JamieLogical

You may get to the point where you can chug water again. I had a LOT of issues with drinking immediately post-op and struggled to get all my water in for the first couple of months. But now I have no trouble chugging water (almost 9 months post-op) as long as it is ICE cold and as long as I haven't eaten in the last 45 minutes to an hour.

I don't really see why you can't have any alcohol ever, unless you know you are prone to addiction or something. I do agree that drinking it daily would be stupid, since it's empty calories. Soda has carbonation, which some believe can stretch the sleeve and I'm not willing to take that chance, so I avoid it 100% of the time. But I have had alcohol several times in the last 9 months. Maybe once a month or so once I was allowed. Just at social occasions and I'm very careful about it, because I have noticed I get drunk much faster post-sleeve, so absolutely NO driving the entire night, just to be on the safe side. I'm generally opposed to drinking my calories, but I don't see the harm in drinking in moderation on occasion.

My biggest gripe is that I can never find pants that fit my huge butt and thighs. Every pair I try on is WAY too tight across my butt or is HUGE in the waist.

I let my family get a red velvet cake for my birthday and I even ate about a half a slice of it.

Definitely focus on getting in all your protein. What is your activity level like? I'd "only" lost 41.5 pounds at my 5 month mark, but I had a lower starting weight than you. Everyone loses at a different rate. Try not to compare yourself to others.

How do you expect to afford to eat post-op? This is exactly how you will be eating for the rest of your life post-op. You won't have room for starches and carbs when you need 100 grams of Protein a day and can only eat a few ounces of food at a time.

That chest pain while swallowing should go away within the first two weeks or so, once the swelling goes down. Mine definitely improved once I was a couple weeks out.

Can you order Protein powder online and have it shipped to you? I find it hard to believe you can get protein shakes anywhere in your town. If you have a Walmart, Target, RiteAid, CVS, Walgreens.... any of those will sell protein shakes, just maybe not the best selection. If you really just have NO WAY to get shakes, then the things @@Bufflehead are good sources of protein for the early stages. I was also allowed string cheese during my soft foods phase.

In the early days, especially while on liquids and purees, it's best to just measure out your food. You won't feel restriction with liquids and purees the same way you will when you eventually move on to more solid food. I was supposed to eat 2 oz. at a time on purees, so I just weighed everything on my food scale and ate it slowly. Trust and believe that you WILL feel FULL when you get to more solid foods. You will definitely know you feel full then!

It's definitely not hunger. Like others have said, it may be thirst or acid. My surgeon prescribes a PPI for the first two months post-op. Another thing you will very likely experience in the coming days is head hunger. When you see commercials on TV, smell foods others are eating, or just have cravings for your comfort foods.

Marching in place helped me with my sipping.

I struggle to eat protein I am always ending up eating carbs or something quick There are lots of "quick" options that are high protein. Ready-to-drink shakes and Protein Bars are VERY quick. My go to Snacks are nuts, string cheese, light greek yogurt, and meat sticks (like beef sticks, but I usually go with turkey).

I've been in a "stall" for over a month now. It's tough, but I'm trying to stay positive. Rather than think about the numbers and the slow loss, I'm just trying to focus on living my new life. I bought a whole bunch of new dresses while I was on vacation last week, went swimming in public for the first time in like 15 years, got to ride a bunch of roller coasters I couldn't fit on last year, running in a 5k race on Saturday, and I'm trying to get back into a normal food/exercise routine now that I'm back home. I'm really just loving life so much right now that I think I'd still be happy if I didn't lose another pound. But, I do want to eventually make it to my nutritionist's goal of 165 at least, so I will keep working at it.

The first little bit is rough. There's just no way around it. Be patient and you will see improvement day-by-day. Once I was approaching 3 weeks post-op and allowed to move onto soft foods/purees, I started to feel a lot better. Still took me to about the 3 month mark to feel "normal" the vast majority of the time. But even one month out was a HUGE improvement over those early days. Hang in there and be patient!

I was allowed to swallow pills at 7 days post-op, but you should ask your surgeon.

I am scheduled for my first 5k (well, first in recent history) on Saturday morning and i'm pretty nervous as I haven't run since the week before last. I was out of town on vacation all last week, and despite my intention to go to the gym there and run at least once or twice, I never actually did so. Tonight I'm scheduled to finish up Week 8 of C25k with my last 28 minute run and then on Thursday I hope to get a 30 minute run in before Saturday's race. I know I won't be able to run the full 5k non-stop on Saturday, but I want to try to run as much as possible and finish in under 40 minutes. We'll see!

I'm really sorry you have decided to move away from this site. I agree that it's unfortunate that coordinators and advertisers infiltrate a lot of the threads, but I don't see how that can be completely avoided in an open online community. It's usually pretty easy for me to spot the fakes and just ignore them. And it's worth it to me to put up with the crap in order to get to all of the really great stuff this forum has to offer. I never would have made it through my pre and post-op experiences without the support and information from this community.

Ha! This post made me chuckle. Sometimes when I see others asking about other surgeons and facilities, I've been tempted to say this exact same thing. But, then I remember that while OCC was the best choice for ME and I am thrilled with my decision and my outcome, not everyone has the same priorities that I do. So a different surgeon or facility might really be the best choice for them.

I financed my surgery by borrowing against my retirement account. If you have a 401k or something similar, you should look into whether that is an option for you by contacting the brokerage company. The great thing about it is that you aren't actually withdrawing the money from the account, so you don't have to pay any taxes or fees and then you are essentially paying yourself back with interest.

Are you eating for comfort or boredom or both? My first instinct is to advise you to try to fill your time with activities so you don't get bored and overeat while just watching TV or whatever. Try to get out of the house and walk around the mall or a park. Maybe even do some volunteer work while you look for a new job?

Two weeks is the standard amount. I went back at 15 days post-op and my main issue was fatigue. If you have a desk job, there shouldn't be any real physical limitations or pain at that point. But you will likely still be on a liquid diet (I was on full liquids until day 18) and not getting enough calories. So you will be very very tired. Just the process of showering and getting ready for work in the morning was pretty tiring for me. By the end of the day, I was ready to go home and nap. So just be prepared for that. I had more energy and felt better once I was able to move onto more solid foods and get more calories in.

That's what I recommend. Put in the work. meat your Protein and Water goals. Get some exercise. And you WILL get where you are going eventually!

Nerves are perfectly normal, and while complications can and do happen, they are very rare. What kind of health are you currently in? If your main health issue is your obesity and you don't have any other comorbidities or medical disorders, you should be fairly safe. If you have three young children, you must not be very old. Age can also play a role in the likelihood of complications. When you have people in your life that you love and care about, it's completely natural to worry about their welfare should something go wrong. You have weighed up all of the risks and benefits of this surgery. You say you have researched it for over a year. You made your choice with a clear mind and it's just these last-minute doubts creeping in. Trust in the choice you made when you were thinking more clearly.

You should easily be able to be up and moving around 4 days post-op. You should already be up and walking the night of your surgery. The main physical restriction post-op will be lifting. But as far as just walking and running errands, you should be fine. You may also be restricted from driving if you are still on pain meds a few days post-op. Just ask your doctor about that depending on what meds you are given.

Hang in there. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Are you getting much activity in? At 2 months out you should be cleared for more rigorous activities now, besides just walking. Though if walking is all you can physically do, just maybe do more of it? How are you doing on your Protein? I assume pretty well if you are getting 1000 calories a day and only 200 of those are from carbs. Water and protein are definitely key. If you don't get enough of both, it can affect your loss.