diedie

I remember the 2nd week post-op I turned into a monster and EVERYONE around me was an a*****e ! Amazing how that happens. Just don't kill or maim anyone, go and slam some doors, pray because God listens and is NEVER an a*****e, and remember that this too shall pass. *HUG*
And yes, my husband is still an a*****e, but he's my a*****e :-)

I am 9 months post op and just in the last month I have been dealing with dizzy spells quite a bit. Mine mimic the symptoms of orthostatic hypotension...I get light headed when I stand up too quickly. However, several bp tests have shown no drop in bp while standing. I had all my blood work done and I showed no signs of dehydration nor any deficiencies..including B12. The only thing they did find was my resting heart rate was very low (mid 40's). I run and workout daily, and that could explain the low heart rate for some people. It's generally not a problem unless you're also having dizzy spells, as I am. As of now, I have seen 3 different docs, had several EKG's, a carotid ultrasound, an echocardiogram, had my hearing checked, worn a holter monitor, and nothing has been found. Still looking into it. I did up my Water intake hoping that was the problem, and I started religiously logging my liquid intake again, as well as my dizzy spells. It seems to have helped, but hasn't eliminated the problem. About the only thing that helps for me is standing up slowly....like I always did when I was 400 lbs because it hurt too much to stand up quickly.

Hehe. I remember when I had my son, I had to attend a informational class about amniocentesis
I walked in and saw a bunch of OLD pregnant women.... And then realized OMG I'm here too. I'm one of them!!! 0_o
My Nana used to always tell me "Laura I am the same girl I was before but now when I look in the mirror an old woman looks back at me"

I'm very happy to see Alex that your finally monitoring the site. I post some. But read quite abit and I'm appalled at what people say on this site. Some act like their such experts when everyone has a different road to travel
Thank you

PLEASE stop calling posters trolls. If you have an issue with any post, please REPORT it. I don't care how implausible or unbelievable the post is. Can you imagine being a failure for a long time and finally have the courage to come out about it, only to be called a troll ? This isn't how we welcome people on VST. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Honestly I'm too old for drama. And frankly, no matter what I say you are going to make your own decision so who I am to jump down your throat and tell you not to do it. I think it's funny that people come at others like them telling the person not to do is going to change their mind. They are really just wasting their time and making themselves look like an ass for trying to force their beliefs about certain things on another person.
If you don't like pot, fine don't smoke it. This chick didn't ask for anyone to come in here and play mommy or daddy and tell her she is stupid or w/e for smoking pot. She is going to do it if she wants so if you have advice to offer, give it, if you think she's dumb.......well don't speak to her. It's a bunch of grown ass people acting like children and it's kinda sad. This is supposed to be a place where people can ask advice and get answer, not have people act like dicks.
pretty, if you feel comfortable asking your dr then I would do that since it's probably the most reliable place to get info.

You guys and your judgement. Why can't you just keep your highland mighty opinions to yourselves? How about this: you should have never gotten fat. If you wanted to be skinny, why didn't you just diet? Surgery is SOOOO risky, why not just do it the right way?
Exactly. I don't judge you, so don't judge me. Get over yourself. Live by the golden rule. Don't be childish. That is all.

If I read a little before surgery? If you're not here to be helpful, take your soapbox and plant it somewhere else.

You look amazing !!

Yes! I hated getting advice from people on how to lose weight - especially when it came from someone who had managed to lose weight. It somehow made me feel worse, and like more of a failure.
Of course when someone personally asks me, I open the gates and let the information flow! (Along with the support, of course)

Me too. I just want to say...I wasn't born this way, I had surgery and have had to work hard. I want to help you, I want to tell you about my surgery. But I am the same, I wouldn't dare because I know what I would have felt like if someone came up to me and told me that. I knew I was fat, but I had always hoped that no one else noticed...as if they didn't!

I worked up to 100 posts, just so that I could post in this thread! Now that I am here, though, I realize my thoughts are not all that collected. So, instead, I'd like to say "thank you" to all of you who are sharing!! It's liberating to read these posts, and see so many that have gone through, or are going through similar experiences, and finding yourselves.
I'm 15 months out, and learn something new about myself ever day. This journey is about so much more than losing weight! Thank you for this thread!

Glad you guys like this. I will post part 2 now with credits for the writer's page....http://www.leangains.com

How to Deal With Water Retention: Part Two
4:54 AM | Posted by Martin Berkhan



In part one of this article series I covered the basics of Water retention.

This time I'll list a few effective tricks that will help you deal with it when and if it occurs. Don't worry, you won't be sweating it out in a sauna and sucking on ice cubes. I'll offer simple and non-intimidating strategies that don't require a whole lot of thinking. They can be used in isolation or in combination.

Reduce sodium

The most common reason people hold water is due to shifts in sodium balance. Going from a low baseline intake of sodium to sudden and high intakes can have dramatic effects on your visual appearance (which any bodybuilding-competitor can attest to). Conversely, reducing sodium can have the opposite effect and cause water loss. This is all about relative and not absolute numbers; it's not high sodium per se that cause water retention/water loss, but deviations from the habitual intake. The solution therefore is to reduce sodium to a level below baseline. So for a day or two...

* Ditch all canned or pre-packaged foods since they tend to contain a lot of sodium. A paleo approach to food choices is a pretty good model to use for your diet during these days since it's relatively low in sodium.

* Reduce spices and table salt - make a conscious effort to use less than you're used to. An easy way to reduce sodium without feeling deprived is to use a salt substitute, which contains only half of the sodium chloride found in regular salt.

* Drink a ton of water. Aim for 6-8 liters. You should be pissing like a race horse.

* It's claimed that some foods have a diuretic effect and they're often referenced as natural remedies to combat water retention - asparagus, celery, cucumber and watermelon, for example. I've yet to find some scientific backing for these claims, so take it for what it's worth. I suspect that the proposed diuretic properties of these foods is related to their high water content rather than some other magical mechanism.

Get cortisol back to normal

Elevated levels of cortisol can cause water retention, potentially due to interfering with aldosteron (a hormone that regulates Fluid balance). Excessive cardio, particularly of the more intense variety (HIIT), and low calorie intakes increases cortisol.

* Only do low intensity steady state cardio, such as walking or similar activities with a low perceived rate of effort.

* Increase calorie intake to a level that is no less than 500 kcal below maintenance (i.e if your maintenance intake is 2700 kcal, you should eat no less than 2200 kcal these days).

Have a drink

Alcohol has a quite profound diuretic effect, so drink a a large glass of wine (7 ounces/2 dl) or a large shot of vodka (2 ounces/6 cl) shortly before going to sleep. Caffeine-rich beverages are often said to have a diuretic effect as well, but this is actually a myth. Studies show that the fluids ingested with the caffeine more than makes up for the diuretic effect of caffeine itself. In order for caffeine to have a diuretic effect, take caffeine pills.

Look over your Fiber intake

In my experience, both high and low Fiber intake can cause water retention and a feeling of bloatedness. Look over your diet and it should be clear what the problem is.

Do a refeed

Do a carb-refeed, preferably after having depleted muscle glycogen. A full-body session consisting of 2-4 sets of 12-15 reps per body part will get the job done. Carb choices should consist primarily of starches such as potatoes, rice, Pasta and bread. Keep fiber low, potassium high. The exact amount of carbs to be ingested depends on several factors, but I suggest playing it safe and not going overboard.

* 4-6 g of carbs per kilo lean body mass is a good starting point, preferably on the low end of that if you're inexperienced with carb-refeeds and how you react to them.

* If you do it right, this will have the effect of pulling water outside the muscle cell into the muscle cell. Along with increased muscle glycogen, this will give you a lean and full appearance the next day - ideally also causing a "whoosh" over night.

Ummm.. I'm four months out and I definitely can eat a slice of pizza ( yep I've had one )
So yeah I can see how someone could do it... The sleeve isn't going to slap that stuff out of your hand. After awhile you have to be able to make good choices. And who knows maybe that person use to be able to down 1 whole pizza and this is an improvement...

Congrats on losing the BIG hundo.
You deserve 2 snaps up in a "Z" formation - with sparkles!

Hi everyone. It's been a long time since I've dropped by, but I just want to give an up date and a word of encouragement. I had my one year post-op yesterday. It was a bit late (2/14/12 surgery), but anywho. I was down #160 (335-175), twenty dress sizes (28-8) and over 252 inches. If I can do this, anyone can. I had my toes in the grave. I was on 21 meds and the doc told me I would die that way...whether I lost weight or not. Because of my problems he (my PCP) didn't think I would lost a huge amount (50-60#), but he encouraged me to have it do so I could 'feel a little better about myself.' Well, I'm glad to say I proved him wrong. I did lose weight and a lot of it. I also lost all of the meds and the cane/walker/wheelchair. I am a WALKING miracle. I give praise to God for my healing. Now because I was instantly miraculously healed, but because he allowed me to find the path and the means (insurance) to get what I needed to be healed. I do believe God instantly heals somethings in some people, but I also believe he uses the hand of good physicians to administer healing. This is the way he chose to give me mine. I encourage anyone that has had a long, unyielding struggle with obesity to talk to a doctor about WLS... Sleeve in particular. If you are on the edge trying to make up your mind, take my advice. Do it! You are sick? In pain? Lonely? Depressed? What are you holding on to! You have nothing to lose, but all of that. Are there risks? Yes. Is it hard? Yes. But come on. We all know the fat has a 100% chance of causing complication/death. Is it really that much of a gamble to take a 1% chance with a surgery. You're more likely to get killed in a car wreck on the way to get your next fast food burger. Do yourself and your family/friends a favor and choose life. I did and I would do it again and again.

Before surgery (28, 335#) and on my 1 year Surgiversary (8/10, 178#)

At my 1 year post op (8, 175#) holding my old size 28 skirt.

Side view. Now a size 8.
Sent from my iPhone using VST

Reading makes me feel somewhat better but not a lot lmao. Blah I hate doing almost everything right I have my off days everyone dose. But man this just sucks. I hate being only 35/39 lbs down in 5 months. I hate that I have to workout 2 hours so many times a week I better have a butt and abs of gold in 18months lmao
Sent from my iPhone using VST

Oh, and one more IMPORTANT item: I feel that because I am losing slowly, or not at all at times, that it has allowed me to focus on HOW to eat for MY body. Not anyone else's. Mine. What makes me feel good. I have had the time to adjust and work out how I can eat healthy (90/10) for the rest of my life. No more fad/crash diets for me ever again!!

I hadn't visited this thread in a while, but thanks to everyone contributing and sharing your experiences here!
There is no real norm to weight loss and how to achieve goal. It's important that we stress that over and over again, both to folks doing research and to discouraged sleevers.
Everyone has a different approach and you have to do what works for your body and your mental well-being. Not giving up is really important, and when we're feeling frustrated and discouraged it's easy to feel like we're wasting our time.
Add in a months' long stall and, well...it's a recipe for disaster if you don't adjust your mindset!
I wish more people would come out of the woodwork, stop hiding and share their struggles. There are far too many extremes here and I think it fails to really represent an accurate image of life post sleeve. Not everyone whips to goal in six months on 20 grams of carbs a day and not everyone takes two years to shed their weight, either. I think that there's this idea that if you're not a very quick loser or on an exceptionally strict diet and exercise plan that somehow you're less knowledgeable or less successful at navigating post sleeve life. What works for you is what works for you, and sharing that experience can only help other people figure out what works for them.
The goal isn't the scale goal, even though reaching that is highly satisfying. The goal is to lose a significant amount of our excess weight and keep it off forever. Do not ever forget that!
~Cheri

My story is like many of you on here. I've lost 59 pounds. Still have 40-50 to go. I was sleeved 8/21/2012. I lost about 25 pounds pre-op and the rest postop. So yep, that's slow. I was in a 9 week stall after Thanksgiving. Lost a few pounds and back to about a 5 week stall.
Honestly, at this point, i've stopped stressing. I do weigh myself almost daily because it holds me accountable. But that doesn't work for everyone.
I do log what I eat and focus on low carbs/high fat & Protein.
I feel better than I have in years. The weight will come off at it's own darn pace. I've accepted it and my surgeon better accept it when I see him in a few weeks.
At almost exactly 6 months I realized I could eat more. I can now eat 2 eggs for Breakfast instead of one. I like this because it means that I don't have to eat as often. And it sure as hell isn't ANYTHING close to the quantity I could eat pre-sleeve.
I stopped posting on VST a few months ago. I found myself getting WAAAY too adjitaded with all the competition, comparisons, etc. I've just started reading at the Veterans forum. If I start feeling that panicky 'i'm not losing fast enough' again, I probably will go back into hiding for my own sanity.
Cheri & Sweetums are right- there is no 'end' date. Patience. Tolerance. Acceptance. And work the sleeve.

Im Diana im 35 i have three children a 17 yearold daughter an 11 yearold daughter and a 5 yearold son. Ive been married for 11 years but with my husband for 13 years. I live in las vegas nv i manange people who take blood thinners. I love all linds of music but prefer rock. I love animals and currently have a pit/lab mix,two orange kitties and two bunnies so my house is very lively. I would like to go back to school as soon as i can find the time. I love my sleeve as it is truelly the best thing ive done for myself.

Im.8 months out and have lost total including preop 71.5 pounds im.finally in.wonder land and the pattern seems to be a3-5 pound loss at the end of the month the rest of the month a stand still. Im not to goal but i feel good and look good.

Im Diana im 35 i have three children a 17 yearold daughter an 11 yearold daughter and a 5 yearold son. Ive been married for 11 years but with my husband for 13 years. I live in las vegas nv i manange people who take blood thinners. I love all linds of music but prefer rock. I love animals and currently have a pit/lab mix,two orange kitties and two bunnies so my house is very lively. I would like to go back to school as soon as i can find the time. I love my sleeve as it is truelly the best thing ive done for myself.

You got it. Just didnt wanna gross anyone out.
Gotta say, it's one of the best pics of it I've seen. I looked for shots like this when I was PRE op and didn't find anything.

Is it teeny tiny? I can try to make it bigger somehow. I'm on my phone and sometimes it posts itty bitty.