deedeemuffin

I am a week away from being 3 months post-op. I have had no complications & have been following my program minus my bread incident earlier today. As if Tuesday I am down 61 lbs. The past few weeks every time that I get on the scale I am super happy...for about 10 minutes. Then I start getting anxiety & feeling depressed. I don't know why. At my surgeon's office visit last week they said that I am right on track with what they expect in regards to weight loss. I have been losing weight regularly. I am down 3 sizes & don't have to shop online anymore. I have so much more energy. So, why the anxiety & depression? Anyone else feeling like this?

NUT= Nutritionist

This is something to take up with your NUT, because every office handles this differently. I am not allowed peanut butter but my NUT is totally on board with PB2. Like others have mentioned it is powdered peanut butter. It has 85% less calories & fat than regular peanut butter. You can mix it with a small amount of water to use it like peanut butter. It is great mixed with shakes. My favorite way to use it is in plain, fat-free greek yogurt. I mix 6 oz of the greek yogurt with 1 packet of Truvia & 2 tbsp of PB2. Very delicious!

As far as the heartburn goes, are you on antacid? My surgeon gave me a prescription strength antacid straight out of the hospital. I am still on it 10 weeks post-op. Stalls seem to be a normal part of this process. I majorly freaked out when I hit my first one. I was only 2 weeks out. Weeks 1 & 2 I had BIG losses on the scale. I was doing everything the doctor ordered & I did not lose even 1 lb weeks 3, 4 or 5! I had a true stall of 3 weeks. Week 6 the scale showed my weight going down again & I have had a loss (sometimes small, but still a loss) every week since then. It is going to take our bodies a long time to get used to this completely new way of life. Just stick to your NUT plan & you will be just fine!

I was told by NUT not to count calories, but I seem to be around 700 a day. I am supposed to get 60-70 grams of protein & less than 20 grams of carbs. I have found that to be a bot restrictive. So, I try to keep it under 40 grams of carbs per day. I do not count carbs in vegetables & limit myself to 1 piece of fruit per day. I think the more on your plan you are the faster the weight will come off. I am 10 weeks post-op today & down 55 lbs. I know some people who are more restrictive in their diet have lost more rapidly. I would rather lose a little bit slower & not feel so restricted. Good luck!

I am now 10 weeks post-op. I have struggled with feeling hungry BIG TIME! The more solid food you eat the less you will feel hungry. I have found a couple things that help with the hunger pains. You should definitely be on an antacid. Get in a minimum of 64 oz of water a day. The more water you drink the less you will be hungry. It's hard to get hungry if you're constantly filling your sleeve up with water. Once you get to soft & solid foods veggies are your best friend. I get in my protein first (just like the NUT ordered). I am almost always still hungry after my protein. Sometimes it only takes a few bites of veggies to then get that full feeling. As far as vitamins, I too have a box full of very expensive bariatric vitamins. The problem was that they were so gross I wouldn't take them. I switched over to gummy vitamins (both multi & a calcium chewable). I figure that it is better than no vitamins. Just keep pressing on. You'll be okay & will feel better the more weight that comes off. The beginning is really tough! Keep working your program & keep posting.

Congratulations! I know the sleeve has made a real difference for me. I am 10 weeks out & down 55 lbs. I know some people have lost much more in the same time period, but I am happy with my progress.

It seems like every NUT is different. I was cleared for any & all foods 6 weeks out. They just said to limit it to 1 piece of fruit a day because of the carbs.

I remember that feeling all too well. I was sleeved on November 27th. I couldn't sleep for almost 2 weeks before surgery & not at all the night before. The day of the surgery you will certainly wake up in pain. I remember thinking that I had made a horrible decision for a few weeks after surgery, but that passed too. I am now 9 weeks post-op & that whole beginning hardship feels like a lifetime ago. Now it's just about working the plan. At this point I can eat any food so, it's about portion control & making healthy food choices. It will be the same for you I'm sure. Complications are SO rare. You will be just fine. Before you know it you will be a couple months post-op, losing weight & giving support to people who are just where you are right now!

Yes, I was able to stay on my medications. I have a prescription for Xanax as needed and an antidepressant. I take mine at night so I was able to take it the night before surgery. They didn't have my antidepressant at the hospital, but I was only there overnight. I was able to start taking all my meds as usual the day after surgery. (Which is when I got home)

Cheri, Thanks for posting this. What you said makes perfect sense. I think what makes it hard sometimes is that more people post about their successes than their struggling. OF COURSE! Honestly, though, people who drop like 150 or 200 lbs in a year (or if they have less to lose and made goal in 6 months) their posts get a lot of attention. They keep getting bumped up to the top because people look at & respond to those posts. I'm bot saying that we shouldn't recognize accomplishments like that, but we should give equal time to those people who are "normal" or "slow" losers. Yes, I will continue to post good or bad, but I have decided to change my mind set. I will not be perfect all the time. I know that I will have genuine stalls. I refuse to compare myself to others, though. This is my body & it is not going to work exactly the same as someone else. I will stay on my program & the weight will follow.

I had my surgery on November 27th. It has been a struggle to say the least. I know many of you have read my posts & given me support throughout these first steps of my journey, So, I wanted to share my success so far with you. I am down 51 pounds. My BMI is 7 points lower. My shirt size has gone from a 34 to a 26/28. My pants have gone from a tight 32 to a comfortable 26. Even at my dress shoes are too big. The shoes are a funny story. I hardly ever wear dress shoes so I only have 1 pair. I needed them for a wedding reception last weekend. As I was walking up the stairs at the reception & my foot came up & my shoe stayed on the stair. I stepped right out of it. There was a man standing at the bottom of the stairs & he got my shoe & held it out for me to put on. He said,"You're just like Cinderella". LOL. My boyfriend didn't find it as funny. So, that's about it for now. It has been a really hard road, but I am starting to have some hope. I'll have to post a new pic since I have lost weight in my face.

Just look at the very bottom of my post. There's any area that is like a signature line. It shows that I was sleeved on 11/27. Below that is like a little picture of a woman running. On there is shows my starting & current weight & BMI. I haven't updated it yet this week, because my "official" weigh in day is Tuesday.

I wish you an excellent recovery. Just follow your dr.'s orders to the T & you should be okay. As far as being 50 lbs lighter it really is amazing. As you can see by my ticker in my signature I started out at a much higher weight & still have a lot left to go. Somewhere on this board I wrote a post about my perspective changing. I was visiting with my family & found out that my 7 year old nephew is now 46 lbs. I picked him up & was shocked at how much 46 lbs. weighs! Although I still have a long way to go, I am already helping my body a great deal with the weight that is gone already. I don't even know how I've been able to function at such a high weight. I would caution you, though, to not compare yourself to others. Most people would say "54 lbs. in 2 months is awesome", but I found myself looking at other peoples success stories here and they have lost 70 lbs or more in the same amount of time. Our journeys are as unique as our bodies. If you ever feel that you are getting discouraged please contact me. My family was not supportive of my decision, but I am lucky that my boyfriend who I live with has been wonderfully supportive. It's all about support & perspective. This WILL work & you will be happier & healthier. That is a wonderful feeling.

If you are in the Hamlet of Wallkill we are indeed practically neighbors. I am on Route 300 very close to Wallkill. As for your questions...I have had absolutely no complications whatsoever. I think that I am an example of textbook easy recovery. When I moved onto soft foods I thought maybe the sleeve wasn't working because I tolerated everything easily. As of today I am down 54 lbs. I am not the fastest loser, but not super slow either. I don't have any regrets. I feel like I definitely made the right decision. I can say that now being 2 months out. I am not going to lie, though. The beginning is ROUGH. I had many days where I cried & thought that I made a horrible mistake. This surgery impacts you very much emotionally. As much as you think that you are prepared, you are not. This website is great when you are looking for answers especially in the first weeks after surgery. My surgical group has meetings at their main offices...Middletown & Fishkill. I think that they also offer them in Monroe & Port Jervis. As for the shakes, I wouldn't stockpile anything before surgery. I had a couple side effects (not complications). First I have developed a super keen sense of smell. Secondly my tastes have changed. I do not know how your after care program works. After surgery I was one week on Water and then 2 weeks on Protein Shakes & water. Tristate also has very specific nutritional guidelines for their patients protein shakes so, my variety is limited. I ended up using the Pure Protein Ready to drink shakes. They come in different sizes and calorie content. I used the ones that have about 110 calories, 2 grams of carbs & 23 grams of protein. I used the vanilla, chocolate & Cookies and cream flavors. I liked them all. Now I only use them in a pinch because I am so tired of them. LOL. Anyway, I hope that this has been helpful to you. I am here for any questions you may have.

Do you realize what progress we are making with each & every pound we lose? It is easy to lose perspective. I am down 52 pounds in 2 months & all I have been able to think is 190 or so more to go. At a family dinner tonight I was informed by my 7 year old nephew that he now weighs 46 pounds. He is proud of this as he is growing tall & strong! I picked him up & he was HEAVY. It made my back & shoulders hurt to hold him. He thought that I was being awfully silly since I really only pick up & carry around his youngest sister who is 2. All the kids got a good laugh. I just thought, "Dear Lord, I've lost 6 more pounds than this 7 year old child weighs". It was really eye opening to realize that this "small" amount of weight really effected my body. When I get to my goal weight I wonder if I'll feel like a feather...lol. Just some food for thought.

I haven't posted in awhile because I have been so disappointed in myself & my journey so far. I have seen other people post about struggling & have seen a lot of people criticize them. I don't need that right now as I am already hating myself. I thought that I was prepared for this journey, but the reality has hit me hard. I had a large part of my stomach removed & I am never getting it back. I will never be able to eat the way I used to again. This should be a good thing, right? The first couple of weeks were the easy part. I went down 31 lbs. in the first 2 weeks & that is exactly where I have stayed. I am still 381 today. This is not a stall. I did have a stall during week 3 where I was completely on plan, but not losing anything. I actually gained. Then the small amount I gained came off & I haven't moved at all now for 2 weeks. This is completely my fault. I haven't been exercising. I haven't started my vitamins. I don't get in all my water every day. I don't follow my nutritionists guidelines. So, I am obviously not expecting that I would have gone down anymore. I have read so much on this board about people not being able to tolerate foods, sliming or vomiting. I know that is difficult for those people & I am not wishing that I would be sick. It's just that I have been able to tolerate anything & everything that I have tried. My offices food guidelines are very strict & I have not kept to them. According to my nutritionist my diet should be Breakfast: 1 protein shake, Lunch: 1 protein shake, Dinner 3 oz. of protein, 3 oz. of vegetable & 3 oz. of salad, Snack (if needed) 1/2 a piece of fruit or 1% cottage cheese. Period. No drinking milk (not even in tea, coffee or protein shakes) though I am allowed cheese & yogurt & no carbs except what naturally occurs in the aforementioned dietary outline. I need to total 60-70 grams of protein a day, less than 20 grams of carbs per day & at least 64 oz. of water per day along with my vitamins & exercise. I do not know what is holding me back from following the program except my own mind maybe. I want to be able to treat myself. I want to enjoy my food. So, that is what I have been doing. I have been having flavored lattes multiple times per week over the past two weeks. Today I spent over 4 hours getting 10 chicken nuggets & a large mocha frappe into my stomach. I had nothing before & I know that I won't have anything until tomorrow. I have also been allowing myself 2 cigarettes a day. I am sharing all this for different reasons. One reason is there might be others going through the same thing & I want them to know that they are not alone. Another reason is that I need massive encouragement. Before anyone suggests professional help, I have already set that up. I am seeing my nutritionist again in 2 weeks instead of 4 because she knows that I am struggling. My surgeon's office also has a psychiatrist on staff that deals specifically with bariatric patients pre and post-op & I have set up an appointment with her. For years I have lost & regained the same 30 lbs. over & over again. I have not been below 380 in about 3 years now. I knew that getting sleeved wasn't going to "cure" my obesity. I just thought that I would have a longer period of time before I would be able to tolerate different foods & that I could resolve any other issues before then. I am feeling so sad & just beating up on myself. Yet, I keep giving myself a reason to beat up on myself every day. Every day this goes on the worse that I feel about myself. This should be incentive enough to stop, but I haven't. I have so many reasons to treat my body well and I am not. Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this or know anyone else who has? Do you see something that I don't? Any words of encouragement? Any hope for me?+31

I actually started this book as well. I haven't finished it yet, but it already has been eye opening. I would strongly recommend it!

Lol. So maybe I won't be light enough for the wind to blow me around, but a girl can dream!

22 lbs is my 2 year old niece. Awesome! Keep up the great work. No amount of loss is little & it adds up. Congrats!

Awesome! I love Tristate & was also sleeved by Dr. Weiss. I was so desperate that I was going to do bypass. 2 months before my surgery he let me know that my insurance now covered the sleeve & he thought it would be better for me. I think that he & the team at Tristate are awesome. I hope that your surgery & healing go as well as mine did! Keep me updated & feel free to message me. Who knows. Maybe some day we might be at the same support group! I was sleeved on November 27th. So, if you have any questions along the way I would be happy to help if I can. Best of luck to you.

Putnam Hospital is nice my SIL had all three of her kids there. She lives in cold spring & I am in Fishkill regularly at my surgeons satellite office!