NMJG

blecchhh, those are so gross. I take Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multivitamins.

That is just so weird. The insurance companies are so absurd when it comes to WLS. I don't know how you managed to keep exactly the same BMI, good for you. They put you on a diet then say you can't lose anything.

Well, just a suggestion, but you might try the Atkins Induction phase for 2 weeks. That is super low carb (20 g max daily) and will supposedly wipe out your carb cravings. Keep some laxatives on hand, though It is basically no fruit, no carby veggies, no starch, and of course no Pasta, rice, bread, tortillas, etc. Just meat, cheese, fish, and Proteins with no carbs (fats are fine).

Not weird at all. It's very common. I'm sure the community will give you lots of suggestions on what to drink. I still don't drink cold water.

The first weigh in is the one that counts towards getting approved, because you are often expected to lose some before surgery (not always, but it is common). There may be insurances that consider a second weigh in after that to look at your BMI, but I have not heard of any. If someone knows of any, pipe up.... Regarding the BMI required, every insurance is different. However, some common guidelines are: BMI 40 and above BMI above 35 with comorbidities (high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes type II, etc.) Not that it doesn't exist, but I haven't heard of an insurance that approves BMI below 35 yet. Anyone else know of any?

Take some pix, Jane, so we can see your progress with this. I have little to no butt and pretty much nonexistent glutes. Would be interested to know which exercises you do for glutes.

wow! just...wow! congratulations on a tremendous achievement

so what exactly is a "normal thin person?" and how do they eat? I don't know what that is anymore. Normal today isn't the normal it was 50 years ago, before obesity became an epidemic. I think "normal" is a very subjective term, depending on where you live, how you live, where you work, etc.

Well, I'm almost 7 months out and have something similar going on. It started maybe 3 weeks ago with incredible pain that ran from my stomach through to my back. Went to the ER, they did a CT scan, which showed stomach inflammation. Talked to my bariatric doctor's office about it and they recommended liquid diet for a few days. The ER doc gave me a prescription for Zofran, which helped a lot. I don't have a gallbladder, so we know that isn't it. After that I went back on PPI's for acid for 2 weeks and it was fine. Last week it hit me again, and then again yesterday. I am pretty sure it is an ulcer, although I don't know why it didn't show up on the CT scan. I probably should do a scope. For the moment I am self treating with a longer term on Prilosec (8 weeks instead of 2), and using Ranitidine and Mylanta in the short term untilthe Prilosec kicks in. I've also altered my diet to avoid acid and high fat foods until I'm better. I did not have the black stools or bloody vomit, though. I am sending good thoughts your way. Let us know what happens.

It's hard, I know. My anniversary was a couple of weeks after surgery last year and we went away for a romantic weekend. My dear hubby kept trying to feed me all sorts of things like cheese Soups (not Campbell's, ones with real cream) and creamed spinach and stuff like that. It's a wonder I survived that weekend LOL.

Hi there, Great thread. Well, my biggest fear is that I would gain the weight back. I'm still losing (very slowly but it is coming off), so I'm don't have my final answer yet. I am working hard to put good habits into place so that the weight will not come back.

Sweetpea, I am sending hugs your way. This is such a hard time, but it does get better. The suggestions here are all good: antacids help a lot, yogurt if your doc allows it. I was able to have cottage cheese fairly early and that helped a lot.

Well, it's taken me months but I am actually getting better at stopping right before full. Full for me is gross feeling, like I'm going to explode, barf, and poop simultaneously. I'll also sneeze and hiccup. I have to walk after a meal like this for 30 minutes or more before I feel better. Now the funny thing is that ONE bite can push me over the edge. How weird is that? So now I shoot for not full, but where I'm losing interest in my meal. If I particularly like what I am eating, that's where it gets difficult to tell when to stop. I now use a timer app on my phone, set to 1 minute between bites. It's helped a lot.

I just checked my records from MFP and I was 650-750 at 3 months, averaging around 700 a day. As to the volume of food, heck, I still can only get a half cup down at a meal. Have you moved to firmer foods yet? Poultry, fish, pork will fill you up (beef may be too much for now unless ground). Cottage cheese and other soft foods, that you could probably eat a lot of. Maybe time to move off of the softer foods if your doc OK's it?

Listen to the sleeve. So now I'm going to give you some tough love. WTH were you thinking, tasting that rich sauce 9 days out? Stick to your nutritional plan Seriously, we all want you to succeed. You will have to give up tasting your cooking for a while. And you need to take care of yourself so you don't end up in the hospital. The baby sleeve needs babying. Don't overwhelm it. OK, I'm done lecturing now

I don't think you are doing anything wrong and I think your calories are where they need to be this early out. Not everyone loses super fast, I certainly did not. You may also be in the 3 week stall, considering the timing here, as others have mentioned. I certainly would not increase calories or carbs, but that is just my opinion, and I am not a dietician. Going super low carb now is not only a good way to lose weight but is a great way to cleanse your system of carb addictions and make it easier for you in the long run. Stick with it, follow your nut & doctor's recommendations, and tough it out. Your progress is not bad, really it isn't. I'm sure you are disappointed, but it could be a lot worse.

I did for the first few months. My dr had me come back in and did another barium swallow, but didn't really find anything. He did prescribe Reglin, which I took when it bothered me the most, and that helped. I got over it, but honestly, my throat is still not the same as before surgery and I have no idea why.

It gets better, but you'll have it for a while. I always carried spare panties with me for the first few months until I was on solid food 100%. Sneezes, coughs, those are the worst, but sometimes just walking would encourage it. Yecch.

Took me a good month after surgery to get past the exhaustion.

Spaz, the best of luck to you in this journey. Hope you will post often. This site has been a life saver for me. Only this group of people can understand what life is like now.

I would wait at least 3 months until you are well healed, that's just my opinion for playing it safe. I have a glass of wine or a cocktail once a week. More than that at a time is too much for me now, gets me wasted. For cocktails I tend to go for low carb or sugar free versions like whiskey and Water or margaritas made with sugar free syrups (Monin sugar free triple sec syrup) and lime juice or bloody marys. I still can't do the carbonation in beer, but beer has lots of carbs. Good drink while losing weight if you are determined to drink: 1 oz Jack Daniels and a couple of oz of water over ice = 60 calories and 0 carbs. Stay away from these (high calories): fruit juice cocktails (daquiris, mai-tais, screwdrivers, pina coladas), regular margaritas, drinks containing sweet liqueurs (Kahlua, Baileys, etc.)

Egg, I second the suggestion that you see your doctor. 17 lbs in 3 months isn't normal, even for slow losers. Make sure you take a print out of your food tracking and exercise so they can drill down. So, tell us about yourself. Age? Gender? Going through menopause? These things can all contribute to slow loss. I am a slow loser so my doctor recommended that I take up strength training since I have no muscle (101 lbs. lean body mass when I started - out of 211 lbs of weight). I've since gained 10-15 lbs. of muscle. The muscle increases your metabolism, so you lose fat a bit faster (not a tremendous amount, but it does help). I've been doing it since the beginning of January. Lost almost nothing all of January, then a bit more in February, and now it's beginning to be 2-3 lbs. a week (before I lost 1-2 lbs. a week max). Good luck.

This one is interesting http://asmbs.org/2012/06/new-studies-weigh-in-on-safety-and-effectiveness-of-newer-bariatric-and-metabolic-procedure-sleeve-gastrectomy-demonstrates-weight-loss-and-safety-comparable-to-more-established-procedures/ Another http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339264/ Another http://www.ethicon.com/obesity/efficacy-and-safety You can ask your doctor for the stats for their practice. They usually display them when they have their big informational meetings for people interested in WLS. Did not see anything for Mexico.

Revs said it well. A party is about the people (or it should be....lots of us here are learning that a lot of events aren't actually just opportunities to eat). Eat before you go. Sip on something appropriate during the party (maybe stick a water bottle or zero calorie flavored water in your bag before you go in case there are are only poor drink choices available). Good luck and have a good time.

3 months is when I started adding more veggies back in and that helped me. Still couldn't do salad or raw until 4 months and beyond.