planetheather

This is my pile of clothes that I abandoned in Beijing after 6 weeks on on the road (10 weeks post op). It was such a great feeling to come home to an empty closet!

Congratulations! You have every right to be proud of yourself. I'm 3 months post op and if I could talk to my 3-month pre-op self, I would say the same things you just posted. I would also tell my pre-op self to never go anywhere without a bottle of water in my bag and a packet of Designer Whey Protein 2Go powder (my emergency snack option of choice). Find what works for you and get used to having that always (like a spare pair of reading glasses after your 40th birthday). :-)

Best (maybe): "Oh my gosh, you look so FRAIL!" --coworker seeing me for first time in a year. So, I Skyped my husband that night and asked if I was looking sickly. He said, no but that my weight loss was most noticeable in my face. Umm. Thanks. I'd lost 65 pounds at that point and gone from a 26 to an 18 in jeans. How ginormous was my head before?

Thank you so much for this post! I didn't know the term NSV and had to Google it. Congratulations! I know all about sitting in a chair and fitting (hello, economy airline seats). My hotel robe fit for the first time last month and I left a shirt or a pair of pants in every hotel in the last 8 weeks. Since I've been overseas I would "optimistically" pack the next size down on each trip so that I didn't have to worry about my pants falling off at work. I didn't think about my gym clothes though. Good thing those suckers have a draw string!

I'm so glad you posted. I had the same problem and I was trying same brand and same store pants. Here's what I did wrong--remember in most jeans, size 20 is really 20W. But 18 comes in both W and non-W. I'm currently in a size 16 (no W!) but I went from 20 to 18W to 16W to 18 to 16. I'm 5'7". I haven't got the math down, but it seems to me that I need a new size every 20 to 15 pounds. I use that for motivation!

I'll echo Bronco0605 and add that I was sleeved about a month before you and I've seen a pattern of stalls. I have been meticulous about getting my Protein and Water every day since surgery. I've been less meticulous but "good" about maintaining my exercise regime, but even on weeks where I'm at the gym every morning and eating almost the same food every day, I'll go 5 days with no weight loss and then all of a sudden lose a pound a day for 2 days. Then back to a plateau. What has helped keep me motivated during those spells? I put my weight on the calendar every day and I concentrate on what the month looks like instead of each day or week. Even if I've only lost a little each month, I look at those numbers as "in the past". And look at how much you've lost already! Keep going!

@Maccurdyerica You are most welcome. After all the help this site has given me, I am happy to have had the chance to help someone else. I will add that in addition to strictly following the "sleeve" eating plan, I was lucky enough that I worked from home. This is probably TMI, but I spent the winter working in a sports bra and pair of shorts. About every hour, I would be freezing again and would run down to my exercise bike and do a few minutes to warm up. At first I could only do 5 minutes and I worked my way up to 10 minutes every hour. I'm sure that helped keep my metabolism up. Good luck!

Amazing. You look like a 10 year-younger sister of your old self! I'm 3-months post op and your post is inspiring; I can only imagine what it would have been to see these pre-op! Congratulations!

Wow! Mine was an hour including the ridiculous T/F test (I see dead people). Mine was very pleasant and it was almost like a chat over coffee. I distinctly felt like it was a rubber stamp procedure. My approval went in the same day...

Nice! I gave up all caffeine the month before my surgery (coffee was really upsetting my stomach and my only other vice was diet coke). At 3 months post op, I've just added hot tea (black) to my day at work. It makes a nice addition to the Water I sip all day and since I only have a Protein shake (from 11 to 3pm ha!), it cuts down on the overly sweet feeling I have. I haven't tried chai, but I can highly recommend some nice mild Kenyan black tea.

I will say that I did this about 6 years ago (without knowing that it was a "sleeve diet"). I told myself that I was doing Nutrition 101 and I started exercising daily. I used small plates, very small serving sizes, chewed everything until it was liquid and concentrated on a very low fat, a moderate carb and enough Protein. There were days, especially at first, when I went to bed early because I was done eating but I was really hungry. I did very well and went from 270 to 200 in 6 months. The problem was that it wasn't sustainable (for me) and within 4 years I was back to 270+. I'm not saying it can't be done. I'm saying that for me, I know the sleeve is the tool I needed in order to make it a permanent change. Whatever you end up doing, I wish you the best of luck!

I'm wondering if anyone out there did NOT have hair loss after surgery. And if not, why do you think that was so? In a post op meeting with my NUT, she told the group that everyone has hair loss after sleeve surgery. I've read a lot of theories about what causes the post op hair loss. I know it's not trauma from surgery or anesthesia because I've had several surgeries over the past 5 years with all my strands intact. I'm very curious if those who were able to get their Protein and Water in consistently were able to avoid hair loss or if in fact everyone does have hair loss. Thanks!

Thanks! Well, I can't say I have a specific regimen. In the 13 weeks since surgery, I've been on the road for 8 weeks, on 3 continents, in 5 countries and in 11 different hotels. So I'm sort of at the mercy of what's available. New Zealand was the biggest challenge. Apparently Kiwis like their fitness regime to be outdoors. The problem with that is I'm a Texas Tendertush and their definition of spring is our December. Basically I do 60 minutes of cardio almost every day and try to do an upper arm weight regime 2-3 times a week. The last two weeks I've been doing 20 minutes on the step glider, free weights (if it's a weight day), and then 40 minutes on the treadmill. The machines say I'm burning 350 calories but with my calorie intake at about 650, either my metabolism is down to nothing or the machines are lying.

At 3 months out, today I hit a marker that meant more than Onderland! I'm officially overweight and no longer obese! I was "morbidly obese" when I started (according to some calculators). Just wanted to share because it felt so awesome. Even better is that the scale in my hotel is across the compound and in the gym. So I have to weigh with clothes on (no shoes) and after my morning Protein shake. Thanks to all of you for your posts and replies. I love this site.

I told my mom because she was my ride home from the hospital. I asked her not to tell other family members except my dad. I don't think of my family as "haters" but they are definitely judgy and many are the "skinny all my life; fat people are lazy and gluttonous" types. Actually, the overweight ones are worse in that they know all the answers, they just haven't gotten around to applying them. My husband made me tell the kids and that was the right thing to do. I'm not telling any friends except 3 close ones. They have all been very supportive. I'm happy that I haven't told other friends, family or any coworkers. I just don't want to be judged or questioned about my choice. But I will share this one great conversation I had with my close friend (size 4 her whole life) about my concerns that some people would judge me that I'd taken "the easy way" out of my weight problem. Her response? "B*tch, please! You just told me that you've given up coffee, alcohol, smoking, and croissants! That sure doesn't sound like the easy way to me!" I love that chick.

@Globetrotter, and oh, my goodness you look fantastic! I'm 4 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier, I don't look nearly that good! I'm going to have to see about adding Insanity to my schedule!

I didn't mean to discourage anyone. I was just curious if anyone knew if our metabolism changes (if they exist) also effect our calorie burn count. If it makes you feel better, I'm taking most of what that particular NUT says with a side of self-research or second opinion. She's the one who told me I was wasting my time drinking a double Protein shake over a 4-hour period because "your body can only absorb so much protein at a time". It turns out that is wildly outdated thinking based on an extrapolation that doesn't hold true.

My surgery date was Sept. 17 HW 275 SW 250 CW 192 (83 down, 42 or 52 to go!) I can't say how life-changing and wonderful this surgery has been. I too don't think I'm getting enough variety. But I travel internationally for work and in the 13 weeks since my surgery, I've been on the road 8 of those weeks in India, NZ, China, and Kenya). So just making sure I'm eating "right" and getting my Protein has been enough of a challenge. I never eat raw fruits and vegetables in Asia or Africa, so I'm looking forward to trying some out when I get home for Christmas. Ha! All I want for Christmas is some salad and a hot shower!

I too haven't told anyone about my WLS (no one at work and only a very few friends and family). I feel very strongly that my personal and medical history are mine. I'm a remote worker and am bracing for the reaction I'll get in January. I haven't seen most of my coworkers since my pre-op loss so, I'll be at about 100 pounds down. Luckily it's only for 2 weeks--no time for people to THAT in my face. Seriously, your person is getting close to violating HIPPA regulations. If your boss or an HR person were acting this way, they'd be subject to real consequences. I agree with everyone who recommended that you draw the line in the sand and tell her that the subject is now closed. I'm all in favor of helping fellow weight loss strugglers, but she's lost the privilege of whatever help you might have been able to give.

I'm 3 months out. At my 3 week mark, I was down 25 pounds (250 to 225) but I had slowed way down after about a week and a half. I'm now down 57 pounds but over the last 2 months, I've averaged 3 pounds a week. Several of those weeks, I went all week at the same weight and then dropped 2 pounds over night. No idea about that but it's fairly consistent that I "plateau", have a semi-significant drop, lose steadily and then plateau again. It's irritating but the job is still getting done. As for capacity, I came home from the hospital convinced I would never be able to take a mouthful of Water at one time again! By day 10, I was able to do real sips. It still takes me almost two hours to drink a 14 oz Protein shake (I mix mine a little weaker) and for days when I'm "on podium" (I'm a tech instructor), I mix a double batch of protein (50 grams) in a 20+ oz bottle and add another 16 oz of water as I drink it. It takes me from 11 to 3pm to drink that (and I drink water as I go). I've been able to do that since week 4 but now at week 13, that hasn't changed (I'm not stretching). So in terms of comparison, you and I are about on track with each other. I hope this helps and congratulations on doing so well! Heather

I read on a different topic page about how MFP and other calorie trackers don't take into account the (generally) lower metabolism of WLS people. I know my NUT told me that a year out, most women she sees need 800-1100 calories to maintain. MFP tells me that I'll weigh next to nothing if I keep that up. I wondered if anyone knew of an app that either takes into account our lower metabolism or can be manually tweaked? I was mulling this over at the gym this morning and it made me wonder further about the accuracy of the "calories burned" on my treadmill and step glider. For my weight, the hour I spend on those two machines, I am told burns 350 calories. I'm curious if anyone knows if WLS changes anything about how many calories we're burning while exercising also? In other words, am I really only burning 275 (for example)? Thanks for any responses. Heather

I like the Designer whey Protein 2 Go packets. I keep some in my purse or carry-on bag. They have 10 grams of protein/50 calories. They are designed to pour into a 16 oz Water bottle, but I find I can only tolerate 1/2 strength. I also carry almonds. I'm 3 months post op, so at work I often take a shake bottle with 2 servings of Protein powder. About 10:30, I add water and because I like it weaker, I'll add water every once in awhile. I'm usually done with it about 3pm. Like others have said, I get my protein and my fluids and it's just so convenient under work conditions.

So, here I am on the road again. After 6 weeks in India, NZ and China, I got to home for Thanksgiving week (and hit Onederland just after Turkey Day!) But now I'm back in Nairobi and the best thing I can say is Espetada baby. Love me some grilled meats with veggies. Don't tell my office, but making sure my hotel has a good gym is now a higher priority than whether they have good wifi. I'm still traveling with bags of Jay Robb Protein shakes and foils of tuna. I found recently that I'm getting hungry at night before bed--around 9pm. In the old dieting days, I would just try to ignore it and go to sleep hungry. Last week, I would grab 2 TBLs of crab dip (that I made for Thanksgiving). This road trip I brought 100 calorie cocoa almond packets for those occasions. I would be interested in hearing what other people do about after dinner/before bed cravings.

Has anyone else had a problem with dry skin post op? I've consciously tried to make sure I get olive oil or avocado but I don't manage that every day. I do take an Omega gel at night. Is there an essential oil that would help?