AlbanyDan

Thanks, Benjamin. Sometimes (often) the administrators of the weight loss program that I am in (since November 2009) seem to have tunnel vision where the ONLY true evaluation of compliance and success is the numbers on the scale. I explained the change in sizes, despite the small change on the scale and still the focus was on how, I MUST be cheating on my diet somewhere. It's hard not to let discouragement creep in but I have my own goals and am happy to no longer be shopping at the end of the rack (6X) at the Big and Tall stores. I have no plans to go back to that guy in the picture who could barely walk without pain..

I had my VSG December 7, 2011. My high weigt in the program November 2009 was 462. My last weigh in in March was 366. I have been going to two clubs, walking a mile 4 times a week in addition to an hour workout. My pants were W60 L30 and now I can fit into W54. I also went from wearing 6X workout shorts to 3X. I was looking forward to the results showing on the scale but it only said 362. Only 4 #$@ pounds change in 3 months!!. They don't do the body fat measurement. My question is, is there truth to the 'I am rehsaping my body with the exercise' explanation? I went through a similar 'scale hold' for about 3 months pre-surgery in 2011. It held at 30 pounds lost and then started to move again I was weighed in February and March. How do I lose 6 inches in the legs and hips but no results on the scale?

I have been there JGo. I had doubts hours after the surgery, when you feel the bloating and everyone tells you that you just need to get up and walk. My wife and I went Red Lobster two days before my surgery. I thought that I would order one of each from the menu, but I didn't. One thing that I wish I had done, was apply more of the VSG post-op diet before the surgery. If you get used to starting the day with a protein shake and Greek yogurt now, it will be less 'painful' later (post-op). My first whey powder shake was a week after surgery. I tried this beef based first but it didn't 'go down' well. (Who thought Raspberry flavored beef powder was a good idea?). As for alcohol, your body won't miss it and will thank you for it. IN my case, I had already cut back because alcohol interferes with NSAID's and Tylenol type medicines that I took for my arthritis. Sometimes I do miss the days of us going out and not being conscious of what I order from any menu, but every time I can buy smaller size on the pants and shirt rack, I feel better about it.

I attended a reception last month (90 days after surgery) and forgot myself (control) for awhile. I had a Gin and tonic (okay then another) and some of the finger food that came around. I was also told absolutely no alcohol after the surgery. I had already cut back because it interfered with my arthritis medicine (which as a NSAID, I can no longer take). The next day, my body DID tell me something.. don't do that again... ever.

Diito what Ted said. If you are getting headaches and believe that they are related to the dehydration get to the ER. I had a similar problem taking in enough fluids after surgery and was on IV fluids 24 hours a day for two days. Nothing to play with.

I first started in a Weight Loss program 2006. It was affiliated with a local hospital near work. The first two meetings were group meetings. I was sort of put off because the administrators at the time said that they had adopted a policy of only doing the Gastric bypass (no gastric bands) since they had determined that the bypass resulted in the most success. At the time I had not tried to many fromal diet programs, but I was willing to work with them and see where things led. I lost about 30 lb's on my own with diet and exercise. Having access to a scale that went high enough to to weigh myself helped. Over time I became discouraged as the only goal they seemed interested in was to schedule the surgery. I dropped out of the program. November 2009 , I decided to try again. This time the program had changed. It was more organized. (Also, options had changed as my insurance started covering VSG). The first orientation meeting I was weighed at 465. The second orientation meeting the program was described. My pre-surgery goal weight was 419. At the second group meeting was also where I found out that VSG was an option. Before that, I was leaning toward the Realize Band that I had researched. I felt that I had the discipline for the VSG to work. The owner of a local health club gave a speech on the value of exercise, which I really didn't need. I had torn my right ACL, MCL and meniscus in 1973, had the knee replaced in 2002. I had herniated L3-L4 and L4-L5 discs between 1989 and 1995. I had convinced myself that any exercise would in pain the next day (it usually did). The health club owner offered 4 sessions ½ hour sessions with a personal trainer for anyone in the program. I took advantage of the offer and joined the club after the 4 visits. The scale did not move for 2 months, though I felt better. I was initially able to do 10 minutes on a treadmill at a time. I lost about 30 lbs walking 3 times a week by the following March. But it stayed at 30 for the next 3 months. I switched clubs and started doing more walking. I built my endurance up to a mile (in 25 minutes). I also started aquatic therapy (laps in heated pool) that helped the legs recover between walking. I was 429 when I went under surgery December 2011. I was 409 30 days later and was 382 when I was last weighed the first week of February. I now go to two clubs 3-4 times a week to get my mile in and am down to 20:05 in time. I hope to keep up the 10 lbs a month loss average. We'll see. I need to me more focused on getting my minimum 80g's of protein each day. I feel it trying to get through workout. That and the fluids. Nothing like waking up with a dry tongue stuck to your upper lip.