COsleeveDude

At my one month post-op they told me my 20+ since surgery was above average, and 30+ since pre-surgery was way above average. Point is not to brag, but everyone is different. I think some people's expectations are way too high, and measuring the first month or two isn't as important as the whole first six months to one year. I tend to hear 10-20 lbs a month, 2-5 lbs / week for the first 6-12 months. Even if you only lost 2 pounds per week for a year, that would be 100+ pounds in a year. It adds up quick.

I craved spicy food for awhile, especially Thai green curry. Now that I've had some I don't crave it as much, but cravings come and go. At least I found out I can tolerate and still enjoy some spice. Sushi has been another craving, but I haven't had any yet because of the white rice. Also, steak or bison. Which are actually acceptable, and surgery makes for a good excuse to order a nice, expensive tender cut.

I get the impression that's not the only problem you have with your mom, or the only problem your mom has. That's why I haven't talked to my father for years: if I don't get any positive net gain out of the relationship, why bother? You don't choose your parents anyway, it's not like you're obligated to stay connected to people who suck just because they had sex and you happened to be a result.

Looking good, nice job.

Good job with your progress, everyone is different in how they show it. I lost 40 before surgery and no one said anything. Then I went back to work three weeks after having surgery. I had only lost another 20ish at the time, and suddenly everyone was commenting on it. I think you'll hit that point when the weight loss, for whatever reason, starts to show up much more visually. Plus, since women are shorter it can take a little longer to notice. Keep up the good work, it'll happen.

You should send letters to the Better Business Bureau, Food and Drug Administration, your state's Attorney General. Sounds like they need to be put out of business for misleading advertising.

That's amazing. May have actually convinced me to try yoga. Not that I'm a huge pro wrestling fan or anything, but the results are impressive.

That's a good point. Women generally won't get huge and ripped very easily. You all don't have enough testosterone, so lifting weights is a good idea for keeping muscle, toning and adding bone density, which is underrated and important. Hell, it's hard enough for guys to get huge and ripped.

I quit smoking years ago. I can't imagine what it would've been like to give up tobacco and eating at the same time. Especially since smoking blunts the appetite. I don't know if chew does or not, but I would guess I gained 30-40+ pounds just because I quit smoking.

Number one: if you can't help dipping at least don't swallow. It jacks up your gut and esophagus. I don't dip, I used to smoke. So I can't add any great advice, other than quitting tobacco can be accomplished. It's tough, but can be done.

You're probably losing muscle instead of fat on those weeks. I think there is something to be said for changing the diet up slightly when a real stall hits (2-3 weeks with no loss): more healthy carbs, more Protein, a little more fat, a couple/few hundred more calories per day. I don't think there's anything wrong with eating like crap occasionally, but you need to know yourself and your limits. If one hit will send you over the edge for a whole week, don't take it. I think the obsession with overall weight loss is somewhat unhealthy. Next week is my week six, and I will be off lifting restrictions. I already got a gym membership and am going to start lifting weights in addition to my walking. Point being, I don't think the scale is the only measure. We all know thin people who look like crap. Or what I call "fat thin people," the ones who lose a bunch of weight but are out of shape and have no muscle or tone. I would rather lose more slowly while getting in cardio shape and at the same time gaining some muscle to replace the fat and fill up the loose skin. Good luck.

You can try. Take it slow. I had half a beer and a gin and tonic on week 5. I'm more of a realist: I'm never not going to have a drink or two once or twice a month.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I have nothing but good things to say about Kaiser Lakewood. They have always been responsive and fast with referrals to specialists for me.

My nutrition guidance through the *** nutritionist and weight loss surgery program was full liquids for week 2, and soft and moist weeks 3-6. I cheated some and moved into more "solid" foods around week 5, but still mostly Protein and just chewed everything very well.

Isn't science neat? If only more people did their research, including doctors. Good stuff.

Have you tried appealing? Kaiser in Colorado (and also in California, from what I've heard) only require 40 BMI.

I like sushi, but it's a lot of white rice and carbs. A couple of pieces once or twice a week probably won't kill a diet, but be careful. What about fish without the rice? I've started buying a couple of fish fillets when I grocery shop every week. Tilapia, salmon, cod. Tastes good broiled or baked. Not as good as sushi, but still good.

Sorry that you're having problems. Maybe this is a dumb question, but have you gotten a pneumonia vaccine? If not when you kick this bout you should ask about it.

He's probably worried you're going to flush everything through your system before it has a chance to be digested and absorbed. Seems logical. My program said at least 32 oz for staying out of the ER, and shoot for 64 oz optimally. Good luck.

Go, better safe than sorry. Here's some info I found by doing a quick Google search: Stomach Leak This is potentially a life threatening complication. Fortunately, leak after Gastric Sleeve is rare, occurring in 1 out of 100 patients. It occurs when a hole or gap develops somewhere along the staple line closure allowing stomach juice to escape into the abdominal cavity. A severe infection develops that can lead to sepsis (adverse symptoms involving all body systems) or septic shock (low blood pressure with injury to all body systems). Multiple Organ Failure can occur which is basically a shut down of many organ systems. With time this can lead to death. Symptoms of stomach leak include: rapid heart rate, dizziness, shortness of breath, fever, worsening abdominal pain, left chest or shoulder pain, abdominal distention, the appearance of illness and a general feeling that something is very wrong. Unfortunately, many of the symptoms may be absent or could be from something else (e.g. bleeding). Diagnosing a leak is further complicated by the fact that there is no single, reliable test to definitely diagnose a leak. The diagnosis of a leak must be clinical, that is, the surgeon must consider all symptoms in relation to the timing after surgery. The diagnosis can never be 100% sure before treatment. If a leak is suspected the patient must go back to the operating room for an OPEN SURGERY to close the hole and clean up the leak. Usually, the patient will need to spend some time in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and rarely may require mechanical ventilation, temporary dialysis, and/or medications to support the blood pressure. Clearly, the key factor with a bowel leak is an early return to the operating room, even if the diagnosis is not assured. http://www.doctormarvin.com/post-operative-problems-gastric-sleeve.html

Obviously ask your doctor and/or the pharmacist, but from what I've been told with the sleeve there are no restrictions or changes on most medications, Vitamins, etc. The stomach still digests it the same way. Just make sure to tell them what else you're taking so they know. The only thing that seems to happen is some people have problems with larger pills, and they recommend you stay away from things like aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil) because they can irritate the stomach.

The nice thing is eggs are filling, plenty of Protein, and you wont take a huge calorie hit if you use the egg substitute. If you can handle any carbs go with a wheat tortilla instead and do a Breakfast burrito with fake sausage, turkey, chicken, low fat cheese, salsa, etc.

Life is filled with a lot of "what ifs." This is one of those rare times when you can take a chance on a major change where the odds are in your favor. I moved 1,000 miles away from where I had always lived in summer 2011. Sure, I was moving to make more money, but leaving everything else behind: friends, family, familiarity. But, besides the obvious incentive, the money, I decided I had to do it because if I didn't I would regret the what ifs forever. This is a similar situation. You will get results. Will it be painless and effortless? No. But the odds are in your favor. Good luck.

My advice would be to do all of the things you wish you would've done when you were younger and unattached. Sex, drugs, rock 'n roll...or just learning how to flirt and date again. Try internet dating, but take it with a grain of salt. It's probably slightly better than meeting people at the bar or being set up, but not much better, unfortunately.

Sleep apnea will kill you, and isn't even necessarily caused by obesity. Try and relax and finish the test so you can get a CPAP machine if you need one. You'll feel better in the morning. Better than having a heart attack or stroke. Good luck.