Shells_Almost_There

I am sad to say that I experienced 2 UTIs post-op, with about a 2 week break in between. Very annoying! I was worried it was going to become chronic after surgery, but so far it seems that the medicine they gave me the 2nd time has worked. I chalked it up to dehydration and the complete change in my diet.

Sorry to hear about your struggle. I don't have answers but wanted to send some encouragement your way. I hit a stall early on and I broke it by increasing my calories - I wasn't hungry or eating much at the time, and I think my body was hanging on to all the calories it could. Since then I tend to lose a pound (sometimes less) per week - it can be amazingly frustrating, so I can imagine your pain. I have to hold back jealousy and a little irritation towards those people who sound like they're complaining that post-op they "only lose 2-3 pounds a week!" Seriously? Wow. I would love to lose that much each week. So, I guess it's all about perspective... Anyway, do you use MFP to record your daily intakes? A nutritionist (or some of the vets here) could probably take a look to see areas to tweak your intakes to see if you can get the scale to move. Hang in there!!!

Wow, amazing progress - congrats on your journey!

I made the conscious choice to not tell anyone, based on the advice of the psych doctor when I went to that appointment. He said (and he was right) that those who know will constantly watch what you eat, comment on your weight loss, and also feel free to criticize your weight loss. Approximately 10 people know I had surgery, and only 3 of those are at work -- 1 is constantly commenting on how great I look in my "new" outfits (my old clothes that fit now), 1 looks me up and down whenever I see him (drives me bananas), and the other has told me not to eat certain foods when we are out together. It is annoying but I have to laugh because that psych doc was so right! Anyway, this decision was my personal medical business and no one needs to know unless I choose to share the news. Of course this is my experience and everyone should always make their own choices. In my immediate family, only my mother knows and she was a complete spazz before surgery ("Now tell me again what they're going to do to you") and after surgery ("Should you be eating that?" over and over) - for weeks. She has finally calmed down Also, now that I've lost a bit more weight, people have really started commenting. I tend to tell them that I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal, and then we talk about high-Protein diets. That always distracts them!

Yes to the good oils and lotions but also try to drink more water! The dehydration can be a killer. My lips are chapped all the time, which is my reminder to drink more liquids. For my dry hands and feet, I just found a product at the local co-op called Booda Butter (truly a goofy name), it's shea butter, cocoa butter and oils - it is amazing and smells edible. The company is out of Bellingham, Washington and I highly recommend it for the dry skin.

Yes, but mine is to the left of the larger incision. My doc says they are "surgical ridges" that will eventually go away. It freaks me out, but I guess this is normal. I wasn't told to massage mine, so I just leave it alone.

Love it! Awesome job

Try Premier - they have chocolate, vanilla and strawberry that don't taste quite as bad as the powders. I still drink 1 chocolate Premier everyday to help me get in my daily Protein. They are found at BJ's, costco, Sam's Club and online at Amazon.

Best of luck tomorrow, as you join us on the loser's bench of sleeved awesomeness! LOL

The 3rd week is notorious for stalls. The good news is you will still be losing inches and eventually the stall will end. Stick to your surgeon/NUT's dietary plan and it will all work out - although it will be frustrating. Try to not cheat ahead on foods that you shouldn't be eating yet - definitely no sliders - if you need inspiration during the frustrating times, record your measurements today, then measure in a week. You will keep shrinking, even if the darn scale won't cooperate!

Exercise. *sigh* I really do need to do more than I'm doing!

I am a slow loser compared to many, but I also attribute some of the differences to my age and my height. I've noticed that younger and taller lose much faster than I do. So, I work pretty hard to not compare myself. And to be honest, I'm happy that I'm losing ANY weight, so I try not to be too negative about my 1 pound per week (sometimes less if I'm stalled out), and stay happy in the fact that I weigh less than I have in like 8 years, and that I'm fitting into much smaller clothes already. I just started my 5th month post op, and I've basically lost 1/3 of the weight I want to lose in the long term. My plan is to keep on keepin' on, and kick the old me to the curb. Oh and keep saving for the plastics that I already know I'm gonna need!!! ETA: I also try to keep in mind that it took me 20 years to gain this weight and if it only takes me 2 years to lose it all, I'll be super happy! And, although I am losing pounds on the scale slowly, I am still losing inches pretty steadily. It's an exciting time even if I sometimes want to just scream at my scale in frustration.

As you go to solid foods, it can become uncomfortable - and you don't want to overfill yourself with the "I think I can fit just one more bite" thing. I have heard there is an app that beeps every couple of minutes so that you slow down the frequency of your bites. Sorry but I don't remember the name of it but I've read about a number of people here who use it. Another thing I would suggest is to take even smaller bites than you are, and chew at least 30 seconds more. Then wait a couple of minutes before the next bite. When I was 6 weeks out it took almost 10 minutes for my new stomach to tell my brain I was full - so I'd end up with a couple extra bites and then was in pain for 30 or 40 minutes, recovering from those extra bites that I didn't know I'd taken. Plus a lot of food would land in my stomach and just sit there like a rock - very uncomfortable. Eventually, my brain and stomach synched back up and the issue abated. I still have the rock issue from time to time, but it isn't nearly as painful as it was in the beginning. Anyway, just some ideas - good luck!

I'm lucky if it's every other day, but it generally runs 3 to 5 days. I take fiber gummies daily and have Milk of Magnesia on hand (I hate that stuff but if you don't want to get impacted...). I sure wish it was more often, but with all this Protein, it's a challenge.

Perfectly said, Gman!!!

I begin a series of weird burping to indicate I've eaten too much. They are not like usual belches - they are these weird "swallow" burps that seem to happen internally. It's really weird. I can tell you that food can sit like a rock in your stomach if it's not agreeing with you and if you overfill yourself by the "eyes were bigger than the stomach" thing, and it can be very painful. I've had to stand up suddenly from a meal and pretend to look at pictures on the wall so as to not yelp in pain. For me stretching upwards or standing helps if I accidentally overeat. My friends don't know I had surgery, so that's why the whole "wow is this a new picture?" cover story. LOL. Anyway, once you start eating more solid foods you will find your "full" point or the quirk like the burping or sneezing that signals you.

Here's a rundown for me: My first visit included: a blood draw (full panel w/ fasting), EKG, meeting with the exercise guy, meeting with nutritionist, got my required sleep study equipment (for a home sleep study) and I met the surgeon's PA. Next appointment, I had to do the psychological testing at a nearby clinic, then a week or so later went back to meet with the psychologist and go over my results. From the sleep study, I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea so I had to meet a few times at the sleep clinic to get the CPAP machine and get a few different masks, as I had trouble adjusting. My insurance required a 5% weight loss within a 6 month period in order to qualify for surgery, so I went back to the surgeon's office twice to weigh in, so that I would meet my weight goal. Finally, I met with the surgeon and the PA once again, as I was just a few pounds from my goal weight for surgery. Once I met the goal weight required by the insurance, the surgeon's office got approval for surgery. I could have had surgery the very next week, but I opted for 2 weeks so that I could mentally prepare and get my life in order. By the way, I started this process in June and had surgery in September. Since surgery I have had a follow up with the surgeon and the PA, 2 follow up phone appointments with the NUT, and a meeting with the metabolic specialist. He ordered a full blood panel again and metabolic testing. I just did that testing today, Seems like time is flying!

Very well said. I have some of the same issues with my head getting in the way - I have lost enough weight now that I'm feeling "skinny" - which is my brain not actual fact! I fit into smaller clothes and people have started to really notice the weight loss (virtually no one knows I had surgery), BUT then I have to remind myself that I still have 80 pounds to lose. That's no small matter or easy feat. Here's what happens to me: 1. I lose weight (yay!) 2. I self congratulate with a cookie or 5. 3. I feel guilty about cheating. 4. Someone compliments me on my weight loss. 5. I have another cookie to Celebrate. 6. I self sabotage, feel guilty, and keep having Cookies. Then potato chips, etc etc. You get the picture. I mean, what is that? This has been my pattern forever. It's just so depressing - especially that I can lay it out there like that but still feel helpless to stop it. Anyway, it's time to break that pattern and get rid of the sugar addiction, the guilt, and the self sabotage. Wish me luck (I'm gonna need it!).

Huge Congrats!!! My dream is to be at 199 - it's my goal weight, although I want to try for more once I get there. I just can't wait.

You know, I assumed he had the sleeve in my reply! Please ignore any "sleeve specific" stuff in my response if he didn't have the sleeve

McButter, I feel ya! I recently bought a few pants on sale at regular department stores - 1X in some and 2X in others and I was so excited, but then I didn't want to spend to much because I'm really just at the start of this crazy journey! I'm just so excited to be able to try on clothes at a regular store, even if I'm still in the Women's Plus department.

I'm having an issue with shirts - the 18/20's that fit me now all seem to have giant necklines so I'm constantly yanking on it (which then makes it bigger!) - I am going to try some regular stores instead of Lane Bryant to see if their "regular" XXL type sizes fit me better. I can never find pants that fit me right because I'm short with stubby legs, but I am down a size which is nice. Best of luck to us all - this clothing thing is a pain.

I don't know if any of this will be helpful, but during this stage, I stuck with 2 Premier Protein shakes per day (to get higher protein numbers and it counts as liquids), plus I ate refried Beans (mushed up and chewed to liquid) and Laughing Cow cheese wedges. On rough days, I had 3 Premier shakes to get my 90 grams the easy way. When I wanted flavor, I had my Better Than Bouillon cup of broth, or I'd go to Panera for chicken noodle Soup and eat only the broth. From time to time, I would have instant mashed potatoes with a little bit of chicken gravy. It tasted so good and went down easily. I am an uber-picky eater as well, so this is what got me through. I would not eat pureed meat or baby food. I don't like yogurt and can barely stand pudding. Also, I hate the taste of whey, and only the Premier Protein Shakes taste good to me. So, I was very limited too, and sort of mixed the full liquids and pureed stage into something I could handle for that 2 week period. I absolutely do not think he should move to the next stage early - follow the doctor's plan to a "T." His huge staple line is healing and you don't want him to do anything that could cause a problem during these early weeks. As my surgeon explained to me, these are the crucial healing weeks - it is not about weight loss right now, it's about healing properly - since the "harm" could be damaging the staple line. But, as always, check with the doctor before deviating even a bit from the program that is outlined. Hang in there! ETA: Also, during these early weeks it's rare to feel hunger - I was super bored which made me want to eat, but I didn't actually feel like I needed to eat. And of course, this is how we get dehydrated and end up back in the hospital. It's such a balancing act - for 2 months I couldn't seem to get in my daily Water requirement and even now I sometimes miss it and feel so dry. Hunger does return but those first weeks are just regulating oneself to the new circumstances and the new stomach!

I struggle with many of the same things already mentioned but I've really tanked on exercising. I did some Wii dance thing today and it was fun, so at least it's a start. One thing that's weird lately is I've really been craving a Diet 7up. To the point I've had a couple of dreams about it! So bizarre. Haven't had a soda in many months and not going to restart now, but wow do I want one!

Awesome job and LOVE the pants picture