HaddocksEyes

Everyone is different. My stomach is just smaller than it was before. So when I eat it feels like before except I get full fast. I get the same "full" feeling that I got before but it happens a lot quicker. I can eat anything and everything I ate before - nothing really disagrees with me but I will mention that ice cream no longer tastes as good as it did before (it seems to irritate my esophagus and my stomach just a bit) and I don't know why that is. I don't like donuts anymore (HUGE donut fan before surgery) and I don't eat a lot of bread because it just fills me up too quick.

I've never gotten anything "stuck" but if you eat too much, it feels like you're full all the way to your throat and that is uncomfortable. There was one time I ate too fast and wasn't paying attention and by the time I realized I was too full, it was too late-all the food was eaten. I sat around like that for maybe 40 minutes until I finally got up and went into the bathroom. All I had to do was bend over and I threw up on my own. That was the most unpleasant part of having the sleeve but I did it to myself by not following the rule of "take 30 minutes to eat".

Going to the gym and actually LIKING it because it really and truly feels GOOD to exercise.

Love it!

I am 2 1/2 weeks post op and I am not entirely sure I made the right decision. It has just been a rough road. Tomorrow is my birthday and all I want to do is stay in bed. This has been so hard.

I'm almost 6 months out and I am so pleased I did this each and every day. However, I had almost no complications, other than the normals ones (hair loss, Constipation, acid reflux-which I had before anyways).

I could have never done this on my own and I was spiraling down a deep dark rabbit hole before I had surgery.

I was aprehensive right after surgery - couldn't believe I cut out a perfectly good and healthy part of my body. But as I got better and healed, I felt better. I am sure this will come in time for you.

I have eaten tuna salad or chicken salad every day for the last 4 months and if I have to eat it one more day I am going to puke. I am almost 6 months out and find myself snacking on crackers because I can't stand the Protein anymore. This has slowed my weight loss down (only lost 10 pounds in the last 3 1/2 months). I don't want to fall into the trap I did before and start going out for lunch everyday. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Try vegan/vegetarian food. I might be weird but I love the Loma Linda/Worthington canned Proteins. My favorites are Little Links, Tender Bits, Redi-Burger and Linkettes.

And there are a lot of other brands. I like Boca Burgers and Boca "chicken" patties too. Ask around to see what other people really like.

Please. I have constant diarrhea for past 2 days. 8 days post op. How to stop this. Already left messages with my doctor team.

Mine just stopped on its own...was a bit scary because I thought it wouldn't.

Oh I hope this is headed my way. I've felt such a lack of desire for a few years now and was hoping there was a chance of that changing with the weight loss$

I'm not one to comment on such - ahem - personal things but heck, it's the female forum! LOL!

I've noticed I have way more interest and way more intensity when it does happen, and I've lost close to 45 pounds (started at 284 on the day of surgery). I find myself thinking about sex way more than before...yay. Husband now running away from me! Ha!

Thank you very much for doing that for me. It's nice to get an idea of what and how much people are eating.

Everyone seems to be keeping their carbs very low and my surgeon and NUT pushes for 80G Protein, 1000 Calories a day and minimum 60 Oz of Water but no mention of carbs.

By staying very low in carbs does it speed up the fat burning process? And what ballpark should I aim for?

Thanks again!

I'm a little over 5 months out and my nutritionist said that I should eat at least 1000 calories a day, give or take. She did not talk about keeping the carbs low but to be in ketosis, we have to. I have not been keeping them low and my weight loss has slowed as a result of that. She also wants to see at least 70 grams of Protein per day and at least 64 ounces of Water. She said that people who exercise are the most successful. I used to think she meant just in terms of weight loss but now I am thinking she meant much more than that.

I haven't been tracking my calories for the past month but they are between 1,000 and 1,500 per day. Now that the holidays are over, no more excuses to get back on track and start strictly following the rules.

Many of us have slow spots or stalls. The one at 2-3 weeks has a name! "the three week stall" look it up. You may have slow weeks or weeks where you lose nothing, and are doing everything right. I lost pretty slow... I didnt get to goal for 3 years! But the speed of loss is not the prize, the end results are. Just keep with it and try not to stress. You are only at the very beginning of the journey... it lasts a lifetime!

Thanks - it's good to know that slow losers will eventually reach goal. I'm afraid that I will just stop losing at some point and then I will be in real trouble. So there is always that thought that if I don't do it all within a year, I'm screwed. They've kind of hammered this into my head at the surgery clinic, that we have to make major progress within the first year.

I've only lost 3 pounds in the last month for a grand total of 43 pounds - 20 less than where I wanted to be at this point because my six month check up is next month. But I have not been doing everything I should be doing (or not doing) and that's my fault so I really can't complain. Diabetes runs in my family and before the surgery my blood tests showed that I was on the cusp of diabetes. I have a sneaking suspicion that I am sensitive to carbs like so many others here. So I am now determined to make sure that I keep my carbs below 100 grams per day, drink 64 ounces of Water per day, get in my 80+ grams of Protein and hit the gym more than 3 days per week

All I seem to see on here are how amazing everyone is doing, how they're the model patients, getting all their Protein, Vitamins, Water intake, daily hours in the gym etc. I had my surgery in Nov 14 and here's what I e learnt so far....

1) some foods that are bad for you are easier to eat e.g chocolate

2) I'm still hungry and I still crave all the food I did before

3) you get bored or the same food choices very quickly

4) Protein shakes, Protein Bars are disgusting

5) your breath stinks and you have a taste of metal/metallic in your mouth

6) you don't lose the weight as quickly as you might think/hope... but you do lose

7) the novelty of only being able to eat soft tiny portions wears off and sometimes you wish you could join the rest of the family for a big old dirty Chinese

Having said all that it is worth it, I'm so glad I had it done. In 2 months I've lost almost 35 pounds. I thought I wouldn't be hungry... I am. I thought I wouldn't be able to eat chocolate/sweet stuff... I am. I've now accepted that and know I need to resist as much as I can.

LOL - yes, all of these things apply to us all (except I really like the Protein shakes..BariWise RockyRoad bars are fabulous!).

It's not all flowers and rainbows - you got that right! But for the most part, it is the most postive thing I have ever done for myself.

Which tastes better? My surgery date is January 28th so I'm trying to get ya'll opinion. Thanks!

HUGE fan of Muscle Milk Light (100 calorie chocolate) here. Isopure used to be my go-to Protein, but after Muscle Milk, it just doesn't seem that yummy anymore.

However, Isopure has this great dissolvable Protein you can put into anything - that is really nice to have because it is almost tasteless so you can add it to pretty much anything.

My name is Aimee & Im 37 years old. I've gained about 60 pounds in the last year and a half. I'm 5 feet tall and I weigh 229 pounds. *****This is a major setback in my life because when I was 26 I weighed 240 pounds. I decided I didn't want to be overweight anymore and I took steps on my own to lose my weight - I'm not sure where I found the willpower but I was able to lose the weight by dieting alone basically changing all of my eating habits and forming a new lifestyle. I started working out and incorporating exercise & was able to lose more .... After being heavy from age 12 till 28 I was extremely proud of myself. I had finally done the impossible. I can't tell you how many nights I would lay there in bed thinking tomorrow is the day that I'll start my new diet and just never did. I was able to maintain a weight of 150-165 for years. About three years ago I hurt my back my L5 disc showed signs of compression and began to cause issues with my sciatic nerve. I went to therapy I did everything I was told to do but working out became harder and harder for me and even a low to moderate exercise routine would cause such unbearable pain that would last for days. I continued to watch my food intake and my healthy eating habits but about a year and a half ago I had a huge change in my life which caused me to become way more laxed in my eating habits, then I found a new job that allowed me to work from home and it all went downhill from there. My daily routine was gone no more forced exercise just me the couch and my laptop. In the last few months I've noticed that I have completely reverted back to the eating habits I had before I lost my weight. I've tried many diets over the past couple years and have not been able to stick to any many cause could ketosis and allow for quick weight loss, but when I go off of the diet I tend to gain double what I've lost.

I don't know what to do anymore - I know I need to make a change now not later! I have always believed that no one needs weight-loss surgery because I found the willpower to do the impossible I assumed anyone could do that as well. I know I've gotten older and my body is changing and things are different now my metabolism is just not the same and it's so much more difficult to lose the weight now than it was before as much as I try I fail and it's a vicious cycle.

My sister got the lap band about seven years ago and I've watched her constantly struggle with it it's never worked properly she throws up when it's too tight and when it's too loose she can eat too much and gain weight and it's never really worked. Of course that puts a huge red flag in front of my face and makes me think look what she went through and look how she struggles it didn't do her any good why would a gastric bypass's help me? I realize there's a huge difference between the surgeries and what each of them do. I'm terrified that the worst will happen I will have countless side effects and regret my decision to take the route of irreversible surgery.

I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish years ago and I want that feeling back again I'm just scared of the unknown and if this is the right path for me? I'm still in the very early stages of considering this is an option.

I am truly a skeptic and I've done nothing but be very closed minded to weight-loss surgeries in the past and I thank you for allowing me to share my story. I wonder if anyone else has a similar situation to mine and any advice or opinions good or bad?

Thank you

Aimee

I was where you are not too long ago. I knew I needed to make a change but wasn't sure that the surgery was for me. However, in my case, I had two success stories within my family to help me make that decision. On one side of the family, a relative had gastric sleeve. On the other, the Roux-NY. Both are still doing great and they are three years and 7 years out, respectively.

Part of the issue here is that the surgery IS scary and one wonders if it is necessary to put themselves in a situation where major complications could occur. The other part is we want to think that we are in control of our lives, and our eating habits. For me, I couldn't have lost weight without it. I know I would be struggling for the rest of my life as a morbidly obese person. Just didn't want to go there.

I had no complications from my surgery (my hair did fall out and I have a bit more acid reflux than before the surgery) but some people do and it is highly advised that you research that part of it too so that you can be completely educated as to what can happen.

I wish you the best of luck!

My mother had terminal cancer and at the phase when her doc gave up on her she pleasantly said "well, it's not your neck on the line " and she found a different one. She lived another 25 or so years. My point is that it is OUR bodies, our health...our necks on the line. I see doctors like mecanics....awesome to find a great one but in the end me as a person is what's imprttant not the mecanic.

So, you DO belong here, you ARE a success story and you DO encourage many. What does the mecanic know about all that?

I just encourage you to not let some doctor impact you so much emotionally. I really believe my mom's git er done attitude contributed to her long survival even after stage 4 hopeless cancer diagnosis. Turns out the mecanics don't know everything.

Jane - your mom sounds like she was a real cool lady. Good on her!!

I'm not sure if this helps anyone reading this or not, but before I went through law school I thought doctors knew everything, that they were some special breed of human that knew more than the rest of us about everything, that they were set apart. After I went through law school I realized that they were just like me - with human foibles and issues and that there are some good ones and some bad ones, just like attorneys, nurses, cashiers, etc. Doctors know medicine, I know the law. We each have our area of specialities the other doesn't understand. As as result I see them as just people with specialized training and they can be wrong and they can be right. We know ourselves better than any doctor, and we should always honor that and be our own best advocate. (Not that RJ has not done that, but I just wanted to mention it for those that find advocating hard to do - sometimes it is very hard to do, especially when you are afraid and don't feel good.)

My long-time doctor insisted that I need a hysterectomy, but I just wasn't willing to do it because I didn't feel like I had tried everything. It was hard for me to go and find another doctor, but I did. My female problems are gone now and if I have had a hysterectomy. I would have removed something that was worth saving.

We're all worth saving and evey experience we have and share with others, no matter how small or traumatic, is a learning/sharing experience for the posting person and for all of us in this great community.

It's safe to say that not many people lose weight on the week of Thanksgiving. But I'm going to lose weight this week!! Who's with me?

ME!

Tortoise. I am short, only 5'2". I have read short peeps lose slowly. I do like the fact I am not a bunch of baggy skin though. Overall slowly is ok for me as long as I continue losing....if I stop we might have a problem.

I'm a slow loser too. Right now I am losing about 2 pounds a week. I have only had one stall, and that was the 3 week stall everyone mentions.

Pre-gastric sleeve, I had to practically starve myself to lose one pound a week (I lost 70 pounds as a teenager). So the slow loss doesn't surprise me, but it is frustrating because you DO wonder, what if it slows down even more the closer I get to one year out? My nutritionist and the nurse both said that the closer you get to one year, the more likely it is that weight loss will slow down. They were telling me that because I had not lost the amount they believe I should have lost at my two month checkup and they wanted to warn me it may get harder in the future to lose weight. I don't need it to slow down at all - that would be hard to deal with but I would have to learn to deal with it.

I've still got 100 pounds to lose. They are wanting me to lose 70 pounds (total, so another 30 pounds for me by February) by my six month mark, which is what I have been striving for. I go to the gym 3-4 times per week (should be 5-6 times a week but life gets in the way) and try to be active outside of the gym. I eat 1000-1100 calories per day. But I can do more - like walking during lunchtime.

I am wondering if there are people out there that were slow losers throughout the whole process and still met their goal. I am wondering if people like us will just lose at this rate the entire time or if they slowed down even more as time went on.

But I'm glad I was turned down by this place.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2841378/Gastric-sleeve-patient-sues-10M-botched-surgery-resulted-having-legs-amputated-knee.html

This is a far fetched scenario but I almost let this place do my surgery. I'm so glad I went to Mexico.

Wow, that is so sad. It is clearly malpractice. They should not have pierced his aorta. When the doctor went over the list of complications with me, piercing one's aorta was not even on the list - spleen being nicked, yeah. Aorta being severely damaged and the loss of limbs - no.

Poor, poor man.

I'm now 3 weeks. post op and really missing coffee. Will I ever be able to have it again?

Yes, you can according to my doctor if you drink Decaf. I have a cup (8 oz) a week about three times per week.

I was glad to see the responses to Bella's post. I will be 2 wks out tomorrow and have stayed the same weight for 3 days. I try to drink 64 oz of fluids and 50-80 oz Protein. While I know this is unrealistic --I wonder if this is really going to work. I have been walking a mile most days this week. I know I just need to keep following my doctor's program and I will see progress.

Sounds like you are going through a stall. So normal, so be heartened.

I went through it at 3 weeks out and it lasted about 2 to 2 and a half weeks. Believe me when I say this WILL work for you. Chin up!!

While I sincerely respect and admire those of you who have had the courage to tell others about your bariatric surgery, I do not think omitting the fact the you had WLS surgery should be chided, especially by your own community. I highly dislike comments that insinuate someone is a liar for not exposing something that is truly a personal decision. I agree strongly as well however, that it is important for others to inform the public about this process as so many people remain ignorant about the disease of obesity. You are being of service and potential being a great resource and inspiration for other who may need the surgery or have loved ones who do. However, don't knock your trudging buddy for having a different path, please respect those of us who decide to remain anonymous. It is an understandable not to make your surgery public, considering the judgement and pain many of us have already experienced. I understand many of you have tried to remain civil about your opinion and don't consider your comments hurtful, but it really is not in your place to judge our desire to keep things private.

I am a member of AA. Like obesity, alcoholism is also a disease. For various reasons, I don't go around telling others I don't drink because I have the disease of alcoholism. No one in the program would ever question this, we support one another. I feel those who chose to share are courageous and an inspiration, but they in turn, they completely understand my position and don't make me feel like I am lying by saying "I am good" or "I have had enough" or "no thanks" when offered a drink I can not take. Why? Because they understand the stigma. They understand the judgment of others and the fact that not everyone has the energy to deal with being the spokesperson for the resolution of a disease. AA, like bariatric surgery, is common knowledge. It is not a secret society, we should not be made to feel like liars because we do not share every aspect of our journey.

So please, just stop. Be proud of your courage, I love that people like you are out there, I really think you who chose to share are amazing folks. But it is also not in your place to comment on those of us who don't.

Your post is so awesome - thank you so much for sharing.

@greeneyeys604 first let me say you are entitled to say, do and feel however you want so this is not a judgement of you. To that end, when you give an explanation about how you're losing weight, you are leaving out the most important detail and that is called a lie by omission. By omitting the fact that you had surgery, you are lying about how you are losing weight because but for the surgery, you would not be losing weight.

Additionally, and again you're entitled to say whatever you can live with, as thesuse2000 put it, if you could do it with JUST the things you mentioned, why have the surgery? If you decide to answer the question "how are you losing weight", you should at lease tell them ALL of the facts. That's where it can seem as though you're being dishonest.

If not for the people being honest and upfront about what helped them lose weight, many of us would not have decided to have this procedure. If not for seeing it work for someone else and hearing their "testimony", I would not have decided to have the surgery. I know many people that have had the surgery, had success with it and have no regrets.

I too am a leader or "self starter" as you put it. However, this one area, I could not permanently help myself by keeping the weight off. I have lost and gained and lost more times than I can to mention, all in the last 10 years. I was not overweight until about 10 years ago and once I fell in that hole, every diet put me further and further away from my ideal healthy weight. I am an intelligent person and yet, I couldn't "do this" for myself.

I really just wanted you to know that you could give someone the gift of courage to do what you're doing, like your one friend did for you by telling all the details.

Lastly, to everyone that is open and weight loss surgery thank you for giving part of yourself to others in an effort to inspire and encourage them to brave and save their own lives.

This is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, including me.

As I have said before, the word "lie" and "truth" is relative to who is speaking the words and their particular life experience. To label someone as a "liar" or "untruthful" is a judgmental (and honestly, I see it as rude) statement. But we all have the right to say what we wish, and state our opinion, so to say as much is your right - I personally don't like it and don't think it is conducive to a positive enviroment. The outside world is tough enough on obese people - why attack each other here by name calling and put-downs?

To keep hammering the drum of (1) you need to tell, (2) you have a duty to help others and (3) you are dishonest and a liar if you don't do (1) and (2) is ridiculous. It is just as easy to say people aren't truthful to others if they say they can eat whatever they want but leave out the fact that they spend hours in the gym compensating for the fact they eat freely and without restriction. Do they also have the responsibility to admit that they work their heart out? Do we call them a liar and state that they have the responsibility to motivate others by sharing ALL of the details of how they lost weight? Do we call people out who take supplements and that is the cause of their success? How trivial are the things they are doing in light of the overall picture? Do we give these people as much grief as has been given on this site, and other sites like it?

I said this once and I will say it again - the sleeve is merely a TOOL. When we chide others for deciding not to tell, even though they say they are honest about the exercise and the good food choices they are making, why are we giving so much important to the surgery part? All the veterans can attest that the actual restriction is merely part of the formula, that one can still gain back the weight if he or she is not careful. We have either heard of or know people that have "eaten through their surgery". The exercise, food choices and overall decision to make a positive life choice is what matters here at the end of the day. I'm not responsible for anyone else's happiness or health and neither are you or anyone else on this site.

People who are really miserable and want a change will seek out the information they wish to know to help them move forward with whatever decision they make. I'm not a cheerleader nor a nay-sayer on surgery. If I say something, I stick to the facts.

My doctor has it right - he wants to make sure that the decisions people make regarding the surgery are all their own. He takes care not to laud the surgery as a cure-all and is very upfront with the possible complications that can occur. I went to see another bariatric doctor here in Sacramento before Dr. Ali and let me tell you that his seminar was like going to a time-share presentation..complete with advertisements plugging the services of other doctors that provided related services.

If a patient ever has buyer's remorse, that doctor will certainly be blamed. If the surgery doesn't go right for those you feel you had to encourage, you may find yourself in a similar position.

All those of us waiting on insurance approval would love to know....

Your insurance carrier?

How long after submission did you get a response?

Thanks for your information!!!

BS of Cali -seemed like a week. My medical group is the same group that my doctor works for (UC Davis) so that made the process easier.

I am 4 months out and my hair is falling out like mad. It is noticeably thinner. However, I am not getting all my Protein in nor am I taking Biotin. I blame myself.

Don't blame yourself - I am getting in more Protein than they said every day and taking my Vitamins faithfully and my hair is still coming out at a fast pace (I am three months out). I think it just comes down to how your body handles stress, as the others have said.

My hair is non chemically treated and I ran into a lady today that she was like her hair feel out. Her whole prespective was very negative and when she was done with her horrible stories I was mortified. I was wondering does anyone not have that experience???? My hair is fairly long and thick so I am a little worried.

Lord, after I wash my hair it looks like a rat stuck in my drain! LOL. Seriously, that and heartburn are my two complications from this surgery.

Truth, some people lose more than others. I have a lot of hair so no one notices. I only hope it slows down soon.

people, you're not understanding what we are saying.. no one is saying you have t tell, that's not it at all. were just saying its not honest for YOU to tell someone you lost the weight without mentioning you had help from the surgery. That's all, no one is saying you have to tell people. as a matter of fact I have repeatedly said you should tell nosy people to mind their own business. And I never said I want anyone to counsel people who are on the fence about having surgery. What I said was I would like people to educate the people who do not know better as to what people go through on this surgery so then other people wont have to face that negativity.

Lipsticklady I never said you lied, I don't why you made that up. I was never actually talking about or to, you. You jumped in on me.

Steve,

After you have the surgery, if that's your choice, you will understand that having the surgery IS a big deal in the beginning. Your sleeve will do a lot for you in those early days in terms of helping. However, after a year, two years, you will be the one doing all the hard work. You will be the one making the proper dietary choices, the one choosing to exercise and the one choosing to take the supplements each and ever day as prescribed. Your sleeve is merely just a tool for success. You are putting far too much emphasis on the surgery itself as being THE one thing that allows us to lose weight and be healthy.

Right now you see the omission of mention of surgery as a lie. You can't see the other side of things because you're not on the other side yet. The surgery is just a very small part of this whole journey. You see people on TV, or maybe know people personally that have "eaten through their surgery", that have gained almost all of it back. We all do. It just shows that at the end of the day you are responsible for your ultimate success. Those hours spent exercising, calorie counting, making good choices...that will be all you.

Oy... if you honestly feel that your weight loss success is due simply to better eating choices and exercise - than why did you have the surgery? it just doesn't add up.

The two of these CAN be mutually exclusive, you know. Lumping them together for the mere purpose of comparison denigrates them both.

I don't think anyone would deny there can be good reasons to hide it, the nosy boss who won't give you time off, of course that makes sense. But it is not comparable to having "female surgery" it is not in the same realm at all. As i said before and a lot of people here are admitting it. People are hiding the surgery because they do not want people to think they did not have to work at weight loss and it was all the surgeries doing. SO they want people to think they did it all by themselves with no help. I am very sorry ladies, but that is a lie and a cop out because it means you are simply reinforcing the belief that the surgery does it all and you do nothing. To say that you are worried people will talk about you behind your back that you had surgery! OOH, first off. who cares? people will talk about anything. the kind of person who will talk about you in that way is not going to suddenly start talking about how wonderful you are because they think you did it without some help.

Wow - appreciate your honesty but it's really hard to take a one-size fits all approach to this procedure and the people that have it done.

My biggest issue with what you said was your statement that women have this done and don't tell merely to make it look like it was "easy" to lose weight. It is not a fair statement and not representative of the majority of non-tellers in this forum.

Some of us really *DO* want to avoid the questions, the gossip and the bitchy attitudes of others. You know this is a stressful process and having someone put you down (i.e. "you took the "easy" way out" comments and other just as useless observations) does not help. I've been open and honest with people outside the office about what I had done. I told a gal I didn't even know yesterday I had surgery because we are regulars where she works and she commented on my absence over the last three months. I was right up front, open and honest with her.

People at work HAVE asked me why I am losing weight and I tell them exercise and proper eating and I tell them it has NOT been easy! I'm honest about that - it has not been easy.