LeaveItToSleever

Working out takes effort but it is self-perpetuating. In other words, you need to make the effort, and DO IT, before you feel the increased energy you will feel from doing it. The more exercise you do, the more energy you will have, and in many cases, that will lead to a desire to exercise. The simple fact is that exercise requires effort, and most people have no inherent natural desire to do something that requires serious effort. Most people go directly to reward/gratification/pleasure and prefer to pass the effort/work/discomfort required to receive the payoff.

Amen, sistah! We've all been there, and it ain't pretty! Especially the airplane part- yikes. Best wishes on your journey!

I also noticed this in the paperwork they gave us at the initial seminar. I looked around and saw that every lady in the room had on sandals and painted toenails, so I made a comment, and the nurse quickly said toenails don't apply, just fingernails. Now having said that, nobody looked at my fingers while I was in recovery. I don't know about surgery but that seems pretty dumb to me because the anesthesiologist has every monitor in the hospital attached to you during surgery. In the recovery room, I had to call the nurses several times because of various alarms going off on machines. To the person who said this was the least of your worries, I AGREE! All the data they need they get from my blood pressure cuff and all the other machines. I doubt any hospital staff looks at anything other than machines and charts.

I had a couple of forkfulls in week 3. The sky didn't fall. It still tasted just as good, but it definitely doesn't digest well. I have found that fatty foods (this was from the hot foods bar in the deli, so I know it was loaded with fat) cause major indigestion. Of course, it's a poor nutritional choice, as has been pointed out; but the heartburn is an even bigger deterrent. My shrink and my surgeon both emphasized that after surgery, I would be able to eat ANYTHING, it is not a "diet". Junk foods will be nibbled occasionally, the challenge is to plan meals so we meet our protein / water goals FIRST, and make healthier choices about diet and exercise for the rest of our lives, not to feel deprived. So just be sensible. In my experience, junk food makes you feel lousy for hours.

I want to say about 2.5 wks, but the truth is my gut is STILL more flabby and distended than it ever was before surgery. I think it may have something to do with the fact that my ab muscles are still so sore that I can't engage them, so they have no tension or firmness yet (almost 4 weeks out now). I definitely need to do some sit-ups asap. Just waiting for the incisions to heal completely.

Not really, but I'm very accustomed to outdoor physical labor anyway. Are you talking about exercise?

I Love weighing myself. Is there some danger in having "too much" good news?

I don't think this is a strange question at all (but what a strange response). I crave the same foods I always did. For me, nothing has changed. I'm almost 4 weeks out and I can eat anything, just in very small amounts.

3 weeks. I'd eat them in a heartbeat. Already eating hotsauce on everything (since week 2).

I am 3 wks and 3 days out, and 20 lbs down.

Be careful of buying cheap protein. Check the source. Different types of protein digest differently, and may be less available to your body. You can buy soy based protein, rice based protein, etc. Still protein, but lower quality protein per gram. I think these are more popular with vegans. I make sure it says 3 words: WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE.

My surgeon said I could skip it because my BMI was already low enough by the time of my surgery that he was not concerned about blood clots.

Another vote for Unjury. I have every flavor they make.

I lost 18 lbs in the first 10 days, then only 2 lbs in the next 10. QUITE a let down, to say the least. Of course I loved the first weeks rate of loss, but now I feel stuck... and disappointed. I already exercise an hour a day, I really can't eat much, and I have NO IDEA why the weight is not dropping fast (like it should be, according to math!).

I've resigned myself to the fact that I can't control my weight loss time frame. I can't eat less, and I can't exercise more, than I am already. Mathematically, the numbers say I should be losing 3 lbs a week, but I am not; I'm only losing 1 lb a week. I don't know how this is possible, but that's the reality. My fear is that it will slow even further, or I'll have an extended stall.

I had to move all my rings onto fatter fingers.

I use a refilled "Gatorade G series Fit" bottle. It is a squeeze bottle. Before that I was using another recycled squeeze bottle, but the neck was very narrow and hard to refill. The G series bottle works much better, and it won't spill even if I knock it over -you have to squeeze it to get the water out. Plus it is narrow enough to fit comfortably in my hand, even when I am sweaty from working out (gets slippery).

My tastes have not changed, nor has my sense of smell. I can eat anything. I've never vomited or been nauseous. At 3 weeks out, the only difference is that I am full after 2-4 bites. I still get hungry at mealtimes (wish I didn't) but my ability to indulge my appetite is gone.

It seems paradoxical, but that is the way it happens for me too.

Kumbaya, people.

Yes. And good riddance!

It's easy to make soups. Use unflavored or chicken flavored protein powder, combine with water or broth, and add soft cooked vegetables or lean meats. You can add even more protein with fat free greek yogurt. Spices to taste. The 14 day pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so it isn't in the surgeon's way. So the no fat, no sugar, and no alcohol part is very important.

I am 19 days out, and feeling fine. No complications whatsoever, it is working exactly how it's supposed to. It's quite a different way of eating. I still get hungry, and when I do, I still *think* I want a whole pizza or a 16oz ribeye. But I start eating, and BOOM I'm full after a few bites. I mean, stuffed, can't eat another bite full. My NP asks me how satisfied I feel after eating a half-cup meal, and I tell her to ask me next time because I can only eat 1/4c meals.

Same here! Who says we aren't supposed to weigh every day? Research shows that people who DO are more successful at achieving and maintaining their weight goals. It is information, nothing else. Why would anyone not want it? Count me among forever daily weighers!

I was sleeved on Aug 1st as well. I lost 18 lbs in the first 10 days, but in the past week, only 1 lb (boohoo!).