joatsaint

Your stall is completely normal. It's just your body adjusting to the weight loss and reduced calories. I found that if I kept to my diet and calorie limits, the weight would start dropping again. I've gone through several stalls during the 1st year and each time I was worried if it was the end of my weight loss. But it wasn't, it was just a temporary "time-out" while my body adjusted to it's new way of living.

I didn't attend any seminars, I just made up my mind that VSG was my only solution. I was nervous/excited about my new life. I mean, I was excited to have the surgery, but I didn't know how I was going to handle being thin. I could do FAT... I've always been FAT. How do I do skinny? It turned out that it wasn't that hard to adjust. :-) Hope these videos help.

You might try Jergens "skin firming". It was recommended to me by a friend. You might also look it up on Amazon.com and read the reviews to see if it might be for you.

Many people rave about eggface - http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com - I haven't tried any of her recipes, my taste in food is pretty simple and I tend to eat the same thing day in and day out.

I stick with Premier Protein chocolate. I have tried EAS and Muscle Milk but always go back to Premier shakes.

I took Milk of Magnesia once, it did the trick. I just read a thread - http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/324173-smooth-move/ where pinkbunnies was recommending "Smooth Move" tea. I also recommend adding a small banana to your daily diet to stay regular - it's been working for me. :-)

eggs were one of the toughtest foods for Frankesleeve to readjust to. Scrambled eggs seem to be a slider food for me, but hard boiled eggs are filling and I'm not able to eat as much. I didn't realize it at first, but chicken was one of the toughest things for me to digest. Congrats on your NSV and doing so well.

Congrats on such a great recovery. Welcome to the Loser's Bench.

My feet shrank after surgery. They look like they're ready for a bodybuilding competition - all the muscles and tendons can be seen rippling under the skin. Now if only I could get that look in my abs!

At 6 weeks, I was eating 1/2 cup of food per meal, 6 - 7 times a day. My food was pretty boring - I ate almost the same thing every meal - my concoction of refried Beans, turkey hamburger and salsa. Here's the recipe: http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/ There would be some variation in my diet. At my office, there would always be some leftovers from meetings and I would eat a few pieces of fresh fruit or 1/4 - 1/2 of a sandwich for lunch. But Frankensleeve really didn't like it, so I primarily stuck with the refried beans. I roughly estimated that I was eating 800 - 1000 calries a day. Being stuck at a certain weight for a week or two was normal for me. Eventually I learned that if I just stuck to my diet plan and kept up my walking, the weight would start dropping again. I did learn real quick that eating fruit would slow my weight loss, so I stuck to low glycemic vegetables and lean Protein as much as possible.

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Congrats on doing so well. Passing on the cake is a grest NSV! Don't worry about stalls, it's just your body's way of adjusting to the weight loss. I found that if I just stuck to my food and calorie goals, the weight would start dropping again. I've gone through at least 1 stall about every 6 weeks during the 1st year, including the dreaded 3rd week stall - right after surgery. During a stall, I tried to keep in mind that, pre-surgery, I would have been sooooo happy just to lose ANY amount of weight on a consistant basis - as long as I saw the scale moving down, instead of up.

Thanks for posting your story. When I was researching WLS, I wanted to hear the good and the bad - so I could go into it with my eyes wide open. Although I have to admit that I only wanted to hear the success stories and wanted to be one of those people that claimed they were back at work after 3 days and lost 100lbs in 6 months.

I have found that a banana a day keeps me regular. It took a long time to figure that one out. It was almost 9 months before I could eat a single bite of banana without Frankensleeve throwing a fit.

My doc wanted me walking for at least 30 minutes a day from my first day home. At the end of 1 month, I was released to do weight exercies.

Congrats on joining the loser's bench. I can still remember all the growling and churning Frankensleeve did that 1st week post-op. It does go away... slowly.

I'm still happy with the sleeve. Pre-surgery and still today, I don't like the idea of having part of my intestines cut loose and rerouted. I worked with 3 ladies that all had the bypass, and they are all happy with their results. But even after a year, they still had to be VERY careful of what foods they ate to avoid dumping syndrome. I can eat any food with no problem... other than some minor complaints from Frankensleeve.

I was released to eat full foods after 1 month. But I have heard of other doctors that wait a few weeks longer before releasing their patients. Can you contact your doctor or dietician to find out?

Congrats and good luck with your surgery.

Gas pains in my shoulder left at the end of the 1st week post-op. The kind of gas that comes out the other end was incredibly bad for months. Gas production slowed the rest of the year, but I still have it on a daily basis. I AM THE SHAOLIN MASTER OF THE ONE CHEEK SNEAK!!! I didn't sn*tch the pebble from my master's hand... I made such a stinky he gagged and dropped the pebble. Congrats on making it through surgery and having a good recovery.

My stomach gave me problems for over 6 months before it settled down. About the only food that didn't cause pains, bubbles or cramps was refried Beans and finely ground turkey hamburger. Plain Water was one of the hardest things on my stomach. The pain in your shoulder is probably left over gas. I don't remember exactly how long I felt shoulder pain, but it did come and go for weeks post-op. But the safest thing to do is call your doc, he's in the best position to give you advice.

Knowing what I know now, I would do it in a heartbeat. My life is sooooo much better since surgery. It gave the 2nd chance I needed.

By day 9 or 10 post-op, all the discomfort I was feeling went away. It took a few more weeks before I could lay falt on the bed or lay on my side without feeling a pulling sensation inside. I think I was back to my normal self by the end of a month. The liquid pain meds I was given tasted so disgusting that I went without. My stomach was rolling and complaining all day, every day for that first 10 days. But everything quieted down after that.

I've never experienced either one, but I would try eating slower to see if that gives you more time to notice the 1st warning signs that slimies are about to start. During my 2nd week post-op, a meal for me would be 1 or 2 tablespoons of Soup. My 1st 10 days, I literally ate nothing, I was hurting too much and a bite of anything would send my sleeve into spasms.

It was upwards of 6 months before I could eat more than 1/2 cup of food per meal. And I had to eat it slowly, 1 teaspoon at a time. I tried to take advantage of that time, to limit my calories and establish better eating habits. I'm 22 months out now and can eat up to 2 cups of food, if it's Beans or vegetables - pretty much anything that is mushy and is primarily Water. I'm still limited to about 6oz of any kind of meat or chicken.