vincereautmori

LOL. Right, if you have to chase your food down, you're not going to have a weight problem.

There seems to be many variations of diets to follow after surgery, no matter the method (VSG, RNY, LB), my NUT told us not to worry about calories yet. In the early stages she was primarily concerned with Protein and Water, just getting enough of that down is tough enough. One thing that I reflect on, and I suggest as a stark reminder of our dietary habits from before surgery, honestly calculate a week of eating from before, the calories, the fats, the carbs, the protein. Mine, I was averaging 3,000- 4,000 calories/day, and I could hit days that fats were over 40% of my calories and carbs hit highs of 60%. I'm only 6 weeks out from surgery, my calorie intake is 700-800 cal/day, eventually I guess I'll try to double that by the end of the year, I know I have to be vigilant of the calories and I keep a record of them, but I'm not currently concerned with them since I'm so far from the danger zone.

Before surgery, I would go to a chain restaurant for lunch and order one of the specialty burgers, you know the one, a half pounder with melted cheese dripping down the sides, a slab of bacon nestled on top, some kind of flavored mayo concoction to push the flavor over the top, then to make it "healthy", lettuce, tomatoes and onions for color. Oh wait,, don't forget the pile of fries just in case you were wanting for more. I remember biting into that buger while greasy juices slipped through my. fingers, and chomping into it like it was my last meal, oh and don,t forget the fries, plenty of ketchup too. I remember leaving many a restaurant in a semi food coma and my gut just about to bust. But, I got my moneys worth. But now, although I'm only a little more than a month since surgery, I can't even imagine getting more than a bite or two down before the sleeve sent me a warning. I will definitely be concious of wwhat I eat, but I'm begining to trust the sleeve and I can work together to keep me from becoming hypnotized by food that I don't need, probably dont't want, and get very little nutrtion from. So trust your WLS tool, it rally won't let you over eat unless you purposly work at it. Oh, and BTW, hold the fries.

So we get a few people who think surgery is the easy way out, so what? In a year from now when we're leaner, healthier, and we can keep up with our more athletic freinds and family, what then? Do those same people keep saying, "but you took the easy way out", it just gets old. This is a personal journey, only we know the pain of our failed attempts, only we have suffered the effects of our obesity, only we know the internal struggle to make a decision to invade our bodies and modify them in the hopes of gaining health that many people take for advantage. The easy way out? We know it isn't, but we decided to take responsibility for our health problem, unfortunately for our naysayers, there is no surgery for ignorance.

HW= 324 lbs. SW= 299 lbs. CW= 275 lbs. Height= 6' Age= 61 Surgery= 8/19/14 Better yet, no more diabetic drugs, no more cholesterol drugs, no more CPAP, down 4" in waist size, prior to my weight loss I had an arthritic hip and couldn't walk without unbearable pain, now it's easily bearable and getting better. The sleeve and I are getting along, it's working great, I can't overeat but I still enjoy foods and flavors, and I don't feel constantly hungry. Once I made the decision to go for the sleeve there was no turning back and I don't regret it for a moment.

Don't most hospitals need gastrointestinal surgeons? Do you think they'll bring in someone to cover until they hire a permanent replacement? I can appreciate it's a hard blow to you, but maybe let this shake out a little before losing hope. Hang in there and keep talking to us, we'll keep your spirits up until your solution comes to you.

I find I am occasionally uncomfortable since losing some weight, what I find is I tend to slouch. Maybe pay attention to your posture, we've been sitting on a lot of fat for years, now have to pay attention to those little details that lean people take for granted. Good Luck.

I was sleeved 8/19, the stall came right on time at week 3, it just broke, so about 2 weeks. I actually picked up my calories and balanced out carbs and I feel better and starting to lose again. I don't particularly like protein shakes and supplements so I'm trying to get my nutrients from food and I've been tolerating everything pretty well, I just have to listen to my new friend and it's going well.

I agree, if you're still eating high carb and high fat, even if you don'y absorb the calories and if food is fuel, how does DS make that kind of diet healthy?

Doesn't make sense, does it? The fact that VSG is part of the DS procedure.

Why not go to the top and ask Alex Brecher? Maybe EM him.

I'd say "slow" is relative, you're losing about 10 lbs./month, that's 120 lbs/year! We knew this wasn't a magic pill when we got into it, right? Have some patience, stay on your program and work with your sleeve and let it help you get to your goal. Sounds like you're doing the right things.

Welcome, that must be frustrating, to have gone through all the tribulations of getting "there", then to slide back. Sorry, I can't offer advice from my vantage point, I'm still a rookie, but maybe post in the veterans forum, a lot more people who been there/done that, who might be able to help. Good Luck.

"Last night i went to Dickie's Bar B Que with my family and ate mostly chicken with a tiny bit of mashed potatoes but I was a little frustrated because it smelled so good but I was feeling stuffed. " Hey Mick, why frustrated? You got to enjoy a favorite food, you were sated by a smaller amount than before, so you did your body good, no guilt like before, right? Now it's more about quality than quantity. But I hear you, I'm battling those old demons myself. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the encouragement and the helpful tips Vegas, I'm heading into week 3 of a stall, didn't expect it to last this long but keeping the faith in the sleeve.

What problems led you to revise to DS?

Although adequate water intake is important regardless of your weight, water is more essential after surgery and while you are rapidly losing weight. There's a lot of chemistry that goes on in your cells and organs, without enough water some of these by products will crystalize so you are prone to gall stones and kidney stones. You are also going through lots of changes as you lose weight, your body is making adjustments and needs plenty of water to keep up, flush out toxins, protect you from constipation, healthy skin, keep proteins soluable, and I'm sure many more good reasons. I think the doctors realize it's going to be difficult, at least in the early stages, to drink enough water so they emphasize it to encourage good hydration for healing from surgery and reduce the chances of complications. Sounds like your doing well though, keep it up.

Main thing, get your water in, you do not want to get dehydrated, drink as often as you can. As far as "eating", are you on a liquid diet? Try to get your protein in at meal times, it'll help for later, you'll feel the restriction when you start on solid foods. Good Luck.

Youi'll see that some insurance companies have a mandatory waiting period or a mandatory weight loss requirement, so it's common. Why not look at it as a test of your resolve? If it's for you, what's 4 months? Just think, by the end of next year you'll be nearly to your goal, right? From the time of the initial seminar until I was sleeved, it was just over a year for me and I had no waiting period. But once I was committed to it, I was completley on board and there was no turning back. Good Luck!

Thanks for the encouragement folks, it started on schedule at 3 weeks and I'm going on two weeks at the exact same weight and only taking in 550- 650 cal/day. Frustrating but I expected it and trust it will run it's course.

I take extra fiber, Phillips Fiber Good Gummies, that and all the Water you can handle seems to have taken care of the constipation.

Lost? You got this far, you were accountable to the doctor, but he doesn't live with you, does he? Have you and the sleeve learned to live with one another? Does it let you know when you're doing something wrong? You just need to keep building confidence, trust the sleeve, and trust yourself, that's a big part of what this year is about. besides, you're almost halfway to your goal in only 3 months! I'm only a month out from surgery, and the sleeve and I are still getting to know one another, It's working and I don't regret it for a moment. Where will I be in 3 months? Hopefully as successful as you. Good Luck Sarah.

I was sleeved on the 19th, so I'm heading into week 4 post op, and I hit that week 3 stall just about on schedule. I'm watching calories, nutrients, water, I use Sparkpeople, so I know I'm averaging about 550 calories, also getting walking in as often as I can. So I'm sure this has been answered many times before, in your experience, how long does the stall last?

I would suggest finding out if there are support groups nearby, usually through hospitals and or bariatric practices. It may help you to bounce ideas and your experiences off of people going through the same challenges.

Same here, only a couple of weeks after surgery I slept without it, no snoring, no running to the bathroom 3-4 times a night, and no more Metformin or statins. Woo Hoo!