SportCub

Hi Tim....I had a cath placed that was in until the next day. It's not fun but it's no big deal. If they remove it when you wake up, even easier. :-)

I was sleeved 4/8/14 and as of today I am down 55lbs. It has been slow and steady for me which I have been fine with. I don't get as many questions about the weight loss since it has been gradual. To get to goal weight I have another 40 to go which I know will not be as easy so it's time to ramp up on the exercise. So far I have been able to lose the weight with just the diet changes. Hang in there and keep doing the right things and it will happen for you!

I read somewhere that testosterone is stored in your fat cells so as you lose weight you may see a drop in libido but things should level out. You may want to have a quick chat with your doc, there are plenty of men with low testosterone which can easily be rectified.

Take care!

Good luck with everything! It sounds like your surgery date is fast approaching. Let us know how you are doing!

Howdy to all of the new folks that have found the group! I am about 6 months out and doing great. The goal my doc and I agreed upon is only 40 lbs away and I couldn't be happier. If I can help any of the new folks in anyway please don't hesitate to ask. This site/forum has been a great resource for me so if I can help/support someone else that would be great. I certainly don't have all the answers and I am still fairly new but I will do what I can to support my WLS peeps! :-)

Daniel/Ethomas.....Good luck as you start your journey. I was sleeved 4/8/14 so only 6 months out but if I can help in anyway please feel free to reach out. Taking the first step can be the hardest part so you are on your way to a better life!

Hello from Columbus, Ohio!

I hope you all are doing well and I hope you have a great labor day weekend!

Tony

My surgeon puts in a catheter while in surgery. Luckily mine was removed the next day. I think it is pretty common to have urinary issues post surgery which is why he does it while under anesthesia.

I agree it was very uncomfortable and I was very sore for several days after but in the grand scheme of things it was just a minor nuisance.

Good luck!

I wish I could come!! Good luck with the event!

I did not have any alcohol until I was back on regular food which was about 2 months post op.

Now I do have an occasional drink but I have had to change my ways a little. Beer I have to drink really slow because of the bubbles and once it gets warm I am pretty much done so I don't drink beer too often. I can handle mixed drinks just fine but I stay away from the sugar heavy mixers. I do not have any issues with a vodka tonic although I do drink a little slower so I don't get too buzzed and so I don't have any issues with the carbonation.

One odd thing I have noticed is that when it comes to wine I am ok with white but some red wine will make me nauseous almost to the point of throwing up so I have been avoiding red wine. You may notice your tastes changing after surgery also.

My advice is to just lay off the alcohol for a little while after surgery to give your stomach time to heal and then slowly reintroduce it back into your life but as everyone else has mentioned your tolerance will change so be aware of that.

One last thing, even though I have had to change my drinking habits no one has really even noticed. On the weekends after softball games the team always heads to the bar that sponsors our team. I can still hang out with the boys and enjoy myself just like I always did!!

I had my 3 month post op visit with my surgeon last week and we talked about the stall and my calorie intake. He did say that it was probably too early to be a typical stall and the fact it lasted about 4 weeks also made him think it was not a typical stall.

His opinion was that it was probably related to getting dehydrated and not getting enough fluids in. My Fluid avg is 68 ozs a day which is the bare minimum. We have had some very hot weather which probably didn't help either. So his suggestion was to try and up the Fluid intake and if it happens again increase the fluids to see if that takes care of it. He really wasn't that concerned and felt that it wasn't anything to worry about.

I am drinking my fluids and trying not to stress....haha! Thanks to everyone that has responded. The advice not only helped me but I am sure helped others as well.

Thanks!

If you are getting blood work periodically I would think there would be signs there if there was an issue long before you got to the point of organ failure, but I am not a doctor in any way shape or form.

I have tattoos on my right bicep and left calf. So far I have not noticed any difference really but those are areas where I don't have a lot of lose skin. As my weight loss progresses maybe it will be different.

Hey Josh! How are things going? I hope everything went well and you are home and resting at this point.

Take care!

Hey Josh....best of luck! Keep us posted on how you are doing after surgery.

Hey guys....I need some advice about calorie intake. When it comes to calories I know men and women have different needs so that is why I am posting in the men's group.

On average what is your daily calorie intake?

Do you count calories?

I am 3 months post op, 5'7", 45 y/o and stuck at 253 lbs. Up to this point I have not really looked at calories and just concentrated on my Protein and Fluid intake. I have been stuck at 253 for about 4 weeks which could be just a normal stall but maybe I am doing something wrong. I have started tracking my food on MyFitnessPal again to know exactly how much I am eating. My daily calories intake is around 1,000 per day, some days less and some days a little more but never over 1,100 per day.

As far as exercise goes I play in a softball league on the weekends which includes 2/3 games each week and I also get a decent walk in 2-3 days a week, 2-3 miles on avg.

One other bit of info, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when I was 22 and had to have my thyroid glands removed. Daily I take a thyroid hormone replacement and have my levels checked regularly. Things seem to be ok but could be a contributing factor I guess.

Any thoughts, advice? I would greatly appreciate it.

Tony

Hi Mike....definitely check out the Men's forum. There is a lot of great info from the guys over there!

Having the surgery is not an easy decision for anyone but the benefits far out weigh any of the negatives. Getting the weight off now while you are younger will save you from future health issues down the road. Don't let the possibility of some loose skin stop you from moving forward.

Good luck!

Congrats!!

Maybe Ohio will do the same one day and my partner and I can officially tie the knot. :-)

Congratulations!!

I am so excited for you. It wasn't that long ago I got my letter in the mail so I know what a great feeling it is.

The date will be here before you know it.

I had a little swelling also but it was just Fluid retention from all of the fluids they pumped into me while in the Hosp.

Good luck! Hopefully it clears up soon.

@@Rovobay I found my Protein powder (Optimum Nutrition whey Protein isolate) at costco but I know not all stores carry the same exact items. It seems almost all carry the Premier ready to drink shakes. My costco also carries Muscle Milk but my surgeon specified whey protein isolate so I have stayed away from that one as well as the Premier shakes.

LilPrincess.....thanks for your comments!!

Hi All!

I am looking for some advice from you wonderful folks.

My VSG was done 4/8/14 (so about 6 weeks ago) and things have been progressing great. This week I had a slight gain (3 lbs).

Is this normal? Could it be from finally getting to eat regular food? As of about a week and half ago I am on a regular diet but I have restrictions still such as raw veggies, nuts, rice, etc. I have been following my program and getting exercise and like I said everything seemed to be progressing just fine until this week. The other thing I thought about was I have been eating out more often than usual. Even though I make smart choices and can only eat about 3 ozs of Protein maybe that could be contributing to the weight gain.

Any advice/comments/thoughts you all might have will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Tony

I only told my partner and one other friend who is also considering surgery. Unfortunately I think there is still a lot of stigma attached to WLS. So I chose to keep it to myself.

Congrats! Welcome to the group!