BlessedBeyondMeasure2012

What were you symptoms?

Off and on for the past week I've been having some pain in my upper belly, right in the upper middle and over to the right upper quadrant. Seems to get worse 2-3 hours after I eat. Hasn't been bad enough for me to mention to anyone before today. This morning, I woke up and it felt like someone had stabbed me in the middle of my upper stomach. I went to an urgent care center and they sent me to the ER. I had an ultrasound done and they found small gall stones and sludge. The pain eases on its own. I had some nausea with or from (who knows which) the pain I had this morning. That is better now too. I haven't had to have anything for pain so far.

So apparently any big weight loss can put you at a increased risk for gall stones. If that is the case, why don't surgeons just take the gall bladder out when they are in there? I mean I know sometimes it does get done as a combo surgery but why not routinely? I had my VSG on 3/25/13 and will be having my ball bladder removed in the morning. I'm not excited.

My NP was suprised at my two weeks when I asked that same question. Her response was "you mean you're not already?!?!"

I've just recently started a workout regimen (nothing like cross fit, I'm totally not ready for all that) but nonetheless, I'm working out. I've been mindful of what I eat before hand but I am really interested to see what people "go to" for their foods before a work out. Teach me something folks!

Therefore it makes you weigh more. I just started an exercise program (my own homemade one but hey, something is better than nothing). I have been doing some cardio off and on since surgery on 3/25/13 but nothing as consistently as I should have been doing. I own an elliptical. There is NO REASON I shouldn't be getting on it daily. Well, I have made a commitment to myself and to my husband (even though he has already bailed lol) that I am going to come home from work and get on the elliptical, adding a minute or two each day until I reach 30 minutes, maybe more later. And I will also do some weight training, upper body and some abs one night, lower body and more abs the next night. I worked out Sunday and Monday, this morning the scale was up. I was so close to losing 100 pounds, and I still am, just not as close as I was about two weeks ago. It's frustrating at the moment because I know I could not work out today and the scale would be down tomorrow but what good does that do me in the long run? None. It would would just be Water from the muscles that I didn't exercise today and then when I start exercising again I would be in the same situation. I know that the muscles can only hold so much water and within a few days the scale should start going back down. I am going skiing this winter and I am determined to be in better shape before then. I want to be able to ski on multiple days and not feel like I am going to die from exhaustion or muscle soreness. I'm just saying though, seeing the scale go up SUCKS especially after you feel like you literally worked your butt and thighs off!

Mine did the same. It all depends on what the surgeons charges are so it will vary some surgeon to surgeon and depending on your insurance company. Your insurance company will only allow so much for the surgery and the 10% you will have to pay will be of the allowable amount, not of the billed amount. I think total, to the hospital, surgeon and anesthesia I paid less than $2000.

Congratulations girl! That is so exciting!!! I can't wait until I am there with ya!

I had a couple of stalls in my first couple of months out. I got frustrated and discouraged and was to the point that I wanted to throw my hands up and eat a donut. BUT I didn't. Some weeks I lose more than others, I've even had a week where I gained, but it has been almost two months (6 weeks anyway) since I've had a week where I didn't at least lose SOMETHING. Keep the work up, the weight will come off. Everyone loses at a different pace, and you may end up and be a slow loser. Remember that the 29 pounds that you lost are gone forever, never to return. Keep your head up, as hard as it may be, and keep chugging along. Change things up a bit to see if that will help. Decrease your carbs, increase Protein or vice versa, increase your Water and exercise. Try to change things up and see if it will help. Good luck and keep pressing on!

Girl you are looking great!!! There is absolutely a difference!!! Keep up the good work and happy late birthday

I'm in!

HW: 332

SW: 298

CW: 240

Goal weight: 150

Goal for Labor day: 225

I ended up with 37.5 with a goal of 30 pounds. I'm pretty excited about it! Congrats to everyone for all the weight that was lost, even if you didn't reach your goal!! Those pounds are ones that are gone forever! I'm for the Labor Day Challenge but I don't have a clue how to do one of the forms. If someone does one I'm in!

I totally agree with you. I'll be three months out tomorrow and it seems like I've been waiting forever to take my comparison pics tonight!

Where is everybody??? July 4 is less than 2 weeks away!

My tummy makes lots of noises a lot. It tends to make more noises when I eat spicy foods. My 5 year old thinks its too funny to lay his head on my belly after supper

Thanks yall. Gonna throw these tortillias out!

So I'm doing low carb high Protein like most folks on here. My question is when you are doing low carb do you count total carbs or net carbs? I know that when you count the Fiber the net carbs are lower. Before surgery I was a big fiber eater but now I don't get many carbs therefore not much in the form of fiber. I try to make sure that if I am getting carbs that they have some fiber in them as well. I don't eat bread or Pasta. I have found that carb balance whole wheat tortillias are pretty good (13 carbs, 10 gm fiber = 3 net carbs). Most of my carbs come from those tortillias (I don't eat more than one a day) and fruits (minimal) and veggies. Just wondering how the vets do it

The word diet has DIE in it. This sleeve journey, for all of us, has to be lived. It has to be a lifestyle change with new habits. You have to LIVE-IT every day. A diet is temporary and is miserable (at least all of them I have ever been on have been). This new live-it as I am calling it is for good, for the rest of my life. Its for a better me. It's for a better life. It's not miserable at all. I love my sleeve. I still have a long way to go but the only way I am going to get there is by living it, not by dieting. Here's to this live-it!

I started at a size 26/28 and this weekend I picked up a pair of size 20 jeans that I bought right after surgery at a resale store. I held them up and I thought there was no way they would come even half way up my thighs. BUT they did! I wore them around all day on Sunday just because I could

The other night my husband and I were laying in bed fixing to go to sleep. He had his hand on my side and sald all of a sudden, "Hey! You know what? You have ribs!" In the entire time we have been together he has never been able to feel my ribs! I told him yep, and I have hip bones too lol!

Several years ago I asked my dad what he wanted for Father's Day. He told me that he wanted me to lose 50 pounds. Now he wasn't mean about it or ugly in any way, he just wanted me to be healthy. I've dieted off and on since then but never lost as much as 50 pounds at one time or even anywhere close to Father's Day. This year for Father's Day I was able to tell him that I've lost just over 80 pounds since the end of February. He cried when I told him, then he laughed! He told me that my overall health was the most important thing to him first off, but #2 just how much plastic surgery was I going to need to keep me from flapping in the wind?!? LOL! That, Daddy, is yet to be determined!

He may think he has a whole new wife! You look great!

I started out in a 26/28 and I'm in a 20/22 now (honestly the 22's are too big but I haven't had the time to replace them) and I actually have a pair of 18's that I got on, buttoned and zipped yesterday. They are tight and I'm not fixing to wear them in public but I GOT THEM ON!!! I was telling my husband last night that even already it seems strange to look at my "new" clothes and at how much smaller they look. I seriously was only in a 22 for about 3 weeks and I've been in 20's for about a week and some of them are already getting baggy. I wore a pair of 20's on Monday that I pulled the tags off of on Monday. They had been hanging in my closet for a couple of years, I found them when on one of my previous diets for like $5 at Lane Bryant so I bought them knowing I'd "get into them one day". Anyway, I had a lady tell me on Monday, the day I wore them for the first time, that I needed to go shopping for some new pants cause those were too big. I very rarely buy anything that I can wear right now because I am going through it so quickly. I buy things a size or two too small if I find a SUPER good sale. I also shop at resale stores and Goodwill and, like you said, you can find some great stuff there. I know you are excited but trust me, the time will come when you are buying clothes way more often than you ever imagined! I have a HUGE bag of clothes to sell at the resale store tomorrow from before surgery and you will have one of those before you know it too!

At fast food resturants I tend to get grilled chicken sandwhiches and take the bun off or order it with no bun. At sit down places I get either grilled chicken or fish and a side of steamed veggies. Occasionally I'll get a sweet potato as a side and eat just a few bites after I have finished what of everything else I can eat. I don't do fried foods and I stay away from carb (except the occasional few bites of sweet potato) and bread.< /p>

When I went back for my two week post op I asked the NP if sex was okay. Her response was, "You mean you're not already?" I had just been to my OBGYN that same day for my 6 weeks post partum visit and was released from him. As far as the sleeve surgery went, I don't think I had any restrictions as far as sex goes, probably no sex swing though

YUCK!

I love fish, lots of different kinds of fish but not so much this one. I can't seem to find a way to make it taste any other way other than fishy (I know it's fish but even different kinds of seasonings don't help this one!). Blah.

It's the dreaded 3 week stall. I had a stall at 10 days out that lasted for 2 1/2 weeks and I had another stall a few weeks after that. Since then some weeks I lose faster than others. It will come off, you just have to get adjusted. Stalls happen, it sucks, but they do. It seems like when the scale stalls for me, my clothes start getting looser and people start noticing my drop in weight. I dropped a pant size in my first stall, and have dropped two more since but both when the scale really had slowed down moving. Measure yourself and see your body changing in inches not just in the numbers on the scale.