devint

Hi everyone, Wow kudos and thanks to all you hardcore peeps keeping this board going. I can relate with so much of what you have shared! I sure wasn't checking in and it's no wonder I fell off the wagon hard. I became pregnant in feb and lost it at 7 weeks so for two months I ate with reckless abandoned and blamed hormones. Afterwards I ate with reckless abandoned and blamed grief and hormones. I had gotten down to 213, but then through this had gained to 232, which is crazy to think can happen in just a short 3 months even with the sleeve. Today, I'm now on the fourth day of <50 carbs, back to basics and coming in at 222. May is coming and I'm feeling sad I've "wasted" so many months of my "easy losing time" and I'm way below what I would have hoped for for expected loss. But I can only control what I do today and so that will just have to be enough. At least I've stopped losing my hair, and I have like 1" sprigs pointing out on my part in all directions from it coming back.

@@Niquee, congrats on the century club and onederland! I am so happy for you. I can totally agree and relate to what you mean about the holidays. WOW I was so bad with Cookies and pie jeez. It works against me that I don't throw things up they just go down and stay down and cause me misery. I am going to the support group at my doctors tonight and am hoping to get my Vitamin reports from my 6 month checkup. My doctor said that if I have good vitamin levels I can pursue trying to conceive, which was a primary reason I got the sleeve in the first place. This is somewhat controversial as some doctors make patients wait 2 years but mine says as long as you aren't deficient and have a good handle on calories and can get in 1k then I'm good to go. My stall at 220 lasted for about a 6 weeks, but broke early December (hard to believe I'm not sure if I've checked in since then.) and i'm down to 212 today so it's moving, much slower but still. I'm glad because i went down one more size since then. I bought a foam roller to help with home exercises and stretches as I've been having problems caused by posture and muscle imbalances in my middle back and outside of my thighs. Hope you all had great holidays and good luck with your resolutions!

I've also noticed that I'm bruising really easily, especially on my legs and chairs feel like they have less padding (even though clearly its me that has less padding lol!) I just went for my bloodcheck yesterday and haven't gotten the results back but the internet (in its vast wisdom) has made me concerned that maybe my iron levels are low and that's causing easy bruising. I am currently and annoyingly between pants sizes. I was so excited I was losing weight pretty good for a while and then as soon as I bought pants that were a little tight, then I hit the stall and have to look at them in my closet taunting me! I suppose it doesn't matter what weight I'm at, my clothes and I will still have a rocky relationship ha! Made it through the Thanksgiving holiday, indulging a little bit but not overdoing it, no reflux or getting sick. Now things are "back to normal." Since Christmas is right around the corner, did any of you find any awesome holiday meal bariatric type substitution recipes worth sharing? Never hurts to ask. Thanks!

I think Christmas is a lot easier holiday to adapt to versus halloween and thanksgiving, that are strictly food focused. With all the decorations, traditions, songs and activities, food takes a back seat and I at least hope I'll feel a lot less dissonance between my first sleeved Christmas and years past.

I know my "word" is probably unpopular and some might roll their eyes, but it works for me on a couple levels. I call my experience "recovery." In a very real physical sense, I'm still recovering from the surgery and the dramatic weight loss side effects of the first six months. Some peoples ride down is smooth and easy, but not mine. Reading about it ahead of time is nothing like living it. Deeper, I am recovering from a lifetime of unhealthy use of food as an emotional numbing agent and my weight as an emotional barrier to meaningful relationships. I am recovering from those behavior patterns because my buffer and my numbness are being stripped away as the pounds melt. I have to deal with things like emotions and relationships now instead of hiding. I also never want to forget where I was and where I'm coming from, so calling it recovery reminds me that its not a dream, it's not a magic fix and life isn't going to be all roses and butterflies when I hit goal. I could end up living large again if I'm not diligent. Some people need the optimism of inspiring language when talking about their experience. I need a reality check.

My husband had his surgery schedule for our wedding anniversary! It's a great way to remember the surgiversary, convenient. But more than that, I had already taken time off of work to take care of him. It's actually an advantage to have your family off work and ready to help you around or with simple things if you need the help. It makes a world of difference, and well makes up for the missed traditional pig-out feast. It will also start to train your family that you are going to have a different relationship with food forever, and that celebration does not necessarily mean buffet style feasting all the time. Good luck with your journey whatever you decide!

I've been in a stall for about 2 weeks now, and halloween cheating hasn't helped my morale about it. But luckily the issues with my eyes and ears have eased up a little bit. One thing I ran into this weekend is that I was doing some shopping cause my pants are literally falling off my rear... I had bought a 1x shirt and sz 18 pants at lane bryant so I thought that would be my size everywhere. WRONG! I bought three pairs of pants and three sweaters at "normal size stores" that look like I'm stuffing myself into a sausage casing when I put them on. I just put them in the back of the closet and God willing I'll be able to wear them in a month or so. It's so weird to know in my head that I am doing ok, not awesome, but good in losing 90lbs from high but I still feel really fat when stuff like that happens, and without clothes on my general shape/rolls are the same but just "deflated" It's both a blessing and a curse when my husband says, WOW You look so slim... when you're wearing your shaper. Even people who go the plastics route (probably not me, money is better spent elsewhere) end up having scars like frankenstein. I'm struggling to balance positive and realistic outlooks lately. I hope you all are doing well.

My husband and I both had about 170lbs to lose when we had our sleeves done. He just hit his surgiversary and has lost 120. I'm currently in month 6 and have lost my gallbladder and about 90lbs since high. Both of us experienced crazy rapid weight loss at first, then followed by stalls that last anywhere from 2 weeks to, in my husbands case, 9 weeks. For the longer ones, that was a sign we were doing something wrong. The fix for the dreaded 9 week stall was to nix the full sugar gatorade that he had come to lean on as a soda replacement and go for g2 lower sugar gatorade. Most people will say this is a no-brainer, but its a perfect example of how silly things can sneak in on you when you're not being vigilant and careful. It sounds like you're really serious about beating the weight for good. It's not an easy path, but for us it has been effective. And even though neither of us are at goal now, I have faith we'll get there with our tool and steadily working the plan.

I just encountered this very thing today! I thought I was crazy and kept trying to pop my ears or yawn to take it away. The only "trick" that I found to temporarily fix it was to put my head between my legs at my desk. Gravity forces them closed. I've had to do that a couple times today so if it doesn't improve or becomes recurring I'll investigate the treatments mentioned above. This is like the fourth QUIRKY side effect I've had from wls that I didn't expect or hear people talking about before. I hope all my weird discoveries come to an end soon.

I don't have a good way to dial-in to a calorie target, other than realize your body is always going to be dynamic with this and require you to respond to what it's doing at the time. It will require a lot of change as you drop weight. But I'd like to throw in there that myself and others on the boards here swear by focusing on the grams of macronutrients as a better way to gauge nutritional success than calories. To your point, if you just eat higher calories in carbs that may not be what your body needs. This includes keeping up discipline and program when a stall happens, cause there's really nothing anyone can do to prevent that from happening at some point. Best of luck on finding what works for you.

always recommend talking to your doc about it, see if you can duplicate it at your next appt. He knows your insides better than anyone at this point. For me this type of pain could happen for a variety of reasons. I would recommend experimenting a bit with the following things and see what works for you. Too big of a sip liquid too hot or too cold Using a straw Drinking something that's been through the blender aka had air infused it in Drinking too close in time after I've eaten (and if it's close enough its more than pain it's puking) Drinking something when my stomach is completely empty and I should be hungry And alcohol does this for me too so I'm avoiding it for the most part. The top of my stomach is now like a funnel so often times it makes weird dinosaur sounding gurgling noises. And if i push it too much, then I'll get the pain because of the back up in my esophagus. Hope this helps you understand some possibilities. Hope you figure out what it is for you.

I'm seeing my body finally pulling fat out of my muffin top area yes! Gb is still fighting me but I'm getting used to the routine and pain. Does anyone else find if really ouchie to lay on your stomach yet? My whole abdomen from ribs to pelvis feels mushed and pulled when I roll over on my stomach. Not just isolated to gallbladder side. :/ Also realized shellfish/crab for me is a major no go. Sad to be missing out there.

I would call her doctor and ask for their guidelines because every doctor recommends different things at different times. Most important thing is do NOT get dehydrated, which is tough cause a lot of people get "Water nausea" where water sets then off (me) so you have to find something that works and sip sip sip literally ALL THE TIME and don't let the pain get ahead of her, keep track of when her next pain dose is due and don't feel bad using it. Second most important is get moving and walking as much as possible at least once every 2 hours or else gas pains will take forever to get rid of. Do not try anything really physical, especially no lifting or anything that puts pressure on her stomach muscles. Just walking around as much as she can go until she tires. I was also restricted from doing laundry, dishes and taking out the trash because of the bending and lifting so don't even wait for her to have to ask you just keep an eye on it for the first month. Internal stitches take 6 weeks to scar over, minimum (according to my doc) That being said, here was my experience with diet. Clear liquids for 3 days after surgery: tons of broth, they sell mexican or thai infused boxed broth that was a lifesaver, sugar free popsicles so she has something to chew, crystal light. I was advised against set Jello, was told it could "clog" but was told unset jello used basically as koolaid was ok. Again every doc is different and every patient is different. Full liquids for two weeks: this was blended Soups and Protein shakes. Lots and lots of Protein Shakes. when it's blended it should still fall right off a spoon if you turn it sideways. even soups that don't "come" blended (like butternut squash or french onion) you can still throw it in the blender and buzz it up til it's smooth. No particles in the Soup. Puree from week 3 and 4: soft textured foods like canned meat and veggies, spun through the blender with just a bit of liquid (think broth, gravy or even just water) and voila it's baby food consistency. It clings to the spoon a bit when you tip it sideways. At puree, I started to get nasty heartburn and interpreted it as hunger. This is common on the forums here so realize it may be head hunger or heartburn. There are pills called PPI that can help. Good luck and stay connected here. I went through this once as a spouse in oct and then again as the patient 2 months ago. My husband has lost 120 lbs and its amazing the difference it makes in our marriage and everyday lives.

Pre op was a tough one for me because I had an unexpected delay when my insurance approval hit a snag and my surgeon went out on vaca the next week! That meant instead of 2 weeks my preop ended up being 30 days. I did "cheat" by sucking on one hersheys kiss about twice (i blame tom) but still fit that into my carb count which is what my doc stressed more than anything to shrink up my liver. I looked at it like this… 1. if I didn't have a preop I seriously would have gained another 20 lbs with food funerals I had already had quite a few but the emotions really ramp up as you get close to your date and 2. this will be the last "DIET" you ever have to adhere to. On the other side you just learn a new way to eat that is comfortable and healthy for you and you learn it slowly and with a strong physical boundary tool aka tiny tummy to help.

Oh my gosh! I just found out that the nagging pain i've been having behind/underneath my right shoulder blade is not from me "sleeping funny" or just general pain from vsg; i am having gallstone symptoms! Luckily the pain is not severe (yet) just dull moderate aching, but it has been keeping me up at night for the last three nights. I am praying that my doc tomorrow can give me some meds to help cause I do NOT want another surgery. discouraged.