Rogofulm

I'm going to edit out the portion about coffee not being a problem. While it's seems to be okay for me, it's not recommended for the first several months. Here's a link with some info about caffeine after WLS. http://www.laparoscopic.md/questions/coffee-safe-drink-after-bariatric-surgery

Hey LL30... Wow - your post really pissed me off! Does your husband frequently say stuff like that, or is this kind of out of the norm? Like someone said above, he may feel threatened at the thought of you successfully losing weight. Even my uber-supportive wife has made cracks about my getting thin and leaving her for a younger model. That would never happen, of course, but the fact that she even makes jokes about it shows that it's a tough adjustment for our spouses as well. If he's only been a d**k this one time, maybe you can give him a break. But tell him that you need and expect his support from here on out. You don't need to hear about losing weight "the old fashioned way" ever again. I agree that bringing him to support group meetings would be helpful and enlightening for him. As for the doctor.... It's time to sh1tcan that a$$h0le and get a new PCP who's up with the current trends. WLS has been shown to be the most effective tool for permanent weight loss. Do some people fail? Sure. But many more succeed long-term than through any other method. I've lost (and found) nearly 100 pounds at least three times in my life. But this time, they're gonna stay off. Why? Because I have the best tool available for keeping myself in line. A smaller appetite! And as for the supervised weight loss program, you don't need your PCP. You can go to a surgeon/hospital-referred nutritionist, or even to Weight Watchers meetings (at least in my state). Good luck in your journey! Sounds like for you the hardest part will be just getting the train rolling. Be strong. You have an incredibly supportive community right here, and if you can attend bariatric support groups, you'll get even more strength in person. Best wishes!

Congratulations on achieving "overweight" status! What a riot! BTW, you need to update your ticker to reflect your new reality. I'm looking forward to joining you in the next month or two. On a humorous related note, just yesterday I reduced my goal by one pound. One stinkin' pound! That's all it took for my goal weight to fall into the "normal" range instead of "overweight". Ironically, this morning I hit what yesterday morning would have been my halfway point. But since I lowered my goal, I'm still a pound short of that milestone. Just watch me go into a long stall tomorrow. LOL!!! Yeah, I'm laughing now, but if it happens it's really gonna stink! Keep up the good work! You're rockin' it!!!

I agree. At least from my experience, at three weeks I was able to handle more food than you describe, and without constant pain. Please call your surgeon's office. They'll want to know about this, and can tell you what is "normal" and what is not. Good luck!

Looking good, Tanya! Keep it up!!!

I was nervous about everything for the first two weeks. At first, it felt like whatever I ate (mostly liquid) was having trouble making it around the corner into my stomach. Everything seemed to get caught, then release in a burbling stream. That went away after about a week. But then, everything seemed to get caught in my chest before releasing down to my stomach. That went away sometime in week 2. So yes, it's all normal. You have significant swelling in the surgery area, so your "food" is having to work its way through a tighter constriction. All these weird symptoms will gradually ease off as the swelling goes down. If you are having any severe pain, call the doctor immediately. Otherwise, it's just part of the process and it gets better pretty quickly. Good luck in your journey!

Hi Jen -- Yes, you really can do this! We all got cold feet during the last week or two. Right up to the point where they put you under you'll be thinking, "I can still back out!" That's totally normal. After 4 weeks you should be pretty well healed from the surgery itself. There may be some remaining tightness from the swelling, but easy foods like tuna salad should be going down pretty well by then. I used Hellman's Low Fat mayo on almost everything for the first couple of weeks of solid food. If you're driving to the wedding, take along your shakes. If you're flying, maybe you can get someone out there to buy some, or find out where they sell them and buy them on the way in from the airport. Also buy tuna/mayo and Greek yogurt if you like them. Use the shakes, tuna and yogurt to get you through the wedding. In fact, pack a shake or two in your purse for the reception just in case. By the way, my favorite Protein shake is Premier Protein, chocolate flavor. Pre-planning is the key to travel success! I just got back from a 9-day vacation where we ate out 2-3 times per day. I made good choices and lost 5 pounds. And even though it's a special occasion -- Don't drink alcohol. Not only is it really bad on this program, but it leads to other bad choices. Do drink your 64+ ounces of Water or Crystal Light - that will also fill you up. If you feel hungry between meals, you are probably just thirsty. Do focus on getting your protein in. It helps you feel satisfied. Take all your Vitamins and supplements. And don't cheat! (That means no sugar/carbs.) They will start you down a bad path right off the bat. The good news is you shouldn't really be hungry. Plan your strategy in advance and keep to your plan. Eat your three meals and two Snacks each day and drink all your liquid and you should be okay. Hope that helps. Good luck with your surgery and the wedding!!!

When that 20-ounce porterhouse steak you used to order is now an 8-ounce filet.... and you take half of it home for tomorrow's lunch.

Excellent video - thanks!!!

Congratulations! You're an inspiration to us all!

Okay, I'll bite... What the heck is semi-topless? Only one side is exposed?

I'd recommend taking one-and-a-half to two weeks off if you can. You'll still be healing, but you should be feeling much better by then. And in the unlikely event of complications, you'll be glad to have the time.

Here's some good, some bad, and some ugly, but once they're in the rear-view mirror, you will see that it's SO worth it! It hurts like hell when you wake up from anesthesia. Sorry, but it does. But it starts getting better almost immediately, and by the next morning you'll feel decent. You should be able to get off the pain pills in about three days. It takes a week and a half to 2 weeks to start feeling pretty normal. Or as normal as it gets when you can barely eat anything. If you can, take two weeks off from work (or other activities.) For the first several days, getting your fluids in is even more important than hitting your Protein goals. Dehydration leads to constipation. It can be BAD, so drink as much as possible, and if necessary, take Miralax or something like that. As soon as you can, without sacrificing your Fluid intake, work to hit your protein target every day. Take your Vitamins and Calcium pills. Also, I've found that Vitamin B-12 helps keep my energy level up. Keep taking the Protonix, or other stomach pills your doctor prescribes. I went off it for a couple of weeks and it didn't feel good. When you start eating real food, you're gonna throw up sometimes. That's the bad news. The good news is that since the food has never made it to your stomach, it hasn't mixed with acid so it's not that gross. I get hiccups a lot. Sometimes they clear the blockage, and sometimes I have to excuse myself for a minute. Protein shakes are your friend. Even after getting pretty sick of them during the 4 weeks surrounding surgery, I still have one for Breakfast every morning. I like the Premier Protein brand, chocolate flavor, that you can get at costco and elsewhere. I like the taste and has 30 grams of protein for only 160 calories. That's a nice kick-start to the day's protein. Follow the rules about not drinking anything for 30 minutes before or after meals. When I get sick, it's usually because I drank too close to eating, and there wasn't room for my meal. When you start feeling the food backing up -- stop eating. Try to get exercising right away. Just walking at first, but gradually introduce strength training. You will feel better almost every day than the day before! You will hit a stall (plateau) at week 3 which may last a few of weeks. Just expect it and don't freak out -- it's a normal and predictable part of your body's adjustment to it's new reality. Until you get the hang of eating, use an app like MyFitnessPal to log your food and exercise. It will help you keep track of your protein and tell you a lot about how your'e doing. It tracks calories too, but you won't be able to get in more than about 600-800 for quite a while. So it nags you about not getting enough calories. Just ignore that. For now, there's nothing you can do about it. sugar-free Popsicles are very soothing, as is chicken broth. Feel good about having the surgery. Tell the people who are asking, "Why can't you just lose weight through diet and exercise?" that you have made your decision and that you need their support, not their questioning. Ask them not to bring that up ever again. That's what I told my Mom, and it's been fine ever since. Don't be ashamed to share what you're doing. I've told my friends and workmates, and everyone has been totally supportive. Some people choose to keep it a secret, but I'd rather serve as an example for others who might be looking for a way to successfully lose weight. As soon as you start losing weight, you'll be amazed by how good you feel. Embrace it and enjoy it!!! Good luck on your journey to good health! I promise, it'll be worth it!!!

You suck in your gut while walking because it feels leaner --- and because you can!

I've just had to tighten my shoelaces for the second time since my surgery 9 weeks ago. AND... I can now tie my laces and breathe at the same time!!!

I think there are two good reasons to avoid alcohol. First, it falls in the same category as fruit juices, in that it's basically liquid sugar that just goes right through your stomach. How is that different than eating ice cream? Except for the buzz, of course. But ice cream can offer a "comfort" buzz too. So if you wouldn't eat ice cream because you know it's a really bad choice, why would you want to drink alcohol? And secondly, people who are under the influence tend to make other unwise choices. For example, I've polled many, many people who have quit smoking for a length of time of time and then started back up again. Guess what proportion had an adult beverage in their hand when they took that first puff? Yup, 100% (including myself the first time I quit). So how many sleevers have been at a party, and after a drink or two said, "Maybe I can just have one little pig-in-a-blanket..."

Bring your prescription information (name and dosage) to your pre-op appointment with the doctor. They'll advise you about what to do. If they don't, call and ask. I was advised to stop the Janumet two days prior to surgery, and the Lantus insulin the night before surgery. The hospital should check your sugars and administer what you need while you're there. Once you get home, it's back on you, so I would talk to your endocrinologist or primary care doc about a plan for after the surgery. This may not be the case for everyone, but I never went back on the Janumet, and I stopped taking the Lantus about a week after surgery, and my glucose levels have remained in the normal range morning and evening -- without any medication!!! Good luck!

It will definitely get better! I work in an office building so I walk around the upper floors where there are less people. Is there a mall nearby where you go go at lunchtime? Or can you drive to a nearby park and walk on the paths at lunch. I do that quite frequently too. Gardening is good exercise, but what you did sounds like it would wipe me out too. Give yourself credit for that! And yes, 600-800 calories is all you can expect to manage for a while. I've heard from people that they get to 1200-1300 calories at about one year. At the moment, I can't even imagine how they do that! Please try to keep positive. It sounds like you're on the right track. As they say.... it's a process. Good luck!!!

Good point! Those who know, comment on how much better I'm looking. Most of those who don't know aren't commenting yet. But just wait, in another month or two they'll come crawling with comments. LOL!

Continuing my crusade to take the fear and anxiety out of The Dreaded Week-3 Stall, I refer you to this link in another forum. It explains that no, we're not crazy, and our doctor didn't screw up our surgery. The stall has a biological explanation that goes back to our caveman beginnings. Check it out and feel better! http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.php

Blonde Ambition, a few thoughts for you... Trouble getting the 60-80 grams of Protein in? Here's a formula that works for me. It may help. Breakfast - Protein shake. I like Premier brand chocolate. 30 grams of protein for only 160 calories and 1 sugar Drink 3 cups of Water before lunch. I like Crystal Light decaf/sugar free Iced Tea (or the generic equivalent) Lunch: 4 oz tuna salad with low fat mayo and sugar free relish. 120 calories and 20 grams of protein (50 so far.) Drink 3 more cups of water/tea before dinner. Afternoon snack: Greek Yogurt 80-100 calories and 12 grams of protein. (Now we're up to 62.) Dinner: 3-3.5 oz of grilled chicken, salmon, or steak. 100-200 calories and 20-28 grams of protein. (Yay! That's 70 or more grams of protein and 500-700 calories.) Drink your last 3 cups of water after dinner. Remember not to drink for 30 minutes before or after eating -- before fills you up so you can't eat what you need, and after flushes your food away so you don't absorb it as well and you might get hungry sooner. Lather, rinse, and repeat with different combinations of chicken, fish, beef, and pork. Beans are good, but lower in protein so you may need to supplement them with another shake. That's okay. Your calories are really low, so if you need another shake to make your protein goals - go for it. Try, really try to get some walking in. I had been avoiding walking for a year because my feet/ankles/knees hurt. Now I love it and miss it if I don't get it. And the discomfort is gradually going away. Don't worry about stretching your stomach. At this stage you can't get enough food in there to stretch it. Besides, the sleeve surgery removes the "stretchy" part of the stomach. What's left can stretch a little down the road, but not much. The way I understand it, those who don't succeed, still can't overeat at meals, they cheat by eating calorie-dense food between meals. In other words, candy, juices, ice cream, and "white stuff" starches. Of course, we should also make good choices at mealtime. Hang in there, I'm only three weeks ahead of you, but I feel great! I promise, if you get some walking in and hit your protein goals every day you'll start to feel much better. Good luck!

I'm with those who worry about all the "smoke". I wouldn't want anyone cutting on me that had a bunch of negative reviews. Please find another surgeon! Your insurance company should be able to help you with that. Good luck!

I was fortunate that two people had bariatric surgery in my office a year before I did. But I have to tell you that the overwhelming response I have received is positive. Everyone says, "That's a wonderful thing your'e doing", or "I'm so happy for you", or "What a great thing you're doing for your family". If there are people out there that look down their noses at me, I haven't heard about it. Nor do I care. This is a life-altering event, and I'm proud and excited about it.

Yup, I felt like that too. I suspect we all do. It's pretty much all-consuming. And then you have the surgery, and your journey is pretty much all you want to talk about for a while. It's a selfish time in your life -- and that's okay!

You go on a liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery in order to shrink your liver and prepare you for the operation. As I understand it, they want your liver smaller and out of the way to protect it from getting nicked. Some insurance companies require weight loss before surgery to prove your commitment, but you have to be careful not to lose so much that you no longer qualify.