Writergirl

LOL! I, too, find myself contemplating crazy diets to speed things up. And then I know I don't need to. What a relief!

Be at peace. Do not agonize. I've read so many stories on here, I've come to the conclusion that there is no "normal." I think it's wonderful that you are down 38 pounds in a short time. You're averaging 8 pounds a month--about what I'm doing. You would have been THRILLED to lose 8 pounds a month consistently prior to surgery. I spent some time comparing myself to others in the beginning, then I compared what I was doing with what I HAD been doing (when my loss slowed). Now, I weigh myself every day and whatever the scale says, I accept as a normal part of the process. Every day I DO ask myself if I can do better than the day before. If the answer is yes, I try to improve. If the answer is no, then I know that my body is just going to do what it's doing to do. Over time, you will come to be in a great place. Your friend may slow just as you speed up. Any comparison you make will probably just leave you unhappy. So just go with the flow! You'll see those lost pounds add up!

OMG, the final indignity. I can only imagine how her poor family felt. What a legacy. This reminded me of the Gilbert Grape movie.

Well, thank God something is being done on the repair side of things at this point. Your journey is more complicated than most, but you will get there in time. There are a lot of things you can do in the meantime that will put you in a GREAT place when you are sleeved. I am working to change lifelong habits such as snacking, eating tll stuffed, making poor choices, avoiding the call of the drive-thru window. I was thinking today about how if I had only addressed these issues beforehand, I might not have even needed surgery! I know you probably don't want to hear this stuff right now. You do have my utmost sympathy. What a disappointment. Hang in there...

OMG, you poor thing!! The first month or so can be very rough. I know how hard it can be to get in liquids. My suggestion would be to worry less about food right now and more about liquids. Maybe try to get in two Protein drinks per day, plus Vitamins, and as much Water as you can tolerate. Give your stomach a rest. If you can't tolerate whey protein, try soy protein. GNC makes one that's pretty good, and believe me, I tried and couldn't handle about a dozen before I found that. A lot of people are severely lactose intolerant after the surgery (including me) and the whey protein can be a real problem. If you're dehydrated, it will effect EVERYTHING!! Weight loss, energy, digestion... it all is impacted by water. As for your eyes, all I can do is offer sympathy and hugs. Just take one day at at time. It's going to get a lot better in the next few weeks.

I had major trouble with Protein in the beginning. My nut told me to try different brands to see what would work, as long as it had 18 out of 20 amino acids. Finally figured out whey protein was making me really sick. I now drink GNC soy protein. I like the chocolate mixed with Water and will sometimes add torani coconut syrup. On weekends I'll throw it together with coffee, ice, and some whipped cream, blend it in the Bullet, and it's my version of mocha frappacino!! My advice is to not stress out about it too much during the first couple of weeks, but keep trying things till you hit on something that will work. Not sure there's a magic pill out there, but if you find one, let me know!!

I think it's normal to have cravings while on liquids because at this point your body is essentiall starving and your brain is trying everything to try to get you to eat. Thanks for the nice overview of cravings. I'm learning to deal with evening snacking, and make myself think of many of those things. Tonight, for example, I really wanted to snack after dinner. When I looked at MyFitnessPal, I realized I hadn't had enough Protein today. I had half a Protein Drink and my cravings were gone! There's an old weight loss saying that comes to mind often for me... "If you aren't hungry, food won't fix it." Hang in there!

Yes. Get yourself to a therapist who works with bariatric patients or addictions, or go to a support group. I'm not normally depressed, but I swore that after this surgery I would do whatever it takes to be ok. I've had about 4 visits with a therapist and 2 visits with a person who has worked out better for me (addiction specialist), who is just available as-needed. It's been a huge comfort to me to know someone is there if I need to just grieve or vent. This is a HUGE change in your life, and no one else can know what you're going through. Everyone in my life wanted me to just be cheerful and optimistic, and I wanted to punch them. I just wanted my feelings acknowledged! You are entitled to whatever you're feeling right now, but you may need to find someone who can help you through them. Good luck! It gets better!!!

I can imagine how frustrated you are. I fear the same thing happening to me. I do have a question... Are you still drinking protein drinks? I've noticed that I can eat a lot more lately, and I get hungry every 2 hours. However, if I have at least one protein drink a day, I want to eat a lot less and it really helps keep my calories down. I use GNC soy protein mixed with water and ice in the bullet. Sometimes I add in some coconut torani syrup. It's 130 calories. If you had one about an hour before lunch or dinner, you would be able to consume a lot less for that meal. Just a suggestion! I'm finding that it's a constant thing to figure out what needs to be tweaked, permanently adjusted, or eliminated. Don't give up!!!

I'm so happy for you! Those huge milestones are so sweet!

As soon as I progressed to a full diet I had a salad. That day!!! I went easy on things like cumber for awhile, but I LOVE salad! Because I chew it really well, the lettuce disolves to practically nothing, so I feel like I can eat a LOT. I'm 4 months out, and for the past month at least 2 nights a week I eat salad for dinner. I don't add meat, but I do put in a few nuts and some cheese to ramp up the protein.

I was a women's size 36 (5-6X) last September. Could only shop online and in Catherine's. I'm now wearing (4 mos out) size 26 pants (2x or 24 if they have some stretch) and a size 22/24 top! I know that's the starting point for many here, but I couldn't be more excited! I just realized 2 wks ago that I now can shop in Macy's, Coldwater Creek, etc. Haven't shopped in a dept store for clothes in so many years I can't remember the last time! Unfortunately, I'm going bankrupt shopping for a whole new wardrobe!

Here's the link! http://www.nutressential.com/pages/ProCare-Supplement-Program.html

I think we can all relate here. But I promise you this... the best is yet to come. You're going through the absolute worst part right now. Pain, nothing but liquids, the aftermath of anesthesia. I was SO miserable for the first couple of weeks. It's ok to cry. It's ok to acknowledge the huge loss you have just experienced. But now is not the time for regrets. There's no going back. Now is the time to really start envisioning just how wonderful your life is about to become. I thought I'd never get over the loss of food. Well, guess what... I still love and enjoy food, entertaining, dining out, and eating. The major difference is that I now choose to have what I REALLY want instead of just glomming down a ton of meaningless crap. Get plenty of rest, fluids, and reach out to friends or this board. It really does get better! In the meantime, I'm sending you a big hug!!

I see that a number of you are, like me, approaching a 100 pound loss. Are we awesome, or what!!!! My friends and family are kind of losing interest in hearing about this all the time, so I was hoping I could find some friends here to join me, if you're also close to 100, or just cheer me on as I cross that line. I was sleeved 1/24 and I've lost 95 pounds, 50 of them since the surgery itself. I'm a slow loser, so it may take me a month to lose the next 5 pounds, but I'm pretty excited. I still have about another 100 (conservatively) to lose, but I'm having a blast buying clothes in stores I couldn't go to before!! Shopping is my new addiction. It's terrible, but when you look in your closet and literally have nothing to wear, it becomes a necessity. So here's my countdown number: 5 What's yours???

Thanks! My new number is: 3 I'm getting excited!

I have days where I want to eat all day and can consume 1300 calories (4 months out) and days where I don't want to eat, and can easily get by on 700. On those days when I want to eat, I choose what I eat carefully. I'm not stressing out too much about it now, but I would just say to track every bite you put in your mouth and don't do it two days in row. The other thing is that snacky foods like nuts will pack in LOTS of calories. Maybe you could switch to something like yogurt or cheese that fills the food need but doesn't "feed" those old habits.

I was on Optifast prior to surgery and it was about 80 carbs a day, so I never went too low. I was taking a long acting and short acting insulin, but I gave up the short acting prior to surgery. Since the day of my surgery I've been completely off diabetes meds! My BS now runs from about 110 to 130. If you have an endocronoligist you need to work with him/her to create a plan specifically for you. I was given ranges--if my bs was between this and this, take this. It's never gotten up to that range!

Fantastic! Keep us posted!

Walking. I'll hopefully be having both my knees replaced in about 30 more pounds. I just long to walk around my beautiful neighborhood, walk in the mall, walk with my grandchildren. sleeping on my stomach! It's been too big for many, many years. Traveling. Sitting on a plane and being able to lower the tray and not raise the arm. Photography. Being able to take pictures from a vantage point other than a car window. I'm so tired of being disabled. I can't wait to have my authentic life back. Your list is great! You're going to do all these things and more!

This is definitely the place to voice your fears, so don't apologize! For awhile after my surgery I couldn't tolerate sweets. Sadly, I now love them again. I also didn't like seasoned food, but that's over with now, too. The only things I continue to have trouble with are chicken (feels like a board in my stomach) and other dry meats. I haven't eaten bread, rice or Pasta yet, either, as I was advised to wait 6 months because those things expand in your stomach. I think you'll be fine. But if there ARE things you don't like, it won't matter, because you won't want them anymore!

OMG!! Thank God you have survived and have finally found a good doctor. You poor thing!!! When I had my surgery I went to a bariatric center of excellence, and I would never go any other route. I hope that others who are considering the surgery read your story and come to realize that even if it's more expensive and inconvenient, your life could depend on finding the most reputable, skilled, and trusted doctor in your area. Thanks for sharing.

WOW!!! You must feel so great! Congratulations. What an accomplishment!

I thought that this was going to be torture, but after the liquid diet, it's really ok. I strongly suggest you do what I did... make a bunch of meals in advance and freeze them. You could make meatloaf, soups, potroast, lasagne, and whatever you family likes that will freeze well. Then, all you have to do is stick them in the oven or microwave. No handling food or ingredients. It worked very well for us.

My first tip: Do NOT watch videos of this surgery on YouTube. My second tip: While watching videos of this surgery on YouTube, I found one by a doctor in California who was giving a presentation to other docs on this. He said that almost all of his bariatric patients are deficient in certain vitamins/minerals that are essential to healing, and most docs don't think to check for this. I had never heard of the things people were deficient in, so I don't think you'd find them in normal Vitamins. He puts them on a product called Pro Care prior to the surgery to boost their nutritional readiness. I found it online, and there are several products, including one for surgery prep. When I have my knees replaced this summer I plan to go on this for a few weeks prior. Please let us know how your surgery goes!