Creekimp13

I'm eating 1000-1200 calories a day. Getting 60-80g of protein. I try to get at least half from plant based sources. I do eat whole grains, legums and low glycemic carbs. Desperately tired of cooked veggies and want my fresh crunchy veggies back! I walk about 7 miles a day. Walked 9 yesterday:) I walk while I watch TV, I walk while I'm on the phone, I park farther away from stores, I walk while I play app games on my phone, etc. Walk, walk, walk. My fitbit is part of my body. LOL Am going to add water aerobics in the heated therapy pool twice a week when I get cleared for it at my 5 week Dr. appointment. Am enjoying life, loving how much better I feel, loving being off BP meds. Here's a cool recipe: Protein pancakes 1/2 cup oatmeal 1/4 cup cottage cheese 1 egg, plus 2 egg whites Dash of cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Dash of salt Dash of fake no-cal popcorn butter flavoring granuals Blend well....I use my smoothie maker You can use the batter to make about 6 little silver dollar pancakes, or use it to make a giant waffle. 150 calories for oats 5g Protein 35 calories for egg whites 8g Protein. 75 calories for whole egg 6g Protein 40 calores cottage cheese 6g protein Total....300 calories 25g Protein This is likely to be two to three servings. You can use low calorie syrup, or I like strawberries mashed with splenda You can make these up ahead and put them in the freezer...zap them as needed.

The one take-away that I find most exciting about this thread...is reading multiple studies that most people only regain about 4-5% of their first 12 month weight loss....5 years after surgery. I find that spectacularly encouraging:)

I want to know why the most fit people in the world...who live the longest, and have the fewest health problems...have diets based around rice, potatoes, fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grain breads, nuts and seeds....and eat meat very rarely. (when we're told by the diet industry to eat animal protein constantly...and high animal protein diets are statistically correlated to really awful health outcomes) Diet is such a paradox. Makes for some fascinating study, though:)

I think most surgeons use empirical data from multiple studies as the basis of their views. While I appreciate reading the stories of patient experiences, feelings are not fact. "I didn't lose weight...so this surgery sucks and isn't worth is" is every bit as false as "I had 100% weight loss and anyone who really wants to can too, if they're disciplined enough." Anecdotes are not predictive. Statistical data often is.

It's actually quite accurate, statistically, to say sleeve surgery is 57-61% effective....since that is the amount of excess body weight most people lose long term. We all hope to lose and maintain a loss of closer to 100% of our excess body weight.... and a few of us will. Some of us won't make it to 50%. But most of us....the largest portion of people who have the surgery and try....will land on one side or the other of 60% and will maintain that weight loss at 5 years post-op according to available data. I don't know why anyone would find this discouraging. I think these data are astoundingly positive. Dieting and exercize alone doesn't come anywhere near this degree of effectiveness. Nor are its results as long term. We know that a 10% weight loss improves health outcomes drastically. SIX TIMES that number is an amazing victory.

Other suggestions... Walking and gentle stretches helped me a lot. Switching off the Rx Narcotic as soon as I could... and onto only liquid Tylenol helped my guts start to work again. Don't nap for longer than 30 minutes during the day...you'll lose precious hydration hours. Sip, Sip, Sip!

I don't mean to sound insensitive, but what in the heck is a pain pouch thing? What do you mean by you found a leak? Do you mean you have a drain that's leaking? I'm glad the pain is becoming manageable. My group had me drinking one ounce every 15 minutes....in ten sips. Little tiny sips is key. If it feels like you're spending ALL DAY taking a million little tiny sips, you're on the right track. Are you tolerating regular protein shakes? Have you tried them? Or is the protein water easier for you? Three days out, I was alternating 4 ounces of clear fluid one hour, 4 ounces of protein shake the next....all freakin day. Do your best. Don't get dehydrated. But, if you do...don't be a hero. Call your group and get in for some fluids and keep working at it.

Agreed. A good physical and some blood work sounds like a very good idea.

Actually, if you look closely...I think you'll find that about 2 in every one hundred posters here....have the results you do. That's not even counting the thousands of people who read and don't post, and the other thousands who post once or twice and lose interest. Just sayin...

Excellent, thanks! If true, I'll be shocked. And really encouraged:) But yeah...100% excess weight loss? I've never seen that over 2%. I'll be extremely interested to know the source and read the studies! Am writing a paper currently, and have searched medical databases at UMich, myself.

Are you feeling well? Any other issues?

would love to see one, Catwoman. Can you link me?

Congrats! wishing you a safe effective procedure and quick recovery:)

if you have a chicken serving, I'm sure they're fine as long as they're not breaded or infused with carbs. Check the label for carbs. All I got was shakes and fluids:)

Judy, don't change dates. Hospital staff doesn't care one whit about your period. It's something they see routinely, and I promise they don't care.

MOST people lose about 60% of their excess body weight. That's what median means. That's where the MOST people are clustered statistically......around one side or the other of 60%. People who lose 100% of their excess body weight are on the fringes....like less than 2% of people accomplish that. Out of 100 people attempting weight loss with surgery......only 2 of them will have the results you did, Introversion. That's the reality. You're an inspiration and I wanna be a little more like you because I admire your dedication.....but I'm never gonna be the fitness enthusiast you are. Few people will.

There seem to be polarized opinions on the big Velcro elastic binder you wake up wearing post surgically. Lot of people love this thing and wear it for weeks...saying the support helps and makes them feel better. I got up after surgery to use the bathroom, asked to take it off and when they tried to help me put it back on, I asked to leave it off. Nurses were like....it's entirely for your comfort...so if off it better, that's fine. Let us know if you want to try it again. I really hated it. Never put it on again. I could see using it for skin surgery to kinda keep the incisions lined up and protect them from movement....but after laparoscopic sleeve, for me anywho...the benefits were not worth the discomfort. I'm one of those people who whips my bra off as soon as I walk through the door at night. LOL. Not into bindy things, they make me itch. Anyone else have a strong love or hate of the binder? How long did you wear it?

Who knows, but why question it? LOL. Maybe you've broken a stall...maybe the hectic pace of the holidays is giving you more exercise than you realize? Maybe you're eating fewer calories than you think, even though you're indulging a bit? If you'e really concerned, maybe get a physical and have some lab work done to make sure all is well. Are you feeling well? Any other concerning symptoms? If not...count your blessings and enjoy it!

Best wishes:) Also keep in mind that the occasional guy gets a little insecure about their significant other becoming all skinny and hot and sexy. it can be kind of intimidating and they'll wonder if you're working on trading up to a nicer model. it's a good time to reassure them that you're still very into them and you're not looking for greener pastures:)

Since weight loss is reported as a percentage, the number of pounds you shed per month depends on where you started. It also depends on the time since surgery. Findings in the October-December 2013 issue of the "Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons" suggested that people having sleeve gastrectomy lost more of their excess weight in the first few months after surgery. In this study of 100 patients, on average, subjects lost about 18 percent of their excess weight in the first month. Average weight loss by the end of 6 months was 50 percent of the excess body weight, and by the end of the first year, they had lost about 63 percent of their excess weight. Factors Affecting Weight Loss The amount of weight lost after gastric sleeve depends on several factors. An important factor is how well you follows your doctors' instructions about diet and exercise. Your preoperative weight also makes a difference, as people who start out at a lower weight tend to lose a higher percentage of excess weight than those who were heavier before surgery, according to the authors of a report published in the May 2012 issue of the "Journal of Obesity." Other factors such as age and gender may also affect your rate of weight loss. From: https://www.livestrong.com/article/293635-expected-monthly-weight-loss-with-the-gastric-sleeve/

I just read some studies that stated at the average first month loss is about 16-18% of excess weight. So...if you have to lose 100 pounds...you should lose about 16-18 pounds. If you have to lose 50...you should lose about 8-9. On surgery day, I was 230 and I'm hoping to reach 170...so I had to lose 60. I lost 10, and will likely lose about 12 by my one month anniversary.....which seems to be in the ballpark of the study. 16-18% of your excess weight seems to be the answer bariatric surgeons will quote for first month's expected loss. That said...people often report a stall at around week 3...which might be the body trying to conserve for repairs. Push though your stall....add a little extra exercise, get your healthy calories in.... and I'll bet your scale will get moving again:) Also...keep in mind that people are all different and every body works a little different. Do your best, keep steady, and eventually it all averages out. I should mention that my group pushes for higher calories and more exercise sooner. I've been eating 1000 calories a day since the start of week 3 with no problems, and walking at least an hour or two every day.

I took my husband to all of my seminars and most of my doctor appointments. He asked a lot of good questions and spent my first night home reading all of my instructions from the hospital out loud. Then, he read all my post surgical stuff from my doctor and nutritionist. He's been a key player in keeping me on track and being my cheerleader. My adult daughter has been amazingly supportive, too. Tells me she's proud of me all the time. I lucked out in the support department and i'm truly grateful. Even my mom...who was scared to death about the surgery...has become a cheerleader. She keeps protein drinks in her fridge for me and is completely supportive. Most of the folks who love us will have a little struggle with fear. Education helps:)

What you're describing is extremely common. Healing itch started for me at about day 4 and got intense at a week out. I got some edema tissue reaction to the sutures in my muscle and had funky lumps for a while under my skin at the incision sites. They've reduced now, no itching, and everything has healed up terrific:) Same thing happened with my gallbladder surgery years ago. Lumps finally went away, and the itching does stop, I promise.

While people usually don't lose as much weight as they hope to lose... They typically only gain back about 5% of their excess weight. I actually think that's pretty encouraging! Obviously individuals are individual....but this seems to be consistent in three studies I've found so far...give or take a couple percent.

"A Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases study looked at how successful gastric sleeve surgery was at helping patients keep weight off for an extended period. It looked at the results of patients who had the surgery five years ago. Things such as total weight loss, how quickly weight was lost, quality of life and complications were all evaluated. The average amount of excess weight loss for those studied in this professional study was 61.5% after just one year and 61.1% after just two years. The average for all five years for 57.4 percent (pretty close to the expected weight loss surgeons usually tell patients at their consultation)." Say you're a 250 pound woman who should be a 150 pound woman. Statistically, with sleeve....you'll lose 61 pounds. You'll end up being a 189 pound woman 18 months after sleeve. After five years...you'll gain a bit back....and end up being around 193 pounds. These are the median results for this surgery. You could do a little better than 50% of the people who've had the surgery, and you could do a little worse. But for the most part....if you start at 250, 5 years later, you'll end up around 193. Still, a really good, life impacting reduction that might not make you "skinny", but will definitely improve your health and quality of life. Sounds good to me.