DropWt4Life

Lacecute, stalls happen, and it sucks big time. I will say, though that you aren't eating nearly enough to jumpstart your weightloss. Your body is probably holding on to each morsel you eat, because you are in starvation mode. I had my surgery a week before you, and I eat a lot more than that. You should be eating 800 calories per day at the very least. What you listed totals about 400 calories. Start following your program. Everything is ok with the exception of the chips of course. Eat something every 2-3 hours. Focus on protein (more), healthy fats (you've got them), and get some fiber in. You are going to be malnourished and constipated like crazy if you keep eating like that. You need to actually eat something at this point. Some lean protein and vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A premier protein shake for 1 of your snacks if you are still lacking in protein. Have the cashews or some fruit (berries) for another snack. If you are still under, add a small salad to finish off your day. This is what I ate yesterday..... Breakfast: 2 egg whites, 1/4 cup of spinach, 1veggie sausage (116 cals, 3g fat, 2g Net Carbs, 16g Protein) AM Snack: 1 Premier Protein shake (160 cals, 3g fat, 3g Net Carbs, 30g Protein) Lunch: kale salad with cubed turkey (195 cals, 15g fat, 1g Net Carbs, 12g Protein) Early PM Snack: 1 oz. raw almonds (160 cals, 14g fat, 3g Net Carbs, 6g Protein) Dinner: 3 oz. grilled salmon with 1/4 cup chopped broccoli (185 cals, 11g fat, 1g Net Carbs, 19g Protein) PM Snack: 2 celery sticks with 2 triangles of laughing cow cheese (85 cals, 3g fat, 1g Net Carbs, 4g Protein) Macros: 901 calories, 49g fat, 11g Net Carbs, 87g Protein Oh, and stop stressing also. That causes your body to hold on to fat. Cortisol is increased with stress.

Sorry, the chart doesn't show up well on mobile. A general outline of the advantages/disadvantages of each: VSG Advantages: Safer and less complex procedure; Limits food ingestion; reduces hunger sensations by removing the portion of the stomach that produces Ghrelin, the hunger hormone; digestion occurs naturally and does not cause nutritional deficiencies resulting from intestinal bypass; does not cause dumping syndrome as the pyloric valve is kept intact; few problematic foods; option for high-risk patients (very high BMI or medical issues such as anemia, Crohn's disease, anti-inflammatory drug use, or extensive prior surgery) VSG Disadvantages: General surgical risks including infection, bleeding, and blood clots; Leakage along the stomach sutured/stapled edge; Not reversible; Lack of long term data; considered investigational and not covered by some insurance companies. GBP Advantages: Greatly controls amount of food that can be eaten; malabsorption assists with weight loss; dumping syndrome prevents the intake of sweets; Considered the gold standard for bariatric surgery base on long-term use and results. GBP Disadvantages: General surgical risks including infection, bleeding and blood clots; complex operation; leakage along the staple line of the stomach; stoma obstruction; nutritional deficiencies; gallstones, ulcers, reflux and bowel obstruction; dumping syndrome.

I think that the sleeve would work just fine for you since you probably only have 60-70 pounds to lose to place you into the normal range. If you already have acid reflux issues or Gerd, those issues can be agitated or worsened by getting sleeved, however, and many people undergo a 2nd surgery to convert to GB because of this. If that is the case, you might be better off with GB instead. Other than that, see below: Gastric Sleeve vs Gastric Bypass Comparison of the Bariatric Surgery Procedures Comparing the various methods of weight loss surgery can help you determine which surgical approach is the best option for you. As weight loss surgery is only a tool to assist with weight loss, what works best for one individual is not necessarily what will work best for another individual. The following chart is a side-by-side comparison of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), also called gastric sleeve surgery, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. The information is intended as a general overview of these two types of weight loss surgery to help you quickly compare the similarities and differences of these procedures. Weight Loss Procedure Gastric Sleeve Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Approach to Weight Loss Restriction Limits food ingestion Controls hunger sensations Restriction & Malabsorption Limits food ingestion Reduces food absorption Changes to Stomach Stomach size reduced 75-80% of the stomach is cut away along the greater curvature and removed from the body Stomach size reduced and new stomach outlet (stoma) created Stomach is separated into two and stoma is created in the smaller upper pouch; lower remaining portion of the stomach is bypassed Changes to Small Intestine Kept intact Cut and rerouted Small intestine is cut in the middle; upper section is bypassed and lower section is attached to the stoma Changes to Pyloric Valve Kept intact Bypassed Average Operating Time 1 to 3 hours 2 hours Average Hospital Stay 2 to 3 days 2 to 3 days Average Time off Work 2 weeks 2 to 3 weeks Average Recovery Time 3 weeks 3 months Surgery Advantages Safer and less complex procedure Limits food ingestion Reduces hunger sensations by removing the portion of the stomach that produces Ghrelin, the hunger hormone Digestion occurs naturally and does not cause nutritional deficiencies resulting from intestinal bypass Does not cause Dumping syndrome as the pyloric valve is kept intact Few problematic foods Option for high-risk patients (very high BMI or medical issues such as anemia, Crohn?s disease, anti-inflammatory drug use, or extensive prior surgery) Greatly controls amount of food that can be eaten Malabsorption assists with weight loss Dumping syndrome prevents intake of sweets Considered gold standard for bariatric surgery based on long-term use and results Surgery Disadvantages General surgical risks including infection, bleeding, and blood clots Leakage along the stomach sutured/stapled edge Not reversible Lack of long-term data Considered investigational and not covered by some insurance companies General surgical risks including infection, bleeding, and blood clots Complex operation Leakage along the staple line of the stomach Stoma obstruction Nutritional deficiencies Gallstones, ulcers, reflux, and bowel obstruction Dumping syndrome Causes Dumping Syndrome No Yes Dietary Guidelines 600-800 calories per day, during weight loss period 1000-1200 calories per day for weight maintenance Meals should consist of high-protein, low-carbohydrate and low-fat foods Drink 6-8 cups of water or other low-calorie liquids per day 800 calories per day during weight loss period 1000-1200 calories per day for weight maintenance Meals should focus on protein-rich foods and nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables Drink 6-8 cups of water or other low-calorie liquids per day Chew foods thoroughly into a pureed consistency Eating Habits Eat five small healthy meals each day Do not eat and drink at same time Do not overeat, skip meals, or snack between meals Eat three small protein-rich meals each day Do not eat and drink at same time Chew foods into a pureed consistency Do not overeat, skip meals, or snack between meals Problematic Foods Not many problematic food as the stomach continues to function normally, but high-calorie and high-fat foods and drinks must be avoided and daily calories limited for weight loss to occur Foods that are dry, sticky, or fibrous can cause discomfort or blockage, including tough meat, bread, pasta, rice, raw vegetables, nuts, popcorn, and skins of fruits and vegetables, and chewing gum Sweets can cause Dumping syndrome Carbonated beverages can cause bloating High-calorie, high-sugar, high-fat foods and beverages will ruin weight loss efforts Nutritional Supplements Multivitamin Calcium Vitamin B12 Multivitamin Calcium Vitamin B12 Iron Average Weight Loss Studies show greater than 60% excess weight loss at 12 months after surgery and a maintained excess weight loss of 53-69% at 5 year follow-up.(1) Rapid weight loss during first 6 months Weight loss settles 18 to 24 months after surgery 70% excess weight loss at 1 year 60% excess weight loss at 5 years

I had surgery with Dr. Illan in Mexico at Oasis of Hope Hospital. Excellent experience, and the cost was $4,600.00. This included 2 nights in the hospital, and 1 night in a hotel/casino. All inclusive as well.

It is no doubt your surgeon's fault if that is the case. What size boogie did he/she use? Also, are you having trouble eating now? How much can you eat per sitting at a year out? You aren't at goal yet. Maybe you should wait until you get to goal, and then be a bit more liberal with your maintenance phase instead of stretching out your sleeve. At least the restriction will still be there in case you decide that you need it. You could possibly slow your weight loss simply by doing the following: Eating more healthy carbs like vegetables, fruit and whole grains. If you eat every 3 hours, move to every 2 1/2 hours, and add a meal...A higher carb meal of possibly sweet potato and brown rice. This will increase your calorie load without affecting your sleeve size. Exercising a bit less if you do exercise. Maybe increasing your daily calorie count by adding a bit more healthy oils to your diet. I am not going to advise you to add sugar, processed foods, or super fatty meats to your diet, because that can set you on a bad course leading back to where you started. A surgeon advising you to stretch out your sleeve just doesn't sit right with me. Not only can overeating cause health issues, but that goes against everything that I have learned. Forget about portion control. Forget eating just until you are satiated, and not full. This surgeon is telling you to overeat so that you don't lose too much weight. That's one that I just haven't heard before. Anyway, good luck in continuing your journey.

My nose...It is huge now! Well, more pronounced I should say.

I had 2 stalls...One at 3 weeks, and one at 6 weeks. Each time, I slowly increased my calorie count, and the stall broke. I am at 850-1,000 calories now and losing about 2-3 pounds per week on average. Stalls suck, I know. However, this is a chance for your body to catch up with all of the physical and hormonal changes you have gone through. Keep doing what you are doing and the stall will eventually break. In the meantime, you should still be losing inches. Also, stay off of the scale if it helps. That evil thing has caused me to binge on many occasions pre-surgery. Two or three weeks of staying the same weight or gaining weight can reek havoc on your mindset. Stay strong my friends.

I was allowed pureed tuna in the pureed stage (week 3). I loved it with pureed peas and some lemon pepper. I didn't really have anything else until I reached the soft food stage. Like you, pureed meat grossed me out. Slushy chicken just didn't sound good to me. Good thing I had tons of other things to eat. The pureed stage doesn't last that long anyway. Before you know it, you will be chewing on much denser protein.

Okay, maybe the title of this topic sucks. I'm not very good at them. However, I think that it might be appropriate here. Let me start by saying that I am not trying to change the habits of others. Do what you want to do..... I find that when users update their profiles regularly, it assists others with diagnosing problems...Especially when they ask for help from others. It also helps the user asking for guidance when they can see profile information of the poster offering advice. For example, I have entered many forums where people are asking for help with stalls. Their profile still says 'Pre-Op', but they have had surgery a year ago. It is very hard to offer guidance. Sometimes, there is no weight info, but you will find out through back and forth discussion that they have lost 35 pounds already, but their weight has stalled at 40 days out. If there was a surgery date, and the weight was updated, it would help out others. I would definitely offer different advice if I knew their overall weight loss in those 40 days. Does anyone else think that is important, or am I just overthinking things? I tend to do that a lot.

AMP00, your story is so inspiring. Congratulations on losing 285 pounds! That is just great! You give me so much hope for reaching my own goals. You look like a completely different person. Thanks for sharing your story, and keep doing the damn thing!

Excellent idea, and you look great as well! Yes, Old Navy love you. They are probably going to give you a call to personally ask you why you don't shop there as much. LOL. Keep up the hard work, and congratulations on surpassing your goal weight!

Denser protein rich foods will trigger your restriction. Refried beans are more of a slider, and so you can eat more. I can eat about 5-6 ounces of refried beans, but really feel the restriction with 3 1/2 ounces of meat. You are fine. Just continue with your doctor's program.

WJGO, only you can make this decision for yourself. If you feel that you can truly be successful without surgery, then you owe it to yourself to try to do that. Surgery should be a last resort, and it is truly life-changing. We all struggle with the decision. We all think that we can do it on our own...until we realize that we can't. It is when we realize that we can't, that we are finally ready for surgery. I lost 25 pounds during my 2 week pre-op diet, and was really scared about going through with the surgery. I thought that I should be able to do this by myself. I had never lost that amount of weight so quickly before. I then remembered what I was consuming....Protein shakes, soups and broths, veggie smoothies and sugar free popsicles. This was not going to be sustainable. I knew it. This was the most restricted diet that I had ever tried before, and there is no way that it would be sustainable long-term. So I had the surgery anyway. Best decision of my life by far. So give yourself a date. See if you can do this on your own. If you do, great. If not, then surgery will be there for you. I decided when I was 40 that I was going to be in the best shape of my life by the time I reached 45. I worked and dieted, but never made it there. I am 45 now and wear the same waist size that I wore in 8th grade. I am still working on being in shape though. Got a two pack and going for four now. I'll take that over a keg any day. Good luck in your decision and the rest of your journey.

I exercised while in pre-op. I think that it was the thing that helped me lose 25 pounds in 2 weeks. I usually lift weights 4X weekly, and do cardio 2-3X Weekly (one day involves 2 workouts). The first week, I continued according to schedule. I did 3 premier protein shakes (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner), and strained soups/broths 2X daily. I also continued to drink green smoothies at least once daily. I was taking in about 1,000 calories per day, but was never hungry since I was having something every 2 hours or so. I think that the fitter you are before surgery, the better outcome in the short term. My surgeon said that my liver was nice and small after surgery. I never had any pain except for the dreaded gas pain. I also had no nausea at all. I was able to walk 15-20 minutes every hour and a half within a few hours after surgery. If I were you, I would continue to exercise up until maybe a few days before surgery. If you do this, make sure that you are taking in at least the full 1,000 calories (or whatever your plan wants you to be at) throughout the day. If you don't, you are going to feel weak, tired, moody and lethargic and most of all.....HUNGRY! Try to get something in every 2 hours, and drink plenty of fluids in between. Make sure you are getting some veggies in through creamed soups (if allowed) and juices. If you don't get any fiber in, and are only doing protein, you are going to get constipated for sure. Anyway, good luck in this next stage of your journey. It sounds as though you are definitely on the right track.

Lighthouse, have you tried drinking green juices? I find that adding a green juice of kale, spinach, cucumber, cilantro, celery, lime, zucchini squash and apple works wonders. It adds some calories to my diet, and also liquids. I drink about 16 ounces per day about 3-4X per week. It definitely helps move the bowels. Plus, the health benefits are great as well. Can’t beat raw. Making the stuff takes a little time, but you can find raw green juices in the veggie section of most grocery stores. Give it a try.

Not great, but you get used to it. ACV also has a host of health benefits. Google it sometime.

Nice job! You definitely look great! Keep up the hard work!

Yeah, well it will be quitting time really soon! It is for me. Nothing like a little internet surfing to help pass the time.

Yeah, my comments were probably uncalled for, but I was just pissed off for you. I am sorry that you have to go through that, and hope everything works out for the best. And keep drinking that protein so help curb your appetite!

Man, that dude is sad. He really doesn't have your back. How can someone who loves you actually talk like that? Easy way out....You know what is the easy way out? Having a friggin metabolism that allows you to stay thin while eating burgers, fries, pizza, candy, etc. Never having to look at the scale and decide, I'm only going to have water instead of the friggin beer that everyone else will be drinking at the party. As a matter of fact, the easy way out would be to say, "f** it! I don't care about my health. I don't care about my looks. I am just going to eat what I want, and drink what I want, and everyone can just Kiss My a**!" Tell him that the next time he wants to be intimate, you already took the easy way out, and took care of yourself. Then tell him to do the same. I'm a guy, and probably breaking man code, but damn!

I too am struggling with clothing, although I don't have an issue with food. I am wearing my skinny clothes that I bought on sale a year or two ago hoping that I would lose enough weight to fit into them. They are starting to fall off as well. I have already had to give away my 44s, my 42s, and my 40s as they are huge on me. I really need some 36s now, but I'm afraid of wasting money just in case. I am only 2 months post-op now. Goodwill sounds like a good idea. I think I will give it a try. Hopefully, they will have something fashionable and not like carpenter jeans from the early 2000s. I'm not going out like that. We also have some resale shops here that have nice clothing for about 30%-40% of the cost of new. You are doing really well. At this rate, you are going to fly right past your lower goal real soon. Keep up the good work!

I will admit, though. The wife and kid think egg whites by themselves are gross too. I have to do half and half to get them to devour them!

Good one Fluff. I'll just have to make up for it with salmon, almonds, spinach, chickpeas, navy beans, collard greens, etc. It seems to be found in almost everything I eat. LOL Thanks for the link!

Now that is nice!

Au Contraire, mon ami...Taste is a matter of opinion, and there are actually so few micronutrients in eggs overall that it really doesn't matter. To compare 1 large egg vs. 2 egg whites: 1egg has 71 calories, 5g fat, 6.3g protein, & 70% of a days suppy of Cholesterol. It has 14% of thr RDA of Riboflavin, 11% of b12, 23% of selenium, and 10% of phosphorus. All other vitamin percentages that it provides are 7% or less of the rda...Not enough to make a difference. 2 egg whites have 34 calories, 0g fat, 7.1g protein, & 00000000 Cholesterol. It doesn't really have any vitamins, but adding 1/4 cup of spinach to it blows your egg's vitamin count out of the water. So, less than half the calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol and more protein! BOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!