enigmachik

Happy Birthday!! Personally, I think you should probably wait a bit longer, but I also don't think a few sips will hurt you. I had a glass of wine at about two and a half weeks out. Most people would have screamed at me if they knew. I'm not a drinker by any means (have only had alcohol one other time since being sleeved), but it was a special occasion and I wanted to have a little bit. It didn't hurt me. But, be aware that it can't be good to have alcohol this early out, so if you do please please please limit it to a very small quantity. Whatever you decide, enjoy your birthday!

It's ketosis. It's usually temporary. Try to eat a little more carbs and it will go away.

We all have that nagging fear of failure in the back of our minds, but don't let it consume you. Just follow your surgeons directions for your post-op diet and you'll be fine. PS. Your weight loss is astounding! Congrats!!

I did a bit of that before starting my pre-op diet. I didn't go overboard, but I did make sure to eat all of my faves. I don't regret it.

I'm not a doctor, so you shouldn't take my advice, but personally, I don't think it looks that bad. I had one that looked much worse than this and it all worked out in the end. Just keep it clean and follow your doctor's orders.

I loved sushi pre-sleeve too so I was really worried about this. Thankfully, I also have no problems with sushi post-op and I still eat it a couple of times a month

Because there are other types of partial gastrectomies that remove either the top or bottom half of the stomach (like in the case of stomach cancer/ulcers/etc), the VSG is different in that the cut is made vertically to remove part of the stomach as opposed to horizontally.

Nope, but I'm open to the possibility. lol

Are you having regular and non-strained BMs? I only ask because sometimes things get really messed up in the digestive track and the pain can mimic menstrual cramps.

That's why I didn't tell anyone in my family. I didn't want them trying to talk me out of it.

Good luck!! You'll be on the Loser's Bench before you know it!

For powder I use Optimum Nutrition. For pre-made shakes I really like the EAS brand. They are low carb/high protein, very tasty and affordable. I prefer the chocolate fudge flavor.

I didn't have any issues with nausea after my surgery, but I did have the hiccups. I actually woke up from surgery hiccuping! I hiccuped a lot in the first few weeks, but slowly they started coming less and less frequently. Now I don't get them any more often than I did pre-surgery. Hang in there; it gets better!

I'm not really sure how to offer you advice except to say I can understand. Of course lying wasn't the right approach, but I can see how it happened. The problem is that now when you start losing weight he is either going to worry that you are really sick (since you just had surgery and now you are losing weight), or he is going to figure out you lied to him. Neither of those are good. The first option opens you up to the temptation to lie even more and it will spiral out of control and you won't be able to enjoy the new, healthy you. The second option is to do nothing and hope he doesn't figure out it was all a lie. Your third option is to go in to work tomorrow and tell him you got super nervous talking to him because you didn't want him to judge you and so you told him something that wasn't entirely truthful and then come clean. I want to be clear that I really am not judging you or trying to tell you what to do. I have gotten myself into a few doozies in my life so I really really understand how this happened. But now you have to figure out what you are going to do. I suggest you really think through all of these possibilities and the consequences of each and decide prayerfully what your best option is. Hugs.

Yep. Totally normal. Most people hit it around 2 to 3 weeks post-op. The scale will start moving again soon enough, not to worry!

You will be able to have a corner of your special treat, not to worry. The problem may be that after several months out, you will find that corner a little too easy to eat. The first couple of months after I was sleeved, I had no desire for sweets, but now at five months out my cravings are back and I have no issue tolerating them. That is scary to me. The sleeve is a powerful tool, but we still have to make conscious choices every day to eat the right things. And don't worry, I understand that you're talking about an occasional treat.

Some of the ultra strict people will tell you not to use splenda or any artificial sweetners, but I often add a packet or two of splenda to my shakes and smoothies. It does make them tastier. I also second the suggestion of trying the pre-made EAS shakes. They are quite good in comparison to other protein shakes and they are pretty affordable. I'm not really a fan of the vanilla, but I like the strawberry and chocolate flavors a lot. Chocolate fudge is the best You can find them at Walmart or Target. You can also get them at Walgreens and CVS, but you'll pay quite a bit more for them there so I suggest sticking with Walmart.

Yay! This is amazing! Isn't losing weight great?

You look amazing! Congrats on being two years out and making your sleeve work for you!!

yep. losing mine in fistfuls. it's temporary.

I'm annoyed about them taking away our outside tickers also. I used an outside ticker because frankly, it was better. Also, it allowed me to use the same ticker on multiple websites. I've succumbed to using their ticker, but the process of using it and updating it should be improved.

I confess that I confessed several months ago when I was only about a month out, but now that I'm five months out I have new confessions. I confess that at a month out, I thought I had these cravings kicked, that I'd never use food to self-medicate again etc. after all, I had no desire for food anymore. I confess that at five months out, the mental part of this journey is rearing it's ugly head again. It's a struggle not to give in to temptations. So far I'm doing pretty well at saying "no" to myself, but I'm scared about being able to do this forever. I confess that I LOVE my sleeve! I LOVE that I get full after just a few bites. I always wanted to be able to eat a small portion and be satisfied by it. Now I am! I confess that there are people I avoided seeing because I had gained so much weight and I'm looking forward to being able to socialize again without being so self-conscious. I confess there are certain people who hurt me in my past that I am looking forward to seeing now that I've lost so much weight. I confess that I so badly want to get into the "normal" BMI range, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much just in case it never happens. I confess that I love this thread

That's awesome! Congrats!!!

Amazing!! Congrats, you look great!

Welcome to the boards!! You've begun a fantastic journey