Adri

When I'm approaching fullness I feel burps trying to come up. If I haven't overeaten they come up fine. If I've stuffed too much down, I can't burp and feel very uncomfortable. If I've really overeaten I can feel the food in my throat and sometimes get the phlegm-y action. I've never gotten to the point where I throw up. My old habit of stuffing myself is really dying hard, even with a sleeve. Today at dinner I paid attn to the first burp and stopped...I was very proud of myself!

I have Blue Shield PPO and only had a 2 week preop diet. The whole process from first consultation to surgery was about 3 months...I think that's a record. Maybe I did not have much of a delay because I have been obese since childhood and have diabetes.

The absolute number 1 reason for my getting the surgery was my type 2 diabetes. I was extremely insulin resistant. I am 8 weeks from surgery. I still take the same amts of lisinopril and metformin but my insulin is cut by more than half now. My glucose meter says my average is 121 and this includes my high pre-surgery numbers that were in the 200s much of the time. This is an awesome improvement for me and I know as I continue to lose weight it will get better and better. P.S. I really hate admitting this but I neglected myself and allowed my sugar to be out of control for years. This is the lowest my sugar has been since probably 2006. So even though I'm still taking meds, I am a much healthier person already.

I had constant headaches; they were never officially diagnosed as migraines. I got headaches at least 3 times a week, if not more, that would last all day. They were sometimes severe enough to stay home and no painkiller would help. They are gone now, I think I have had one headache since surgery...and it certainly didn't last all day. I cannot put into words how much better I function now; my mood and attitude are so much better. I suspect it is either because I cut out caffeine (I was a major coffee fiend) and/or that my sugar consumption is low and therefore my glucose levels are now normal. You would call this a major NSV for me...and the aversion I now have for caffeine and sugar are keeping me on track to keep losing weight. It's a WIN WIN any way you look at it!! I hope vsg helps with your migraines, let me know how it turns out, I'm curious!! P.S. Wow! I just looked up migraines, and that must have been what I had. I used to get the cloudy-vision auras too. My out of control diabetes may have been making my hormones fluctuate causing the headaches.

I stalled from post-op week 5 to 7...3 entire weeks, are we seeing a pattern here? At week 7 I upped my calories from about 700-900 to about 1000-1100 per day. I also upped my Water and exercise...and the first day of week 8 I lost 5 lbs...thank God! It was scary, and I am still afraid of the next one. I guess I am just remembering all my previous diets that once a stall or gain happened I never went back down. I wish I knew which factor I noted above made a difference--or if it just doesn't matter what you do. I haven't been able to get up to 1200 cals per day as my dr's guidebook says, but that seems like alot to me anyway. Has anyone started week 8--normal diet--and been told to hit 1200 cals per day? I will see my dr next Tues to verify I'm reading this right.

Thank you so much Starry, I appreciate the encouragement!!

I used to have many regularly scheduled snack times...and I substituted water for food at those times. My house has never been cleaner, I have spent days cleaning out my closet of old, huge clothes. And now my garden has twice as many flowers as before, I've found that gardening is a great "passive" exercise.

I hope the insurance comes through. I have been overweight all of my life, I have not been my current weight since I was a teen. It has been less than two months since surgery and it has already been worth the risk. My diabetes numbers are looking better too. I wish you the best!

Woohoooo! I didn't realize I've lost 4lbs since I wrote this. I've started the exercise regimen and am still working on upping my Water....maybe my stall really is behind me!!

My own personal insight: Your stomach is a stranger to you after surgery. It acts different, works different and is a brand new sleeve now. I get why no one on the boards ever calls it a stomach, it is now a sleeve. Every new food is just that a new food and my point is that after surgery, there are continuous new challenges to face. Get the water in, get the protein in, get the supplements in, get the exercise in. Many foods taste funny at first, many things you loved before do nothing for you now. This journey of firsts and can be unsettling if you are like me and like routine. I am on solid foods now in week 8 and am still finding new foods and how I react to them. Remember, you're in it for the long haul. This is no quick fix. But it is totally worth it, I am now at a weight that I have not seen in 30 YEARS...to me that is miraculous!

Yup it's normal. I had one too. There was another posting where about 10 people said the same. One woman said her doctor told her it is from internal stitching they did when removing the stomach (I'm sure I'm not quoting her exactly). Anyway, it does go away. I'm about 8 weeks out and mine is gone completely.

I hate the gym too. Ive tried wii zumba and just dance, but i think my weight around my middle just makes me too uncoordinated for all that be-bopping around . i like the biggest loser workout disc that came with my wii--they have a good variety of workouts and they do make you sweat. And I just bought a recumbant exercise bike...i figure i might be more likely to exercise if i can sit and listen to music while doing it!! we'll see...i just started my exercise regimen yesterday to try to get out of my stall.

I haven't lost a single pound since June 30th. It was totally freaking me out til I saw this post. Thanks! I had heard of the stall but did not know it could last so long. Well, I started a new exercise regimen today, let's hope something kicks me back into gear. At least I did lose a couple of inches here and there during this time.

I stayed away from most dairy because I am lactose intolerant, so I ate alot of the following during my pureed (mushy) stage: refried beans hummus deviled ham corned beef hash pureed turkey chili scrambled eggs pureed chicken breasts smashed avocado (to moisten the chicken) mashed potatoes pureed squash Lactaid cottage cheese (found in health food/specialty stores) yogurt (but very little, i tried soy yogurt but did not care for it) would often top some of these items with a little cheddar cheese for flavor I actually found this stage harder than liquids, but luckily your real close to starting soft foods. I wish you well.

This recipe looks something like Tabooleh (a middle eastern dish) without the cucumber. It is absolutely delicious but I only tried a couple of tablespoons at a time and not until week 6 (the end of my soft food stage).

I know just how you feel, I almost died and went to heaven when at about week six I had some of my mama's homemade chile colorado. My nut would probably have frowned at my eating such spicy food, but hey, I'm a Mexican girl! Arriba 'rriba yihaa!!!, here's to feeling normal again!!! (I've seen you on the boards and was worried about you, thank goodness you are on the mend.)

My guide book from UC Irvine says: Salads that are finely chopped can be added at 7 to 8 weeks. I'm in the middle of week 7 and the only raw vege I've had is tiny pieces of onion, tomoto and lettuce. I was fine, but my stomach was a little rumbly, so I haven't gone any further yet.

Yup, stay away from the BA and Celebrate chalky chewables. BA is the worst of the two and HATE is too mild a word. Both companies offer the chewy (caramel-like) chewables and they are not so bad (I've sampled a few different flavors). Just the humble opinion of someone who I'm sure is low on calcium . I've resorted to buying tablets and cutting them in half to get them down. I just haven't gotten around to ordering the expensive caramels yet.

I definitely had tomato soup during the liquid stage, but it may have been in week 2. I tried it (despite it being so acidic) because I'm lactose intolerant and couldn't have all those cream soups eveyone suggests. So at least I could make it myself and make it "creamy" with Lactaid milk. But I will tell you it made my acid reflux kick back in so I had to start taking Prilosec OTC.

Time Sensitive Note: I'm heading to Target tonight to get Zumba for wii, it's on sale til Saturday. (I'm in So. Cal, not sure if their sales are national)

The wii fit doesn't even make me sweat, but biggest loser does. You can really push yourself and get a good workout w/biggest loser. good luck!

I'm happy to hear things are improving, the first few weeks are tough but they are worth it. Take care of yourself and congratulations!

Yup, the band size, cup size ratio is some mysterious formula, huh? I went from a 44C bra purchased in the plus size stores to a 40D in a "normal" store. (I guess when you're skinny, your boobs look bigger, so they up the cup sizes...hahaha) I think...if I don't shrink too much I will continue buying in the plus size stores, their bras tend to have wider bands that give me support on my sides as well. I bought a couple of cheap bras without trying them on and even the $12 each that I paid was a waste of money because they are uncomfortable. So I think bras is one area where you SHOULD spend the money, there's no substitute for comfort! (You can make up for splurging by buying your blouses at Goodwill! That's my plan.)

I am starting week 7. I have been mostly eating 60 to 70 g of protein per day , and maybe 2-3 servings of carbs a day in the form of whole grains and fruit. I'm in a stall right now but otherwise I'm doing fine. I have not been eating much vegetables. Well today I thought that should change so I made a tofu stir fry with onion, bell peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms for dinner. I probably ate close to 3/4 a cup. Three hours later I'm starving so I had another serving, at least 1/2 cup. It is about a half hour later and I'm still hungry!!! Is this my imagination? Is there anyone out there who eats a lot of veggies and do they satisfy your hunger? I'm sure with both servings I got at least 3 oz of protein, maybe 4...but what gives,? I've never felt so hungry before...its' a little scary. I think I'm gonna go to the fridge right now and eat a hunk of cheese! Maybe it's head hunger come back to haunt me!!!

I lost 30 lbs in the first 4 weeks after surgery. That would be 12.5% of my weight at the time; or 28% of the excess weight I want to lose. We are all so different, I'm not sure we can compare. I think you might want to factor in the very common stall that often starts between weeks 3 and 5. I have not lost 1 pound since July 1st; that's a 3 week stall so far. I need to increase my exercise...ugh! And if you're about my size maybe this info helps (I am 5'4" and more of a big-belly girl than a big-bottom girl: I went from a size 22/24 to an 18 already; some 16s fit, but a 14 is still too small.) As of today I've lost 5" in my waist. Yay!!