McButterpants

Perfectly normal - I had doubts and 2nd thoughts before surgery. Almost backed out the day before and morning of surgery. What I know now, almost 4 months post-op - it was totally worth for me and my family. I still enjoy food, just not as much of it. We still eat out, I just nibble off my husband's plate. I still cook - my husband loves my pizza's made with a tortilla shell. Things will be a little weird immediately after surgery when you're doing your post-op liquids and soft foods diet. Once you're cleared for all foods, you're pretty much back to normal.

I have some bread but not a lot - I just don't want it much any more. I was a breadaholic pre-surgery. I might have 1/2 a slice of toast w/ breakfast, but usually don't finish it. I've nibbled on some bread at an Italian place, but it just doesn't have the same draw as it used to.

I am cold most of the time...sweatshirts and big socks are wardrobe staples for me. Pre-surgery, I was always hot.

I struggled to get my Protein and Water in as at 3 weeks as well - you just do the best you can. Remember, you're still recovering from major surgery. I agree with the above post - maybe try a different Protein Drink. It's not uncommon for you to become intolerant to a particular brand after surgery. Also, try thinning it out a bit more than usual. Some become lactose intolerant after surgery - that may be something to look into. Also, unjury makes an unflavored protein supplement - you can add it anything and it doesn't change the taste. One thing that helped me get some protein in early on was Health Wise Hot chocolate (I purchased mine at www.mybariatricpantry.com). It has 15 grams of protein, so not as much as a shake, but it really did help me get my numbers up when I couldn't stand the thought of another shake. Best of luck to you! Things will get better, I promise!

Hi there. My stats are similar to yours. In my opinion, the way you're living right now is not sustainable for you to get to the 100 pound mark. Basically what you're talking about is living on a liquid diet (Optifast, Medifast, etc) until you get to your goal. Studies show that those types of diets allow you to lose a lot of weight quickly, however, once you start introducing foods back in, the weight comes back. You need lifestyle changes - I mean, that's how we all go to our high weights.

I am 3.5 months out - I can do anything I did prior to surgery. I just returned from a trip to San Francisco where my husband and I walked all over the city, including the really steep hills. We had a great time. For food - I have no restrictions. I am free to eat anything I want. I follow my docs rule of Protein first and if I have room, a couple of bites of vegetable and if there is room, maybe some bread. I don't get the to bread. :-) At 7 months, you should be living a normal life, assuming you had no complications. Enjoy!!!!!!

Glad to hear you've scheduled a visit with a psych. I agree with the above - get the junk out of the house, office, car, etc. Remember that discipline you had right after surgery? Protein first, weighing and measuring your food, drinking Water, etc...get back to basics. You know what worked before, go back to that. I allowed myself to get off track recently and found that going back to 1-2 shakes per day helps keep the cravings for the bad food at bay. You have been so successful - this is just a speedbump. Regain control. I wish you only good things!!!!

Heck yes I was scared! I was terrified. I think it's normal to think about the "what if" statements. I read about the complications and risks, yes, including death. I assessed the risks and talked about them with my husband. This is not a decision you take lightly (no pun intended). Inaction has it's own risks - for me, it was the looming diabetes. I felt ill and tired all the time. I was often in pain. I got frequent headaches. Those are the just the physical things...emotionally I was a wreck. I wasn't an active participant in my own life - I was a spectator in my own life. Pre-surgery, I had moments of thinking about backing out. Asking myself if I worked hard enough to lose weight on my own. Asking "How did it get to this?" For me, this was the best decision I could have made. My husband once said, "The surgery is going to force your hand" to lose weight. There's no turning back - this changed my life. It hasn't been all sunshine and lollipops - it's been hard work and I have been happy, sad, mad and depressed since surgery. I now realize I'm stronger than I ever thought I was.

The night before I had surgery, my husband and I were driving down the road and I got really pissed off. I looked at all the places to eat and thought to myself, "I'm never going to be able to eat there again!" "Krispy Kreme donuts, never again." Here's what I can tell you almost 4 months after surgery - it doesn't matter to me. food no longer has the same hold over me. It's weird. My husband will ask what I want to do for dinner and my response is usually, "I really don't care. You pick." And I really mean that - it really doesn't matter to me. I'm going to eat a few bites and be done. I had pizza from a really great place the other night. I ate some turkey beforehand, then had one slice of pizza and was completely satisfied. I would have never thought that would happen 4 months ago. You will probably start thinking of food differently - you'll start looking at it as fuel for your body rather than looking for it for comfort. I do. I am not saying I never want something sweet - I do and when I do, I have a Protein bar. One thing I didn't realize prior to surgery was my emotional dependence on food. I wish I would have identified those problems prior to surgery because I had to struggle thru them on my own after surgery. Had a bad day at work? Head to the kitchen - oh wait, I can't just grab those pretzels. I need to think about what I can eat. I can't eat yet, because I just had some Water and need to wait 30 minutes. And when I eat, it needs to be some protein...I got frustrated! I wasn't prepared for that emotional stuff.

Tell me your story!

I have a desk job and I telecommute - I had surgery on a Thursday and started working 1/2 days starting the following Monday. There was one day I worked the whole day, but was really tired. If I had to go to an office, I would have taken the week following surgery off completely. I needed time to rest and take care of myself.

Right on, Jean! Good points.

According to my doctor, when you start weight training, your body will hold on to Water, sometimes for a long time. This helps your muscles recover. Also, muscle is more dense than fat. I noticed my weight loss slowed down when I started working out - I logged a lot of miles and minutes in the month of February and only lost 4 pounds. It was discouraging, but I can see my body changing. My clothes are looser and I can see I'm getting smaller even though the scale is telling me something different. I'm trying to change my mindset about the scale - we are conditioned from a very early age to focus on the scale. I'm trying to look at other things now - like my labs (blood pressure is down to normal, cholesterol already reduced, etc), my clothes and the fact that I have more energy and feel better today than I did 56 pounds ago. Take a look at other indicators - take your measurements and take pictures of yourself. I bet those will tell you a different story than that stupid scale!!!!

You'll feel better once you've tooted! LOL. Just keep walking - that will get things moving. Walking and sipping - that's what the new day or so will be about.

Metamucil and a good quality probiotic helped me. I also took Colace - sometimes that was the only thing that worked.

Congratulations!!!!! Enjoy all of these NSV's. There are all important. I think we often get hung up on that number on the scale and we don't look at the other things!

Great job! Keep sipping that Water. Are you able to walk yet?

Awesome! Now I know what your status update was about! Wear them with pride! You look great!

You can purchase the ingredients to make your own. The artificial sweetener may be causing the problem. I hope you find the solution on Monday!!!

Hi there. I admire you for going thru this surgery at 17. Wow, you are brave and I'd give you a pat on the back. I agree with the poster above - you should contact your doc. They might have a suggestion on a different kind of Protein shake or different options for you personally. They should also know you're what you're not tolerating so they can provide a solution for you post op - shakes will probably be a part of your post-op diet as well. Best of luck to you. I look forward to watching your progress!

I can't wait for spring and summer...I'm going to be able to shed the big sweatshirts and sweaters and start wearing shorts. People will notice then! LOL

Right on as always, gmanbat!!!! A pound of fat is about 3500 calories...I don't know about you guys, but I'm not consuming 3500 calories a day..or even three days! It doesn't make sense when you look at it rationally - You are eating so little food right now, probably less than 1000 calories. You're burning fat, I guarantee you are. Be patient - you're body's job is to make sure it functions properly. The only things you can control are what you put in your mouth and how much you exercise. Your body will take care of the rest...on it's time schedule.

Hi there. I'm coming off a one month stall - the entire month of February. Ugh. My first stall was between weeks 3 and 4 for 10 days. It sucks. Here's my suggestion for you - stop weighing. It's difficult, but weighing every day or multiple times during the week is counterproductive. Your body is constantly adjusting - maybe it wants to hold on to some Fluid because it thinks your muscles need it, that can cause you to gain 3 or 4 pounds. It doesn't mean you gained 3-4 pounds of fat! I had to go so far as to have my husband hide the scale from me and bring it out once per week. I want to weigh every day, but it's not good for my soul. Another thing - take your measurements. That's a more true representation of what you're losing - inches. We get in this mindset that we want to lose all the weight NOW - I'm guilty of this as well - I didn't get to 256 pounds overnight. It took a lot of work over the course of 25 years to get that fat. I'm not going to lose it in the 3.5 months since surgery.

your parents sound so much like mine. My mom is so supportive of my choice to have surgery, as she struggles with her weight too. so she can relate. she now has diabetes but has been trying hard to manage it with iet and is doing good. My father on the other had is partly the reason I have been holding off on this surgery. he is the one who thinks "I can do it on my own", he thinks I just need to get my heard in the game, he says surgery doesnt change your mind set, that comes from with in. These things he says are all true and thats what keeps me going back and forth with my choice. Im putting it off because of his belief in me. Im trying for him, but im just not getting anywhere. i have lost 5 lbs like 5 weeks, yo-yo back an forth with these same few pounds. Im done!!!!! The decision to have weight loss surgery is such a difficult decision. I dipped my toe in the WLS pool a couple of times and backed out thinking I could do it on my own, I need to try harder, etc. Something clicked last year - and it felt like the right decision for me and I changed my mind from the band to the sleeve. WLS is not a decision to take lightly - you have to weigh the pro's and con's and listen to those people that love you, but, at the end of the day, only you can decide what to do.

I was totally unprepared for the emotional/psychological aspect of this journey. I had not addressed my emotional eating, sneaky eating (eating when no one was home), stress eating or anything like that. In essence, I didn't address the real issues of how I got to be over 250 pounds. Since surgery, 3.5 months ago, I've had to address my emotional issues on the fly. Support groups and forums like this help.