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I don't have any answers for you. I just want to say that my heart goes out to you--what a heart-breaking thing to have happen. You know that both your husband and parents are coming from a place of caring, yet it is based on misinformation or lack of information, and that's a tough spot to be in. I am sending you positive thoughts and energy and I hope that this all blows over and is just a blip on your amazing journey ahead.

amazing transformation--congratulations! and thanks for the encouragement. I am obsessed with before and after pics! (who isn't?)

amazing difference! I had to do a double take. Congratulations!

I stalled weeks 2 and 3 also. Loss didn't start again until about 4.5 weeks. Stay the course--it will get better! Walk as much as you can and drink, drink, drink.

Could you have a protein shake before you get there? You could tell them ahead of time that you will be fasting that day due to medical reasons (true) so that they can save on the catering bill. If you would rather not do that, just push your food around and talk a lot--no one will probably even notice (it won't be the first time someone didn't finish her plate of wedding food!). Hopefully you will be feeling well enough to dance the night away. Have fun!!!

I wouldn't see why not unless you are on a special diet like a full liquid or MediFast etc.

My post-op nutritional counseling is in a group setting also. I didn't want to do that so I asked to have one-on-one appt's with my dietitian, and they set it up for me. No big deal. You might want to check into that to see if you can do it with yours also. I think the one-on-one time is really important.

You look beautiful! Great job!

Everyone is different--mine quit making noises about 5 weeks out....

The sweets create a vicious cycle that makes you more hungry bc of insulin release, especially if you are eating them without Protein. I would make sure that you don't keep them in the house and don't buy them when you are out. Try to find substitutes that you like, such as fresh berries with ricotta and SF syrup, or Greek yogurt with an add-in like powdered Peanut Butter and sweetener. SF popsicles, or SF fudgesicles (not the best bc no protein--but better than eating something really bad for you). Drink plenty of Water so that you don't have time for dessert after meals. Think about how great you will feel when you reach goals!! that will give the sweets less importance. Good luck!

low Vitamin D is pretty ubiquitous--almost everyone my surgeon sees has it, according to my RD. It's gotten a lot of attention lately in the press and in medical studies bc it may be tied to preventing certain types of chronic disease. Find out if they want you to take D2 or D3. Definitely a difference and different schools of thought. I use the drops--a lot easier to take. there's prescription strength and OTC. Good luck!

What a major difference! congrats--keep up the wonderful work!

yes! meclizine is the only thing that helps me when I have vertigo. I usually get it about once a year. It's awful! A very different feeling than being dizzy....

no, you are not alone!

If you eat fish, you could go to any restaurant that serves fresh fish--just get it cooked any way other than fried. You could also have soup--just make sure you chew it really well and nothing with a lot of fibrous veggies right now. I also liked veggie chili and hummus at the local Middle Eastern joint when I was on soft foods (could do baba ganouj too). Didn't even miss the pita bread. I'm a vegetarian so don't eat fish--which is why Middle Eastern and refried Mexican Beans worked best for me. Not the easiest to eat out at this stage but it can be done and it's not bad if you focus on the company and the experience more than the actual food. Hope you have fun!

Not at my local Mexican joint--I specifically asked the manager, because I'm a vegetarian. When I buy them to eat at home I get the "vegetarian" or "fat free" refried beans in a can--they are both lard-free (you can read the ingredients to be sure, but they can't be fat-free or veg if they have lard). You don't have to worry too much about fat at this point bc you are eating so little, but I still recommend asking whether they have lard when you eat out if it is a concern.

Feb. 5, 2013

I'm not saying that yours is, but vertigo can be viral and it can last for 6 weeks or more. However, the dizziness and fainting to me sound more like something else--vertigo doesn't usually make you faint. My mom is struggling with viral vertigo right now and is waiting to see the ENT specialist. There is a manipulation the doctor can do to reposition basically crystals in your ear that affect balance/equilibrium. But you really should see an ENT to see if it is vertigo. Could it be low blood sugar?

Mexican restaurant--refried beans!

Unfortunately, I screwed up my metabolism a long time ago from overly strict dieting from a young age. Add to that legitimate endocrine issues (pituitary and thyroid), and that's one of the reasons I decided to do this surgery. My body has to have a very low amount of calories to survive and even fewer to lose weight, even with exercise--and while I used to be able to do that for a certain amount of time, it's not sustainable over the long haul to do it from sheer willpower. VSG is the tool that allows me to keep my calories where my body wants to be. I haven't thought much about maintenance yet (I'm so far away), but I have a feeling my weight loss phase will stay around 700-800 calories and maintenance may be 900 to 1100. Your mileage may (definitely) vary. I probably would have weighed about 200 lbs more than I already do if I had been eating 2000 calories on a consistent basis! My mom says if there's ever a famine, she and I will probably be stepping over the bodies bc our bodies seem to be able to sustain themselves so well. Great in case of a famine but not so great for regular life. I love my sleeve!!!! Sometimes I think of it as the stomach I should have been given to accompany my very metabolically efficient body. Sort of like how I got LASIK so I can see like other people do with hereditary normal vision.

Sorry to hear how badly you are feeling...clear liquids/full liquids are so awful, but you just have to take it one day at a time. Are you getting in all of your fluids and Protein? could you be going thru caffeine withdrawal? If you are tense, you may be clenching your jaw (even at night), which could cause headaches. you could ask your surgeon if it would be ok to take a little Tylenol. I definitely wouldn't do labor-intensive meals if you feel that you need to cook for your family. Can you make them some casseroles or meals in the crockpot? What about frozen Stouffers-type meals? Also, I would go do something else that you enjoy while they eat--maybe a good time to have the remote control to yourself! Or take a nap or get on the VST board. Hang in there--it will get much better. And you should see some great losses during this time, which will help bring you comfort!

heartburn? are you taking Prevacid or another similar drug?

So sorry to hear about your momma! I think everyone is just different, and age does make a difference (I say as a "middle-aged" sleever). My surgeon repairs hiatal hernias in about 90% of his patients who receive a VSG. Not sure about other surgeons. I didn't feel that mine specifically made my recovery any more difficult, but I did have a rough couple of days in the hospital after surgery--mostly related to respiratory issues. Had to have a respiratory consult, etc. The drugs made me feel really crappy, too, but then a wonderful nurse suggested that might be the issue and it helped tremendously. Hope your mom feels better soon! It's great that you can experience this together and support each other.

My surgeon wants patients off protein supplements after 6 weeks--he wants you to start getting at least 60 g of protein from meals alone. At first you can use up to one supplement if you are falling short, but he wants you to wean off of them. So I would say the answer is no, unless you aren't getting enough protein from your food--in which case you would probably want to look at your diet, bc even as a vegetarian, I can get close to 20 g protein/meal and if I'm short, I have a Greek yogurt. I do still use supplements/powders sparingly when I'm trying to get above 80 go of protein, though I don't plan to do it forever. I think it would be easier to get all from solids if you aren't a vegetarian.

One thing about Carnie that I can't understand (bless her heart--I think all of us can empathize at least a little bit with her) is that she is really into food and cooking. She was on a celebrity cooking show within the past few months on Food Network (one of those ones that spans several weeks). She wasn't necessarily making healthful foods. I think it would be really difficult to have food be that big of a part of your life and not be tempted. I think you really have to change your mind set. I don't spend much time anymore watching Food Network, I don't browse recipes like I used to, don't really look thru my cookbooks, and I would say I do a lot less cooking and more "preparing" of meals. I just don't want to be tempted right now and none of it really holds the same appeal, which I think is good. I really like thinking of food now as sustenance and don't necessarily anticipate a nice dinner out like I used to and that kind of thing. I still have lots of interests and don't feel that my quality of life has diminished at all because of it.