PdxMan

I'm just so curious as to why people, not just directed at OP, believe stalls are a bad thing. Sure, we want to be skinny in 5 days, but that is not how this works. Having your body try to hold on to reserves really is a good thing. Really. As long as you keep doing the right things, your body will respond as it needs to. It just kills me when people think they are doing something wrong when everything happening is absolutely right. You're doing fine. Just keep following the sleeve rules, get some exercise and everything will be fine. Really. There is absolutely no possible way to gain fat when you are running a calorie deficeit. You have to believe this ... right? Celebrate your stall. It means this is one less stall you have on your journey to what you will ultimately be.

Jessica, are you viewing this with a mobile device or with a web browser? I believe signatures only show if you are viewing from a web browser. I'll copy and paste my signature here: Check out my blog! Sleeved: 07/08/2011 Dr. Thomas Umbach, Las Vegas (Baby!) 07/20/2012 - 178.0 05/20/2012 - 178.0 --- 06/20/2012 - 182.0 03/20/2012 - 183.0 --- 04/20/2012 - 180.0 01/20/2012 - 192.0 --- 02/20/2012 - 184.5 11/20/2011 - 197.0 --- 12/20/2011 - 191.5 09/20/2011 - 211.0 --- 10/20/2011 - 205.0 07/25/2011 - 248.0 --- 08/22/2011 - 226.5 07/08/2011 - 274.5 - Surgery Date 06/24/2011 - 285.0 - Start Pre-Op Diet 03/15/2011 - 295.0 - Pondering WLS And listen to OTR in previous post. His words are wise and to be heeded.

Yes, you can take any meds as directed by your medical team. Early out, you may be restricted, but after a couple months, they will clear you. As far as average weight loss per week, that is a highly individual thing. So many factors. Gender, starting weight, muscle mass, activity level ... on and on. My monthly weigh-ins are in my signature, but I would suggest not trying to compare to others. This is true of RNY, as well. You can still sit on the couch all day long with a tub of ice cream with the sleeve, so ... I did outpatient. In at 7:00 AM, back at my hotel around noon. Had pain meds (flavored liquid loritab). That was on Friday and I was back to work on Wednesday. Worked until 2:00 and headed home for a nap. Did that Thursday and Friday and full time on Monday. But this, too, is highly individual. Overall, pain wasn't too bad. Do a search on the site for csection. There are hundreds of threads discussing the similarities/differences. Keep asking questions, search/read the site and check out the process.

I weigh once a month. Early on, I weighed daily but knew I was going to drive myself crazy. The post that drove me to this was from a girl who said, "I just weighed myself this afternoon and I gained .3 pounds from this morning! What am I doing wrong? I knew I would fail at this!" I was just like, "Woa ... I do not want to turn into that person". So, once a month. I never saw stalls (even though I'm sure I had them) and was always encouraged by what the scale said. I knew down deep with running a calorie deficit, I would lose weight. As far as measuring, you don't need EXACT, specific locations, just be consistent. Upper arms, neck, chest, waist, hips, thighs ought to do. I took pictures every Thursday night in my underwear. A front, side and back. It is wild to look at the progression. As far as your goal weight, yes, I think it is more important to pay attention to how you look and feel versus what the scale says. The scale measures weight, not fat. I wanted to lose fat ... and I did.

Woo Hoo! You are the luckiest person in the WORLD! You know why? You have an intelligent surgeon who is looking out for your best interests. You don't have to have your intestines re-routed and take on all the risks of RNY to have successful WLS. I have a cousin who had RNY 3 years ago and he has so many issues. Yes, he lost a ton of weight, but you know what is funny ... we both started at around 10 pounds of each other ... he now weighs 30 pounds more than I do. I am a couple inches taller than him. My weight stats are in my signature, so I won't go into that, but the sleeve is a great option. I am 13 months out and there is nothing I can't eat. Ask the same question of a group of RNY'ers.

3 days post op ... totally normal. You just had major surgery. Just take it easy and try to get as much liquid as you can. Get up and go for a walk outside at least 3 times today. Just do what you can. Sip, walk, sleep. Sip, walk, sleep.

I asked my NUT about this when I was struggling with fatigue. She suggested I up my carbs. I did this by adding more cooked veggies to my diet and VIOLA! my energy totally returned. I know there are a lot of people out there that think the only way to lose weight is to follow a low carb diet, but I really don't believe that applies to us sleevers. You have to fuel your body in order for it to work efficiently and carbs are a MAJOR part of that. I would suggest upping your carbs ... get at least 80 g in a day for starters. Give it a try for a week and see what happens. Worked for me.

Yeah, when I started to really notice that I was losing muscle mass, I figured I would rather have too much protein intake than not enough. If my body was in the mood to make muscle, I wanted it to have the components it needed readily available. Yes, the excess would most likely be converted to glycogen/fat, but I was OK with that. I just didn't want to lose any more muscle. I tell you what, I am most likely the person NOT to follow, unless you want to work out a ton. When I was running 30 miles a week, doing a race every month, doing HIIT and weight lifting twice a week, I was consuming at least 160 g protein and at least 200 g carbs, daily. My calorie intake got as high as 1,700, on my best days. Not something you would typically see in a sleever. But, I was losing inches. I think in this phase, I went from a 35 waist to a 32, but lost less than 10 pounds. BTW, my excess skin is better, but it is still there. I am going to wait for my 2 year surgiversary for a plastics consult. I figure everything will have settled into place by that point. At a year out, I can still see things firming up in that dept.

My story is about the same as the two above. Terrible reflux for years. I didn't even know I had a hiatal hernia until after the surgery when my Dr mentioned he corrected it so I will have some additional uncomfortable swallowing for a few days. I think since my surgery, 13 months ago today, I have taken two Tums once and I attribute that to laying down too soon after eating. So, for me, VSG was a total cure. But, I would rather have reflux than all of the possible issues of bypass ... no thanks.

So, here is what I know from my experience, FWIW. It was suggested to me that better endurance translates to easier recovery from major surgery. I had a membership to the health club for years, but did not go religiously. However, one month prior to surgery, I started hitting it hard. To increase my endurance, I did elliptical and spinning classes almost daily. 45 minutes minimum. Started low, but after the month, I was able to go for 45 minutes at a pretty high level. I would go over to the weights occassionally when I had time and was able to increase my weights by the end of the month. Day of surgery (I was outpatient in Vegas, baby!) after taking a nap back at the hotel, I walked around downtown Vegas for a couple miles and took the wife out to dinner. Next day, we were all over the strip walking at least 5 miles. Same thing the next day, maybe even more. I felt great. I knew that my cardio workouts played a large role in my being able to do this. At my appt with my surgeon before I left town, I told him all this and he just laughed saying how incredible it was to do what I was doing. He believed it was my preparation that was responsible for this. Now, when I got home, things were definitely reduced that first month or so. As Butter says, you cannot build muscle on a calorie deficeit. For starters, muscle can only be built from Protein, which is just about impossible to meet quota for the first few weeks post-op. Your calorie intake is so low, it can be tough to muster up enough energy just to make it through the day let alone take on a serious workout. Napping took priority over working out. Fast forward two months post-op and I add walking/jogging around the neighborhood to the workout regimen dropping elliptical in favor or high intenstity interval training. As you can see from my signature, I'm dropping weight like crazy during this time. Almost too fast, if truth be told as my excess skin is really starting to show up. I am sagging from places you just don't want to sag. I have definitely lost muscle mass, but I am lifting weights and taking in over 100 g of protein daily. Buuuut ... still only getting about 900 calories a day. It is just difficult to get it all in. 6 months in I run my first 5K and actually do really well. Inspires me to try to be a runner. I basically only run and do HIIT and weight lift about twice a week. I cheat the rules of the sleeve to get extra calories in (drinking while eating) to be able to support my running efforts. I'm still dropping weight, but at this time, I feel pretty confident all of my weight loss is fat as I am able to increase my weights on the lifting side of things. One year out and I've been at goal for several months. My exercise has been sidelined with knee issues, but I follow the sleeve rules pretty tight, so I am able to maintain. In my last 5 races, I have either won or come in 2nd in my division. I had never even ran a mile before in my life. Never had an interest in running, even hated it, to be honest. But, I don't think there are a lot of obese people who like running ... know what I mean? What am I trying to say? This all started with cardio endurance training 1 month prior to my surgery. I know this was the basis for my recovery and transistion to a healthier lifestyle. Weight lifting ... yes, but only after I completed my cardio. Good luck and keep us all posted on how you do.

Congratulations! You look awesome. I can tell from your sharing you were determined to succeed, and you have. Congrats, again!

I replied in your other thread asking you to iterate what your fears are, but I would also like to mention that being cautious is a good thing. This is a big decision and a very personal one at that. You need to be sure that you are ready to make a fundamental change with your relationship with food. If you are not, this hesitation you are feeling could be a signal that you are not ready at this time. I have read so many posts from folks who, IMO, were not ready for this step, yet. Don't jump in blind and make sure you are ready to make the commitment. The sleeve will be there when you are ready.

What are your fears? Fear of surgery? Fear of complications? Fear of failure? Fear of changing your relationship with food? Fear of success (very real, btw)?

My suggestion would be to just buy the wigs and don't worry about it. It will come back. I did the whole Biotin thing big time starting about 3 months out. At the 6 month mark, it started coming out crazy. My solution was to basically shave my head. It has since come back fine and dandy just like it was pre-op. So, the hair loss is a temporary thing and you will stress yourself out (causing hair loss) if you think you can change it.

It's just not as simple as that ... sorry. Your body is an amazing machine which is going to try its hardest to keep fat reserves. After all, it has been keeping them for years (assuming, like me, you have been obese for years). It is going to try its hardest to not give it up. Starvation mode they call it and if your body is functioning properly, it is not going to give it up easily ... not without a fight. So, we have all heard that 3,500 calories = 1 pound. This is a general guideline. So, if you burn 3,500 more calories than you take in, you lose 1 pound. Consume 3,500 calories more than you burn, you gain a pound. Again, know that your body is going to work against you, though. Notice that I do not say 1 pound of fat. Your body will choose what is easiest to convert at that time, fat or muscle. So, this is one of the reasons why maintaining an exercise routine and getting your Protein in is sooo important. I thought I did a pretty good job with protein after about a month post op. I was exercising like crazy, but I still lost a lot of muscle. I lost a lot of fat, too, though, and I am getting my muscle back, but it is work, for sure. So, there you have it. 3,500 calories is the number. Also, if you are on the eliptical machine (stair stepper, treadmill ...) and it says you burned 500 calories during your workout, know that you most likely did not actually burn 500 calories. These counters are notoriously off on the high side. Google it if you think I am lying. All I am saying is don't make a spreadsheet with your daily intake/expendature and *calculate* what your weight will be in a month based on what the exercise machines tell you. I guarantee they lie.

This is an interesting question, for sure. What does it mean ... to reach goal? I started at around 300 pounds and my goal was 200 (or whatever amount it takes to loose my moobs). I thought that was kind of pie-in-the-sky, but why not? Well, I started exercising a lot and was pretty anal about following the sleeve rules and hit 200 after about 5 months. I still had some belly fat, so I reset my goal to 190. That number came and went after a few more months (moobs gone, btw). So, I wondered, too, what was going to be my final weight? I eat whatever I feel like, but know that I eat pretty well. I am not a saint ... I had a bowl of Reese's PB ice cream tonight (1/2 cup). So, what is life like? I eat whatever I want. I don't worry about my weight at all. I did weigh myself the other day and I clocked in at 175. I figure my body will find the weight it is supposed to be. I don't count my calories or my carbs. I didn't get sleeved to be a slave to a diet. Just the opposite, actually. So, my suggestion is to not set a target that you feel you have to reach and if you don't, you're a failure. Let's not beat ourselves up. Just do the best you can to follow the guidelines and find the foods that work for you. Find an exercise routine that works for you and do it ... a lot. You're body will find the place it needs to be and you will be heathier for it ... physically and mentally.

I believe your Dr was referring to early on in the journey. No rice until the staple line has completely healed over and fused. At 20 months out, your staple line is stronger than your stomach wall, so, it won't rip open. I occassionally will have rice, but that is only because it is already mixed in with whatever I may be eating, avoiding it as much as possible. It is not for the whole expansion thing, but rather it is a volume of food which is, for all intent and purpose, nutritionally void. Would I rather eat 2 ounces of rice or two ounces of carmelized onions ... 2 ounces of meat ... 2 ounces of [fill in the blank]. It is difficult for me to justify renting out that much space for rice when there are so many better choices on my plate.

Love to help, but need some more info ... When was your surgery? What are you eating now? Did you recently transition to a new eating stage? Are you on a PPI? How is your Water intake?

Dumping is a thing which happens with gastric bypass, not VSG. With VSG, a bagel will be fine after some time from surgery. Pretty much all bread products, for that matter. They tend to swell in your stomach, so you feel the restriction quicker. I pretty much try to avoid them as they are pretty much nutritionally void. I would rather have the space used for more nutritional options.

Yeah, it takes a bit to wrap your mind around it all. It is hard to believe a person can actually function on these portion sizes, but we can. Not only survive, but thrive! Like SuperSweetUms says, after awhile, it becomes second nature.

I'm a year out and took my 7 year old out to Breakfast the other morning. I had one egg over medium, 1 piece of toast (thick) and 1 piece of bacon. I couldn't finish it. I ate the whole egg, but about half of my toast and half of the bacon. But ... I was satisified. My stomach felt full (the new full) and I wasn't hungry an hour later. It is a change in lifestyle, for sure, but you adapt.

Saggy Skin - HERE is a link to a stickied post. Liquid and doo doo - Not NEARLY as much. What goes in, goes out ... know what I mean. It doesn't last long and then it is just the opposite. Everything takes awhile to find its groove. hair loss - IMO, it is a nutrition thing and it is almost impossible to completely avoid it. Shampoos are not going to help and I don't think there is a way to supplement everything you need to avoid it. Some have, but a far greater number have had some form of hair loss. Talk to your Dr about a pre-op. It is based on many factors, such as your BMI and your surgeon's comfort level with dealing with your liver while operating. Even if not ordered to, I would still suggest doing a small pre-op diet to shrink your liver. Afterall, do you want your Dr to knick your liver while they are in there? Your taste buds do change after surgery due to ketosis (look it up), but it will return. Careful of cross-addictions, though.

I have some bad news for you ... The sleeve is not going to keep you out of the Burger King drive through ... or McDonalds ... or Dairy Queen. I know this is going to come across as harsh, but that is not my intention. I'm just a tell it like it is guy, so, I hope you can see that. The sleeve is not a magic bullet to keep you from eating bad foods. It is ONLY a tool to help you eat less. I am a year out and I can eat anything, and do, in small portions. It is EXACTLY what my expectations were. The sleeve is not gastric bypass where dumping syndrome occurs with too much sugar. It is a restrictive procedure. The quality of the food is determined by you. Early out, most people have swelling and sensitivity which gives them the impression their sleeve rejects foods, but this passes with time and the responsibility to make good food choices lies solely on the person. You are most likely a person whose swelling reduces quicker than most. This means you are going to have to transition into the mode of responsible eating a little sooner than most. Sorry ... honeymoon is over. Time to get to work on making the best food choices for your body.

You also have to remember that whenever you are not supposed to think about something, you begin to see it everywhere. In actuality, their behavior has not changed, but your perceptions have. Just breathe deep. It will be all good.

Exactly. It is a minor bump along the road and is not permanent. Just keep remembering that.