RJ'S/beginning

That article contradicts what three surgeons told me. I was advised our stomachs will not stretch significantly as the stretchy part was cut out and the muscle was left intact. It will relax, but not restretch. I was told that the very bottom of your sleeve can expand. Also if pushed or abused you can form a pocket where the stomach connects to the sleeve. I was shown pictures and documentation of these facts myself. The muscle that is left after surgery will relax but does not stretch out. However abuse of the sleeve can cause a bulge at the base of your sleeve and it will stretch. Now what I was told is that pop or any carbonated beverage is the number one enemy of the sleeve. If you drink it it is a huge red flag. Diet or not. Just like every surgeon has his own pre-op diet plan and things we can eat and not eat. Exercise now or later. Success is 60 lbs. off. while others are 80 lbs.The differences go on and on....... Now for me, with all the difficulties I have been through and how my team stuck with me through thick and thin. I will believe them because they have been right in everything so far FOR ME!

There are only a handful of people who know I had WLS. (OUTSIDE OF HERE ) If I start to work with patients and things change in my life maybe I will share it more readily. But right now I so enjoy going where I want and no one knows it's me. That is how much I have changed....But for me if it is none of their business don't tell them. If you see someone in need help them. Most people don't ask what benefits have you noticed by losing weight? Has your health improved? Are you now able to do more? To some people it is the number that counts. And the before and after look. All the people who have found out I have lost weight that had not seen me for a while say the same thing...I heard she is thinner. I gotta see that for myself.... If they had been an important part of your life you would have already told them the whole truth. Part of the truth is not a lie. You are watching caloric intake and exercising

I found this article very helpful: http://obesitycoverage.com/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-sleeve/gastric-sleeve-will-my-stomach-stretch

First of all a goal of a size 8 is unrealistic. Being solid well that is another reason why size 8 might not be who you will become. What you need to do is enjoy each day with the loss of the weight going down and allow your body to dictate to you where you will land in the end. I am 5'7" depending on who is measuring me and I take a 14 in pants and a large in shirts. I know that I will never be an 8 and really don't want to. What curves I have I hope they are still there. You must concentrate on the journey instead of the lbs. It is a long road with ups and downs and already you are making goals that just might not happen. Please enjoy the ride and worry about what your team says....

Do I look like a spitfire girl!!!!!!!!!

I have a trainer. He comes twice a week right now. He is one of the ones that are telling me I am moving to fast and not letting my body heal enough....

Well this is the second time in two weeks that I put a rib out. I have been busy spring cleaning the house and getting rid of the junk. I have not done this kind of activity for 8 years. Now I am told that I am doing too much and my muscles and other body parts are taking exception to it. Say what! I finally get to a point where I can actually clean my own house, cook, do laundry and they are trying to slow me down. Your not healthy enough or strong enough to do all of this. You are still weak and healing from the traumatic time in the hospital. It is going to take time for you to be strong enough to do all the things you want to. To build your body back up. To even build muscle mass.... I am getting really tired of my body conking out when I do regular things. How much longer will it take before I can be free finally to do what I need to, and do what I want to, and do what I want to try next.... Is this ever getting on my nerves......

You got it! I've figured out that things change pretty fast with my eating and what works versus not. So I've really had to watch everything and track it all. What happens when you have the attacks from the fake sugars?? As long as I can remember I have been allergic to Aspartame. I would get dizzy, weak, shaky and my blood sugar would plummet and I would faint. So I have always been careful not to use anything that has that in it. Now I use sucrose and it has started lately to treat me the same way. I had a couple episodes in the supermarket and my hubby grabbed a bag of almonds and made me eat some and it helped. I wonder if now this is starting to form an allergy as well. I fear these bouts and will give up any artificial sweetener if this is the problem. i just like having a cup of cocoa now and then you know. Something different. But there seems to be an allergy forming again!

Yes, she said mid morning and mid afternoon were the typical times it will hit. But not always. I have felt it at night too, and will have a few nuts or a scoop of my fruit flavored Protein powder. I've actually been sipping on a bottle of flavored Water with a scoop of Syntrax fuzzy navel protein powder added to it every night after dinner. I finish the bulk of it right before bedtime so that I dont get the middle of the night crash and sweats etc that the hypogly can cause. Keep your exercise going for sure, but cut the fruit and add the nuts back in. Im fairly sure you'll feel much better. I rarely eat fruit, working out or not. It is another one of my triggers that causes the hypogl in the first place. I like the Syntrax fuzzy navel Protein Drink too. But I find if I drink too much of that I get an attack from the artificial sugar..Can't win. Will add the nuts back and hope it gets back under control. I had a plan and the plan didn't work. So be it...Slow and steady wins the race anyway I say!

I have been eating fruit as my night snack lately where I was eating a 1/4 cup of nuts. I am trying to get the last few pounds off I guess and switched gears. This seems to be when it started. Maybe I will go back to the nuts at bedtime. It is after Breakfast when it hits me and in the evening mostly.

I have to exercise because of my complications with the sleeve surgery I lost all my muscle mass. My trainer is working with me to regain them. I only exercise 2 times a week so far. But in April he is upping the anti and going to get me to work out 3 or 4 times a week. So I have to exercise. Looking forward to hearing what they have to say. And thanks!

i have been eating a piece of cheese when it happens. It does seem to bring it around some. i don't know why it has started up again. Never acted up in over 17 months. Why now?!

I have been doing that. Half of a Lara-bar before and 1/2 after. But now I am getting it even when I am not exercising. Just a regular day. i wonder what I am doing to cause the return of this!

For the last few weeks my Hypoglycemia is acting up. I have had no problem with it since I started this journey. It seems to have triggered by exercise...See I always new exercise was wrong I don't want to start eating every 2 hours....That would be hard for me... What have others done to control this beast?

I am so happy things are starting to settle down for you and you are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I remember that feeling well. Some of us pay a huge price for our eventual goal to health. But for me and most others it was worth the fight. I find I am a different person because of what happened to me and because I fought so hard to keep it and stay alive. I think I appreciate the sleeve more then if I had had an easy breezy recovery.....

Nope he can not. But you would be instructed to take in more calories ( good calories ) and eat more times a day if the weight continued to fall off. Our bodies will stabilize at its own size whether we think it is right or not. As long as you are eating properly and drinking the Water and exercising. The body will do the rest. There are people on here that have lost a lot more weight then they thought they would and are staying at that weight. It is maintenance. Others have stayed at a weight that is higher then they desired but the body once again runs the show.

Finally Ana. I am thrilled that they got the clamp in. It definitely will seal the leak and soon you will be on your way. Follow instructions Ana. I know you have a problem with that but I think you have turned a corner on this and all is on its way. you know where I am if you need me further.

600 calories is a problem. Your body is going into panic stage thinking you are starving it. Up the Protein and Water intake if you are drinking less then 60 ml of it. Remember our bodies will adjust to things as we abuse them or are doing good things to them. We are a marvelous machine and our body will protect itself as long as it can from what it thinks is starvation.

Stay true to the directions of your surgeon. It will happen and your body will respond. Stay off the scale and do what you are supposed to do and wait for the number at the doctors office... The goal is to shrink your liver. That is why you are on this pre op diet. Not lose 50 lbs. Keep going...Your doing great kid!

Having head hunger is a real issue and it is part of changing the way we see food. For years it has been a comfort for us through whatever was going on in our lives. It is a whole different ball game as we leave this longtime so called friend behind and eat to live not live to eat. It is one of the first parts of the journey that confuses us. I think you recognize it and see it for what it is. I think your on your way kid!

Love that bobble head comment...you made me laugh! Thanks!

I buy most of my clothes at a thrift shop. I stayed at size 20 for what seemed like forever and then all of a sudden I was going down fast. After I used them I simply sent them back for them to resell in support of Diabetics. Got some cool stuff there and love it.... Will do this until I reach where ever it is I'm going..

Think about food all you want. It is not going to grow back so you can never eat like you used to. What you might want to do is start to think of food in a different way. Like finding interesting and tasty recipes that will help you get healthier and stronger in the future. Slowly changing the way we see food and what we eat and satisfying ourselves with better food can make all the difference. It did for me..so far!!!!!!!!!!! Might just work for you as well.!

Seems to me you are right on schedule. Your body is taking a well deserved break. Please continue with your plan and put the scale away for a couple weeks. Bring it back out and weigh yourself then. If you have still not dropped weight. Continue to do the program, put the scale away and look for other signs like looseness of clothing, feeling perkier. Stuff like that. After two more weeks take the scale out and try again to weigh yourself. Bet you will have lost.. You see you are geared to lose weight now sooner or later. Everyone is always concerned about the numbers but your body is concerned about your well being and it will take breaks from losing weight and then when it feels like you are okay the scale will move again...I PROMISE!!!!

I did the 2 week pre op liquid diet twice. The first time they cancelled me because of a emergency surgery. Then I had to do it again....1 month of shakes. it was horrible but I made it through. Just tell the surgeon the little mistake and he will decide if it is safe or not. I really don't think 1 chocolate bar a surgery will cancel...Best to ask anyway though!