UXgrrl

Hmmm...Okay, resisting all urges for some crass humor...
I have lost 33 lbs., and I have noticed that my excess skin, er, holds more Water. Our folds are very susceptible to capillary action, which is when water flows up vertical surfaces or seems to be draw along a surface.
Our folds, especially when it is water form a tub or such (our folds are literally floating away from our bodies in the water) catch a lot of water, and that is what is probably happening to you. As long as it isn't discolored nor has any smells I would not be concerned.
With my newly increasing folds I dry, and dry again with a towel I have "treated" in zinc oxide. It helps a lot. I have started to take a small bit of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste along the inside of my folds (sorry being blunt but am I mentioning anything we all don’t have? lol). It prevents heat rashes, etc.
>>to treat a towel in zinc oxide, take an impermeable laundry bag or a cotton pillow case with a 900 thread count or so and out a plush towel and about a half cup of gold bond in the case, seal thoroughly. Run on medium heat for about 20 minutes. It saturates the towel and the medium heat fluffs the towel and allows for better saturation.
Avoid eyes with this towel!

Was this person you spoke someone reputable? Have they researched the sleeve enough for you to trust them? Is it your surgeon? Who is this?
Why have you let them occupy so much space in your head?
It is obvious to me this person has no idea about the finer details of VSG and you should not give weight to their advice. My guess is this is a family member or someone who has an emotional attachment to you who is a bit jealous of your decision to take back control of something you had lost. People are intimidated by someone who can do things they can't do. They feel the only way they can feel better about themselves and their decisions is to sabotage the other by getting inside their head.
Indymom is absolutely correct. The fundus has been removed. Your sleeve can stretch a bit, just like your wallet can, but by no means is it going to regain the 85% that was removed. I asked my Dr this directly and he told me that I would really have to put forward a concerted effort to stretch my sleeve.
Besides, it would be quantity, not quality of the food. Fried, greasy food is not going to stretch it anymore than a chicken breast would.
Evict the tenant in your head, yes. But also stop eating the bad foods. It keeps you from your program and puts a "For Rent" sign on your head. If you wanted to make a change by getting sleeved, then make a change.

Trixie, I'm finishing up my 2nd week post-op and I'm feeling the exact same things as you.
I came to a startling realization that I actually had/have a problem with food. Holy cow! I can't believe I was almost to 300 lbs and I honestly thought I didn't. I made good food choices, I didn't snack on crap all the time... but I ate too much quantity. Consistently & frequently to the point of feeling ill. This surgery has made me face this fact head on. I'm still struggling with old habits, bargaining with self, pity parties and the like, and I went through a VERY black couple of days at the end of the first week when I realized what had happened and there wasn't any going back.
But I'm getting better. The whole reason why I wanted this surgery in the first place was to completely eliminate the cheating, the bargaining, and the fatalistic thinking (e.g. "I blew it at lunch, might as well blow it at dinner too... in fact, might as well blow the rest of the week..."). Knowing myself as I did, I wanted a "hard stop" to all that behavior. And boy, I sure got it.
In the last couple of days it's become very clear to me that I've been eating to soothe pain and to fight sleepiness (I have fibromyalgia, among other things). Being off work has been a godsend in this department -- I am sleeping 8-10 hours a night and even napping on occasion. Before I was lucky to get 6 hours.
Now when my inner voice says, "I'm hungry," I do this little check-in on my physical state, and my emotional state. About 8 times out 10 it's reacting to pain, tiredness, anger, thirst, frustration, or just good-old boredom.
I've realized that it's important to remember there is a non-food solution for every one of these. I think this what people mean when they say "eating your feelings".

I'm 2.5 weeks out and I'm not feeling "full" either, yet. My sign to stop is when I feel it backing up in the back of my throat. Actually, I know that means I've eaten too much but crossing that line is literally a matter of one bite.
Sometimes I have to go spit out the food I have in my mouth ready to swallow if I get that signal. I'm hoping to get better at stopping BEFORE this happens.
If I wait 30 minutes or so that "stuck in the throat" feeling does go away, but I don't think that means I should be eating more. Nutritionists call that "topping off" and it can lead to overeating.

Absolutely! You are not alone. I think they're are a few things you need to keep in mind.
1. This wasn't a slip. You gave yourself permission to enjoy the day. Don't ruin it with self-incriminations now.
2. Ask yourself what the calorie count would gave been pre-surgery. Rather than focus on 2500, think about what it could've been in your old life. 4000? 5000? When you look at it that way, today was a win.
3. One day will not ruin your sleeve. Even multiple days won't take you back to your former stomach size.
4. Higher calorie days will happen occasionally, what defines these moments is how you recover. So, get your game plan and get back on track.
Hugs!
Amanda

Trixie, I'm finishing up my 2nd week post-op and I'm feeling the exact same things as you.
I came to a startling realization that I actually had/have a problem with food. Holy cow! I can't believe I was almost to 300 lbs and I honestly thought I didn't. I made good food choices, I didn't snack on crap all the time... but I ate too much quantity. Consistently & frequently to the point of feeling ill. This surgery has made me face this fact head on. I'm still struggling with old habits, bargaining with self, pity parties and the like, and I went through a VERY black couple of days at the end of the first week when I realized what had happened and there wasn't any going back.
But I'm getting better. The whole reason why I wanted this surgery in the first place was to completely eliminate the cheating, the bargaining, and the fatalistic thinking (e.g. "I blew it at lunch, might as well blow it at dinner too... in fact, might as well blow the rest of the week..."). Knowing myself as I did, I wanted a "hard stop" to all that behavior. And boy, I sure got it.
In the last couple of days it's become very clear to me that I've been eating to soothe pain and to fight sleepiness (I have fibromyalgia, among other things). Being off work has been a godsend in this department -- I am sleeping 8-10 hours a night and even napping on occasion. Before I was lucky to get 6 hours.
Now when my inner voice says, "I'm hungry," I do this little check-in on my physical state, and my emotional state. About 8 times out 10 it's reacting to pain, tiredness, anger, thirst, frustration, or just good-old boredom.
I've realized that it's important to remember there is a non-food solution for every one of these. I think this what people mean when they say "eating your feelings".

Trixie, I'm finishing up my 2nd week post-op and I'm feeling the exact same things as you.
I came to a startling realization that I actually had/have a problem with food. Holy cow! I can't believe I was almost to 300 lbs and I honestly thought I didn't. I made good food choices, I didn't snack on crap all the time... but I ate too much quantity. Consistently & frequently to the point of feeling ill. This surgery has made me face this fact head on. I'm still struggling with old habits, bargaining with self, pity parties and the like, and I went through a VERY black couple of days at the end of the first week when I realized what had happened and there wasn't any going back.
But I'm getting better. The whole reason why I wanted this surgery in the first place was to completely eliminate the cheating, the bargaining, and the fatalistic thinking (e.g. "I blew it at lunch, might as well blow it at dinner too... in fact, might as well blow the rest of the week..."). Knowing myself as I did, I wanted a "hard stop" to all that behavior. And boy, I sure got it.
In the last couple of days it's become very clear to me that I've been eating to soothe pain and to fight sleepiness (I have fibromyalgia, among other things). Being off work has been a godsend in this department -- I am sleeping 8-10 hours a night and even napping on occasion. Before I was lucky to get 6 hours.
Now when my inner voice says, "I'm hungry," I do this little check-in on my physical state, and my emotional state. About 8 times out 10 it's reacting to pain, tiredness, anger, thirst, frustration, or just good-old boredom.
I've realized that it's important to remember there is a non-food solution for every one of these. I think this what people mean when they say "eating your feelings".

I know what you mean. I'm not getting those comments from other people but I remember being shocked that was heavy enough to qualify for WLS. I didn't realize that I was THAT overweight. I've been heavy since puberty so it's been such a gradual slide that I refused to notice. I have a really good attitude about myself and I'm a big believer in "fat acceptance", so much so that I wonder if I might have been deluding myself for a decade or two.
That being said, I'm hearing about people who weigh much less than I do (I started at 270), like people in the low 220s or so, getting approved for surgery. I guess as a society we've drifted on what is considered "normal" weight.
Just because it's "normal" doesn't mean it's "healthy" or "optimal".

I'm only 9 days post-op, but this surgery has given me one thing which I never thought I'd have again: hope.

I'm only 9 days post-op, but this surgery has given me one thing which I never thought I'd have again: hope.

I'm only 9 days post-op, but this surgery has given me one thing which I never thought I'd have again: hope.

I second the advice about small Gladware-type containers (1 cup capacity or less). I have a Magic Bullet food processor, and a Cuisinart stick immersion blender, and you can't really make 1 or 2 oz of pureed food at a time, you have to make a cup or two. Anyway, your leftovers go into those plastic containers. Make sure you label them! Right now I have one for blended chicken noodle Soup, blended edamame hummus, and this blended pea and carrot concoction, and they all look exactly the same :-)
This way it's really easy to do lunch by pulling out your favorite Protein, a veggie side, and a carb side. Poof, insta-meal. In the beginning you're eating such tiny portions that it feels dumb to make normal-sized quantities anyway.
I was given a shopping list in my bariatric nutrition booklet when I met with the dietician right before surgery. Oddly enough she was kind of anti- Protein Powder. She wanted Protein to be sourced from "real food" as much as possible. I still don't know why, and she was also the one who wouldn't tell me a calorie range to shoot for while in the early stages of weight loss.
I'm sure she had her reasons but I hate it when medical professionals refuse to give you all the information, because they are afraid you're going to try and abuse the system or break the rules. When it comes down to it, the whole point of this surgery is to make it possible for you to be satisfied on an extremely low calorie diet -- I know that getting the nutrients and protein are essential to staying healthy during this process -- but I need to know all the facts.
I digress. Other things we went shopping for before surgery:
- The Cuisinart stick blender
- A shaker cup with wire spiral ball inside
- Little disposable plastic 1 oz shot glasses (although I did come home with a pile of medicine cups)
- A Protein Powder we liked pre-surgery and was able to get at a good price (EAS whey Isolate, Vanilla)
- Lactaid Fat Free Calcium fortified milk (because I was already lactose intolerant pre-op)
- Cottage cheese, 1% small curd
- A couple cans of canned chicken and some frozen chicken breasts
- "Better than Bouillon" soup base in chicken, beef and vegetable. I used this stuff pre-op and like it much better than the pressed cubes, and they take up less room than the paperboard cartons or cans of premade broth. You can scoop a little bit out on your spoon and add it to your pureed protein with some Water to add moisture and flavor.
The rest of the food (frozen veggies, fruits, etc) we already had in our house normally. We just buy the normal bags and transfer them to a big zip-loc one we open them, because we're always going in there and scooping out a few strawberries or a handful of peas to add to a smoothie or cool down some chicken soup for the kiddos.
I know this is a thread about groceries but I'm going to talk about kitchenware in general. One really important thing we did, which I would recommend everyone at least considering, was switching out all our plates. OMG it made a huge difference! We replaced all our normal 8" dinner plates and bought 5" hordourves or appetizer-sized plates from Crate & Barrel, then also picked up the dipping plates which are divided in half and hold almost exactly 1oz on each side. We also got new bowls that hold about a cup. We got a set of 4 "normal sized" dinner plates but haven't used them yet in three months. They will likely only come out when we have company or might be used as serving platters.
We also bought a set of spoons and forks from Ikea for our small kids to use. They are about 70% the size of typical flatware but have a nice heft to them. I find myself using them a lot while I'm eating my dainty bites from my absurdly tiny plate and I think it helps to keep the proportions correct.
All our new dishes seem very small but really, it's what you need to hold a normal sized portion. I'm a lifetime member of the Clean Plate Club, so sizing down my plates and bowls has made a huge difference in making me eat less overall. I think the kids feel less overwhelmed at dinner as well, because we're giving them normal sized (for toddlers and preschoolers) portions. My partner, who is working on qualifying for WLS as well, feels this is helping her too.
Whew! Sorry, I tend to ramble!

I asked the dietician that in the hospital because I thought it sounded odd too. In fact, the nutritional booklet that they gave all the bariatric patients had meal plans for both 3 and 6 meals a day.
Here was her logic, and after she explained it to me it made sense: since you have to stop drinking 30 minutes before and after each meal and since it should take about 30 minutes to eat a meal, that means you have 90 minutes x number of meals every day that you can't be drinking fluids. For 3 meals a day that's 4 hours off, for 6 meals that's 9. Considering a lot of us have trouble staying hydrated in the beginning I think it's a reasonable concern.
One of the things they pushed hard on during our healthy eating class was breaking the "snack mentality", and there is concern about eating small amounts multiple times a day leading to all-day grazing and never really feeling full.
That being said, the dietician did mention that some of her patients come back after a month or so and complain that they feel hungry all the time, in which case she suggests they add in an additional fourth meal, but just keep track of everything.
I don't know much about the research relating to metabolism -- I know mine is low due to a lifetime of no exercise -- but I've heard that muscle building can help raise it as well, since it takes more calories to maintain a pound of muscle than a pound of adipose tissue. Until I get my asthma under control enough to do cardio I plan to do some light weightlifting to help with muscle toning.

Mine was just yesterday so it's fresh in my mind
I was told to report at 10 AM by the automated answer service the night before. I checked in and was shown to a small waiting room with a few chairs and a TV. This is where I changed from my clothes into a gown, bagged up my personal belongings, and had the IV started. We ended up waiting in there for almost 3 hrs before an OR room opened up.
About about 1 PM they came to get me with a hospital bed; I said my goodbyes to my partner and our 2-year old daughter and climbed in. They wheeled me down to a preop room -- kind of an alcove with curtains -- where the anesthesiologist talked to me a bit, had me put a hair net on, looked in my throat, and measured my neck. From there they wheeled me to the OR -- very bright and busy and cold. Lots of people rushing around, all of them trying to do something to me at once. They strapped down my IV arm and put compression pump cuffs on my calfs. Several people introduced themselves to me as being various team members, but I didn't catch their names or what they did. They were all women, I did notice. They asked me to verify my name, birthday, and the procedure I was having done. Finally they put an oxygen mask over my face and injected some relaxing medicine. It burned a little bit when it was going in but it passed quickly. The woman holding the mask asked me to pick a happy memory and I panicked for a minute because I couldn't think of a good one and I wanted it to be the best (I'm a bit of a perfectionist). I did settle on one quickly and felt myself drifting off to sleep...
I woke up in the recovery area, and immediately started complaining because I had two of the WORST charley horses in my calves that I've ever had! The pumping cuffs were hurting because they were squeezing right on them so I kind of kicked my legs a little and dislodged them, rotating them a bit so they weren't right on the sore stops. They asked if I was in pain from the procedure and I nodded -- they gave me a couple rounds of pain medicine and it helped a bit. I spent maybe an hour or two in this area. I drifted in a out, dozing, and I was glad to get out because there was a woman next to me crying and begging people to help her. It was distressing to hear. The caregivers were trying to calm her down but it didn't seem to be working.
They wheeled me to my hospital room from here. I'd asked for and gotten a private room, which are so worth it. I was hooked up to the IV in my left forearm (saline & pain meds) and had a backup IV in my right hand, which annoyed me because I'd specifically asked for it to be installed in my left (I didn't know they like to have two IVs for surgeries). I had a catheter in and the leg cuffs on. They gave me a PCA button (patient-controlled analgesia) which I could hit every 10 minutes. I got to my room about 6 and my partner came to visit about 7:30.
They didn't want me drinking anything yet; they gave me a cup of Water with a little sponge on a stick that I was supposed to swab my mouth out with. My mouth was really dry. I'd brought some lemonade-raspberry flavored chapstick which I used a lot. I drifted in and out of sleep the whole night. They woke me up every hour to take my blood pressure, check lungs, incisions, etc. so I didn't sleep much at any one time. Each time I hit the PCA button I dozed off again. Around midnight I started getting a headache and stiff neck and upper back; I complained to my nurse, and she brought me my neurontin and savella (for my fibromyalgia) in pill form to take. I usually get nauseated when I take the savella on an empty stomach so they also gave me an antiemetic. Once I had my usual meds on board I felt a lot better and watched a movie around 2 AM. Dosed off again and was awoken at 3:30 AM for a blood draw (which annoyed the hell out of me). They couldn't find a vein which made it worse. Dozed again for awhile and by 7 AM they started bringing me cups of various liquids to drink; first cherry koolade and lemonade, then a few hours later a cup of this bitter clear liquid that was supposed to "wake up my intestines". For "lunch" I got a mug of beef broth (which was tasty and salty and made my sore throat feel better) and lemon Jello and some more cherry koolade. They brought a stack of 1 oz measuring cups and I was supposed to drink at least 2 cups worth of liquid every hour.
The first few times I swallowed liquid I was confused because I was getting this weird heartburn feeling, except it was in my back. I figured out it was what I was drinking, so I tried taking smaller sips, which worked better. I've been drinking pretty consistently for about 4 hours now and if I forget and take too big a gulp I still get that feeling, but it's better now. So far I've been able to walk the halls and go to the bathroom on my own, and finished all the liquids they brought me. Iced Water has been bothering me more than room temp or warm water.
They told me I can advance to purees tonight and will be able to shower and go home tomorrow. Woo hoo!