Shells_Almost_There

So this is just my 2 cents, but this happens -- the brain is an amazing and irritating thing! My personal name for this is "eating my fears before my fears eat me" - mainly the brain's auto-response that by having surgery, I'd never enjoy my favorites again, etc. Plus my fear of failure in losing the required weight (I had to lose a certain % of weight so that my insurance would pay). The good news was that after I freaked out for a week or so, I realized I was more motivated to lose weight and have the surgery than I was to have all that food - but this took some deep thinking and bargaining with myself. You might also be having "food funerals" which a lot of people do, thinking they'll never be able to eat a certain favorite again. Turns out that after surgery you can eat most anything once you're released for regular food, it just becomes a choice of whether you should have those things. Anyway, you're going through what I would call a natural process of realization and it's what you do next that matters. The way I got through was a very stringent daytime eating plan, and then a dinner of something slightly off my plan - that way I was bargaining for what I wanted but the majority of the day I was on plan. It worked, I made my required weight and surgery happened! You can do it!

At first, I had to use post-it notes on my Water cup at work to remind myself of the 30 minute mark after eating because I struggled so much with remembering to separate my foods and liquids. What a PITA! I realized too late that I should have started practicing this pre-op (people at this site recommended I do that, but I just couldn't make it happen until it was imperative ). So I used the post its and marked the time so that I didn't pick up the bottle and take a big swig by accident. When home, I put my drink out of sight and mentally marked the time that I could go get it --this one I still do. Months later, separating food and liquids is finally becoming second nature.

Very few people at my work know about my surgery, and those who do are sworn to secrecy. So, I take many small Gladware type containers and snack ziplocs, so it sort of looks like I'm eating a lot. I've had a few people say that it's not enough food, but I just smile and say the thing about eating a lot of really small meals (true). When people ask about my specific diet plan, I say that I'm basically doing Atkins (true) and I'm trying to stick to it. They seem to respect that and we move on. Good luck!

By mid-week of the 2nd week of liquids I was losing my mind, so I welcomed the pureed stage - but I didn't like most Protein shakes and whey doesn't really agree with me. So I was crazy excited to have some different flavors, although I didn't push it and had 2 Premier chocolate shakes (the only shakes I can handle) per day, then my mushy food. Wait till you get to solids and feel like 2 bites is too much.

I use the scale, but when the scale doesn't move for me, I try on clothes that were tight (or didn't fit at all) a month or 2 months ago to see where I am. This works for me, especially when I am convinced nothing has changed. Today I had a pants victory - this pair of smaller pants that haven't fit really since I bought them in January 2005. They fit today and I was amazed. I also have a huge chest and this week I noticed that I'm going to have to find a smaller bra in both cup and number size because I've finally shrunk a bit in that area. Hallelujah! Now if my big gut would just shrink down a bit!!!

I got a Flex for Christmas and it's a lot of fun. I am trying for 10K steps per day, but can barely get to 5K on work days. It's fun to update the iPhone app all day to see the numbers increasing!

LOL my post-op was awesome because it was my first "vacation" in 4 years and I really needed it. I hung out in my living room on this new recliner couch I had purchased just to help me after surgery (love that thing still), and napped and enjoyed the heck out of dreaming about my new life. That probably sounds hokey, but it was such a great time for me!

I was worried about that too, but then I went from soft foods to dense Protein and found that there was restriction - early on I felt like I could take very large gulps of Water, etc, and I worried my sleeve wasn't small enough. But then I went to solids and wow, what a difference. Now I know the restrictions and my limitations as far as number of bites of dense meat, because the overfull feeling is not pleasant. I'm betting you'll go through the same thing in 2 weeks when you're on solid food as well.

My go-to foods (keeping in mind that I live alone and don't have to worry about feeding anyone else ) Deli ham and roast beef Salmon, sometimes halibut Beef jerky Laughing Cow cheese wedges Other medium-soft cheeses like Monterey Jack Deli meatloaf (Safeway deli style) Broccoli (my only veg) Refried beans Rotisserie chicken Teriyaki chicken from fast food/local bento place (no noodles/rice or salad) Oh and every weekday I start my day with a Premier protein shake to guarantee myself 30 grams of protein the easy way. But, like Endless80 says, what works for each person is pretty personal - and can vary day by day or week to week. My list is from trial and error, plus to my personal tastes. Good luck!

I still can't seem to eat tuna, or really anything with mayonnaise yet. Sadly, I can't eat even 1 bite of baked potato, although mashed goes down ok. Sometimes eggs - over easy or scrambled - will disagree with me. For all these foods, they sit in my stomach like a rock and totally make me regret eating them. Oh, also boiled eggs and deviled eggs are hard to take these days. The fluffier the egg, the better my tummy can handle it, in small portions. I'm ok with white meat chicken now, but at 6 weeks I could only do the dark meat and I didn't enjoy the taste of chicken at all. I've gotten over that now. I don't really eat fruit or veggies, but I am able to handle super steamed broccoli, which I know give some people the fits. One food that I enjoyed pre-op but can't eat now is cottage cheese. I think I ate too much of it pre-op, and now it tastes totally sour to me. Doesn't matter what fat %, etc, it all tastes sour now. I'm in my 4th month now. Eating "new" foods can be an adventure, especially if I'm in public or with friends (none of whom know I had surgery) - I've actually had to stand up from the dinner table and pretend to look at a picture on the wall in order to give my tummy room to stretch or I was going to throw up right then and there. I tried to act natural! LOL

I was 340 when got serious about surgery in early 2013 and 320 on the day of surgery. When I informally compare myself to others on this site, I see a trend that those taller and younger than me are losing faster, as I am losing quite slowly. While I seem to be in the "Slow Losers Club," I am really happy with my experience so far (even though there are days that I wish the pounds would just fall off magically). It's all about continuing on my own path regardless of what's happening around me, and I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

I use WW for accountability - only online, I don't go to meetings. I have been a continual member since January 2010. However, since starting my WLS journey, I have not followed their program/points system. I still am at a very high weight, so the plan assigns me a lot of points, both daily and weekly. In fact, too much for a VSG patient. Also the plan is open to having people eat whatever foods they want - not exactly what we are supposed to do post-surgery. I would never follow their plan now, since it goes against my surgeon's/NUT's food plan for me and it would be way too many calories in a day. It is my choice to continue paying the money - because honestly, I love having 4 years of weight loss (and gain, ouch!) data at my fingertips, and having the pressure of a weigh-in every Monday without fail. I can see no benefit in starting again on their "food" plan, since it's not what I would call an acceptable post-surgery VSG diet. I hope you decide to check in with your surgeon and NUT, and maybe look into the support groups option, because the WW "diet" is probably not the right thing at this point in the journey. Good luck!

I am single, so my grocery bill was a bit too high prior to surgery as I could easily stop for restaurant food every night if I wasn't careful. Since surgery I'd say I spend about half what I used to on food - because even what I get at a restaurant lasts for 2 (sometimes 3) meals now, where before I would just hoover it all down. Or, I buy half what I used to. Either way, big savings. I take my lunch to work each day. I'm taking less food and better food than I used to, but it's still a money savings. It's all meats and cheeses in small ziplocs - some days I can't eat everything I pack, so the rest goes back in the fridge for the next day. On top of just my general meal savings, I also don't stop for Snacks anymore (sugary & fried yummies are no more!) I don't buy candy or Cookies with my groceries, and I don't buy champagne anymore. All this has really added up for me. I think I have made up for the grocery savings recently because I absolutely had to buy some new work clothes - almost nothing in my "professional" wardrobe fits and all my small clothes are for summer. So, the grocery savings went to new, smaller clothes!

I'm curious if you've had the metabolic testing that some surgery programs have you do after surgery? I don't know a lot about it overall, just know that it gives the resting metabolic rate and helps with knowledge of caloric needs, etc. That might be something to help inform you of what's happening. You could also probably find a place to do the underwater body composition test, which is supposed to be super accurate. Good luck, I know this journey can be frustrating, but congrats on your success as well!

Leaks seem to be one of "those" topics, where every doc/program says something slightly different, so I'll share what I've heard. It seems like the first 3 or 4 weeks are crucial, then at 6 months it's relatively safe to assume if you haven't had a leak, you won't be getting one. I hope others will chime in with what their surgeons have told them as well since I have heard/read very little about this. Some people on this site have gone through hell, having multiple leaks, etc, so there definitely are more extreme cases than a simple statement like "if you get past X months, you should be fine," but it all seems to be very unpredictable.

SparkleCat - people have really different experiences, so it can be tough to use our stories as a measurement. Of note, though: One week after surgery, you're still going to be on liquids only and will barely get in any calories in the day - so a lot of people feel weak and can't make it through the work day. Your body is in shock and trying to heal, and the motion of standing/sitting gets to be too much after about the 3rd time in a row. So, I think that's why people end up taking more time when they can - you might feel really yucky and be in pain. It can also depend on your surgery - maybe single incision is less invasive and doesn't cause as much pain? I had 5 incisions and the big one really hurt for a good 3 weeks and it was the source of almost all the pain, although the one above my belly button was touchy as well. Finally, my surgeon requires all her patients to be written out/off work for a month, and you can only go back with limited release, then finally full release, so that also dictated my timing of the 3 weeks off plus 1 week telecommuting. Good luck to you!

I took 3 full weeks off, then worked from home 1/2 days the 4th week. I needed it, because I found that I couldn't sit up in my office chair for very long that 4th week - I always needed to stretch out (I sit all day at work). So, the 5th week I went back to the office full time and never had a problem. I was lucky to have so much sick leave saved up!

I have frequent stalls, the first of which started at Week 3. They can be frustrating as anything. As Susan says, track your measurements because you will still be losing inches like crazy. That is what keeps me going when the stubborn scale won't move!

I was a soda person - many cans per day of Diet Pepsi, sometimes Diet 7up. I haven't had a pop since last summer and I still miss it. I don't plan to drink any, ever again, but I am still tempted from time to time. These days I have G2 and Sobe Lifewater, and/or just plain Water. During my phase out of the diet soda, I burned myself out on the Crystal Light, so I stick with these plus iced tea during warmer months. The iced tea is really my only source of caffeine as well, so I guess cutting out the pop means I cut out almost all caffeine too (I'm not a coffee drinker and only have hot tea when I'm sick). It's a life style change, for sure!

I've heard the straw/air issue, but in association with RnY, not the sleeve. Same with the "no gum" rule - at least that's my surgeon's interpretation. Her sleeve patients can have ibuprofen, use straws and chew gum, but her RnY patients can't. So interesting. Good luck with the invention I love it.

I weigh daily in the early morning. My "official" weigh ins are on Mondays for my WW online program. So, my accountability really is Monday but I like to see where I'm going throughout the week. Sometimes it helps me with food choices during the week if I didn't have a "good" Monday weigh in. Many don't recommend daily weighing, but it's just something I've done forever and I don't obsess over it until about 5:00 a.m. on Mondays!

You'll get a lot of varied answers for this. My doctor has no brand or type requirements, just take what she asks, in the mg she asks. For the multivitamin, I do Centrum Flavor Burst adult chews - they are basically Skittles - 2 per day. Also daily I take: 2 Fiber chews, 1 B-12 dot (under the tongue pill), 2 500 mg of L-Carnitine and 2 calcium chews. I accidentally bought calcium carbonate, but the doc told me to finish those and then switch to calcium citrate. The L-Carnitine is the most expensive, but still not bad at all. I also take a prescription weekly Vitamin D, but it's maybe $8 per month.

Rock star!!! Huge congrats

I lost 70 pounds in 2013 - 30 before surgery, 40 since. I feel like I am on my way! 2014 is going to be great.

These pics are great! Congrats on how amazing you look - what an inspiration.