deletedsally

I think it's wonderful that you allowed yourself to have a cookie. I made cookies with my 2 year old granddaughter the other day, and I had one too. I know that my weight loss might be a little slower if I have a bite of cheesecake one week and a cookie the next--but I just don't think an occasional small treat is going to dramatically affect weight loss when we are still eating well under 1000 calories a day. I've got a long way to go, and I want to know that I can enjoy some small pleasures along the way and keep moving toward the goal. Congratulations on your great weight loss!

Until you get some direction from your doctor, you might want to try eating foods that are less dense. I was supposed to have "full liquids" for 4 weeks after my surgery. I could have thinned pureed foods, but I found that even baby food meat was too "heavy" and I had to mix it with thin soup. Also, I was asked to strain everything. The only thing on my list with any texture was small curd cottage cheese--and I didn't feel very good if I ate that. Apparently the guidelines I had were more conservative than some, but I'm grateful for that because I felt better when I stayed within those guidelines. I know that some people have been successful at advancing their diets more quickly without problems, and I'm glad they were successful, but for some people, slower is better. From my perspective, this really isn't about which nutritional guidelines are the best, or whether someone is following or breaking "the rules"...it's about doing whatever we need to do to give our stomachs time to heal.

I'm sorry you are having a rougn time. I hope your doctor will be able to figure out what's causing the problem and get you some relief--soon! Has there been any change in your diet, medication, supplements, or type of protein powder that could account for the difference in the way you feel?

I'm sorry that your mom is having to walk through something like this. It really hurts to see the ones that we love in pain. My heart is breaking for a family member too. The circumstances are too complicated and sticky to explain in a public thread--but the bottom line is, I am powerless to change their circumstances and I've just felt like crying all day.

Carafate also comes in an liquid.

If it's any encouragement, my surgeon said that for the first 3 months after this surgery, almost everyone has reflux. He seemed to think that it tends to be less of a problem as you get further out. Also, GERD is almost always worse when people are overweight. My guess would be that as you continue to lose and your body continues to heal, that this will be less and less of a problem.

Take a deep breathe and repeat..."I will not get dehydrated". You aren't going to need a sippy cup and the act of sucking on it could actually cause you to swallow more air. That's why we aren't supposed to use straws. I took very tiny sips for the first couple days, only because I was uncomfortable if I swallowed much at one time, but even on day one after the surgery I was able to drink about 6 ounces in 30 minutes. I had to for one of my leak tests. After I got home from the hospital, I filled a 22 oz plastic tumbler with 1 scoop of unflavored Unjury protein powder, water, some crystal light powder, stirred it up and added ice. One tumbler full throughout the morning, #2 during the afternoon, and #3 before during the evening = 66 oz water + 60 grams of protein. Carried it with me if I had to go anywhere. Still doing the same thing, but with less protein powder. The only problem I've had getting enough liquid is when I forget to keep drinking throughout the day, because I can't just down 8 oz at a time. You'll be up and flying in no time!

If you include my preop loss, I've lost 38 pounds in the past 9 weeks. Overall, for a relatively sedentary, post-menopausal female, that's a great weight loss. What concerns me is that the first 20 pounds were lost in the 2 weeks right before and right after surgery. Any loss that fast is going to be mostly water weight. After that initial big drop, the scale has moved very slowly. If I were doing a typical weight-loss diet, I would expect a loss of 1-2 pounds a week and be OK with that. It's the fact that I am eating such a small quantity of food and still losing so slowly that kind of worries me, because I'm not sure what this means for the "long-haul" and my ability to continue losing and eventually maintain. I'm glad to be losing and not be hungry, but given the fact that my calories are ranging from around 400-900 calories a day, I am surprised that I'm not losing a little more consistently.

Way to go Angie! Great weight loss! After you get through the healing process, I'll bet you find that you have a lot more energy to help you with those three children too!

I'm glad you talked to your doctor, and will be following up with him. It's been 7 weeks since I was sleeved. I was definitely able to eat more than a teaspoonful at 2 weeks--more like 1/4-1/2 cup. BUT... I was on clear liquids for 4 days, and then "full liquids" for 4 weeks. During the full liquid stage I could eat yogurt, cream soups, baby food (but not the junior with chunk types), pudding, protein shakes, etc. I was told not to eat anything with any little pieces. I strained everything. I would have had a lot of trouble if I had been trying to eat something like tuna with miracle whip. For me, even baby food meats were too thick to go down well. I mixed the baby food chicken or turkey with tomato soup and that made it easier to eat. It's possible that you are just advancing your diet too quickly for your body's stage in the healing process. There are many websites with a wealth of information on how to advance your diet post VSG. Each one seems to be a little different, and even though I followed the recommendations in my doctor's handout, I gained information, reassurance, and got helpful ideas from reading other stuff too. Do an internet search of "nutritional guidelines sleeve gastrectomy" and see what you find. As long as you are getting your protein shakes, what are you going to hurt by taking it slow?

I'm so sorry to hear about the complications your wife has been experiencing. I don't have any experience with a leak, but I have had family members in the hospital for extended periods of time. It's hard on everyone.

I had the same discomfort when swallowing in the beginning. It was a feeling of pain/pressure right between my breasts and then it would be relieved after the liquid had time to go down more. It kind of scared me, because I was afraid it would always be like that, but my discomfort cleared up after several weeks. My doctor said it was normal and that as the swelling went down, I would feel better. He was right. For me, it took about a month before I started feeling pretty comfortable when I drank/ate.

Three days can seem like forever, but it will pass and you will find yourself sitting on the loser's bench before you know it. I'm scootin over!

I agree that there are a lot of biological roots to attraction and mating choices. But for most of us, if we are honest, the social reasons for partner attractions/choices extend beyond our simple visual perceptions of beauty. This isn't going to sound very romantic, but when we are dating, we take ourselves to market, just like someone who wants to sell a steer. The kid who has worked hard to raise a healthy steer knows what a fair price is when he takes that steer to auction. The same thing is true when we look at relationships. How many times have we heard someone say, "Oh he/she can do better than that!" What do they mean? They mean that on the internal scale that we automatically use to compare people's assets, this match is not equal. As a highly gifted woman, what's the possibility that I am going to choose a partner who is mentally handicapped? None. It is true that some people have assets that outweigh their increasing age or physical unattractiveness. (Why do beautiful young women get involved with someone like Larry King?) But for most of us, being overweight is a huge deficit in the relationship marketplace. Our weight impairs our ability to perform most activities as well as "normals". As a kid, I couldn't run as fast, I couldn't climb a rope, I fell off the monkey bars. As a teen, I lost weight and began taking ballet, but still being on the heavy side, I couldn't leap as high, partners couldn't lift me as easily, and I had to stop wearing toe shoes because my teacher said my weight made it dangerous to my feet. I tried to play raquetball, tennis, and volleyball--but I couldn't compete as well, because I couldn't move as quickly and I got out of breath more easily. What kind of physical things do adults do for fun that the typical obese person enjoys or does well? Cycling? Jogging? Hiking? Kayaking? Skating? Water skiing? Snow skiing? I can't enjoy dancing because feet hurt and I can't wear regular shoes. I can't even enjoy traveling because I don't have the energy to walk around to enjoy sightseeing. And to be perfectly blunt, when I was married, our sex life was directly impacted by my obesity. Yeh, I know...where there's a will there's a way...but the reality is that sexual possibilities become more restricted as your body gets larger and heavier. Additionally, pleasure can be greatly diminished when there's a lot of fat that gets in the way. That's not even to beginning to address the additional impact that diabetes and other health problems can have on a sexual relationship. People may not think about that stuff on a conscious level when choosing a partner, but most of us know it to be true. Being fat affects our ability to participate freely and equally in relationships in ways that extend far beyond our our outer appearance and general health.

My MD used a 40f with a sew over. When I discussed this with him prior to the surgery, he said that he believes there to be a higher incidence of leaks, strictures, and reflux with the smaller bougie sizes. This was confirmed by my research other places. I want good weight loss, but with the lowest risk of complications. My weight loss may be a little slower than others, but I tend to think that this is not due to bougie size as much as the fact that I have led a sedentary lifestyle for several years and I haven't been able to start a walking program yet because my feet are still healing from plantar fasciatis, I'm older/menopausal, I'm not restricting my carb intake as much as some sleevers, and my metabolism is probably slower as a result of years of yoyo dieting. It's too early for me to say what my long term experience will be, but at this point, I feel all the restriction I would want, and I'm eating very small amounts of food. Also, I am happy that I have not had any problems with reflux and I am not having to take PPI's or antacids. __________________

Way to go sleever! You'll be home and feeling better before you know it!

WHHOOOHOOOO!!! Here's to saying goodbye to that 3 forever! You rockin...you rockin...

Sorry you are uncomfortable. I hope you start feeling better soon. BIG congratulations on your weight loss! Just curious--what kind of tests do they do to measure metabolic rate?

You might want to try increasing your calories every third day to see if that perks up your metabolism up a little. Your calorie intake is very low when you consider the fact that you are a male, 6'7". That would easily explain the fatigue.

I am averaging around 800-900 calories a day, but I'm trying to follow the nut guidelines and I'm eating typical "diet foods": lean protein, limited fat and restricted carbs. I'm also limiting my snacking. If I were eating a higher fat diet, higher carb diet, I could easily double my caloric intake. At this mushie stage, I feel confident that cheesecake would go down nice and easy. A few bites in the morning...a few bites at lunch...a tiny taste at dinner....and BINGO...a slice has vanished...add in a couple handfuls of chips with dip...and my caloric intake would be doubled in a flash.

Congratulation! Won't be long until you drop below the BIG 3. I got tired of sweet, cold and creamy too. I tried some hot tomato basil soup (strained out the basil leaves) and it was a life saver. I was allowed to have baby food meat on my full liquid stage, and I stirred some baby food chicken or turkey into the tomato soup for protein.

I'm at 6 weeks, and my MD's guidelines allow me to eat all the foods that you mentioned except the fruit. I can eat fruit, but it is supposed to be soft or cooked with no skins and no seeds. So cooked apples or applesauce. But no strawberries. I was also told to stay away from any fibrous/stringy vegetables like celery or string beans. I've stayed away from beef and pork, just because I know that some say it's harder to digest and should be introduced a little later. I only eat meats that are ground, or shaved deli meats.

I can't do extremely low carb diets either. I have trouble thinking clearly, insomnia, irritability, and mild depression when my carbs go too low. I have lost a lot of weight on the old Weight Watchers exchange program. I lost weight faster using a similar, but more restrictive diet from Diet Center. Carb intake is restricted, but not enough to throw you into ketosis. I've also used a Diet Power program that you can download to your computer, that will calculate calories, carbs, fat, protein, etc...Just send me a message if you want more info.

I had the same mucous in my throat feeling for the 1st couple weeks after surgery. I wondered what in the world was causing that. I thought it must be what everyone refered to as being slimed. Thanks for the info and glad you got some answeres!

Hi Lori. Congratulatons on your decision. I'm 54 and just had the surgery 6 weeks ago after weighing in at 283 as well. I wish I had been able to do this years ago instead of spending 34 years yoyo dieting. I'm happy for you!