PdxMan

Wow, 3 weeks out I was still on liquids/purees. I can't even imagine eating a bit of pizza or taking a bite of a sub sandwich. Man, that would have hurt. The stomach is still sooo swollen. I had my first bite of pizza 2 months out and it was awful. Tried again at 4 months and it was OK. Had about half a slice before I was STUFFED. When I went out to eat that early out, I always ordered Soups. French Onion is a good one, but when that wasn't available, I asked them to blend the Soup to puree, which they did. I would order, then as I "went to the bathroom", I would ask the waitress to have it blended explaining I "just have some stomach issues."

There is nothing wrong with bringing Bob out of retirement. Sound mind, sound body. The body needs a balance of everything. Bob will help. Every woman without should know Bob.

Have you searched the site about stalls? It is quite normal and common. Your body is going through a major adjustment. Just keep doing what you are doing. Don't get discouraged and don't weigh yourself very often. Once a week at a minimum. Best if every two weeks.

I was originally told once a week under the tongue. Then, after my first blood test at 3 month, it was a bit low, so I now take it twice a week. Have you been sleeved? How far out are you? Have you had blood work done? What does your Dr say?

I believe Dorrie has the right of it. I lost a lot of muscle mass through all of this. I think it is difficult not to lose some. Depending on exercise level and rate of loss, some may lost more than others. With that muscle loss, it will be difficult for your body to support itself the way it did.

Your stomach is very swollen right now. This is very normal. As the swelling goes down, things get better. How long will that take? Everyone is different, of course, so, just know it takes time and does get better. Just do what your medical team told you to do and you'll be through it before you know it.

I just wanted to emphasize the exercise pre-op. I got up to 45 minutes on the elliptical and had some pretty good endurance. I truly believe this aided in my recovery. The day of surgery I was in at 7:00, out by noon, took a nap for a couple hours and then took my wife out for dinner that night. I was sleeved in Vegas (Baby!) and I walked all over downtown that night and even played some blackjack! That was less than 12 hours after having 85% of my stomach removed! Next morning, we woke up, went to M&M, MGM, Wynn and more downtown walking. Back out to a nice dinner that night. Next day was more of the same. I felt great and was able to walk, walk, walk which will help dissolve the gas that gets trapped in your body. And, like was mentioned, it is a good warm-up for successful weight-loss post-surgery. The other think I would add to Lissa's list is to beware of the scale. Early on, it is meaningless. Seriously. Your body is going through such dramatic changes and retaining Water, releasing it, starvation mode, blah, blah, blah ... If you lost 10 pounds is that really 10 pounds of fat? What happens when 3 pounds come back? Did you really gain 10 pounds of fat? The scale just messes with your mind, and that is not a good thing. I try to weigh every couple weeks ... monthly earlier out. I always saw losses and that was encouraging. Those losses actually had meaning. You will see people on here weighing themselves multiple times a day and it just isn't good for us, IMO. Avoid it if you can.

I'm almost 9 months out and I still have to force myself to drink Water. Pre-surgery, I always drank a ton of water. At least 120 oz a day without thinking. Now, I get about 80, maybe 100 on days I exercise. Flavored drinks seem to go down easier, but I don't know why this is. Interesting, though. As far as taste, early out, you body is in ketosis (search the site for ketosis) which causes acetone release in your mouth. This throws the flavor of everything out of whack. But, as you are able to increase your carbs/calories and get out ketosis, flavor does return. I used and continue to use a straw. For some people, they tend to get more air in their bellies when using a straw. I remove the air in the straw and do not ingest that, so, for me, a straw works better.

Yup, what they said ^^^ Just take it easy. Don't stress too much about getting all your Protein in at this point, but be sure to try to get your liquids in. Dehydration could mean a trip to the ER for an IV bag of fluids.

From my research, it depends on how long you've been overweight (how long has your skin been stretched out), genetics and health. How long have you been overweight? Did your mother or sisters ever have loose skin after weight loss or repeated birthings? Do you or have you ever smoked? Do you wear hats and sunscreen when outside? How quickly you lose the weight will be a factor, too, but if you have good elasticity, determined by the above factors, it should rebound after some time. I believe these are the factors for saggyness. I have lost just over 100 pounds and I do have sagging skin, but as time has gone by, it is getting better, but I am sure when all is said and done, I will have some excess skin. I currently use some compression shirts and pants/shorts when I run to keep everything held together.

Don't worry about counting calories or carbs at this point. You just had 85% of your stomach removed. You are not going to get in too many calories. Least of your worries. Like Kimmy says, have more soup. Have another Protein shake. Grab a popsicle or two. Again, 85% of your stomach removed ... an excess of 3,500 calories make up 1 pound of weight gain ... do you really think you are at risk? The weight will come off ... trust me.

As the wise Wheetsin said, your stomach swelling has pretty much gone all the way down now, so there will be that extra room which you didn't feel immediately post surgery. You also can tolerate foods with it hurting, so, where before you took a couple bites and waited or stopped because of discomfort, you now take another bite. It is all normal and fine. But one thing that can cause increased quantity is fluids while eating, whether it be directly through having a glass of water/juice/whatever, or by having meals which contain liquids: Soups or already mushy stuff: hummus, refried Beans ... Also, are you eating the lean Protein first? These are things that are going to change how you feel the restriction. Use MyFitnessPal to track everything you are eating so you can take a look back. Back to basics ... avoid fluids half an hour before & after and of course, during. Know that you can eat more (size) soup/salads than you can tuna. If you want to feel the most restriction, this has worked for me.

Yes, take some time inbetween. 10-15 minutes at least for starters.

Wow! 52 pounds. Congrats. Just do what your medical team tells you to do, listen to your body and come here to read and share the experience. The work you put in will relate directly to your results. Good luck!

You may still have a lot of swelling in your stomach. I was on clears for at least 3 weeks and then pureed for 3 weeks because of discomfort. Everybody is not the same, for sure. You have to listen to your body and do what is comfortable. Pain/discomfort is your body's way of telling you, "WOA! Slow down there partner!" It is up to you to listen and comply. Can't imaging what good pushing yourself too much would do ... Listen to your body. It will know when it is time to progress.

Goodwill has been my friend through this. Garage sale season starting up soon, too!

It occurs when we eat/drink too quickly or swallow too big of bites. It goes away only when our behavior changes.

Yup, sounds about right. It was a couple weeks before I could feel full or hunger ... and that was something totally different. As my surgeon told me, "You will not have the same hunger signals, but your body will learn new signals for when it needs food." For me, that was true. So, do what you're doing. Small amounts. Don't eat (drink) more than a couple ounces. I had to set a reminder alarm because I would forget to eat early on. You and your body will learn. Don't worry. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I had my hiatal hernia repaired during my surgery. I didn't even know I had one or that if I did, it was going to be repaired. I had issues with reflux prior to surgery and didn't really even know what a hiatal hernia was. The Dr repairs it by pulling the stomach down back and sewing the diaphragm back tighter. So, it really isn't a big deal. I'm guessing that gramaof4 must be talking about an abdominal hernia as loose skin wouldn't really affect this type of surgery(hiatal hernia). At least, I don't think so. Please correct me if I am mistaken. I was a self pay, so insurance wasn't brought into the fold, but, according to my surgeon, it is a 5 minute fix since he is already there and yanking on the stomach, anyway. He just had to close up the gap in the diaphragm. I noticed some difficulty swallowing after for about a week or so, but it was so worth it. I now have no relux issues at all. I think doing it at VSG time is smart because you are already going to be on liquids and limited quantity at that, so what better time to heal from hiatal hernia surgery, too.

I start with a Premier Protein drink (costco 18 for $23) I then have Soup for lunch (Turkey chili, Chix Veggie, Ham & White Bean) dinner is a salad with tuna/chx/shrimp, cheese and veggies If, for some reason, I am short on protein or am having a seriously long run/workout, I grab another shake or have a Premier Protein Bar. It takes me awhile, for sure, but I eat at my desk and at home I start eating before everyone else and finish after them. No problem. I used to woof down my food, but my sleeve does not allow me to do that anymore. I learned that lesson the hard way.

I would take a small bite, chew at least 30 times (yes, count each chew) and then wait a minute to see how that bite went down. If it was good, I would do it again. If I didn't think it was OK, I stopped. Yes, sometimes it took me half an hour to eat 3 ounces of food, but I got through it. Good luck!

Oye, 4 weeks out ... Chinese ... well, no rice, for sure. Start with the tofu (protein) and have a few bites of steamed veggies for starters. Just take it slow and listen to your body. It is easy to over-indulge on cravings. Let us know how it goes.

Unless you're in High School coming out of a biology class, I don't know how we would know about metabolism. I sure had to do some research on this. But from what I understand, it is a balance with your body to prevent it from going into a starvation mode, of sorts. It is also not just eating more ... it is also what you are eating and giving your body what it needs. Sure, you can increase your calories with a tub of ice cream, but that is a ton of fat and sugar. A lot of people try to do low carb, but that can zap your energy, lowering your metabolism. So, you have to find what works for you. Just ensure your carbs are quality carbs coming from vegetables and the like. If you've been sleeved, your medical team most likely has a nutritionist. Talk to them. They will have a plan for you. Follow it.

Nice! I love it! Yes, I used to brag how I always won: watermelon, pie, corn ... eating contests. Not anymore. Now it's my race times. Change is good. But things only change, if you change.