mesaucedo

My ankles have shrunk by about 1/2 inch and I measured my tattoo before on my ankle just to see. No difference really. Maybe an 1/8 of an inch, but since it is on my side and not the fatty portion it didn't change much.

I have tried everything! Sweets, rice, bread and whatever else. Nothing at all has bothered me! I do notice that sweets are too sweet now, I go for dark chocolate instead of milk. As for bread and rice - I have had tiny amounts and haven't had problems yet. But I also noticed that my favorite, sourdough, was a little too sour! Which is odd because I love lemons with salt and pickles as snacks!

I thought I would get lucky and not have any loss! It hit me literally on the three month mark. I took a shower and lost two handfuls. Well, today I came home with a new chic bob I would rather be thin haired and thin than fat and furry

It is really easy for me to stay hydrated. If you are drinking what you should be throughout the day, when you work out you don't get totally drained. I can take some pretty big sips now and don't find myself feeling "dry" at anytime! As for medical history, you should tell everyone of your medical professionals. Believe it or not, a lot of your health is reflected on your teeth and bad teeth can cause heart problems and clogged arteries. So everything in our bodies are related. Your Dentist may feel he/she wants to not use a certain type of medication with you now because of the surgery, you may react to anesthesia differently. There are so many different thins to consider. Why aren't you comfortable telling your dentist? They are just like any other doctor and should be treated as such. If you aren't comfy with that maybe you should get a new one who you are able to let into all aspects of your medical life.

I wanted to chime in here because I am a very unconventional sleever. My job is physically demanding, I am always on my feet and don't have much time to follow all the rules. 1. I certainly don't get in all my Water, I get in about 50 oz daily, not the 80 oz I need. But I seem to manage all right. I just drink whenever I can, wherever. 2. I do not have a normal eating schedule at all. My work schedule changes everyday, so I fit it in wherever I can. During the school year, when it is more stable, I don't even get the full 30 minutes to eat that most docs recommend. I usually get a quick 10 - 15 minutes break and eat then. I always keep Protein bars handy for a quick meal. 3. I had virtually no pain. I had some gas pains for the first two days and that went away quickly with walking. I even went on an all day trip with lots of walking on the third day out from surgery. 4. I was not a huge fan of my doc's diet plan -- it focused on a lot of fruits/dairy and not so much protein so I just snooped around and created one based on everyone else's. Most have the typical 3-4 week liquid/soft food diet with slow progression into normal foods. I tried one new food at a time to be safe, and found that my sleeve loves everything! 5. I went back to work two weeks after my surgery, I never had any problems with energy. Maybe it was because I didn't have any nausea or trouble getting down "foods". Some people on here do, and I am sure that is why they feel so weak. 6. I felt normal about three weeks out when I started eating more solid foods like refried Beans, tuna, cottage cheese and so on.

So based on logical reasoning from what I have heard, it would appear that carbonation could only stretch it if you are constantly drinking carbonated beverages. Right? Like if you constantly overstuff yourself. If you do it once, or twice, it shouldn't stretch it. It is important for people to remember that stretching is natural and seems to always happen BUT that there is no way it could ever go back to how it was pre-op.

It could be that your tummy, or slummy, is still numb and swollen and all out of whack. I was able to suck down shakes and what not without any restriction. It wasn't until I ate meat that I really felt it, and that was about a month and a half out. I can probably do an egg now rather comfortably. I wouldn't worry about it too much

Oh I love Think Thin Bars! They have a lot of fiber too!

It is not that the surgery itself makes us dehydrated. It is the amount of Water we take in that changes. Even if you think your water intake is the same think about all the water we used to get from foods. Now that we can only drink and eat so much we drastically cut that intake. Furthermore, Protein based diets usually drain us of our fluids and cause constipation. So a mix of lack of fluids from diet (food too) and an increase in Fluid zapping foods can easily cause dehydration.

First off, 30 pounds in 6 weeks! WOW. That is insane! You should be uber happy! Ok, now to your question. I was cleared for exercise around 6 weeks. Things like small weights, cardio, yoga, and other lighter impact things. I began doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, which is a bit more than "light". It didn't hurt me at all. Ideally, you should've been walking 30 mins each day from day 1 out of surgery. (Not everyone does this) I would stay away from things like martial arts and pilates for a few more weeks. You don't want to strain your tummy. I hope that helped, I am sure someone more advanced will chime in!

I would also look into local prices, for most of my area the price difference is around $800 - $1000 cheaper. Once I factor in travel and all that stuff it isn't worth it. A lot of procedures are cheaper than people think!

I have not had surgery with him, but had the pleasure of meeting him while touring the facility there. I am a pre-med student and almost went to JH for college, I did a tour of the hospital and campus. I met him at the Bayview Center. You are in excellent hands, he is amazing. He was one of the pioneers for lapro surgeries on the east coast.

I am three months out and had a small sip of a Coke Zero the other day. My mom had it and it looked so delicious and cold so I tried it. It didn't hurt, nor feel uncomfortable. I burped a bit but not too much. I don't feel the need to try it again, but don't feel like I shouldn't or can't. My doc is one of the few that doesn't think it stretches our sleeves so I am not too worried about it. As for replacements, I drink Water, tea, I HATE crystal lights -- they are so generically sweet and icky to me. They taste like a bowl of sugar. My go to is unsweetened iced green tea. It is good for you too!

From what I understand, and I am by no means an expert, Whey is easier to digest and get absorbed by our bodies. When we take in other Proteins, and Whey, we only absorb a fraction of what it actually contains. So with Whey we get more of it, it is more efficient. Some find that they are lactose intolerant and since Whey is an animal product from milk, it can upset their stomachs so they choose soy based on that.

I have heard of people going a whole month without losing in the beginning. I didn't have that experience. I didn't lose any weight during my Protein shake only two week pre-op diet and then lost 15 pounds after surgery within the first week. I think it was just my body trying to hold out and be stubborn and finally gave up. It will happen, it will just take some time

Thanks everyone! It is nice to know that this can start out later and I am not just going crazy! I haven't had any symptoms like that at all Desertmom, the pain would worry me. I will have to talk to my doc about it!

Ok, I am not an expert in anyway. But just wanted to comment on your story. For starters, sorry you have had to deal with a ton on this journey. So, as you will see in many threads already posted, you are swollen and retaining Water. Lots of people gain weight after surgery for a few weeks. You shouldn't even have the scale out at all. This hunger may be a side effect of acid, I just posted a thread on this. It mimics hunger and you think you are hungry. Are you on an acid reducer? If not, get on one. It may also simply be head hunger, where your brain thinks you are hungry and should eat while your stomach disagrees. Getting in your water may greatly reduce the feeling of hunger as well, you are supposed to be aiming for 60ish oz (depending on whatever your NUT told you -- mine is 70oz.). Hang in there.

So I know that acid can mimic hunger and it seems a lot of people have this early out. I am three months out and just began having this super hungry feeling the past three days. I haven't exercised more or done anything differently and am wondering if it could be acid. I haven't had heartburn or reflux at all. Has anyone had this type of hunger start out a little later? Versus the seemingly common right after surgery type of "acid hunger". If so, what kind of PPI did you take?

They can also do them through your stomach -- belly button or previous surgery scars -- so they are less noticeable. But if you have sag the only thing to fix that would be a lift. Most of us find that we look deflated after we lose weight, that doesn't change with implants, they will just be bigger and saggier. They would look lovely in a push up lol

It makes sense, I mean all our organs were probably more squished together. Why not that one? She said it would be almost unnoticeable and just be more comfortable. I wouldn't mind some more space down there. It is a little uncomfy for me know sometimes because I feel too snug. :wub:

Also! I bought a WLS for dummies cookbook and it has recipes based on our stages. I bought it for 10 bucks on amazon. I like it a lot!

I totally don't get all my Protein in either, I get around 60 grams a day from a 600-700 calorie diet. If I was eating 1200 I could easily fit it all in. Experiment with different foods, you don't have to do shakes for protein to get it in. Cheeses, meats, yogurts, Beans and tons of other foods have protein!

I drove 8 hours straight a few days out from surgery, I just brought a bunch of shakes/waters and it was ok. I was a bit stiff the day after though, nothing too bad.

I am between 5'5" and 5'6" and my goal weight is 140, which is still in the high BMI range for me. I would like to be around 25% body fat. Last time I got my body fat checked in a hydrostatic weighing system I was around 58% body fat. I am more concerned about body fat/size than weight. Ideally, a 6 or 8 would be amazing for me.

I sneak in cut up fruit in a bag, mangoes and apples are my fav! Sometimes I do some pita chips and hummus. Or cheese sticks!