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Yes. EVERYONE stalls. Use the search function....your question has already been answered a hundred times. Or go post this in the "Don't Sweat the Stall Stuff" subforum. It was created just for these threads.

Absolute ditto to Miss Mac's post. @RJ'sBeginning is the poster child for the power of positive attitude and is an incredible inspiration. And boy, I sure do miss @@Madam Reverie I would also like to express my thanks to @@back2barb78 , @@hoosiergirl, @@raven123 and the other OCCers whose posts and stories made my decision to go to Mexico for surgery such an easy one.

I totally plan on eating the real thing next week, but for those of you who want an alternative, Muscle Milk cake batter protein powder, milk and Torani SF pumpkin pie spice is damn good! And the Quest Apple Pie protein bar isn't too shabby, either.

I use both Garden of Life Raw Fiber and Renew Life Triple Fiber. I chose them because they have the most insoluble fiber I could find. The soluble fiber supplements like benefiber and Metamucil just didn't cut it for my constipation issues. I just mix it in my Protein smoothie. But be warned.....unlike the soluble fiber supplements, these will not dissolve completely. It will settle out and even cause significant thickening of whatever you add it to. (I tried to mix it with yogurt once and it set up into a very thick gel block ???? ). But I always mix and drink my smoothies from a 24oz. Blender Bottle, so I can just give it a good shake before taking a drink. The other downside to Raw Fiber is that it does have 120 calories per scoop because it's whole, real food. But you're also getting a bonus 7g of protein. As for me, I've never counted calories, so it's not a big deal. It's not unusual for my "mega smoothie" to end up being 400-500 calories. But like I said, I'm not a counter and I have no complaints about my weight loss. As for binding with protein, I couldn't find anything confirming that when I googled. But I did find an article that indicated that soluble fiber can bind with, and inhibit absorption of carbohydrates and fat (win win) http://www.livestrong.com/article/526613-does-fiber-inhibit-the-absorption-of-nutrients/ The other thing is, you may not need the high level of insoluble fiber that I do. You may get lucky and not even have an issue with constipation. Others get relief from products like benefiber or Metamucil that mix better than the Raw Fiber and Triple Fiber. Still others swear by prune juice (bonus with that is it goes towards your Fluid goal). But others have had more extreme cases and need laxatives and/or stool softeners. Prior to finding these insoluble fiber products, I was taking benefiber and Metamucil and still had to take Milk of Magnesia at least every other day. I'm just glad I was able to find a happy ending (no pun intended) by simply adding Raw Fiber to my smoothie. Good luck.

Eating slower was by far the hardest thing for me. I downloaded the app "Eat Slower" And use it to time my bites. It's still frustrating, but if I eat when I'm really hungry without a timer I tend to eat a few bites too many and get uncomfortable.

Unless you ate 35,000 calories more than what your body needed that week you DID NOT gain 10 pounds of fat. And I'm willing to bet you didn't get even 10,000 calories. Water retention plays a huge role in what the scale says. (Did you read the part above about how I gained 11 pounds in one day?) So I'm going to say it again....if you can't deal with the normal fluctuations that go along with this process, then STAY. OFF. THE. SCALE!!!

So talked to my PCP and he suggested just blasting it with a few days of pred instead of an NSAID. It'll give a better, quicker idea if the symptoms are related to inflammation. If it responds, great, if not we'll do another MRI. I'm going to start Prilosec for a couple days first and then the pred. If my tummy starts feeling the least bit "funny" I'll throw in some sucralfate, too, while I wean off the pred.

I, too, was quite ashamed about letting myself get so fat. I felt helpless and didn't have the discipline to stop. It was embarrassing to come to the realization that I needed WLS. It was hard to disclose my decision at first, but the more I talked about it, the less awkward it became. I fortunately have very supportive people in my live, so despite their concern for the surgery part, they never made me feel bad about it. Eventually the embarrassment faded away. By the time I was losing weight and getting asked questions about my weight loss (several times, every single day) I had no problem talking about my surgery. "You look great! How did you lose so much?" "I had surgery" "did you get lap band or bybass?" "Neither, I had 85% of my stomach removed, so it basically just limits how much I can eat. It's called a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. But I also eat a lot of Protein and stay away from carbs". "Well good for you! How do you feel?" "I feel great!" "Where did you have your surgery?" "I went to Mexico" "O my gosh! Really?".... And then that's a whole other conversation. But that was my typical interaction with hundreds of clients and friends. Some asked more questions, which I answered. And some just said congrats and we moved on to other things. In my case the "the truth shall set you free" really was true. It made me feel better and less embarrassed by getting it out there. I used to be embarrassed about having a lot of chin hair, too, but now I walk right into the salon and ask my beautician if she has time to wax my beard...right there in front of everyone! Hey, they even know about my fecal transplant, so what's a few whiskers?! ???? Sure, she says, but only if you eat something! ????

Yes, most everyone goes through a stall around three weeks out. I'm not sure if I did, because I didn't weigh myself that often that first couple months. I don't even own a scale. I was sick with non-surgery related stuff and went to the doctor many times between weeks 6 and 15. Since I was getting weighed everytime I went in, I know I gained 3 pounds and then stalled for a month at around 6-7 weeks. Then there was the third time I needed IV fluids for dehydration. I actually gained 11 pounds in one day. Just goes to show how much Water weight can affect the scale. But Once I felt better and could eat and drink more, I started losing again. After a few months I started weighing myself once/week at work so I had something to enter on my ticker. I'm fully clothed, with boots or shoes (and long underwear these days) and sometimes weigh in the morning and sometimes after lunch. I'm more interested in the overall downward trend than the small daily and clothes-related variations of the numbers on the scale. I have had several stalls along the way, but still managed to lose100 pounds in less than a year. In fact, stalls are SO common and people get so upset about them that there is a subforum dedicated to stalls...."Don't Sweat the Stall Stuff". You may want to check it out. But my best advice is to stay off the scale. Concentrate on eating healthy and establishing new habits. Judge your weight loss by how your clothes fit and other NSV's. Actually, If it hadn't been for the doctor's scale, I wouldn't have known about that long stall because I dropped a whole pant size during that month I didn't lose a single pound. Try and enjoy this wonderful gift! As for protein, are you using Protein shakes? I didn't consume anything that didn't contain protein that first few months. It was actually easier to get in enough protein than enough water. And even at 11 months out I have a big protein smoothie with 30-40g protein everyday. Two of those and you'd easily be at goal. There are good protein ideas for all stages in the food and nutrition subforum on here. Good luck! Just trust the process, eat healthy, drink and stay off the scale. It will happen!

The directions talk about a 15 day cleanse. How many do you take as your daily maintenance dose?

I do agree about the hydrolyzed collagen being a "poor quality" protein, but what does your nut say about the protein in cheese, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and milk? Less than 20% of the protein in them is whey protein.

Gee, thanks, but I'm giving the credit to my surgical team. There were 5 of us that day and we were all out shopping the streets of Tijuana the day after surgery! 2 people in our "pack" spoke Spanish, so we were able to track down the world's yummiest homemade Popsicles on the second day. ☺️

I, too, needed IV fluids for dehydration 3 times after surgery. I had severe diarrhea from a clostridial infection and just couldn't keep up with the Fluid loss. And it was 3 months before I felt normal. But I still wouldn't trade my sleeve for anything! Give yourself some time. You just had major surgery and you need to heal.....you shouldn't expect to feel Ok after just a couple weeks. As for Protein, I added unflavored Protein powder to every Soup broth and creamed soup I could find. Butternut squash, lobster bisque and hot and sour soup base were my favorites. Protein drinks I liked were Premier chocolate and strawberry, Muscle Milk (banana cream, cake batter and red velvet cake), Syntrax nectar ( lemonade, cherry, peach, and Apple) Syntrax Matrix vanilla, Garden of Life Raw Protein (vanilla, chocolate and chai), and Spirutein banana. I had to dilute all of them with either Water or milk because everything tasted too sweet to me. (That's why I liked the soup/protein powder options). I also used Mio and Dasani flavor drops, Torani syrups, PB2 and pureed fruit to add more variety to the Protein shakes. I did not like the isopure or jay rob drinks I tried. It will get better....I Promise!

Last weekend it was in the 50's and I went horseback riding both days. Monday morning it was minus 15 and didn't get above the teens until Wednesday. Then it "warmed up" and started to snow. It took me almost 3 hours to plow the two feet of snow in my driveway yesterday......7 days after I was just horseback riding in the same mountains that people are currently backcountry skiing and snowboarding in. ???? We might see bare ground again in about 5 months, but it will still be snowing into June. ???? I don't follow any type of formal exercise program or go to the gym. But Shoveling my sidewalk and a path out to the horses was all the workout I needed this weekend. The ski resorts will be open by Thanksgiving, so I can hit the slopes! And like Luvin Life, there's always snowshoeing and Xcountry skiing.

I've added fruit to my protein smoothies from the very beginning. Peaches, mangos and bananas at first, but then strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc once I was OK'd for seeds at 3 months postop. My favorite is Premier chocolate, 10oz milk and 1/2 banana. Tastes like the milkshakes my dad used to make when I was a kid. Other favs are peaches with vanilla protein, Syntrax lemonade protein with fresh strawberries, and cake batter protein with raspberries. The one combo I found does not work well is adding pineapple to any milk-based shake. Makes it taste like you used sour milk. ????

Insoluble Fiber will work better for constipation than soluble fiber (like benefiber). Soluble fiber actually slows down your intestinal tract, which is NOT what you need when you're constipated. I use Garden of Life Raw Fiber and Renew Life Triple fiber and make sure I'm getting at least 10g insoluble fiber everyday. Can't poop without it! I Don't bother to look at the soluble fiber amount. And FYI, being insoluble, it won't dissolve like benefiber. Insoluble fiber is going to settle out and/or gel. I just put it in a big Protein smoothie and it turns it into a thick shake. Foods that have a good amount of insoluble fiber are flax seeds, chia seeds, broccoli, whole grains, artichokes, tomatoes, green Beans, dark leafy greens, zucchini, celery, raisins, and grapes. I found one variety of Kashi Go Lean with 10g insoluble protein per cup. I mix it with Greek Yogurt. And I've read other people have found success with good ol' prune juice.

Why are they "bad"? I use blends and concentrates (as well as whey isolate) all the time. In fact, I make it a point to buy powders with different protein sources to help ensure I'm getting a good balance of all amino acid profiles. And Body builders actually use different proteins for different reasons....pre work out vs post work out vs night time. Whey isolate is the best absorbed protein, but the whey and milk protein concentrates, soy protein, egg protein, pea protein, sprouted seeds, etc are still good proteins. Just like eggs vs beef vs fish vs dairy. Some people bad mouth certain components like casein, but in fact casein is the type of protein found in cheese and milk and what body builders prefer to take at night for a "slow burn".

Definitely try the b12 sublingual. And I know we are supposed to avoid carbs early on, but I felt better on the days I added fruit to my protein shake. I used peaches, mangos and bananas for the first 3 months and then added strawberries, blueberries and raspberries after I was allowed to have seeds. Plain water and artificial sweeteners also hurt my sleeve, so I was drinking a lot of 100% fruit juice diluted with water. I'm 11 months out, have lost 100 pounds and am maintaining 12 pounds under goal, so the extra carbs certainly haven't sabotaged my weight loss.

My first NSV was that my rings fit again. Now every one of them is too big and fall off. I even found my HS ring and it's too big... And I was not overweight in HS!

Well I heard back from Dr. So at OCC already (I swear, that man never takes a day off!). He said NSAIDS are fine, just to take Prilosec OTC while on them. That's pretty much what I figured, but it's nice to get confirmation. I'll likely pick up some Celebrex tomorrow.

Thanks everyone. I'll talk to my PCP a about trying Celebrex instead of ibuprofen. I forgot I'd also used purification in the past, too, which was nice because it's once/day. Unfortunately it's ranked pretty high for GI side effects. No, I haven't tried the Voltaren gel, but according to the the manufacturers website, "Voltaren Gel has not been studied for use on the spine, hip, or shoulder." Obviously Mis Mac is having good luck with it, but it does have higher GI risk than celecoxib. And Ironically, it was Voltaren gel that sent my PCP to the emergency room with a severe allergic reaction (and even more ironic, it was the same ER he works in!). He had been using it on his knees off and on for months and one day, without warning went into anaphylactic shock after putting it on. Something that can happen with any NSAID. I've got another friend that stopped breathing after taking ibuprofen. Neither of them can ever take NSAIDS again. And no, I haven't been on a PPI after the mandatory 2 months Rx'd by my surgeon. Other than once, while I was on vacation and having more sweets and cocktails than I normally do. I took Prilosec for 10 days until my tummy felt better. I figured I would take a PPI while on the NSAID or steroid. I'm waiting to see if the docs think I should add in sucralfate, too, just to be safe. And boy, MissMac, I sure am sorry to hear about all of your back and neck issues. Besides my neck, I broke L4 and L5 when I was 18, and lived with chronic pain for years. I will look into the ablation. Prior to my fusion surgery, they couldn't give me steroid shots to help with the pain because the foramen was SO narrowed they couldn't even get a needle in. To tell you the truth, the PT and traction treatment plan my chiropractor came up with provided better pain relief than any of the drugs they gave me, including NSAIDS, steroids, hydrocodone, and tramadol. Fortunately at this point, I haven't progressed to the crazy pain stage. Right now the symptoms are just numbness all down my left arm and hand and in my right shoulder. But this is how it started last time and I knew it was just a matter of time considering what the MRI showed.

That's what I did. BMI 39, lots of pains and minor health issues but no "recognized" comorbidities. I researched my options, asked a zillion questions, and scheduled my surgery with Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at OCC in Tijuana. I used my "new truck down payment" fund I had been saving for 2 years. No psychiatrist, no nutritionist, no 6 month supervised diet, no hoops....just 100 pounds down from this time last year. There's no reason you can't take control of your life, too.

Barring unforeseen complications, I don't think you should have a problem. I went back to a physically active job at 7 days, but I could have been online, dealing with correspondence or Skype meetings even the day after surgery. As it was, I was shopping and sightseeing day 1 and 2, traveling (flying and driving) days 3 and 4, finally relaxed day 5, and got my nails done and haircut day 6.

You can ask 100 different VSG patients and get 100 different answers. But here's mine..... 2 week preop - 3 Protein shakes/day plus unlimited green veggies. I was required to lose 12 pounds and I lost 22. 3 days postop Clear liquids Day 4-17 full liquids (Protein shakes, Protein powder added to broths and cream Soups, drinkable yogurt) Day 18-28 pureed food Day 29-40 soft food Day 40 anything but nuts, seeds, chips or other really crunchy stuff until 3 months. My drinking instructions were the same as yours. I managed to get in all my protein and Water starting day 5 and I transitioned through the food staged a little slower than my plan allowed because I had lots of restriction. I wasn't nauseous (except from a medication I had to take for almost a month) and I never vomited, but It was 3-4 months before I truly felt comfortable eating. I have no food intolerances and can eat anything at this point, although coffee starts to irritate my tummy if I drink more than 16oz at a time and I can't do carbonation.

Not sure what they gave me IV in the hospital, but I went home about 16 hours after surgery and never needed anything more than the sublingual NSAID they gave me. And I only took 4 doses of that. Opioids would have been major overkill.