

Liquids flow on through - I promise when you start eating dense foods you will feel it.

I hate to say this, but it will be almost impossible to find a surgeon for follow-up care. US surgeons will not take on a patient who had surgery in foreign countries (especially Mexico) no matter how good the operating surgeon was. They did not do the surgery so they don't want to step into the risk of something going wrong and being sued. Surgeon's make their money off of the surgery, not the follow-up care. I previously had the lap-band done in Mexico and could not find one single doctor - and I called about 60 - who would see me. I have now had the sleeve done, and I have only seen my surgeon twice after my surgery for my 2 week and then 1 month check up. After that, the follow-up care is done with the dietician. Your best bet would be to speak with your GP and ask for some recommendations.

Being nervous and anxious is a very normal response for heading into something without having control of the immediate outcome. Especially for those that like being in control (me)! The way I attack my anxiety about such things is to make a checklist. List everything you are to do in preparation for the surgery; note those items you have completed and those items you have not. Start working on getting the rest of the checklist completed. Know that you researched the surgeon/facility and feel confident in the surgeon's ability. Start planning for what you will need to have at home after the surgery. Start memorizing your surgeon's plan for taking in food/liquids after surgery. Now, just realize there is nothing else you can do, think only positive thoughts, and realize that you are about to start a fantastic phase of your life. Have a wonderful journey!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!

Congratulations - you look fabulous!!! I'm in your same boat - very close to goal - now what!?!?! I realized, just keep doing what I'm doing. I still can't and won't ever be able to eat like I did before. Margaritas, queso, enchiladas, burgers, fries, pasta . . . In reality, I don't even want any of that anymore. I feel exercise is the key to maintaining the loss. I know I don't really want to eat anything after working out hard and my brain tells me - girl, you just worked your ass off, don't go messing it up with crap food!

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GKDYHGS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 I bought the Yunmai. It's very accurate and matches my surgeon's scale. My home scales have ALWAYS been lighter than my dr.'s offices. It allegedly can figure your body fat, etc., but I don't give much credit to it. It does though sync with the app you put on your phone and keeps a log of weight there, which I really like.

Very normal. Chew, chew, chew, and chew some more. I'm 5 1/2 months out and finally got my first egg down. Seems everyone has that one item that doesn't go down well. My best friend can't have steak. I can eat steak all day long. Now scrambled eggs - I get about 4 small bites down and I'm done.

At four months out you should not be having any pain. Could you be eating too big of bites and not chewing enough? Most importantly, you need to see your surgeon so he can investigate - it shouldn't hurt. I am at 5 1/2 months out and usually only get about 850 calories in. I have to eat 6 meals to be able to get that much in. I can only tolerate 2-3 ounces at a time. Things I have found that work for me to get in extra protein are: lattes (Fairlife milk-has extra protein); yogurt, and chicken. I can't eat beef or eggs, yet. Also, I cut a Quest Protein Bar (chocolate chip cookie dough) into six slices, smash them down, and bake them. They are extremely crunchy and I usually eat 1/2 a bar a day. I know I will have to discontinue this habit soon, but it helps me get the extra protein and calories in.

Pre - BMI-35 / size 20 Now - BMI-25 / size 10

I am five months out from VSG and fortunately only have 16 more lbs (my goal, which may change) to lose. My dilemma is clothing. Example - this morning I was getting dressed for work and now only have one pair of pants that fit. Really!?!? Last week I had 4. What happened over the weekend - I only lost 1 lb! So the problem-I have to dress in "professional" clothes - that's their term - meaning suits/jackets, etc. I have tried the thrift stores but they don't seem to carry much work professional - well, not true, if I want to dress in the 80's they do. I just can't afford to buy clothes over and over and over, as I have probably already spent $800 in the last 4 months! I will go out again and buy a few staples, but literally nothing in my closet fits so I don't even have a M-F outfits. My trainer finally told me I HAD to go out and buy new workout clothes, which I did. My question - when is a safe time to go out and purchase a new wardrobe? Once you reach goal? Wait 6 months after reaching goal? A year, 2 years? I see people's weight seems to fluctuate in the first 2 years before it settles down, or just possibly the people who post. Advice from those that have been there would be appreciated.

The people on either side of my cubicle can still hear my stomach growl. They have finally stopped verbally commenting after 5 months , but now send me IMs with unwitty remarks - feed that thing before it attacks someone, etc..

I do have a few things I am saving to take to a seamstress that are high ticket items, but don't want to go to the expense of having something altered to need it altered a month down the road, and it is pretty expensive where I live. Clothing swap sounds good in theory, but finding someone to swap the kind of clothes I need and in the size I need is almost impossible to find. I realize the smaller I go, the harder it is to find. Thanks though for the suggestions.

Thanks for all the input! I decided to go out on Saturday and see what I could find. My initial plan was to hit Ross, Old Navy, Target, Cato, but on the way I dropped off 4 garbage bags of clothes at Goodwill (both exciting and painful). So I thought, I'll just go in and see what they have. For $84 (they were having a 30-40% off sale and it was Senior Sat. (over 55) for an additional 30% off) I ended up with 2 pairs of jeans, 4 pairs of slacks, 2 suit jackets, 2 cardigans, and 22 tops for work. The tops worked out to $1.23 apiece. I'm 14 lb from goal so I know my pants may probably change 1 more size, but not my top. I literally having nothing left to lose on the top (bones are protruding). I feel I have a good base to work from and did save some of my more expensive clothes for alterations (if that is even possible). This journey is amazing - I never thought I would be in the 160s or SIZE 8/10, EVER again.

5 months out and have just started eating my protein on a bed of spinach with a few carrots and sunflower seeds. I still measure everything out to equal 3.5 ounces. I LOVE salads and this has helped a lot. I eat it everyday for lunch now.

I have had this problem frequently in the past - thankfully not so often now. Salt - that is what helped me. I would literally pour salt in my hand and eat it when it got really bad. Thankfully my blood pressure is low. I also started heavily salting my food and drinking lots of broth (not the low sodium kind). Fruits have high potassium and that is why orange juice works, as it is one of the highest in potassium. It worked better for me than Gatorade and the sugar in the juice helps too. I remember how scared I would get because I literally couldn't walk across the room. I do still heavily salt my food and get in about 120 oz of water a day. Best of luck - I hope you find something that works for you.

I have tried all the Bariatric Advantage vitamins. I prefer the chews. The capsules I had a very hard time getting down and I would find myself skipping them. I tried the chewable tablets - they made me gag. The chews are my choice.

It seems like a lot - but when you factor in work out clothes, casual clothes, work clothes, and a 10 day vacation that I needed clothes for, it adds up fast. Also, all new undergarments. It's fun, but painful at the same time.

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations! You look amazing. Isn't it a blast?!?!?!?

There is the dreaded 3 week stall, 6 week stall, and pretty much stalls through the entire journey. It WILL happen, it WILL pass. Just keep yourself on track and probably off the scale.

This guy did VGS, started out at 400 lbs., and has a ton of YouTube videos. https://www.fighting400.com/

My daughter and I were discussing this topic over the weekend. As we were waiting at a stoplight, a gentleman was walking the median with a sign asking for money saying he was homeless, but had on nice clothes, designer shoes, and smoking a cigarette. I told my daughter, maybe I should try that but with a sign telling the truth, NEED MONEY FOR BOOB JOB! We laughed, but then my daughter said, people would respect the truth and you would probably get enough money in a couple of weeks.

Seems half the people feel they can walk miles, other half have no energy for a couple of months. I was one that had no energy until week 6. The most important thing to remember is to get in your protein, water and vitamins. You will start to feel better soon.

Enjoyed reading about your journey and also your formula for "anti-hunger" oil.