SugarFreeMe

The only thing you can do is try to educate people about the fact that most who are obese who loose weight will eventually gain it back, it's scientifically proven. We're all in the same boat here, we certainly didn't want to be obese, it's a disease that needs serious treatment. If people don't want to understand and think that what your doing is the easy way out invite them to read some of the comments about the struggles we go thru. This is by no means a walk in the park. It would kick my butt every day if I let it. If that still doesn't work then it's their loss for not supporting you thru something that is so important to your life. good lucj

Everything your feeling is completely normal. Right now you should be concentrating on getting your liquids and walking. Your tummy is still swollen, that's the pain your feeling on the left side. It does go away, give it time. As for feeling hungry, you shouldn't feel that way now. Most "hunger" is in your head now, your tummy doesn't know what hungry is. Remember that if you eat foods that are sugary or fatty you'll most likely get sick, so keep reminding yourself of that. Also, it's way to soon for you to even consider solids, you'll definitely make yourself sick. Use this time to try to wrap your head around your new life without food. I eat on a schedule no because I'm rarely "hungry", I eat because I have to and I only eat what's in plan and good for me. At 3 months I can barely get in 3/4 of a cup of food so I need to make sure what I eat is good stuff. When I "think" I'm hungry I drink fluids, more times then not that's what my body wants. If that doesn't work, I go for a little walk or try to find something to keep myself busy. You need to retrain your brain to not focus on food so much, that's what got you to this point. The surgery works, but you need to be in control, you can't turn your back on it or let anything slide. Stay strong, drink your fluids, get up and moving......you're going to be amazed at what your body will do for you. Best wishes.

Many people have experienced this left side pain, including myself. It eventually subsided as time went on. Keep track of it, if it doesn't get better call your sugeon again. Be sure to keep hydrated which helps to :"keep things moving". Constipation can causes a lot of pain and discomfort and is also common if you don't keep hydrated.

I had my first appt on Jan 21st, surgery was the 18th of March - 2 months. Insurance is BCBS-IL.

At 5 weeks out I was getting more Protein from food with protein added then with just shakes. I got an unflavored whey protein powder and added it to most things I ate. I added it to hot tea and Soups. I added chocolate protein to my cream of wheat. I got a lot of protein from greek yogurt, cottage cheese and refried Beans at 5 weeks out also. I also enjoy Muscle Milk Light (chocolate) as a source of protein. I'll have one at night if I calculate my numbers and I'm deficient in calories or protein.

Welcome Paige - congratulations on your surgery and your decision to take control of your life. I'm a firm believer that a lot of success stories are more about your overall outlook on life and your attitude. I am and always have been a very positive person and that's what I contribute my success to. Every morning when I look in the mirror I congratulate myself for doing the right thing yesterday, I tell myself it wasn't so awful and remind myself I can do it again today. Yesterday morning I had a little head conversation with myself, it was my sons high school graduation and I knew it was going to be an emotional day for me filled with family, friends, food and alcohol. The family and food wasn't the problem, it was going to be the last two items which were my go to things when my emotions were running high. I told myself that if I wanted to see him graduate college I needed to keep to the plan and not give in. I reminded myself that if the emotions got to me I needed to talk with family and friends instead of reaching for a chip, cocktail or sweet. I made sure that I had my water/crystal light cup in my hand at all times so I remembered to get my fluids in. And you know what? Because of all the activity and my "pre-game" talk with myself, I actually woke up today, stepped on the scale and discovered I LOST 2 lbs. So my talk this morning with myself was a big "congrats" and a pat on the back. I'm going to relax today, no exercise (except some yard work) and give myself a break as a reward for my success. If you keep your head straight you'll do fine. Keep busy, talk to your support group/friends/family if you need to and follow your plan you'll do great. Don't ever allow for exceptions because if you do it once, your brain will tell you it's okay to do it again. Before you know it you'll be doing so good you won't want to fail or mess up. Best wishes for a great success and if you need more advise, check in.

I'll bite.....why are you so against bypass?

I agree with all of the suggestions about getting away and forcing him to be self sufficient. If he's ever going to get with the program he needs to work it. You doing all his work isn't doing him any good. When I came home from my surgery I WANTED to do everything for myself. I knew that I couldn't count on anyone to do this for me. If he refuses to go to his psych for help, call his surgeons office, explain the situation and ask if you can go so you can find ways to get him thru this. I wish you luck with this, take care of yourself first and always.

Muscle Milk Light, chocolate. Great Protein, low carbs and it's lactose free.

Just remember that unflavored only means it's not vanilla, chocolate or any other flavor. All Protein powder has a distinct taste to it. I found that I could put it in tea but not any other liquid as it made for a funky taste (to me). There are several companies that offer free samples of thier shakes. You should be able to search for those on here. Are you sure your going to be on a clear Liquid Protein diet pre-op? Most are liquids, but not necessarily Clear Liquids. (I believe anything with protein wouldn't constitute being clear).

So glad you had a good time - I've been researching vacation places, I'm hoping to be able to go somewhere fun in the fall with the hubby. Congratulations on staying on plan. It's not always easy but very rewarding when you do. Good to see you back on the boards, love your smile.

Look at it as a way of loosing a couple extra pounds which helps the liver shrink which helps during surgery, lessens complications and help with healing afterwards. Your husband will come around, just do what you need to do for yourself.

You won't be sorry if you choose the Kane Center. Everyone (and I mean everyone) is so great. The support is great and like I've said to everyone, there's nobody there who's ever given me "The look". Anyone who's overweight knows what that is and I've never seen it. Keep us posted on your appointments. Dr Kane visited me in the hospital after my surgery. He was very nice, answered my questions and explained everything in a way I could understand. You'll like him very much.

I would love to meet up with you. I'm in Elgin, so that would be awesome. I have to add, I stepped on the scale this am and I'm down 2 lbs, FINALLY. I'm going to be posting a few pictures. I compared them today and I can see how good I'm doing so I'm good now. I was thinking last night after my post about everything I'm doing and I know I'm doing everything right, so I need to be patient. I also have to remind myself I have Hypothyroidism so I'm not going to loose as quickly as everyone else. Let me know when you next meet is and I'll be there.

I had my sleeve on May 12th at Alexian Brothers in Elk Grove. Dr. Rantis was my surgeon. The staff were amazing and took great care of me. I got home Wednesday night and am doing pretty well so far. That's awesome news. Welcome to the losers bench. I'm very glad you had a great experience at Alexian. I was so impressed with the staff at the Hoffman facility, glad you had the same in Elk Grove. Keep me posted on your progress. I'm stuck in another stall, Dr Guske wanted me to drop another 15 before my next appt. I now have 3 weeks to do that, not going to happen unless I starve myself at this point. I've even doubled the time on treadmill, increased the speed and doubled the incline.....Nothing. I'm trying desperately not to be upset, but 1 1/2 weeks with no loss is depressing. Nothing I can do except keep working the program right???

Mine was taken out before I went home. It all depends on the surgeon and i believe also the amount of fluids coming out. By the 4th day when I was released my had pretty much stopped draining.

You need to pay attention for signs. I either hiccup or belch when I'm full. My surgery was the 18th of March and I'm still only at about 3/4 of a cup of food. At that point I feel the food go down more slowly and then I typically hiccup. Weird I know, but it's my sign. You'll figure yours out, you body WILL tell you when its done.

It could be the type of deli meat along with the liquid content. I can eat chicken salad and rotisserie chicken, but grilled chicken - no way. I can eat scrambled eggs, but add meat and it's not a good thing. Just keep experimenting with different things. Unfortunately I think stuck foods are unavoidable until you figure this thing out. I read a post from someone who had surgery 2 years ago who just got sick on waffles so I guess the game doesn't ever stop.

Although I'm sure you think your starving you probably aren't. Your most likely experiencing "Head Hunger" or your body is just wanting more fluids. Your tummy is still swollen from surgery, food at this point would be a problem. Drink Water and keep busy, the feeling will pass.

If you're easily offended and if you don't want to hear the truth, stop reading now. Because, the cold hard truth of the matter is that you need to help and your not going to get what you really need here. You need to call your surgeon and your psych and get serious. If you can't get thru the pre-op diet without messing up, you need to be sure your fully committed to this. The procedure is only a tool, if you can't stay away from foods that are bad for you now, who's to say you will post-op. It's a serious commitment and it shouldn't be taken lightly. I'd call your nut first thing tomorrow and have a serious conversation. They may suggest a longer trial period for you and postpone your surgery, who knows, but you need to be 100% on board with this because it's not easy and it's not fun. Like snow, my pre-op was so much more strict then yours, 3 shakes a day with sf Jello and sf popsicles for 2 weeks - That's it, nothing else. Was it hard, you bet your arse it was but I knew this was what I wanted and thing, not even a crappy pre-op plan was going to stop me. I wish you luck, seriously I do.

Great website with lots of recipes and great tips from someone who's been here. theworldaccordingtoeggface

I guess my first question would be, what did you eat? If it's something new and your tummy doesn't appear to like it, chalk it up to "something I can't eat right now, try again in a couple of months." If it's something you've had before and the spasms are accompanied by pain I'd keep an eye on it. If it doesn't improve within several hours, call your surgeons office office and discuss it with them.

There could be several things bothering him that he's not coming clean on. My husband also was very non-committal about my having the procedure however I learned as things went on that it was because: a) he didn't understand the procedure, b.) he was fearful of my loosing weight and not being satisfied with him anymore and c.) he was afraid I couldn't do it because he did see me try so many times and each of those times I did good and then failed. Now that I'm 2+ months out he see's the results and my determination. He's seen me face my demons and win. He knows I'm determined this time and he's fully on board now. If your husband is open to talking, see what the real reason is. Many people have warned me that when they lost weight their spouses became very fearful of seeing them change because they then thought they also needed to change. Make sure he understands this is about your health, not your relationship with him. Best wishes for a successful surgery.

Anita, I'm also not a big red meat person although it's supposed to be harder to eat after surgery. As far as eggs and dairy, do you not like the taste? I've never been a huge fan of greek yogurt but post-surgery I love it. I'm also eating a lot of legumes. I make salads with different types of Beans and then add other veggies for flavor. In additional to chicken I'm also eating turkey and ham. You should look for a recipe books for either WLS or vegetarians, also search recipes above for options. I'm sure you'll do fine and who knows, maybe your taste buds will change after surgery, many peoples do.