UXgrrl

Have you looked at support hose, like the kind that they recommend for people with varicose veins or "tired legs"? I personally don't wear hose but I know of one gal (of normal weight) at work who wore support pantyhose throughout her recent pregnancy and well after her postpartum period to help with varicose veins, and they looked like pretty normal pantyhose. One big mfg is Jobst. I wore kneehigh support socks for awhile to see if it would help with my leg pain (it didn't) and I bought a mid- to low-end version, so they were very opaque and kind of stiff... but if you are willing to spend the money, I know they get a lot softer and more translucent. They come in different compressions but for shaping you probably wouldn't need anything more than very mild compression, which is good because that will keep the cost down. But do prepare for a bit of a sticker shock. They aren't cheap, but most shapewear isn't.

I fought for the sleeve vs the RNY for 3 main reasons: 1. I need to take NSAIDs post-op for osteoarthritis, and with RNY you cannot take NSAIDs ever again. 2. The sleeve just seemed so much simpler and involved less messing around with my insides. I can understand the concern about wanting to make damn sure that this surgery works and you lose the weight. Originally I was considering the DS, because the stats made it sound like way more of a sure bet, until the surgeon's PA talked me out of it, citing all sorts of problems. The outcomes for the sleeve are turning out to be pretty comparable to other forms of WLS, but like any procedure, it's possible to "eat around" the sleeve (or eat around a RNY pouch, too) and not lose enough or (horrors) gain back weight. 3. I knew my own personal food demons involved eating too large a quantity of food at one sitting. I didn't make bad food choices, I just ate too damn much. I longed to be satisfied with small portions. I felt the sleeve was the answer for me.

I'm glad that we're talking about this subject. I was thinking there was something the matter with my head. Today was my first day back at work after a 6 week leave and 35 lbs gone. People kept commenting about how much I've lost and how great I looked (even people who didn't know I was gone for medical reasons) which was nice, but for a few weeks now I've been studying myself and my body in the bathroom mirror, searching to evidence that I am actually getting smaller. I just don't see it. I mean, yeah, my clothes are a little looser, and my rolls are softer, and I can bend in half to reach my feet easier because my midsection isn't so thick when it folds up, but that's all... I guess it will be noticable when I lose more weight. 35 isn't really that much in the grand scheme of things.

I was wondering the same thing so I googled it and I think I came up with the same website you're quoting, because those are the same numbers I remember reading. I'm not convinced starvation mode exists, at least until things get really dangerous (eg. the % bodyfat Dorrie mentions above). I think the idea of "starvation mode" is another myth that people use to explain the inevitable stalls. I am fairly sure that my overall metabolism has gone down in response to the drop in caloric intake... otherwise why am I so cold all the time? Someone said to me that it's because I have "less padding" but I wasn't this cold when I was 30 lbs lighter the first time around... If that logic is true, then probably one of the best things we can do to speed up fat burning is to increase muscle mass (would would ironically show up as a "stall" or even a "gain" on the scale).

Don't gross out, but those Gerber Graduates Lil Crunchies (we call them "baby cheetos") come in a bunch of different flavors (tomato basil, cheese, veggie dip, etc) are not too bad. You get 19 of them for 35 calories. They melt in your mouth so you could probably have them on purees even, and are great for scooping up hummus, greek yogurt with ranch dressing mix, and so forth. I would not have guessed this myself but I was crusing around the cupboard half-crazed one night because I needed something with a crunch.

My NUT told me last week that I could be eating the steel-cut oatmeal that I used to eat before surgery. (This was right after laying into me about how I shouldn't have advanced my diet so fast... hello, don't these professionals talk to each other???) I actually really like my oatmeal but I don't like the idea of so many carbs. She told me to eat more white potatoes too. I just looked at her and said, "oh really?" And she went on about how much Fiber and potassium there is in potatoes. "Yeah, in the peel, which according to you I can't eat right now anyway..." That shut her up, and she got that look like she just sucked on a lemon. I got out of there as fast as I could. She was about 80 years old, and probably still had the original USDA food pyramid (the one based on carbs) stuck on her wall. Sorry, the only time in my life that I felt like I was eating right for my body was when I was doing Atkins. High carbs gives me GI trouble and makes me want to sleep. I'll pass, thanks.

Yes, there is much less total volume going into your digestive tract so you're gonna poop less. Although (TMI) I know that the day after I had a BM I'm going to see a loss on the scale

I agree with dramagirl28. I was talking about this to my partner tonight; she was asking me what my goals are. I think at this stage in the game, there's really not much more I can do to lose weight any faster... plus I'm not sure it's healthy to do so. Maybe when I approach the fourth and final lap of my weight loss journey and things slow down again, or I stall for a period of time... maybe then there will be something I'll need to do to stay on target. But right now, it's enough to just make sure I get in my Protein and liquids on a daily basis.

Linda, thanks for responding! You're right, we sound to be in similar situations. Good point about how pre-mixed liquid lunches seem to work better than solid food, considering the limited amount of time that can be spent on eating... I have a Magic Bullet blender with shake cup attachments that look pretty similar to your Oster, so that will probably work out fine. I think this next week I'm going to start experimenting and collecting recipes for shakes and temperature-stable Snacks. Did you know that cheese actually actually helps protect your teeth by coating them in Calcium? So you don't need to brush your teeth after a cheese snack (unless of course you can't stand the fuzzy feeling.)

Typically I am better at planning and organizing logistics but since my surgery, it feels like my brain has gone out the window most days. So I am asking the VST hive mind for help here. In about two weeks I will be returning to work. For some reason I am uncharacteristically nervous about this, especially with regards to planning my food. I will just be about ready to transition to a normal diet per my surgeon's plan, which I know doesn't exactly mean go back to what I was eating before. I have a lot of questions: how much should I bring along? What should I expect to happen? What should I keep for emergencies? Here is some background: I have a "desk job" but I am never actually AT my desk. Typically I am in meetings in different buildings on campus, walking between them, or holed up in a vacant conference room working on my laptop to get ready for the next meeting. I have two different break rooms with microwaves and refrigerators that I can stash my stuff in, but frequently I have to carry something in my backpack all day without the benefit of refrigeration. There are cafeterias and vending machines around, but they don't serve the healthiest stuff, so I don't want to rely on that. Plus, it gets expensive. Also, I live out of town, requiring a 40 minute bus ride so I get up much earlier that I'd like, and I'm half-asleep so typically I am used to doing only the bare minimum to get out the door. Since surgery I've stopped drinking coffee, but that time has been replaced with getting my meds together. It's going to be a challenge to transition back to the 8-5 work day since I've been on my own relaxed sleep schedule since I've been on leave, so I expect my energy level to be quite low in the beginning. My job requires a lot of mental and creative energy, and a lot of communication, so the lag will probably be noticeable by others. Speaking of others... what about dealing with coworkers? Many of them, the ones I don't see frequently, don't know I was gone at all. Some know I was out on medical leave. Some know it was for stomach surgery, and a small handful know it was for WLS. I don't expect any nastiness from them at all, but I do expect some concerned questions when they see that I've lost weight. Basically I don't want them to speculate that there is something seriously wrong with me. What can I say that will ease their concerns without divulging too much personal information? I am a very private person and I don't want everyone in my business. Thanks in advance for any help or advice...!

OMG you all are just too funny... thanks for the LOL since I've been feeling a little blue after my NUT appointment yesterday. Congrats to all you guys and your improved equipment... I think that's totally awesome!

Oh yes, the first two weeks I felt terribly dizzy, nauseous, tired, weak, and fatigued. I couldn't go up the stairs to my 2nd floor without feeling like I wanted to throw up and pass out. I had to stand up veeeerrrrry slowly because the postural hypotension (getting dizzy when standing up) was a killer. This kept happening however much liquid I drank, and it's something I'm prone to anyway. Things started getting a lot better when I hit three weeks and could start soft foods instead of mushies (they advanced me to purees while still in the hospital). I think the extremely low calories, combined with the shock of the surgery and the anesthetic (as others have said) were what did it to me.

I don't have lab work scheduled until 3 months out.

I also had the "loose" version of IBS and I've been completely free of symptoms since surgery. I suspect it's a combination of several factors: 1. I was/am lactose intolerant, and since surgery I've been vigilant about drinking only lactose-free milk. Previously I didn't drink any milk at all, except small amounts of soy milk. I also didn't take Calcium supplements, since every time I tried it caused an attack. Now I am drinking 16-24 oz of milk a day plus taking calcium supplements... calcium helps with muscle spasms, which may be one of the causes of IBS. 2. I am almost totally off wheat-based foods (breads, crackers, etc) right now because of my dietary restrictions. I've long suspected that I might be gluten intolerant as well, but I've never been able to cut it out of my diet with any consistency (too addicted to carbs). 3. The overall volume of my intake is greatly reduced as well, which I think has given my GI tract a "break". Plus, the increase in nutrients and Protein from additional supplementation may have helped heal any lingering lesions. Pre-surgery I frequently experienced what is called "late dumping syndrome" 1-3 hrs after eating anything with too much fat, sugar, or too high a volume of food and that's gone now. This is completely and totally unscientific and just my own opinions. I actually haven't research this issue at all but I'm happy with just having a break from the urgent bathroom trips!

I wonder that too, Kathy. When I see people on here posting about how they slipped by eating a bite of solid food two days too early, and getting really upset and worried about the effects, I get a little mad because I feel like we're not being given accurate, results-based information. WLS is not new; it's been around for decades. Human nutrition, while constantly evolving like anything else in medicine and science, isn't a new field either. So why are they acting like they just started figuring everything out within the last 10 years or so? I guess this is an example of a time when you have to be your own healthcare advocate. Educate yourself, talk to other people (this forum is a great place to do that), and above all, listen to how YOU feel.

I'm just about 30 lbs down and I'm having a hard time seeing it too. I mean, yeah, my pants are fitting a little looser, but every night after my shower I stand in the bathroom and study my face looking for change. Maybe it's so subtle that I don't notice it day to day? The real test will be when I go back to work... these people haven't seen me since Thanksgiving so the change should be pretty obvious to them.

Not that this is the most pleasant form of administration, but they make anti-nausea drugs in suppository form, if you can't keep anything down. When I was pregnant with both kids, I was nauseous and sucked on sugar-free lemon candies. I also ate candied ginger. Both helped, a little.

That's funny, because when I used to drink coffee before I had surgery, I was less hungry in the mornings. It made it easier to skip Breakfast (a bad habit I have almost managed to break) so it's still not a great thing to drink, but maybe not for the same reasons as other people. When asked, my surgeon sort of shrugged and said caffeine in general is a diuretic but he's not going to say I can't have it again. I tried drinking some coffee in my morning shake at about 2 weeks and it make me uncomfortably jittery, so I have limited my coffee to 1/2 c. a day or less, always mixed with large amounts of milk. When I go back to work my coffee habit my change, since I work for a very coffee-oriented department -- I'll have to see.

I gained a few pounds when I hit my first TOM after surgery (which coincided with the 3 week stall) and again when I ate too much salty ham over Christmas. Both times the weight came off after a couple of days, but if I hadn't been weighing myself obsessively every day (sometimes more than once -- I can't help it!) I wouldn't have noticed and stressed over it. It can be very depressing when you're watching the scale so closely and the pounds don't drop off as fast as expected. I'm trying to "forget" to weigh myself in the mornings because, if the scale didn't have good news, it tends to wreck my whole day. I know this journey isn't just about the weight but I'd be lying if I said that's not a huge part of it, and I haven't been at this long enough to see a significant improvement in my other weight-related co-morbidities. I keep reminding myself that, at my current level of calorie intake, there is no possible way I can't lose weight, however slowly. If I track my food and keep the calorie level down, then the weight will have to come off eventually.

I made this today and figured out the nutrition facts, for those who are interested. I made the following adjustments: 1/2 c. Lactaid FF milk 1 c. fresh-brewed coffee 1 scoop EAS whey isolate powder - chocolate 1 rounded tbs Hersey's cocoa powder 1 tbs Torani SF caramel syrup (a "pump" is 1/4 oz) 4 packets Splenda 1/4 tsp sea salt (I will use slightly less next time) I put everything in my shaker bottle and shook the bejeezus out of it. Calories: 187; Carbs: 18g; Fat: 3g; Protein: 27g; Fiber: 3g (according to myfitnesspal.com)

Lots of people have said they managed to get through recovery without Rx pain meds, so it seems totally doable. However, in the hospital, I don't think it's wise. You'll be on the PCA pump, like feedyoureye said, and there will be a limit to the number of times you can hit that button. I am a pain weenie and I felt like I hit that button religiously every ten minutes, but the day after surgery the nurses were doing a shift change, and the day nurse said to the night nurse (this is starting to sound like a bad joke, but bear with me!) something to the effect of "...and she hasn't been using the PCA very much at all...", so I assume it wasn't as much as it felt like. I would definitely share your concerns with your surgical team. They need to know about it, and they will be good about using pain meds so that you can rest and heal.

It does get better. I had the most bizarre food dreams for the first 2-3 weeks... one morning I woke up convinced I could email doughnuts, and it was so real that it took a couple of minutes to figure out that it wasn't possible. I don't even really LIKE doughnuts...

Mm! I know what I'm drinking tomorrow morning! Thanks!

I have been FREEZING since surgery. I used to get all hot and sweaty all the time, and I slept in cotton capris and tank tops with the fan on (in winter, in Minnesota), and I swear I can not get warm now. I always have a hoodie on around the house, socks, and I wear my long yoga pants to bed now. My partner huddles on the far side of the because because she fears my cold feet. Even my kids have commented on how cold my hands are. I don't know if i buy the "less insulation" theory because I haven't lost all that much, really... just 30 lbs, and I wasn't this cold when I was 30 lbs lighter. I think our metabolisms have taken a major nosedive to coordinate with the drastically reduced calories we are eating. Hmm, by my own logic, I should be exercising more, if I'm sick of being cold. Dang it, I hate when I lose arguments with myself.

Last couple of months was artificially inflated because of the holidays, and because of buying supplements for the early post-op period, but I bet it will be a lot less. More money to spend on new clothes!