FancyChristine15

I'm right there with you, it's MUCH easier when you are in a routine. I think that the best thing you can do when you're not in your normal routine is plan. Know the types of food that you can eat, and stick to those. I know that's easier said than done sometimes though.

I tried sleeping in my bed the first night, but that didn't happen; it hurt. I ended up sleeping upright on the couch with my feet propped up on my ottoman for 2-3 nights. After that, I was able to sleep in my bed again. I also am a side/stomach sleeper, and I was able to return to that position quickly. Just try it, and if it hurts, adjust. Your body will tell you if it's okay to sleep that way or not.

Like some of the others said, we'll need an example of what you eat in a day plus how much liquids you're getting in daily

I know that it's not as simple as it seems, but the best motivation is to remember why you had the surgery in the first place. You that to keep you headed toward your goal!

As some others said, I also couldn't sleep lying flat for a while after surgery. It was VERY uncomfortable for me. I ended up sleeping as much as I could just sitting up on my couch. I, unfortunately, don't have a recliner. Drinking was very uncomfortable for me at first too. Then, I changed the way that I drank, and that helped. Try actually pouring the water in your mouth, instead of sipping. This will help keep the air from getting to your new stomach. This isn't an issue now, but it was right after surgery. Again, like most have mentioned, I have no regrets. Yes, it was difficult at first, but once you get past the first month, it gets so much better.

I'm at 4 months post op and I've lost 70, but I had a much higher BMI than you did. Still, though, I hadn't lost 50 pounds by 2 months out. That's a lot. I think that you're doing GREAT! You weigh 241 at 6 feet tall?! That's not too shabby. The pounds are coming off, and will keep coming off!

I'm only 4 months out, and I haven't tried any yet either. My doctor said that I need to wait 6 months. I plan on having vodka and water and using Mio to flavor it. A friend of mine did that one time when we went out; it's smart. It has very few calories, and no carbs or sugar.

Are you tracking protein, water, calories in and out? Are you taking your vitamins? Are you exercising?

1. 1. So yes, we all get the point of the surgery is to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle BUT that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves sometimes. My favorite food chain is in LA, In-N-Out Burger. Will I be able to eat a cheeseburger and small fry with like a milkshake? Clearly I won't be opting for this on the daily but we all still need to indulge in our favorites once in a while and I'm not sure how much of it I'll be able to eat I'm assuming maybe like 1/3 or maybe 1/2 of the entire meal. But does anyone have experience with eating cheeseburgers, fries and a milkshake on like a vacation or for just a little "cheat meal"? (Again, I get the point is to NOT eat these types of food but sometimes you have urges especially on vacations). I don't think there is anything wrong with a little indulgence every now and then. I went on vacation at 3 months post op, and I ate a few things I don't normally eat, and it all went fine. I had a couple bites of ice cream, a small pancake with butter, a piece of a cookie, etc... (not all at the same time), but it all went fine for me. Now, I did have a smaller weight loss that week, but I only did it while on the vacation. 2. I absolutely LOVE sparkling Water like La Croix and San Pellegrino, does anyone drink sparkling water on occasion? I haven't had anything sparkling or carbonated yet, and don't really plan to. It can aid in stretching out your new tummy, so I wouldn't recommend it. 3. Cocktails and Wine, I'm not sure about you but being 24 I like to have myself an occasional couple of social beverages, how was your experience with alcohol both mixed drinks (hard liquor) and wine? (Don't worry about beer I don't like it). My doctor's advice on this topic was to wait until 6 months post-op, so I still haven't had a drink since my operation. 4. Not to generalize but I think a lot of people have a sweet tooth, I love the occasional scone, croissant, cookie, French macaron, etc. how has your experience with these types of baked pastries been? I've only had a piece of a cookie, the ice cream I mentioned before, and a little dark chocolate. That is not something that I would recommend that you regularly do, as you'll end up wanting more and more, that's how I would be anyways. I would stick to the sugar free popsicles and sugar free jello. Those help with the sweet cravings with no added sugar. 5. coffee. I'm ADDICTED to coffee and espresso beverages; lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, matcha lattes. How have these affected you and do you sweeten them at all or keep it plain? Can you sweeten them with like flavored syrups like a pump of lavender simple Syrup or matcha powder? I've had some coffee post op. I drank it every day before the surgery, and now I have it like once a week or so. I usually go to Dunkin and get an iced coffee with sugar free syrup and a little almond milk, then I add equal to it. Just go for the sugar free options, if you have to have coffee. 6. Now I know the clear answer and feedback I'm going to get on this question but for those who aren't going to just simply says "QUIT!!!" then I'd appreciate an answer, don't answer this is you're going to lecture me on how bad this is in general regardless of VSG, I know it's bad, I'm not stupid but it's an addictive habit I'm trying to quit. Smoking. How have cigarettes or e-cigs like Juul's affected you? Does it bother your stomach or can you smoke without issue? If so how many cigarettes or Juul pods do you go through a day? I know this is the answer you don't want, but you HAVE to quit smoking before the surgery. It could kill you if you continue to smoke. The only near death experience my doctor's office had was with a post op patient who didn't heed the doctor's advice, and they kept smoking. It could kill you. 7. This is hopefully not going to be a struggle but when I eat I like to sip on water or unsweetened iced tea, coffee, etc. I know in the beginning you're supposed to drink like 30 minutes BEFORE consuming food. How soon after can you drink something? Also will there be a time when eventually I can have a beverage while eating a snack or meal? Or will I forever not be able to consume liquidsand solids at the same time? I always liked to drink with my meals too. It's a bit inconvenient, but you'll eventually get used to not drinking while you eat. You should wait, at least, 30 minutes after you eat before you drink anything. It's a forever thing, but, like I said, you'll get used to it.

I have the Apple Watch, and I love that it keeps track of my activity, which FitBit does too. I had a FitBit first, one of the basic ones, and I didn't use it for long, because it just did the basics. LOVE my Apple Watch though.

I'm with sillykitty on this one. You may not actually spend less than you did before. I probably spend the same, if not more now, because I'm having to spend $80 a month on protein and then so much a month on vitamins and minerals, but I'm much healthier than I was before, so it's worth it to me.

You're not a failure. I know that it may feel like it. We have similar stories. At one time in my life, I weighed 450 pounds, then I ended up working out and eating right, and I got down to about 260. Well, I gain it all back plus 13 pounds. I understand why I should feel like a failure, but I don't. I did fail the first time, I guess, but I haven't given up, so I don't consider myself a failure, and you shouldn't either. The reason I quoted the above section of your post is because your fears and thoughts are my fears and thoughts. I haven't been to an amusement park in YEARS, and I've always loved going. I'm afraid to fly because I know that I would need an extender, which is embarrassing, I've had to ask for one before. I'm fearful of going to restaurants because I don't know if I can fit in a booth or if the chairs will hold me. etc.... Just know you're not alone in all of this. We're all here going through similar things too.

I'm 3 months out. I'm not gonna lie, I HATED the liquid diet phase. It was tough, but you have to do it to give your new tummy time to heal. Like Orchids said, your stomach is probably swollen. A lot of people gain weight while in the hospital due to water retention. Don't have a negative attitude toward the procedure this early into your journey. If you follow your doctor's advice, it will work. Don't be discouraged. Keep going. Call your doctor and see if you're ready to move into the next phase. I asked my doctor if I could move on, and they let me do it a couple days early.

You aren't eating the right types of foods though. Your meals should consist of mainly protein with some veggies, and that is what will help you feel less hungry. You don't seem to be getting what we're saying. I think that hunger is real, and I believe that you ARE hungry. But I also believe that if you would eat the right foods, instead of a bunch of carbs, then you wouldn't feel so hungry. Also, if you increase your water intake (use Mio to give it some flavor) then you won't be as hungry either.

It sounds like you expected the surgery to do all the work for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. I wish it did. We have to work to reach our goals. You are eating a lot of carbs and things that don't fill you up, so that's why you're hungry a lot. I eat almost all protein, and I eat 800 calories a day, on average. I'm almost never hungry. I'm a little over 3 months post op. Drink protein shakes that are low in sugar and carbs but high in protein. Eat meats, yogurt, cheese, etc... Stay away from carbs. I eat no more than 30g of carbs per day. A few questions for you too: Are you tracking what you eat? Are you getting in at least 64 ounces of water? Are you eating/drinking at least 60-80 grams of protein every day? Are you exercising? Are you taking your supplements? All of the above will help you in losing the weight. Another thing, you've got to change your attitude. You keep saying that you can't do this and you're going to fail, well, yeah, you will with an attitude like that. We're all rooting for you and want you to succeed, but we can't want it more than you do.

I knew that having to take vitamins was part of the deal of getting the surgery, but there are sooooo many! I mean, if it'll keep me healthy, I'll do it. I'll just complain about it a little lol

I'm 3 months out and steak still scares me. lol! I was told no alcohol until 6 months.

How often are you all weighing in? I can't weigh every day. That would mess with my head so bad. I only weigh once a week. But, I agree with what Creekimp said; get your protein, water, exercise, and track.

I was encouraged to have high protein and low carbs, which is what the keto diet is. I don't understand why it wouldn't be okay to start at this stage?

There are only a couple of things about your post that throw up red flags for me. The first thing is chewing food and spitting it out; that type of behavior can lead to eating disorders, so I wouldn't recommend doing that. The other thing is that you are SO fearful. Stop. Take a deep breath. And relax. Stop worrying so much. If you sleep on your stomach and it doesn't hurt, then sleep on your stomach. If you're able to drink quite a bit, and you're not uncomfortable or in any pain, then drink. Your body will tell you if something is wrong.

For sure! I'm not excited to drink 2 protein shakes a day, but I do it, because I know that I need to get so much protein in. What I did was add clear proteins that have more of a juice flavor, and that helped. I still like the regular premiere proteins better though, because you get so much protein in each one.

Best of luck!

I would call your surgeon's office to see if they have any tips. I've had 2 laparoscopic surgeries and that gas pain only lasted 2 - 3 days. 16 days seems like a long time.

You lost 40 pounds in less an a month? That's amazing! I've lost 52 pounds in 3 months and I'm really happy with that. Don't be hard on yourself.

The first month is the absolute worst part of it. You're only drinking for the first couple of weeks, or however long your doctor tells you, then you can only do mushy foods, etc... Also, the first few days after surgery, I had issues sleeping. I couldn't get comfortable when I laid down, so I had to sleep sitting up on the couch. Again, the first few days after surgery, I would get nauseous pretty often and I got hiccups a lot, but those things have gone away and went away pretty quickly for the most part. Every once in a while I just get hit with a bought of nausea, but it usually only lasts like 30 seconds and it's gone. The worst part to me was the gas pain that you generally get with having laparoscopic surgery. I was in a lot of pain with that gas. I would do it again though in a second. I'm very obese and I needed to lose weight and I needed a tool to help me do that. I've already lost a total of 52 pounds since my surgery on 3/20/18. I too wish that I would have done it sooner.