Foxbins

I am eating protein only, so not too much residue left after digestion...mine looks like biggish rabbit pellets.

Honestly, I don't think most people can guess how much someone else weighs. "130" is just a number...you might ask him how he picked it. Who does he know that weighs 130 lbs? Or does he know he can pick up 130 lbs and he wants to be able to pick you up? Most of my friends are guessing that I weigh 25-30 lbs less than I actually do..

What you are feeling is very normal. Your stomach is still very swollen and what is happening is your fluids go down your throat and hit your swollen stomach tissue and back up a bit. Take tiny, baby sips and wait for them to go down--you will probably feel them gurgling through your stomach. When you don't feel liquid in your throat anymore you can take another tiny sip. Sorry about the vomiting, I didn't have any so can't help. I will say that the more you drink, the better you will feel--dehydration can make you feel nauseous.

Yes, you can call his office and ask. He is an experienced surgeon and most likely you will get the truth. You can also check if he has had any charges filed against his license by checking with the state medical board. Surgery takes about an hour--some a little more, some a little less. If you need a hernia repair that can add a little time. I think the ObesityHelp board has info on surgeons, you might try looking him up there, too.

I don't think I got in 15 oz. on the third day! From my journal, I got in 42 oz on day 5: 12 oz decaf tea, two 11 oz protein shakes, and 8 oz of water. It took all day to get it in, too. It was just sip, burp, walk, sip, burp, walk for about two weeks, until I could have thick liquids.

My surgeon said 600-800 calories a day during the losing stage. I am also assuming that you are supposed to have 60-80 gms of protein and not fiber. With that much fiber, there'd be no room for protein!

The staples are metal (titanium or surgical stainless steel) but an MRI is fine as both metals are not "ferromagnetic." You won't set off the airline metal detector, either.

If you are going to be there a few days, walking around and shopping, I'd exchange dollars for pesos. I put my before-surgery dinner on a credit card and didn't buy anything while I was there, but some people who had surgery the day before me went shopping for souvenirs and stuff. Pesos are handy for that.

I'm a psychologist. I'd get a new therapist if I were you. Therapy isn't about someone telling you their opinions, it's about them helping you discover what's best for you.

THIS a.m., down 1.5 lbs.! I haven't lost 2 lbs. in two days in a couple of months--mostly it's lose a pound, three or four days go by, lose a half-pound, another 3 or 4 days...Maybe my body has adapted, finally, to low carbs and high protein. Or maybe it's just random. I'll take it!

I wore the hospital gowns in bed and to surgery. They were enormous and very comfortable. I brought: Heating pad (used it under my shoulder for the CO2 pain I had) Loose-waisted pants that I wore both to and from the hospital Loose top that I wore to and from the hospital Bathrobe Underwear Socks Slip-on shoes that I wore to and from Slip-on slippers Toothbrush hair brush Shampoo and conditioner Deodorant Buckwheat neck pillow for plane and to hold against my stomach if I had to cough Ipod (didn't use it) Kindle (didn't use it) Cell phone (didn't use it) Chapstick (didn't use it) About $50 U.S. for incidentals (tipped the driver $20, didn't use the rest) I bought a magazine at the airport for the ride home but I mostly dozed and drank Water. I was in a hospital for three days so I didn't need a thermometer or stuff like that; the nurses were in my room all the time checking on me.

I have not told anyone--I live far from family (my dad is dead and my mother has dementia) , and my friends have seen me lose and gain, lose and gain over the years so I am on just another diet to them. Thanks to HIPPA rules, I just told my job I was having surgery and would be out three weeks. If anyone asks me directly if I had surgery, I would not deny it, but so far people have just said, as they did in the past, that I look great and to "keep it up." I would not change my mind if I had it to do over and I refuse to feel guilty about doing something so good for myself.

I am glad to hear that you are not having problems eating or drinking but you are only nine days post-op. Your stomach is still inflamed from surgery and I would be straining those chunks out of my soup if I were you. You do not want to cause a complication by not following your surgeon's orders. Doctors are different and will advise their patients differently but I'm figuring if you let them cut out most of your stomach you must believe at some level that they know what they are doing. If you get the go-ahead on Wednesday to progress to another food level, great! But until then, please try to stick with your doctor's orders.

If your vitamin has iron in it, you need to take the calcium at a different time for them to absorbed properly. Otherwise you can take calcium at the same time as the vitamin. I take my vitamins in the morning and calcium at lunch, dinner, and before bed. but I have osteoporosis and need to take 1800 mg/day.

This a.m., 180 lbs. Goal, 150 lbs by Nov. 1. Workouts--running, swimming, or weights 4-5x/week, which I should really bump up to 6 days. Tweaked my knee running a couple of days ago so swimming today and no lower body weights until the pain goes away. Low-carbing, carbs are usually around 30-35 (my calcium gives me 10, so not much room there). Calories between 500-700 most days, usually around 650, protein between 60-80. I have lost my hunger so I usually eat by the clock, but some days my stomach doesn't want any food until the afternoon so I have a protein shake.

Got on the scale this morning and today I am 30 lbs. to goal--or some sort of goal. I am 5'8" and was around 150-155 for most of my 30's and felt and looked good. Now 20 years later I don't know if 150 is realistic but I guess I'll see. My surgery weight was 232, so I have lost 52 lbs since January 13. I was wearing size 22 and 1X tops before surgery and now I am shopping in my closet and wearing some loose 16's and tight 14's in pants and L in tops; it's always a surprise to me that something that looks too small fits me now. I am hoping to reach 150 lbs. by November 1, 9 1/2 months after surgery. When I get to goal I am hiring a personal shopper/stylist and buying a new wardrobe. I have no eye for fashion and need help!

You could, absolutely, try to get your protein from food, including greek yogurt. However, I was supposed to have 60+ grams of protein per day, and early out I could not eat more than a tablespoon of yogurt at a sitting. Plus, I am low-carbing, and dairy has a lot of carbs when you are counting every one and trying to stay under 30. I do eat it now, but a third of a cup is plenty for a serving. I eat a lot of shrimp, scallops, fish, and deli meat to make my protein goals--not too many shakes these days.

What does your doctor say about your vomiting? Adding "a few more things" to your diet is not going to help if you can't keep any of them down. I would suggest making a batch or Eggface's protein ice cream (www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com) if you can keep down a Popsicle, but really you need to stop vomitting or you'll end up in the ER with dehydration.

Mine started to come out at about 12 weeks and is still coming out. However, I read someplace that only 70% lose hair. Maybe you will be in the lucky 30%! Also, no one goes bald, at least not from one surgery/rapid weight loss. Mine was already thin from hypothyroidism, so I'm hoping mine stops soon. It's only at the crown that I notice it, seems really flat up there. No one else has said a word, so I don't think it's apparent.

I didn't have any external stitches. I wore steri-strips for ten days after surgery and then after they fell off, the incisions were stuck together. Some surgeons do use external stitches, and you can go to your PCP for removal. Kaiser health group, here in California, gave me a "suture removal kit" after I had a cyst removed last year and I took out my own stitches after 10 days.

Stomach staples stay in forever and tissue grows over them. It's how your new stomach gets sealed. Some surgeons also sew over the staple line.

You should be so proud of yourself--you have done great!

I don't have an answer to your question but have one of my own--Have you tried Unjury? I'd recommend getting a sample first. I bought lots of samples before surgery and I was glad, because lots of them were terrible.

I had my surgery in Mexico and my physician here in the US drew blood for vitamin labs to get a baseline. I will have another set drawn next month to make sure everything is okay. You MUST take a B12 supplement--something called Intrinsic Factor is manufactured in the large part of the stomach that is removed and is converted to B12. B12 deficiency is nasty, lots of neurologic symptoms, and can happen quite quickly without supplementation. We also need to take calcium citrate supplementation because we have a less-acidic stomach after surgery and calcium carbonate (the most common form of supplement) needs acid to be absorbed. My doctor also wanted me to take iron, because I can't absorb as much from food as I need, and a multi-vitamin to fill in the holes in my diet from not eating grains (I choose not to eat them).

Congratulations on your surgery! The gas and incision pain will go away shortly; I barely remember mine now, although I know I had it. Keep drinking and walking, my intestines didn't start working until day 3 either. My surgeon says that the first six months are the time to maximize your weight loss and I have found that he is right--the weight just falls off early on. Although it may be different for you, I have to work at it now, going to the gym, running, making good food choices--but I am post-menopausal and yo-yo'ed for decades and my poor body holds on to fat for dear life. I predict that you will do great and you will find that you have eaten your last "all you can eat" meal. Now you will be stuffed with just a little food. Hope you feel better soon.