mooncat

HW 243 SW 228 (12/3/13) CW 200 43 total pounds lost

The same thing happened to me. I did not lose anything the first week even though I had lost 15 pounds the two weeks before the surgery on Optifast. The NUT said that it is common because of all the fluids they give you and your body is stunned by the surgery. Have faith, the loss will begin soon. I now lose 2 pounds per week.

HW 243 SW 228 12/3/13 CW 200 43 pounds lost Goal 150 Was hoping to be in onederland today, but I have faith it will happen this week.

I can share what I was told. If you drink while or right after you eat, you will wash the food out of your stomach. If you drink right before you eat, your funnel is wet and food will not spend as much time in the stomach. Either way, you will get hungry too quickly.

Bless your heart! I hope the pain eases soon. Three suggestions: Did your dentist not offer any advice for surviving until next Friday? Ask the pharmacist if any of the ointments to soothe gums might help at all. Call your surgeon and ask if you could take some of your post surgery pain killers (I never took any of mine after the surgery).

HW - 243 SW - 228 (12/3/13) CW - 203 Stall this week. Bummer! I was hoping to get to Onederland! Not panicking because I have read the posts where many stalled earlier than this, so I know to be patient and keep the faith - the weight will come off if we follow the program.

My nutritionist suggested playing Candy Crush as a way to keep my hands and mind busy prior to my surgery. It seemed harmless enough since it was a free game, but it turned in to a new addiction and I still found plenty of time to eat! I was spending $50+ each month on a FREE game! (for those that have not played, you can purchase additional lives, time, or other tools to help you reach higher levels) I had to break myself from the game and this forum is part of what I use to keep busy now. Did anyone else get addicted to this game?

I mentor some management interns at work and I even developed a list of about 50 business and life lessons to be learned from playing Candy Crush. Of course, it meant I had to get them to play the game too, but I did warn them never to spend any money!

Resist the urge! I have purchased some tools that help on every level, so I can't advise you how to beat it without them. However, there are some online tips you can find that give you tips and even videos on how to beat each level.

OMG! I would need a second job to get that far, and I would probably be divorced! I am glad I gave it up. I bow to your extreme success with the game! It ends at Level 515. I beat that easily. New levels were just added to Dreamworld. I'm stuck on Level 73 there.

I agree! It was like the early years for the cigarette manufacturers, "it is free to start with, but once you are addicted, then you will pay!"

Me too! My daughter and I believe that they intentionally sabotage you so you will get frustrated and be more likely to spend 99 cents for some help.

That is great! I did not think anyone ever finished this game as it seemed they just kept adding levels! I finished 270 levels, but there were at least 12 more segments ahead. How many did you beat? Where is the end?

You have been through major surgery and a drug cocktail for anesthetic that can take a while to wear off. It makes all of us a little loopy! Take the codeine as prescribed, but try to get off of it as soon as you can because it can contribute to constipation. Drink extra fluids to help avoid that. I was fortunate enough to not have any pain, so I did not take any of the codeine I was given. I did have On-Q which is a local anesthetic delivered through a very small tube in your abdomen and it controls the pain for about 5 days. It is a wonderful invention!

90 ounces of water! I would have to get a job as a bathroom attendant! On good days I drink 48 ounces. I told my NUT pre-surgery I could have been someone's science experiment because I went YEARS with only about 4 ounces of Water a day used to wash down medication. My NUT specifically said she was not going to give a calorie limit, at least up until the solid food stage which I won't have specifics on for about another 10 days. You can learn a lot from the forums about what other NUTs are recommending and use that as a guideline.

Great idea to reach out to locals! I can't help with that, but I can tell you I asked my surgeon about how long to wait before traveling internationally and he said 8 weeks because any complications that are going to occur typically happen within 8 weeks, so you are wise to scout out a doctor in the unlikely event of an issue. Your NUT has a different program than mine as we must be 8 weeks post surgery to move to solid food. I would recommend a discussion with you NUT about things you could pack and take along. Some favorite Protein Bars would be a good idea. If your trip will involve a lot of walking, be sure to factor that into your plan as you may need to increase the frequency of eating. Good luck and have a FABULOUS time!!!

You are doing great! At this stage you should always be drinking something and it is not likely you are feeling hunger. It can be tough to get in all the Water and Protein drinks. If you are feeling pain, you should contact your doctor's office. No reason to suffer as they have plenty of tools to take care of that!

Tracy, one suggestion I picked up on these forums was refried beans, shredded cheese and a dab of low fat sour cream. I found it yummy because I had consumed so much that was cold so it felt comforting to have something hot.

HW - 243 SW - 228 (12/3/13) CW - 203

Thanks for sharing! Great tip as many of the ready to drink shakes are expensive. Do you like Muscle Milk? I tried the chocolate and it was okay. I am still struggling to find one I really like.

My surgeon initially said he would only consider bypass for me because I have had acid reflux for 15+ years. I said it was sleeve or nothing as that was the only procedure I was willing to have (I chose it because it maintains normal digestion). He sent me for an endoscopy which showed polyps in my stomach. Then he said the only procedure he would consider for me was the sleeve so that my gastroenterologist could continue to monitor the polyps over time. I don't care why he changed his mind, I am just glad that he did! No date set this month. :-(. The surgeon was very pleased with my weight loss ( down 20 pounds this mouth) but my liver still feels too large. He wants me to loose more weight and we will see next month. He also pushed quite hard for me to consider a bypass but I will not budge on that. I am firm in my decision on the sleeve. So I have another month of sleepless nights.

HW 243 SW 228 CW 207 AND, although I only lost 1 pound since last week, all of a sudden my jeans are really loose! I tried on smaller jeans last week but they were snug. I guess my body was busy adjusting to the weight loss this week.

Whole new wardrobe at no charge because I have full wardrobes in sizes 10-22 in my closet! I spent the morning "shopping" through my clothes and found lots of great things to start wearing. I was sleeved on Dec 3 and have lost 34 pounds, but because I had continued to wear my pre-surgery clothes few people had really noticed the weight loss. Next week it should be more noticeable! How many others have a closet full of clothes to "shop" from?

I congratulate you on soul searching before your surgery. It took me almost a year from the seminar I attended to my surgery date. I had to research everything and carefully consider if this was right for me or not. Because I took my time I was absolutely certain of my decision on the day of surgery. I am 55 and very happy with my sleeve. I never feel like my sleeve keeps me from enjoying food. I stop eating when I am full so I am very satisfied. I also like the fact that I can divide the remaining food and freeze it so that I get to enjoy the great food on several occasions.

If your body wants to sleep, go with it. It will pass soon. Focus on getting in your Protein and Water. If you don't feel like walking much the first few days, just do enough to reduce the risk of blood clots. You may feel weak so it may limit walking and you may need to rest. You may also find that you become addicted to HGTV - that's what happened to me!