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For me, this phase never ended. It does for most people, however, so do your best to get through it. Keep trying to find the things you can tolerate, and don't be suprised when those things change daily. I didn't start hitting the low end of my calorie goal until more than two weeks out. Just try to get some Protein in, and make sure you don't get dehydrated. The one big fear I had when I opted for the sleeve was that I wouldn't lose my hunger, but boy is it ever gone. I'm nearly three months out and I STILL have to force myself to eat. I much prefer to simply drink my meals but I have to force myself to do even that, and I try to make myself eat at least a little "real" food each day. Be careful what you wish for, I guess! Best of luck to you. I hope by now you're feeling a little better. ~Cheri

Yep, I agree with Tiffykins. Also, track your intake - down to the last crumb - for a full week and see where you're at. Are you eating too much or too little? Do you need to refocus on better food options or eat more calories? Have you started an exercise regimen yet? Why not add in a nice long evening walk to shake things up a bit? You can overcome this hurdle and continue on towards your goal, but you need to take control of the situation and correct whatever the problem is in order to do so. Get back on track! Don't settle for less than your goal when it's possible to attain. ~Cheri

I didn't start to feel full until mushies, though some full liquids could get me there. You'll never really feel "full" the same way again. You'll understand what I mean once you get to mushies! Discomfort is what will be your indicator now. It's probably best to at least track how many times you fill your bottle a day. You really need to avoid dehydration and it can happen in a blink. If shakes aren't cutting it (and boy, I think we all understand the long hunt for a decent shake) try the unjury chicken Soup Protein or get their unflavored protein that you might be able to tolerate mixed into something else. I think it has 21 grams of protein per serving. You really, really need protein right now. It's going to make you feel less nauseated, it's going to help you heal faster and it's going to help you have more energy. If you don't want to buy big tubs of protein that you wind up hating anyway, try ordering a bunch of samples online. I use Vitalady's site, but there are others out there. Search the forum; there's a great thread about protein samples somewhere. It took me a couple dozen samples to find shakes I loved and could use daily. Get creative - first of all, make shakes with skim milk and not Water, since they'll taste better. Then, add in flavor syrups or drops, Peanut Butter, sugar free hot cocoa mix - whatever it takes to make the shake more palatable. I mix my vanilla Protein powder with either coffee or chai tea, and it's way better than a traditional shake. Keep trying; it will be a while before you can eat your protein, so you need to do your best to find something you can tolerate for a few more weeks. Best of luck to you. You'll get past this stage faster than you think. ~Cheri

Wishing you a swift and speedy recovery! Before you know it, you'll be a month out and wearing baggy pants! ~Cheri

Just wanted to say good luck on the big day! Anna is spot on - any people that are negative right now are worried and will likely come around when they see the changes in you. You'll be a happier, healthier person inside and out in a few months, and they won't be able to help responding to that. Wishing you a swift, smooth recovery! ~Cheri

Dave, best of luck regardless of what you decide. That said, I agree with the others and think that you should really be certain you're willing to take a lesser option simply because it's easier to do. I also have Tricare, and being overseas meant that having it done at a MTF isn't an option. Tricare doesn't cover VSG and no MTFs in my area are doing the sleeve. I almost started the process to get the band instead, because I wanted surgery right away. Somehow, being fat for more than half my life became intolerable once I decided on the surgery. After revisiting LBT for a few months the trend stood out a second time: people love their bands for six months to a year, and then the complications begin. Only a handful of the folks on that board are two or more years out and still happy. There are way too many complications. Too many people can't find their sweet spot, can't keep Water down, have to unfill completely because of issues. That's not even counting the ones with slippage and erosion - the folks that usually find their way to this board and get revisions to the sleeve! I did an unsecured loan through USAA for a good interest rate. I went to Dr. Aceves in Mexicali and had wonderful, top notch care. If I were you, I'd make sure that you're willing to face the very real issues of life with a lapband before you make the decision to put one in your body. I'd either start the process with Madigan and see if they're wrong about the time frame, or I'd self pay and get it done either in the states or Mexico. My sleeve was worth every single penny of the small payment I make to USAA each month, I promise you. Best of luck to you. You know what you're willing to live with, so only you can make this choice. ~Cheri

WOOHOO! I'm doing a victory dance, but you guys can't see it. Not only is the stall finally broken, but it's broken with a vengence. I was bouncing between 204 and 202 for one day shy of two weeks, and today I weighed in at 199 pounds! I am so freaking happy to finally see the scale move. I'll be honest, nothing I did budged the scale, I think it just happened when my body finally let the weight go. So, this is a huge milestone for me. I feel like even though I'm less than halfway to goal, it's all an easier slide from here. Coops: I hope it's all going well for you and that you've also seen a drop on the scale. It's such a misery waiting out these horrible stalls. I'm hoping my skin bounces back, but I know surgery is in my future anyway. It's simply not possible for it all to recover, since I was 285 pounds the day I delivered my twins. That's a lot of tummy stretching. Still, I'm hopeful. Well, I suppose I should learn a lesson from this about patience and all that, but inevitably I'll be back to gripe next time I stall out for nearly two weeks. Take care everyone, I hope to see some updates soon! ~Cheri

Wow. Just, wow! I've watched your entire journey, quietly from the sidelines. You've done a tremendous job. Thanks for being such an inspiration. Definitely keep going if you want! You can do it, all it will take is time. Huge, HUGE congrats! ~Cheri

I can't say why most people do it, but I can say that my doctor is a firm believer in low carb as a VSG lifestyle until you're at goal. His dietary guidelines said sugar free, so that's what I did. It was already a way of life for me, because I'm diabetic. If you eat 5 popsicles a day post op, and they're the regular Popsicle brand ones, that's 55 carbs just from your popsicles. Regular strawberry Jell-O has 19 carbs per serving; sugar free strawberry Jell-O has no carbs. A bottle of Vitamin water has between 10-32 carbs per bottle, depending on the flavor. A bottle of Isopure (or Isopuke, because that stuff is foul) has no carbs. So, if your doctor/nutritionist suggests 30 or less carbs per day like my surgeon, it's not as simple, and sometimes just not possible to stay hydrated and feel satisfied with the regular stuff. ~Cheri

And now, I'd like to vent and complain! I know I tell other people to take it easy, stalls happen, loss is different for everyone, blah blah blah. But right now, I'm pretty frustrated, so I could use some support of my own. I am down forty pounds since surgery. That's great. I know it is. It's an average of 3.33 pounds a week, which is better than a typical diet. But I'm frustrated. VERY frustrated! I've been stalled for twelve days now. I keep gaining and losing the same two pounds over and over again. I put the scale away last week hoping to see the numbers change but nope - after a week I was up four tenths of a pound. I'm between monthly cycles - this is usually the only time of the month that I do lose, and instead I'm stalled. If my cycle affects me like usual, I can expect to be up 1-3 pounds next week and then stalled again. The first month out I lost 18 pounds. The second month I lost 8 pounds. Now I'm two days from twelve weeks out and I've lost 14 pounds this month. I suppose the good news is that I lost more in month three than month two. I'm still pretty aggravated with the slow loss. Slow loss would be A-OK (or at least less gripe-worthy) if it was accompanied by skin that wasn't sagging, but unfortunately, my skin is sagging horribly. I expected bad things from the stomach, since I've had twins. The stomach was bad to begin with. But my breasts? Already? And my thighs? And my butt even droops! I can lift up part of my butt and jiggle it like a saggy breast. Yes, that's probably TMI. I don't care, I'm complaining! Maybe I wouldn't be as frustrated if I wasn't so incredibly close to 199 pounds. For whatever reason, that's this huge success to me - to be out of the 200s again. Anyway, I just wanted to complain. I know nobody has advice because there's no good answer. Since I still hate eating (I never thought I'd be so unhappy to never be hungry, but eating is still a total chore for me) I'm backtracking to full liquids for three days. I hope that will kick start the weight loss again. Anything to change it up, right? So, thanks for giving me a place to gripe. Once I lose a few pounds I'll be cheery again, I promise. And yes, plastic surgery is in my future, but I'll battle that saggy skin with weight lifting and squats in the meantime to do my part to help it along. I expected some sag, but really - these 70 year old breasts are not improving my grumpy disposition. Hope everyone else is having a better time of it than me! ~Cheri

Brian, I'm wondering how your appointment went. I have never buried a spouse, but I did bury a child. There are a few losses that are different than others because they're so unexpected, and these are two of the big ones. I understand the depression. You've made a major life change after experiencing a major life upheaval. I'll be 11 years out from my daughter's death in December. I can tell you that right around the four/five year mark I was wondering, "Why the hell don't I feel normal again yet?" It takes time. A long, long time. It gets easier year by year, as I'm sure you already know, but the loss is still there. Losing someone you care about deeply, who you thought would be with you the rest of your life, is a terrible shock. It takes us a long time to cope and move forward. In my experience, you aren't the same person on the other side, but it is possible to be happy again and to live a good life. I noticed that only a few people chimed in after your post. It's not because nobody cares - it's because it's hard to talk about. It makes people uncomfortable. I'm sure you've experienced the loss of friendships because people don't know how to treat you afterward, or the awkward conversations because people just don't know what to say. That's better than the people that mean to comfort you but instead say something totally thoughtless or inconsiderate. Nobody wants to think about losing people they love. Bereaved people are big reminders of our mortality. It's also hard to know what to say. It's far too easy to say the wrong thing, so often people won't say anything at all. Besides, what could anyone say that would really be adequate? If you haven't already, my recommendation is that you find a support group. While a counselor is a great tool to use in healing, what helps the most is talking to people that have experienced the same thing. It's all to easy to dismiss a counselor or therapist that says, "It will get better with time" when they have a living spouse and healthy children. Talk to people that understand. If you don't want to do it in person, do it online with a bereavement message board. Talking about everything will make you feel better. I'm no doctor and I don't know you personally. But if you're anything like me, you shelved the work of grieving and now that you're "fixing" your outward appearance your emotional needs are begging for attention. I hope that like I did, you'll find support and comfort talking to others with your experience. I needed support for about eight months. After that, I noticed that I was attending not because I needed to talk about my child, but because I wanted to comfort and reassure other bereaved parents. It truly was a rewarding and healing experience, and I don't think I'd be as "together" as I am today if I hadn't put in the time to grieve that way. Best of everything to you. Congrats on making a decision to better your own life and to make the most of living. Just don't forget that once all the weight comes off, you'll still be who you are inside. Work on both things, and make this a new you, fresh start, life makeover. ~Cheri

I'm all for keeping the surgery private from coworkers, friends and family that you don't see or who won't be supportive. However, I think there's a line between not telling the whole truth and deliberately misleading people that are important to you. I expected more negativity than I got from the small handful of people that know about my surgery. My mom was 100% supportive, which was a huge surprise. I couldn't NOT tell my husband, and even though he likes his women short and chunky, he knew it was important to me and jumped on board. The three friends I've told have all been very supportive; again, this was very surprising to me, because I expected them to be negative. Ultimately, it's your choice. However, it may not be possible to hide the scars from your boyfriend. I'm almost three months out and still have bright pink, shiny scars where my five incisions were made. It's painfully obvious that I had surgery done recently. If having privacy about your surgery will be more important than telling the truth to your boyfriend about why you have new scars, it's definitely an indicator. No offense meant, I'm just telling you what I think. I think that it would be great if you could find one person to help you through this journey. You don't have to tell your work anything but that you're taking vacation. Just don't expect them to be sympathetic when you come back to work sore and tired! Good luck whatever you decide, ~Cheri

Hi Dawn! Welcome! I found my way here through LBT, too. My husband is active duty Army and we also have Tricare Prime. Here's the deal: Tricare does not cover VSG. They don't plan to start covering it for at least another year, and unfortunately that healthcare overhaul might help other people out but it's shafting military, VA and medicare coverage. So, don't plan on the VSG being Tricare covered any time soon. However, several MTFs are doing the procedure. I'd contact your local MTF and see if they do the procedure. If they don't see if any of the facilities within driving distance do the surgery and see if you can get it done there instead. There are a handful of folks here that had the VSG done at a MTF, but that isn't the same as Tricare covering the procedure. It's done at the MTF free of charge but it doesn't get filed through Tricare, which is how they can cover the procedure. Usually there is a wait list for this type of thing, but to have it done for free it's probably worth the wait and hassle. I'm overseas so having it done at a MTF wasn't an option. Once we found out that our next assignment is also overseas and that it's remote, I opted to self-pay. I financed through USAA at a great rate and had my surgery done in Mexico by Dr. Aceves. I've had no troubles with Tricare covering my aftercare, acid reducer prescription, etc. I did have to draw a diagram of my new stomach for my PCM, however, as she'd never even heard of VSG! I almost got the band instead because it's covered, but I am SO glad I didn't. Honestly - read a little more on this board and search out the term "revision" and see what you find. It really is true that there are problems with the band. On LBT you'll find a lot of short timers thrilled with their band, but very few folks more than a year out still loving banded life. I'd never in a million years get a band, not after the stories I've read. I have no regrets about financing my surgery and choosing a better option. Good luck whatever you decide. If you have questions that you think I might be able to answer, feel free to PM me anytime. Tiffykins is also a military spouse and she's a fantastic resource. I highly recommend you search out her story here on this forum because she's also a band to sleeve revision. ~Cheri

I'll echo what everyone else said: you absolutely need to find a Protein supplement of some sort. Until you can eat your protein you need to drink it. Protein will help you feel energetic and it will help you heal. Without it, you're going to feel tired and ill. It's not uncommon to have trouble hitting your protein goals early out from surgery. I don't think I hit my goals at all until the second week post op, and I certainly didn't hit my goals regularly until more than two weeks out. Just keep trying, and it should get easier day by day. If you eat a food that makes you ill, stay away from it for a while before trying it again. I had a lot of trouble with eggs at first so I had to wait until my body was ready. If you find that moving up to mushies makes you sick most of the time, I'd back down a stage for a few days and let your tummy heal a bit more. If it's just the one food giving you a problem, just avoid that one food and take comfort in the fact that you'll be able to eat it again someday. I would say that potatoes aren't the best choice, but only because for me feeding the carb monster makes it hungrier, so I try to avoid foods like potatoes and Pasta. This early out the calories and carbs won't hurt you, but it's a great time to start choosing better food options. It will definitely make the first several months post op easier on you. If you haven't yet found a protein you can tolerate, try some samples. Do the protein shots if they go down better. It really is very important to get your protein in, and you're not at a point where you can do it with only food. Good luck, I hope you get to feeling better soon! ~Cheri

You look so great! It really is a tremendous change. Thanks for being brave and sharing. ~Cheri

Not everyone loses the hunger, unfortunately. So long as it's easily satisfied with a reasonable portion of food, I don't think it's anything to be concerned about. I had that all day hunger and desire to eat pre-op, where even massive portions of food would leave me digging in the fridge for more food an hour later. If you experienced the same or similar, and now you're happy with some string cheese and some lunchmeat, that's significant. I wouldn't worry about it at all. I'm pretty sure Tiffykins has said that she never lost the hunger but was able to satisfy it easily - and we all know what success she's had with her sleeve. Stay on track and don't induldge in "bad" foods too often and you should be fine! I actually wish I did have at least a little hunger because there are days when I don't want to eat at all. Hunger is the normal and healthy way your body tells you to eat - setting a timer to eat the way I do isn't all it's cracked up to be. Great job so far, by the way! ~Cheri

Thanks for sharing! It's incredibly close to the recipe I've used for years, only I add a teeny bit of liquid smoke to mine. I grew up eating TX style BBQ, and I'm used to a little smoky flavor. There are some really simple to make low-carb barbeque recipes online for those that are still trying to get to goal. I use one that calls for tomato paste, diet soda and splenda as well as a variety of spices. It's not Sweet Baby Ray's but it's passable. ~Cheri

I do this almost every morning! I brew my tea and add in two scoops of my vanilla Protein powder (mostly for extra calories since it's super low carb), a splash of milk and some spices. There are two or three varieties of plain chai tea at my local commissary, so I lucked out. If you have a Keurig, Gloria Jean's Chai Tea K-Cups work really well, too. I do the same thing with coffee on the days I want a coffee. I blend it up with my Protein Powder, some milk and a splash of french vanilla creamer. It's a great way to boost my calories and protein for the day. It's especially great because I find that I don't really feel like eating until after ten in the morning. Now I sip my "breakfast" and it's so much better! If you search all of the stores in your area and still can't find any plain chai there are several options to buy in bulk from Amazon.com. ~Cheri

Sounds like a definite NSV! I've noticed the same thing - I'm "only" down 38 pounds but I have a lot more energy and no longer need to nap when my kids nap. Congrats, and I'm sure things will only get better as you continue to drop those pounds! ~Cheri

I also gained. It took me a good week to get below my starting weight. The IV fluids and my long flights really helped me retain Water weight. Also, it takes a short while for the ghrelin to work it's way out of your system. It could be actual hunger, head hunger or acid. If I miss my Nexium for one day that night I'll feel like I'm starving and my stomach is rumbling - but it's only acid. Head hunger can be anything from a simple craving for a particular food, grieving large portions, or just being frustrated by the post op liquid diet and wanting to eat. I've never felt hunger post op, but I have had cravings around my monthly cycle, and about 8 days into the post op liquid diet I just had an overwhelming desire to CHEW food. Everyone loses at their own pace. If you expect to lose everything quickly with no bumps in the road you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Very few people on here never experienced a real stall - lots of us have at least mini-stalls once a month. You just had a surgery that makes it next to impossible not to lose weight. So long as you stick to the program, the weight is going to come off, but don't expect things to be a pound a day for the next six months. I felt like I was a slow loser until I realized that I'm less than three months out and more than one third of the way to my goal. That's pretty awesome. I'm not trying to be negative or anything. I just experienced a LOT of disappointment early on because I really expected the weight to keep falling off at the pound a day rate I had early on. When I stalled out for two weeks around week three, I was horribly disappointed and depressed. But it's a normal part of the process for most people. Now I realize that I gain and stall during my cycle and likely will every month. It sounds like you're doing a great job. Just focus on those liquids and stick to your plan - you'll be losing weight in no time. ~Cheri

I've enjoyed reading your posts. You've done such a great job so far, and I know you're going to reach your goal. Thank you for writing about the very real issues that people have post op. In my case it's easier than living on the diets I used to attempt, but it's by no means the easy way out. I think to some extent most of us have some idea that it will be almost effortless, and it's not. Thanks for being real about the whole thing. Congrats on your success so far - you look wonderful! ~Cheri

If you have a juicer or a super high powered blender, make your own juices at home, peels and all. That will help a little. So will the addition of oats, which someone else mentioned. But I can hardly eat enough oats to make much of a difference anyway! For some people strong coffee does the trick. You have to find what works for you. I've had this issue my whole life and it's only worsened with the VSG. I now take Miralax every day in my tea and it's helped me a lot. If you think this is a more temporary issue the Benefiber packets work well, and so does the clear and tasteless Metamucil powder.

You'll do great! I'm so glad that with support from this site and a little perseverance you were able to get insurance approval. You have the right mindset - this is definitely a new journey. Enjoy it! Life post-op is pretty awesome, I must say, and it gets better with every pound that takes me closer to goal. Best of luck and a smooth recovery to you, ~Cheri

I did Medifast a few years ago. I had to doctor up almost everything with either Torani SF syrups, Capella flavor drops or bouillon cubes. There were also recipes online to do things like make a muffin, pancakes or pudding out of the mixes. I'm not sure how well that would adhere to your nutritional plan right now, but it's worth a shot. Sorry, I hope it gets better. ~Cheri