RainyGirl

hello neighbor, lol. I'm in the same area... Did McCullough or Sofronski do your surgery?

For the record I'm not bothered merely by someone else's viewpoint. I'm not completely obtuse to new ideas. What bothers me is people who boldly and flagrantly go against sound advice (which is their choice) and encourage others to follow suit. And even go as far as name calling, insults or pot shots at those
Who follow the rules. Calling us over the top or negative or silly. Then make smart Alec remarks about how they're going to do what they want. If that's the case why bother having the surgery? Or joining a "support" forum. That's not supportive at all.

Ok just a vent. I'm really bothered by endless posts of people going against doctor's orders and/or cheating the stages. Then they look for "support" in their decision. When you try to offer actual support and discourage the bad behavior/choice all of a sudden you become the "negative" one. VSG is a tool but not the miracle cure. We need to work with our tool to make it work for us. Ignoring surgeons and nutritionists orders will only lead to some sort of failure along the road. If we knew what was best we wouldn't have needed the surgery to begin with. Why undergo such a major surgery if you're not willing to undergo the life changes associated with it?

Lol ill sell u mine cheap!!! (But its a josh model lol)

Head down to you local public assistance office and sign up for whatever you are available to get.
Then work on getting a new job what ever money you have hold it for the house. sell the car if you have to to make the house payment. It's going to work out but it's going to be hard and a lot of run around hard work for you. Hang in there girl you can do this

I haven't until now, lol... but u can be sure I will be googling

See this is what I love about this site, the support! You guys are so amazing! Thank
You all for the kind words and prayers.
@butterthebean: I do have a wonderful attitude! I love life, it's sort of a newfound lease on life. I don't want to take anything for granted. When I catch myself taking things for granted (& it does happen more than I'd care to admit) I force myself to remember and then I cry, a lot!
@ms Anitband I didn't even mention all of the blood transfusions I had. I still see my hematologist/ encologist every month as well as my infectious disease doctor. It's a process coming to terms with a lot of this but one that I welcome with open arms. This is my life now. There's new rules and new obstacles but I'm gonna make it! WE are gonna make it!!

Slow scale change does not a failure make. Losing inches and clothes falling off a success makes.
Yoda in The Sleever Strikes Back
Time ...give yourself. Diet and exercise program... in line are. Doomed... your fat is.

I bought a treadmill and plopped it right down in front of my television. I record one of my favorite shows but then only allow myself to actually watch the show if I walk on the treadmill.

Well, stickks ...aren't you just a peach! I bet no one ever accused you of having an abundance of couth.

Try shocking your body again and do fluids only, sometimes going all the way back to the begining brings on a new perspective.

Carol,
As mentioned above a lot of things that I liked before surgery doesn't now. Remember that your sleeve is very angry right now so anything that goes down would probably make you sick. I took my nausea pills for the first two weeks and couldn't handle Protein Shakes until week 2. The Pure Protein is a good brand because it is also low in carbs as is the Atkins brand. Now, if you want a variety of flavor I buy BSN Lean Protein Dessert shake powder from Amazon. Sometimes I add a 1/4 C of vanilla greek yogurt or 1/4 C heavy whipping cream. I currently have banana Nut, chocolate Coconut, Cinnomon Bun, and Chocolate Fudge. If you have a Wal-Mart close to you they have Protein Shots. I buy the ones that have 42grams and drink half in the morning and half in the evening. I bought a post-op cookbook that has protein shakes and where I had my surgery gave us a little cookbook. If you want I can provide you with some of the recipes. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_0_8?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=bsn+lean+dessert&sprefix=bsn+lean%2Cgrocery%2C230

Sleeved July 11th, down 43 pounds.

PS: does anyone in this group want to hang out at some point? I mean, I love going to dinner, happy hour and stuff with my friends, but then I order too much food, eat too fast, and look like a freakshow when I feel sick. Although, I can still enjoy my cocktails. So there.

Good day... I have no experience with Nioxin, but had taken Biotin 7 months prior to surgery and although continued faithfully, I still started losing hair around month five and didn't stop until about 8 and half months. Nothing seemed to work until I started using "Fall Fight" Shampoo and conditioner by Garnier. It has Biotin in it. I also bought some Natural Biotin shampoo but it was hard on my hair. I am not trying to sell you anything, it may even be coincidence, but my hair started slowing down with loss the very first week. I am about 4 weeks into the shampoo regiment and I can honestly say that I have normal Hair loss now. Nothing more than I ever did. We all experience the loss, I read about it , yet the stalls and hair loss don't hit home until it happens to you. It too shall pass. I wish you the best of luck..

I got on the scale today and it said: 179.8.
I'm making this announcement because I want people to know that so far, my year-long experiment with sleeve eating has not been a failure. If you've ever read my posts before, you know that I am not dieting with the sleeve. I am not lowcarbing. My calories are not at starvation level and they have not been since I got my surgery last April. My actually surgery was March 29, but I mostly count it as April 1 just to round everything out.
Okay so the thing is, there is research out there that says that people typically lose sixty percent of their weight in the first year and that's all you get. There is research that says that you will "stretch" your sleeve after six months or so, lose your "honeymoon" with your sleeve, stop losing and get stuck. There are surgeons who say you *have to* be on a lowcarb diet of 800 calories for the rest of your life or you won't lose the weight, and they say that you need to exercise like a demon *while* you're eating that 800 and you have to stay like that forever or you'll get fat again.
I want to tell you that in my experience this is not true.
What I want to tell you is that I got the sleeve because I was 46 and SO FAT -- I weighed 289 -- and I was at the end of my rope. I had dieted before and gotten the weight off only to regain it and the way I did that is pretty much to follow all the instructions above. Eating 800 lowcarb calories a day will get you to goal weight, there is no doubt,but in my opinion that's just no way to live and it's impossible to sustain. It also creates such intense anxiety about eating and your body and your food that it creates a horrible unending complex about fat, and feeding yourself, that the cure is worse than the disease.
I got my surgery in March. I was *severely* depressed and the reason I was depressed primarily was because I WAS SO FAT. I really hated myself. But I decided that the fat was emotional mostly and so what I was going to do was this. I was going to lose weight without dieting by having a surgeon remove eighty five percent of my stomach. And knowing that was taken care of and I had done the most *extreme* thing I could possibly do to solve my weight problem, I was going to let it come off naturally, eat normally and not push myself or punish myself because obsessing over my weight has basically been my career since I was 13 years old.
I had this thought once when I was watching Oprah Winfrey. All that woman ever talked about was her weight. All she ever did was look at the scale. Every time she lost fifty pounds it made the freakin national news and when she gained the weight back she made this weird confession and apology to everyone in the world. So obviously she was obsessed but what I really thought was holy crap, really? Imagine what Oprah could have accomplished with her life if she was not spending seventy five percent of her time obsessing over her pants size. Imagine what *I* could do if this was NO LONGER A PROBLEM for me and when I say NO LONGER A PROBLEM I mean I NEVER HAVE TO THINK OR WORRY ABOUT IT AGAIN.
So really....I was looking for more than weight loss. I wanted to be healed. Completely.
So the weight has come off really slow. In August of last year, I weighed 237. In November, I weighed 222. In January, 209. On April 1, my surgiversary, I weighed about 190. I've gone on vacation, I've drunk numerous glasses of wine, I've eaten cake and Pasta and carbs, I've avoided cardio really for the most part -- but my calories are *naturally* way under what I would need to sustain these weights and so....slowly....it's coming off. And it's still coming off and it has now been *over* a year.
I think I'm going to hit goal eventually. This will be without dieting, without worrying about the "honeymoon period", and without forcing myself to do ninety hours of cardio a week. And when I get there there's not going to be some freakout/rebound where I now have to figure out what "maintenance" is and be on the verge of shooting myself in the head because I had a piece of birthday cake or a piece of gum with sugar in it.
So this is what I want to say:
If you're just starting this project ( I refuse to say journey -- UGH) then realize that patience is required. Plan on a year *or more*. Even if you believe the honeymoon thing you're not going to drop all your weight *inside* your "honeymoon" so think about it...what are you going to do when it's over? Because you're still going to have to lose a lot of weight and you're going to have to sustain whatever you're doing for the rest of your life. It's frustrating that such an extreme solution is not instantaneous, but it is NOT, so prepare yourself. You're going to be working on this for at least a year. A year is a long time and you can't just not be alive for a year while you get thin. I didn't have that year to waste and you don't either.
If you're just starting this project, consider what you want your life to be as a thin person. Not a "formerly fat" person. Not a constantly dieting, obsessed person. This is what you'll be free of when it's done, so prepare by starting now and living your life.
And finally: Prepare for the idea that you may not lose all your weight in the first year. But remember this post by me and realize that you *will* very likely get exactly where you are going by the end of the second one and forget all that stuff about first years and honeymoons. This is not magic, it's science. It's mechanics. The mechanism that uses energy that is your body will continuously be operating at a deficit *even after* the honeymoon, *even after* the first year, and that means you *will* get there. You *have to*.
This requires patience, and then more patience. That's really the *only* think you need going into this. The rest, I really promise you -- will take care of itself.

Wow thank u all for ur support and encouragement. I love this site and the people in it :-). I have been trying to get the Protein in but its been tough. I ordered some unflavored so I can start mixing it with everything. I also can't seem to keep Water down... so I crush ice like a snocone and eat it constantly... usually an entire ice cube tray a night. I will keep on it, have a better attitude and come here often.... yes, we will succeed together! Thanks again... all of u!!

katrina81
good for you - coming "home", looking for help
sorry you are going through this stuff, no support either, thats extra rough.
no one need judge/lecture here, we're all your sleeve sisters/brothers.
you told us what you are not doing - i'm sure you know that everything you are not doing, is what you need to do immediately if not sooner.
you must drink 64 oz of Water - but you can work back up to this - slowly, but more and more each day. drinking is one if not the most important thing a sleever needs to do
you must get your Protein in - very important
since you did exercise before, hopefully you can start this up again.
You went through a lot to prepare for this surgery/pre-op, tests , dealing w/insurance companies - maybe you paid out of pocket , traveled to Mexico maybe?
i am sure you don't want all your efforts to be in vain
you didn't stretch your sleeve, just go back to basics with your Protein shakes/water
you must get your protein in - drink your shakes -
starting over, fresh new start - it can make you feel good, starting all over.
you know what foods to eat - if you weren't tracking before-its very helpful to track all your food and Water and exercise. Many people use MPS, and its very beneficial
sounds like you were kindof getting in the dumps a bit, no support etc./then the worse you felt due to whatever, the more you ate, vicious cycle. you just got more and more bummed and upset.
girl, as far as support goes - turn around - we're all here for you. come aboard and vent whenever you want to, ask questions again - and read other peoples questions and answers.
i can tell you want this, you sound determined - i know you can do this
please don't give up - you can to do this
we're all behind you
good luck
oh no, i hope this didn't sound like a lecture, and no judgement here

Yup, that is the consensus. Try mixing itn 50/50 with Water then adding a crystal light packet to it.

DUH why didn't I think of only mixing up 1/2 at a time!!!
Thanks for the suggestion. I will certainly be doing that from now on. They are much better fresh if you ask me!!!

Silver lining...I've heard losing slowly might not result in as much saggy skin!

Tbearfan, You have probably NOT stretched your stomach! That's very difficult, if not impossible, to do. Are you back on soft solids yet? If so, you need to try to get your Protein from food as much as possible. Regular food (chicken, pork, beef) will keep you full longer than a Protein shake. It will also help your sleeve heal. The stomach needs the challenge of digesting regular foods, and solids will stay in your sleeve longer.
When the weight loss slows down, you need to do a few things. One is to log your food and Water intake. Getting too few calories is just as bad as eating too much because your body will not have the energy it needs to work at it's optimum potential. You also need to drink Water to help flush toxins, hormones and fat out of your system. WATER and Protein are the keys to losing weight.
Two, take your measurements now and then do it again at least monthly. I lose inches when my weight loss "stalls". I lost my first pants size during a stall and I've lost most of my inches since my weight loss (in pounds) slowed down. I've lost slightly over 15 pounds in the last three months, but I've dropped several pants and shirt sizes in that same 3 months.
Three, shake things up. Add in a few calories or carbs...or subtract them. Do more, or less, exercise than normal. Go dancing with friends, play at the park with the kids, or buy and do a new exercise video. Sometimes just changing the routine makes a huge change and causes your body to let go of a pound or three.
Four, ENJOY THE RIDE. FavoredOne, another poster here, is a huge advocate of this. Look for the NSV's (non scale victories), enjoy your clothes fitting better. Celebrate the little things along with the big milestones. This is NOT a race. It's your life...and you're on your way to a better, fitter, happier you. That should fill you with joy, rather than make you stress that you aren't losing weight at the same rate as someone else.
Good luck!!