bikrchk

Yep. Feeling tired at this stage is normal. I think part of it is that you're not getting a lot of nutrition and the other part is that as you lose fat, the hormones and toxins stored there make you feel icky on the way out. Also, at least for me, I did not lose much during the puree phase. Perhaps that was my (typical) 3 week stall. You'll have a few ups among the downs on the scale even when doing everything by the book. It's just your body adjusting. Just keep working your plan and it'll come off.

Surgery date October 14, 2012 Height 5'6" HW: 235 SW: 223 CW: 150 Current Size 6 Goal 145 Stretch Goal 135 5 pounds from first goal and I've lost an Olsen Twin! LOL

Cheating by definition - act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination. For "cheating" to have happened there must be a winner and a loser. How exactly does your success in getting healthy diminish the the other person here? Pure ignorance! I guess I've been lucky, no one's ever said that to me! No actually, THEY are lucky no one's ever said that to me! LOL!

Yes! Even my surgeon, at my 6 month follow up told me if I didn't lose any more I was still considered "a WLS Success", though my BMI was still in the obese range at that time! When I asked him about it, he did tell me that it was okay to lose more as long as I maintained weight withing the healthy BMI range, but STILL! Makes me wonder if he wasn't just checking off a box for his stats, "yep, another success"! I did adjust my initial goal up by 10 pounds from 135 to 145, (I'm 5'6") as I'm already wearing a loose size 6 most days, (I can fit a 4 sometimes) at 150 pounds. I eat about 1200 calories most days and exercise 5 days per week and I'm still losing. So I still have a stretch goal of 135. I may lose that last 10 anyway as I try to figure out what blend of exercise and calories makes me maintain instead of lose. Seems impossible to me right now to eat more than I already do without adding more sugar\junk. I'm trying to have faith that if I continue healthy behaviors my body will level out in a good place, whatever that looks like!

I get concerned when I hear someone say "I don't do protein shakes". It makes it sound like you've decided you're not up to following the post op prescription to get the required amount of protein. The protein, the supplements, the portion control, the exercise, is what we signed up for when we let someone cut us open so we could get healthy. We all need to pay attention to our after care. FOREVER. *End Rant* That said, there are lots of alternatives to "protein shakes" that can get you to your goal. For me, that's 74g per my Bariatric surgeon's instructions. I throw a scoop of chocolate Protein powder in my coffee every morning. Makes it taste like a latte and gives me 24g of protein. Isopure makes a clear, pre-bottled drink that tastes kind of like a Jolly Rancher. They have 42g of protein. The body can only absorb 25-30g at a time, so pace yourself with the super-high protein options. There's protein pudding, protein brownies and protein shooters. There are a variety of Protein Bars, Quest is one of the best nutritionally with 20g of protein and only 3 sugars. Another fav of mine is PowerCrunch with 14g and 5 sugars. That one tastes like a wafer cookie! If you refuse to do "protein supplements" at all, it CAN be gotten strictly from food, but personally, I couldn't live like that. I like variety. And vegetables. And occasionally carbs. And I would have room for none of it if I didn't use protein supplements in addition to a high protein diet. Have a look at http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/. She's a long term success WLS patient and advocate and has a million recipes and ways to boost your protein intake that you may not have considered. Best of luck to you!

I'm nearly at goal and can fit a 4, 6 or an 8 depending on the cut. Most of my jeans and pants are 6 women's or 7 Jrs today. I do have an XS maxi skirt, but those stretch, lol. Have to admit, I enjoyed purchasing (and wearing) that immensely! The smallest "old clothes" I had were size 10, so all of those are long since donated and I don't have much to compare.

I didn't know that that Morbid Obesity was actually on my Dad's death cert until my Mom told me when she made her peace with the news I was going to do WLS. It just strengthened my resolve that I was saving my life by getting the sleeve. As for the coughing when lying flat, get some risers from your local bed and bath store and put 2 under the top feet under your bed so its at a decent angle. It takes some getting used to, but it's way more comfortable than a wedge pillow. If it relieves your symptoms, there's a really good indication you have silent reflux. An EGD (part of the pre-op test process for most of us) will help confirm. Mine found a small hiatial hernia they fixed in my procedure. Issues were worse the first month post-op and have now completely resolved with a single night time dose of PPI. I can sleep flat now too!

The stat I've heard is 80% are able to maintain "success" which in bariatric circles is to keep off 80% of their weight loss. My surgeon told me I was a WLS "success" at my 6 month appointment when for me, I wasn't near "done" yet. I hadn't quite even achieved a healthy BMI at that point and personally wanted to be in the middle of the healthy zone before I stop losing. Success by his criteria was not that I reached "goal" but that I'd lost 80% and had erased my pre-op co-morbidities achieving a healthy lifestyle. I was also told that many people gain 10-15 pounds from their lowest post op weight, which kinda jives with the metabolic reset theory. Another reason to not fear going a little lower with the understanding that it's okay to fluctuate in a particular range without going over. Bottom line is, if we go back to bad habits, (not exercising, grazing on crap all day, etc.) we can fail at this. I don't intend to let that happen!

The sleeve is a treatment for a condition that can eventually kill you. I watched my Dad commit slow suicide by knife and fork and die at 54. I was 13 years old. Always overweight to obese, I "carried it well" too... Until I turned 40 when my lifestyle really began to catch up with me. High blood pressure, (3 meds) not well controlled even then, high cholesterol (1 med) , borderline diabetic and asthma that kept me up all night coughing despite the 4 meds they had me on to try and control it. It hurt to move, so I just didn't. Today, I'm a healthy, happy 47 year old with a new lease on life. I exercise regularly, eat what I like in small portions, keep track of my calories\Protein count and take my vitamins\protein. The only medication I take besides supplements is one dose per day of the post-op PPI (acid reducer), which I may take for life. Apparently the "asthma" was mostly reflux showing up as a cough in me. Correctly diagnosed and treated during my treatment. If I have any regret, it's that I didn't do it sooner! Do what you need to do to take care of your health!

I think it depends on whether you're getting the results you want. I've been eating 1000-1200 calories per day and exercising 500-600 calories 5 days per week since around month 3 or 4. My weight loss has been slow and steady pretty much the entire time. I eat what I like, including small treats and occasionally, alcohol. I'm 5 pounds from goal and loving my new lifestyle. At the rate I'm going, I expect I'll go below my pre-defined goal of 145, maybe as low as 135, (an even 100 pounds loss) but I doubt seriously that I'll settle there. If I do, I do, but I feel\look fine now and I'll feel fine at 145 in 5 pounds. Wherever I "land" I'll set a 5 pound range on either side of it and focus on maintaining that range. I feel like I've set myself up for a maintenance calorie goal of 1250-1300 which seems like a lot to me right now, but I'm sure I'll find a way to adjust. :-)

I watched my dad commit slow suicide by knife and fork. He died of Morbid Obesity at 54 when I was 13 years old. I had been overweight to obese my entire life and managed to remain fairly healthy (stats wise) in spite of it until I hit 40. Then started the high blood pressure, (3 meds) the cholesterol (1 med) and the asthma (4 meds). My sugars had me in borderline diabetic territory and it hurt to move. I could not and would not accept that this was to be my life, so at 47, I took what some believe is a drastic step, having 85% of my stomach removed and changed my life forever. No more high blood pressure, high cholesterol or asthma. Normal sugars. The only prescription I take now is my post-op prescribed PPI. I LIKE to exercise. I LIKE to socialize. I have more energy and confidence than I ever thought possible! I didn't "accept" the health consequences of the life I was leading and got the help I needed to be healthy. No different than treating any other health condition as far as I'm concerned.

I'm 8 months post-op and 85 pounds down... I have lost... an Olsen Twin. 1) when you eat and get full, is it the same feelling as today, just without the big food quantities? Or is it a different feeling? It's different. I feel fullness less in my stomach and more in my chest\throat now. 2) are you handicapped for life? Like the need to avoid certain foods and certain drinks. Since about month 4, I've been able to eat whatever I like in small quantities. Rice was the last hold out, but I can do that now too as long as I take it slow. I drink alcohol on occasion, (even a beer sometimes!) but not nearly like used to. I do not drink even diet soda. Just a choice. I don't really want it anymore and the carbonation is supposed to be bad for my sleeve. 3) can u ever drink a whole cup of Water, or will you need to sip slowly for life (sounds lile a torture). I can't gulp, but I can drink normal mouthfuls of water. Took a few months to get there, but feels perfectly normal now. 4) just tell me about ur day to day life. I dont know if u had the same feeling, but I sometimes think to myself that I might be crazy to be cutting an organ that functions 100% right. I'm up at 4:30 am and on the exercise bike for an hour every work day. I burn 500-600 calories per the heart rate monitor. I look forward to it now as I get to feed my NetFlix addiction for an hour a day, I've developed a good habit and it allows me to eat pretty much what I like in small quantities and still lose weight. I take a handful of Vitamins and I have 1 egg with a slice of cheese for breakfast. I Am. Full. I have a scoop of Protein powder in my coffee, (bonus 20g). I work. Have a handful of almonds about 9am. Some of them have thick dark chocolate! High protein lunch followed by a high protein dinner, (typically 3 oz of some kind of meat each meal) and I've hit my 80g of protein for the day and stayed under 1000 calories. If I want an afternoon snack or something I have it. If I'm busy, probably won't bother. Afternoons\evenings\weekends are motorcycle riding, dating, yard work, dog walking, festivals, movies, TV, shopping for smaller clothes. I wear a 4 or a 6 now after having been an 18. I finish the day with another Multivitamin and 1 Omeprazole, (stomach acid reducer) the only prescription I take after giving up 3 BP meds, cholesterol meds, several asthma meds, etc. Life. Is. GOOD!

99% of the time the comments are compliments so I try to accept them graciously and move the conversation along. If folks are asking about specific numbers, I usually use something non-specific, like I've lost an Olsen Twin! There are people out there who are struggling with weight or know someone who is. If I can be a cheerleader for them or educate a bit along the way, I'm happy to share. Eventually the "attention" will subside when folks get used to seeing me at a healthy weight. Until then, I'll just enjoy the ride!

By the time I'd made up my mind that I was going to have surgery, I was way more scared about where my life was headed if I didn't do it, (that picture was 100% bleak), than of the potential complications if I did (like 5% potential complications). I chose the sleeve over they bypass as with a BMI of 37, I had about 100 pounds to lose. Not as much as a lot of folks here, but still a significant amount. I didn't want\need the malabsorption effect you get with they bypass and long term the complications, (dumping, etc) were less. Plus I just liked the idea of keeping it simple. Some docs prefer the bypass as it is the "gold standard" for WLS. It's been around longer as a WLS. The fact is, that they've been doing stomach reductions (sleeves) for a long time for gastric issues, (ulcers, cancer, etc), so the procedure is not as "new" as you might think. It's just only been approved as a WLS by insurance in the last 2 years or so. For me it was the best decision I ever made. No complications, out of the hospital in 24 hours and back to work the next week. Now, nearly at my goal, I've lost an "Olsen Twin" and have left an armload of health problems behind. I enjoy an active lifestyle and eat what I like in small portions. I can totally trade the lifetime of extra supplements, Vitamins and Protein for what I've achieved today. Life. Is. Good!

For me, exercise is what gives me the flexibility eat what I like in small portions. 5 days per week I spend an hour on my stationary bike. I burn 500-600 calories at a shot and enjoy an hour of whatever NetFlix series I'm currently addicted to in the process. I take weekends off from focused exercise, but I'm way more active that I used to be. When I'm living life this way, I can have a small treat daily if I want and still meet my nutrition goals while losing weight. I record everything that goes in and know what I burn, so I never feel guilty as I'm working a balance that naturally thin people have already figured out! I wouldn't trade this for anything! It's what motivates me to be up at 4:30am to get it done so that life, fatigue, etc. doesn't get in my way at the end of the day. My new size 27 (size 7 Jr. jeans) MissMe's are pretty good motivation as well! LOL

My mother was trying to be supportive as she'd watch my dad literally kill himself by knife and fork at 54, but she was scared and uneducated about the process. As educated as I thought I was going in, I was not in a place to counter her fears, so I took her to meet with my Bariatric Nurse Coordinator. What a difference that made! She still had her fears, but they were managed as she was well informed and she was my ally in the process which made all the difference.

Take the time you need, but understand that Protein and hydration are a LIFETIME commitment after VSG. It's so easy to not get enough of one or the other unless you make a point to focus on it. I'm 8 months out and still have to be intentional about both. Not enough Water and my blood pressure drops so I get dizzy. Not enough protein (I still use 1-2 protein supplements per day in addition to food to hit my 70+ g) and I get tired and don't lose weight well, (not to mention the potential hair loss if you let that go for very long).

Sorry you are having this experience, especially with family. I just don't get the "that's cheating" mentality. For cheating to have taken place, there must be a winner and a loser and YOU taking action to improve YOUR health diminishes NO ONE! I used to be lazy. It hurt to move. I used to sit on the couch, or on the sofa and play video games or watch TV all the time. Now, I get up at 4:30 every morning because I love the way an hour on my bike makes me feel! I walk stairs voluntarily and choose to be more active because I can and because I'm grateful for my health. I had a disease that was killing me like it killed my dad at 54. There was a procedure available to help me fight that disease, so I took it and am ever so grateful for my new found health!

My original goal was 135 pounds, (I'm 5'6 and that puts me smack in the middle of healthy BMI, plus it's an even 100 pound loss, lol), but after losing 85 pounds and chatting with my doc, I adjusted my goal up by 10 pounds which puts me 5 pounds from goal. I'm in a size 6 now (and some of them are loose), which is a size I've NEVER seen in my adult life as I was overweight even as a child. I'm keeping a stretch goal of 135 and at the rate I'm going, I'll make that too! Doc says as long as I stay within the healthy BMI zone, it's all good. Friends\family are starting to be more vocal about telling me to stop now! I'm not sure how to stop, exactly! I know its about calories in vs calories burned, but I have no intention of dialing back the exercise, (1 hr, 5 days per week), and I don't know how I can eat more without eating more junk! I already eat what I like in small quantities which includes treats fairly often and 2 planned snacks per day. Hoping my body will "adjust" when the time comes!

I've heard that too, however I've seen folks buck that trend. One in particular had R\Y 13 years ago, lost like 200 pounds, and recently took off the last 20. I'm 8 months out and I know my weight loss has slowed down a lot over time, (which works for me as I'm about done anyway). In addition to being the easiest time to lose weight, it's the time when you'll build the habits that will need to carry your through the rest of your life as a thin person! Make the most of your first year!

Did that with a chocolate chip cookie just this week at a tech conference! Had been actively searching for them, (it was 3 pm and I KNEW there was a table somewhere)! When I found it, happily munched down half a cookie and promptly tossed the rest feeling only slightly guilty for the indiscretion and victorious for not being a glutton!

I'm down 85 pounds, 5 pounds from goal, 15 from stretch goal. I noticed it about 1/2 way through. Stomach has held up fairly well, (I'll never qualify for a tummy tuck for insurance). Boobs and arms are really loose, but I've always carried a the weight a little high so I guess it's to be expected. Never could wear Victoria's Secret before, but the girls enjoy a nice VC boost today!

I have BCBS of Kansas. I think it took about a week and 1/2. I called them every other day to "check in" and knew before the Dr's office was notified.

You will use the cr@p out of that bullet the first month post-op. So easy! I still use mine today for an occasional shake and to make home made dressings and dipping sauces for meat. Yummers!