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I had trouble sleeping until last week. I'm one month out as of yesterday. I've always had insomnia but this was far worse and similar to what you describe - tossing and turning all night, and feeling restless. I was told it could be hormones, but I also evaluated my own habits and found that I was consuming a lot of artificial sweeteners - SF syrups, Splenda, Protein shakes and Crystal Light. I cut back on the ones I couldn't avoid and cut Crystal Light out altogether and two days later I was back to feeling tired around ten or eleven and getting seven to eight hours of sleep again at night. For me, adding in the artificial sweeteners was a new habit and easy to find, and it was definitely causing me sleep issues. I know that it's not a "proven" thing, but there are people that have cut back their consumption and noticed a difference. Everyone is different. I hope you find a solution and get some good sleep. A week on a non habit forming sleep aid might reset your sleep schedule again. Take care, ~Cheri

Congrats! You're doing a great job. While some people do lose a little faster, you're definitely not a slow loser. Keep it up and you'll be at goal in no time. ~Cheri

Everyone's different, but for me the craving is gone. I used to love the sweet, sugary Snacks and chips (oh, and french fries). Now none of those things sound good to me at all. I've found that as my eating habits have changed I feed less of those things to my husband and my kids. We still have boxes of snack donuts for my husband and individual bags of chips for his lunches, but most of the junk has been cleared out. Nobody misses it. And while it might change later on, the thought of eating any of those foods makes me feel ill right now. I feel like all I do most days is eat and drink...there's no way I have room for junk snacking. Though I will say that I wanted a nibble of a cracker the other day when my husband had some Ritz with sliced cheese for a snack...two tiny nibbles off the large cracker and I was done - the urge to eat it was totally gone. I handed him more than 3/4 of a cracker and he just laughed at me. I find most foods only taste really good for 2 or 3 bites these days, and that's fine by me! ~Cheri

Hey La Lady! I was having this issue last week and wasn't losing, remember? I got vigilant about tracking on myfitnesspal and had to change up my menu so I could get between 700-750 calories. And voila! Three pounds down in four days. Here's a sample of two days for me, keeping in mind that I'm now eating soft foods and some pureed meats. Breakfast: Peanut Butter chocolate Protein shake (made with 1.5 scoops) and skim milk, an extra TBS peanut butter. OR 1/2 cup eggbeaters, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, 2 slices pureed turkey bacon OR 6 pureed thin slices turkey lunchmeat, topped with one slice low fat cheese [this takes me all morning to eat - it's like two meals] Lunch: Tuna salad made with 2 TBS light mayo, 1 Tsp Dijon mustard, 2 hardboiled egg whites, dill, onion powder OR 6 slices thin deli meat, with 1 TBS flavored cream cheese Dinner: Salmon patties (fresh salmon, a little light mayo, herbs and spices, fried in nonstick spray) topped with a little greek yogurt with dill mixed in OR Ricotta bake, with 2 TBS spaghetti sauce and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese Snack: 1 Light string cheese OR 1/4 cup cottage cheese My fat goals are higher than yours - I aim for less than 40 a day. I also have too much reliance on processed meats while in softs - now that I can actually transition to real meats that will get better. I also hope that now I can eat real meats I can cut back on my dairy consumption, and thereby reduce my fat intake. On average, I eat about 750 calories, 25-28 carbs, 35 fat, and 85-90 protein a day. But some days my calories are down around 650, and some days my carbs are less than 20 while my protein hits 100...I try very hard to keep things interesting. I drink whenever I'm not eating, usually only waiting about 20 minutes after my meal to start again. I find it's not hard to get in my Water but I am drinking from the time I wake up until I go to bed at night to get to goal. That's what works for me, though. We're all different. All I can say is keep changing it up. Some days I eat more carbs but less calories, some days I eat more protein and less carbs but I never eat the same thing or the same menu two days in a row. Once I got out of my rut (same shake for Breakfast, same cottage cheese for lunch, same ricotta bake for dinner) and upped my calories I started losing again. Good luck! ~Cheri

First off, I had to slowly build to get in my Protein and liquids. It wasn't until about 2 weeks out that I could get in both almost every day. It gets a lot easier with mushies. Follow your own doc's guidelines if you have them. If not, there are several generic VSG guidelines posted on this board. My doc wants me between 600-800 calories a day, 60+ grams of protein (I shoot for 90-100), less than 30 grams of carbs and keeping an eye on my fat intake. I found that while it might not be the best habit in the long run, I have to eat four times a day in order to get all of my calories and protein in for the day. Those meals sometimes take more than an hour, too. Some days I supplement with a protein shake to make it easier to hit my goals, but those Protein shakes have a lot of carbs if you make them with milk, so I try to only do that every few days. I'm transitioning onto soft foods - I've been doing a mix of mushies and softs for a few days now. I'm allowed pureed meats as of today. It's very easy to get your protein in with just food once you can have tuna or chicken salad, eggbeaters with some cheese, etc. My recommendation is to sign up with a calorie tracker. I use myfitnesspal, some folks use thedailyplate, and there are other sites out there. Plan your menu for the day in the morning and see how it fits into your nutritional needs and your ability to actually eat all of that food. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you'll always know what you're eating and you won't have to guess. I didn't realize it until I stalled out but I was hardly hitting 600 calories a day. Once I started tracking and upped that number, I lost three pounds in four days. Good luck. Always ask questions if you have them, the folks here are very helpful and there are vets here that know way more about this than me, that's for sure. ~Cheri

It's still a tiny struggle for me. I don't actually eat anything, but I find myself peering in the fridge and don't remember walking there. Those old habits are really ingrained. I'm also thinking about digging out my knitting supplies and starting some new projects. I used to read in all of my free time, but I also used to snack while I read. Now I sip Water when I read but sometimes I still find myself staring into the fridge like it has answers for me. So far it's easy to stop and realize I'm not actually hungry. I'm just worried that if I don't break the habit soon, it won't always be so easy. My husband has been out of town this entire week and I've done really well occupying my time with something other than food. I'm glad I'm not the only person that had to deal with this, and it's good to see that you're overcoming. Hopefully I can, too. I suppose the real test will be my first period post op - will I have the urge to do the binge fest I usually do, or will it be just another week? ~Cheri

I did research and lurked on this board and ObesityHelp for more than a year before my sleeve. At first I was set on Dr. Nick but I started to change my mind when I looked at how much more hospital time you get in Mexico. When I was making my decision, the issue with Alvarez wasn't leaks; it was a large number of his patients developing complications one after the other. Now, there are people on the two boards that used Alvarez, had a great experience and are completely happy with their results. But there are also stories about leaks, infections and other complications. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Sit on these boards another month or two and you'll see a trend: some folks are happy with Alvarez and love him; some folks use him and have complications. But NOBODY comes back from Aceves with major issues. Everyone raves about him and the quality of care at Almater. I think that says something. You get what you pay for, and picking the cheapest surgeon can backfire. I chose Aceves and I never for one moment worried about the horror stories I read about Alvarez. I don't regret my decision one bit. Good luck to you. I also recommend you browse this board and ObesityHelp for stories, both good and bad, about Alvarez. Then make your own informed opinion. ~Cheri

It could be esophogeal spasms. I know some sleevers had them for a while (I might be wrong, but I think Vegas Angel had them for a few months) but many people experience them only during the early days. I had them in the hospital for a few days. Once home, I had them the first two weeks if I had a drink of something too cold, or if I took a sip that was too big. If it persists, I'd have my surgeon check it out, just to be sure it's not a larger issue. Warm liquids helped ease my discomfort those first two weeks - if you haven't already you might try some warm chicken broth (or even better, some warm unjury Chicken Soup for the protein). Good luck. ~Cheri

Not a one! Well, other than I wish I'd done this five years ago, so that I could have enjoyed my 20s as a thinner person! I was lucky and had very little pain or discomfort post op, I've not had issues eating or getting liquids in or anything like that. I will say that no matter how complicated things got - even if, heaven forbid, I had a leak - I'd still be thrilled in the end. I'm already off my diabetes meds, and I'm not even a month out yet. I have never, NOT EVER lost this much weight in such a short time before. There's absolutely nothing to regret. ~Cheri

Mine is similar to Libby's. 10 days of clears, a week of full liquids, mushies for a week to 10 days, then soft foods for as long as necessary. No meats, even pureed, for at least the first 30 days. Every surgeon is different. Follow your surgeon's advice, unless eating purees that early out is difficult for you. If you start to have heartburn or pain, maybe step back and do liquids for a day or two. But there are other people here that left the hospital on purees, even if they are the minority. Do what your surgeon says, unless you have an issue. ~Cheri

I agree - follow the VSG diet that most people on here follow, adapating it to suit your personal needs. It sounds like you were on track before your nutritionist gave you advice. Once you're in maintenance and more than a year out, your sleeve will be relaxed and you'll be able to eat more calories and carbs in a day. If traditional diets never worked for you before (they sure didn't for me, which is why I had surgery), then why would you follow a 1200, standard diet now? I know that for me, I NEED very low calories to lose - and I still lose slower than most. The sleeve is what helps me not be miserable while I'm eating low calorie, low carb. If I eat more than 40-50 carbs in a day I feel lightheaded and sick. If I eat too much food, I feel sick. Stick to what you were doing before, for as long as that works. If you stall out, reconsider your carbs/protein/eating choices. Good luck to you - you're doing great so far! ~Cheri

You're doing a great and will be at goal in no time! ~Cheri

This one is really useful. I prefer to manually enter my food instead of relying on my calorie counter's pre-loaded nutritional data. I find that it's wrong most of the time. ~Cheri

Great job! If you keep it up, you can easily make your birthday goal. ~Cheri

My scale stalled out right about the time I started on full liquids, sadly. I'm going to put the blasted thing away until a week from today, and see what it says then. I need to incorporate exercise, but that's not as simple as it sounds when you chase two toddlers around all day. I've been taking them on a walk then playing at the park to get more movement in, but the scale isn't budging more than two tenths of a pound. However, my pants are all getting so big I can pull them down without unbuttoning them, so something is happening. I need to take measurements again to see just what's going on, but my waist and thighs are definitely smaller. I recommend everyone do this, because if I were relying solely on the scale I'd be pretty discouraged right now. La: I'm glad I'm not alone. My biggest issue is that no Protein supplement tastes good to me anymore. To make them taste better, I'd make them with milk which would push my carbs up too high. I did find two flavors of IsoFlex that work for me, so I'm sticking to them. They're low enough in carbs that I can make them with skim milk and it won't hurt my daily totals. And while I might gripe about eating all day long (which has gotten better now that I'm incorporating some soft foods that are higher in protein) I certainly don't want to drink all day long instead! I'm also putting the scale away - it's hardly moving and it's very frustrating. I need to start incorporating exercise, I guess. Donna: I can easily eat about 1/2 cup of something soft or mushy, but it takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to do so. I can only take three or four small bites, then I have to pause for a few minutes. Maybe the foods you're eating are so soft that they aren't giving you a full feeling? What's your typical meal plan for a day? I also have the same issues with the scale, so don't worry too much. Everyone is different. My hope was to lose 24 pounds the first month which would have been just over 20% of my excess weight. However, I've been stuck around 19 pounds lost for almost a week. I'm losing on average about a pound a week right now. I will most likely lose 20 pounds this month, and that's from my starting weight since I have no idea how much I lost on my preop diet. I hope everyone is doing well. My husband is gone on a trip all next week so I have the evenings to do my exercise videos without feeling silly. I hope that it'll kick start the scale again and help make exercise a part of my regular routine. I do so hate exercise. At least starting out...once I'm used to the habit I look forward to it and enjoy it, but I'm a long way from that place right now! ~Cheri

You always look great and you always have great information to share with everyone. I started lurking on this site right around the time you had your surgery, and the entire time I spent considering the sleeve you were a big inspiration. Thank you for coming back and updating everyone on your progress even though you're out living your life now. Really - THANK YOU! ~Cheri

I was just sleeved on 15 July in Mexicali and I agree with Oregondaisy - Dr. Aceves, Dr. Campos and the staff there were wonderful. I had a great experience, and I fully intend to take my mom back in the future for a sleeve of her own. I went unaccompanied and I was perfectly fine. Almost all of the nurses speak a little English, and the cheat sheet with some Spanish on it made communicating with the ones that didn't very easy. They kept my pain under control the entire time, which was important to me. I saw Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos several times a day each. I've never had such quality care after a surgery in the states, and I am not exaggerating. Don't worry! You've already done the hard part: deciding to have the surgery in Mexico. You chose a great surgeon, and he'll take great care of you. ~Cheri

I, too, think if you get up and move you'll be fine. I flew from Germany to San Diego for my surgery and spent just under 13 hours in the air just four days post op. I got one additional dose of Lovenox before my flight. Since your surgeon decided to scare the hell out of you, he shouldn't find it too difficult to write a script for Lovenox if taking it will ease your anxiety. Yes, you have an increased risk for 4-6 weeks out from surgery, but DVT is possible with any long flight. Just take preventative measures and you should be fine. If taking Lovenox will make you feel better, insist upon the prescription. The ways to avoid DVT are to stay hydrated and exercise your legs. If the flight is turbulent, do leg exercises while seated. Get up and move every chance you get. Take care, enjoy the trip. ~Cheri

I am on mushies and I am sick of eating. Crazy. I never thought I'd say that in a million years. I feel like in my attempt to get in all of my Protein, hit at least 600 calories and drink 64 ounces of Water a day I am eating or drinking ALL DAY LONG. Ugh. I'm sick of it. Nothing tastes good anymore and I'm not hungry and I do not want to eat. I cannot believe eating is such a chore. My husband can eat pizza in front of me and I don't even care, other than the fact that the melted cheese smells pretty good. But actually eating any of it? Yuck! I seem to be very slowly dropping for the past week. I'm still losing faster than ever before, but I'm losing like two to four tenths of a pound a day now, instead of more than a pound. My goal is to get to 218 by the end of one month (15 August). That means six pounds in 12 days and I'm not sure it will happen. I'm also having trouble sleeping. I'm comfortable, and when I finally fall asleep I sleep very well, I just have trouble actually falling asleep. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'd like it to stop. Sorry to complain so much. The sleeve has been great so far, and I'm feeling just fine. I just wish there was an easier way to get all of the nutrition I need. Mellifrits: Glad to hear you're doing so well. It's amazing how much life changes with the sleeve - I remember a time when I felt 9 nuggets with a large fry weren't enough food. You're almost to goal, keep up the great work! Donna: Thanks for the link! Take care everyone, I hope you all are doing well. ~Cheri

It sounds like it would be pretty easy to shave calories off. First, try switching up the 2 eggs for eggbeaters or 1 egg and 1/2 portion eggbeaters. Are you eating the light versions of hot dogs? Make them at home instead of eating out, if you're not already. Ballpark makes a Fat Free Smoked White Turkey dog that has these stats: Serving Size: 1 dog (50g) Calories: 40 Fat: 0g Carbs: 5g Protein: 6g Fiber: 0g In my opinion, 15 carbs for three dogs would be overkill, but your nutritional guidelines might be different. Still, it's probably a better option than what you're eating. Eat them with no buns, of course. If you buy your taco, start making them at home. Use ground turkey, greek yogurt (1-2 Tbs.) instead of sour cream, lighter calorie cheese, etc. Try mixing up your lunch with some lowfat cream cheese and deli meat rollups, or by eating more of that chicken (even rotisserie chicken would work) and by keeping a closer eye on your portion sizes. Make the pudding a sugar free Jello, or a portion of cottage cheese with some fruit preserves. I'm not trying to offend you, but it sounds like you're making easy choices that are similar to what you would have eaten preop. You had the surgery to make changes in your life. While it isn't always easy, you can't slack when it comes to food choices. I wish you the best of luck. I hope some other folks will chime in with advice. I have plenty of ideas for what you COULD eat, but I was trying to base my suggestions on what you're currently eating. ~Cheri

You've had some great advice here, even if it's hard to read or you don't like some of what you're hearing. It's hard to admit you have a relationship problem, especially in a public forum. You deserve a pat of the back for reaching out and asking for help in the first place. Everyone else gave you advice that I pretty much agree with - but I wanted to add one more thing. When we want a relationship, or we suffer low esteem, or we just don't want to be alone, we tend to settle. It seems impossible to believe it now, because you haven't met your partner in life yet, but when you do, these issues simply aren't there. If you felt he was going to love you unconditionally and support you, you wouldn't hide things from him. If he was going to love you unconditionally and support you he would at least try to understand your decision. I've been through more than my share of bad relationships, so I can relate to settling for what's there instead of waiting for something better. But I'm sure every single happily married woman on here (myself included) will tell you the same thing - the right guy is the right guy. There's no forcing an "almost perfect" relationship to keep it together, no hiding problems and no gaps in the love and support you receive. Oh, sometimes they need a smack in the head to get their act together (they are men, after all), but they're always on board because they LOVE you the way you're supposed to be loved. The right relationship is almost effortless and you both fall together in the same path with no real bumps in the road. To me, even without the surgery issues it seems like you're trying to force a relationship by compromising yourself to make things fit better. It won't work. It can't work and make you both happy. Why settle for less? Best of luck to you. Have the sleeve, extend your life and be happy with the way you look. Someone out there is far better for you, I'm sure of it. ~Cheri

Oh, and good luck to the upcoming surgeries! Can't wait to hear about your experiences once you're sleeved. ~Cheri

I haven't vomited, but I do get the hiccups (which are painful) if I drink too quickly or if I drink something too cold. Try the Unjury Chicken Soup protein (available online), and since you're either on full liquids or mushies, try picking protein packed options. I'm on full liquids and I gave myself permission to have more carbs during this phase so that I could get in my protein. I add unflavored protein powder (1/2 a packet since I don't like the taste) to my pureed soups, pudding, yogurt, etc. Every little bit helps. Making shakes with skim milk will up your carbs but also your protein, which is more important at this point. Good luck, hope it gets easier for you. ~Cheri

I hope all of the folks recently sleeved are doing well. If you're feeling sore and uncomfortable, just remember it gets better pretty quickly. I'm now 11 days out and feel completely back to normal (I even slept on my side last night!) except for the knowledge that I have healing incisions on my belly. They do get a tiny bit tender if I overdo it, and I still can't drink supercold drinks like I prefer, but other than that it's golden. I'm down about sixteen pounds total, which isn't terribly exciting but isn't anything to frown at, either. I've never lost weight so quickly or effortlessly before. I'm working exercise into my routine now that I feel better. I'm aiming for 7,000 steps a day to start, with 30 minutes of low impact exercise in there. I just danced around the living room with my twins for a while and that will count towards my total for the day. I'm actually a bit eager for six weeks post op so I can start a real workout again. possumtrot: Good luck at work tomorrow! I hope you continue to feel great. LaSa: How are you doing on full liquids? I noticed that the nutritional info Dr. Aceves gave us is more limited than most full liquid diets. What are you incorporating at this point? I had a Protein shake this morning (chocolate) and it was like manna! I was so happy to have something "solid" as crazy as that seems. I think lunch will be a pureed cream Soup with 1/2 a packet of unflavored unjury (blech) added for protein boost. Hope you're doing well. Did Sa buy you a dress yet? What a sweet guy you have! My husband pointed out my hourglass figure is reemerging today and complimented me on how well I'm doing. It's great to have a cheerleader, isn't it? Well, take care everyone. I need to break up a fist fight between my twins...my daughter is pulling my son's hair while he kicks her and shrieks. Awesomeness. I am so ready to be out of the toddler years, even though I know I'll miss them once they're older. ~Cheri

Pretty much. I was in the hospital three nights, but I was in a bit of pain the evenings of day two and day three. I came home and was pretty tender - hiccups hurt like the devil, I couldn't bend at the waist or lift my arms above my head without discomfort. I was on pain pills as needed for a few days but by about 6 days post op I felt fine. I'm 10 days out and if I overdo it I get tender where my incisions are, if I drink something too cold my sleeve tightens up painfully and I still can't comfortably sleep on my side but other than that I'm back to normal. Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk. You'll be back to normal soon. ~Cheri