Russ D

The breathing pain is from all of the gas they've got pumped into you. The gas is still in there, largely, putting pressure on your diaphragm and making it more difficult for your lungs to inflate fully. Keep up on the breathing exercises (hopefully they've shown you some). Walk as much as you're able. You'll get it.

I've always had a thing for cheese. Hasn't changed after the surgery. But I haven't had any unusually strong cravings for it, or anything else for that matter. So far, anyways.

You put your life in God's hands every time you get behind the wheel of a car, you're just used to that kid of faith; surgeries are rare and scary, it's natural to feel fear. The thought of going under and having something horrible happen and never know it is deeply unsettling to most people. Nothing can prevent my appointed time. I don't know what or when. I just know that before a surgery, I lay it all out to God and go in as prepared as I can. Statistically you're still safer than driving a car on the highways!

You're just two weeks post-op. Completely normal. Same with stalls, they happen. Stay with the plan...your body needs protein for survival and hydration for lots of stuff, including shedding fat cells. Just try to do a little bit more every day than you did the day before.

I'd say that's a better question for your doctor.

My doctor likes to have all of his day's scheduled patients there first thing in the morning. We weren't told what time our surgeries would be. That way if someone dropped he could just slide everyone up a slot and be out of there faster. Was a pain in the butt, but I understand why he does it that way. So, I was just told to be there at 7:30 AM. I was the fourth of seven surgeries he performed that day, I went on the table at about 2 PM.

I don't see why people feel the need to try to engage others they obviously disagree with and whose minds aren't going to be changed. No need for spouts of "final judgement" and "gleeful fanfiction of supernatural comeuppance" and "fairy tales." No one's mind is going to be changed; it's just a pissing contest that distracts from the purpose of this thread. Can we get back to that, please?

Trying to avoid the point of diminishing returns where we're haggling over comma placement. Mostly we just disagree. But, a couple of points. -Meditation, mindfulness groups, I think those would be perfect for the main boards. Very helpful for some people in dealing with the struggles of WLS. Again: the Lounge section traditionally is for totally off-topic discussions that don't have a real benefit to the primary goal of a particular message board community. The primary goal of this message board community is to offer solutions and support to people thinking about, in the process of, or living life after weight loss surgery. Those topics you brought up are in line with that mission, in my opinion, and so is this thread. -Proselytism...if a tree praises Jesus as the one and and only savior of mankind in a forest, is it proselytism? You clicked on the thread, you came in here. I don't think anyone sent you messages to get you to come in here. I'm not saying you're one, but some people find the very sight of others practicing their faith amongst themselves to be worthy of scorn and censorship (and yes, some people like that are Christians in regards to people of other faiths or non-faiths), and I think there is a person like that who has posted in here. That view is very intolerant of others. I don't berate people wearing yarmulkes or hijabs, and I think the vast majority of people would agree with me on that. It's why I didn't respond to the post asking for pagan prayers. I don't believe that, I don't support it, but this is a thread for prayer, so who am I to tell them to post elsewhere? But for some people it's acceptable to go open-season at the sight of someone wearing a cross. I'm not trying to get into a War-on-Christians debate, but there is a growing double standard on it. If you've got examples of what you're talking about re: proselytism, please, share them, I might agree with you that that would amount to proselytism...if they weren't words from the preacher to the choir, when this thread is clearly for the choir. -I don't see how it's exclusive. Everyone's welcome in here, as long as they're civil and respectful, just like the rest of the boards' topics. Like I said, not everyone is going to find it useful or helpful, but not everyone finds...carb cycling, for instance, to be useful and helpful. Doesn't mean that carb cycling is exclusive. I've stated my case. I'll abide by the decisions that are made. But I think it's a shame that someone came in here with a disruptive mindset because they didn't like the type of people that were posting in here and got this thread kicked out of view when a great many people have found it helpful to them.

That's absolutely incredible. Looks like some of the before-and-afters that inspired me to start this path.

Sounds like my "first meal" after, the eggs, meat, veggies. Yeah, the restriction is real. I've learned what it feels like when the tank is about to be full, and luckily I haven't run over it yet. I'd say just do what your body can do and no more. My doctor's office told me that if I felt like I pushed it too hard in quantity or type of food to go back to liquid diet for a few days, and to call them if I still felt uncomfortable after a few days of that.

1- You don't think it deals directly with weight loss surgery, and I'm sure that there are many people on these boards that agree with you. That's fine. What about the people who do think it directly affects them? Are their views and opinions not taken into account? Who gets to decide? Well, Alex, clearly, that's why I made my case to him. 2- Proselytism of a particular faith by definition targets those who are not practitioners of that faith. I think the title of the thread pretty much rules that out as a motivation for the thread's creation. Did someone message you trying to get you in here, to change your views? I haven't seen any of that posted here openly, but admittedly I scanned many of the posts that weren't direct requests for prayers, so maybe I missed something. 3- I agree, the title of the thread is provocative. Could have been better written. But obviously the OP's concerns were at least somewhat warranted. 4- The people who saw it will follow it. Who will see it now? Not newbies looking for support, and this message board (and thread, even) draws a lot of those people who are anxious and worried about WLS. The Lounge section of a message board is almost always going to be off-topic discussions; those types of people (myself included) would not go looking or posting in the Lounge for emotional support in having WLS, and it doens't make sense to do so...in fact, I'd argue that posting here in the Lounge looking for support and help for WLS is, in and of itself, off-topic for the Lounge! I'll reiterate my view that this thread was not off-topic. Not helpful for everyone, I'll agree with you there. But would you agree that it has been helpful for some people in their WLS struggles? What then is the harm in leaving it, if the discussion is civil? Edits: Typos, wording

A rebuttal, if I may. First, as near as I can tell, "everyone" wasn't calling names. One person was. That person, for whatever reason, didn't like the fact that this thread was here and entered the discussion to be disruptive, and succeeded in creating enough of a disruption to get it moved to what is effectively a dead board. Second, what makes its current home the "appropriate forum"? The Lounge, per the description at the top of the board, is for any discussion "not specifically related to Weight Loss Surgery." Read through the requests and responses on this thread. The vast majority of people requesting prayers here are doing so out of concern for their or their families' weight loss surgery. Pre-op anxieties, post-op problems, anxieties about insurance (I think, to my recollection anyways)...how is that "discussion not specifically related to Weight Loss Surgery"? I would posit to you that there have been many people on this thread that have received a sense of peace and comfort on having people know and reach out to them in their hour of fear and unease about the dramatic life shifts that WLS entails. Isn't that what the primary Weight Loss boards are all about? No, not everyone is going to find this thread helpful or even necessary. Does everyone on these boards find every bit of advice and information helpful or necessary? Doubtful. We're adults. The vast majority of us can handle alternatively reading or ignoring threads that interest us or don't interest us. We can also handle dissent. If you must take some action, take it against those who are unable to abide by the rules; but don't kill a thread that is self-evidently helpful to at least a portion of your user base in conquering their fears about WLS, considering that in less than a week it has over 70 responses, the vast majority of which were positive and affirming.

I was back with kids twelve days later (teacher too). Looks like you're on that type of timeframe. It was hard, but I managed.

Don't we all! Not sure what to tell you post-op. I tried carb cycling a few years ago with a normal system. Used Chris Powell's book as my formula, can't really remember the daily carb doses: https://www.amazon.com/Choose-More-Lose-Life/dp/140133024X I stuck with it for about a month, plateaued, and gave up and went back to bad choices. Three years later, here I am!

And no, appetite is not something I'd say I'd have except once every couple of days. I more just recognize that my stomach is empty and it's time to eat something. Getting all 64oz of fluid in with all 90g of protein is still something I struggle with, probably holding my numbers back somewhat.

Just from my experience, I was on protein shakes and broth for three weeks after surgery. When it was time to transition to soft foods...I was allowed yogurt and eggs, and work up from there...I was able to handle it okay.

Is this after a surgery? Or just to lose weight without a surgical solution?

Thanks for the input. I'll consult my doctor before I try Biotin.

I know it's probably coming to some degree no matter what. Hydration and protein, I've heard. Biotin? Does anyone have experience with that? My hair is thinning to start with, I'd like to keep as much as I can!

I live alone. I had family stay with me for two days after surgery, after that I was on my own. If I've needed to move something heavy I would ask someone to stop by and help ("Hey, thanks for the help, I can offer you this really wretched-tasting protein shake! :3 "). Other than that it was all me.

I struggled really badly with this as well. Hydrate, for sure. I'm taking Benefiber twice daily, mixes into water or shake really well (can't tell it's there, and I notice things like that pretty easily). If I'm more than two days out from a bowel movement I'll start taking a dose of Miralax a day. In the last week or so I've begun taking a gelcap softener, 240 mg of docusate calcium, that my pharmacist recommended and said was completely safe to use daily (it's worked every time I've taken it) (at first my surgeon's office wouldn't let me take it, too big to try to swallow yet, he said, but I'm nearly six weeks out so I've started taking it). Once, about three weeks out, I was frankly desperate for relief (a week in between bowel movements). My surgeon's office told me to drink half a bottle of magnesium citrate again (used it to flush my system pre-surgery), sip by sip, in between sips of water. It did do the trick, but watch out for over-using things like that, they work by sucking water from your system into your intestines, and your body needs that water pretty desperately.

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-FITINDEX-Wireless-Bathroom-Composition/dp/B078HW8BPY/ I use this one. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's about the size of a linoleum floor tile, makes it a little awkward to stand on for a big guy. Other than that, it's great. Tracks my weight and other measurements over time with a phone app. About body measurements other than weight: I've read that the base numbers may or may not be completely accurate, but a scale like this is still useful for tracking their progress over time. So, for instance, while my starting body fat percentage number of 49.1% may or may not have been completely accurate, the spread of -12.1% from that time (reading of 37% this morning) is more than likely correct and would probably be corroborated if I'd had measurements taken by a physician.

I've been pretty open and honest. Haven't been broadcasting, but if someone's asked, I've told them.

Definitely follow your doctor's orders. They're the medical professional who has a plan for you. "These are goals. Targets. Aim for them, work towards them, don't beat yourself up if you don't reach them." Was what I was told over and over again when I brought up concerns in the first few weeks that it was too difficult to get my 90g of protein and 64oz of water down one painful ounce at a time.

"I've already lost the weight, my mind is just waiting for my body to catch up." That was my mindset. For my testing phase, before my doctor would agree to have me as a patient, I had to lose at least 10 pounds over a 3-month period. Monthly weigh-ins, could not regain anything over what I'd weighed the month before. I did super the first month. Lost seven pounds. Felt great. And...celebrated. Went too far. A week from my second weigh-in and I was five pounds OVER what I had weighed in at for my first weigh-in. Uh-oh. I was worried. My schedule was very limited, if I had missed a mark I would have had to delay my surgery for a year. Took a hard week of crash-dieting and fasting to eek under my previous mark by one pound; I lost six pounds in a week. Decided, after that, NEVER AGAIN. I was DONE with the over-portioned junk food that had dominated my diet my whole life. "I've already lost the weight, my mind is just waiting for my body to catch up." That was my mantra. Still is. Never had trouble with myself after that. I've had plenty of years to abuse my body with food. There's too many other things I want to be able to do with my life other than sit and be fat.