FluffyBleu76

BTW, I only go to the gym 3 days a week. As my body can tolerate it, I will stay longer than 1 hour and go more than 3 days a week. I walk daily and wear a pedometer :-)

Yes, I started walking for 20 to 30 minutes 4 hours after surgery. 1 week out, I started going back to the gym and doing the elliptical and bike. 2 weeks out, I started adding resistance to my cardio work out to keep the muscle mass I already had. This week I plan on incorporating some light lifting to my work out and increasing the cardio. I would love to run (one of the best, full body exercises) but I have orthopedic issues and it will be a while before I can do that. Best of luck to you and congrats on what you have lost so far. Keep it up!

Although my weight loss has been slow in comparison to others on this forum, it has been steady and I can see the difference after a month out. I haven't felt deprived but I have been aware of what I put in my mouth and how long I chew. I do not feel as if I am on a diet but I do notice how many horrible food choices are out there. Many of us made bad food choices without even being aware of how bad they were. Most people at my job have no idea that I had WLS surgery and the ones that do have all told me,"You're not that big!" or "You're not big enough for that surgery." and my favorite, "You're just a little chubby and this is the easy way out." This is the not the easy way and has required a lot of focus and dedication. Yes, I have the tool of built-in restriction but I have never tested how full I can get. As far as I am concerned, I didn't go under the knife to how close I can dance the line between healthy eating and overeating. That being said, I am thankful for my sleeve and appreciate the awareness that this surgery has given me. Thank you for allowing me to vent.

LMAO... I forgot to feed my daughter once 3 days post op. My sweet husband had assumed that I had our 5 y.o. meals planned out so when he got home and got her ready for bed, he thought that mommy had taken care of that without asking me. Thank God our lil one is very vocal because after he read her bedtime story she said, "You're really a baddy daddy! You are making your only daughter go to bed without food like I am in jail or something. That's not nice!" Needless to say, she got fed and that never happened again.

I am 3 weeks post op and I have had a few gulping faux pas. During week 1, it hurt going down, Yesterday, I took a gulp and it was just a little uncomfortable.

BTW, the baby in the pic with you is beautiful!!!

I needed something to make me smile and this sure did! It is the little things. I got happy yesterday just seeing my collar bone again, LOL Keep it up girly

Have you had a stress test? Get clearance from your PCP to work out. Once you get clearance, ask a trainer at the gym if you can get a VO2 max test (this measures how efficiently your body transports and uses oxygen during incremental exercise- in short, how fit you are).If the trainer can't do it, ask your doctor or find out where you can go to get this test. Because you have had a history of cardiac issues, don't worry too much about reaching the target heart rate. This is just a guideline and it will vary depending on your overall health. Right now, as long as you are moving, it is good thing. Don't stop that but don't push yourself because of what you read on a chart. Good luck to you and please keep moving :-)

Not only did you lose the weight, you lost some years and you just look happier! Keep up the good work and thank you for the motivation.

So week 1 post-op, I lost 10 lbs. We are mid way through week 3 and I have only lost 2 lbs. I am doing what I am supposed to do so I am not sure what the problem is. I just know that while I have had zero complications, I am beginning to think maybe I should not have done this. I go see my Doc again on the 19th so hopefully by then I will see some more change but it just seems that only being down an additional 2 lbs. sucks. I have never been a slave to the scale and inshallah (God willing), I never will be but, 2 lbs. in middle of week 3 seems like an insignificant loss. Someone, please... give me some encouraging advice or words.

Thank you everyone! The Logical Fluffy knows all this but the "wishful thinking" Fluffy is frustrated. I just needed some reminding. Thank you all sooooo much

*EXCUSE MY DIRECT AND BLUNT LANGUAGE* Damn lady, you look fierce!!!!! You have that "sexy and I know it" pose in your post-op pic and you are. Keep up the good work and keep taking more pictures. Not only will you encourage those of that are newly sleeved but I am sure these compliments all help a bit. You look fabulous!

One more thing, ExRx are designed with your goals and ability in mind. For example, the person who suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis would not do the same workout as a person who has hypertension or just under went cardiac bypass surgery :-) The trainer can customize your plan.

In the past, I have actually worked as a trainer and the best advice I could give you is to take advantage of the free, one-time consultation with a Personal Trainer. If your membership doesn't offer that, ask about meeting with one for 1 session. If you meet with a trainer, they can personalize your work out with an Exercise Rx. They also have tools that can tell you what your lean muscle mass to fatty mass is (Far more accurate than the old BMI. Even when I was fit, I always had a high BMI.). Meet with a pro so you can get the optimal results!

I am/was in the same boat! I had a BM about 7 days post-op and then this morning- thanks to Benefiber fruit flavored drink mix- I had my 2nd BM. I had the Benefiber last night. You mix it with about 16 oz. of water so in one shot, you get some fiber and water. Not to mention, it is actually tasty (cherry pomegranate is what I got), Hope you get "moving" soon!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/high-protein-diet-weight-loss This article briefly explains protein and weight loss.

Thanks everyone! I just replenished my stock of SF popsicles.

I have this insatiable desire to have something in my mouth (OK, I know how that sounds and I did laugh a little when I typed it ). I need to chew or something. I tried chewing some bread, It tasted awful and I spat it out. I don't know if this is just a habit of overeating- having something to eat in your mouth- or if this is just a feeling I need since I am still on liquids. I am not consciously sick of them but has anyone else experienced that?

OK, so I had a brief episode of spotting after surgery. That lasted a few days. Now, I feel like I am getting menstrual cramps. Has anyone else experienced this?

eaOK, I have had a VERY smooth ride. So smooth that I wonder if anything was really done besides a couple of tiny incisions where CO2 was added to my abdominal cavity. The worst thing so far has been the bloating and the gas. The bloating finally seemed to disappear yesterday after a nap and the gas is... slowly making it's way out- but, being no stranger to surgery, I have had worse. During these 7 days, I have felt no hunger. I mean nothing! It's scary. So today, I felt well enough to volunteer a couple of hours at my daughters school and I felt "hunger". Not head hunger but really like my body needed nourishment. I had something to drink, finished up my work, and as soon as I got home, had a protein shake, LOL, it took me about an hour to get 28 grams of protein down but I did it. I try to get 2 of those a day and I am usually successful. For those that are further out from surgery, how do you manage family gatherings or going out to dinner when the feeling of hunger is almost non-existent? While many of us have had too much pleasure from food, it is a part of family and it is very social so I also wonder how we sleevers ever really get to enjoy eating in a social gathering when the hunger or desire for food is so greatly diminished?

My doctor told me the same day of surgery that the first week may be hard but get the liquids in and TRY to get your proteins if you can. If you can't, then we can tackle that the next week. After the 2nd day, it has been relatively easy to get the proteins in. As for gas, WALK, WALK, WALK!!!!! I hope this helps. I am one week post-op :-D

Thank you! Don't get me wrong... I see all the benefits to this I just really have no desire to eat. I don't know if the surgery impacted my psyche where I just don't want to eat or if my desire is truly gone. Everything is a turn off. Will I still be able to cook?!?!?!

This is a very good question and I am going to ask my Dr. on my first post-op appt this Friday. I know we have to decrease our carbs but they are necessary and I don't feel comfortable eliminating them.

Try Jay Robb's Vanilla whey protein (if you mix one scoop of it with 2 oz. orange juice, 4 oz.8th continent complete soy milk and 2 oz. water you get a kinda Orange Julius drink). This is will yield you about 24 oz. of protein. Mixing the powder with soy milk is good too. You can purchase any of the Jay Robb proteins from the Vitamin Shoppe or online vitamin distributors. Also, Unjury's Chocolate is pretty good and the Unjury unflavored isn't bad (although it does leave a kinda weird after taste.I was sleeved on 4/20 and so far, I have been able to get in most of not all my water by sucking on ice chips and sugar free popsicles. After the 2nd day out, I am able to drink my water requirement and I get in about 40 to 50 grams of protein. I take a liquid multi-vitamin that I mix with 8 oz. od Naked's Green Machince (a smoothie made entirely of fruits and veggie- no sugar added plus 2 grams of protein per serving) because this drink is green already so it goes in undetected and there is no smell or trace of vitamins. I am not at the 60-70 grams of protein I was recommended but this is all I can do now without feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. I hope some of my tricks help.

Congrats and welcome!!! I had my surgery on 4/20 and besides feeling a little bloated and a little tired, I feel good! I was in the hospital one day and I lost 1 lb. upon release. I am trying to stay away from the scale because I have found that (for me) the scale is my worst enemy. I have plenty of mirrors and clothes that will let me know if I am losing at a good pace.