Pookeyism

I felt bowling and such for quite awhile. Not sure, cause I threw a 14 lb ball before and that took till last October to comfortably do again, and I was sleeved January 2012. I could do everything almost before that underhanded ooomph...

That is a really good question. I spent the last 7 days or so just keeping busy, getting things cleaned, arranging a to do and how to do list for co-workers, wrapping up loose ends with volunteer obligations I would not be able to get to. Time on the phone with family and friends. I spent ALOT of time on here!!!

Read alot of Lovecraft (that may not be what you want to do!).

I also began to read "The Power of Habit" by Dughil - a MOST recommended read!

It was the holidays too (I was sleeved 1-4-12) and I was decorating packages and such, Christmas outings made it easier.

Get out if you can. Look around for things to do in your area. Plan a "walk map" of some places you want to go see once you are felling up to it, etc. Pull down your old exercise equipment, dust it off, oil it up, fix your bike, etc.

My last day was absolutely not what I had planned for it to be, so getting all the last minute things done first saved me alot of frustration (I even ended up having to get a new eye exam and glasses on the evening of the 3rd, I broke my glasses and then broke my back up pair).

Good luck!

When I think back to muscle milk, I immediately think of the inconsistency in taste! BLeGh!

No experience with the CPAP mask, PLENTY of experience with sleep studies! So many, I did not actually take one for the surgery. I had such a background they just transferred a summary from one doc to the next and my surgeon was OK with it. I did, however, have to have the surgery either way so that may have been a part of it.

If you hav egot back into habit of transfat and refined sugar and such it can be hard to supress that, our mind hardwires us to want these things - very similar to drugs. Lots of Water, sensible choices, just like you did at the beginning. Exercise if you can, seek support while you are back into transition!

Good luck.

It was asked of me last weekend if I could clarify one thing about WLS, if I could make one notable point that has not been mentioned what it would be. So I thought, hmmmm….

We are constantly reminded that after WLS our stomachs have gone from being a sources of distress, these large cavernous things that CAUSED us to be overweight, FORCED us into eating poorly, etc. to valuable tools we use to lose weight. We have changed our stomachs to be sure. What, however did we change them to? VGS is generally a laparoscopic procedure that removed most of the body of the stomach. Starting generally below the pylorus, the suture/staple/cauterizing procedure extended along the length of the body of the stomach and removed the greater chamber, and may or may not have removed the fundus. So now what, what does that mean?

Now we have our tool. We eat less, we have to. The weight comes off. It may drop like a rock or progress slower. Different body types, health issues, meds, and still the foods we choose to consume will help determine this. So we have a tool for weight LOSS.

Then we maintain. Now we just eat less and it stays off, right? If you have been on the forum for even a little while you will see it is not always that easy. There are still many questions, lots of issues and answers still to be figured out, each in our own way and time. Many questions are about how to use the tool in maintenance.

BUT this post is not about maintenance; it is about the in-between, one of the less mentioned but in my opinion more profound things we do with this tool that affects our success. I define success not by an ideal size or shape but ability - ability to be a size that allows me to be active, and healthy, and off at least some medication, to name a few things. These are not the only goals I have, but they are the achievements I have that I now use to have a far superior lifestyle to the one I had before.

A big shift I have undergone is that I recognized that my tummy did something I did not expect. It provided a way to eat less and it has definite, defined physical ways it has assisted me, no doubt. Mentally it has assisted and even raised more questions! Beyond that, however, there is something more, and whether or not I embrace it I think is the true test of how successful this will be for me. I am talking about the “gap”. I have tried to find any reference to it in the articles and such that I spend a bit of time reading but so far I have not found that many.

The gap I refer to is that space that we never met successfully when we dieted. The ‘ –‘ in yo-yo. That point where the adulation of successful weight loss, and health and compliments began to lose momentum. It lagged with stress of home life, maybe. It was the burger and fries when, honestly, even if it had been a lackluster salad one could have ordered that instead, heck ordered TWO, whatever to be full – but did not. It is the sinking feeling one get when 50 lbs. of weight loss did not make the ailing marriage better, or the bills did not pay themselves. Maybe the issues that were under those layers were still there and still hurt. food was there, with food came feelings of comfort and simultaneous guilt, and a yo-yo began before the weight even crept back on.

Here is the “gap” the ‘ –‘ in yo-yo, and here is where our new friends, our new tummies, kick in. I think it is much underrated in the WLS journey. Our sleeves fill the “gap”. In between that space that we could not overcome, that ‘– ‘ in the yo-yo. We do not eat the burger and fries, we cannot overindulge by volume. We have a means to bridge that gap, if we want it. I think our longest terms of success can be affected by how we choose to take advantage of this bridge over the gap. Better habits, educating ourselves on food choices, understanding what got us here, learning to forgive and set vanity aside. Repairing the mental damage from being in the shells we were in, this is something our sleeves offer us that we did not have before. Much more important than just eating less and as vital as exercise - we have time. Time to recover before we even stumble, time to get equanimity from our minds and bodies at the same time we do not regress to bad habits and start that journey back up the scale.

We have time to make time – days and months and years to in turn create space to enjoy those days and months and years. If we did not gain a day from this, we gain quality. You know the sayings about rather have quality of years over a lot of years? We get an opportunity for both!!! From VGS and the bridge it gave over the “gap”.

Who told you it was guaranteed weight loss? Weight loss is pretty much guaranteed with any surgery. How much and how long varies for any surgery and the main variable in that equation is the individual, and bypass has malabsorption issues they are just now beinning to understand the depth of.

Protien is essential but do not get overly concerned. Stress can make this step much worse, and it WILL manifest in difficulty holding down your food.

Tempeh is 31 g protien to a cup, calorie-wise its a little of a punch (about 9g to 100 cal) BUT it can be sauteed and incorporated the way tofu is, is totally nom nom and my tummy held it well.

tempeh is often baked into "cakes". I would take and thin the cake with a super sharp bread knife with a gentle sawing motion, add some almond butter, some canned drained spinnach, applesauce (sugar free), BAM! superb display of vegan awesomness.

I will get with my old notes and talk to some friends and see what I can come up with by way of savory smoothies. Veggie are what have the protiens, for the most part.

lol, it sure does!!!

I insisted on a drain due to research I did. I can't recall the reports to cite (not all were online, or are on databases you pay to access, so I circumvented the expense and got print-outs), my apologies but it should be on here, initially I think I cited them in a post that explained my decision (that has been since before my surgery 1-4-12).

Drains, done properly, promote the discharge of Fluid, the resettling of tissues AND if there is a leak it can aid in noticing that fast. That is why if you have a drain many doctors will encourage blue Jello, pops or just tinted Water - red is common in a drain, so is yellow - blue is a 'red' flag.

If there is additional "minor" bleeding it can also make the doctor aware of that. Minor bleeding is not often addressed here, but I read papers on it and it does happen and can create discomfort, even become an issue. It is thought post-op temporary anemia can be associated with these minor bleeds. You are bleeding out somewhere which you should not be, enough that over time (or not so short of time) that a drain can catch this. It does not even have to be in your tummy. They are rooting around in there quite a bit; a nip in the wrong area can cause this. A drain can catch this.

I seriously advocate drains; they keep the doctor honest, so to speak.

This is the way I look at it - you go through all this effort - make every reasonable attempt to do what you can to have this go smoothly, because many things are out of your control. So I got the drain.

Is that the stitching to repair a haital hernia? Did they explain why it is coming undone? Perhaps you need a different doctor AND then discuss the sleeve.

DO NOT play around with reflux issues, it was a leading factor in my Mom passing away unexpectedly, 58 years old. Not to scare you! Genuine concern. Best of luck and keep us informed.

I hope you find someone nearby, but remember this community is here just for that. I have a group (4 members, lol) called Skype Sleevers - consider joining it, if it gets enough active participants it could be an excellent tool, I think. It would be about as close to having a one-one chat if you can't be there in person.

Even if you don't join the group, Skype and such is a good thing to consider.

Good luck.

PS - you are always welcome to ask me questions!

Well, I don't know who you are talking about specifically, to go back and see so this is my imput:

2-3 bites at 6 months, if they are small bites, well chewed are are not following, say 12-14 additional bites thye are not counting ( ) is not common nor good. A small bite, say a babyspoon shewed well is what you should be aiming for, now and forever. It allows you to mix your food with your saliva, swallow it, and provide you tummy with the most gentle option of digestion available. how many it takes, for me, is pre-measured in advance at a maximum, if I cant eat it all so be it.

If you took three of a bite of anything and it equals to a 1/4 of a cup - whoooaaaaaa there - before or after surgery, and even if you never have surery this is something that needs work. that is too much to possibly chew correctly, or swallow well, and is too much to trigger a full sensation.

http://www.bigyogaho...n.com/workshops

Very possibly the most awesome Yoga community I have ever been involved with in over 20 years of yoga, Big Yoga started out as an idea and has grown into an amazing, energetic community! Once again they are offering the 40 day program. To quote the website:

"Whether you are looking for BIG transformation or small shifts in your life, this program is a means to help you create the results you desire. The 40 Days program, created by Baron Baptiste, will inspire you to transform your body and mind and give you the tools you need to live your BIGGEST life possible! This program is made to be accessible to everyone, regardless of circumstances. It will give you access to clarity of mind; it will cleanse your body; and it will empower you to live your most fun, inspired, and biggest (we mean BIGGEST) life possible!

Participation in this program is FREE. You simply must pay for your yoga, and purchase the ’40 Days to Personal Revolution’ book by Baron Baptiste."

I will be there, I was in the first forty days offered at the studio and I am super excited to participate again. I would LOVE to see YOU there!

Hey everyone,

I would like some advice, and/or suggestions from everyone. I am 2 weeks post-op surgery. Surgery went extremely well and I felt great for a week, then hit a wall with Constipation (which is being controlled now with stool softeners and Fiber supplement). My issue is that I CAN NOT even wear the jeans that I could wear before surgery. They scale shows I have lost weight (only about 1/2 pound at a time) but my clothes sure don't. I am not having any issues with drinking and getting the amount of fluids I need. In fact, I am already getting hungry and really want something that I can chew. I can move to pureed foods this week. I just don't understand the weight issue. I have heard stories about stalls at 3 weeks out, but never not losing anything up front. I am really feeling like I made a HUGE mistake and know there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I am sticking to low calorie, staying away from any sweets (not even eating the sugar free pudding it allows on my diet) and no caffeine.

Any suggestions!

Thanks

What do you estimate the scale to show you have lost?

You are awesome, and stalls are common. they happen!

You are on one-derland! Yay for you. September 5th, 2013 - your onder-versary!!!

call and see if you are in time to get the post-flu symptom thingy (I sooo forget what it is called). If it is a virus that might help. If it is a cold, fluids and Vitamin C and rest. Hippy pills probably aren't going to help much.

I use gummy vitamins, I think they are called nature-something (sorry they are from wal-mart and do well on my tummy) and I eat alot of broccoli and drink almond milk, so I do not supplement any more Calcium. I DO make sure I get enough sun because Vitamin D and calcium are linked and one needs the other.

I use work to get in my liquids alot. I am often busy no matter where I go, so the way I prepe for work is similar to home.

I would evaluate HOW you can eat at work and how easy it is to prep, how secure your food is, if you have a fridge,etc. I have been really fortunate that way we have a full kitchen, only 6 people sharing it, etc.

Cans of spinnach are worth their weight in gold. Tasty and hydrating all on their own, they don't need ANY refrigeration and a little lemon and avacado really turn it up a notch, too.

I eat alot of mono meals, which is just a bowl of fruit or veggies (at 20 months out I am almost fully raw).

You can also "play" with your food. I LOVE BENTO BOXES!!! I have so much fun that way.

seaweed Snacks are good, an apple slice, almond butter and wrap it in a spinac leaf is OMG awesome.

a small amount of nuts can help fill out your requirements for the day. finely chopped kale, walnuts and dried cranberries with some blue cheese and pears make a nice dry salad - no mess.

Sounds like you are being really proactive. Good for you! depending what diet you are on, if ti gets too bad, have some veggies or a piece of fruit.< /p>

8 and 10 year olds are hard to predict. It really varies. What they watch on TV and personality type might help you address this. You know your kids. Last emergency what happened? Do they panic, revert? Want answers, get in the internet? Read? Pull out their art supplies?

http://www.aboutoperations.co.uk/explaining-hospital-stay-to-children.html

I am a little different than most when it comes to children, I think because my Mother started taking seizures when I was 9 years old and I was pretty much a beta mom after that. My philosophy is your kids are tougher than you think, BUT you can still ease a situation and find a medium between protection (to sooth your worries) and buffering it too much (what I call the process of letting them know what is going on).

As a kid, I began to get extremely anxious as I was coddled or talked to in an overy simplstic manner, mostly because I think I linked it back to the way I was treated in regards to my Mom and her care.

One more thing, I would highly suggest you not promise everything will be ok. If you must promise, promise that you are folllowing all the doctors advise and rules, that they will be taken good care of while you are gone, and they will be kept updated. Also spell out what they can do, so they can own the situation. Let them help prepare your food, pack your clothes, and make a list of responsibilities while you are away and recovering, something they can see, that they can see they are contributing.

Good luck. I only had rabbits...

Just ship it one of the flat rate boxes from the US Mail or via UPS. keep your tracking info and package it well. When I ship powders I tend to put them in a tearless envelope THEN in the box. Tape well, write the physical address, return reference number and tracking number in at least two locations on the box and I would include your contact number on the flip side of the innermost protected flap. If it is only 3 canisters I would not insure it, USPS insures to 50$ and USPS insures to 100$ automatically.

It is a wee bit overkill, but return departments can be loosely organized. (Logistics Supervisor also in charge of S&R, AR& AP so I am somewhat paranoind!).

You can always start eating sensibly before your diet, but I do not know if I would be so restrictive at first. How about trying that but adding an additional salad and an additional fruit serving in between?

Wait until the clothes shopping starts. Start saving now!

Get into the consigment shops now - look around and make note of the stores that will have the sizes you will need, and also get the information on who to return your clothing to resell, either for cash or credit...just a suggestion.

That is great! Keep it up!