McButterpants

Do a search here for 3 week stall - you'll find a ton of posts. It's perfectly normal. Here's my suggestion - STOP WEIGHING. The scale is bad for your soul. It's evil. Let's look at the facts - you are still recovering from major surgery, your body is still recovering. Your body is also trying to figure out what you just did to it - you just removed 75% of a major organ! You've also limited your caloric intake to virtually nothing and you've probably increased your physical activity. Your body is in "WTF?????" mode. You didn't gain your weight overnight - let's not put the added stress on the situation by expecting your body to lose it overnight. Take a deep breath - you're going to be fine. I went thru the same thing - to save my sanity, here's what I did. My husband hid the scale from me and brought it out once per week. I took my measurements 1-2 times per month - I could actually see myself losing inches, even tho the scale wasn't moving I took a picture of myself once per week - I was literally melting away even tho the evil scale fairy was telling me I wasn't losing pounds. I love looking back at my journey thru pictures - you can actually see my attitude change as the weight comes off. It's amazing - I have more life in my eyes as the time goes by. I had to learn to not give the scale power over my thoughts - it's just a number on a piece of electronic equipments, why do we allow it the power over us? it can ruin our mood, our day, our confidence. Please do not give it that much power. I'm 18 months out and I weigh a couple of times a month now - it's just not that important to me any more. What's important to me is how I reel - emotionally and physically. The scale cannot tell me that.

I used to love bread and potatoes! (Actually, any carb - Pasta, chips, pretzels, etc - you name a carb, I was all over it) Here's what I have found since surgery - the complex carbs (I call them "bad" carbs), don't make me feel great. "Good carbs" do not have the same affect. I will have a couple of bites of a good crusty bread, but that's it - I know if I have more than that, my tummy is going to let me hear about it. I still get enjoyment out of it. Potatoes don't do it for me any more. I am very picky about what I put in my mouth - if it doesn't taste wonderful, I'm not going to waste the few bites I get on crappy tasting food.

My doc said to let them fall off on their own...I think it was about 10 days for off them to come off.

I'm a believer in the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should"...

My advice is to follow your doctor/NUT directions to a T...that will help ensure your long term success. My surgeon was very progressive on introducing real food immediately, but my local doctor whom I entrusted with my follow up care was not. I actually had to "regress" when I got home and follow her diet which meant going back on liquids. Just because another patient's doctor allows them to introduce "real food" immediately after surgery, doesn't mean you should.

I don't crave sugar or sweet things like I used to. I still have a sweet treat sometimes, just not as much of it. Yesterday I had some bites of an Oreo Blizzard from DQ. I wanted more, but knew if I ate more than a few bites, I wouldn't feel well after. For me, it wasn't just sweets, it was carbs in general - breads, pastas, sugars - all those unhealthy refined carbs. If I overdo it on those kinds of foods, I don't feel good. If I order a sandwich at Subway, I will take a 2-3 bites with the bread (gives me the feeling of normalcy), then just eat the meat and veggies on the inside.

Being nervous is perfectly normal. The days leading up to surgery were exciting and scary at the same time. I almost backed out of surgery the night before and the morning of surgery. On surgery day, I sat in admitting thinking "I could leave right now and I'll only be out $500." Then I looked over at my husband who was equally scared as I was. We didn't say anything to each other - I don't even think we made eye contact. I just looked at him and knew this was something I had to do. I made the choice to walk down the hall and get things started. I am so thankful I didn't let fear win in that moment. I'm 18 months out and am finally living the life I was meant to live. My weight and food no longer rule my thoughts and my world. I'm happy and content. I smile A LOT now. I am active in my own life and not just in the physical sense. I'm more engaged with my family and friends. I'm a better wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, etx. I got a promotion at work - I don't think because I'm skinnier, I think because I carry myself a different way - I'm more confident, I'm not pissed off at the world all the time and I am more calm. I feel better physically - no more aches and pains. I do hot yoga 4-5 times a week, I hike, I work out at the gym, I like being active. I have a goal to do a 5K every month until November and I made a goal to log 1000 miles in 2015. I feel attractive to my husband - he never said anything about my weight, but one time I remember asking, "How can you possibly find me the least bit attractive?" Was it all sunshine and lollipops the past 18 months? Hell no! It was hard work filled with anxiety, second guessing my decision to have surgery, tears, anger, frustration, etc. It's been hard - I was not emotionally prepared to make this journey; I had not addressed my emotional issues towards food. I had to address those issues while recovering from surgery which was very hard. There are still days where I wish I could sit down to a bowl full of Pasta and awesome crusty bread slathered in butter and just go to town, but those days are fewer and farther between than they used to. This surgery is a life changer...for me it was one of the biggest decisions I had ever made in my life. Now, 18 months later, I know that short of marrying my husband and having my son, it was the best decision I could have made for al of us. Best of luck to you. You're down the home stretch! Let us know how you're doing...

Telling people is such a personal choice - you get many opinions on this board about it. I did not feel comfortable shouting from the rooftops that I had surgery - when I chose to have surgery, I did not sign up to be a flag bearer for bariatric surgery. Before surgery 18 months ago, I told 5 people - my husband, son, parents and good friend. Since surgery, I've told 2 people, my financial planner and best friend. I have no idea why I told my financial planner - it was a weird day and he asked me about losing weight and it just came out, even to the surprise of my husband. I told my best friend while we were on a hike and I just felt compelled to tell her - I felt like I was not being organic with her, so I told her and it felt good. I do not feel compelled to tell other people, not even my brothers. I live in a small community that runs on gossip and rumor - I know if I told one person in the drop off line at school that the gossip would return to me by the end of day with most people that I know sharing in it. It's not worth it to me. I've done so much "house cleaning" during this process - ridding my life of people that suck the energy out of you and working on living a positive and healthy lifestyle, that being the center of gossip and rumor did not appeal to me. My suggestion is to do what your gut tells you to do. I find me initial gut feeling is usually on and when I ignore it, I end up wishing I hadn't. Do some soul searching and decide who you want to tell and think about why you want to tell them. I wouldn't tell people "just because". Best of luck to you!

I'm 18 months (female) out and just had a dinner at a great steakhouse in Dallas...Here's what I had: A few of bites of an appetizer called a crabstack (think 7 layer dip with crab meat). It was delicious, but I knew I had more food coming, so I just had a few of bites. Then came the salad - I had a few bites with blue cheese dressing. It was heavenly. Again, I had to stop myself because I knew I had the main event heading out soon. Then my 6 ounce filet came with some roasted Beans and mashed potatoes - I again, enjoyed a few bites, enjoying each and every nibble. The steak was done to perfection for me - just a hair above medium. The potatoes weren't wonderful, so I didn't waste my bites on those. The beans were awesome, ate a couple. I packed up most of the steak and veggies, which I nibbled on a few hours later - I eat every 3-4 hours. I was full - I try to never eat until I'm full, I try to eat until I'm satisfied, sometimes that hard, especially when you have different courses coming out at different times. You have to pace yourself. In the past 18 months I have felt "weird" about the small amount of food I can eat and that was a couple of weeks ago when out with friends. My tummy was really restrictive that day for some reason and I ate very little while one of the gals we were with ate an entire chicken sandwich and fries after eating a salad. I was surprised at how much she ate, but then thought "I could have done that 2 years ago and probably did." She commented on how little I ate and it made me uncomfortable for some reason - I've been in many social situations where I have eaten with others, but this one was very obvious at how little I ate.

I didn't have a particular number they gave me for carbs. I found when I reduced them on my own, when I went too low, I didn't feel good - I felt really bad (low energy, headache, etc). I couldn't tolerate a salad until about a year post-op. Fruit was really hard on my tummy and still is - I ate 1/4 of a banana yesterday and didn't feel well after. I can do some fruit in my shakes, that doesn't bother me. Veggies are still hit or miss for me 18 months out - I can usually tolerate a few bites, but I don't over indulge, that's painful. Here's my opinion on carbs - there are good carbs and bad carbs. Whole foods are good, refined foods are generally bad. I try to stay away from refined carbs - bread, Pasta, white sugar, etc.

Yep, I was on outpatient. In admitting at 6:00 am and left the hospital at noon. I could have stayed a little longer, but I was ready to go. I see more and more doctors and insurance companies doing outpatient - more than 18 months ago when I had my surgery. I had my doctor's cell number and we had the route to the local hospital mapped out.

I travelled out of my area for surgery (I went to Las Vegas). I chose a local bariatric surgeon to do my follow ups - I felt better having her rather than my primary care physician. She did my follow ups at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year and yearly after that.

I agree to ask him for sure...I walked about that for the first 10 days after surgery. I didn't sleep well those first few nights, so I got up and paced around the condo. I flew home from my surgery 7 days post-op. No issues other than I couldn't lift my luggage due to weight restrictions. I had no problems. I'm 18 months and live a perfectly normal life other than people commenting on how little I eat - not in a bad way...it's more like "that's how you stay so small"...I snicker to myself!

So, tomorrow is a new day - don't make this a trend. Take back control tomorrow. You got this.

You look fantastic! I sometimes catch glimpses of my reflection in a mirror or window and don't recognize myself...it's weird. A good weird, but weird nonetheless!

I was outpatient as well - in at 6:00 am and out by noon. I could have stayed a little later in the day, but felt like I would be more comfortable at our rented condo. I was nervous about the outpatient thing at first, but had no complications.

I'm 18 months out and can eat any kind of food I want - it's been like that since about month 9. I can't eat large quantities, but that's OK, I can still have a little bit of everything I want. There are foods that no longer hold appeal - bread, pastas - I used eat those daily! I'm content with my diet. As far as activity - I was able to walk a mile about 5 days post-op and I haven't stopped walking since. I run, I hike, I work out at the gym, I do hot yoga. I do anything I want with regard to activity.

Yeah there are a lot of expenses that I didn't anticipate. Think of all the money you'll save on food and medical over the course of the next couple of years!

Agree with the above - exercising in the Water is great. The elliptical and stationery bike are also great, low-impact. As you lose weight, you'll feel better and will be able to integrate different activities.

Had a hernia that I didn't know I had repaired during surgery - no issues at all since surgery 18 months ago.

I do hot yoga...yoga in a 104 degree room for 80 minutes. Dehydration anyone? :-) I am one of those people that cannot drink a lot of Water at one time - there are some sleevers that can eventually gulp water, I am not one of them. I make sure I focus on my water the night before my 5:30 am class the next morning. YOu want to make sure you are hydrated before - it's harder to hydrate and stay hydrated DURING the exercise session. It's easier to go to your workout session adequately hydrated and sip thru out the session. During my yoga session or a gym workout, I sip thru it - I know I can sip three times...any more than that and it hurts. I sip when I get the opportunity.

You're going to be fine...fear is normal. I almost backed out of surgery in admitting...I was so scared. My husband was scared. I think it's perfectly normal. I agree with the above comments...obesity, hypertension, diabetes, future surgery for joint replacements - yeah, that's scary too. I am so happy I didn't back out - I didn't let fat or fear win. I am finally living the life I'm supposed to live.

I completely agree - Those first few months are hard enough without the added pressure of that stupid scale. I drove myself crazy, crying as I stood on the scale because I didn't lose a fraction of a pound. I gave all the power to the scale. My husband hid the scale from me - he brought it out once per week. This saved my sanity. I would also suggest taking measurements - I lost 7 inches without losing a pound during one "stall". Also, take pictures. I took a few pictures with the same shirt - even though I wasn't losing pounds, I could see the shirt get looser and looser. You can also see the physical changes - I love going thru my picture journal. Great topic @@Kindle!!!!!!

There are good carbs and bad carbs...Complex carbs are needed - those are the good ones and found in whole foods. Simple carbs are the bad ones - those are found in processed foods. Try to avoid the simple carbs - Pasta, rice, Cereal, tortilla chips. Beans are filled with carbs, but they are good carbs. Once you're approved for fruits and veggies, those are great (more veg than fruit). When I was newly sleeved I limited my carbs because I thought that would make me lose - it made me feel like crap. I am very active - I work out daily. My body needs those complex carbs - I experimented with different quantities of carbs until I found my sweet spot.

Search three week stall and you'll find out very quickly, you're not alone. Keep in mind - you're still recovering from major surgery...you removed most of a major organ. You're consuming MUCH less food than you did a few weeks ago. You're moving your body. So your body is like, "what the heck is going on? What are you doing to me?" Be kind to your body - you've put it thru a lot. It's going to continue to recover and realize that things are OK and let loose of some weight. Be patient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!