MrsSugarbabe

As sleevers we should always be taking small sips. If I take one that's too big, it causes me discomfort. Having to always take small sips has been a frustration to me because sometimes I just want a really big DRINK of ice cold water/SF beverage. I had a hard time with getting enough liquids in the beginning; doing better now, but not sure I'm still getting enough even though I don't believe I'm dehydrated. Always, always do what your surgeon and NUT suggest; that is your best course of action.

I see a huge difference in your before and after pics!! Especially in your stomach. Yes, your basic shape is still the same, but the size of your basic shape has definitely shrunk! I'm a bit over 4 months out and down 59 lbs. I started seeing/feeling the biggest difference in how my bra was fitting me before other clothes started getting looser. And I didn't go out and buy new clothes until my co-workers started telling me it was time because my clothes were too baggy. I agree with what the others have said. You may not see the difference yourself, but the inches are changing. Do a before and after picture of just your face and see if you don't see a difference. Keep up the great work!!! Remember - for every pound we lose, we're a little bit healthier! Weight loss isn't the only goal.

AWESOME!!! Looking great, @mnmist!!!

It's probably still just gas moving around. It will likely stop in the days to come. Try chewing a couple of Tums if you aren't already on an acid reducer. Don't be surprised if you continue to have episodes of belching, hiccuping, gurgling in belly, etc. This is fairly normal and to be expected, and will probably continue for months to come. Good luck on your journey!

March 27, 2015 - Friday Weekend Warm-up It can be helpful to read your Advantages List (a list of all the reasons why you want to lose weight) several times a day throughout the weekend. This will help remind you that while staying on track can be more difficult on the weekend, it’s so worth it! Continually remind yourself why you’re doing this and your motivation will stay high. From Beck Daily Diet Solutions - http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

If you sign up for automatic delivery, you can save $$$. You determine how often you receive a shipment, and what is shipped to you based on your use. I love unjury and the autoship option!! http://www.unjury.com

My beast is alive and well----unfortunately. Thanks for your insight and encouragement. I will be calling a spade a spade going forward.

@@Laydee_G -- The medical doctor within the group that I went to for my VSG told me about the book and the website. It has been a source of encouragement for me when I find I have to work on the psychological aspect of my journey. Maybe the blurb below will help provide a bit of encouragement to you. From Beck Diet Solutions website for March 24, 2015 - Tuesday Reality Check Don't be overly influenced by the number on the scale. If you see a higher number, you may get demoralized and overeat. If you see a lower number, you may think that it’s okay to loosen up and eat more. Remember – the number on the scale is just one point of information and shouldn’t impact how you eat on any given day. http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

Just wanted to share the following with my VSG buddies...... From Beck Diet Solutions website for March 24, 2015 - Tuesday Reality Check Don't be overly influenced by the number on the scale. If you see a higher number, you may get demoralized and overeat. If you see a lower number, you may think that it’s okay to loosen up and eat more. Remember – the number on the scale is just one point of information and shouldn’t impact how you eat on any given day. http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

@@segatz80 - My surgery was 11/10/14 so I'm still learning my limitations and not sure how much help I can be. But I do know, and would like to suggest -- get back to doing what you know you should be doing to get all your Protein in and your physical activity. I know some days it is hard to stay the course, but we have to do it for the rest of our lives, and for the BEST of our lives. You may even want to talk to someone about any psychological food issues you may be having - maybe the person you had your psych eval with, or a health coach through your insurance company, or an EAP counselor if your employer has an EAP program. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! From Beck Diet Solutions website for March 24, 2015 - Tuesday Reality Check Don't be overly influenced by the number on the scale. If you see a higher number, you may get demoralized and overeat. If you see a lower number, you may think that it’s okay to loosen up and eat more. Remember – the number on the scale is just one point of information and shouldn’t impact how you eat on any given day. http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

Sad, but true, long gone are the days of proper etiquette and common courtesy. I hate that your orientation class was not as positive experience as it should have been for you, @likelike. Now that it's behind you, you can focus on all the upcoming appointments you'll have.

March 20, 2015 - Friday Weekend Warm-up Reminder: If you were driving on the highway and missed your exit, would you say, “Forget it” and keep driving? No! You’d get off at the very next exit and turn around. If you make a mistake this weekend, immediately turn yourself around and get right back on track. From Beck Daily Diet Solutions - http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

What about Iron? Are you getting enough iron in your multi-Vitamin, or do you need to supplement? I tend to be borderline anemic and when I don't supplement my iron intake, I feel very run down and tired. I agree with the others about the Water intake, B12, exercise, and checking with your surgeon/bariatric group and NUT. Something else may be going on that supplements can't fix.

I use the SF vanilla and SF caramel in my coffee and love them. Haven't tried any of the fruit flavors, but plan to buy 1 or 2 to change up my Protein shake options a bit. I buy the Torani at World Market who carries a large selection. I like using flavorings like banana and strawberry in my vanilla Protein shakes and would love to find pineapple flavoring, but haven't been successful yet.

From The Beck Diet Solution website for today. March 19, 2015 - Think Thin Thursday -- If you think, “I can’t say no when [my friend] offers me food because I’ll disappoint her,” remind yourself that if you had a peanut allergy and she offered you something with nuts in it, you would never consider giving in. Losing weight/being healthier is just as legitimate a reason to say no!

Great post, @@alwaysvegas!!! I totally agree with what you said about appreciating the portion control "stop" that the sleeve affords us, and how it's possible to be satisfied with just a few ounces of food vs. our previous serving sizes. One thing I've learned, and was warned about by another sleever, is to be very careful not to let old habits come back into our lives. That part can be a struggle at times. As a co-worker told me about a year ago as I was researching and considering the sleeve (she was sleeved about 3 years ago), having the "hard stop" of the smaller stomach is very helpful in detering eating large portions. May we all succeed in our individual journeys!

Get up and move around!! It will help that gas dissipate much more quickly.

@@Califlower83 - Good luck to you on your sleeve journey!!! Hopefully after your surgery and when you're able to start eating regular foods you will be able to eat BBQ again, but in a MUCH smaller portion. I recently had smoked BBQ ribs for the first time (I'm 4 mos. post-op). Initially, I did not have a tummy problem because I stopped after eating what is now my normal portion size - 1/2 cup or 2-3 ozs. total depending on the food. It was 2 hours later when I ate some more of the ribs. I still did not eat a lot, but it was still too much for my new tummy and I felt miserable for 30+ mins. The food created a lot of gas which I was belching constantly. After about 20 mins. I was able to chew a couple of Tums which helped immensely. I attributed all the discomfort to eating too much in too short a time, but a friend told me that SMOKED foods can make GERD a whole lot worse for some folks. For me, it may have been a combination of the two. I don't suffer from GERD constantly so that's why I think the discomfort/gas may have been more related to volume. I do eat one piece of bacon with an egg sometimes and it doesn't bother me at all. All this said, take your time when returning to regular foods and, whatever you do, DON'T OVERDO IT. The price you pay is not worth it!

Current favorite for lunch: Seasoned black Beans combined with some browned Jimmy Dean sausage (regular), petite diced tomatoes, onions & green peppers. 1/2 cup portion Other choices: powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein shake anytime, or their chicken soup Rotisseri chicken cheese sticks or mini babybell 2% small curd cottage cheese, Breakstone, 4 oz. eggs - boiled or fried California Rolls w/ imitation crab & avocado Browned pork chops, boneless, from the loin Beef Jerky (usually a snack)

Very well said, @@vincereautmori! I joined BP in my research phase prior to deciding to have the sleeve surgery. Like many others here, my decision to have sleeve surgery was not for the sole purpose of losing weight; it was because of my health, i.e. non-alcoholic liver, diabetes, high blood pressure. My PCP recommended WLS to me since I had 100+ lbs. to lose and considering my age, history, etc. he felt it was my best option and I would be successful following surgery. For those of you still researching and deciding whether or not to have WLS, leave this subject thread and go to another, more positive forum that can provide you with the information and support you are seeking.

@@JamieLogical and @@AvaFern have made some good points above which I agree with. @@jadama22, glad to hear you have a great nutritionist as she will be a huge help along the road of your journey. Hopefully, you will find, as I have, that you can still enjoy your favorite foods, just in MUCH smaller portions, but also that you won't necessarily want the same things as you did pre-surgery. Once I transitioned to regular foods and began reintroducing some favorites (no necessarily unhealthy), I found my new tummy to be very tolerate of what I ate as long as I took VERY SMALL BITES, ate VERY SLOWLY, and CHEWED THE food until it was "puree" consistency in my mouth. Since post-surgery we're instructed to EAT Protein FIRST, I'm finding I'm not interested in the carb heavy foods anymore. If I do get a "taste" for something that's not high protein, then a bite or two is sufficient to satisfy my "taste" for it. Just remember - even though weight loss is a huge result of sleeve surgery, I believe the most important reason we do/did this is for our health, to improve our conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver, etc. You'll find your way post-surgery with the help of your surgeon, nutritionist, and all the great folks on BP. Good luck on your journey!!!

@@Wannabeskinnie - Everybody's body will behave a bit differently following surgery. My surgeon stopped my diabetes medication and high blood pressure medicine immediately after surgery. I'm 4 months out and no longer need the diabetes medication. My current A1C is 5.7 which is well-controlled . At my annual physical last month, my PCP did not feel like I needed to continue taking my HBP meds, even with diastolic dysfunction, but was okay with me restarting Lasix 3-4 days/weeks for edema. Most of the pills I take each day now are OTC supplements as directed by my surgeon and PCP. Enjoy your new tummy and the benefits of becoming healthier as your weight decreases!

@Iclemur - There's a lot of great suggestions in all these responses as well as some tough love. Below is a link to a website I found after the medical doctor I worked with prior to deciding to have surgery told me about a book called The Beck Diet Solution. When I checked out the book at the library (yes, I still use the library ) I discovered that it dealt mainly with the psychological retraining of the mind. There are some new ways to think about food and our weight loss journey on this website so I hope you'll check it out - http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/. In the hope you'll find it encouraging, you can go out to eat, you'll just have to find what works for you when you do. For me, my husband and I share a meal since I get full after just a few bites. Sometimes I order the kids meal or order an appetizer as my meal (even doing that I take leftovers home). Keep doing what you know you're supposed to be doing with regard to food and exercise. This journey isn't just about the food or losing weight, but about getting you healthier than you were before you had surgery. @@VSGAnn2014 made some great suggestions which I hope you'll take to heart. From The Beck Diet Solution website for today: March 16, 2015 - Monday Motivation Dieting can be hard but the benefits that come as a result of gaining control and losing weight are totally and completely worth it. If you’re having a hard time, make a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight and read it at least once a day. Doing so will remind you exactly why you’re doing this and give you motivation to keep going.

I concur with everything everyone has said on the subject of the original post started by @@kndoster. Whatever name you want to call it, my body has experienced it. I will go days, as well as a week or two, with the scale fluctuating up, then down, then up again, then down again, then one day it will go down 2 lbs. and stay, and the cycle begins again. As long as my weight continues to go down from my starting point months ago, I'm a happy camper. My decision to have the surgery wasn't just about losing weight, more importantly, it was about improving my health and the state of my fatty liver, diabetes, and hypertension. Hang in there, @@kndoster!! Take your surgeon's stall statement with a grain of salt and move on to the business of taking care of yourself.

I've always loved Beans, especially black beans. My favorite thing right now is to combine 2 cans seasoned beans plus I add more seasoning-garlic, pepper, cumin, bay leaf if I think about it, 1 can petite diced tomatoes, some sautéed onions and green peppers, about 1/2 lb. of browned sausage, add a little Water so that it's not too dry, but not soupy. I portion it out into 1/2 cup plastic containers, freeze, and take to work for lunch. It's very satisfying @@CanyonBaby - Grits are a favorite food, too, but I've been working more on getting plenty of Protein that I have not experimented with something like this. Trying to keep my daily carbs to <100 grams/day. I need some more meal options so I'll give grits+ another look