Soon2BMiniMommy

Oh my gosh! Mine was over 15 minutes! It didn't go down at all....they waited and waited....checked again in 5 minutes, it was still sitting in my esophagus, stuck, and wouldn't release into my tummy. They checked again at 10 minutes and it was still there! I was starting to get really worried....they told me to walk around the radiology dept a bit, so we did. Checked again at 15 minutes and SOME had gone down, but not all. LIke you, I worried and worried about it for days, even tho my doc said it's okay, it's just really swollen and it will loosen up. I was worried after I got discharged, kinda afraid to drink or anything as I pictured everything stuck, but needless to say, everything turned out just fine! In fact, I'm one of the ones now that can eat anything, AND in large quantities (well, large for us, anyway!) You'll be just fine!!

I am so scared to do this.....I have not met one challenge yet...mainly because I hit a nightmare stall from hell for 8 weeks!! That's right, 8 weeks!! I did the Easter challenge and did not lose ONE FREAKING POUND from February 4 till Easter...that was so depressing. I also didn't meet my overall goal of getting down to 235 by March 31 from my original surgery goals. I don't know if I'm in the right mind frame to do this...and I really, really need to make whatever I set for myself this time, or I really will be crushed and discouraged! Ugh.....okay, enough whining...here goes!!! My body HAS to start losing eventually, right??? You know what's really depressing? I don't even need to change the numbers on my short term ticker from the Easter goal since February!! Lmao....another ugh.....it'll be nice to change the background, tho! SW 249.6 CW 249.6 GW 230 Let's do this!!!

I LOVE and eat chinese food a lot.....i LOVE moo goo gai pan (chicken and mushrooms) and also love chicken egg foo young! Lots of veggies and Protein. But, I can also handle rice/pasta just fine, so I also love me some chicken chow mein.....it's just not as good for you since it's full of noodles. I've found it's fun to try new things on the menu that I never tried before now that I know I shouldn't go for the fried stuff with sweet sauces (almond chicken, sweet and sour pork, general tso's chicken, fried rice, noodles, etc, that used to ALL be my favorite!). Don't get me wrong, I still steal bites of sweet and sour off my hubbies plate, but only one or two. Now I try to look for menu items that are mainly stir fried protein with veggies....shrimp with pea pods I love. I wouldn't have eaten that before cause there was not much shrimp, lol (it was always about the quantity!)....now I don't care because I can't eat it all anyway! Oh, moo shu pork or chicken! The pancakes are so thin, and it's good without the pancakes, too! Again, more veggies and protein. It's fun trying new things, things I wouldn't have tried before. And now, Chinese food lasts me DAYS if we order out or take home. I love having all those leftovers! Oh, mongolian beef is a good one, too! There are SO many options.....have fun experimenting!

Funny how everyone is so very different. I have been able to eat pasta/rice just fine since the beginning (I am almost six months out). Too easy, in fact.....never had an issue! Then again, there is absolutely nothing my sleeve won't tolerate...and I had a 32fr bougie! Still trying to decide if this is a bad or a good thing!!

Time of the month, Sweets....it makes a lot of us put on and hold on to Water weight before our cycles, and during, sometimes, too. I can easily gain 3 lbs the week before, then my body flushes it all the week I have my period. I agree 100% that there is physically no possible way to gain 10 lbs of FAT in one week after this surgery. I am guessing a moody, picky scale, water weight, and like rootman said, solid waste retention, maybe, too....or all combined! I'll bet you'll be on here in a week saying that 10 is gone, plus two more!!

See, that's why it's so hard - so many different opinions My doctor said if there is a leak from the surgery, it will most likely happen in the first one to two days (and you'll know!). Then, if you damage your staple line, up to six to eight weeks later (which is why our diet is so strict). I specifically asked him about months down the line (as some have had leaks months later) and he said it's pretty impossible to get a leak after two-three months....those that have are most likely tiny, undetectable leaks the patient had from the beginning but didn't get found till later due to the stomach acid and contents slowly eroding the leak point, and/or build up and abcess down the line. That was my biggest fear, too....

Thank you guys, so much!

Yep, honey.....SO normal. We all went through that and had to 'mourn' our food and the way we used to eat. Mine hit a lot harder than I thought it would. I was REALLY surprised with how bad it messed with me, actually....thought I was prepared and ready. But, no, took about three months for it to go away, still there a little bit, but not NEAR what it was in the beginning. And it wasn't that strong for three months, it slowly diminishes. It will get better, Sweets, for sure. eh first couple months are pretty rough with all the physical healing we need to do, and also the emotional upheaval and mourning we need to go through! It's quite a life-changer, but you will come out on the other side so happy you did this!

Yes, Queen, we are all awaiting some more detail to your cryptic statement! Please enlighten us....

I think we need to separate what people use Protein shakes for. Body builders use them for a specific reason - to GAIN muscle, mainly (among other reasons, but this is the main one). So for them, their optimal protein intake is around their crazy workouts (all respect intended, they kick a$$). For us, we ingest protein in order to not LOSE muscle and have our bodies break down because protein is so important and it's hard for us to get it all in other ways/foods. For this reason, I think it makes absolute sense to drink a Protein Drink before bed so your body can heal and repair and work on what it needs to since it's sort of deficient during the day. Eating before bed is horrible if your carb loading, or grazing, or eating fat-laden foods, or using it as a comfort habit (like I used to). Yes, eating a bunch of food and calories right before you go to sleep is bad as your digestion and metabolic system slows WAYYYY down, effectively storing all those calories and food as fat since we're not burning it for energy. But, a protein drink? All 200 and some calories of it? I think that is perfectly fine and I highly doubt you would lose any less, or even gain, from that. Especially since it IS liquid and the body doesn't need to do a lot to break it down. Your body simply absorbs the protein and then goes from there. Both my surgeon and my NUT have advised protein at night...not necessarily right before I lay my head down, but an hour or so before...and I've been just fine!!

Forgot to mention...be careful of 'slider' crackers - those with no nutritional value, like saltines, goldfish, oyster crackers. You can eat a lot of those and they are a slider food, which means you can eat more than you think and they're a nutritional wasteland and bad for weight loss (like chips, popcorn, etc). Will drive up your glucose and insulin levels. Make the crackers you do eat 'worth it' if you know what I mean. Read labels for fiber and Protein, there are so many good choices out there now!

I eat crackers ALL the time! They are great for a meal/bread replacement. I eat a lot of multigrain ones and Triscuits. With hard cheese, spreadable cheese, deli meat, chicken, etc. I can eat about six triscuits with some cheese. Four with meat and cheese. I put veggies on them, olives, cucumbers, pears with cheese. Mini pizzas on triscuits zapped in the microwave for a few. The possibilities are endless. I try to do low carb most of the time, but I think crackers are great, especially the higher Fiber ones. But not at two weeks. Wait a few weeks till you can have solids. You'll be surprised how many (few) will fill you up

Wow, that same here happened here to our Targets! They all remodeled and brought in groceries, and they cut out a BUNCH of other stuff to make room. I can't find anything anymore that they used to have!! They used to have lots of purses, wallets, etc.....most of that is gone. And the plus sizes.....fuhgeddiboutit.....all GONE! I completely agree with Whoozis above.....ALL of their collection can fit in my trunk! Very disappointing there lately.

Nope, shouldn't at all. These two vitamins are often low, and are easy to correct. Just start taking some B complex and D vitamins. There is no reason this should stall your surgery at all. Very common to have low vitamin levels, especially if you are overweight, like we all are!!

I hope you mean 258? And yes, completely normal! You just had pretty major surgery, and will have a lot of swelling and fluid retention. Once your body 'feels' better and more stable, it will start to flush out the excess fluid it wants to hold onto for protection. Give it at least a week.....

I agree with the others, change to 5-6 meals a day. I really, really think 3 smalls meals a day is NOT enough for most of us. We eat so little, we need to eat more often. My advice is to eat to feel satisfied. Don't try to deprive yourself, mentally or physically, and that is what your Dr/NUT's advice is doing. It's making you feel deprived, mentally and physically. Or course, make good choices, whatever that means for you - cheeses, meats, veggies, even fruit, nuts, whatever you can tolerate! My hunger did not totally go away, either, and it's as much a mental thing with me that I NEED to be able to eat if I want to. It may just be a couple of triscuits and a babybel cheese, but dammit, if I wanna eat, I will. Now, I won't eat TWENTY times a day, and I won't eat chocolate cake and pizza (at least not every time ) but I'll be damned if I will deprive myself on yet ANOTHER diet. I've done that my whole life and that's not why I had this surgery. It's taken me some time to relearn my new body/tummy. Like when I'm really hungry. Some days I am starving, some days not. I just follow my body's natural rhythyms (not my mind's!) and feed it when it wants food. That is very hard to do in the beginning because we feel mentally deprived of food and are somewhat in mourning and really want to eat just because we CAN'T, but that will get better and you will learn your body's way of needing nourishment. I* went through a tough couple of months as my whole being had to shift and learn to live in a different world than what I was used to. Really, though, eat more than three times a day. It's gotta say something that probably 99% of us here eat more often than that and almost all of our doctor's and NUT's have said the same thing. (disclaimer, you should always follow your surgeon's advice first and foremost, I'm not a doctor!) Good luck, Sweets... :wub:

Hello, Ken. Many, many of us have wondered why? Can you shed light as to why the emoticons are limited now? Will more be coming later, or is this it?? Thanks for any insight you have on this issue.

I really don't want to scare you, honey, but it will probably slow down. I hit 50 pounds in three months, also, but now have been stalled for six weeks! Now, THIS WILL PROBABLY NOT HAPPEN TO YOU!! I am only saying this because you should be mentally prepared for when it does slow down so you're not overly disappointed and discouraged. I thought I was prepared and I thought if I did hit a stall, no biggie, everyone does and I'll move on. But i was not prepared for a six week stall (and counting!) I hear in your 'voice' real concern that your weight loss will slow down, but it will and it has to. Your poor little body simply cannot maintain that kind of drastic weight loss for an extended period of time. You will most not likely NOT have the stall from hell, like me, but your body will stop, or slow, and readjust itself. It will most likely happen a couple of times until you hit your goal. Just look at what everyone has gone through on here. I just don't want you to lose hope, and I want you to never stop looking forward to all those reasons you want to lose your extra weight. It WILL happen eventually, when and how YOUR body wants to, not how we necessarily want to. I've learned through this, and through many weeks of despair (which I'm getting over without the scale moving) is that this time it's not something we can control. There is no guilt or fear in this, this time. Of course, we can totally sabotage our weight loss, but, girl, that is HARD to do, lol! Just let go, quit worrying, and let your body do what it needs to do in this time of huge adjustment. It knows what it needs, and how to do it. Just follow the basics, and you can't 'lose', if you know what i mean! You have done amazing! And you will continue to do so, at whatever pace your body wants to

Very well said, Mrs! :wub:

emlefe, I think that is WAY too low. I haven't heard of a doctor or nutritionist say that, even in the beginning (not that they don't, but man, that sure seems low!!) Most of us scratch our head right after surgery trying to figure out how to get in 800-1000/day! And most of us don't, at the beginning. I agree that your weight loss will be slower, maybe even stall if your calories stay that low. I'm concerned about that number, especially at six weeks out?? How are you doing with that? Are you finding it hard to stay in that range now that you are eating more?? I would have a hard time eating only 600 calories and that would lead to 'diet guilt' which I promised myself I would NEVER have again, which is why I had this surgery!! SweetP, I think between 1000-1200 is good, too. I have been in a stall for 6 weeks, so can't report lately, but my weight loss would slow down before if I dropped below 1000. Or if I ate too many carbs Just in the last two days, I'm trying to get up to 1200 to see if that breaks my stall. I'll let you know! But your weight loss so far is great! Don't get discouraged! It's way too early for that!!

I have tried leaving the scale alone for a week, but it just devastates me worse!! I have been stalled for six weeks, and the first couple of weeks I was getting frustrated, so I left the scale alone and only weighed on Mondays for a couple of weeks. Every morning, I FOUGHT the urge to get on the scale, telling myself, just wait a week, it'll happen, you'll be so happy on Monday. Well, needless to say, the number was the SAME on Monday, AND the Monday after, AND the Monday after!!! I was even more disappointed because I was sure I would lose something in a whole week! Now I'm back to weighing daily and it's a smaller bummer each day without the whole build up of a week behind it. But, my stall is extreme. Most don't last six weeks, I'm afraid. So, technically, it probably could have saved my sanity if my stall wasn't so long. Just my thoughts on the matter!!

Vitamin D deficiency is VERY common in obese individuals. It's because it's a fat soluble vitamin and stored in fat cells. It has been in the news much recently as it's true many people are deficient, not just overweight people. It has recently been discovered that we need a lot more Vitamin D than previously thought and it's much more important to more body systems and functions than previously thought. Most of us don't even know we're vitamin D deficient until we get tested either before or after the weight loss surgery, but that is now changing too, as most doctors are starting to routinely test their patients, especially their 'larger' ones Interestingly enough, it would be almost impossible for us to get as much vitamin D as we need from just the sun. I was reading an article (have to find it) that stated we would basically need to sit out in the full sun for 6 hours a day almost nude for our skin to soak up/convert as much vitamin D as we need. I have been Vitamin D deficient for years and have to take two 2,000 IU capsules a day (or one 5,000 IU cap) to maintain a normal level. At first, you may need to double that to get UP to normal, then cut back to maintain. There used to be concern, that since it is a fat soluble vitamin like Vitamin A and E, that if you take too much, it could be toxic (as excess is stored, not released through waste). But they have also released research that states up to 10,000 IU a day is safe (note I am NOT a doctor, so please ask yours or do your own research!) There is a wealth of info out there on this topic now since there have been so many new studies done. I would listen to what your doctor told you to take for your deficiency and then have them monitor it every so often so you know how much to take for a maintenance dose. Good luck!!

I'm just like Felicia...I have a Tervis Tumblr (LOVE! :wub: ) and I can easily sip/gulp/swallow using the straw about 8 oz at a time! A few big mouthfuls and it goes down juuuuust fine. But then I have to wait a bit, just a few minutes, before I can do it again. But again, I really don't think that's normal, lol!! So weird how our little sleeves are all SO different! I also have no problems taking big bites, or with any food, either. Don't know if that's lucky or unlucky, depends on how you look at it!