TheSkinnyCow73

This happens to me at least once a month. I hate it, but it reminds to stay on track and check my eating. Don't let it get to you. You will start dropping again. It is just the body's way of adjusting to the weight loss.
http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

Thanks for the info !! I'm happy with my choice with Dr Rod! In very excited. I spoke with a coordinator before for Dr Garcia and ahe said they did not have in house financing. Im very pleased with my choice and really excited!!

I think everyone has that AHA moment! Just be aware that we also have a later stage that happens right around the time we're going to have surgery where we second-guess ourselves and think "Wow! Why can't I just try (diet, exercise, voodoo rituals) and do it on my own?"
One of the most helpful analogies I have found comes from Dr Oz. He says that being 100 pounds overweight is like having a terminal cancer. You'd operate on the cancer, for sure, so why wouldn't you operate for the weight?

I agree. It would have been a lot easier for me to NOT leave the country and have 85% of my stomach taken out in a serious surgery. I'd be a lot unhappier at over 200 lbs, but nothing worth having ever is easy.

The easy way out is sitting on the couch stuffing your face with junk...yep. That;s the easy way out..... to your grave.

A while back someone posted a comeback they had used and it was about people who say its the easy way out and if they can lose 10 pounds on the liquid diet, why not just keep that up. Their reply was "can you hold your breath for one minute?"... okay, hold it for the rest of your life. Anyone can hold their breath for a short while, but its a little more difficult to do it long term. I thought this was a profound statement.

Easy way out comeback... I just tell them I had a very serious illness I was dieing from and I am now in recovery. HAHAHA... It's true. Then they feel like a total jackass and I feel better.

I've already stated in another post that i'm not a violent person, but the first one that says that to me is gonna get punched dead in the face!!

How about, "Me taking the easy way out? What about your short cut to being an idiot with the brainectomy you obviously had?"

I haven't experienced it either yet, but that's not to say I won't. I would challenge them to live like they're sleeved for a week. I'd put a sleeved persons portion of food and 80oz of Water in front of them and tell them to survive on 3 meals that size per day and drink all the fluids in a day, then have them ride my 8 miles every night with me, tell them to get up and go to the gym in the morning with me, and have them do it for a week straight, then ask them how "easy" that was.

Try egg drop Soup from Chinese resturant. I was craving the salt and something more like food and less sweet.

How would any of you feel if you found out that someone was deliberately trying to take food out of your family's mouth by spreading rumors about your career? A career that you have spent years and years training and educating yourself in? I dont think that would make any of you very happy and especially when everyone keeps asking you the same questions over and over and over again. ALM didnt even have the balls to tell Dr. Kelly to his face! They just started moving patients to Dr. Garcia and he had NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON!! CLASSY!!! And I know this first hand because I spoke to Dr. Kelly personally when all this started back at the beginning of January.
I dont blame Dr. Kelly a bit for being offended and changing his attitude or even being rude. He has worked damn hard to become the surgeon that he is today, I researched the hell out of him before I made the decision to go with him.... His credentials and record speaks for itself and I am sure he is tired of hearing all the bullshit that A Lighter Me is spreading.... I easily found his license #2006280 and verified it at www.cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx/cedula/indexAvanzada.action so GottaGo, get a grip.
Isnt it funny how Linda and Sandy from ALighterMe didnt mind standing next to Dr. Kelly at his induction into FACS last year (www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8910330.htm) Do all of you understand how elite that group of surgeons really is and for him to be recognized speaks volumes!! He was an awesome surgeon back then and ALM didnt mind putting that all over his credentials on their website at the time.... so what happened? I will tell you what happened, JEALOUSY.. ALM didnt like the fact that Dr. Kelly was still working with Trish (the other woman!! Oh, my!!!) and she was giving his patients what ALM couldnt, PERSONAL ATTENTION!!!
Gottago, you really need get off these boards. We all know that you are Sandy or Linda or one of their trolls and trying to drum up more business for Dr. Garcia. Why dont you GO DO YOUR JOB and really go out and market Dr. Garcia and build his business and reputation instead of trying to ruin an excellent surgeon's reputation and wasting all this time on these boards?
Give Dr. Garcia what he is paying you for.. representation of his skills! Not a smear campaign against another doctor!

Have no fear! The Fluid weight WILL come off! Just keep doing what you are supposed to and it will come right off! I promise you this from experience!
I gained 14lbs of IV Fluid being on an IV for 3 days solid. I was sooo discouraged too but I came to the boards and talked with others that had the same thing happen and 7-8 days later, the fluid weight was gone and I was down 2lbs on top of that!
Hang in there... and like most will tell you, stay away from the scales right now! I know it is hard because you want to see the weight drop instantaneously (that is what I wanted to see too!) but do yourself a favor and give it at least a week or two.
Good luck and WELCOME TO THE LOSERS BENCH!!!
Amy

For those of you that are thinking about being sleeved in MX with Dr. Rodriguez, dont hesitate!
I researched and chose Dr. Rod because of his ability to work with scar tissue after talking with some of his former patients that had a revision surgery. I had the Molina band for 17 years (had it removed here in the states since insurance was nice enough to cover it!!) so needless to say, my tummy had some scar tissue and i needed a surgeon that could handle this. Dr. Rod did with ease!
Here is my detailed journey/experience...
My husband and I arrived on Friday, 2/10/12 at 5-ish due to our plane being late. Sergio, the driver, met us at the doors of the airport and guided us to one of his drivers, Alfonso, for the ride across the border. It was uneventful driving across and we laughed and joked with Alfonso about eating real mexican food and what is was like living in MX. He was very open and honest and made us feel less like tourists and more like a long lost relative. It took about 20 minutes to get to Star Medica Hospital from El Paso Airport.
Once we were at the hospital, Alfonso grabbed our suitcases and delivered us to Dr. Calderon, the psychiatrist and the first person you meet on staff with Dr. Rodriguez's team. He is very quiet/soft spoken and explains everything to you in great detail. He answered all of our questions about the surgery and paperwork (my husband was asking most of the questions) and then off I went with him to have my chest xray. That took all of 15 minutes total and we were off to our room on the 3rd floor.
The rooms are fantastic!! Other than the hospital bed, you get the feeling of a hotel room more than a hospital room. The shower is huge and everything is super clean. The couch/bed that my husband slept on was a memory foam and very comfy for him and of course, I had a hospital bed, nuff said on that! Once we got settled in, the nurses came in and weighed me, drew my blood and did the ekg. We had the rest of the night to do whatever so we went and walked down to Denny's for my "last meal" of sorts... I had a lower bmi so Dr. Calderon said it was okay if i had a healthy last meal as long as I didnt eat or drink anything after midnight. Deal!
Something that everyone needs to remember is that not everyone speaks English so using the handout that BeLiteWeight gives you or Google Translator is a must!
The next morning (2/11/12), I woke up to the nurses getting me ready for my IV. Martha got me on the first stick and I was so thankful for that! Once she was done, the anesthesiologist came in and talked with me for about 15 minutes asking the usual questions. She was really nice but I cant remember her name to save my life! Then Dr. Rod came in and sat down and explained everything that was going to happen and answered all my questions and my husband's questions too. Didnt hurt that he smells damn good too! Around 1pm, they came in and wheeled my entire bed to the surgery waiting room.. that is when I really got nervous. Hubby was upstairs, I was there alone, hardly anyone spoke english in the surgery waiting area so I broke out into a sweat and the mind started racing. eeek! Then it was my turn... they wheeled me into the surgery room.. I calmed down when I heard the mexican music playing.. the surgical room looked just like the one I was in here in Houston. The last thing I remember was the Anesthesiologist looking over the top of my head and asking if I was okay and telling me that everything was going to be fine. I was out and she was right!
I came out of recovery without any problems (I have read where some folks have tubes down their throats when they wake up, this wasnt the case for me) so they wheeled me back into my room where my hubby was.. boy, was he a sight for sore eyes!!! Seeing him assured me that everything was good! By the time I got back to my room it was around 4-4:30pm. I had some gas pains but nothing out of the ordinary. I kinda knew what to expect since I had my band removed a month earlier and went through the same thing. The only thing that bothered me was the drain. ugh! that teeny-tiny incision hurt the worst and still gives me trouble 11 days post op! Throughout the next couple of days they stick my finger for blood sugar and get my bp reading/temperature ever 6 hours or so.
You cant drink anything for the first 24 hours and that didnt really bother me. I was too busy trying to manage the drain and walk around to get the damn gas out of me. burping never felt soooo good! Since you have an IV hoooked up the whole time, pain management was really good and any time I felt queasy, they handled it immediately. If you hit the nurse button, they were there within 2 minutes of it going off. Just make sure you are ready to ask them in Spanish if you have someone that doesnt speak good english. Anna and Anna were the two best nurses on the floor for me. The one thing I recommend to everyone is to make sure you have a bowel movement before you leave. The nurses will ask you how much you are peeing and pooping... make sure they give you something to make you go if you havent!! Seriously! We got home and i hadnt had one in 5 days and it was horrible giving myself an enema that soon after surgery!
The leak test was cool but awful! You cant have any ice chips/broth/jello/apple juice until you have the leak test with Dr. Elmo... that liquid is horrible tasting but watching it go through your new nanner tummy is amazing and worth the two gulps you have to take! Dr. Elmo gives you Water to wash it down once you are done. They give you a copy of your leak test xray to bring home.. it shows the progression of the Fluid as it moves through the tummy. They even let my husband go in and watch it! How awesome was that! Once the leak test is over and you pass, you get the dreaded drain out ( Dr. Elmo takes it out and does it very well! But dont watch it! LOL) and you get ice chips and broth! Yay!
The broth they serve you is delicious and tastes like Ramen Soup chicken broth! The also bring you Jello and fresh squeezed apple juice. YUMMY! you are also given hot Water and a cup/ tea bag/ sugar if you want warm tea. Take it slow when you start sipping the broth... the warmness feels good going down but everyone is different. My sleeve sister couldnt handle the broth and hated the Jello. I loved them both!
Dr. Rod, Dr. Elmo and Dr. Calderon come in each day and check on you and talk to you if you have any questions. The day before you leave they deliver your operative report, leak test xray/chest xray, prescription for the antibiotics, acid reducer pills, and pain meds.
On Monday morning, 2/13/12) Dr. Rod came in and said goodbye to us. He offered his phone number or to contact Beliteweight if there are any questions. Sergio calls you when he gets to the hospital and off you go to the airport. Be prepared because that is the bumpiest damn ride ever!!!!! bring a pillow or something to hold close to your tummy! We left at 11am on Monday morning and it took us 1 hour to get across the border bridge (our flight left at 3pm so we had plenty of time). We flashed our passports, they asked if we bought anything, and we were on our way. And tip Sergio well! He was very entertaining and full of stories and information about Juarez and the lifestyle there. If you have time (and make sure you do!), ask him to bring you by the restaurant to get the wonderful homemade chicken broth. for $5 you get a container of the best chicken broth ever!!!
All in all, I am sooo happy I chose Beliteweight and Dr. Rod! Beliteweight (JoAnne, Jamie, Amy, and Sharon) helped me with ALL my FMLA, FSA credit card payments and paperwork, and my short-term disability papers. They were very understanding and helpful and i cant thank them enough!
I started this journey at 213 and 11 days post op I am sitting at 206.
(this includes the 7-8 days (14 lbs of Fluid retention from the IV) it took to get back to my pre op weight of 213!)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
xoxox - Amy
p.s. - Dont forget to bring the following!
personal pillow - stuff it in a suitcase but dont forget it!
chapstick!
flipflops for walking the halls although they provide slippers
heating pad - it helped with the pain soo much!
computer/smartphone for communicating - we have ATT and didnt have any roaming in Juarez and the hospital has wifi too.
pajama pants to wear while walking the halls. you are hooked to an IV so the top is pretty much useless until you are ready to go home or take a shower.
clothes to wear home that are 2x bigger than what you normally wear... you will most likely gain weight with the IV if you have to be on it more than 2 days, so be prepared!

Today's my one-year anniversary, it kind of sneaked up on me. One year ago today, I had a sleeve gastrectomy, and now a year later I weigh about 90lb less (down about 42kg) and went from 40 BMI to 24 BMI. Started in size 18W-20W and am now in a size 6 or 8 trousers and mostly medium tops. I work out three times a week, walk to work and back every day, eat too much sometimes, eat mostly healthy most of the time, and enjoy my life. I could still be happy with another 3-8 kg loss, but I'm not sweating it. :-)
Thanks for listening...now and throughout the past year.

My family has given me a weird look or two when they see what I am eating. For example I love to have a scrambled egg and pour 1 or 2 tbsp of natural yogurt on it. Another one is some tuna with mayo and a hint of honey, I know mayo and honey wouldn't usually be considered diet food, but I only eat 2oz of the whole can.
Do you find that you crave weird combinations?

This may sound stupid to be excited about but I can now cross my legs when sitting at tables and at my desk at work. My knee brushes the top of the table slightly when crossed. I went to crossing my legs under a table to not being able to cross them AT ALL!! What a great feeling!!! :wub:

I had to go shopping this past weekend for new jeans because mine were getting saggy in the crotch..lol When I started my journey I was a tight size 26 jean and now I fit into a size 20 comfortably...holey moley!!!!!!! I have lost 60 pounds and counting. Stil have a long road, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Everyone will be different at this stage because you all have different sized stomachs and swelling will vary from person to person. You'll feel restriction likely with every bite, so take it easy.
Things I loved: scrambled eggs made with american cheese to make the eggs moist. Refried Beans with cheese, Soups, pulverized egg, tuna and chicken salad...meaning no big chunks. My family had Pasta with meat sauce for dinner so I took some of the meat sauce, mushed it with a fork and added some parm cheese....sooo good. when they had tacos, I ate some of the meat with cheese and a bit of guacamole. Soft white fish mashed with a fork was good too. I had some mashed squash and sweet potatoes that were delish. I know many swear by mashed taters, but I did low carb and stayed away. One night I made egg plant parm for the family and it smelled so good that I put some in the magic bullet for me. It was mush, but the taste....omg, so good. I did some crock pot meals for the family as well and just mashed mine up. Pot roast, gravy and carrots in the magic bullet tasted like heaven even if I could only eat a miniscule amount. HTH

Thanks I actually eat pretty much everything lol, No bread, Pasta,rice or potatoes for now,when I get to my goal I will incorporate them maybe if I tolerate them well.
I usually eat a lot of cheese as for Snacks,eggs and fruits. I LOVE sweets so I when I now when I am craving sweets I am having half of one low carb Protein bar.
What is helping me the most is the exercise ,is amazing how much that can help Trying to go the gym 6 days a week now cardio and weights!!!

You're doing fine! Who knows how much fluids they pumped you full of in the hospital. Who knows how long it took your body to get rid of those fluids. And as far at the differences in the scale go- sometimes they're just dumb! We know this!! HaHa

I am going to post, but I am not a doctor or counselor.
This is more than head hunger. This is more than if your tummy can take it. I bet you are also drinking fluids with your food, and that will make it easier to eat more, and you will be able to push more food through.
You should not be eaing at all two weeks out. But you know that.
Everyone is being very nice and supportive but I am going to be a bit different. You are a grown woman who has cut away your stomach in order to lose weight. You have lost weight so you think the cheating won't matter - you have two sets of facts in your head and you are going to have to decide which you believe. Do you believe you can go on doing this and it won't matter because obviously you have lost weight, or will you decide upon the actual truth, which is you are doing damage to your body, continuing old habits, and setting yourself up to fail?
If you keep stuffing food you still do not have an excuse - you cant go back to eating like that, using the excuse that you ruined your restriction. I will give you the information that you will now never be able to use that as an excuse again:
YOUR STOMACH WAS CUT AWAY. You had over 600cc of tummy and it was reduced to 50cc-80cc, on average. You had trocars inserted into your abdomen, another tube was passed into your stomach through your throat and the doctor used that internal tube to gauge the staples - your tummy is as big as the tube they used. You were stapled, sewn over the staples so they do not have pressure against them, and that extra tummy was put in a pouch and sucked up a tube and thrown away. Your stomach takes a long time to stretch out, it can be provided with and learn to have elasticity - to go back and forth - but that is not the stretching we are talking about. You have not stretched out your tummy. There is no excuse for the foods except you choose to.
It feels very good when we are stressed and feel like we are over our heads to get sympathy kuddos, which you are doing now. You feel lost, you did not prepere enough, and you aren't sure how to procede with something so permanent, so you just do what you always do. To make it better you confess, and get some attention and it is very unlikely unless you evaluate this on a very sincere level it will not change.
I think you anticipate being told how to fix this but no one can do that for you. Look at your environment and start fixing it.
We are a damn good community here and we want you to succeed. I can't imagine how I would have felt to be doing that after the surgery. It's all on you. Keep a journal if you have to. Write it down as you do it so you can see it adding up. Counseling is imperative - and confide in those around you - those of you you know can help. Don't allow the food in your house. Something, anything.
In no way take my post as me putting you down, or bitching, I care. I really do. I would rather be sure someone said what I did and it possibly be needed than it be left out of fear of people thinking I was too abrupt. Let us know what the doctor said, and in the meantime do what you can. You are more at risk of popping a leak in your sleeve than anything, and it it was accompanied with a hemmorage it could be fatal. I will be praying for you.
It sounds damn mean but guys, seriously, sometimes the harder stuff has to be said.

I cannot believe myself... I've been cheating on my diet pretty much this entire time since Ive been sleeved 2 weeks ago. I started in week one eating tuna, then now in week two I've progressed on to even worse... Things I know I definitely should not be eating but somehow I can cheat and tolerate everything I've put in my sleeve.. I am so embarrassed and ashamed with myself that at 16 days out I'm screwing up as bad as I am. Everyday I wake up and tell myself that Im going to do better today but I always end up cheating.... I've lost 16.7 lbs since surgery and I know it would be more if I could just stick to the plan.. Has anyone else had trouble adjusting to this new lifestyle change this early on?

Found this on Pinterest.. sounds yummy and might be a good occassional sweet tooth solution for some of us..
Protein Peanut Butter CUPS -
1 scoop chocolate whey Protein powder -
1 TBSP all-natural Peanut Butter -
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder -
1-2 packets of Stevia -
4oz Water -
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender -
Divide the peanut butter mixture into round muffin tins (USE a SILICONE tray!!!), filling about 3/4 full. -
Place filled muffin tin in freezer and let freeze for about an hour or until firm
(Freeze any extra peanut butter cups for up to five days)

Found this on Pinterest.. sounds yummy and might be a good occassional sweet tooth solution for some of us..
Protein Peanut Butter CUPS -
1 scoop chocolate whey Protein powder -
1 TBSP all-natural Peanut Butter -
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder -
1-2 packets of Stevia -
4oz Water -
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender -
Divide the peanut butter mixture into round muffin tins (USE a SILICONE tray!!!), filling about 3/4 full. -
Place filled muffin tin in freezer and let freeze for about an hour or until firm
(Freeze any extra peanut butter cups for up to five days)