FieryRed

Am so glad I asked! Definitely meant the stomach seam not the incision sites. Was before I finished my first cup of coffee. Know about it being one of those foods that y'all would put in the "slider" category and honestly, even before the sleeve I stopped eating movie theater popcorn that didn't have REAL butter on it. Alternative was to bring some Kernel Seasons dry seasoning and get the popcorn plain. My favorite crunch since the sleeve would probably be dehydrated veggies. The kind you can get in the bulk food section of most higher-end grocery stores. They tend to be expensive but it's not like I'd eat much at a sitting anymore. lol But most days, a couple Triscuits or Wheat Thins do the trick.

Ain't the chin hairs fun???? Gotta love it...going through perimenopause in my case...but at least I'll be a HOT old lady!

I've had the opposite...hair on the crown (top middle) of my head is definitely thinning but my eyelashes are LONGER and full than they have been in years. I'm a freak. lol But seriously, am guessing you could use the same supplementation for eyelashes as you could for thinning hair. A hairdresser told me that 1000mg of Niacin (B-3, above and beyond the sublingual B complex a lot of us sleevers already take) will definitely help hair (and nails)...shoudl start seeing results within a month. I looked it up before starting it and it is, indeed, one of the Vitamin supplements suggested for thinning hair (as well as Biotin and some others). Am into Niacin now for about 3 weeks and hopefully it will help me because the next step for me is Rogaine for women before it gets noticeable to everyone else (especially because I have short hair). Still not sure why my lashes are LONGER but probably because of all the other Vitamins I take.

I live in Reading in Berks County....2.5 months postop. Would love to make some sleeve buddies!

Was sleeve 10/16 and think I'm coming out of my SECOND stall already. Was stuck at 217 for almost two weeks about 5 weeks post op...got down to 210 and have hung around that for a week and am now finally dropped down to 209. From what I've read, when your body hits 10-15% losses, it plateaus...trying to hang onto your weight....because it thinks you're going to starve. It's frustrating but completely normal. As Laura said, keep an eye on your Water intake, change up your exercise and even change up your food. For me, it's hard to have a regular BM without a laxative still...and I ONLY weigh myself after a BM now. Sometimes it's 2-3 days. But something else I've tried is to get my Protein in EARLY in the day and then focus of veggies (aka fiber!) for my final meal or snack of the day. That seems to help my body get out of the plateau too.

From what I recently read, it IS...but it's a very complex surgery. All the parts are still there, obviously (unlike a sleeve), but reconnecting them and removing the "Y" is complicated.

Imagine you at your heaviest weight, looking like a human gummy bear, and then losing weight SO fast that you look like a gummy bear with all the middle taken out. Your skin would hang like a deflated gummy bear. Most us will have to deal with extra skin to some degree but if you lose the weight TOO fast, it only makes it worse, because the elasticity of an adult's skin can't keep up with super-fast weight loss...hence the deflated gummy bear (it's my weird term lol).

Ta da! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/261975-this-is-a-public-service-announcement-concerning-stalls-plateaus/?view=findpost&p=3258135&hl=%2Bpublic+%2Bservice

Your body stalls because it's traumatized by the sudden change in your eating habits. It thinks you are not going to find your next meal and holds onto every ounce of weight it can until it realizes you haven't stopped eating. It's preserving your core, your internal organs...it's also why our hands and feet are so cold all the time. It focuses on saving the life-sustaining organs. I stalled for 12 days and hovered between 216-217, 3 weeks after getting sleeved. Yes, it is horribly frustrating but 27 lbs is an ENORMOUS loss in only 3 weeks. You probably, like me, also left the hospital with 8-10 additional pounds of Water weight, courtesy of the IVs they pump into us. Please be proud of yourself and patient with your body. It's really traumatized after all our years of abusing it with bad food choices. And the FASTER you lose it, the more likely you will fall prey to "deflated gummy bear syndrome"! So hang in there...your body will catch up with your new eating patterns. All of us go through it and the three-week mark is typical for the FIRST stall (yes, it will happen again!) and can last up to two weeks. Big hugs!

Ladies, I just got out of my first stall. Sleeved 10/16. Four days of preop liquids dropped 10 lbs off my 238 and I was 228 morning of surgery. The next day I went home at 238 with 10 extra lbs of Water from IV! ARGH! But I managed to get that off plus another 16 since surgery....but when I hit 217, 3 weeks post-op, I stayed there for about 10-12 days before the scale budged again....then I started losing again and now down to 212. It is SO frustrating when it happens but the scale WILL move again! You weight loss in on par with average losses for most folks. If you lose it any faster, you will look like a deflated gummy bear (my best analogy that keeps my brain in line with reality! lol).

Hmmm...fat brain would be BIG BERTHA (there used to be a plus-sized women's clothing store in Brooklyn my mother used to shop in when I was a kid before, they made the more PC version of FAT into PLUS-SIZE...and it was called Big Bertha's lol) Sleeve: Drill Sergeant. When you screw up, Sarge is the first one to SCREAM at you to "Get back in line, maggot!"

I'm in the same boat. 5.5 weeks postop and have lost 16 since surgery (had lost 10 lbs additionally during 4-days of preop liquids, so really have lost 26 lbs in the last 6 week. Considering I had a major STALL (I'll say it! lol) for 12 days at 216-217 lbs, I'd say that's still pretty damn good. But, realistically, I expect to lose 10-12 lbs a month from here on out, even with my addition of a home gym and continued long walks with the dog several times a day. Patience is NOT my greatest virtue but am trying to be realistic every day that I get on the scale. And I keep telling myself, if I lost it any faster, would look like a deflated GUMMY BEAR! lolol

I was sleeved 10/16. Was 253 at my highest in April when I got diagnosed with Diabetes type II. Doc put me on Metforming and referred me to Weight Management Center. I quickly lost 17 lbs after being prescribed Metformin...which lessened my hunger from fluctuating blood sugar levels. But then the weight stabilized there. At the start of preop diet (4 days), I was 236. Morning of surgery, 228. Day after surger 238...added 10 lbs of Water, courtesy of the IV. But now am 212 as of this morning and it's the lowest weight I've been in probably 8 years. Went from size 20 pants to size 16. Not too shabby. So to recap...am down 41 lbs since my heaviest, 24 since start of preop diet and 16 since surgery....and in between all that had a 10-day stall at 217. lol Back losing in the last few days and feeling groovy. The best part of it all? I AM NO LONGER DIABETIC. Surgeon took me off Metformin THE DAY AFTER SURGERY. I'm off Lipitor and last remaining med (for BP), I should be off soon. I could live with being "chunky" but NOT with Diabetes. And that is the BEST news of all.

I had the same issue and took laxatives every night. Before my sleeve, I was super-regular. I've tried something that seems to help. I focus my Protein intake on meals and Snacks BEFORE dinner and then do mainly salad/veggies at dinner, to get that natural fiber in. If you're tired of laxatives, I'd give this a whirl and see if it helps.

I do the same thing. I LOVE fresh produce, for instance, but it's hard to buy small quantities of certain things (because my practical brain says it's cheaper to buy MORE-- like a bag of onions versus one or two single onions). But if I don't limit the purchase, they go bad. I've started buying frozen veggies, since they last longer...even though I'd rather buy fresh. I do the same with chicken...I either buy chicken strips (fajita-style, precooked), frozen cocktail meatballs, flash-frozen individual chicken breasts (one makes two meals, of course), and small frozen fish fillets (Gorton's has some nice ones with no batter and they have glazes of varying kinds on them). Even eggs. I LOVE eggs...but now can never finish more than 1.5 scrambled. lol So stock up on stuff that you can keep long-term like frozen meats and veg, cans o' tuna, etc. But I still do buy fresh stuff...just make a promise to USE it before it goes bad! lol

I'm there with you! I got 15 lbs to go and my personal goal was been by 12/31!

I'm in the same boat. Always said, "I have an hourglass figure...it's just a bigger hourglass!" lol When we're proportionate, it's easier to camouflage Folks that are bottom heavy or apple-shaped, it's hard to hide...but it's also much more obviously when they start losing. One of the first places that anyone really noticed that I'd lose almost 40 lbs was my face...not that any of the girls in the office would ADMIT that they noticed my BUTT looked a whole lot smaller anyway. lolol

I thought my weight loss was kinda slow too....Started at 253 before doing the NUT stuff for 6 months...was 236 starting the preop liquids for 4 days and 228 the morning of surgery. Today I'm 4 weeks postop and only at 215. I know 13 lbs in a month is a lot for most folks but guess I expected more like 20. Considering there was a 9-day stall at 217 until 2 days ago, guessing it's actually pretty good. If we lose it TOO fast, we'll look like deflated gummy bears. lol Oh and my caloric intake averages about 700-800 calories. 3 meals, 1-2 Snacks and lots of fluids.

I'm in Berks County, PA and currently have some size 20s available (jeans, summer dresses, shirts, skirts). Dunno how far that is from you. But if you want them, they're yours!

I had bad reflux for over a year before I got sleeved. Was warned it could get worse post-op. Ironically, I haven't had ONE incident of reflux (sleeved 10/16). But there's not eating for me 2 hours before bed. Just drinking Water. Would suggest trying not to eat a couple hours before bed and sticking to water to see if that helps.

I am SO glad you made it through that nightmare! {HUGS} Have a friend who is getting a band this week and was trying so hard not to be negative about it...wanted to tout the virtues of the sleeve to him instead but he's so excited. For me, the band is not only ineffective for a lot of people but dangerous...have heard so many more stories of slippage, erosion, etc. than anything negative I've read about VSG. And for those who have some success with the band, it's typically slower and they need constant "fills" that most insurances don't cover. And I can live with staples but not with a fairly big foreign object in my body that I (and my husband) can feel! Just got over my 3-week stall (last 9 looooong days) and am back to losing. Have faith, it will pass and you'll be back on track. Keep up the good work and glad you're still with us!

People at work knew from the get go...I work at the hospital where I had the surgery and my boss had it two months before I did...her success was much touted and we talked at length about tips & hints about postop life before my sleeve. I wasn't shy about it at work at all. However, for people outside of work...only those who are closest to me know and anyone we spend time at restaurants with...don't want them to think I'm weird when ordering off the kids' menu or only have a chicken skewer (or half of it! lol) for dinner. Everyone has been VERY positive about it and for me, it was first about vanquishing Diabetes (done already!) and weight loss was secondary. Most that I told about the surgery before my sleeve said, "Well you don't look BIG enough to need that done." Completely understand why most folks would keep it private and respect that, but the majority of people today (at least the somewhat medically educated folks) don't look down on us for having WLS anymore. Maybe it's because I work at a hospital (am a trainer). But, there have been enough reality shows and coverage of WLS and its medical advances for them to realize it's not a cop-out or a band-aid, it's just a TOOL. And we all work HARD at using that tool to be successful. Most look at me in awe that I walk past the pizza lunches and birthday cakes at work functions without blinking. lol

If you MUST supplement with shakes, I would recommend Isopure Zero Carb (cookies & cream is my personal fave). It has 25g per scoop and none of the other garbage. My NUT said to drop down to one 25g shake a day and get the rest from food. I do eggs in some form most days (boiled, scrambled, or in egg drop soup), cheese, precooked chicken breast strips with some sort of light sauce or marinade, or precooked turkey meatballs with diced tomatoes. All easy to measure out, simple to heat, etc.

I was sleeve 10/16 and have been in a "stall" for the last week. Driving me nuts! I get in 600-800 a day and walk quite a bit but am stuck. Am going to convince myself not to get on the scale for the next few days so it's not as stressful if the stall is still going. lol

I'm almost 4 weeks post op and was always "regular" before. For the first few weeks, I had to take a laxative every other day and the cramps were horrible! Now that I can eat "normal stuff," I'm doing my Protein shake in the morning (25-50g) and then a bit more protein at lunch but for dinner, I'm concentrating on veggies to help "bulk up" for BMs. The lack of veggies in the beginning (when you can barely stand to eat or drink anything) plus if you're taking Iron supplements, make it impossible to have a BM normally and regularly.