mnbsleeve

Congratulations ReeseMae!!!! Soon you'll be joining us on the "loosers bench!" How awesome!!! Meljp, congrats to you as well and best of luck this coming Monday! Looking forward to reading about your progress!!!

I had a hernia repair and did not really need meds past a few days. However, I did have pain for almost a month out. I would describe it more like "a stitch" especially if I took a deep breath. But, again, for me, it did not require pain meds. It was more of a annoyance/discomfort. Everyone is different though. And if your hurting, take the meds!!! I understand our bodies heal much better when we are not under the stress of pain. That's why surgeons always recomment to stay on the med regimen even if you're not thinking you need them... they tell you it's worse if you let the pain hit. So hang in there! Hope you begin to feel better soon!!!!! It's an adjustment, but it's worth it!!!

WOW!!! How awesome!!! and the NSV's are going to keep on coming!!! Congrats!!!! Enjoy this new you!

Congratulations Paola!!!! I love your post and I love the picture of your beautiful smiling face! You look very happy!!! You go girl!!!!!

I still depend on protein shakes on occasion to meet my requirements. I've been soooo sick of all the flavors and combos. Forensikchick suggested unflavored unjury in orange juice! It worked GREAT for me. I don't do it daily, but it gave me one more combo to try when the milk or water just doesn't go down. Good luck with this!!!!

Hang in there Sabrina. The first few days are the toughest! Fingers crossed you feel better and get to home today!!!!!

Woo Hoo!!!! Congratulations!!! Rock that sleeve Vance!!!!

How distressing!!!! Your symptoms sound like mine when I had to have my gall bladder out!!!! Generally, when you throw up bile it's because of stones in the gall bladder. It's not uncommon, especially after weight loss. Nowadays they just remove the gall bladder since one episode just tends to lead to others anyway.. and for me, it didn't matter what I ate! A little piece of boiled fish would do it. The operation is done laparoscopically like the VSG only it's a sinch! I'm not doctor!!! But check with your surgeon and don't panic -- because it could very well be the gall bladder! Good luck kiddo. Sending lots of good thougths your way!!! Keep us posted!

How awesome is that!!!! I get a little overwhelmed because before it was a matter of finding "something".. if it looked half decent and it fit! I got it. And as you say, there really wasn't too much to chose from. Now there's all this choice! LOL AND you can actually pick things based on how good they look and feel instead of "it's something." I'm having to learn to shop. Not just because of my new body, but also just to figure out how to do it given the new choices of things AND stores!!! :-) Happy shopping ladies!!!

You look GREAT!!!! Congratulations!!!

I've posted this before, I've had stalls as long as 4 weeks. I've lost 80 lbs so far. My body tends to stall then lose in successive drops! It's frustrating when the stalls happen ... but we do move through. I just keep plugging away and work on not getting discouraged. As Feedyoureye mentioned above, the advantage here is that the sleeve can help us maintain the loss for good! I hope you're feeling strong and healthy. It's awesome you are doing the 5K program!!! Congrats!!!

Woo Hoo!!!! You go girl!!!!!!

I definitely wait at least 30 minutes after eating to drink! I don't generally snack either. My challenge has always been to eat during the day. I tended to not eat all day and consume calories for three people at night! LOL So now I focus on getting 3 good meals! On occasion I will have a snack. I noticed that right before my menstrual cycle I tend to experience more hunger. Otherwise I am one of those that doesn't really experience "hunger" per se. If I haven't eaten for quite a while I will get this gnawing feeling or an empty feeling and I know that I need to eat. Everyone is different though. That's how I've experienced it. My biggest struggle has been to get my Protein in!!! I still depend on occasional shakes. I'm generally not that attached to food. I tend to just fuel up. I'm very excited about feeling and looking good. I also noticed that when I look at pictures from the past, when I'm heavy, I become even more excited about my sleeve and it's "helpfullness" in not "needing" the food so much - in terms of that hunger and that urgency to eat. So overall, I'm just not as interested in food. I'm soooo happy though!!!! LOL

Wow! Thank you for posting this Jackie! My surgeon told me before my surgery, that he had one revision he performed, and he did a plication (sp?). It was someone who had gained most of the weight back and had stretched her stomach significantly. He explained that it could happen but that it was very, very rare. Apparently she had some serious food issues she was unable to get a hold of just yet. My surgeon was Cirangle and he's performed thousands of sleeves and has been doing them very early on. So this tells me that the info you posted is the norm and that for the most part we can expect to have continued success. There's always an outlier, but overall it looks pretty good for us sleevers! :-) Thanks again for posting!

Welcome VJSlim!!!! Sounds like you're doing great! I hope you are feeling well. Everyone loses differently. I went through a pattern of stalls then losses -- some as long as 4 weeks!!! But I discovered that my body needs to adjust somehow. No matter I have continued to lose and I am just under 80 lbs.!!! Yay me! :-) You have to be patient and diligent and focus on getting fluids and proteins in and keep moving!!! You will see the weight comes off! One more thing I always remind myself, especially in the begining when I stalled much more, we are losing at a relatively quick rate! Even for me as a "slow loser" it has been much better than before my sleeve -- when sometimes it took me an entire month of dieting and exercise to drop 2 to 3 lbs IF I was lucky... which of course could come on in one weekend if I "slipped" :-) Congratulations to you and once again welcome to the board! I look forward to reading more about your progress!!!

I didn't experience hunger for serveral weeks. Now at over 8 months out, like the poster above, I get a gnawing sensation, but only when I don't eat for several hours. When I'm getting my fluids in, less so. I generally experience a kinda "phantom" hunger, like "it's time to eat" Sometimes I wonder if it's more out of habit or just instinct. But definitely I don't have that ravenous hunger I would get pre sleeve, especially when I didn't eat all day... then I would eat a horse! :-) And of course, now when I eat, I feel satisfied very, very quickly. Lets see what others have to say about this. I know it's different for everyone. Hope your body/sleeve settles in soon!!!

LOL! Congratulations!!!! Enjoy the clothes!!!!

Mel, so glad you were approved so quickly! and yes, as things progress, it's totally normal to go back and forth from excited to afraid and even totally freaked out! This board really helped me with that. The DAY OF I was ready to run out LOL but I remembered everyone here telling me their stories and it helped normalize my experience. Best of luck to you!!! I look forward to reading about your progress.

Congratulations Liliana!!! What a great feeling!!!!!

I'm sure you will get there! I also wanted to share, as I mentioned in a post above, that for me how fast I eat makes a big difference. Eating slowly and smaller bites was a big adjustment and still will affect me if I revert back to stuffing a bunch of food in mindlessly! I have to take small bites and eat slowly, over a period of at least 30 minutes or else I get nauseaus and sometimes pain, on a couple of occasions I had to throw up! I would just add to be sure and check in with your surgeon so you're at ease that all is well. I'm sure you've done that but I just wanted to throw it out there. Hang in there! You are going to love looking slimmer and trimmer and feeling energetic!!! I fee so good, I don't even thing about food!!!! LOL

I eat anywhere between 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of food, o occassion I get to about 1 cup. That's because foods "go down" differently. I focus on lean Proteins and they tend to give you a satisfied, full sensation right away. Carb laden foods seem to fill you up less and that's why people call them "sliders." Also, alot depends on how fast I eat. I need to eat slowly! This has been my challenge. If I relax and take my time and just enjoy each bite, I can eat a little more and also be comfortable. On occassion I forget and revert to slaming some food in my mouth and at about one bite I'm done! :-) So, taking your time makes all the difference. Generally, 40 to 45 minutes is a good time for me to enjoy a nice meal. So if I go out to eat, that's what I do. I even sip on some wine before my meal - something I did not start till after about 6 months. I can eat anythinng, however. I don't like fried foods or very heavy foods and they don't sit with me well. So fo instance, if I have fried calamari, I have one and enjoy it. Not because it filled me up but because I know it won't feel as comfortable and certainly not give me the nutritional value I need. One thing the sleeve really gave me is the ability to have " a taste" or "a bite" of things without feeling deprived if I don't eat more. So for me, it's easy to stay on program. I don't stress so much about how much I ate, more about quality and if I want to try things I just go for it. I will honestly say that it's been a long time (probably since being a teen ager) that I don't have to worry about food! LOL I know everyone is different. But I do want to stress that it takes some patients in allowing your body to regulate and come to its natural place. My sense of all this at this point is that the first year or so is the real adjustment. Then everything becomes the new normal and most of us don't seem to fight it nor have any more difficulties. That's my sense. Others may chime in with different ideas too. (The best part about this board!) I know this is a l longer response than you may have expected! LOL But I think the answer is a little complex, as you an see. At least for me! Happy losing!!!

Hi Pam! Welcome! I was 48 when I got sleeved - now 49 - and often also wished that it wouldd have been sooner. But you know what! I'm so happy I did!!! I feel (and look) 10 years younger anyway LOL!!! For me it's been an incredible journey. I'm soooo happy!!! Still working on getting to goal - and the operative word is "working," but it always feel that my efforts finally pay off. Best of luck to you with everyting, including your knee. Sending lots of good thoughts your way and again, welcome!

Pammie, I know it's hard not be discouraged... while I don't recall the exact amount of weight I lost at that point I can tell you that I have had the LONGEST stalls!!! and most were early on, by the way. Some over 4 weeks. But, the weight DOES COME OFF! I have already lost close to 80 lbs.!!! Often after these stalls are followed by a steady weight loss. I know it's hard, but try not to be discouraged. I always focus on nutrition and doing what I need to do. Eventually you begin the downward trend. I think the body just needs to adjust! Hang in there kiddo!!!!

I did not get to more solid foods, albeit very pureed, till around the six week mark! It's a process and you have to be patient. I think you are doing well by taking it slow. When I was first instructed to include soft foods I was petrified! It gets better though. Again, it's a process! Now at 8 months out I can eat anything I want - I limit what I eat based on good choices, not inability or nausea. Hang in there! It will get better!!!

Forensikchic, I just want to congratulate you on how great you are doing. I have no doubt you will achieve your goal of losing the rest of the weight by summer. Once again, we are on a simmilar path. I hope to get to my goal at the end of summer or so as well. I think that, especially since you are increasing your exercise, you should be able to get there no problem. I love that you are feeling well both physically and mentally. That's just as important to get to our goals. Looking forward to continuing to read about your progress!!!! Go to it sista! :-)