Spatters3

well that just sucks. But wait... you've lost 31 lbs since Nov. 27. That is 10 lbs a month, 2.5 lbs a week. Dang! You're actually doing very well! I personally think that crystal light (or other aspartame containing foods) messes with your blood sugar, so you could try changing that to just plain Water with a squirt of lemon. Are there any vegetables that you do like? You could try adding some just to change things up a little. Even the Atkins diet adds green low-glycemic index veggies back in after the induction phase (which lasts just 2 weeks). Hang in there, don't get frustrated, relax, and enjoy not being able to eat huge amounts of food. You WILL lose weight! And good Lord, don't start drinking!

yep, all good tips - check the menu online if possible and plan what you will order, and most appetizers are more than enough food for me to make a meal out of. You also have to have an attitude change - we have young children (grandchildren, actually) and we prefer going to buffets because we don't have to sit there with an autistic 9 yr old boy waiting to be served. Talk about a waste of money - buffets don't care if you're only going to eat a little bit! I no longer go out to eat for the food but for the company and enjoyment of my family (plus not having to cook a meal at home .

Lexsan: I hope your surgery has gone wonderfully well today! I'm sure your friend is just trying to do what she thinks is the best for you. Just lay low, do your thing, and then ask her a few months from now after you've lost a LOT of weight if she still thinks it was a horrible thing you did to yourself. Twoolley: you're a hoot :-)

I found that if I am not drinking enough fluids I get horrible, crippling, screaming-out-to-God leg cramps. Drink more water! I also had my doctor change my high blood pressure medication to one without a diuretic - made a world of difference.

We are all stomach deprived. I can imagine how a vegetarian feels when sitting around eating a meal with carnivores. euuuuu!!! I know that I am one of those people who could consume massive amounts of food and I am so thankful that I am now unable to do that to myself. That being said, I can't hold the non-stomach deprived population to my new standards of eating because they aren't blessed with my body modification. It's like being a member of a secret society

I'm still surprised when I sit in a chair and there is space on either side of my butt. Like, "Wow, they're finally smarting up and making chairs bigger!" duhhh

JennyBeth: I have been married to a "difficult" man for almost 40 yrs. He is an ass - complains constantly, is terribly unhappy and depressed, is an alcoholic who hasn't touched a drink in over 15 yrs, is verbally abusive, is a hoarder, hasn't worked a full time job in over 30 yrs, but.... sometimes, not too often, but sometimes he is my rock and I love him. We've been married too long to not be. Gosh, my life sucks! hahahaha Actually, it doesn't. I find joy in my children and grandchildren and satisfaction in my job. Getting the VSG is the first thing I have done for myself in many, many years and I am so glad I did. If you think he won't be there to support you after surgery and take care of the children, is there someone else you can count on to step in? As far as his issues are concerned, you know that they are his issues and you can't fix him. I'm glad he is going for help for his depression - my husband refuses to admit that he even has any problems. Good luck and God bless!

I will be 1 year post op in a couple of days and I'm still only able to eat a fraction of the amount of food I used to eat pre-sleeve. And yes, you can still eat around your sleeve by eating constantly and eating high calorie less-than-nutritious foods. You and me have to definitely change our eating preferences from quantity to quality. The VSG is the best decision I have ever made.

eek! I'm glad you're calling the doctor! It sounds like a horrible side effect of something but I can't even imagine what it is. Good luck!

Hi ! I was sleeved Feb, 13, 2012 and had a total hysterectomy on May 25, 2012, I have lost over 100 lbs but for the past few months really haven't lost much at all (still have about 100 left to lose). I have been busy doing chemo and radiation and more surgery (this coming Monday, O joy) and really haven't been concerned with losing weight. 90 lbs lost is great! I haven't done any exercising and after I'm all through with this blasted cancer I am planning on starting. I figure that will get the weightloss going again. I also have not been worried about eating too many carbs either, so cutting down on them will help.

hey Cap'n D! So glad you've lost all the weight you wanted to! Congratulations! You HAVE to drink more fluid. Period. Sip sip sip sip sip all day long. You will feel a thousand times better. Trust me :-)

All you pre-ops : you are going to love being sleeved! eventually! You will suffer through a miserable couple of weeks, then get sideswiped by the emotional rollercoaster (I magically transformed from Glinda The Good Witch to The Wicked Witch Of The West every half hour for a few days) but then... ahhhh.... those first tastes of cream Soup - heavenly! and refried Beans - ooooh! hahahaha Seriously, congratulations and I pray you all have a great journey. I am quickly approaching my 1 year sleeve-versary (Feb. 13) and I am still delighted with myself for getting the VSG. My highest weight was 360, day of surgery 331, and am now 248. My weightloss has slowed to mostly a stop but that's because I have been dealing with chemo & radiation & surgery and not caring a hoot about weightloss. I don't exercise at all and am really looking forward to joining the YMCA with my granddaughter this summer, God willing - mostly for the pool but I'm sure I'll get involved with other things too. I thank God I got the VSG when I did - just 3 months before being diagnosed with uterine cancer. It has made all the difference in the world to be 100lbs lighter. I don't think I could have gone through all that I've been through over the last few months being over 300 lbs. God bless!

*sigh* let's all just go kick puppies IggyChic: I love you and I think that's the difference between how I perceive your posts and how others do - I read your posts like they're letters from a friend and others read them like they're letters from the IRS. Original Poster: your profile says your surgeon was Dr. Stahl. Not that I care, but that wasn't one of the docs you listed. Hope everything works out ok.

I was the person telling others that WLS was a permanent solution to a temporary problem - all it takes is sticking to it - move more, eat less - yadda yadda yadda. I dieted myself to the point of not being able to lose any weight at all. I am soooooooo (did I say soooooooo?) happy that a) the VSG was available and I had it done. You will be too.

whew... is everyone ok?

Exactly. Is it wiser to wait until you have dieted yourself into a higher BMI or realize that you have proven to yourself that you can't keep the weight off without doing something other than diet & exercise? I too for many many years poo poo'd weightloss surgery as waaaay too radical a solution to a simple "calorie in/calories out" problem. I finally dieted myself up to be a 360 lbs (5'4") old woman who had 3 total knee replacements, high blood pressure, and pre-diabetic. If I had it to do over I would have had the VSG when I was 20 and weighed 220 and had already been on lots of diets (because it's just a matter of willpower, right?). I haven't sat around doing nothing all this time but, OMG, what my life COULD have been like just boggles my mind. No do overs! Go for it! And God bless you!

hey! I actually qualify to join a clique! That NEVER happens to me :-) Let's see... issues I'm having.... I look like an old, empty, paper sack but I don't want to go through the pain of cosmetic surgery. I still want to eat more than I can (which is why I had to get the sleeve :-) . That's about it.

hahahaha... sorry, it's just funny that the words are actually being censored. Anyhow, I am 56, have had total knee replacement 3 times (right knee was screwed up the 1st time), a foot rebuilt, and I don't exercise at all. Yes, I am stupid and lazy. I've also been dealing with surgery & chemo & radiation for uterine cancer so, weightloss has kind of taken a back seat. Even so, I have lost a LOT of weight in the past 11 months and I am so happy that I got the sleeve. I don't think I would have had the strength to deal with all of this if I was still 100 lbs heavier than I am now. So, the weight will continue to come off and exercise if you can when you can. You will just start doing more the more weight you lose because it doesn't hurt to walk or stand any more!

It gets digested and you poo it out. What do you think happens to it? Unless you managed to swallow a wad of gum that could possibly fill up your entire sleeve well, and even then, eventually it would be digested.

Congrats Frank! I can just picture you wrestling on the floor with your little boy :-) Iggychic is my hero, by the way. She is raw and real and strong and compassionate. She went through hell and kept on going until she got out. I don't see her posts as negative at all but as a very necessary warning. This is not only major surgery it is a major lifestyle change. Don't enter this decision lightly! I too almost backed out but I am so glad I didn't. I had a great and uneventful recovery (although I can't stand even the thought of Protein drinks any more) and I am continuing to lose weight and get healthy. I am already able to do things I thought I could never do again. I used to drive my adult kids to Wal-Mart and sit in the car while they shopped because I couldn't walk around the store and I was ashamed to ride in the little go-carts because *I* wasn't "disabled" (foolish me). Whenever I get the chance I tell people in this forum how great the VSG is working for me. I know it saved my life.

It actually sounds like the VSG has worked wonderfully for you!

I too have been big since I was a child. I don't remember exact weights but always was a "bruiser". When I was 22 I weighed 220 and gained 60 lbs being pregnant. Then got pregnant again and gained another 60 lbs. By the 3rd child I was over 300 when he was born. I did diet down to 220 (ate next to nothing and walked for miles every day) and I managed to wear out my feet, ankles, and knees. Anyhow, I found myself at age 50 needing total knee replacements and weighing 360. Just ridiculous. Nothing I did worked anymore - I couldn't exercise and even if I ate nothing, I couldn't seem to lose more than 30 lbs. I had thought about WLS but thought it was terribly unhealthy and what the heck, all it did was force you to eat less. What if it didn't work? I tried one more time to diet on my own and couldn't even lose the obligatory 30 lbs. And then I found out about the VSG. I jumped through all the hoops, had the surgery, and, duh duh duhhhh, I am losing weight! In 10 months I have gone from a size 30 to a 22 and have lost 90 lbs since surgery. Will I lose more? Yes, I will. Do I feel great now? Yes, I do. Am I thankful to God for this wonderful VSG? Dang straight! Everyone is different but I really don't think I am destined to weigh 255 for the rest of my life.

Snow, never you mind girl! Your pain and your story is yours to share and I doubt that Lissa is angry at you for "hijacking" her thread Remember that you can't control anyone else or the events of the world around you but you CAN control your reaction to them. Breathe deep, this too shall pass. If you're nauseous it may be due to dehydration.

Sounds delicious! We had standing rib roast (only 2 ribs - gack! those things are expensive!) and roast leg of lamb (also ridiculously expensive), baked potatoes, brocolli & cheese casserole, carrots, crescent rolls, and a fruit compote. I too was the last one to stop eating and I had 5 bites of lamb, 3 of beef, 3 bites of potato, 3 bites of casserole, 2 bites of fruit compote, half of a roll, and about 1 teaspoon of mint jelly. And those weren't big bites either! It was all delicious and we were all so full that we didn't even touch the pies :-) Eating slowly was definitely the key to not over doing it because boy, that "I am full - do not swallow that last bite" feeling comes on strong.

hahahaha cute! Thanks for sharing your very own Chistmas Story :-)