redroses47

Great post Good Life. We are sort of on the same track. My two-month anniversary was yesterday and I am down about 65 pounds now as well. Clothes are fitting WAY better and it's been fun NOT to feel hesitant to walk into my closet. I have lost about 4 sizes.

Congrats to you and your accomplishments. Hope you enjoyed Niagara Falls, too .. it's pretty there, isn't it? Take care.

I believe the hormonal/emotional roller coaster is far more common than we think. I have read about so many experiences of people feeling blue within the first month post-op and perhaps for a few months post-op. It's normal to experience this and like some of the other posters said above, speaking to a therapist may help you pin-point and deal with any issues. food used to be the crutch but no more. Hang in there .. you will be fine.

I wasn't told to wear them but there is, with some people, an expectation of swelling in the ankles or lower legs post-op and I guess it's only if the physician advises this. I can imagine how uncomfortable it would be to wear them in the heat .. it's like being sucked in with tensor bandages :thumbup1:

Congrats on the date! Keep us posted on everything

Great thread and advice, everyone. I am heading down to Seattle in about a month and while I am not worried, I do plan to plan .. I will not go unprepared. My hotel has a fridge (good for the Protein snacks) and I will bring oatmeal for Breakfast and other assorted healthy Snacks (cheese, Protein Bars, fruit, etc.). dinner out will always be Soup. I'm psyched! :thumbup:

Zero hunger since hunger, and it hasn't returned. I'm approaching my 13 month post-op on Saturday, and can go about 12-16 hours without eating without even feeling weak, lethargic at this point. It's only happened a couple of times, but never any hunger.

Tiff .. this is incredible .. 12 hours without eating? Do you drink your fluids during this time? I think the longest I could go would be 5 hours and that is pushing it. I feel weak at that point.

I am almost 9 weeks out and I don't ever get hungry per se but rather a feeling of 'empty' .. like low blood sugar (I am not diabetic) and I must have something every 3-4 hours. Has my hunger actually returned? I would say no.

I dont drink Protein shakes - before you die, I'm 5 years banded, not sleeved and not post op. I dont like them, find them too sickly sweet, and if you read the labels, theyre often either a big hit of sugar or of artificial sweetener, neither of which I'm keen on consuming.

I often make an egg flip - just an egg, skim milk and a dash of vanilla. Its not savoury, but not very sweet and with a shake of nutmeg on top, I really like them for Breakfast. There's about 17 grams of Protein there and nothing artificial (I use real vanilla).

I know some people will freak at the thought of raw eggs, but I've never had an issue and I've had egg flips since I was tiny.

This is interesting .. I have never heard of an egg flip before and my father mentioned this to me about a week ago. He said it's good. The idea of drinking a raw egg really makes my stomach flip :001_unsure: .. so I will have to pass. But I understand about the sweetness of the Protein Shakes. I find them awful and I used to like them as well so the majority of my protein intake comes from food. It's not always easy but I somehow manage it.

I don't know what issues I may or may not have with a romantic partner and how much I eat because I haven't been sleeved yet. However, I do already have some anxiety about reactions to the changes in me. Whenever I have managed to lose weight before in my life, my female friends have been ... less than supportive, shall we say. In fact, I never had straight female friends until I became obese. Until I took myself out of competition women were regularly cruel to me, I have to prepare myself for the possibility of the same happening again. Maybe women in their late 20s and early 30s won't be as cruel as women in their early 20s were.

Interesting thought about women friends .. this has crossed my mind, too. We shall see. When is your surgery scheduled for?

This is an interesting thread that I just came across. If I may put my two cents in ...

A number of you have noted potential sabotage or negative remarks from people that you love and I myself wonder about this in my own dynamic. I am divorced from a man who loved thicker women. Today, I still see him occasionally and he is now noticing my weight loss and he is making slight derogatory comments which tells me my weight loss would have been an eventual issue. My second serious relationship (which has ended) was also with a man who loved thicker women. I can say without a doubt he would not have liked my weight loss. Both men were in very good physical shape, big eaters and social drinkers. It was a part of both relationships and like noted above, I would have changed the dynamic with my surgery.

I am somebody who was never ashamed of myself or my weight .. I am confident .. yet when I read your stories, I am sure there is someone else lurking in my life that will have an issue with my weight loss and that will be my brother. I am already seeing it *sighs*.

I will not allow anyone to derail me, so in a way, I am glad I am single. I am all for relationships but I think for me, the timing of my surgery was perfect and I will be spending the next year looking after myself.

I'm sorry to read of other's struggles with loved ones but I am glad you shared your stories. It allows me to learn what others are going through.

My nutritionist advised that the 'rule' was that I was to stop drinking 15 min prior to meals and 30 min afterwards to resume Fluid intake. While I stick to that for the most part, I find I cannot resume anything for at least an hour or so .. I am just too full. The premise though is that you want your stomach empty (enough) so that when you start to eat, the food will settle in your stomach and satiate you. If there is fluid in there before or after, the food could slide through quicker and therefore you could consume more food than you should. Just my 2 cents ..

I liked the unjury chicken Soup and that says a lot since I am not a salty/savory person but this broth had quite a bit of flavour. Reminded me of Lipton's soup (in the envelope) so if you like that, you should like the Unjury brand.

I was also getting sick of the 'sweetness' since I am not drawn to sweet post-op. The only Protein shake I can get down right now if I need to is the Premier Protein line at costco (only comes in chocolate, I think) so other than that, all of my Protein sources are coming from food.

My nutritionist pretty much said you no longer have to keep track of anything post-op but for my comfort level, I do track my Protein and Water intake and that's it. Like Tiff said, my carb level is naturally low as well with the odd bite of veggies or Pasta so I am pretty sure my daily carb intake is around 30-40 grams - if that. Again, it doesn't matter to me because my focus isn't on what I can't have but rather what I should be eating and it's not difficult for me to make these choices. I look at it this way .. with each meal, I have maybe 7-10 bites that have to COUNT .. no room for nibbling, sampling, etc. This will probably change the farther along I get but for me, I keep my focus simple. I hate food diaries but this time, it worked. I miss rice/sushi as well but have had no room or desire for either. We all have our cravings, I suppose, but perhaps for me it was about my 'old life'. Things have changed drastically .. I simply don't want what I reached for before - CARBS

Funny how marriages make you gain weight *ahem* .. alas, I am no different. Since I have been divorced and have stowed away all of the baggage, I found the time for me and this surgery. It's interesting how my approach is (similar to Citygal) in that for me, it's not about being thin but rather happy and healthy. I have a great support around me but no complications from anyone .. that has made the most major difference for me. An inspiring post .. thanks for sharing everyone.

I agree with Jachut on the sugar issue .. stay away from the white sugar (and while flour and white Pasta, too). It serves no value to anyone. My experience is that I lost the taste for sweet post-op and frankly I am enjoying the fact that the vicious sugar cycle no longer controls me. I think for the first days/week, the popsicles and Jello are part of the Fluid intake and I don't know about others but I rarely ate either. I stuck to Soups, Protein drinks and Water. It was all I wanted. I didn't feel the need for sweet .. it struck me as dessert.

I have so little room in my stomach now that I know it's critical that I get the 'good' stuff in first .. Protein, veggies and good carbs (if there is room left). In between meals I drink drink drink .. but I haven't craved sugar once and I plan to stay away from it completely.

I have the wand, blender and bullet and I didn't use any of them. Honestly, the idea of mushed/pureed food completely disgusted me so I did the full liquids for a couple of weeks and then went to the soft stage gradually. My nutritionist said most people have the hardest time blending their foods (pureed chicken ..?! . *ick*) so I stuck with low-sodium/low-sugar commercially prepared Soups.< /span>

I was a 28 and now I am a 20/22 with a completely different wardrobe.

Yes, I think you are right about the female staff. I suspect they don't know 'how' to approach me or tell me what they think. I am not entirely concerned .. I am rocking this sleeve and look forward to being a 10 or a 12 :lol0:

When I went for my pre-op psychological review, this was THE major topic. I never considered myself that much of an emotional eater but her main question to me (whether I was in denial or not) was how I was going to handle things post-op. I consider myself a boredom eater so I was confident in saying 'no problem' .. I will find something else to do.

Post-op .. different story. It never occurred to me what my triggers were and I have dealt with them head-on. Honestly, I have no room to eat anything more than the bare minimum and I have zero cravings for sugar or breads. I have a teenager so there are Snacks galore in the house but I have no interest in them. If I do, it's a bite or two and that seems to quell any desires for more. I don't know .. I am a changed person as a result of this surgery. I'm sorry you are struggling and I may very well be in your shoes at some point so hang in there .. your progress has been superb. Talk to someone you trust and get this off of your shoulders. You will succeed.

With my weight loss 8 weeks post-op, I have not had ONE person I know or work with tell me that it looks like I lost weight. No, I didn't tell anyone except family members but I know people can see it and they are checking me out but I am getting zero feedback. I am down 4 sizes, for Pete's sakes :lol0: *gripe*

Anyway, I am not bitter *lol* .. I am winning the race! I am losing face, neck and boobs first. My stomach has gone down but I think that will take awhile since I carried most of my weight in the 'apple' zone. Time will tell what the rest will bring but regardless, I am so excited with the progress so far.

My surgeon advised he had done over 200 sleeves .. he was good. The whole experience was excellent. I would recommend this clinic.

I am 10 weeks post op today. Like many people here, I am thrilled with my sleeve. I lost 16 pounds on my 2 week pre op diet and am down 55 pounds total. I have not had any problems at all and basically eat whatever I want other than I avoid serious carbs. I walk about 10 to 15 miles per week. I also swim in the lake from time to time and have been very active on outside projects. My blood pressure has remained perfect since getting off of my 2 meds 9 days post op. Also, I was diagnosed in December 09 with diabetes and that is gone!! I am very happy that I made the decision to have the surgery. This site is what gave me the information needed to make the decision. Thanks to everyone for the information found here on VST:thumbup:

Congrats, Kelly. Your stats are close to mine .. I am 8 week post-op and down 63 pounds as of this morning. I am not exercising like you though .. I am still coming out this exhaustion fog that I have read a number of people had post-op. I hope that clears soon. You are doing so well .. way to go!

I had a stall around the 3-4 week post-op period that lasted for about 7 days. No movement but then things buzzed along. I am not concerned though because I do believe in this surgery and with following the rules, you really can't go wrong. Things will move when your body is good and ready. I think you also have to take into account how your clothes fit, too. You may not be moving much on the scale at times but your pants may be looser. That's progress! I am going through my 'old' clothes faster than I expected. I assumed I would have enough to last me until the end of the year but I think that thought is out the window now. I am down 4 sizes and I certainly didn't expect that. Good luck everyone.

I was advised to avoid using straws for a couple of months post-op due to possibly either gulping too much Fluid or air at once. It can be pretty uncomfortable. I haven't tried straws yet but will return to them soon. Everyone is different.

My favourite is Pure Protein bars .. 20 grams of Protein .. usually under 200 calories .. a quick fix of you need some protein. (Note there are two sizes of the bars .. the larger one I cannot consume in one sitting .. it's too large). The least sweetest tasting to me is the chocolate chip bar. The 'fruit' protein bars are sickly sweet.

Pure Protein - Eat Good. Look Great.

I am almost 8 weeks now and only just now am I feeling a bit better in terms of energy. I see the personal trainer next week and will pick his brain about this lack of energy but I am sure it's a combination of lack of food vs. lack of exercise. It can only get better