Rootman

The wife and I most often order ONE entree and split it, even then we sometimes have stuff to bring home, portions are THAT much out of control. I'm unfamiliar with the restaurant you reference, is it a buffet? Buffets are pretty much a waste on me but surprisingly the cost of the meal is on par with what a decent meal at another restaurant is so I'm not out any more cash that we would be if we both bought separate entrées., I just don't get me monies worth and can't take anything home. Perhaps call ahead, ask their policy. Some docs issue a card stating you've had WLS surgery asking if they will allow you to order children's or seniors portions. If all else fails then look around for another restaurant. We no longer frequent a few of our old favorites, it's just impractical or just not worth it. Congrats on the anniversary.

Yes, the liquid stage sucks as your tummy still wants food and every craving you ever had will come back to haunt you. But the real answer is the it is NEVER too early to start in some form or another. Try a liquid diet for a while then if it gets to be too much start eating one whole meal a day and see if that works. Since you are seeking WLS then it is safe to assume you have adequate body fat to sustain yourself safely through the liquid stage and will only give yourself a jump start on the loss. We wish you the best!

Yahoo for you! I too have had the same NSV, not only do I fit but the wifey can snuggle up to me on the same side too with room to spare! Dontcha-love it?

Looks like you have a handle on it already. I eat pretty much the same type of stuff. I might have a hard boiled egg for Breakfast or one sausage patty, a few saltines for a snack (low cal and settles my tummy), 1/2 cup soup, or some small amount of a prepared meal for lunch, maybe a SF pudding cup or yogurt for lunch. A few crackers for a snack (I'm not a big snacker). Supper is more of the same as for lunch. Portions are small and I rarely exceed 1100 calories a day for intake. I am unlike many others and don't fret the carbs, they are relatively low due to small amount of chow I eat a day, I personally think it's the over all calorie intake that really matters. I find that journaling my intake is helpful and keeps me from indulging too much, I guess it forces me to be accountable to myself. I use MyFittnessPal.com, there are DOZENS of other free one online and may have smart phone apps as well.

I simply did not want a piece of plastic floating around in my abdomen so I chose the sleeve. I also did not want a full bypass with the resulting lifelong malabsorbtion issues. I didn't want he hassle with insurance that I've heard others in my company fight with over WLS so I elected self pay and went ti Tijuana MX and paid $5K and was done with it in less than a month. The sleeve is minimally invasive, introduces nothing artificial into your digestive tract and bypasses nothing, it's simply a permanent restriction. MOST people have good results, a lot have excellent results and a few like me have EXTRAORDINARY results. I've lost over 135 pound in little more than 6 months. For ONCE in my life something has worked out way above and beyond what I expected. There are SOME people who have issues, a few that seem to still be ravenous even after the sleeve, a few with life changing complications and fewer still that completely failed, lost nothing or lost and regained. Nothings perfect especially something like this that not only effects the complicated digestive tract but the human psyche as well. I did it, lost weight, eliminated a whole host of medical issues and feel a WHOLE lot better. I exercise now and actually enjoy most of it. At least I'm not wheezing like an old broken down steam engine hating every second of it. I can do things I couldn't do even just this last fall. I can have sex with my wife and it is SOOO much better, no pendulous gut hanging in the way and it requires less effort just to move. Regardless of WHAT you do I'd recommend you do SOMETHING even if it's JUST diet and exercise.

Man, we all feel for you and will remember your Mom in our prayers and thoughts. That is why I didn't want a plastic gizmo in my gut, I would constantly be afraid of something like this happening. We wish you the best for both you and your Mom - it's tough seeing Mom suffering like that, I'm 50 and lost my Mom a few years back to heart disease and didn't realize what a momma's boy I was - I still miss her.

I too had EXACTLY what you describe for years, possibly decades, I lost track.My doctor never seemed to know what it was but thought that it was due to either or both of my esophageal issues, I had a hiatal hernia or from the schatzki's ring I had (probably still do). The ring was a fibrous band that actually narrowed my esophagus, it would actually make me gag and "vomit" up food, although the food never made it to my stomach. Whatever it is it's no issue now, either the surgery fixed it or the small amount of food I eat makes it less obvious, the "lump" is gone. Hope yours works out the same as well.

Congrats! I look forward to joining you in the months to come.

Chronic constipation sufferer here, use Mirilax Daily.Mine are very dark, very heavy sinkers that smell really foul. I always leave "marks" on the sides of the bowl. I go maybe every three days or so.

Kewl! Way to go girl.

I sometimes quickly respond "I've had stomach surgery and can't eat or drink much, thanks anyway", it usually shuts them up and they leave me alone..

Yep, what Foxbins said. For some screwy reason a scheduled MRI was delayed because the provider refused to do an MRI on my till after 12 weeks post op, this was a brain MRI and not even of the abdomen. No one including my PCP understood why. So be sure your MRI place knows in case they have a screwy policy like mine did.

YES, it can be that simple. Many here over analyze stuff and worry about carbs. Just cut the calories and concentrate on protein and the rest will handle itself. Protein is necessary because it's the stuff that you need to maintain lean muscle mass and is basically long lasting "high test" form of calories instead of easily burnable carbs. Get in your protein and you have little room for much else.

Your therapist is nuts ! Run DO NOT WALK to find another one asap!

Nope, maintained a high heart rate probably due to obesity till just recently, it has dropped somewhat since then with weight loss and increased exercise. Maybe the result of meds?

I was at about 130 pounds lost at 6 months. For ONCE in my life I actually had exceptional results in somethings I have done.

Well I risk censure on the board and say that you both are pretty foxy ladies, if I were younger and single . . .

Boy, you must have better eyes than I do cause mine aren't visible NOW let alone later . YES, they get wrapped up in scar tissue and if you were to look at them through the abdominal wall, like laproscpoically after a few months they would be totally engulfed in scar tissue. They will always be visible on x-rays and other scan tech. Titanium is almost indestructable so they would last MANY lifetimes, even if they WOULD dissolve eventually the scar tissue will not and it will keep your stomach together.

Yep, everything went fine, felt like crap and was nauseous on and off for the first month or so. Would do it again in a heart beat.

Titanium, they'll still be in your gut when they bury you in the grave.

Did he define "extreme pressure" ? This is a new one on me, I've never heard of anyone complaining about it before for ANY laproscopic surgery done in the front abdominal wall.

Yes, something like this should be reported IMMEDIATELY, the description of ROCK HARD scares me. Better safe than sorry.

I too had very little pain but a LOT of nausea and just felt plain crappy for the first month or so. I had pain pills I was supposed to take every 6 hours or "as needed" and simply took one at bedtime to help me sleep a little better.

Well, better late than never as my mother used to say. The stomach is a stretchy thing and still retains SOME of it's elasticity after surgery. YES you can stretch the sleeve but even if you stretch it to +100% of it's size it will still only hold a small amount compared to what it used to hold. It will shrink back up just as easily. And you will be VERY uncomfortable stretching it out much at all. So don't worry about it, it'll still be small even stretched, if you are eating LESS of the RIGHT foods and losing weight it's working.

If you have excessive fat to burn and are eating SOME caloric intake and getting adequate Vitamins then it is completely healthy to eat that few calories. Yes, your body does some things to slow down the metabolism and effectively go into "starvation mode" but it cannot maintain it, eventually the signals that tell the body to not burn the precious fat resources it has packed away for years HALT and the body MUST burn fat in order to survive. Muscle can also be digested as well and this is why you need to eat enough Protein and exercise some to maintain the lean muscle mass. The body cannot break the laws of physics, it needs energy to survive and gets that energy though food and deposits a portion of the excess that's left as body fat. Don't eat enough and the body slows down, nails, hair and skin slow down their growth, SOME cell division slows down, you get weary and tired. Keep up the low calories (LOW - not NONE or say a ridiculously low amount like 300) and the body reabsorbs and uses the fat as energy. If the body STAYED in starvation mode you would get very week and probably get very sick or die - like anorexics do.