Momonanomo

The bottom line is it's your decision. I understand that his support is important, but....... If he can't be supportive, then find support elsewhere. He hasn't lived in your body your entire life. Do YOU think you've tried hard enough? If you do, and you understand the risks of this major surgery, and you understand the hard work involved after surgery, then that's all you need. It's more harmful to your body to continue on yo-yo'ing your weight up and down with failed attempts at other weight loss efforts. And it's harmful to your soul to let someone else dictate what they think is right for you based only on their own experience. Sorry if I'm soap-boxing I had some rough conversations with my husband early on in my pre-op process. He really thought it was a matter of me not trying hard enough. But after a lot of long talks, he accepted that my reality was different than his when it comes to weight and food and exercise. He thought it was just a lack of trying on my part. I quit smoking cold turkey right then and there, and he saw that I do indeed have will power. Now he's already so glad that I've had the surgery. One thing to consider too....I know this was true of my husband....some of his reservations were coming from a place of fear regarding the surgery. He was worried sick about the risks of surgery and possible complications afterward. So I acknowledged that and we talked through it. And now that I'm "out of the woods" so to speak, we're all good.

Yep I'm 8 weeks out today, and that is EXACTLY how I would describe it now -- I just don't enjoy eating. It feels very bizarre too, because my ENTIRE frickin life I adored eating. So....I'm actually quite happy because that's what I signed up for. I didn't want food to rule me like that one second more. But it is a very strange thing to experience......this "meh" feeling about food. So unlike me! So Laura-ven says the enjoyment will come back.........I just don't want it to ever ever ever be like it was before!

Yaaaaay!! I'm happy for you! Yes one of my big goals too is to get to overweight! Where else but on VST could we be so happy to become overweight ?!?! LOL So-------- good job on getting to overweight!

It’s Wednesday, my check-in day! The scale starting moving again – I’m now down 35 lbs since surgery & 45 since starting the pre-op diet. I am so grateful. I feel like my body has taken so well to this. I haven’t really had difficulty with anything I’ve eaten, but I’m only really eating good clean food. The only problem I had was early on when I first started real food I ate a Morningstar farms sausage patty too fast without chewing well and omg that hurt. Lesson learned. But as far as tolerating foods, I chose wisely and chew well. I can even do ice berg lettuce! I’m quite proud of myself. I always kind of knew that this was my one last time to embark on the proverbial “lifestyle change” I’ve always sought, and this time I was going to have the very best tool I could possibly have. And that’s exactly what it is. I have the desire to stay on a healthy eating plan, and with the sleeve I’m able to do it without feeling like I’m a wild-eyed-raving starving maniac. I could totally eat ice cream and French fries now I bet, but I really don’t want to. Still haven’t had bread, or rice, or pasta. It’s been 10 weeks! Someday I will have it again I’m sure, but I want to maybe be at the halfway to goal point before I indulge in some serious carbs like that. And it will be a small indulgence. Small tummy dats why. Right now I am at a point where I have exactly 100 lbs to lose. And I really feel like I’m going to do it! It’s just a matter of how long will it take? Up til now, I’ve wanted to do a blog entry each week, but honestly, I’m at a point where things are a bit repetitious, and the progress is nothing earth-shattering in just a week. So I think I’m going to start just blogging on a monthly basis. I’m SO looking forward to seeing where I am in a month!! Onward!

as I read your post, I am sipping my green smoothie similar to what you're describing! Mine is: organic baby kale, local organic fresh pineapple, 1/4 small avocado, 1/2 oz raw almonds, and vanilla protein powder. I'm 2 months out from surgery & have been doing these nutriblasts for a few weeks. I have felt a LOT better since I started drinking them-- more energy, more 'regular', etc., and it's reassuring to me to know I'm getting my fruits & veggies in. At meals I pretty much only have room for the protein So I can say from experience that your plan is a good one!

This is exactly what i needed to read today. Thank you!!!

i donno bout you, but ANY server that actually rolled his or her eyes at me would be saying goodbye to their tip. They can be perplexed all they wanna be, but there better be some self control as far as a rude attitude goes. I'd even be tempted to speak to a manager about it (after the meal so as not to get spit in my food! lol)

Seven weeks since surgery. I only lost a pound and a half since last week. Yeah, I’ll admit it: I’m kinda bummed. Obviously I’ve gotten spoiled to 4 & 5 lb losses each week. Spoiled rotten! I’m doing all the same things….so I guess it’s time to do some different things, huh? Tonight I’m going to a Pilates class. I loved Pilates back in the day. I may hate it tonight, but I'm sure I will love it again eventually I work in an accounting office, so I live my life in Excel. I have a spreadsheet tracking and projecting my weight loss. Really nerdy, eh? It’s my own special way of obsessing My average loss is -1.59% per week. That’s my AVERAGE, slightly inflated because the first and second weeks were big losses. But there’s this pattern that every 3rd week (well it’s an apparent pattern…it’s only been 7 weeks so far) my weight loss is miniscule. Perhaps this is tied to my TOM, which is roughly every 24 days (yes, this does suck). ANYways….could also just be the good old fashioned roller coaster that is major weight loss. It’s funny too, because in my past life, when this kind of thing would happen, I would throw in the towel and eat whatever I wanted, then feel like crap and not be active. Not gonna do that this time. Just gonna ride this old roller coaster. I’m frustrated because I wanted to be sooooo different immediately after surgery, as far as my weight, size, and energy. In some ways, I was different right away. The snoring stopped pretty quickly. Husband is significantly less grouchy for that I’m in clothes I haven’t worn in a while. I’m taking the dog out hiking 6 evenings a week. I no longer feel completely hopeless. But I want MORE energy. I want MORE weight loss. I want to feel stronger, faster. I want to get to the point where I can no longer go closet shopping and need to go real shopping. That’s why the Excel spreadsheet is fun….I have formulas set up to where I can see on any particular day in the future where I might be if I continue on this average weight loss. Other columns are set up to show if my weight loss rate increases or decreases….. We are planning a trip to the east coast (this is a huge trip for us from our home in Hawaii), and there is a possibility that if I could be in onederland by that trip. OMG. That would be awesome. However, living “in the now” as reality forces me to do, I am still stuck feeling obese and drained right now. Things are changing, but I wish they’d change faster. It’s funny how I got myself mentally prepared for surgery as if it were an end in itself in some ways. Reading the boards, I suspect a lot of folks are that way. But after surgery, life goes on. Surgery was drastic, but the weight loss can be gradual. I know it’s all perception, and that in a couple of months when I’ve lost more and my life is incrementally that much different, I will feel better about it. Perhaps I’m just melancholy this week in general. I am reminding myself that all things considered, I am in a much better place than I was at the beginning of May, right before surgery. And it stands to reason that in as many weeks in the future, I will feel that much better. I’ve just got to keep working. I will do this. Onward

Like Cindy, my clothes make it seem more real for me. I also find it helpful to go to a website called mybodygallery.com. Search for people at your current height & weight. Sometimes seeing other people with similar stats can help. The website is dedicated to helping women with body image issues. I think we all have that.

sip, rest, walk, rest....and repeat, over and over again. The first few days can be rough -- they can be really rough. I promise it will get easier, so try to reassure yourself that this part will soon be a distant memory.

Re #25: you have always motivated me You are the trail blazer! I'm so happy for you girl!

I wish you all much clumsiness, my friends!

omg that makes sense! Thanks Ms! well, well, well, I will put up with it if it's an indicator of ketosis. That's good validation that I'm in fat burning mode. Gee and I thought peeing on a ketostix was messy....lol

After I just accidentally slung the smoothie I just made across the kitchen counter, my husband has encouraged me to post on VST and ask: any one else feel like they got more clumsy after surgery? I am about 6 weeks post-op, and I have broken more glasses in the past weeks than I have in the past few years! I'm not falling down or tripping or anything--- it's more like I've become super butter fingers. Is it just a coincidence that this has happened post surgery? Has anyone else experienced this? It's kinda frustrating & kinda funny...

Omg these look AMAZING! I will be looking for them tomorrow! Do you feel restriction when u eat them or are they a slider?

Aloha Today marks 6 weeks since surgery, and Wednesdays are my ‘official’ weigh in, although I do weigh every morning. I just record it only on Wednesdays. Yesterday the scale showed me down 40 lbs since start of pre-op, 30 since surgery. This morning I showed down 39 lbs since pre-op and 29 since surgery. ~sigh~ this is my first gain, and I’m guessing I ate something salty yesterday. I am absolutely not bugged about this. I will continue to weigh every morning. I am not obsessing. Just yesterday I had a meeting with my NUT and I asked her what her take on stalls is – is it something that just happens inexplicably, or is it usually something the person is doing wrong? Mind you, when I asked this I was still moving full steam ahead losing every day. LOL maybe I jinxed myself. ANYways, she said stalls just happen sometimes, but the individual has the power to break them. All this being said, I know that 1 lb gained overnight certainly does not constitute a stall. It has just set me to thinking about it. There will come a time when I actually do hit a stall. I want to be prepared for it. So screw the 1 lb overnight last night – I am very, very pleased with my progress! I am beginning to go shopping in my closet, and that is fun. I realized last weekend that I can cross my legs; hooo! that was a thrill! My nightly hikes have become more energetic – I can go longer and faster and work up a good sweat. My dog is loving it! I was thinking this morning that something I would love to be able to do would be pushups. Real, honest-to –goodness, straight leg, military style pushups. No way in hell I can do it now, but I was thinking how cool it would be to be able to do them eventually. My (very athletic) husband would be so impressed! And then I had a brainstorm that I will train myself in secret to be able to do them as a surprise for him! Every morning when he gets in the shower I am going to roll out of bed and start trying to do them. And then one day I'll say "look what I can do!" I also want to get some hand weights. My bariatric exercise specialist had given me a band to do arm strength training with, but I have begun to get very nervous using it because I am terrified it’s going to snap and put my eye out. Paranoid? LOL. Perhaps! But I noticed that in very tiny print on the typed instructions she gave it says “caution: wear eye protection when using the band”. LOL she never said it out loud, she didn’t wear glasses when demonstrating it for me, and I have never, never seen anyone in person or on TV wear protective eyewear with the band. Leave it to paranoid me to start thinking about goggles though. Actually, I’d just rather get some hand weights and not worry about it any further. So far my hair is the same as it’s always been – yay! I am fond of my hair. But I think it’s just a little early yet anyways to see any losses. I won't be surprised when it starts to thin a bit in a month or two. My nails are still growing like mad—I finally had to actually clip them so I could type. In the past they’ve always broken way before they got to the point of needing to be clipped. Hope this nice side effect lasts I guess as long as I get my protein and take my vitamins it will. My energy is getting better all the time. Still would love more energy, but I have faith that my energy level, along with other things in my life, will just keep getting better n better as time goes on. Onward!

I'm almost 6 weeks post surgery, and I have noticed it with what I drink. The only thing that really tastes good to me to drink is water (thank god it's water!) I no longer like Crystal light, G2, juice, etc...all the things I enjoyed prior to surgery (besides diet soda but I'm not doing carbonation) I don't know if this effect will wear off over time as I get further from surgery. But I tend to think that the longer I can stay away from sweet stuff (real sugar or fake) the less likely I am to want it.

I am not Muslim; please forgive me if I sound ignorant.. My boss & friend is Muslim and has had some health problems the past couple of years, so I know that he's struggled with this, but I have not interfered enough to ask what solution he came up with. I respect your devotion. I have heard that additional days can be added. Perhaps this one year, since you are so early out from surgery, you could at least take water during the day and extend your daytime fasting period to make up for it? Or could you perhaps make up for it next year when you are further out from surgery?

I'm so sorry you're having a rough go of it, but it's to be expected. I have to say that I too felt great in the hospital, but the day after I left hospital and the day after that (days 3 & 4 post surgery) sucked sucked SUCKED!!! In the hospital you are on an iv, and the fluids help you feel good (not to mention the pain meds). At home, you've got to work to stay hydrated. And when you get dehydrated you feel hung over (that's actually why hangovers hurt so bad -- it's because you're dehydrated. But I digress...) I didn't take my liquid pain medicine once I left the hospital because i found that the taste was horrific. Made me nauseas for sure. I had several bouts of nausea the first day or two but I just tried to take deep breaths and get through it. Don't take too much liquid into your mouth at a time, but don't allow yourself to go without. You do NOT want to get dehydrated. that will actually make the nausea worse. Slow and persistent will get you back to feeling human in a couple of days. Rest, sip, walk a little, sip, and repeat. Don't panic, you won't feel this yucky forever - I promise it does get better. I'm sending good thoughts, prayers and energy your way!!

I was told no coffee immediately after surgery, because caffeine irritates your fresh cut stomach! BEFORE surgery, I was told to (and I did) wean off of it slowly to avoid the withdrawal headaches. It would have sucked to have that first week of recovering from surgery also having a caffeine withdrawal headaches! During my 2 week pre-op I went from 12 oz daily down to 4 oz, and by the time I had surgery it was all good. HOWEVER, now I'm 5 weeks post surgery and I'm SO ready to have some coffee! I've decided to wait til the weekend to try it, just in case it does upset my tummy. Want to avoid emergencies at work

I agree -- when I drink the fruit nectars I use water, but vanilla & chocolate seem to call for something more substantial -- therefore I often use at least some milk with those. If I don't want to mix my chocolate or vanilla with milk because I'm saving my calories, then I will put in an ice cube or two, then run it through the high speed blender. The crushed ice helps thicken it a bit.

I've got mirena as well....for the first 3 years I had it my period stopped. Then about a year ago I started getting them like every 21 days! I guess cuz it's getting time to switch to a new one? I had one "real" period since surgery, and it came at a more reasonable 26 days. Then a spot today. Geez. I'm hoping that when I get a new one after the first of this year I can go back to being period free. OH and misslucy you are SO right! All things considered, I'd rather be getting my period then NOT getting my period right now!!! I practically had to hold my right hand up & swear an oath not to get pregnant within 18 months.

awww thanks I'm blushing

I'm waiting for the hair loss to start with me (I'm 5 weeks out)....seems inevitable regardless of what supplements you take or shampoo you use. I know that at the first sign of it I will try this stuff called Toppik that was mentioned on a post by another member. I went to toppik.com and found out it's basically a camouflage for thinning hair just to use until the new growth starts.