Lily66

Cheeseburgh, THANK YOU So Much for posting your chart and sharing your journey! Congratulations on your STELLAR SUCCESS🏆, and the grit, determination and patience you gave in order to achieve what you have! For those of us who are rather slow losers, you have given us a gift of inspiration to JUST DO IT, STAY POSITIVE, IN GRATITUDE and SUCCESS WILL FOLLOW!!! Thanks again, and keep on keepin’ on!

How tall are you, Grace? If you only weighed 200 on day of surgery and are 5’8”, you didn’t have much to lose, and maybe that’s why it seems slow compared to others?

I realize at 2 weeks and 2 days post op It’s waaaay too early, but I am BIG time (head) craving a fresh, delicious green salad. Wondering...will I ever get to eat a plentiful green salad again? Since lettuce is largely water, I’m hoping to hear Yes, as long as it is eaten slowly. And, if so, then “generally speaking”, about how long post op can a salad be tolerated?😋Thanks!

Here’s an interesting development: When I started this post 3/26, I was 2 weeks post op, still on liquids, dreaming about eating real food again, never yet having overstepped my portion control boundaries with new pouch. Fast forward to now 5 weeks post op, and my new pouch having made me KEENLY aware that SHE is the new sheriff in town making the decisions on what and how much I will eat, not me. And if I didn’t believe her? Just try it. I did, a few times, I took that last bite that I shouldn’t have taken...😩 Whoa, at 5 weeks I would no more ask when I could eat a BIG salad!😖 The very thought of it reminds me of how sick I would be. The beauty of this “new tool” we have, is that it truly is like Pavlov’s dog...a few times of hearing the bell has a way of shaping behavior, because you sure don’t want to revisit torture again. Moral of the story, SO much changes in the weeks following surgery, the behavioral changes that I certainly needed. Thanks to all of you veterans who already know this stuff, and patiently guide us newbies along! And yes, of course they “told” me this stuff, but some of us hard heads only learn hard lessons through the fire of experience.

Wow! I’m so happy for you to have moved through the hard times to “more energy than ever had!” Thanks for motivating those of us who are still trudging through. I’m so glad to have had the surgery...it was truly my last and best hope after years and years of trying, but some days are easier than others 5 weeks post op. Congratulations!

If you enjoy tofu, these are fabulous and very easy (for me) to digest. Also, flaked tuna with just a tad of olive oil, lemon or light mayo have helped round it out. Good luck!

Thanks...I seem to feel fine, up and at ‘em one day, then wiped out the next. Probably fairly typical for 5 weeks out. Good luck to everyone!

If you’re on any type of blood pressure med you may want to check that, too. My energy was zilch, no energy, so light headed, etc. I began taking my BP and sure enough, super low! We cut my dose in half, still happening. I’ve now been totally off BP med 8 days and see that was a big culprit. Indeed, it appears I no longer need it! Thrilled...shocked....thrilled again!

....and get this! The summary of my psych testing stated that I have an “inordinate fear of large animals”. For $995 I could have told them that. AND, it relates to WLS how?🤪

My psych eval was an entire 4 hours...only about 20 minutes with the psychologist, the rest MMPI testing and various other instruments to warrant their $995 fee. Insurance covered it 100%. It took about 10 days for surgeon to receive it.

I believe it’s a bit different for each of us. Many recently through surgery have commented that yes, they do feel hunger. In my case, 4 weeks and a few days out, when my stomach is empty it gurgles, almost has slight tinge of pain, and if I don’t eat something, a small anything really, I get moderately nauseated. The key is to make a good choice in what to eat. You may also need to deal with head hunger. Yes, I sometimes have that as well, and particularly during this quarantine. Anxiety and time on my hands have always presented as an (unwanted) opportunity for me to stress eat. It was never about hunger then, and it isn’t now, but still, it rears its ugly head (pun intended). The opportunity to recognize, deal with, stare down and OVERCOME this deadly beast comes after surgery. If you begin to work with that NOW, you’ll have a much easier time. Still and all, I can tell you this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and would do it again in a heartbeat! I’m a work in progress, and humbled to live life one day at a time. Congratulations and All Wonderful Wishes on taking the Best Step in being here, now.

Welcome, Annie! And Congrats on your surgery! You will find soooo much help on this site...Wonderful, Supportive, Loving Community!

Congrats, Chubrub!😀 I cannot WAIT till once again I weigh less than mine, too! What an awful journey it has been to creep past his 6ft, 179lb, low body fat self🙄! It literally took until the night before my surgery that I told him my weight. He knows EVERYTHING else about me after 30 years together, but this heavy weight yoke around my neck was just something I couldn’t verbalize... UNTIL I KNEW I was ready to deal with it, walk away from it, never to return there again! What totally rocks is knowing he loved me as much at 220lbs as he did when I married him at 128lbs. Forever Grateful to this ultra wonderful guy!💝

Gracie my Special Pal....Now don’t get ticked at me, we’ve come through way too much together, but let me make a prediction: Initial impressions often end up being the opposite to be true. Prediction: Six months from now GRACIE will be the most pleased with results of ANY of us! Gracie will be saying SO GLAD I DID THIS! Just wait till that fat melting motor kicks into high gear and watch out!!!😀💃💥💝🚀 Love and Hugs, Lily

Hugs on your first day back to work Mello1....may things get easier!

Prayers for you @biginjapan that you’re feeling stronger/stable soon! Maybe our dark circles are fat loss under the very thin skin of the eye area? Hmm. Not sure. I am trying to do light chores around the house today and have to rest like every 1/2 hour for about 15 minutes or so because of light headed/weakness and I feel that weakness throughout my entire body. Will continue searching for clues...

So glad you’re doing well, Deb! We were SO lucky to get in before pandemic. I’m hanging in there. Scale not moving at 3.5 weeks, so decided to stay off it for a week or so. They say it’s pretty common at this point. All in all, I can’t complain, and Very happy I did this! The weight will come off, maybe slower than I imagined but it’s happenin’, I feel it in my clothes. Best wishes to you and keep up the GREAT work! You’re doing Amazing!

Arabesque, You are describing my journey! Low BP, low blood sugar, most of the time, light headed, lose my balance easily. Drinking Propel and other sugar free electrolyte replacement, making sure I have frequent small “meals”. Fortunately, hubby goes out walking with me because I’m afraid I could pass out! This is why I was never able to do Keto pre-op. I guess some of us are just predisposed to these issues. Thanks, and I do hope things have gotten better for you? Please tell me it goes away? I’m so light headed, I think it officially makes me an airhead Lol.

Thanks, NovaLuna, and I do hope your energy returns quickly!

We could ALL go work for him and the business called “AJ and His Formerly Fluffy Friends”😂!

Cammy, you and your family are in our prayers. Reiterating, all of the safety steps, but first, and always, practice deep breathing to clear your head and calm your nerves. You do all you can, and then ask your higher power (for me that is God) to please guide and protect You and all around you. To please envelop you in a bubble of protection. From there? You must practice letting go, lest your very energy become sapped and you become vulnerable to illness. You’re too sweet and special to not WIN this! You’ve survived bad situations (as many of us have) You WILL WIN this journey and as a skinny girl no less!!! So happy to hear your employer values you and has been so good to you—a good indication that will be the case now. Please keep us posted! Love, hugs and prayers...Lily

Thanks, Slimmy! I will try this TODAY!😃

Thanks, Grace😊. Constipation is still a challenge—but figuring it out. Surgeon suggested Benefiber Clear and Miralax daily until regular, also add in a docusate sodium (colace) if need be. I was using psyllium fiber before WLS- he said avoid it because of the grit gumming things up, stick with Benefiber Clear. He also prefers Miralax over Milk of Mag because it is non stimulating. He also said at times when things seem REALLY difficult, address it additionally with a suppository or fleet enema so you’re working it from both ends. Glad to hear you are balancing out with this area, too. We walk a mile and a half each morning...I know that’s not much, but for now, with very low caloric intake, it’s about all I am up for 2.5 weeks out. Stay in touch!😃

Hi Grace, I totally understand! But we have to be patient and take things with a grain of salt. For instance, my profile shows a 21lb loss. But 12 of those were pre WLS, so in 2.5 weeks that’s only a 9lb loss, not 21. I get why they suggest we not compare ourselves to others, because we cannot see the entire story. During my post op I mentioned to surgeon that I wasn’t losing as much as others...he cited pre op WL often results in a slower early post op loss as the body wants to preserve itself, but being patient, following the program, we will lose! Also, you and I Grace are a tad bit older than some, and our metabolism doesn’t kick it like in our 30’s, 40’s, even 50’s! So this morning I said to myself, “Myself? Yea, a lot of work, angst, etc. for 21 measly pounds.” BUT, I have NEVER been able to lose 21lbs before so WHAT A VICTORY! Gracie, we may be slightly slower in losing, but perhaps our skin will benefit from the pause and not need surgery. Surgeon also cited those with a higher starting BMI will usually lose much faster. You and I had this vision of pounds seemingly effortlessly, rapidly melting away! It’s happening! We just have to envision it melting away until we can see. Love and Hugs!

My, oh my...how the posts above describe my journey! Dear hubby has lovingly (but, a tad frustrated) pointed out that I’m still taking too large of bites and eating too quickly...I seem to start out focussed, prepared, but drift—and well, there I go, mindless eating. Mindless eating was okay pre WLS (actually, it was NOT okay at all, but.) but I find there’s no margin of error (for me) now. Even a few too large, or too fast, bites creates that full in the throat, nauseated, clammy feeling....and then I feel wiped out for a good while. Because hubs has always been tall and naturally thin, he’s puzzled at my slow learning. He’ll say something like “Darlin, you know this happens every time...you have to slow down, be mindful, tiny bites until your body is ready to accept”. This is his normal, but obviously easier said than done por moi. We are learning, we just didn’t expect it would be this. Lol. Celebrate our self transformations! Baby steps...We will come through this. Love, hugs and hang in there!