i1Linda

Barbara, Iron can be very constipating. I only take iron a couple times a week and drink extra water those days. I take colace (docusate sodium - a stool softner) every day at bedtime.

I've been eating about 700-900 calories a day, 60-80g of protein and 40-60g of carbs pretty much thru out my journey. It's a marathon, not a sprint and I like some carbs in my diet. I try to limit and/or avoid the simple white carbs, but I occasionally have a bite or two of those also just for the taste.

Yay!!! Congratulations on 6 weeks and "real" food. 42 lbs down is AWESOME!! Way to go :laugh0:

Amy - Congratulations on your sleeve! Hang in there girl. It gets better with each day.

Andreanoelle - I, like Tiffany, am an EXCELLENT dieter, but could never maintain weight loss. Eventually, I would get hungry and eat something I shouldn't. One bad day would lead to the next, and eventually off the diet and back to gaining weight. Now, post op, I still track what I eat. I need the accountability to myself. It is keeping me focused on my GOAL. I can still cheat occasionally and don't have guilt from it because I can't eat enough of it to add up. For example, on my absolute WORST post-sleeve calorie day, I consumed 1450 calories (and 450-500 calories of it was alcoholic beverages). A "bad" day on the sleeve is a pretty good day on my previous diets. Because of that, I stay focused on tracking because I'm still focused on losing weight. I can see in my near future where I relax a bit, and begin to maintain. I am so excited about my sleeve and it giving me the ability to control portions and maintain.

Thanks Girls! Another pound again today. I have such a bipolar relationship with my scale. One day I HATE IT, the next day, I LOVE IT!

Hi Phatman Walking! Welcome to VST!! There are so many wonderful people on here with TONS of information. Please feel free to ask away. Do keep us posted on your journey.

Okay. After a 16 day STALL, the scale finally moved this morning. Down 2 pounds to 165. Thank goodness. I was about to take a sledge hammer to the scale.

Tanya - How are you doing post-op? Your surgery was Friday, correct? Give us an update when you can. I hope you are recovering quickly. :lol0:

Tiff - Congratulations on the "baby making" green light. I know having another child was a MAJOR motivation for you. Yippee!!!!

Big Kahuna - I'm not sure I've had to give up much with my SLEEVE. Initially, of coarse, I had a pre-op diet that sucked and a post-op diet that was medically necessary. During the first few weeks of the post-op diet, I didn't want much anyway. It was a progression back to real food. Now, nearly 6 months post-op, I still am watching what I eat because I still have weight to lose to reach my goal. The sleeve is a tool to help me reach that goal. With that said, like most diets of my past, I still cheat occasionally, but the sleeve helps control the portions. You also asked about eating real food again...I had 2 ounces of grilled ribeye steak for dinner tonight with a very small salad and 1 tbsp of my husband's loaded baked potato. I had shrimp for dinner last night. So YES, with your sleeve, you eventually will be able to eat real food again.

Congratulations Charity!!! Onederland is a AWESOME achievement. Keep up the good work and DRINK your Water :lol0:

Loosing - Your reaction is perfectly normal. I had the same reaction with knee surgery last month. Started to doubt if my knee "really hurt that bad". Take a deep breathe (or a couple). Everything will be fine. *hugs*. :biggrin0:

The SLEEVE is AWESOME!!! I was originally set on getting the band too. The more I learned about the long term complications with the band, the more nervous I got. I was never really comfortable with a piece of plastic/silicon inside of me. Once I learned about VSG, I was sold. Now, nearly 6 months post op, I can easily say the SLEEVE was everything I had hoped for in WLS. My tummy is all healed (no future surgeries for my tummy in my future -well maybe a tummy tuck) and I can eat whatever I want, just not much of it. I hear so many with the band that say problems can start any time...from the start, 6 months post op, 12 months post op, 2 years post op. For me, a constant worrier, I would go crazy with worry that "today would be the day something would go wrong with my band". Good luck with your decision!

GaryB - Good luck tomorrow with your surgery. I will be sending a few prayers up today and tomorrow with your name on them :thumbup1:. Keep us posted on your progress.

Gwyn, Congratulations and welcome to the sleeved-side!! My left side incision (the bigger one where they pulled out a large portion of my stomach) hurt for a few days and then was tender for several weeks. If at any time the pain at the incision site starts to get worse instead of better, I would call your doctor just to make sure everything is okay. At 5 months post op, all my incisions are barely noticeable (white little lines) except that one. It is fading but still purplish pink. Bigger incision = more time needed to heal.

Hi Michelle and welcome to VST! Congratulations on your surgery date and keep us posted on your journey. :001_smile:

Yay Tiff!!! Congratulations on your success :thumbup1:

Awesome!!!!

Yay Dee Dee and Carolyn!!!! I, on the other hand, am STUCK at 167 - for two weeks. Uuuggggh!! Not up, not down - just stalled. Today, I was finally able to start doing cardio again along with weight training after knee surgery. I pushed it and now my knee is sore. I also upped my Water intake - 96 ounces so far today. Maybe the scale will reward me for my efforts. Oh well - it will come off....eventually!

Hi Sarah & welcome to VST! Congratulations on your surgery date and your decision to have WLS. We have similar stories. Two kids and LOTS of initial success with many diets, I ended up nearly 250lb and miserable. I also initially was interested in getting a Lapband, but the complications (both minor and major) made me very uncomfortable with that surgery. I am getting closer to goal every day and LOVE my life with my sleeve. I have very few restrictions on what I can eat, I just can't eat much. It is everything I had hoped for in WLS. Good luck on your journey!

ZERO regrets! Wish I did it earlier. Initially, I could feel every sip or bite hitting my stomach. Kind of an odd feeling. Now that I am 5 months post-op, eating is really normal; I just can't eat much. Went to dinner last night for my Birthday at a fancy steakhouse. I had about 2 oz filet mignon and about a tablespoon of each of the yummy sides, a couple bites of creme brulee for dessert and a martini. I felt really full and satisfied. Pretty normal, just not much volume.

Way cool Thanks for sharing!

Hi Laurie and welcome to VST! Good luck with your surgery this month. I love my sleeve and know you will love yours too. Keep us posted on your journey.

Hi Rachel and welcome to VST! I love Dr. Nick and his staff and I love my life with my sleeve. Good luck to you on your journey and please feel free to ask questions. We are all on the same journey, just different places on the path.