Suzannesh

Hi, Looks like you have had a lot of replies. They are right--sounds like you started out on something pretty rich to eat chicken was one of the first thing when it came to eating meat that I tried and it worked great for me. I know a lot of people who can no longer tolerate Mayo, you may be one of those. This is the process of relearning how and what to eat--don't give up that easy. Make some simple things to eat. Maybe start out with some soups. Chew and chew and chew and chew--about 30 times per each bite--until the food feels like liquid in your mouth. Honestly you just get tired of chewing and it takes forever to eat things and than you just push the food away and are full in a short time. NO one ever said it was going to be easy, but it is possible to eat almost all foods. Keep trying,, you just got off to a bad start. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, There are some things I need to ask you. Are you tracking everything you are putting in your mouth? There are some good sites to track this. You need to know just how many carbs you are eating each day. You should NOT have more than 20 to 25 carbs per day. Are you eating about 800 calories each day? Are you doing any kind of exercise--something simple like walking? I went for 9 days without a weight loss, so it is pretty normal to "stall." But what you are or are not eating is really the key too. Keep doing all the right things and it will start up again OK! Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone Sometimes there are things that you may think you are the only one that this is happening to. So I thought I would write about a few things that happened to me along my journey of losing 105 pounds. My first shock was that about 2 months after having sleeve surgery I notice that when I got out of the shower I would find quite a bit of my hair in the drain screen. I thought to myself I already have thin hair what am I going to do if I keep losing more hair? Well, I did and it was difficult to try to spread my already thin hair all over my head. So I started asked question to people on this board. And guess what there were a lot of people who had lost some of their hair after surgery—not that it made me feel a whole lot better, but I wasn’t alone. I learned that this is pretty normal to loose hair with rapid weight loss or some type of surgery. Then my next question was will it grow back?????—they all assured me it would, but when you have thin hair you don’t really don’t like the bald spots on your head. So, my answer was to get 2 really cute wigs close to my own hair color. Hardly anyone knew I had a wig, because it was close to my own hair style. Lots of people on this site had all kinds of theories about how to stop the hair loss and what to do. For me I found that Nioxin Shampoo and Cream rinse worked well. Most good hair salons sell this shampoo or you can order in on line too. I felt I had a much healthier scalp after using it. I am not saying it stopped my hair loss. I am just saying I felt it gave me a healthy scalp for my hair to return. I also take the supplement Biotin. You can find it with the Vitamins and I still take it. It helps with hair and nails. Both of which I need. I don’t think there is any cure for hair loss, but just time. My hair stopped falling about 6 months after the surgery and then I noticed it started coming back in. For me; my hair had fully returned about a year from the surgery. So I wore my wigs for quite awhile—about 6 months. The most unusual part of my hair coming back in was that it was now very curly—and I had pencil straight hair before. I HATED this curly hair, and I had to learn to deal with it. I am about 19 months from surgery and finally my hair isn’t so curly and it has a lot of nice body to it and I enjoy what I have because it is much easier to manage. It feels thicker now too. So don’t panic or get scared if your hair falls out, this is normal. Not everyone will lose hair, but some of us have. It is now 3years later and I love my natural curly that my hair has--it calmed down a lot! My next challenge was constipation. When you eat Protein you tend to have constipation. I tried different products for this and the one I have found that works best for me is Miralax. I buy the store band at costco because it cost less. It works really well for me, and I just mix it in with my Protein Drink every morning and I have NO problems with constipation anymore. Walking also helps with constipation. I was embarrassed to ask people on the board about constipation. I thought I was the only one who was having this issue then I found out a lot of people were having these issues. I also eat Almonds and that seems to help me too. We have talked a little or a lot about “slimming or flemming” In case you missed it, when you first start eating regular food you have to re-learn how to eat again and chew. With you new stomach you will need to take small tiny bites and chew until the food in your mouth is almost liquid like. This is nothing like what you had been doing your entire life. In the past you eat and talk and put big bite in your mouth along with a few chews and then swallowing—this will NO LONGER WORK FOR YOU. This is a very difficult thing to change. So with you new stomach and just having surgery you may experience slimming or flemming. First you will feel like the food is stuck, then it comes back up in a clear liquid –your saliva. It isn’t vomit, so that is why it is called slimming or flemming. It’s a wake up call to slow down you eating and chew, and chew and chew some more. Just go to the bathroom or have a napkin ready for the slimming or flemming. If you try to overeat—which is bad you may experience this too sometimes. For me it was always about not chewing enough. When I am full I know I am, at first I wasn’t sure, but sometimes I just got tired of all the chewing, so I stopped eating. I now get the hiccups or my noise will start to run when I am full. I know that other people have said they experienced this too. For the new people or people who are thinking of having Weight Loss Surgery, I want you to know that I wouldn’t trade one of these things that happened to me for the wonderful new healthy body I now have and how happy I am. It is ALL worth it. It has made me a much better person. I have been where you are starting and I want you to know that this is the last and final thing that you will ever have to go through. If diet and exercise worked for everyone we wouldn’t consider weight loss surgery. If you want to lose the weight it will happen with good eating habits and some exercise. I will not just melt off of you. This is your new tool to allow you to get where you want to do. You have to put some effort yourself. This site is great for support and questions. So jump in and join us. We are all regular people in different stages of weight loss. Hugs Suzanne Sleeved 10/28/08 Lost 105 pounds

Hi Everyone, I was a self pay and I had Sleeve surgery over 3 years ago. I had Dr. Aceves and he is fabulous. I can't say enough good things about him and his entire staff. I only wished I would have done it 10 years earlier, but at that time I knew very little about WLS. It has changed my entire life. There isn't a thing I would EVER change about paying for it myself. My insurance would NOT pay for any WLS. They told me I was not "fat enough" to have WLS. Give me a break I lost 105 pounds! Don't give away one more day of your life being fat. Go for it and just do it. You are going to die faster from being fat than any problems you THINK you may have from WLS. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, You are a very smart young lady to handle and deal with it this way. Being honest has paid off for you. I am thrilled that you have this kind of support. I wish you luck with submitting your paper work to your insurance company. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I think this is a very individual thing, and you know your family better than any of us. I also told everyone that I thought I should tell. I had a very bad reaction from my son--the one I thought would be very supportive. After awhile he did come around--he still will never talk with be about it or comment on the fact that I lost 105 pounds. Everyone else was just great. I think having a lot of bad information and gossip are what people get scared of. The lack of of good information and just how much better WLS is now days. I am happy for you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, None of this ever happens as fast as we would like it to. Hang in there it is worth the wait. In the mean time it gives you a chance to ask all kinds of questions. Questions are a great way to educate yourself on what is going to happen. I wish you nothing but success. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Yes, you are so right! Do just that. One day when you are healthy and very happy with what you have done, you can tell her just how your did it. Until then, just keep doing all the things you are doing right now. Remember the 1st month is the hardest, but it is only 30 days and you can do ANYTHING for 30 days. If you have any questions or need some help with something, I am always here for you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, You have a great attitude and I promise you that you will be very successful. It is hard the 1st month after surgery, because you are healing and relearning how to eat again. But after that, it just gets a lot easier. WLS is a tool to allow you to become healthy again. It is NOT a miracle cure. You have to work at it by eating healthy--which is pretty easy after a while. You should also try some kind of exercise. I love to walk and that helped me. I am always here if you have any questions or just need to talk. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Good for you and congratulations to your Mom. If diet and exercise worked for everyone--the whole world would be thin. We have an addiction to food--this is our tool (WLS) to help us overcome this addiction. If someone needed to have surgery to save their life people wouldn't think twice about them having it. Why are they so opposed to this--it is surgery to save our life. We are going to die a whole lot faster from being fat than we ever will from WLS. So these are thing you can tell your family. You can quote me on these.... I am so happy for you that you are getting some support from your family. We can't expect 100% support from them, but some support is really nice. They will come around as you start losing weight and they see it and see how healthy you are becoming. Keep me posted as to how you are doing. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Sounds like your Mom could use a little help herself. She wants to solve all the problems ALWAYS with food and what a cruel way to be. That is probably one of the reasons you have had a problem with weight. It is time to break that chain, and you are doing all the RIGHT THINGS. You do not need an approval from your MOM--you are an adult now. And SHAME on her if she is every going to try to make you feel bad about doing something that is going to change your life so that you will be healthy. She should be supportive, but it doesn't look like she ever will be. So continue doing all the right things you are doing. I think you are very brave and strong to do this. So when you need a little help or support this is the place to come. I wish you all the success in the world. Keep me posted. Mom's are suppose to love you unconditional and not try to push your guilt buttons. Good for you, for not eating and leaving early. Hugs, and hang in there. Suzanne

Hi, This is just what I was saying. In the end honestly we do not need anyone's approval. This is always ALL ABOUT YOU AND NO ONE ELSE. I am sure that you have no regrets and I know for a fact you did all the right things. You are changing your life for the better. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Well, I think we do what is best for ourselves. Sounds like you are comfortable with your choice. I had to laugh because anytime I went to eat with any of my friends--fat or thin, I have always felt they were watching me to see what I ate and what I didn't eat. I know for many of them, at first they thought I was going to starve. But you and I know that is never going to happen. We ate until we were full and stopped. I always tell them, I never feel deprives. I try to eat healthy, but I can have almost anything I want--JUST IN SMALL AMOUNTS. Congratulations on your choice to have WLS. You are doing ALL the right things. Just remember when you are having a difficult day or need some advice, this is the place to come. Hugs, to you Suzanne

Post Date: 1/1/12 10:03 pm Hi Everyone, How do you telling your family you want to go ahead and have weight loss surgery? You have done all your research and you know for sure that you want to have this done. One of the things I have learned is that sometimes telling our family that we are going to have weight loss surgery is disastrous. Here are some things I want you to consider. Have you ever talked to them before now about having weight loss surgery? How educated are they about the kind of WLS that you want? If they know something, this is a time to educate them a little more. Go to some of the WLS Web Sites and print out some of their excellent information they have about the kind of WLS you are going to have. Have they put down for being fat? Do you think they will support you for your choice? If you feel you are not going to get their support and they are just going to put you down or set up road blocks then it might not be wise to tell them. Sometimes after you return home and they see you are healthy, alive and doing well and losing weight, this might be the time to talk to them about what you have done. Ask them for their support. I want you to always remember this: THIS IS ALL ABOUT YOU AND NO ONE ELSE. You do not owe anyone an explanation about what you are doing or why this is your choice. You have earned the right to do what is best for you. For so many years you have not done that. Unless they have had weight problems they will almost never understand why you are having the surgery. For various reasons, people will try to stop you. They are sure you will not be successful and you are throwing away your money. They are fat and want you to be fat just like them. They are scared you may find someone else if it is your husband or wife who is opposed to you doing this. They are jealous that you are doing this and they are not doing anything to help themselves. They are just plain scared and don't know how to communicate their feelings to you. They know very little about WLS, ONLY the BAD things that they have heard through gossip. If it is a money issue and they don't think you can afford to do this. Hey we make car payments and never think twice about it. How about making some body payments? For so many of our family member they are so uneducated about the current methods of WLS-the sleeve being the one I am thinking of. They assume we are having lapband or bypass surgery—neither one of these were my choice. So every chance I have I try to educated anyone who wants to know about the sleeve on how successful this surgery is and just how they do it. So, my suggestion is you know your family better than I do, so consider if it is wise to talk with them or to just keep it to yourself. There is so much support on this board for you if you need anyone to talk to or help. I am always here if you have any questions. Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008

Hi, I know for me I had 3 leak test done before they let me leave. I had my surgery done in Mexicali by Dr. Aceves. Suzanne

Hi, He knew what he was saying, but honestly he is either jealous or scared right now and so that is why he said what he said to you. You are losing weight he is not. food is controlling him and he can't or won't control the food. It is difficult to MAKE someone else want to lose weight. It has to be their own idea. Until he is so sick and tired of being over weight and wants to change for himself, NOTHING is going to change. So I suggest for you that you continue doing what is best for you. This is ALL ABOUT YOU and NO one else. Contine to eat healthy and exercise. Don't mention it anymore to him, even when you see him consume LARGE amounts of food. He is an emotional eater like so many of us were. For so many men they are fearful that they are going to lose you once your have lost the weight to someone else. Men will start looking at your different and that is his fear. He has many fears and he doesn't know how to communicate them to you. You can try to reassure him that this is not going to happen, but I am not sure he can actually "hear" what you are trying to tell him. This honestly is his problem, and not yours. Try sitting down and telling him one last time how you feel. Tell him when he say's these kind of thing how it makes you feel. Don't put any blame on him, but just tell him what YOUR FEELINGS are when he says things like he said. When he wants to lose weight then he will start it. We all morn the loss of food at one time, but we get past that. You have the "tool" to allow you to lose weight, he doesn't. We are here to help you, and support you. Hang in and start doing what is BEST for you. Don't allow him to bring you down. You are doing a fantastic job, just keep going. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I can only tell you what has worked for me. That is low carb and keeping the Protein at 70 grams of protein a day. You might benefit from writing down everything you are putting in your body. I always tried to keep my calories about about 800 per day. Are you doing any kind of exercise? All these things are worth trying. Carbs are my killer and once I start them, I don't want to stop them. Keep me posted at how you are doing. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I think they all have had some wonderful information to share with you. I had to make an effort to sip ALL day long on a Protein drink. The 1st month is so difficult to do. I think you will feel a whole lot better after seeing your doctor. They should run a blood panel because without it, you will have a hard time trying to figure out if your are low on anything. For me it was potassium. And that was a quick fix after they ran the blood panel. Hang in there. It will get better. It really is like a job that 1st month trying to get in the things your body needs. Just keep sipping on something all the time. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, What have I learned in the last three years since I've had weight loss surgery? This is the challenge that you will all figure out for yourself. Each and every one of us will learn what makes weight loss surgery work for us. Looking back the first month after weight loss surgery was the hardest month that I ever did. It was a total relearning process of how to eat the healthy way and to allow my new stomach a chance to heal. The biggest challenge I think was “head hunger.” For me my head was always trying to convince me that I needed eat something more to eat. Intellectually and physically I knew that I was full and didn't need to eat anything else. It was a battle because for most of my life I ate for all the wrong reasons. Now I have the tools to control this. For most of our life we ate for all of the wrong reasons and all of the wrong foods. There was always food at family events and holidays. We ate when we were angry, when we were excited or happy, when we were frustrated or angry or mad. It was all about emotions, and not what was healthy for us. Now we know how to make healthy food choices for ourselves. We have also learned that we eat food in small quantities and are satisfied and I hope you never feel deprived. What I have learned is still 3 years later, I have to stop and think about what my head still tries to convince me. That brain still tries to send me signals from my “old thinking brain.” I am in charge NOW and that feels great! I know for the rest of my life I can manage this. Nothing about weight loss is easy. We have ONE BIG advantage we have had some form of WLS and for me it was a sleeve. What I eat is always on my mind. I plan healthy meals and I shop for healthy foods. I crave healthy food now too. It does require effort and work on my part. I try 97% of the time to eat healthy and exercise. The ONE big thing I have learned is that I CAN DO THIS and I maintain my weight loss. I don’t have the fear that I used to have—will I regain the weight? I am willing to bet that sooooooooo many of us have done the yo-yo lose the weight and gain it back in our past. Before I had WLS, I thought what if I am the “one” person this will not work on? I laugh now because I learned most of us had that thought. We were so used to failure. Not anymore! I am here to tell you that it is very doable and you will be successful. Put yourself first and take care of you first. I wish you a very Happy New Years. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi, I hope by now that you are feeling better. I encourage you to see your doctor if you continue to feel bad. It takes time. There is a lot of good information on this site. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I NEVER had any of these problems because I went to Dr. Aceves. I highly suggest you look into seeing Dr. Aceves. Nina is his patient coordinator and she ALWAYS has great communiction. I am so sorry you had this kind of stress. That is unthinkable! Hugs, Suzanne

Hey Everyone, Please share with us what your form of exercise is. For me I knew working out in a gym was never going to work. I just hated the thought of “having” to go to a gym and working out. For many others this is just want they need. The have a personal trainer—great thing to do. I know me and that just didn’t appeal to me. For me walking was something that didn’t really require a lot of equipment and was something that most anyone can do. This is what I have learned about walking. “Walk for 45 minutes a day. The reason we’re suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.” I found this information on the Web about walking a long time ago. So I knew I was changing my lifestyle when it came to eating, which means that I could lose a lot more weight if I just walked. It really has worked for me and also relieved stress in my life too. In the winter time, I walk inside a mall. I also swim now and then too. I would love to hear what you do for exercise. Let’s share some ideas, it might just help others. Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds.

Not all Protein is created equal. Many of the protein shots are made from boild cow hide. I really don't feel this is quality protein. Here are some examples of protein that I have found to be very healthy and good for you. These are just suggestions. PLEASE be catious about the quality of protein that you are getting and where it actually comes from. Protein drinks. My all-time favorite is: Premier Protein Drink. It comes in 11 oz. drink boxes already mixed. There are 30 grams of protein in each box, 160 calories per box, 1 gram of sugar and 5 grams of carbs. The flavor I buy is Chocolate—that is all I can find at costco. I get mine at Costco and I understand that you can get them at Sam’s Club too. You can order these on line at Costco and Sam’s club. They are also available at this Web Site. http://www.premiernutrition.com/product.html I pay about $25.00 for a carton of 18 drink boxes at Costco in the city where I live. I drink one of these every morning for my Breakfast and nothing else and it has been almost 3 years since my “sleeve surgery.” The next Protein Drink that I have tried is called: Matrix 2.0 Mint Cookies made by Syntrax. You can check this out on this Web Site. http://www26.netrition.com/syntrax_matrix_page.html The cost for 2.16 lbs. is $22.99 plus postage. Item # 39-0963 My next Protein Drink that I have tried and like is: nectar, variety pack, you get 13 single servings in a variety pack. The cost is $22.95. This is the Web Site and they are made by Syntrax also. http://www6.netrition.com/syntrax_nectar_page.html There is one other Protein Drink that I found on Obesity Help.com that was rated really high by 188 people. I have never had it, but you might want to check it out. The name of the protein drink is: Carb Solution High Protein Power—it comes in more than one flavor. They also have cans of it already mixed. The Protein Powers cost $12.99. It has 110 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 4 carbs, and 20 grams of protein. This is the Web Site for Carb Solution at Wal-Mart. http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?q=Carb+Solution&qs=ti&ga=us7&ts=go On www.ObesityHelp.com they have a lot of different information about Protein Drinks and they list so many different brands and people have rated the ones they really like check this site out. It has a lot of information about almost all the protein drinks that we find out there. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/nutrition/a,prodsearch/searchtype,1/criteria,11/ I hate Isopure. It does NOT taste good to me—I know that some people like it. I call it Isopuke, and it reminds me of pond scum. I have been told if you buy it at a GNC and don’t like it and still have your receipt they will refund your money if it hasn’t been more than 30 days since you purchased it from them. I guess they will do that with protein powers too—ask before you buy what their policy is about returning something if you don’t like it. So if you want to try it remember this. There always seems to be a GNC in most Malls.

Hi I have been around for 3 years and have never heard about them. I want you to be careful. Not all Protein is good protein. So make sure that you have good quality protein. There is no short cuts to eating healthy and lose weight. This is something that you are putting in your body to please make it is good quality protein. If you need any suggestions about some Proteins I am happy to share with you what I like and use. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Don t beat yourself up over this. It is done, you can't change the past. Move on and change tomorrow. Your new sleeve is just fine. Do some extra work outs this next week. Make some healthy choices and get back on track. In a few days you will feel just fine. You are the 1st person to do this or the last person to do this. Hugs, Suzannne