E-girl

I use flavored creamer which has sugar in it but very sparingly. Too much will cause dumping to occur which can give you the runs.

1. Are full liquids eating, i.e. no drinking for 30-90 minutes after? Ask your doctor. 2. Is Jello considered eating? No, its a full liquid believe it or not. 3. Can I drink broth all day? Is there a difference between chicken and beef? Yes, and nothing. 4. I don't like artificial sugar for the sugar free diet. How can I compensate? You can't. Although you have had a sleeve. You can still get dumping as you do with gastric bypass if you eat sooo much table sugar. But you won't have the cramps...you will get diarhea...trust me. 5. How do I keep the momentum going with the weight loss? I'm starting to feel hunger, but can't eat. I'm worried about going into starvation now that I'm actually feeling hungry and it working backwards for me. I'm also afraid that when I do start eating it will either stop the weight loss or go backwards because of the previous "starvation". Momentum, momentum, momentum, I want to keep it rolling. If you wait to each until you get hungry. Make sure you are eating every 3 hours at least (3 meals - Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 Protein shakes) It the protein that is most important as it contributes to healing and more "filling". 6. I'm having a hard time watching my family eat. It grosses me out the food intake not so much with my growing boys, but especially with my husband who is going to have the surgery also. I feel like....."hey do you realize how much food you eat and I'm over here drinking broth all day long! Get control of yourself." Yikes, I know. So sorry, but it's true. This is emotional. You don't realize the emotions that you will go through in this life changing journey. Don't know if anyone told you but when you lose a lot of fat, your body will release a lot of hormones into you rsystem which give you mood swings like crazy. I felt the same way about my family but I remembered that my husband did not have the surgery and I didn't like it when someone told me that I ate too much so I usually talk more at the table or sit down at the table 10 minutes after everyone else does so that we all finish at the same time. My husband has decided to go forward with the surgery so soon he'll know what I went through. 7. TMI Warning!! I am on the Depo shot and I have been spotting ever since the surgery - 12 days. I never have a period if I do it a day or two of lite spotting. This is every time I wipe, not fresh but old if you know what I mean. Sorry again. Could something in the surgery have messed with my shot or what are your thoughts on this? I do not want to get pregnant! Again the hormone release do to the rapid release of fat can do this. Call your doctor to besure. 8. I'm starting to feel normal and that scares me a little. When I could feel the soreness and restriction (no hunger), it made it easier to not eat and be great with it. Now, it's like appetite is coming back. I'm scared of gaining. Other diets have worked opposite for me and I don't want this to also. I'm scared of any change or move! I feel like I have to starve myself to keep this going. :-( Remember this is a tool to help you adjust to a new healthy life style. If you try to eat something fried or full of sugar you will get very sick. You will only be able to get 300-500 calories in the first month or so then you will need to get 800 to keep your hair from falling out. And it will be a challege to get 800 in. I am at 3 months and I'm struggling to get 600 calories. Also measure, measure, measure your food. I can't stress this enough. Normally, leaks occur 3 weeks after surgery because patients feel better and use the sleeve to gage fullness. But remember, it take 20 minutes for your mind to get that signal that you are full so by then you would have consumed to much. Besides, if you do eat to much or too fast, you will thowup and believe me, it's no the same as throwing up before you had surgery...it's worst! Not to freak you out but it is painful and sometime lasting. You will also plateu that will sometimes last for a week. You may gain a little when drop the following day. These are all normal things. I used a calendar to write down my weight everyday and the total lost. Then at the end of the month I figure out how much weight was down for the month. One month I gained 5 pounds but had at total weight loss of 13 pounds. My husband has been very supportive. He is having his surgery in August. We have already change what we eat when we go out and what I cook for the family. Being obese is just as much of a mental battle as it is an emotional and physical battle. Everytime I was tempted to eat bad or eat fast or stuff my face or felt sad that I can't eat what everyone else was eating, I would redirect my mind to think " in 3 month I am going to look HOT!!!!" Now, I am the envy of every woman at work! I can fit in to a Small Shirt!!!! i have never fit into a small shirt!!!!!!! 9. Life evolved around cooking, eating out, social eating, etc. I've halted all of that and feel a little trapped. No one except immediate family, i.e. husband, sons, and girlfriend who went to hospital with me know that I have done this. I don't lie and would have a hard time explaining why I'm not eating, drinking alcohol, participating in the activities this early in my post surgery. So we are using our workload right now as a reason for staying home, etc. There's so much there for me right now. My husband is extremely supportive and wants me to do the same for him when he has the surgery. Sorry rambling but trying to get through the emotional/mental part of it. I like to cook too. It was a real adjustment to cook healthly things. I have discovered new foods as part of the process and that has been fun. As far as explaining why I don't eat to colleagues, I told them before the surgery. For colleagues I haven't seen in a while, I told them the truth if they ask and answered their questions. I have had only one person treat me bad but she was a big B to begin with so I was prepared to handle it. As for anyone who had past judgement on me to my face or behind my back, that just doesn't bother me because I did this for me and my family and for my health and that is all that is important. I think you will surprise how supportive people can be. Most people are just curious. And again don't get sorry about rambling because you are emotional...it's the hormones talking. 10. I'm still bloated and tend to bloat throughout the day. Is this normal or what can I do to alleviate this? Yes, this is normal. I was bloated for 5 weeks. This is because of swelling. Also there may be gas still trapped inside. Walking makes a big difference. 11. I know I don't get enough liquids in as I can't drink Water. Any liquid suggestions would be great. Frozen sugar free popsicles, warm tea, and sugar free gatorade were my friend. I also had sugar free jello and broth. 12. I can already tell that my absorption rate is super sensitive and high! Within seconds of trying something, I either feel sick, lightheaded or full or all of the above. Does this stay? When food is introduced will it be one bite at a time? You may need to eat slower. Take a bite, chew 25 times, swallow, then count for 10 before taking another bite. This does going away...sort of. You will get sick, lightheaded if you eat too fast. As far as full, you will have to figure that part out on your own but my Doctor told me to start with 4 Tbsp. (2 tbsp of a protein, 1 tbsp veg, tbsp fruit - in that order) but be prepared if you can only get 2 tbsp down. I started with 2 tbsp but now I am up to 1/4 cup. 13. I think protein shakes make me sick?? You tastes with change over time. I liked my protein shakes before the surgery. Then could not stand them for about 6 weeks after surgery but now I like them again. I would try a bunch of difference one. I like the Unjuy and nectar brands. The nectar brands taste like fruit juice with not after taste.

For me, I had to go on it after I switched to regular food. No big deal. My doctor said that the sleeve to does not fix reflux.

My kids were 6 and 8. I didn't want to stress them out or scare them. So i told them that mommy was going to a doctor that was going to give me some "skinny shots" and that I was going to go the hospital for a couple of days. My husband told them to not hand or hug on mommy for the first two weeks because the "skinny shots" hurt. But my kids were really young. My 8 year old probably could have been fine with me telling him everything but my 6 year old is a worrywart. I think it depends of the kid. If you don't want them to worry, I would limit what you say and don't make it big deal.

I had a meeting this week with one of my working groups that physically meets once a year for two days and so many people really noticed the difference with me. The team lead couldn’t figure it out, the difference I mean, so I told him that I lost 57 lbs with the assistance of a weight loss surgery called a gastric sleeve. Then I answered all the usually questions. So we got on the topic of weight loss surgery and one of the girls said that her sister died from WLS (Gastric Bypass). OMG. I felt sooooo bad but the weird thing about her story was she did not die from the surgery but 5 years after because she became addicted to food again. She didn’t go into the details but it seems to me based on what she was saying that her sister didn’t follow the doctor’s diet plan, very much like me friend who went through Gastric Bypass 10 years ago. There have been sooo many people who have come up to me to tell me about people they know people who gain their weight back after Gastric Bypass. I know I had a gastric sleeve but I really hope that I am not one of those who do gain their weight back. On a happier note, I am a size 10 and I am 2 lbs. from being overweight. So far I have lost 58 lbs. in 81 days, that’s 5 lbs. a week on average. Of course I am no losing 5 lbs. a week but my breakdown is as follows: Month 1: 35 lbs., Size 18/20, XXL Month 2: 13 lbs., Size 14/12, L Month 3: 10 lbs., Size 10, M As you can see, it is slowing down. I hope to lose 10 lbs a month until I reach my goal. I have only 20 lbs. to lose to reach my personal goal but 30 for the doctor’s goal. I am thinking I should just stick with my doctor’s goal. Lastly, my husband is going forward with his surgery. We went to his first appointment. They change their program a little so the cost went up by 100 bucks but that’s ok. We expect that he will go under in August. <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/w1UVJj6/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w1UVJj6/weight.png"></a>

I started at 208 and now I am 151. So 57 pounds down since Feb 7.

So last week I was on travel and I did pretty good. I didn't get the eat all the things that everyone else was eating, which made me a little sad. My coworkers went to famous local places like Fat Matt's Rib Shack, Glady's Chicken and Waffles, and the Flying Bisquik. I didn't go but everyone else did and said "it's the best they had ever had." Tradition southern cooking...deep fried or full of sugar...I miss food like that. BUT...it did have fun with everyone saying how good I looked and see old friends. I also noticed that I suddenly became very interesting to many of the men there. Tee hee! I did do realy good eating too. I mainly had the breakfast that I packed (mini wheats) with soy milk and apart of a banana. For lunch, I have the dinner from the night before. For dinner I had grilled chicken with a salad, salmon with asparagus, and steak with green beans. I didn't workout because I forgot to pack my workout outfits. But my best friend and coworker found a really big mall near by which we walked for about two hours a night...stopping of course to shop. I didn't by anything because I didn't want to spend any money on something that was only going to fit for a month. For my protein shakes, I had the Nectar brand packs, which was great because they are really easy to mix and taste great! When I got home, the first thing I did was weight myself. I was only hoping that I didn't gain anything. However, to my pleasant surprize, I drop 4.6 pounds. I am about 5 pounds away from being classified as "overweight".

I told everyone, family, friends, and everyone at work because I didn't want to have everyone asked me why I was out for two weeks or you look like you losing weight what's your secret. I personally wanted people to asked me questions or express their concerns before the surgery and not after. My family and friends was very supportive (mostly)...work was also supportive except for 1 person but she was a big B to begin with so I expected it. One of my work friends had a lot of questions about my experience...later to find out he is having by pass surgery at the end of the month. I am a very strong person and out spoken at work so I know most people wouldn't say anything negitive to my face which is fine by me. But people will talk and not always nicely...people still think this is a easy way out, which it's not...and some people will just think your sickly/pitiful/weak which is not the case because you are doing something that will hopefully extend your life and give you a better quality of life. To those people, I say "Yes, I cheated...cheated heart failure, high blood pressure, back and knee pain, depression, and an earily grave...so yes, I cheated". But to be honest, if I had to do it all over again, I would only tell my family and closest friends but not lie if asked by coworkers.

The anesthesia is the easy part. Most doctor's will say something like count backwards from 10 to 1 when they inject you but you'll be lucky to get the word "ten" out. The meds go in the via IV. Then you just wake up...you'll be cold but they have blankets that have been warmed. Don't forget to ask for a small pillow so you can cough. The coughing is normal but hold is tight to your belly then cough. It will still hurt a little but not as bad without the pillow. Good luck...and welcome to the club.

I just order a sample of Nectar. A man are they good!!!! I have a hard time with protein shakes too. The only one I could choke down was chocolate Unjury but one of the forums mentioned Nectar. They taste like fruit juice and don't have a funny smell. They are also aspartame free and have 23 g of protein per drink.

Yes you will have sagging skin. My friend was 250 and lost 100 pounds. She had hanging skin in her inner thighs, belly, and arms. The belly skin was removed via a tummy tuck 2 years after WLS because she was getting a rash. Good news is that her insurance pick up some of the cost...it wasn't a lot but something is better than nothing. The arms and inner thighs she decided to live with. She wear 3/4 sleeve shirt and a body shapers under her pants. I have lost 50 lb and I already have hanging skin in the same areas. I also wear 3/4 sleeves and body shapers under the pants. I plan on getting a tummy tuck and lazer lippo in my arms and inner thighs in 2 years.

WOW...never thought I would be overjoyed to lose 0.2 lbs before but hey...a loss is loss, right?!?! Well Monday I will be going on a business trip away from home. This will be the first long trip since my surgery. I am very concerned about how successful I will be away from my refrigerator and my resources. But I am taking with me my protein packs and 4 – 4oz containers of mini wheat’s. I found a grocery store near the hotel and my boss is renting a car so I will be able to drive there on the first day. My doctor even wrote me a note that says I need to have access to frig and microwave. Hopefully, they will be able to meet my needs. If any of you have traveled this early with a sleeve (9 wks), tell me how it went.

So I modified my breakfast for the last couple of days to see if that would help and it worked. I have strawberry mini wheats in soy milk and some banana. Went down great. But I have not lost any weight 5 days. In fact, I went up by half a pound and I am really trying hard not to freak out. So I worked out longer today. We shall see how I did tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I thought the guggling would never stop but it does. Its totally normal...annoying...but normal. It goes away within 4-6 weeks but sometime longer. I only get the guggles when I drink to fast. I used bean-o and walked. Also, once I was able to go back on prilosec it got a thousand times better.

One of my issues was not getting in my protein shakes in between my meal. During yesterday's visit to my doctor's I admitted that I just couldn't do it. It was smell and taste that would make me gag! And I tried quite a few different types. The only one that doesn't bother me as bad is chocolate flavored ones, which is funny because before the surgery, I could drink chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc. I even made shakes with oj and lemonade...for example if you mix vanilla powder with oj it tasted like a creamsicle...or strawberry powder with lemonade....yummy then....yucky now. So all your pre-surgery folks...be prepared...what you like now you may not like after. I have noticed that my hair is falling out more so than normal. The nurse explained that this is normal for two reasons...(1) the shock of surgery and the sudden drop in calories will cause this to occur and (2) not getting enough protein also causes hair loss. Good news is that is only last between 3-6 months and it can be corrected. Sooooo my goal is to ensure that I drink a protein shake twice a day as directed. My hair loss is really not that big a deal for me because I have A LOT and I mean A LOT of hair and my hair is very thick and coarse so I don't think losing a few strands is going to break the bank but I will say that my girlfriend who had bypass loss her hair and it did not look good. She looked like she was balding. She was not getting her protein in at all. Today, she looks normal but she also gained back 50+ pounds. I am happy to report that I am able to drink a full 8 ozs of a protein shake at this point in one sitting but it does take an hour. The other issue I have been having lately is diarrhea. It's not all the time but very random and quite sudden. Since I have not been tracking what I have been eating everyday (which you should be doing by the way), I have no idea what was triggering it. The nurse said that it is not uncommon to become lactose intolerant after surgery and that milk can cause diarrhea. Or sugar is the problem...I know what you are thinking...you had gastric sleeve not bypass...well guess what...you can get dumping syndrome in a gastric sleeve as with bypass but without the horrible cramps as with bypass. She explained that when you introduce large amounts of sugar into the system this will cause your body to “dump” water into your intestinal track to flush it out causing diarrhea. I asked about fiber sups to help. She said she would not have an issue with that but I have to get in at least 64 oz of water in a day and I am not there yet. If you take fiber sups. without adequate water you will be constipation. SOOOOOo…I am trying Silk instead of milk. Read the labels because Almond Silk only has 1 gram of protein and regular Silk has 6 grams. Also, I was admitted that I had a tall skinny caramel macchiato which has 24 grams of sugar!!!!! (the light came on). NOT TO CONFUSE PRE-SURGERY READERS but you are only supposed to have 6 grams of sugar per meal…that’s added sugar…naturally occurring sugar is ok like in fruit. Anyways, it time for lunch…

Going back to work was a lot harder than I thought. My job requires that I travel to local site 2-3 times a week and sometimes I would forget my lunch so I had to eat out. But I think I have finally adjusted. I hate to admit it but I had buyer's remorse up until week 6. Three things happened...(1) I was able to get into a size 14, (2) I was able to drink 50 oz of water and didn't have dry mouth any more and (3) my husband told me that he was going to go through the surgery as well. Eating is better too. So today I had my 8 week follow up with the nurse and dietition. I am not longer under any restriction. I can have strawberries, nuts, and drink through a straw. YAY!!!!!! Also, I have lost 43 lbs and I fit into a size 12 comfortably but can squeeze into a size 10. My back no longer hurts. My knees no longer crack. I can run up and down the stairs no problem. I feel great! It was totally worth it. Oh...and my sex life is amazing!!!!! :wub:

Its really just a test. Mine consisted of a 259 question (that's right...not 260 but 259) online quiz and a one-on-one interview with the pychologist who did a memory test where you look at a series of shapes and have to redraw as many pictures as you can remember. The quiz was on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being most likely and 5 being the least likely. The quiz consisted of questions like...I like my mother...I hear voices...I see things that are not really there...I am always happy...I hate my mother...I sometimes wish I did not exist...I like to hurt myself...etc. Its not a big deal...They just want to make sure you are normal and not suffering for any disorders that would impair your ability to make a rational decision.

Drinking was my biggest problem after surgery. I lived off of sugar free popsicles. But at 6 weeks it suddenly got better. I was able take bigger "sips". I think in the beginning I was able to get in 20 oz at the most. I am at 8 1/2 weeks and I can get 40 oz. It gets better with time. I am still really thirsty all the time jut not as bad as in the beginning.

Do they not have an after hours number? I would try to get a hold of someone tonight!

I want to wish you the best of luck. I won't lie to you. You will have good days and bad days but it is all worth it. Welcome to healthy!

I hear ya! I feel the same way. I can't even say "there are days when..." because it is everyday. In the very begining I really regretted doing it all the time, all day long....but now... it like once a day I reget the surgery because I want to eat the same things that family is having at dinner time. After that, I back to normal remembering why I did it in the first place. I am much happier now not being classified as morbidly obese, being able to tie my shoes without holding my breathe, and buying clothes in the normal sections instead of the womens department. I take one day at a time. Sometimes I think I could do fat too but then I remember how unhappy I was. I would much rather be angry/depressed for an hour a day about not being able to have all my comfort foods and pigging out than being angry/depressed for being morbidly obese and afraid of an earily grave. It does get easier. Its a learning process...thats the point of the surgery...to help you make better food choices.

I had my surgery on 2/7/2012 and I am back and forth all the time on my decision. Sure, I have lost 30 lbs in 4 1/2 weeks but I can't enjoy the same foods that my family is having. My husband and I work long hours so we used to go out to eat all the time. Now we go out and I have 2 bits of something and have to sit there and watch my family happy enjoy their food. Also some of the women at work treat me differently. I feel like I can't Celebrate my sucess or I have to down play it to avoid making others feel bad or jealous. I feel really alone sometimes. Eating and drinking is still hard. I am thirsty alll the time because can get enough in. On the other hand, I can bend down and tie my shoes without holding my breathe. I can walk up 2 flights of stairs without stopping at each landing because I was huffing and puffing. I stopped snoring in my sleep. AND....I am no longer classified as morbidly obese. I am not at a point where I can say I love my sleeve...but I do loving that I feel healthier then I have been in 10 years.

I am 4 1/2 weeks out and I have this problem too. It was worse in the very beginning. Walking helped a lot. It happens less frequently now but if I take a big gulp, the stuck burp feeling come back and I get nuseaus.

Sorry I haven’t been in touch for the past 10 days. So the day after my follow-up, things felt easier because I had an explanation as to why I was in so much pain. On Day 12, I was given permission to go from CLEAR (teas, water, crystal lite, broth, plus 2 protein shakes mixed with milk) to FULL liquids, which meant that I could have a creamy soup, vegetable juice, sugar free Jell-O, Cream of Wheat, sugar free pudding, fat free yogurt. On Day 14, I was given permission to go on the Mushy diet plan. The first thing I tried was tuna…not good. I was told that I should have 3 meals and 2 proteins shake. The meal are to be 2 tablespoon of a protein, 1 tablespoon of a veg and 1 tablespoon of a fruit…4 tablespoons total. So I tried 2 tablespoons of tuna with 1 saltine cracker (which is permitted also, if you’re not doing a fruit or veg)…an oh boy it tasted good going down but not so good coming back up. Soooo, I have learned that I can only take in 2 tablespoons at a time. I also wanted to report that I do not have any pain what so ever at this point. The only thing I have is an uncomfortable feeling in my throat if I eat too much. On Day 15, I went back to work…got a little sick at work because my friend and I were talking and I was not paying attention to how much I was putting in my mouth. But I am happy to report that I have only vomited one time. On Day 18 and Day 19…when out to eat with my family for the first time. It wasn’t to bad. I order soup and tea. Because I haven’t been drinking enough, my nutritionist said I can skip the 30/30 rule (for those who don’t know that rule…you have to stop drinking 30 meals before and after the meal) to only 30 mins after the meal. This has helped a lot. I will tell you that I am very tempted to gulp my water but that give me gas pain and it’s just not worth it.

So I went to my first follow up at my doctor’s office. The nutritionist said I was doing fine and to not worry about not being able to get 64 oz of water but to try to drink as much as possible. The gurgling was normal but it might be easier to warm up the water a little or add crystal light to the water. The nurse explained that because I was had a hiatal hernia repair I was experience more pain than most Gastric Sleevers, and that in 4 weeks I would feel like everyother Sleevers.