gustavo52974

I use a probiotic powder that I scoop into my protein drinks. The powder itself is green because there are a bunch of phytonutrients in it as well. So that's what turns my stool green. On the days I don't use it, there's no green. So I've deduced that the powder is the culprit. And you really shouldn't be drinking and eating at the same time. I don't mean to preach but it's counterproductive to do so.

My first stall was at 5 weeks, but it only lasted about 5 days. It was excruciating not seeing the scale move. But this is a marathon, not a sprint. What's worse is that I'm now in my 6th week and when I stepped on the scale this morning I gained a pound from yesterday! I wanted to scream. I've decided to blame the fact that I was up until 5am last night after being out all night at a bar drinking several bottles of Water (and I hadn't had a bowel movement yesterday).

So because you're married to him, he can treat you with less respect than he would a perfect stranger?

Your mom must be super-model thin for her to think she can pass judgment on you like that. That's shameful. Is she a borderline personality or something? And I thought MY mother was narcissistic and shallow.

Define "not one person". Does that include your family and close friends? Did they know you were having surgery? Sometimes people shun the idea of WLS because they think it's the wrong choice, the "easy way out", etc. So maybe they're just bitter that you did it and it's working for you. Remember, at least you found a way out!

Wow! That's unimaginable. Why do you think that is?

If you notice in my profile pic, I'm wearing a red long-sleeve shirt. This picture was taken last fall when I was around 260 lbs. Now that I'm at the halfway mark towards my ideal weight, I wanted to take the same exact pic (next to the statue of Morgan Freeman) with the same clothes on as a "dramatic contrast" pic. I thought the shirt would still fit; however, when I tried the shirt on I nearly drowned in it.

I once had to go buy Midol for my sister when we were in high school. Not only did the cashier give me a weird look, but a bunch of my classmates ended up in line behind me (totally random since it was at night). I was mortified, they were dumbfounded; it was a huge mess and I never lived it down.

I never did Lovenox, but I found this website which appears to be informative: http://www.lovenox.com/consumer/prescribed-lovenox/default.aspx

My stool turned green as well. I doubt there's anything to worry about.

LOL! No, I literally laughed out loud! Terrific! Yes, he apparently was!

I had about 90-something pounds to lose. I'm about 6 weeks out and I've lost around 48 pounds. I completely agree with all the people who posted above, so I'll just add that everyone's body is different so everyone loses weight differently. It's true whether you're sleeved or not. Comparing your weight loss with others' progress is kind of a dangerous game in this respect. I lose muscle quickly, and I lose fat slower than muscle, so I'm sure a good portion of my weight loss is from muscle weight instead of fat. Also, I'll be headed back to the gym soon and I plan on toning up, so I'll probably gain muscle weight now. And muscle weighs more than fat. Although I step on the scale every morning, I'm trying not to fixate on it. Instead I'm focusing on being able to fit back into my "thin clothes", which I'm happy to say I've started doing. My wedding band is starting to fit better too. In sum: don't just think about how fast you lose weight. You can get excited by all your NSV (non-scale victories) just as much.

That's a really good idea! Don't underestimate the power of subliminal self-suggestion. However, never use a phrase in the negative. For example, don't say "I'm not fat" because the subconscious mind doesn't hear the word "not"...it just hears the words "I'm" and "fat". So put it in the positive: "I'm thin", or whatever it is you want to affirm to yourself. I know this is kind of gross, but it's a case in point: I had an acquaintance who used the s-word so frequently (in practically every sentence) that he was on the toilet nearly all day long.

Christ on the Mount of Olives! He lost 224 lbs? That's...well...no words! Someone give this man a trophy!

Oh, I was so there with you! I thought I was going to go insane if I had to have another spoonful of broth. And I also hated having to rely on others, but you'll become a lot more self-reliant very quickly. The recovery is rather quick in most cases and the pain goes away. Just think about all the new shoes you'll be able to buy! Hang in there! It will be soooo worth it.

My interpretation: He likes to do RNY because it's a surgery he's more familiar with and comfortable doing. He doesn't like the sleeve as much because he's probably only done it once or twice (or never). I was a volume eater, so the sleeve was the right choice for me. I never really liked sweets unless it involved chocolate. But I didn't even have much of that because caffeine is a trigger for my migraines.

Lucky s...t. I eat when I'm hungry, but I tend to stick to 3 meals a day. That's what my NUT told me to do. I'll have a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese between meals if I feel hunger.

I'm about 5 weeks out and I'd say my appetite is about a third of what it was before surgery. And I was one of those people who had a gargantuan appetite. So I still have an appetite, but it feels more "normal" now as opposed to the elephantine monster appetite I had before. As far as hunger, I still get hungry...sometimes very hungry...but not as hungry as before surgery. I even sometimes get that gnawing painful hunger, but it's not as common for me now. I'm disappointed that my experience wasn't as drastic as a lot of others on here in that their hunger and appetite virtually vanished. This was one of the reasons I chose the sleeve: I just didn't want to be voracious all the time. It's not as bad now, but surgery didn't make it disappear. I know it's not necessarily supposed to, but damn...

Yes, they cremate it. I just asked a surgeon friend of mine.

That's an interesting question and I've wondered the same thing. They might use it for research, though they'd probably have to obtain your consent first (or it's in the fine print that no one reads).

Post-op I thought I was going to turn into Laughing Cow cheese.

Exactly...my ancestors converted to Catholicism. It was quite a surprise to find out that some of them were originally Jewish. One of my Jewish friends seemed to think that Sephardic was appropriate since I have a somewhat dark personality and outlook on life. Go figure.

I'm six weeks out and I've been at exactly 209.1 lbs for 5 days now. It's the first time for me that I've gone more than a couple days at the same weight. So my question is, all things being equal, how long does a stall last?

I completely agree with you. But, I'm not sure why you're quoting me here...I did know what her NUT was talking about when I read her post, I just thought that a mandated deadline of one year was meaningless.

Yeesh. Your NUT sounds like real jerk. You have to use your teeth? That's preposterous. Your teeth won't fall out if you don't use them, at least during a puréed food stage. And I've never heard that you have one year. That doesn't sound logical. I'll ask my surgeon about that but I bet he'll just laugh.