tigerbelle

If you can get 2 weeks take it!!! You will feel better after a week but your energy level will be very low. Give yourself the time if you can. Good luck to you!!

My doctors recommend 2-3 weeks ... not for physical reasons but the time consuming drudge of balancing your Water and Protein in the beginning. That's a job in itself.

I only took a week off, but I was really tired in my second week when I went back to work (not strenuous work either). I would suggest taking 2 weeks off if possible.

there have been many posts about this during the months I've been a member here, so I can fairly confidently give you the general response and summary...most people have no complications and have said they could actually go back to work within a week's time if they had an office job for sure...because of low energy levels, I would have had a hard time doing a full day of my desk job after just one week...I had planned to take 2 weeks off, and I think that was a good plan...because I had the opportunity to do so and had the leave time accrued, I went ahead and took a third week off and worked some from home...it wasn't a recovery issue but just some adjustment time I decided to give myself before returning to work

Hey John, welcome to the forum! Gl w the seminar and ask questions no matter how silly u think they are bc this is your life. I'm still preop. I have egd, psych appts next week. And nutrition the following. I'm rdy:). This is a gr8 place to find out more info but still ask at the seminar where the prof can answer your concerns as well. Come bck soon and gl. Dee Dee
Ps. As a matter of fact, write questions down now so u don't forget them. That way Ull be prepared beforehand:)

LOL...I used to go through the drive thru and order a quarter pounder with cheese large value sized meal with a Diet Coke...it sounded so ridiculous coming out of my mouth

LOL...I used to go through the drive thru and order a quarter pounder with cheese large value sized meal with a Diet Coke...it sounded so ridiculous coming out of my mouth

It's a big deal to be able to isolate our feelings and get to the root of an issue that's bothering us.
Fear is a natural thing and I know that you know that. We've made a tremendous (expensive!) change and it will cause a ripple effect of other changes in our lives. It's a huge thing to deal with and it's only complicated by the fact that we're also afraid we'll be that 1 person that fails miserably at this.
Keep up the good work and keep trying to understand the feelings behind your behaviors. I swear that this is worth the time and effort. We still battle these issues on the vet board - it's not as if these parts of us change just because we removed most of an organ. We still have to talk things out and deal with them. VST is a great place to find people going through the same struggles.
Good luck!
~Cheri

Slow and steady wins the race! Do try to work on the Water. You can't lose weight if you are dehydrated.

Big hug.... Just think that these are 30lbs that you will never have to lose again! Nothing worth having comes easy, that seems especially true of this surgery lol. Hopefully the posts will show u that u r not alone, we are all in this together. Stay strong :-)

thanks everybody for the support and encouragement...it helps to know I am not alone or unique in my feelings...I am a little better today emotionally...one thing is that I know I shouldn't be weighing every day--even my NUT told me not to...the "problem" is that I truly suffer from OCD and if I don't weigh myself every day, I will obsess about it...after reading all of your posts and doing some soul-searching, I think more of what I am feeling is fear rather than frustration or self-pity...the fear is that I will fail--or that I am failing at this...the very real fear that I will stop losing weight now and this 30 pounds will be it...in many situations in life, I tell myself that I can't let fear hold me back and prevent me from fully enjoying and experiencing life...yet it seems to always come back to that on some level; i.e., fear seems to be the root of a lot of my challenges emotionally...I once read a book my therapist recommended that was titled something like Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway...I am going to try to make that my mantra for now until I get over this current emotional state...thanks again for "listening"

seriously, I am having a pity party this evening...I am just over 2 months post-surgery and have only lost 30 pounds...that wouldn't be so bad except that I lost 20 of those pounds the first couple of weeks after surgery when I was on liquids...not even sure that can really be "counted"...anyway since then it has been like lose a pound...then stall for a few days...lose another pound, then stall...just very frustrating...and I am following my eating program for sure...I am averaging 600 or 700 calories a day (I write down everything I eat or drink), not doing great with the liquid intake but getting most of the Protein in and taking all of my vitamins...I think my main problem is lack of enough exercise...the problem is that I have such a low energy level, and I have not lost enough weight yet to be able to do much more than walk (which I do almost every night, but can only walk for about 30 minutes max)...I know I need to exercise more and I was committed to that going into this, but I had no idea I would be so lacking in energy...I guess my main "pity party" whine is that I paid a lot of money for this surgery, took the risk, and I have been following the program pretty well...I eat no starches--for two months, no bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, cereal--not even a lousy cracker...and certainly no desserts/sweets...I have even completely given up my beloved Diet Coke...it is dairy (yogurt, cheese, eggs, milk), lean meats (turkey, chicken) and Beans occasionally....also some cooked veggies and the occasional bites of fruit...I have given up so much in the last two months to lose a lousy 30 lbs, 20 of which was during a liquid diet...geez...for the last couple of years, I had a stable weight (albeit a super obese weight) but I ate pretty much what I wanted and/or craved (without bingeing)...I guess I just had wanted more of a pay off by now...ok, my venting and self-pity rant is over now...thanks if you are still reading....and I am giving myself a hug since there is no one else here to hug me

thanks everybody for the support and encouragement...it helps to know I am not alone or unique in my feelings...I am a little better today emotionally...one thing is that I know I shouldn't be weighing every day--even my NUT told me not to...the "problem" is that I truly suffer from OCD and if I don't weigh myself every day, I will obsess about it...after reading all of your posts and doing some soul-searching, I think more of what I am feeling is fear rather than frustration or self-pity...the fear is that I will fail--or that I am failing at this...the very real fear that I will stop losing weight now and this 30 pounds will be it...in many situations in life, I tell myself that I can't let fear hold me back and prevent me from fully enjoying and experiencing life...yet it seems to always come back to that on some level; i.e., fear seems to be the root of a lot of my challenges emotionally...I once read a book my therapist recommended that was titled something like Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway...I am going to try to make that my mantra for now until I get over this current emotional state...thanks again for "listening"

thanks everybody for the support and encouragement...it helps to know I am not alone or unique in my feelings...I am a little better today emotionally...one thing is that I know I shouldn't be weighing every day--even my NUT told me not to...the "problem" is that I truly suffer from OCD and if I don't weigh myself every day, I will obsess about it...after reading all of your posts and doing some soul-searching, I think more of what I am feeling is fear rather than frustration or self-pity...the fear is that I will fail--or that I am failing at this...the very real fear that I will stop losing weight now and this 30 pounds will be it...in many situations in life, I tell myself that I can't let fear hold me back and prevent me from fully enjoying and experiencing life...yet it seems to always come back to that on some level; i.e., fear seems to be the root of a lot of my challenges emotionally...I once read a book my therapist recommended that was titled something like Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway...I am going to try to make that my mantra for now until I get over this current emotional state...thanks again for "listening"

seriously, I am having a pity party this evening...I am just over 2 months post-surgery and have only lost 30 pounds...that wouldn't be so bad except that I lost 20 of those pounds the first couple of weeks after surgery when I was on liquids...not even sure that can really be "counted"...anyway since then it has been like lose a pound...then stall for a few days...lose another pound, then stall...just very frustrating...and I am following my eating program for sure...I am averaging 600 or 700 calories a day (I write down everything I eat or drink), not doing great with the liquid intake but getting most of the Protein in and taking all of my vitamins...I think my main problem is lack of enough exercise...the problem is that I have such a low energy level, and I have not lost enough weight yet to be able to do much more than walk (which I do almost every night, but can only walk for about 30 minutes max)...I know I need to exercise more and I was committed to that going into this, but I had no idea I would be so lacking in energy...I guess my main "pity party" whine is that I paid a lot of money for this surgery, took the risk, and I have been following the program pretty well...I eat no starches--for two months, no bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, cereal--not even a lousy cracker...and certainly no desserts/sweets...I have even completely given up my beloved Diet Coke...it is dairy (yogurt, cheese, eggs, milk), lean meats (turkey, chicken) and Beans occasionally....also some cooked veggies and the occasional bites of fruit...I have given up so much in the last two months to lose a lousy 30 lbs, 20 of which was during a liquid diet...geez...for the last couple of years, I had a stable weight (albeit a super obese weight) but I ate pretty much what I wanted and/or craved (without bingeing)...I guess I just had wanted more of a pay off by now...ok, my venting and self-pity rant is over now...thanks if you are still reading....and I am giving myself a hug since there is no one else here to hug me

Oh girl! 50 lbs? That is incredible! We were close on our start weight and surgery date but I have only lost 39 lbs. Sorry to say "only". I should say, "I have lost an amazing 39 lbs in 9 weeks!" So glad to hear of your success!!!

Chin up. Hugs, because we all get to have a pity party every now and again.
It's hard to accept and it's frustrating that we cannot set the pace for our weight loss. It's just a fact. We're all individual and cannot base our success or our feelings on comparisons to other people. Even two women the same height, weight and age will have varying journeys to goal. That's just how it is.
I lost, on average, just over six pounds a month. I had "only" 107 pounds to my goal and it took me 17 months to get there. It took six months just to shed the last 20 pounds. And then I got pregnant and had a baby! And now it's taken me several months just to get back to my maintenance window again.
You know what? I know we want fast results. We want the surgery to "count" and we view success as reaching goal quickly.
But the truth is that it doesn't really matter how long it takes you. You certainly didn't put on thirty pounds in just two months. But you've lost them. And you'll continue to lose. You just need to keep doing the right things and focus on your particular journey. The real goal here is to keep the weight off. Slow and steady with plenty of time to reinforce those new, healthier habits is going to benefit you far more than cutting your calories to nil and dieting your way to goal.
In the end, you'll realize that losing the weight is actually the easier part of this process. The hard part is keeping it off. So focus more on how you get to goal and what you're going to do to stay there, instead of on how quickly you make it to the finish line.
You're doing great and have nothing to be upset about, I promise.
~Cheri

I read it all, and am sending BIG hugs your way.

Hugs to you Tigerbell. my loss is gradual, so I tend not to weigh myself too much - rather wait until I 'feel' like I've lost something then step on the scales... maybe just once every two weeks even. Sometimes its a loss of 3-4 lbs, sometimes not... but as long as I don't creep back up, then that's fine with me. I'm less than I was, and that's what counts.

It's ok to feel sorry for yourself! You've been through a lot! Look at all the changes in your body since surgery ! It takes time for your body Ito adjust to 1/2 your stomach being gone! Any way you look at it the body is in shock! Stalls happen! We have all had them! It also takes time for head to adjust to this new way of living! Look what your eating now compared to a year ago! Even though you feel tired & wonder what the hell did I do you know you are going to be so much better off in the near future! Hang in there eat your Protein and drink the fluids! You will be surprised one day when you get on the scale. & you've dropped 5 lbs! Don't weigh every day either! Once a week is enough! Your loosing inches also! Be sure and measure yourself if you have not done so all ready and then measure monthly! You'll be amazed at the inches you loose!!!

It helps me to remember how much I weighed this time last year and what NSVs I have had even only 9 weeks after surgery. Then, imagine how I will feel the same time next year! If it gets slow, I just tell myself it's giving my skin time to adapt and hopefully shrink. Also, maybe it will hinder the inevitable hair loss... ? At least, that's what I tell myself~ Chin up!

Ya know...I've been thinking. When my physician asks me if I'm getting any exercise, I really, really want to tell her that yeah! I'm carrying an extra 100 pounds around every day! Let any skinny person try to do that! I should be really fit by now!
So yeah....you are exercising!

Sending hugs your way!!
I don't lose anything for 4 days at a time and then lose less than a whole lb. It is very frustrating.
I made a vertical list of all the days of the month so I could see patterns in how I was losing and that was it- 4 days of nothing a day or two of small loss, 4 days of nothing, on and on. Those 4 days feel like they are 2 weeks long. I was amazed the last 10 lbs only took a month, it felt like forever.
This is hard and frustrating but when we look back in 6 months or a year I'm confident that we will have lost a decent amount of weight and the hard times will have been worth it!