deedeemuffin

I was one week on water. Then 2 weeks on protein shakes & water. My next stage was being able to eat almost anything except fruit with skin, raw vegetables or carbs. Everything just had to be cut up super small, chewed really well & eaten over a long period of time. Also, I need to eat my protein first. My nutritional guidelines are 60-70 grams of protein and less than 20 grams of carbs per day. I meat with my nutritionist again on Thursday. Waiting to see what will be added then as I am really missing my raw baby carrots. All offices are different, but I hope that this helps.

Thanks. As of today I am back down to my pre-gain weight. My weight went down 2 lbs. on the 21st. No movement yesterday & then down 4 lbs. today. So, I am moving in the right direction. I have been on the boards a lot this week & I am seeing that a lot of people have stalls & fluctuations. Not everyone (actually not many people that I've seen yet) loses steadily. So, I am learning that it looks like I just need to stick with my program & the weight will come off. It just might not be the way I am expecting it to.

I am so upset right now. Week 1 I lost 22 lbs. Week 2 I lost 16 lbs. Today I hit the 3 week mark & I am up 5 lbs. from last week! Has anyone dealt with this. I am following my program perfectly. I do not have a calories guideline, but I am supposed to be getting 60-70 grams of protein a day & less than 20 grams of carbs. I am doing that. 64 oz. of water. Doing that too. Activity. Yes, 30 minute walk per day. Every day for the past 5 days I have been going up 1 lb. per day. That is the exact time that I went over to the soft food part of my plan I'm only eating what the nutritionist said that I could to fit into the nutritional guidelines.. Has anyone else experienced this? Should I go back to just liquids? I am heart broken right now. I have many times over the years dieted and gotten into the 380's and never been able to get lower. Last Tuesday I was at 381. Now I am at 386. This is SO discouraging.

You too

I had my period before I had surgery & then it returned less than a week after surgery. It was VERY heavy for 2 weeks. My doctor's office said that it is normal to have really erratic periods because as we lose weight quickly our fat cells are dumping estrogen into our system. Lucky us. As we get closer to our goal weight our periods should regulate. Good luck to you!

I had the same problem. I gained 5 lbs. in 5 days. Then the scale didn't move for a week. It just started to go back down again yesterday. So, it's not completely unheard of. Good Luck!

I am 3 1/2 weeks out & I have been the exact same way. I was thinking that maybe I had too much stomach left too. I have been able to eat everything that I've tried. I have also been able to eat a larger quantity of food than I thought that I would be able to. I talked to my nutritionist & she said to add cooked vegetables. Now at each meal I weigh or measure out my protein & I add soft veggies. It really helps & will make me feel full. For example I will have 1/4 cup off egg beaters & add cooked mushrooms. I was hungry with just the egg beaters, but with the mushrooms it is filling. Good luck!

I am 2 1/2 weeks post-op & looking for ideas for exercise. My exercise before surgery was Aqua Aerobics & Gentle Yoga. The Dr. has said that I can't go in a pool for at least a month & no Yoga until 8 weeks post-op. I am not the biggest fan of walking. I live in upstate NY & it is COLD. I am really getting antsy & want to get moving. Any suggestions?

You're losing at least a pound a day so far. That's awesome. Everyone's journey on here is SO different. I am a little over 3 weeks post-op. I started out very heavy as you can see by my stats. I dropped 38 lbs. in 2 weeks. Now for the past 10 days I haven't lost anything. As a matter of fact I was gaining a pound a day for like 5 days! It stopped & I am down 2 of those 5 lbs. as of this morning. I am following my nutrition plan 100% too. I am finding the scale is not always the best judge of my effort. I have had people telling me how much thinner my face & stomach look, but I don't see it at all. I do feel it in my pants waist, though. I was comparing my loss to others sleeved on the same day & getting very frustrated. I guess the point of all my rambling is we have made a huge change. It is going to take awhile to get our bodies regulated & our heads wrapped around this new lifestyle. Hang in there. Keep doing what you're supposed too & you WILL get to your goal. I know that I will too. It may not be as fast as we thought or wanted, but we are headed in the right direction.

I called my surgeon's office & was finally able to speak with someone late Wednesday afternoon. They said that it was fine for me to now take my water pill when needed. I just need to monitor my blood pressure, get in plenty of water, etc. So, I took one yesterday morning. This morning I am down 2 lbs. since yesterday. So, I am more than likely just in a stall with some fluid retention & not actually gaining. I am definitely still retaining some fluid in my nerve damaged lag, but got up too late this morning to take my medication for it. So, I will just stick to my program, take my water pill when I can & hope for the best.

My Dr. also wanted 60g of protein & 64oz. of water. That was after a week of only water following my surgery. The office also said that it was totally normal to not be able to get everything in. At first I was able to get 2 shakes (46 g of protein) & about 48 oz. of water. Doc said that was fine & to increase as I felt comfortable & not to push the sleeve too much.

Thank you. I actually have nerve damage in my left leg that causes it to swell quite regularly. I have a water pill that I usually take to keep the swelling down. I was told by my surgeon to discontinue it after surgery so that I wouldn't get dehydrated. My leg is at the point that I would usually take my medication. Maybe I'll call the surgeon's office & see if they'll clear it for me to start again. Funny that I didn't think of my leg until you mentioned the fluid retention. I guess that I'm so used to it by now, but I was always able to take my medication in the past.

It can be so confusing because all doctors are so different. My Dr. doesn't want me having milk at all. Post-op I was one week water only. Then water & 3 protein shakes a day.

I was definitely very hungry about a week into liquid stage. It upset me, because I thought that I wasn't supposed to feel hungry. Once I moved to soft foods this past week the nutritionist said that I could add some very mushy vegetables. I'll tell you it was like a miracle. Literally getting in my protein & just a few bites of a veggie & I am now full! sometimes for 4 or 5 hours. Hang in there!

I read the link. Thanks. I understand what it is saying. I have heard of other people having a "stall" around this time. I just haven't heard of anybody gaining during this time. I guess that is why I am concerned. I think that I would have been okay if I had just stayed at 381 this week & not gained. I have been in the 380's more times than I can count over the past few years, but have never been able to make it below that. This gain is just fueling my fear that my body won't let me go any further. No, I couldn't eat enough calories to gain right now if my life depended on it. I know that it is not carb related either. Can vitamins effect weight loss. I haven't started mine yet as I am asleep more than I am awake. My body is just exhausted. I sleep a solid 14 hours every night. By the time I get up, it seems too late in the day to start vitamins.

My first week I lost 22 lbs. My second week. I lost 16 lbs. I am now in my 3rd week & everything came to a grinding halt. So, yes, normal. As far as liquids (water & protein shakes), I found that I had to have a bottle of one or the other in my hand constantly sipping to get it all in.

My left side hurt A LOT for almost 2 weeks. It was so bad that I had to use the pain med that the dr prescribed. At my post-op appointment 10 days after surgery the doctors office said that it was normal. They said that I could expect some soreness up to 6 months after surgery. I was really surprised. Anything really severe I would check with your dr if you're very concerned.

It sounds like you're on a very healthy path. How do you deal with the carbohydrate restrictions the nutritionists & doctors have. I have moved on to soft food. Tonight I had some Gardein strips & a little broccoli. I had too cook the broccoli so much that I'm sure it was of no nutritional value. Just a tummy filler. I was told that I can start on some raw veggies in about another 2 weeks or so. I would be very interested to hear more from you,

There is actually a forum on here just for pregnant sleevers. It might be helpful;. Best of luck to you.

There seems to be so many different variations of pre & post-op diets out there that I am getting as little confused. I am now a week out of surgery. I only stayed in the hospital overnight. The instructions I was sent home with said clear liquids until yesterday. As of yesterday my sheet just says 3 protein shakes a day plus 64 oz of water. I am getting nowhere near that. Yesterday I got in one shake & 48 oz water. My stomach just couldn't handle anymore. I don't have any guidelines as to how much protein that I should be getting in a day. My post-op appointment isn't until Thursday which is 10 days after my surgery. Maybe they will tell me more then? I see people the same amount of time out of surgery as me on pureed foods. I just want to make sure that I am on the right track. Does the plan I was given sound about right?

I am sorry to hear that you are having a hard time. My Dr gave me Omeprazole 40mg to take every day & Zofran if I'm nauseous. Did your Dr. give you anything like this? If not, I would look into it. I'm not looking to be sick every day. I just want to be losing weight & not feel that gnawing hunger.

I'm not even 3 weeks out. Today I ate 1/2 CUP of egg salad & a whole cup each of vegetarian chili & also cottage cheese. That is on top of having a protein shake this morning. I also had 48 oz. of water. I only eat when I feel hungry, eat slowly & stop when I start to feel full. This seems like A LOT more food than I was told that I would be able to eat. I've had no problem getting it down or keeping it down. Is this at all normal? I'm really starting to get nervous.

No, I didn't get a maximum yet. I am going to see the nutritionist today. Technically I wasn't supposed to transition to soft foods before I met with her, but I have been so hungry. Real hunger. Not head hunger. I have a very hard time being hungry. I always have. One of the reasons that I chose VSG was to eliminate or significantly reduce that feeling. Unfortunately, that's not what I got. I understand your concern about the mayo salads. I am a vegetarian & there's not many ways for me to get in Protein right now. I make my own egg salad. I'll boil up a half dozen eggs & use just enough low fat or light mayo to make it moist. (About 1 tbsp. for 6 eggs). So, not too bad I think, but I hear what you're saying. Thanks for the feedback.

I'm sorry that you are going through this, but I am glad that I'm not alone. I am very good about getting in all my Water. That is part of what worries me. I woke up the other morning & just downed 8 oz. of water. Then I thought, "Oh my land! I have the sleeve! is it going to burst?" No pain. No problems. I go to see my nutritionist this morning. I guess that I'll see what she says. The best of luck to you & I'm sure we'll run across each other on the boards here.

I was definitely looking forward to that full feeling too. If this is all I get then I feel cheated. I live in NY state. How about you?