Mommydog14

I'm right there with you. I was a "lightweight"- I'm 5'5" and weighed 192.4 the day of my surgery on May 11th. This morning I weighed 159. I keep reading about others who shed extreme amounts of weight and I get frustrated. I know that I am eating appropriately, and keeping my Protein high, and calories and carbs low. I am now only weighing once a week, and I stopped journaling all of my food. Still, when I weighed this morning, I was fearful that I gained weight. I lost 2.8 pounds and was very happy. I think that my decision to be less obsessive about my weight loss it is helping my attitude.

I went back to work after one week, and other than being unusually tired in the afternoon, I was fine. I work in a small office and my co-workers knew about the surgery and were understanding.

I was sleeved on May 11th and have lost 31 pounds, and I'm pleased with that. I was a lightweight, so a two pound a week weight loss is alright with me. What's the hurry?

I can relate. My metabolism is also horrid. I had a BMI of about 31 at the time of surgery. I lost 21 pounds the first month and was thrilled. In my second month I have only lost 7 pounds, which is sort of frustrating considereing I'm eating about 600 calories a day and am very mindful of carbs and Protein intake. I know that if there were a famine, I would be the last one standing and would still be overweight.

I am only weighing once a week now, and it makes it more tolerable.

Sometimes I think that I will be the one person that this doesn't work for.

No offense taken. I don't understand why I was so apprehensive. I am an adult, afterall, and it's my body. Right?

Anyway, he was great about it, and ordered all of my labs to make sure I'm getting appropriate nutrition.

I am 8 weeks post op and I get that feeling when I eat to fast. It's not comfortable.

I saw my PCP yesterday and he was great. I handed him the documentation I received from Dr. Aceves and he read it along with all of the pre-op test results. He said that, knowing me as he did, he assumed that I had done sufficient research. He ordered a bunch of blood work to see if my levels of Iron, Vitamin D, etc were good, so I'm very happy about that. He also pulled out the little stitch that was poking out from one of my incisions. It was a good conversation. Since I have no real medical problems, he really didn't know about my every two year gain and lose cycles. I tend to hide when am at peek weight because I have been ashamed of all of my dieting failures.

Anyway, it's all good.

I'm in Sacramento.

I had my surgery on May 11th and haven't yet told my PCP about it. I have no chronic conditions and only see him one or two times a year for various tests, etc. He has also never seen me at my heaviest since I hide when I'm at the top of my range. I have an appointment on Monday to discuss sleep issues, and I am nervous about saying "by the way, I had 75% of my stomach removed in Mexico last May...) Any suggestions??

Thanks

I was 192.4 on the day of my surgery on May 11th. I'm 168 now and want to get to 130. I hope that's possible. At this point I am losing very slowly (a pound and a half a week) while eating 600 calories a day, 60-70 grams of Protein and less than 40 grams of carbs. I sure hope it's possible, but I fear that my lifelong history of yoyo dieting has really screwed up my metabolism. I hope that's possible. Anybody else out there like me? I'm 5' 5 1/2.

Deborah

My surgery was May 11th, and I hit a stall at about three and a half weeks. I lost a great deal of weight in my first month, 21 pounds (I'm a "lightweight"), but for the last three and a half weeks I've lost 3 pounds total. Since I am eating 600 calories a day, 70 grams of Protein and 40 or fewer grams of carb, I don't understand how that is physiologically possible. I think my body hates me. Just saying. Should a pound a week be all I can expect eating 600 calories a day? It doesn't seem right to me.

Is Gaby the PHD?

I'm six weeks post-op and won't be cleared for weights until 3 months out. At that point I can start with light weights and progress slowly.

I am finding this a bit frustrating since I did Cross Fit before the surgery and could dead lift 150 pounds (not bad for an old woman). I'm doing cardio in the meantime, but I find it very borning.

What's everyone else doing?

I would also love to be involved with some sort of support group. I was sleeved six weeks ago by Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. The experience was great, and I check in with his office at least every 10 days and will be going back there in August for 3 month post op tests. However, I have yet to tell my PCP that I actually had the surgery because I expect to get a diet and exercise lecture. Obviously, I have done that, many many times. So my main support is on VSG forums and on Dr. Aceves Yahoo group site. I can't meet, in person or on-line, during the work day, but evenings or weekends would work for me.

Deborah

For you going to see Dr. Aceves, there is a Yahoo group site called Dr. Aceves' Bandsters (altough most of the posters are sleevesters) that has a lot of useful information.

How do you get one of those tests???

My last diet was a medically supervised fast (supplements) and the test was avalable there.

I'm sorry you're discouraged, but some of us are just slow losers. For example: I took a resting energy expenditure test a few months ago to see how many calories my body burns while in "couch potato" mode. Average people use 10 to 11 calories per pound of body weight per day. Mine uses about 6.8, which translates to 1088 calories a day for a 160 pound weight. This can get increased though activity, of course. However, for me, the bottom line is that I cannot lose weight on 1200 calories a day, and would lose very slowly on 1,000 per day. At 1000 calorie per day diet, estimating that I burn 1400 per day with exercise, means that it would take me about 9 days to lose one pound (3500 calories). So, you may want to get an REE test to see what your body really uses. You may need to decrease those 1000 calorie days or just understand that your weight loss will be slow, through no fault of your own. Most of us wouldn't be here if we were average "burners".

I have been talking the adult gummy vitamins that are sold at costco and have had no problem. Costco also sells a chocolate chewable Calcium supplement that seems much like the one sold at Bariatric Eating for about 20% of the price.

I live in Sacramento and was sleeved on May 11th by Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. My experience was wonderful, and I haven't had any problems with my recovery. I'd love to talk to some local sleevsters.

Deborah

Wow, this concerns me. I've been doing fine on Prilosec, and my doctor wants me on a ppi for six months, post surgery. However, I didn't realize that the medication was harmful. I have osteopenia and the last thing I need is more bone loss. Is there any alternative?? Guess I need to talk to my doctor.

I think for a lot of us, we coped with our lives by turning to food for comfort. When the food goes away, we have to figure out other ways to comfort ourselves. I was in a couple of food 12 step programs and they always say that we "push down" our emotions with food, and without the food, everything just comes bubbling to the top and we need to learn to deal with our lives without feeding ourselves, or turning to a different addiction (for me it's shopping...)

I'm four weeks post-op and just started to try some solid food. I have had no problems with shrimp and moist chicken breast, but I do eat slowly and chew the heck out it. My Dr. does not allow solids until a month post op, so maybe you're starting too soon.

Thanks, that makes a lot more sense to me. I'm only 4 weeks post-op, so I've got a bit of time to press my case.

Believe it or not, I was a Cross-fitter (a fat one) prior to surgery. Cross-fit involves many different activities, but there is a lot of weight lifting involved. Prior to surgery, I was able to deadlift 150 pounds, which isn't that great, but pretty good for a 57 year old fat woman. Anyway, I asked my doctor when I could start that again and was told not to lift more than 50 pounds...ever, and then not until 3 months post-op. Actually, this was told to me by the coordinator in the office and I asked her to talk to the doctor about this specifically since I had been lifting weights before, and I haven't gotten a final answer. This doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Does anyone else have restrictions on weight lifting more than three months post-op???

I was told that for the first few months after surgery, we really don't get a full signal until it's too late. Something to do with nerves in the stomach. I've taken to weighing my food, so I know that I'm not eating too much. I've figured out that I can eat 2 and half to 3 ounces of solid Protein, and then I'm "full".