Tiffykins

I did low carb because 1) that's what was recommended 2) I knew I would lose fast/hard 3) I didn't have room for carbs such as Pasta, rice, potatoes during my losing stage. It's really about finding what works for you individually. I have zero metabolic issues (PCOS, thyroid issues) that would impede my losing, others that have these issues might find they lose much faster with low carbs. It also depends on how you want to lose. If you know that you'll be content with eating carbs and maybe losing slower than others, or suffering from being carb sensitive then that's the path you choose. I'm in maintenance, and I can assure you that I do not deprive myself of any foods. I eat all foods, all carbs, bread, pasta, meat, cheese, potatoes, rice, but it's what works for my body. I wanted to get to goal and worry about maintenance when I got there. I've found a good balance of what foods I eat, when and how much I indulge, and by no means am I dieting. The brain lives on fat, not carbs, and that's why the push for healthy fats in all diets even in WW has been pushed for several years now after finding that fats are not as evil as everyone would like to believe.

I honestly can not see every post on here. It's not humanly possible. My recommendation when you don't receive any replies is to shoot someone a message, or refer to the 1000s of other threads on here about stalls. There's typically 200 new posts on the forum every morning when I log in, and I personally can't get to all of them. A lot of times if I have to I'll use the search feature at the top to go back to topics that are popular such as hair loss, stalls, BMI questions, post-op diets etc etc. Your body has been through hell, and pretty much sounds as if it needs time to adjust. Have you taken measurements? Are your clothes fitting differently? You might be losing inches and not pounds. A pound is a pound regardless if it's a pound of fat or a pound of muscle. Fortunately, muscle just takes up less space in the body. I know when I was super close to goal, I skipped sizes in clothing, but only lost a few pounds. So, the scale wasn't moving much, but my body adjusting and catching up with inches/fat lost. Unfortunately, the closer you get to goal, the weight loss slows down tremendously. It's frustrating, but if you continue doing what is prescribed in your post-op guidelines the scale will move. I always tell people when they ask about a stall to 1) Increase Protein, cut carbs 2) Increase fluids 3) move more. Do not go off and go back to all liquids, crash dieting did NOT work before, and it's not going to work now. You might lose some weight, but it sounds like you're making good food choices, your labs are good, and you just need to keep doing what you are doing. As frustrating as it is, we didn't get fat overnight, getting skinny is going to take some time too!

Hi and welcome to the forum ! ! ! Honestly, the sleeve is best damn thing I've ever done for myself and my family. Best wishes on getting your date, and we're all here for you.

Your body is still pissed off at you, please let it recover without fretting over weight loss these first couple of weeks. They pumped you full of fluids during surgery and recovery so you're losing Water weight as well. Plus, the 3 week stall is pretty inevitable. Just keep following your post-op guideline. You've lost nearly a pound a day, and one thing I always did was think "when in the past have I ever lost XX amount of weight in XX days?" Honestly, you're doing really fabulous. People with lower BMIs typically do lose slower, but 13pounds in less than 2 weeks is NOT SLOW by any stretch of the imagination. You aren't doing anything wrong as long as you are staying within your prescribed post-op dietary guidelines. Comparing yourself, and your loss to others is only going to bring unrealistic expectations, and make you feel as if you're doing something wrong when in all reality, your body is yours, and not mine or any other member on this forum.

My first thought is that it sounds like your just eating to eat. Nothing can help with that except discipline and determination. It's a mind twist, and I recommend having a menu set, and designated time to eat. Start tracking your food intake and stick with the plan. I know it's easier said than done, but if you want it bad enough, you'll make it happen. Protein bars are typically full of carbs and sugar alcohol which can cause more cravings for carby stuff. If you're hungry within 30-45 minutes of eating, are you still on a PPI? If not, acid overproduction could be the culprit. While acid overproduction is sometimes resolved by 6 months post-op, you might be one of us that need to be on a PPI. But, if it's head hunger, or just mindless eating, then you'll have to battle the mental aspect of eating. You've done amazingly well thus far, don't toss out the last 6 months now by being careless and going off plan. I live by the mantra of "just because I can, doesn't mean I should". I can eat every hour on the hour if I wanted to, but I make the conscious effort to eat scheduled meals, measured portions, and still eat protein first 85% of the time. I agree with the above poster regarding the 5 day pouch test. I know several people that have used it to get back on track. Or, you can back to strict low carb, high protein, and have some accountability on what's going in your mouth.

Meat, cheese, eggs, greek yogurt. I never used shakes. I just focused on eating as much meat as possible. I ate tons of beef and chicken, seafood was a once or twice a week thing. It's not my favorite food, and it was not something I ever prepared at home unless it was tuna or some crab mixture. Tilapia and mahi mahi are the only fish I really like, and I typically screw those up when preparing at home. The main veggies I ate were green Beans, broccoli, and refried or pinto beans. I ate poached eggs with cheese, ground meats, tons of deli meat with cream cheese, chicken and beef made in the crock pot. I ate tons of leftovers. I'd prepared 2-3 cups of a specific food, and freeze individual portions for easy meals.

Just FYI, last night my husband and I went to Cracker Barrel. I had about 3oz of a hamburger steak (it was simply a flattened out hamburger patty covered in A1 steak sauce) 2oz of pinto Beans, and about 1/3cup of hashbrown casserole. It took me over an hour to eat it, and I had a cup of decaf coffee before my meal and few sips in between, OH yeah and I ate 2 of my husband's steak fries. A few days, ago I went to Chili's, had 2 1/2 of the hamburger sliders with lettuce from my side salad, 1 nacho from my girlfriend's plate, and the inside of 2 southwest eggrolls. I eat the bagel thins, and I usually make an open face (just 1 slice of the bagel thin) with turkey bacon (2-3 slices) and 2 slices of cheese (1 pepperjack 1 american). Sometimes for sh*ts and giggles, I throw a poached or fried egg on there too. I'm telling you this because you might not be able to eat the entire meal again, but rest assured, you will be able to eat all of those foods, and while it won't be the entire amount you consumed last night, it'll be a good size, satisfying portion.

I wasn't allowed raw fruits/veggies/nuts until 3 months post-op. Especially high-cellulose, stringy veggies/fruits can be very difficult to digest. Some people have zero issues, but I really didn't have room for raw veggies/fruits when I was focused on protein. I did eat a lot of steamed green beans and broccoli.

I would drop 7-8lbs a week especially when I was really pushing Protein, and avoiding all carbs. My labs never suffered because of the rapid losing, my skin looks just the same as others that lost the same amount of weight over a slower amount of time so I don't believe that skin will hold out better if we lose it slower. For me, as long as your labs look good, you feel good, you're getting in proper nutrition and fluids, I never thought I lost too fast. People used to gasp when I told them I dropped 80lbs the first 4 months, but now there's people dropping 100+ pounds in 3-4 months post-op.

Meditation, and removing myself from the situation was the only thing that has helped for me. Plus, I really have to take the time to breathe. I'm pretty sure my son has wanted to disown me, and my husband has thought of shutting me in the attic a few 100 times over the last year and a half because of my mood swings, but they do get better.

You hit the nail on the head with the bolded statement. Every surgeon's technique is different, every patient's stomach length is different, Some surgeons give me room at the pyloric valve than others. There is not a standardized technique for the sleeve. There's differing opinions, and experiences. The bougie is just a tool they slide down our throats to guide the stapler. It still falls on the surgeon to measure out the proper amount of stomach tissue to remove. The difference between a 32fr and a 40fr bougie is a mere 2.3mm so that is not going to make a hill of Beans when it comes to how much food we can fit in. Surgical technique and patient's own anatomy plays a much larger role in final stomach capacity over bougie size. At the end of the day, it really boils down to making the best food choice, eating measured portions, and doing your best with what your stomach capacity allows. Staying within the prescribed dietary guideline is key to long term success. The sleeve will only do so much, just like the RNY pouch, or band.

Thanks sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo very much ! ! ! I hear the surgeons are amazing at Lackland. Least to say our "dream sheet" has changed dramatically due to my VSG because I won't go anywhere that doesn't perform VSG LOL.

Honestly, the first few weeks the main objective was hydration and recovery. I drank regular gatorade just to get in calories, and fluids so I didn't worry about carbs until I hit mushies, and could eat soft meats to get in protein. During the first couple of weeks, get in what you can, that you are allowed to have, and enjoy it. Your body will thank you tremendously. I couldn't do Protein drinks. I tried the entire time I was on liquids, and they either made me puke, or have diarrhea. So, it defeated the purpose of trying to get in protein. I was definitely in survival mode as well so I understand how you feel. A week of a few more carbs, plus nutrition, Fiber, calories is not going to cheat you out of losing. You'll be approaching the dreaded 3-4 week stall so don't panic or think because you had 1/4 cup of malt-o-meal that your weight loss automatically stopped. Just keep sipping, get protein when you can and focus on healing. That was at least my thought process through those first 3-4 weeks of the liquid diet.

I didn't have to count fat grams. Our bodies need fat to function properly. The only thing I can say that I ate on a regular basis that was non-fat was plain greek yogurt that was non-fat. Everything else was full fat, I did eat 2% milk fat cheese because I liked it and developed a hint of lactose intolerance, but other than that, I ate full fat everything. I looked at non-fat or low-fat stuff and found it had more sugar, sodium and carbs. The only time I went low fat was after my gallbladder surgery, and I couldn't tolerate fat in sauces, cheeses, dressings, etc etc.

Put it in a measuring cup. Most meats are labeled for weight, and that is how Protein is actually counted, by the weight of the item. Unfortunately, our stomachs do not recognize weight. The sleeve is only going to hold so much by volume. A good visual to use for 3oz of food is a deck of cards. Some foods have the close to the same volume as they do measured weights in grams or ounces.

You really might not be having a full signal, and that's a lot of soft foods especially for 3 weeks out. The key to not overeating is to measure your portions and stop eating. It goes along my post on "Tips to Success". Just because you can doesn't mean you should. It took me months to get a real full signal. Your stomach has been stapled off, and removed from your body. Your nerves have been damaged, traumatized, and need time to heal.Your swelling may have gone down faster than some others. So measuring is essential for you to be successful. Follow the surgeon's guidelines, and if you aren't on an acid reducer ask your surgeon about going on one. Overproduction of acid can cause false hunger also.

We did this over on obesityehlp the other day, and this is my top secrets to my success in losing and maintenance. 1) Adhered to the post-op dietary guideline prescribed by my surgeon to a "T" no justifying those 2 miniature snickers just because it's "only 80 calories", or I would have eaten 2 king size snicker's bars pre-op. Like Brandilynn says "Justification is just like masturbation, you're just screwing yourself." Edit to add: my guidelines for losing 60+ gr of Protein, no more than 30gr of carbs, 600-800 calories and no fat guidelines. . . I did not eat carbs except from dairy and green veggies during my losing stage. No net carb, carb carb counting, every carb counted, bottom line, a carb was a carb while I was losing. I really didn't have room for carbs either since protein was my focus. 2) Measured portions by VOLUME religiously 3) Never ate until I felt full/stuffed (that's what got me Fat) 4) Fluids, Fluids, Fluids and more Fluids 5) Never once doubted my ability to be successful 6) Counted every carb that crossed my lip including the 2carbs that were in my multi-Vitamin, yep those carbs count too 7) I ate 4 meals per day with each meal consisting of 15 gr of protein, this gave me my protein goal and complete satiety 8) No Snacks. I wasn't hungry. Pretty logical not to just throw food in there because I could, umm that's what got me fat too. It was a habit that had to be broken. I'm not saying it's easy, but if I chose to have 85% of my stomach removed to put the fork down, I need to be accountable for those behaviors that led me to pick up the fork in the first place, right? No justifying it, just stop the behavior, and accept that snacking/grazing is what contributed to me being obese. 9) Celebrated every little success that came my way. I.E. I cried when I finally saw all the bones in my formerly chubby feet, seems pretty trivial huh? Did you know that many bones were in the feet and could actually be seen? I had no clue, and that was pretty awesome. 10) I fought through every struggle/obstacle knowing that making it to the other side would have a bigger reward. 11) Slowly added in foods that allowed me to eat more calories/carbs/protein to get my losing to stop 12) Identified my slider foods, and ate them moderation 13) Once in maintenance; Refused to deprive myself of certain foods 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes did NOT make me Fat, 2 cups of potatoes on top of that 12oz ribeye with 2 cups of mac-n-cheese, and 60oz of sweet tea in one meal made me fat. 14) I wanted normalcy, but I wanted reality as well. I could not go back to bad habits that would give me an end result of regain. 15) It's a balancing act. It's a choice every day, every meal, every bite 16) Recognized that I could and do cheat the sleeve on occasion. HEY I'm a fatty, and a foodie, I love food NO less than before VSG. I recognize the behavior, and I have found a balance that works for me. This will not be everyone's experience, but it is mine, and I'm perfectly content with how I choose to live every day, every meal, every bite. 17) I was/am okay with a 5lb bounce around on the scale. I do not know a single one of my naturally thin girlfriends that stay the same weight day in, day out, every week, every month. Shit happens, Water weight happens if I eat chicken wings with ranch, I'm not going to beat myself up for a 5lbs bounce around on the scale. 18) Just because I can stretch my meal further, and eat more, just because I can chew my food to mush so I can fit more in, just because I can eat sliders and get in more calories and yumminess, DOES NOT mean I SHOULD DO IT. On occasion, do I do these things, damn right, and I have zero guilt because it's what works for me ! ! ! I should add that I had zero compulsive tendencies, was/am not an emotional eater, am not carb sensitive, I do not get the eat a carb, crave a carb thing, and I learned real quick that my journey was just that, MINE. I did it, do it according to what I know works best not only phsyically, but mentally.

I stick to white wines. Red wines are too acidic and I was warned to steer clear of them. Vodka mixed with crystal light seems to be a big one that a bunch of WLS patients rely on. They get vodka/water, and then mix in a crystal light to packet. I hate vodka so I never drank it. Once I was below goal, and in maintenance, I've been drinking soda for over a year without issue or change in my sleeve capacity. When I go out drinking, I drink mixed drinks and shots. My tolerance is just the same as it was pre-op. Early out, 1 glass of wine hit me hard and fast, but now I can have several rum/cokes and shots without getting totally drunk. I have drank several glasses of wine in one night and had zero issues. Never get a hangover, just tank up on Water before heading to bed. I've never dumped on anything. I had similar symptoms to dumping when I was having gallbladder attacks, but definitely have zero issues with mixed drinks, even uber fruity cocktails give me zero issues.

I never say one is better. But, I am highly biased towards the sleeve. I've had the band, I know what it's like to have the stretchy part of the stomach remain behind, I know the hunger that I was left with. With the sleeve, the newer stats coming out are showing very close results with weight loss numbers vs. RNY without the malabsorption. For me, I would not want the pleating of the stomach tissue. Especially after the damage the band did to my stomach. I've read on obesityhelp similar situations to TJPlications concerns with little weight loss, and still able to eat more than what was expected. Along with the complications of necrosis and stomach tissue slipping through the sutures, just make sure you research as much as you can. There's a couple of others on OH looking for revisions from plication to the VSG because they just aren't getting the results they expected. Just like with any surgery choice, THINK TWICE, CUT ONCE.

There's a big difference between drinking and taking a couple of sips to wet your whistle. I can and do sip with my meals, but to this very day, I can NOT drink with my meals. If I do 1 of 2 things will happen, I'll either puke or it hurts tremendously. If I drink too soon after eating (especially dense protein), it immediately hurts. The liquids mush the food up and can cause food to empty faster thus leading to hunger, and being able to fit more food in which defeats the purpose of having a dietary guidelines.

Just make sure you stay out of ketosis. Eat carbs. Ketosis can and does cause fetal brain damage, and an entire slew of birth defects, and make sure to take your bariatric Vitamins. The risk of birth defects with WLS patients is 50-60% higher because of Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. This is why it's so important to wait, and while I understand the concern about weight gain, you'll have to consume enough to support your body and the developing baby which may slow the losing. I'm almost 22 months out, and tomorrow will hit 9weeks pregnant. I was released at 8 months post-op to TTC, I was also below goal, my labs were/are stellar, and I was getting into maintenance. It took 14 months to conceive. I've only gained 3lbs in 9 weeks, and they want me to gain 30 pounds, they actually wanted me to gain 10-12lbs the first trimester, least say I doubt I can put on 9 more pounds in the next 3 weeks. I'm already eating 1800 calories a day, juicing to get in extra calories/nutrients because even at 22 months I struggle to eat enough food. Please take care of yourself. The baby will pull from your body, fat reserves and muscle mass this early after surgery and most "early out" WLS babies do well, it's the mommy's body that suffers the most. Make sure to have your dental check ups regularly so they can watch for decay, and weakened teeth. Congrats on the pregnancy and best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.

I went on it last summer as a smoking cessation alternative. It completely zapped my appetite, and I dropped down to 119lbs, and looked horrible. It killed my sex drive, I was having manic type episodes and have never in my life experienced any clinical depression, true anxiety, or other labeled medical conditions to warrant the use of Wellbutrin. I was miserable, to be honest, I thought I was going insane. My fuse was past short, I would blow up at the slightest thing. My road rage intensified, and I had to wean off of it. I can say that it helped with my desire to smoke, but my husband was ready to divorce and my son was willing to disown me. I was a serious hot mess on that crap.

I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo stinkin' proud of you ! ! ! You look fabulous, and just glowing with joy ! ! !

My first question is: Why is it difficult for you to eat? What can/can't you eat? Have you discussed it with your surgeon and been scoped to ensure there is nothing going on internally? Are you getting in your recommended Protein, fluids, Vitamins? What are you eating? Do you have a good post-op guideline? Do you have access to a nutritionist? Can you attend a local support group? As for jumping starting your weight loss, if you are having trouble with foods, this could be the reason you aren't losing, especially if you are working out. Do you have any metabolic issues that could be causing slower weight loss? Thyroid/PCOS/insulin resistance? ??

The operative word is "SOME". A few patients that have the hiatal hernia repair done along with the sleeve have esophageal spasms during the healing period because of the hernia repair. Then there are "Some" with the hernia repair, and never have any issues.