LT1002

My doctor never put me on a pre-op diet - just 24 hours of liquids before surgery. When I asked him about it, he said it wasn't necessary and there was no evidence that a short time on a special diet would shrink the liver enough to make a difference.

At my two week post-op, my NUT said I could start eating more normal food as long as I chewed it very well before swallowing, Protein before carbs. My doc said after three weeks, you're pretty much out of the woods for a leak. Every doctor and nut gives different instructions and info to their patients. Check with your doctor and nut about what to do - they're the only ones whose opinions matter.

If we're confessing... I went to the Olive Garden with my pregnant wife for the never ending Pasta bowl. I got the angel hair and marinara and ate maybe 1/4, probably less. Tracked it on MFP. Yeah, pasta = carbs, but it wasn't like I ate a basket of those delicious breadsticks. Ok. I had one. Which had twice as many calories in it than my pasta, but OMG was it good. A treat now and then - be it sweet or savory - makes this journey a lot less miserable, but now and then can't be every day. That's the one thing that has changed for me and I can live with that.

You will, occasionally, regret this surgery. The recovery is pretty miserable, until at least a month out. I'm almost 6 weeks out and finally feel completely normal again. I don't regret it as much as I did at first - I've lost 20.5 lbs, which I never could have done without the surgery. I eat pretty much normally now. Certain things don't go down well, no matter how much I chew. Green leafy salad is tough - tried a little bit a week ago and it hurt. Broccoli - even well done - was difficult (and caused my first and only vomiting episode). I drink a little soda and have a little coffee - I need the caffeine to get going. I've tolerated fried foods, though with a bit of discomfort. I try to stay away from most carbs. I go out to eat often, and finding stuff to eat isn't as difficult as I expected. Again, the early weeks are miserable, but once you get through that, it's not too bad and life goes back to normal, but with a healthier lifestyle.

I'm only 5 1/2 weeks out and am losing tons of hair! Had the band - no loss at all, but with the sleeve I started losing it a couple of weeks ago. Comes out just when I run my hand through my hair. Totally freaking me out. I have lots of thick hair, so it's not noticeable... yet. At this rate, though, it won't be long until it is.

I had been stalled at 3 weeks, drank a milkshake (!) to up my calories in case I was in starvation mode - it worked and I dropped 2 lbs. Just got back from vacation where it was impossible to eat healthy and was happy to have lost another .5 lbs instead of gaining. Stuck here for a couple of days, but that's fine - still adding new foods as my stomach heals (5 weeks out now), so I expect things to go a bit slower. I can't imagine not being able to lose weight when I'm taking in 500 calories a day - I think it's virtually impossible not to.

Agree with the poster above. I worked with kids on the autism spectrum through college and grad school and never have I met a group of more dedicated and loving parents. My inspiration to go to law school stemmed from working with families and seeing how difficult it was for them to have access to appropriate services for their children. My career veered off path somewhat (I still represent children, many with bipolar disorder and ADHD), but will forever be grateful for the experience I had working with those kids and their families. You are all amazing people!

I haven't had blood taken post-sleeve, but I had low ferritin levels after another surgery. Went as low as 4. Doctor put me on 325mg 3x/day of just the regular iron supplement you can get at the drug store. All my iron-related levels are up as long as I keep taking the supplements.

Thanks all! And yes, OTR, I'll need new suits, but I'd rather wait until I can get them someplace other than the plus section!

I had ordered a pair of jeans online before surgery in my usual size from Old Navy. Tried them on when I got them and they were way too small - seems that I should have read the reviews because everyone said they were too small and to order a size or two up. Never got around returning them. Tried them on today and not only do they fit, they're even a little loose! I couldn't even get them all the way up before! Today is exactly 4 weeks since my surgery. I've been beyond miserable. I've already gone through a stall once. I've lost 19 lbs. But it's the little things like this that make me feel like there's hope! I'm starting to not hate my sleeve!

My doc said at 3 weeks you're pretty much out of the woods.

I was sleeved 4 weeks ago. Within the last few weeks, I've been getting what I imagine feel like hot flashes... I'll be perfectly fine, then break out into a sweat. I'm only 42 and don't think I'm going through menopause. I do have stage IV endometriosis and that has always screwed up my period, so I'm not concerned that it's late right now. And as a monogamous lesbian with a pregnant wife, I'm definitely not pregnant! Anyone else get these weird hot flashes from the hormonal changes with the sleeve?

No one can say or do anything to make me feel worse about my weight than I already do. I beat myself up about it every single day. At least I did something about it. I do feel an immense amount of guilt, though, for humiliating someone else. My mom was the most incredible woman I'd ever met, but as a kid, I was always embarrassed by her weight and made no secret of it. I'm sure it hurt her so much. I don't believe in god, but clearly Karma has bitten me in my fat a$$. Now she's gone and it's too late to say how sorry I am. She was my inspiration, though - I want to be thin and healthy for my own daughter.

I've been tracking on Myfitnesspal and keep getting those "eat more calories or you'll go into starvation mode" messages. I hate eating because it will inevitably be uncomfortable - just changed PPIs, so hope that will help. I'm only getting in about 400-500 calories a day with few carbs, and am in a mini-stall - lost, stuck, gained a lb, lost again, stuck again. Thinking it's probably because I'm taking in too few calories.

I'm only down about 17 lbs (surgery was 7/17). I have to wear suits to work and noticed that my blazers actually close again, though my pants still fit (maybe a bit baggy in the thighs, though). All depends on where you're losing the weight. I can tell my stomach has gone down, even with just those 17 lbs, probably from eating low carb. Suits are the only plus sized clothes I've worn - between Gap and Old Navy, 18s have been fine - so I'm looking forward to wearing suits that aren't made of stretchy poly!

Lettuce can be hard to digest and some docs say no lettuce for a while post-op. To the OP, hummus can sometimes be sticky also, so the combo of bread + hummus might be difficult to get down. Maybe try substituting some light mayo instead of hummus if you really want the bread. Bread was a problem for me with the band, so I'm almost positive it will be a problem with the sleeve, even though I would kill for just a bite of a bagel!

Only thing I have trouble remembering is to eat and drink. Otherwise, I actually feel a bit sharper post-op.

I had the same problem post-op. I think it was my body adjusting to the lack of food - from 2000+ calories a day to 400 a day, your body will react. A friend who had the rny said three weeks out and you'll start feeling better and she was right on target - went back to work at 3 weeks and really started to feel myself again, just a little more tired than usual.

Same here - 4 weeks Tuesday. Started the stall last week at about 2 1/2 weeks post-op and finally saw some scale movement this morning. Don't know if it'll keep moving, but if I saw the same number AGAIN I was going to go mental.

I had tried Centrum chewables but they made me queasy, so I switched to an adult gummy from Target and an adult B-12 gummy. No nausea and they go down fine.

Today is my first day back too. Brought a big bottle of water to sip on and packed my lunch. Made sure my schedule was easy so if I'm not feeling well, I can just sit at my desk or even leave early. My biggest fear is having to run to the bathroom a lot!

You'll be fine! My doc/nut moved me to softs at my two week post-op because I was doing so well (no vomiting or nausea, no problems swallowing). The only thing they said was to make sure I chewed really well. After purées and liquids, you'll be relieved to finally be able to chew something! Oh, and just make sure things are moist - with deli turkey, I use some light mayo, I got some thinly sliced deli roast beef and use some gravy. And definitely the string cheese - a great snack and goes down easy.

I know that some restaurants are opposed to letting adults order off the kid's menu, so a lot of our food goes to waste when we eat out (my doc says no heating up meat because it gets too tough). Went out to dinner today at Houlihans and they have a small plates menu that included a couple of "mini me" meals. They had a 4 oz filet mignon that came with a side of veggies and fries, which I subbed out for mashed potato (they also have a cauliflower mash, but I'm not a fan). Get it without the butter on it. I ate 1/2 the filet and a couple bites of potato and was full. A great meal for $10.99 and the dog got the leftovers. Best part is it's trackable on MyFitnessPal.

My NUT suggested Smart Water, something about the way it's filtered that makes it easier to drink. Don't know if that's true - need to pick some up still - but it's worth a try.