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Down 68lbs since surgery 4/26 and 82lbs total since 3/1! January I only lost about 3 lbs, February I doubled it and lost almost 6. I wish I was having the 8-10lbs per month that I use to have, but I realize that as time goes on, the weight comes off slower..so I am grateful to still be losing at all! I also realize that I can still be doing more to help that along...its just getting harder to stay motivated, and in a positive mind frame sometimes....but I can do this...I WILL do this! Anyone else at this mark of the journey, finding their motivation slipping?

WOW! what a ride. Much more than I expected. I am home. Trying to find something to drink that A. does not make my ankles swell. B. tastes tolerable.. I am still on the anitbiotics so I wonder if that is what makes every thing taste bad. Except S/F pudding. Sweet things taste OK. I am wanting something hot so I have been drinking herbal teas. Now, does any one have this swelling problem? Even with low sodium soups? Should I just make my own? seems such a waste as I can eat/drink only 1 or 2 oz at a sitting. The Experience was quite different. I really liked the care I recieved. If you choose Dr. Almanza. I would suggest the option of the hotel. I did not care for the recovery house. Here is why. rooms are small/tiny. no air conditioning. barking dogs outside. one shared bathroom upstairs. food is prepared down stairs for all. When you cannot eat that is hard to deal with. My hubby stayed there the two nights I was in the clinic/hospital. When I was to come out, he got us into the Hotel. I was concerned as I would not have a nurse, but, the fine staff brought me my meds and juices and teas and all was perfect. Hubby got American TV (baseball and football) He could go down stairs and get any food and drink he wanted. American newspapers, with sunday funnies. The Hotel provided free popsicles, soups, yogurts for me. Our room had two queen sized beds all soft and comfy. I had a table to sit and drink my meals, LOL. The hallway was safe/great to walk around for exercize. Walked at 12 and 2 AM one time, and, I got up to three times around before I left. The last night there I felt good enough to get dressed and go down for dinner. The Chef made me special soup, chicken broth blended with mashed potatoes. It tasted yummy. I am sure that is where the sodium overload started, but I loved that soup, all 1/4 cup of the huge bowlful they gave me..God I am still food obsessed, LOL I am sure the staff at the house does all this also. The nurse from the Clinic that did my IV came to the hotel and removed my drain tube. He was so good. (thanks again Edgar) I also had Sevier (on staff at house) come and give me a massage. He is excellent. My back was hurting and my right leg was numb from laying on my back for so long, so, he was a pleasant relief. Could not talk Hubby into massage, heehee. Overall my rating for the experience is an 8. (1 to 10) Here are my reasons for 2 points off. I would have liked to see the hand cleaning stations on the wall inside the rooms. I would have liked the appratias used to come in sealed bags that the nurses opened in front of me. I would have liked the nurses to put on gloves and dispose of them in my room. I wish the cleaning crew would come in after each shower and disinfect. I was lucky to be first both days. I hated (one full point off here) the drive clear across T.J to get the Xray Leak test done. yes, I understand the necessity, I still hated that dam trip.There was a parade outside the lab, so surreal. I know some go shopping and do stuff on their 3rd day, just not for me. I was finally ready on the 5th day. Felt good and upbeat. Finally felt good about what I had done. Met a lady that was escorting two friends having sleeves. (Canadian) She was 7 months out and looks soo cute. She is 5'7 and 165ish, So I have revised my goal to that. It has been so long since I was a "normal" weight I did not have a realistic goal in my head. I was 240 at weigh in, but 245 when I left. All the liquid retension I guess. Dr. Almanza got snippy with me under surgery,....I am a Moley person lots of raised moles. He asked my hubby for permission and they removed 4 from my lower mid section. Love that. Extra stiches, but who cares? Thinking of that,,,, did any of you remove your own stiches? Did that go OK? Gotta do that on the 25th or so.:crying: So, that is my experience. Great, positive and LOVED the staff/people I delt with.. My hubby even liked it. He got to talk with several couples and Dr's about this whole deal and got a MUCH better attitude towards my weight. He is much more supportive in a positive way, for that I am truly grateful. If I need any futher surgery, IE: tummy tuck, etc. I would go back there. But, I would drive straight to the Hotel and be picked up from there. Marriot, TJ. Hope that does not turn anyone off to this deal, it is the best. The nurses I had were so darn caring and good at their jobs. Ricardo was my assigned personal support staff. He spoke very good english and tried very hard to accomdate all my wishes. It all went well for me, hope it does for you where ever you choose to go. Just do not be afraid to get-r-done. Onward and Downward---weightwise:thumbdown::001_tongue:

I have an appointment on Friday with my NUT and the PA. it is my final appointment before my case is submitted to insurance. I have been on a supervised diet for five months and lost 12 pounds, which the NUT seemed happy with. At my last appointment they told I neede to lose 5 pounds before my next appointment to help me with approval. Well I have had a stressful month with a death in my family which lead to a long rode trip and beinging surounded by food for a few days. It started with a day of losing focus that led to a couple weeks and not only not losing the 5 pounds but gaining 5 back so now I am 10 pounds away from where I should be, so my question is should I call and postpone my appointment? I hate to do it because it will probably be another month before I can get in againl I am so mad at myself!! Any thoughts on this would be appreciated...

When I graduated from high school I was a size 13 and thought I was fat. Now 26 years later, I am in a size 14 pants and I couldn't be more thrilled. 99 pounds gone and healthier than I was in high school. just over 2 weeks until I run a 10 mile race! (my first - although last weekend I ran more than 11 miles) Happier and more self confident than ever. I even started teaching again this week. (I left teaching 9 years ago, not related to my weight, but...the time was right and I am now teaching ESL once a week. Can't believe how much I missed it.) I'm not sure I would have had the confidence or energy to try teaching after working a full day if I had even thought about it a year ago. I even interviewed last week on the phone for a more teaching focused position. I am just waiting to hear if I am being asked back for a second interview. Getting the job would mean moving 150+ miles to a small town, albeit near where I graduated from high school, and essentially starting over. The thought thrills me! I've stayed in the job I have now for 4 years, about 2 longer than I should have, because it was safe, but now... Is this all related to my WLS? No, but do I have the confidence and energy to even pursue these big dreams because of the surgery? Yes, most definitely. pam

I didn't lose much, if I don't have some kind of fruits/vegetables my weight stalls (everyone is different) or my body refuses to let go any of my Water. I suffer from edema. I didn't start multi-Vitamins until post-op. I'm post-op day 28 and for the first 10 days (liquid phase), again my body didn't want to release water at first. I didn't lose anything, I gained from the IV fluids. Now last time I checked I'm 26 lbs down. And like @@Montana Gal said, it's main purpose is to shrink your liver for a safer surgery.

@mousecat88 the week before surgery, i went nuts with eating One day i asked hubby to buy some jelly donuts!! etc i also thought i would never eat real food (sweets etc) i weighted 10 lbs more DOS then i went to doc 1rst time!!!🙄 eeeek i said it, boy do i feel better kathy

I feel the same way!! I was sleeved 01/09 and feel like I can eat/drink too much. I'm happy to hear that solids will feel differently than liquid. I started to become nervous lately that maybe this surgery won't work for me due to my lack of feeling full.

I stalled at 2 weeks out for about 10 days. Same deal, my body changed a lot during that time. Same deal with my latest stall of 5 weeks starting at 2.5mos post op. Hang in there!

Any others scheduled for op on the 26th? How are you finding the shakes? Im finding it ok but would love just something thats not low calorie! But im staying strong. Only 10 days to go! Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

Israeljustice - I had my surgery on January 10, 2012.

yes you will. A "meal" will be about 6 to 8 oz after everything is stable. Remember the "rules"... no liquid with meals, Protein first, and smile (well that last one is more a guideline). I am about 10 weeks out and I can drink normallt, and eat in the 5-6 oz range...

Hi largeininc! I'm right outside of Raleigh, had surgery with Duke metabolic weight loss center (durham) Monday 12/01/14. I started all my pre-op stuff at Bariatric Specialists of NC in Cary, NC But had to switch to duke due to insurance requirement. Loving my sleeve and progress so far. I started in May, I had a 6 month program for insurance so March will come quick!

Statistically, this is the time when regain happens. The ability to eat a lot more at this point is also common. The hard reality is that it's really up to us, at this point. I am also coming to the same realization. I am going to need to increase my diligence and really watch it, or I'm going to gain. I also have not gotten all the way goal (within 5-10 pounds and had plastics) so I don't have any wiggle room. My surgeon does not do revisions for regain. His coordinator openly said that at the last support meeting, stating that if you didn't do what you needed to do to keep weight off, a second surgery probably isn't the answer. He had also told me previously that they are finding areas of ballooning in sleeves which is probably the reason capacity increases, though there is no evidence to support that it causes gain, and the risk is higher, so not worth an unknown benefit. I always knew regain was possible. What I didn't know is how EASY it would be. I thought you'd have to really be going out of your way to eat wrong, way too much, etc. My harsh truth is that it only takes a little indiscretion, for a very short time, or those pounds pack on. Every veteran sleever I know who has regained says it's harder to get it off the second time, also a disappointing thought. However, I do know what it takes to lose the weight and maintain it, so that's what I've got to do. I saw some statistics @AlexBrecher posted, and I think it said revisions accounted for about 11% of all WLS. It didn't say what the revisions were. So while my surgeon doesn't support that, obviously, it is being done. I suspect some of those numbers are band to sleeve, or sleeve to RNY for complications. To answer your question - I'd be trying to go back to basics before I would undertake another major risky surgery to combat a regain of 20 pounds. You know what to do, you've done it before. Good luck to you.

Honestly a stall is not even a stall unti it goes beyond that first 10 days to 2 weeks. You have to remember that your body weight fluctuates all day long every day. If you are a daily weigher like I am you will see your weight go back and forth between the same pound over and over as you get further down the road. I choose to weigh daily but I can handle the news that comes from the scale. Sometimes I lose 2lbs in one week and sometimes I lose none. I use it as one barometer to measure my progress and keep me on track. I mostly use my clothing. I know my body is transforming every time I put on my clothes. If you keep following the food plan and staying very active, the weight will come off at its own pace. There will be breaks and stalls along the way. I would change my habits if a complete stall lasts more than a month. Then I would change things up because your body gets used to routines and likes to hang onto the fat.

My surgery is scheduled for 8/19 and I just started my pre-op diet on Saturday as my surgery date was just given to me on Friday. I can only have certain raw veggies, 64oz. of water & 5 Ensure High Protein drinks per day. I have to tell you, it's rough. I've only cheated twice - had two slices of turkey lunchmeat one day and half a plain, 1/4lb. hamburger (no bun, seasonings, cheese, or anything else) another day. Since Saturday morning, I've lost 4lb. but I feel miserable. I have headaches, feel lightheaded, am achy, and have had major stomach/bathroom issues. I emailed my dietician this afternoon to see if this is normal as I just feel awful. Hoping she'll let me add some more "solid" food like chicken breast. Good luck - I know it's not easy!

Hello, I am a 36 year old female with 97-107 pounds to lose. I have already loss 19lbs. I was banded on 1/10/12, however some of the weightloss was from the preop diet. I work for an entertainment full time and as a mental health therapist part-time. I'm also pursuing a PhD. I have taken a leave of absence from school because of this and my daughter graduates high school this year. As you can see, I'm very busy so I won't require a lot of time, I'm looking for someone that I can bounce ideas off of and just to make sure I'm on the right track.... At least for the first 3-4 months. Basically, until I get my footing. Thank you!!!!

well, I did it !!! I am 4 days post op and feel pretty good. It was such a journey to get this done I am super glad to be home. I had my surgery done at the Jerusleam Hospital in Tijuana by Dr.Almanza. HE WAS AMAZING !!!!! I am soooo pleased with the treatment that I received at the hospital as well as the recovery house. I had my surgery Sept.2 at 3pm and was up with little pain less than 24 hours. I was sitting and talking to all the new patients at 10 am the next day. The staff were so professional and the hospital was very clean. NOW.... let me tell you a little about the first 10 hours post-op. YOU WILL FEEL LIKE YOU ARE DYING...lol seriously. I was in super pain, pain like I have never felt. The gas pains are CRAZY! :crying:Gas x strips were a waste of time for me. The only and I mean ONLY thing to get rid of the pain is to walk and walk. My hubby came with me and had me up every hour on the hour for a walk. It really helped. I will blog some more about all the tips and advise I can pass on. Take care, Nikki

Thanks for the article.. I wonder why the reference are over 10 years old though??!!!...

I'm sorry to say I've become a lurker. .... Life has become so incredibly busy that it's getting harder and harder to relax!! In February 2011, I headed down to Mexico and had my sleeve done. Since then I've lost 100 lbs. I lost the weight in about 8 months and have had no trouble keeping it off!! A huge reason I can keep it off is due to being VERY active! I've become a long distance runner- tomorrow I will do my 4th half marathon. I have another half marathon in September, and my first full marathon in October. In January, I'm traveling to Disneyworld to do the Goofy Challenge. I get up Saturday and do the Donald Half, then go on Sunday to do the Mickey Full. If I complete both in the allowed time, I get a Goofy medal!!! In march my fiancé and I are finally getting married in Hawaii!!! - and yes, there is a half marathon tied in 6 days after : ) My biggest changes?? To do what I CAN do! When I was big, I'd give up on everything- including myself. Now? I've had a running injury for the last 2 races. My second half, I ended up walking the last few miles. My third? I got injured 3 mile in and WALKED the next 10 miles!!! I won't give up!!! Eating wise? I still do Protein first and I still do not eat and drink at the same time. I still carry a drink with me everywhere and get 3 liters liquids in per day. I still stay away from popand slurpees like it's the plague as it's just too much of a slippery slope for me. Since having the sleeve my attitude has changed so much. I'm enjoying life and the people around me. I've gone onto a major fasttrack at work ( I've had 4 promotions since surgery, 6 raises, and 3 bonuses) Life is good My biggest recommendation for new sleevers? CHUCK YOUR SCALE!!! I only lost weight one week a month. It majorly f$cked with my brain! One more thing- get active! The trick is to find something you love. Running for me gives me time to myself ( which I very rarely have), and it allows me to think things through and clear the cobwebs. I also like hiking and do it multiple times per week right now. Now I'm off to pack my gear! Have a great evening!!!

I think (hope) you will quickly learn the difference between "good food" (restaurant food - tastes good now) and REAL good food (which fuels your body and gives you energy and a sense of satisfaction, health and vitality). I am 10+ months post-op and still occasionally give in to cravings of my former life such as chicken wings, potato chips, or something fried. But it is always just a bite or two at the most (I steal from people's plates!). Then shortly thereafter I feel the after-effects (stomach upset, digestive tract disruption, lethargy, Water retention, etc.). Those feelings are always enough to dissuade me from going down that route again for a long time! With such a small stomach, your priority MUST be to properly fuel your body. Protein first, then veg, and lastly carb if there's room (probably not!). You will get into that rhythm early on and most likely will have months to make it a "habit for life" (depending on how much weight you have to lose). The more you have to lose, the longer it will take and the better your new habits will stick. As to hunger, yes, it will return but I find for me it is very rarely cravings. It is actual hunger, letting me know that my body needs nutrients. I have been exercising more in the last few months (I just started training for a 1/2 marathon walk to take place on my 44th birthday in October!), so it's no surprise that I am needing more fuel. If you use a Basal Metabolic Rate calculator (such as http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/), you can see how many calories you are burning now (at your current weight), vs how many calories you will burn at your projected ideal weight (do 2 calculations and subtract). These are calories AT REST, any exercise (more than sitting in a chair all day) will be in addition to this. This tells you your calorie deficit compared to how much you can eat once you hit your goal. As you can see, the deficit shrinks the smaller you get (therefore your weight loss slows down, or you must exercise more to maintain the deficit). Chances are good though that you will still have a larger BMR than what you are currently eating, and possibly what you will end up eating! Our stomachs are very small, so once you get to goal, you may have to supplement your calorie intake to keep it above your BMR for your goal weight, or you will continue to lose weight. Example: Current weight: 250 lbs (male, 6' tall, 35 yrs old) - BMR = 2300 calories Goal weight : 180 lbs ((male, 6' tall, 35 yrs old) - BMR = 1864 calories Deficit= 436 calories (daily) Expected weight loss = 0.88 lb/week (if you're eating 1864 calories per day) BUT, you are probably going to eat 800-1000 calories per day (I eat approx. 1000 calories/day now at 10+ months post-op) Deficit = 2300 calories - 800 calories = 1500 calories (daily) Expected weight loss = 3.0 lb/week (if you're eating 800 calories per day) *Note the deficit grows smaller as you lose weight, so the expected weight loss will get smaller too! The real challenge is to make sure the calories you are eating are healthy, good clean fuel for the body and not junk. After months of eating smaller calories such as 500-600 immeidately post-op, moving up to 1000+ calories 6-12 months post-op, you will increase your intake naturally. It will VERY likely be significantly less than what you eat pre-op, and possibly still less than your BMR at your goal weight. As you increase, it will feel like you are eating A LOT, but believe me, it is still far less than what you ate to get to the point where you needed surgery. Especially if you focus on healthy high protein, high quality food.

I was 10days into my preop diet when I was denied the first time. I was denied several times before I was approved. HW 385 SW 359 CW 335 (50lbs down!) Sleeved 10/5/16

Every day I pay attention to my nutrition and fitness in order to keep building muscle. My goal is to Not only get strong, but also to have a lean, well proportioned athletic physique. I had really good definition on Saturday this week and then by this morning my fat percentage is up .1%, weight is down 1.5 pound and definition has gone down. What is up with that? Is my body going all catabolic on me? One change I made on Friday was to switch my evening shake from GNC refeed ( hate the taste, but good results) back to ON casein ( love the taste and still get good results for leaning out). I am new to the muscle gaining / cutting exercise and am trying to learn along the way. In the 2 months, I have cut 10 pounds and dropped fat percentage 6%. From 2 weeks ago, I dropped 2% and 5 lbs. really got me motivated to keep "showing up" every day in my effort. I took Saturday and Sunday as rest days after great week of body weight workouts and heavy lifting t-th) . I eat every couple hours a solid meal of 200-400 calories, either strict Paleo of lean meat and veggie or Protein shake. Calories end up being between 1800-2000. I do take creatine monohydrate before and after working out (total - 20 g). I sleep enough at night. Is two consecutive days off on the weekend too much? Is the creatine giving me the appearance of muscle growth, but is really just creatine Water infused muscles? Should I switch from creatine monohydrate to creatine hydrochloride exclusive and where do you find it in powder form? Thanks for advice! I am learning in this process of putting muscle on so need help solving this problem.

Hey Kitty! I am fairly new to this too but I have done similar research using my top notch Google search skills! I do have a surgery date - June 22! Excited! I do have 3 children, mostly grown...2 in college & one graduated from college last year. Also, 2 'almost' step-sons...19 & 21. I have been very very selective in who I talk to about WLS. I have a job that is fairly high profile and they don't need to know anything other than I am working hard to lose weight & get healthy! Would love a few WLS friends to 'chat' with!! Moe

@@Color83 I think it also depends on what you were doing in terms of dieting prior to the pre-op (how much Water weight did you have to lose, etc.). I start mine 10/4/16 - I have no expectations but would be thrilled for 10 lbs (in 2 weeks).

Hi all, Per my last post, I have been having really bad nausea and vomiting 6 weeks out (dr says I'm part of the "lucky" 10-15% who experience this). I attempted to take my stomach acid pill along with Zoloft prescribed by my psychiatrist. About 30 minutes later, I threw this up. I am now having SEVERE burning pain in my stomach and I don't know what to do. I used to have GERD before the surgery and this doesn't feel like that.. The burning is *mainly* in my stomach, not my chest or esophagus like how it was for GERD (in my experience). I am wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to combat this? I am afraid to take TUMS or any other anti acids as I usually throw those up as well and I am afraid more vomiting will make it even worse. SOS, I am in so much pain.