Comfy_Blue

it sounds like you may be having heart burn/acid reflux. are you taking anything for that? i wasnt vomitting but before i got my stomach acid under control i used to feel hungry a lot. i started being afraid my sleeve wasn't working. once i started taking my prilosec and the acid died down i didnt feel hungry anymore. my nutritionist reccomended i eat/drink 2 to 4oz every 30 minutes all day. that also helps me feel full since i'm on full liquid diet and the only things i eat are still liquidy in nature, like yogurt or pudding. i'm wondering, have u been cleared for o.j? that has a lot of acid in it and i know some people havent even had wls have trouble stomaching o.j. my nutritionist says i should be having apple juice or sugar free crystal light, no o.j. maybe limiting your intake or diluting it with Water will help. these are just tips based on my experience. u definately should follow up w/a doctor.

whoa, 180lbs in 8 months? that's like 23lbs a month or 4 - 5 lbs per week. i'm with lipstick lady and the others. i'd like to know some more details and if you have a lot of excess skin. also, a before picture.

My understanding is that (excess) sodium makes you retain Water and overtime can give you high blood pressure. Retaining water can make you look and feel bloated. Prior to WLS, I believe that the recommended daily intake is supposed to be 2,000mg. I'm not sure what it is after WLS. I'm only 11 days out, but I've used a sprinkle of salt here and there in my food. Before I was sleeved, I used to put salt on EVERYTHING (even chicken noodle Soup which is already super salty) and I would often put salt on things before even tasting them (like a naked burrito bowl from Chipotle with tons of salsa, cheese and sour cream really doesn't need a load of salt). I think as long as you're not engaging in those types of behaviors and eating tons of processed food, you'll be okay. But of course, you should talk to your nutritionist because everybody is different.

Jan. 3 Starting Weight: 217lbs

i ate some rice pudding yesterday (90cal, 5g) and felt fine but have opted to not have anymore because it has carbs and i am in my losing phase right now. i've been looking for substitutes because i love Pasta and rice and i don't know if i can help myself with them. if u google ''cauliflower rice'' you'll find a recipe. i haven't tried it yet b/c i am still on full liquids but it looks good and some of the comments i read under the recipe said that when u cook it w/other stuff like gen tso chicken or beef and salsa it gives u the same feel and taste of rice. as for pasta. i found a recipe for zucchini fettucine w/a creamy squash sauce that looks good. nice and cheesy. same for zucchini lasagna

Oh no! I completely understand your pain because I teach first grade and believe me their personal hygiene habits leave MUCH to be desired. In the two weeks leading up to my surgery, I hand sanitized my hands raw, wore a hat and coat buttoned up under my chin everyday, wiped my desk down with Clorox wipes before eating my lunch, etc. And I STILL got a bug about a week before surgery. If you have the option, I would highly recommend taking off from work and staying home to rest. On those rare occasions that I come down with something on a Friday, I find that if I literally stay in bed resting and sipping lots of Water and broth on the weekend, by Monday I usually feel much better. I also take NyQuil at night and sometimes during the day to help me rest comfortably. Not a doctor, but I feel like when your body is sleeping, it can focus on fighting the germs with all it's strength. But when we're awake, we're spreading that strength out to do other things like walking, talking, driving our car, reading, etc. That's what works for me anyway. Good luck and I hope your surgery doesn't get post-poned, but if it does, don't be upset. It feels like it, but it isn't the end of the world. But again, I know that you're eager, because I was too.

I know the OP has left this conversation, but I wanted to just send a shout out to Laura-Vet for her response. I am still on full liquids and I confess that I have done the swallow spit a few times (mostly at holiday parties so that no one will notice i can'/am not eating). However, now that I see why this is a bad idea from Laura, i have decided i will no longer engage in that behavior. I find it more helpful to learn WHY you should just say no rather than a "healthy" way to do something that is nit good for you. To add to the OP heroin addict analogy, if a heroin addict could have a surgery to make their body physically stop craving heroin and have a much lower tolerance for it, it doesn't make sense for a doctor to say "hey here's how to clean a needle incase you want to engage in your pre surgery behaviors safely". The point of the surgery is to BREAK the cycle, not to continue it a little here and there. That's how we addicts (drug and food) got to where we are in the first place. Maybe some people can handle swallow and spit and keep their weight off for life. I am not one of them. A bite here and there turns into a swallow (which is what happened to me almost everytime I engaged in this behavior. Sometime it would be a full swallow, sometimes a partial one because of the residue, but a swallow nonetheless) After the first couple times I did this, I found it harder and harder to spit out that bite. I ended up swallowing some of my coworkers amazing buffalo, chicken dip (brought some home from the party) and I was in acid reflux agony for what seemed forever because I swallowed some. So anyway, thank you Laura for being brave and speaking up. You have helped me tremendously.

I saw Chia seeds at GNC. What's the advantage to using them? Do they make you feel more full or give a nutrition boost of some sort? The ones I saw were really expensive, like $40 for a small bag, so I wasn't will to try them until I knew more about.

Looking good girl! The crossed leg pic is my favorite. You look so sassy and comfortable in your own skin. I hope that when I've met goal I'll still have some of my curves.

That's what I figured. *sigh* guess it's back to SF double chocolate Jello pudding and chobani (I cannot WAIT until my first meal on the 8th!! My husband is making chili and I purchased a nice little food processor that purees, chops, slices, grates, minces and a bunch of other stuff) Ugh, the dreaded stalls. I hear that most people lose a lot of weight during this time, so I'll agree with you about not slowing down my lost. Are carbs really the enemy? I thought that they are okay but in moderation. Like, don't eat a huge plate of mac and cheese or rice, but it's okay to have a slice of whole wheat toast a couple times a week. I'll have to talk to my nutritionist because I don't have a good understanding of how food effects our banana tummies now. All I know is sugar and salt are bad. It's always a pleasure to meet a Ticker Twin! You're right, we're really close. So hopefully that means we'll be on the loser bench at our goal weights around the same time. Thank you for all the suggestions. I didn't know they have a cream of lobster or shrimp. I've been eating only Trader Joe broth which are all delicious, but vegetable based, so I miss meat, but can't stomach anymore clear beef or chicken broth. YECK. I tried to give away all my unused clear broth to my mom, but she swears once I can put other stuff in it (like pot roast) I'll like the broth again.

I'm 9 days out and while I haven't experienced dumping, I do find myself burping like 3 - 4 times every time I eat (which is really drinking because I'm on full liquids). I hope that others will chime in, but I've seen other people further out say that burping is often an indication that they're full and not to eat anymore. I don't think that's the case though with us newer sleevers because I'll literally take a couple sips of Water and am burping. However, if I continue to sip, I don't feel like I'm bloated/too full, nor have I ever thrown up or needed to spit out whatever I'm eating.

Hi, I'm 9 days post opt and on the full liquid diet for 14 days. I'm beyond sick of broth, plain yogurt w/dasani drops, Water, and sf pudding. Anyhow while at the market to purchase more Jello pudding i saw something called rice pudding. It's 90 calories and has 5 grams of sugar per serving (which is about a 4oz cup). I'm wondering if it's okay to eat that at this stage? My full liquid plan says i can have pudding but no Soup with chunks. I assume rice pudding has chunks, so i'm thinking it's a no. I know i need to talk to my nutritionist but it's New Years Day so her office is closed. If anyone can offer advice or tell me if rice pudding was okay on your diet that'd be great since i probablywon't be able to get in touch with my nutritionist until 10 tomorrow.

1. My sllep apnea 2. Elevated blood pressure 3. The shame of running into people i havent seen in years and wondering if they're shocked at my 50 - 100lbs weight gain since they last saw me 4. Spending $100 to $150 a week on fast food and sit down restaurants 5. Always being the fattest one in my team photo (each year our P takes a picture of each grade level team and hangs it in the front office so the parents can k iw what their child's teacher looks like. I hate how big i always look compared to my sz 1, sz 8 and sz 12 teammates) 6. Having to teach most of my lessons sitting down because standing for more than 10 minutes straight hurts my knees and feet 7. Constantly wondering/tninking about my next meal 8. Looking forward to times when my husband is coming home late from work so i can sneak and eat an entire McDonald's meal before he gets home, then ride out to Chipotle with him again and eating half a burrito bowl 9. Weighing more than my father, brother and male cousins (and they are by no means super thin guys, but average size and height) 10. The sense of utter failure and defeat because i can't control what i eatlike a normal person.

I agree 100% with gamer girl. Also, I've read other posts on here from people further out than you and I that it takes our bodies some time to regulate and really start shedding the pounds because of the trauma of surgery. One poster mentioned he didn't really start to lose much weight until he hit solid foods. By then he was a month and a half out and his stomach had had time to heal. Plus our bodies are super confused right now and probably holding on to the excess fat/weight because they're like, "Wait, I was eating 3,000+ calories a day, with tons of salt, sugar and caffeine. Now you're giving me 300 - 500 calories a day of mainly Protein, and little to no sugar, salt, or caffeine! OMG, you must be dying! There's a famine! No worries, I'll hang on to our fat stores to keep you safe and alive until you can get back to our old, comfortable diet." (Not a doctor, this is just my theory) Once your body "realizes" that you're not dying, then it has to adjust and start shedding those pounds. Also, one consolation to a slow weight loss is that you're less likely to get as many stretch marks and loose skin as our fast loser counterparts. My ex-boyfriend was extremely chubby when he joined the military, but went through several weeks of basic where he was eating a very low calorie diet and exercising like crazy. He lost A LOT of weight and packed on muscle, but had stretch marks everywhere.

I'm glad you are feeling better since your last post. I feel for you in wanting to go home. I spent about 2 days in the hospital (admitted at 10 am Monday and was allowed to leave at 7p.m. Tuesday) and i was chomping at the bits to go home. If warm drinks feel good right now, then i think that's what you should have. Just as long as you are getting your fluids. It's something i struggle with. I know you can do all those things. Just keep up the good attitude, use us here on bp as a resource and for support and get in those proteins(lol). I felt like a prisoner for too long in my body. Now i'm clawing my way to freedom. We can do this!

I was wondering the same thing to. I googled it and it looks like it is a five day eating plan that has foods that are supposed to help you break a spiral of a high carb/sugar diet snd get you back on track. It's kind of a detox. I'm not an expert though so if someone else knows better/more please chime in. Here's the link i got my information from: http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/faq.html#6

I'm so glad you're feeling better. Yes, those two days i. The hospital were really rough for me. Everyone keeps saying to walk, but it's like 'i just got cut open, i'm groggy from all the meds you keep pumping me with, with would i want to walk?" The peeing thing was annoying too because i had a lot of trouble getting out of bed (besides being sore, i had an i.v. and some other machine hooked up to me, plus these things massaging my legs to prevent blood clots). So i was waking my husband up every hour or so to unhook me, then he'd walk me to the bathroom. I don't know what i would have done without him. For me the heartburn was way worse than the gas. , i kept complaining and telling the nurse that i had a pain/pressure rising in my chest and it hurt each time i swallowed and she just kept pumping me with morphine. So the pain intensified and i felt groggy from all the morphine, but still in pain whenever i was conscious. What i needed was a prilosec or some kind of antacid. That was a pretty miserable feeling. It wasnt unbearable, but i am glad to be home recovering. I was at a really nice, upscale hospital but nothing beats your own bed!

You are not alone! I wish i had some tips for you but i am going through the exact same thing. It's hardest when i am around others. Last night a friend thrww a game nite and there was cheesecake, chicken, meatballs, mac and cheese, etc but i couldnt eat a bite. Very hard. We'll get through this though, i think it'll help once we can eat puree foods. I plan to male a big pot of chili and another of marsala (sans the rice) plus baby foodto getme through until solid foods. The only thing preventing me from eating is my friend toldme a story about a man who immediately went to McDonald's as soon as he was released from the hospital from having a lap band. He got something big, like a Big Mac and large fry and shovelled it down. Supposedly that ruptured his stomach and he had to go to the hospital where he bled out and died, I don't know if that's true or not, but i don't want to risk eating and find out.

Thank you Uala for asking that question and Pdx for answering the question. During the pre-opt clear liquid diet, I noticed that things started taking on a metallic taste and it freaked me out. I thought my taste buds were permanently screwed. Plus my breath sadly did stink. Now I'm on the full liquids faze (lots of creamy broths, pudding, yogurt, Water, and Protein shakes) and it's gotten a lot better.

I was super nervous to, but it wasn't nearly as painful as I expected. Based on my experience and those I've heard about on here during the psych exam they are checking to make sure: 1. You don't have a history/tendencies toward eating disorders (of course many of us WLS patients are "overeaters" but my psych wanted to know if I had ever been anorexic, or bulimic because both of those are extremely dangerous with our tiny, banana tummies) 2. That are you mentally sound (by which I mean you don't have delusional thoughts like, "If I lose 100lbs, then my life will be perfect." That you recognize your life will be better, but this isn't a magic "fix" that will solve all your problems) 3. That's your knowledgeable about the procedure (I was asked to tell what I knew and how did I feel about losing 85% of my stomach) 4. Your focus is on your HEALTH and not just looking hot in a bikini (I told my psych the truth -- I was starting to have joint pain, my blood pressure was elevated, I get winded easily, I had developed mild sleep apnea and my periods were becoming irregular which scared me because I want to have children in the next 1 - 2 years.) As for the nutritionist, that will be a lot less nerve wracking. I would just ask if they can give you a packet/written information about your pre-opt and post opt diet because it's a lot to remember and write down. Also ask when should you start taking Vitamins, do they need to be liquid and what kinds and how much. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you will be fine.

Looking good lady! It's got to be pretty exciting to keep having to buy new clothes. It's what my friends and I jokingly call "Good Problems" (ie: "I went to the counter with two pairs of shoes and found out it was buy 2, get 1 free. So I had to get outta line and find a third pair of free shoes. GOOD PROBLEMS!!!)

WOW. I am speechless. Your husband is an awesome guy. I'm really glad you asked him to write this because we (at least me) sometimes forget that we're not the only ones going through this. Our spouses/partners feel it as much, if not more because for them, they are physically still the same, but have to change as if they themselves had the surgery. Your husband is also a great writer. I think you should let him guest write more often. To our moderators: Maybe it would be good to have a thread on here for spouses/parents/our support networks to find support and come to for advice. I'm sure my hubby would love to talk with others. Just a thought. :-)

I would ask when should you start taking vitamins, which ones should be liquid and which chewables, and how much of each you need per day. I would also ask him/her to go over what foods you can have during each stage and ask for some suggested brands of those foods.

I was walking about 4 times per week, but haven't walked in a few weeks. I plan to start back soon. What I mostly do is eat low carb and track every single thing I eat. I ate 20 grams of carbs per day for about the first 2 months; then I started eating 30 grams per day to allow for more variety in my diet. There are days when I go over by a couple of grams, but I try to keep it at 30 or below. Good luck to you! Thank you for sharing debbie! I know exercise is important, but i suspected controlling your diet is really where the success comes from. I havent started exercising yet because i get tired really easily, but i will start even if it's only five minutes at first. I'll keep in mind the low carbs too.

Congratulations everyone! Those are amazing results. I'm curious about exercise. Are you guys working out, walking 30 minutes a day, hitting the eliptical. I want to have your kind of success in 3 months so i would love to know.