Camella

I'm sure you look amazing! What you are describing sounds like body dysmorphia. I have been this way since my early 20s when I was bulimic. I weighed 125 lbs and would refuse to leave the house because I thought I was too fat. It's amazing how our mind sees what it wants to see. I'm still fighting this every day but I REFUSE to stop myself from enjoying being the weight I'm at now. It's like I have a little good and dark angel on each shoulder and one is telling me I look great and the other is telling me that I look awful. I determined not to let negative nancy win this time!

I unfortunately don't have any answers, but, since you are five months out I doubt it is sleeve related. Have your vitamin levels and electrolytes checked just to rule out any nutritional deficiencies. Hopefully the lab work you are waiting on will reveal some clues as to why you are feeling so sick. Hope you feel better soon!

I travelled for 5 weeks from when I was only 4 weeks post (in Asia & Australia). I had low energy prior to the trip, however being in a new environment and away from my home comforts actually give me a bit of zest! You will be fine and I'm sure you will have a fantastic trip. Enjoy the adventure

wow I'm so sorry that you have had such a terrible time! I really hope you find a sustainable solution. While I don't have any answers, I would consult with a few of the best bariatric surgeons I could find and get a few opinions on what to do next. Good luck

I still have approximately 40 lbs to lose and my family have started telling me that I look fine now. Even though I'm still 40 lbs overweight. I think they have kind intentions and my husband truly thinks I look great. I am more focused on my health. Looking better has been a bonus, but, being healthier is invaluable!

Totally normal. I lost about the same and my starting weight was quite similar. 4 months out I am loosing about 2 lbs per week.

Make sure you tell your surgeon how much pain you are in! I had the same problem and the only reference point I had was a c-section. Like you the pain I was in was 100 times worse. Turns out that my c-section scar had adhered to my abdominal wall and with the air used for surgery and the swelling afterwards, the adhesion was tearing away from my stomach (worst pain ever). They had to go in and do a second surgery to cut the adhesion. Your surgeon should do some test to ensure you don't have an infection, leak, or like me an unexpected complication.

I'm so glad you asked this question! I am also almost 4 months out and I can't believe the amount of hair I am loosing. Literally handfuls when I wash my hair.

Almost exactly the same. Don't worry it is totally normal. I stalled for 14 days at the 3 week mark. I think almost everyone does. Don't worry you will keep losing (that was my biggest fear). Good luck

Oh and I forgot to mention that I have figured out that carbs are the devil (at least for me). If I eat carbs I will spend the rest of the day craving sugar and more carbs - I then find it really difficult to control my eating.

I am definitely addicted to food and I have no doubts about where I would be if I had not had this surgery. I would still be eating exactly the same way I use to. Everyday I battled with the urge to satisfy head hunger. Some days I am winning and some days I'm not perfect. I hope it gets easier. I know you are just at the beginning of this journey, and I think for me seeing the weight come off has been enormously motivating. I don't want to go back to the way I felt before. I know I still have a long way to go, but I'm trying to hang in there. I come to this site almost everyday as a way to stay on track and continue to learn from everyone on this board. It is a great resource for me and other peoples experiences help keep me on track.

Congratulations on your hard work! What an amazing result.

I went to Hong Kong 4 weeks post-op (July - extremely hot and humid). Drinking wasn't really an issue, I just carried a water bottle with me everywhere I went. Most places had either fish or soup on the menu, which made it very easy. I was really worried, but I didn't need to be I had a great holiday and for the first time in years, I didn't spend my time eating and didn't gain weight. Just avoid Bali belly by making sure all your water is bottled and everything you eat is well cooked.

Thank you so much for sharing your success! Congratulations! I find your story so motivating.

Ok here is a little bit of tough love!.....You need to take responsibility for yourself. Your friends and family may be food addicts, but that doesn't mean you need to continue to be one too. It's great that you recognize it as self sabotage, but the next step is to do something about it. There are tonnes of good books that you can buy that can help you discover why you are self sabotage. From my experience, my obesity had nothing to do with food. Food was how I chose to deal with issues that arose in my life. If you don't change your behaviour you will continue to have the same outcome. The surgery is a tool and you have to work REALLY hard to have a good long term outcome. You can do this and you are worth it. Take responsibility for your actions and change them. This is REALLY REALLY important. Having this surgery is a gift. I don't want this to sound preachy but I am passionate about this because in the past I was exactly the same. I have now realized that this has got me nowhere and change is merely a decision. Good luck

You can do this! When I was feeling like this once I read a post where someone said JUST STOP DOING THAT. Just do better tomorrow. Everyone on this journey makes mistakes and all you can do is just do better next time. Having said all of that; remember that you are still healing, so PLEASE be really careful as you don't want to cause yourself any serious harm by damaging your new sleeve. Your stomach is in a pretty delicate state and you need to take really good care of it.

Great work! Congratulations and thanks for sharing, it is really motivating.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I don't eat any carbs, but the few times that I have eaten them I have noticed my hunger increased. Thirst might be worth looking into as I am sure I'm not drinking enough. Plus I have eaten a few small deserts over the last couple of weeks (visitors staying with us) so they may have also spurred on some sugar cravings! or maybe I'm just getting hungry again. Thanks for your feedback

I'm almost 4 months post op and I have REALLY noticed a huge change in my level of hunger over the last couple of weeks (going from zero most of the time) and I am starting to crave sweet things again. I know that this happens and some people never loose hunger after surgery and some do. Just curious about other people's experience. This for me has coincided with also being able to eat quite a bit more so I am REALLY scared to respond to the hunger....would love your feedback

thanks for the input - I will post it elsewhere. I just posted it here as I know (or at least I have heard) that it's sometimes 12 months before hunger comes back so maybe Vets would have more insight.

I'm and three and half months post op and my life has changed dramatically. I'm so happy with the healthy new me. Here is my before & after pic so far (before taken the night before surgery). It is amazing how quickly things can change

Thanks for your kind replies!

You are basing your research on the fact that you have gained weight as a consequence of increasing caloric intake. This makes perfect sense, however we all know that our VSG journey is by no means a journey without obstacles, stalls and hiccups along the way. It could be possible that your body is just holding on to some extra calories as a consequence of your calories being too low or it could be some type of stall that has coincided with change in diet. I have been struggling with stalls each time I increase exercise. Unfortunately this journey is different for everyone and even the most prudent surgeons struggle to provide individualized advice. I am 5"1 and my doc has suggested that I shouldn't eat more than 900 cals per day (from now to eternity). Had I consumed the same calories without surgery I dare say that I would have been bordering on an eating disorder. As the others have mentioned - this surgery changes everything. Just be patient, maybe you just need to tweak a few things here and there. My best advice would be to follow your program - stop when you are full and don't eat outside designated snacks and meals. I hope that helps and I really understand your frustration.

No I didn't have one, although in some ways I wish I had. Let's just say it's hard to rush to bathroom immediately after surgery.

Thanks Deedadumble! Makes sense