FrankyG

Hooray!

I agree with the others that if you haven't given up, then you are not a failure. There are literally dozens of different types of Protein shakes out there - light/no flavor powders, dessert flavors, fruit flavors... and I am sure there is one out there that you'd be able to drink. I personally love Boost's glucose control shakes because they're low carb and taste like thick chocolate milk, and use them for right before or after exercise, but it did take me a few tries to find one that wasn't weird tasting to me. You know what you need to do, and you found this forum which is super for offering support, tips, and sometimes a smack on the butt to get you going again. I would suggest doing a hard reset - a 5 day pouch test - and begin again committed to working your sleeve for the maximum benefit. http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html After that, start tracking your food - every single bite - making better food choices (good Proteins, complex carbs, healthy choices), and speak to a NUT that can get you back on track. There is still time in your honeymoon phase to get some serious weight loss in and relearn how to eat and what to eat. Get excited. Get riled up. But most of all GET UP AND MAKE AN EFFORT. You are so worth this and you can absolutely break through this apathy that is holding you back. You need to really commit to doing this tho. You have an amazing opportunity still, so don't let it slip through your fingers. You are far enough out to not be experiencing any of the issues of being sleeved and still reap all of the benefits. All you need to do is try and keep on trying - fall off the horse 50 times, get right back on 51!!

Dairy can make many sleevers nauseous for quite a while, but it should (fingers crossed) get better as time goes on. If you know it bothers you, I would not keep trying it right now. Wait a few weeks/month and then give it another chance. I couldn't eat eggs for months; just threw it up every time so after three attempts I just stopped and waited a few months later until I was finally able to eat them around 5 months out. No sense subjecting yourself to a food your sleeve doesn't like constantly. The modified milks like Fairlife and such are awesome so do keep trying those if they are working for you. You are in puree stage, so it might be safe to try soft foods like scrambled egg or refried Beans if you chew them really really well. You could also try chicken Soup (or add some canned chicken to chicken soup) and puree it in a blender to make it break down all the chunks and that might help you get more liquid/protein.

Sounds like a food funeral. You will eventually be able to eat anything including all the really bad things... but you should only eat them rarely, and you won't be able to eat nearly as much, and it is highly likely that you won't want really want to eat them after adjusting to healthier eating habits. I have pizza every once in a while, but I can only eat maybe a half of a slice before I am totally stuffed, and I don't like the really greasy loaded versions I used to eat - so I can't remember the last time I had takeout versions. I make way better pizza at home now using whole wheat flour and homemade sauce and load up the veggies and cheese.

There are many doctors out there that are kind and compassionate and have a great bedside manner. And there are many more really great doctors that have a horrible bedside manner. This sounds like the kind you're dealing with right now. Understand that he's not trying to be mean; he just sucks at doing anything to do with feelings. He knows bodies and guts and stuff - so don't look to him for emotional support. As far as your partner's suicide. I am so very sorry for what he did to you. You absolutely are not to blame for his depression or the selfish nature of what he did. I had a family member commit suicide and from experience - it is an act of selfishness and anger/control sometimes as much as one of depression. They were too far gone in their own messed up thoughts and feelings and focusing only on themselves to see that there is always a way through. He lashed out in anger and fear in the only way he felt he could control the situation. You did nothing wrong. I do hope one of the things you have done since then is find a competent counselor/therapist to work through all of the sorrow and guilt he left you with. Counseling can help with the weight/eating issues too as you find your way back to working your sleeve. Good luck with everything. I do hope you find your way down the path to happiness and being healthy.

Contact the office manager. I'd send them a formal letter or at least an email with all the details of the shoddy service, the lack of communication, and violation of your specified no contact (not sure that really counts as a HIPAA violation; if you didn't want them contacting you at work, don't provide the work number - and make them remove it from your file - but they did at the very least violate your privacy). And if you do see the doctor at some point I would also let him/her know that their office management is very poor and that you may be leaving his practice due to the horrible things they have put you through. They should be told at least so they can see if they can fix things or yell at the staff that is screwing up. A bariatric practice should be VERY streamlined and easy to deal with; they are a for-profit independent business most times, and want to make sure that they have you run through as fast and efficiently as possible, so it sounds like their nurses and benefits coordinator need to be called on the carpet and possibly sent for training (or fired!!) for their overall lack of skill and service. And if you have time, you might want to consider changing doctors/practices. This horrible lack of attention and outright bungling screams of a poorly run office, and any doctor that is not aware of how his office runs probably wouldn't be one I'd want doing any sort of cutting on me.

The sleeve will give you time - portion control and lessen hunger (removal of the areas of stomach that produce the hunger hormone ghrelin) to get your mental issues with food worked out. If you don't use the "honeymoon" period to get your eating habits under control and reteach yourself how to eat, you will risk failing. Everyone will lose weight in the first year or so, even eating total crap and fast food all the time. But once the honeymoon is over, your body will adjust to the amounts of food you eat, and if all you're eating is nutrient poor crap food, the weight will come back. That's why it is so important to relearn how and what to eat ASAP. Your sleeve won't fail you, but you can easily eat around or eat slider food (foods that are easy to eat like ice cream or Cookies or crackers - that "slide" right down) and can fail your sleeve. Don't compare yourself to others. As long as you are following the dietary requirements (Protein, Water, exercise) you will lose weight, but your body will decide how fast. Stalls will happen, and often. Weight will not drop off on a steady rate. You will see days, sometimes weeks where the scale doesn't move. This isn't failure. Make sure you're eating enough calories (eating too few can stall weight loss) and sticking to your requirements, but otherwise it may just be your body trying to decide if you're going to stop eating/exercising like this or does it have to keep giving up its precious fat stores. Take measurements in the beginning as sometimes when the weight isn't dropping, you might be burning fat and building muscle (a pound of bulky fat takes up way more space than lean muscle).

First, you are barely one month out; the weight you've lost is very good and being in a stall right now is perfectly normal. There are tons of posts on here about the stalls (there is almost always one that lasts a bit around 3 weeks out) and how often it occurs. There's a great thread by Inner Surfer Girl about "embracing the stall" you should seek out. Google can provide you with much better details, but being in a state of ketosis means you're eating so low carb, your body is using fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Our bodies will burn carbs first as they are easiest to access and most people consume great quantities of carbs daily. When you switch over to eating mostly Protein and healthy fats (like olive oil, avocados, and many fats found in whole food like nuts and such) you can end up in ketosis pretty easily, and it is super awesome for fat loss. What makes a carb intake sufficiently low carb is debatable; it could mean you eat less than 100 carb grams a day, or in some cases, less than 50 grams daily. Eating low carb means you don't eat things like grains, bread, cakes, Cookies, rice, Pasta, potatoes, crackers. And if for some reason you do eat grains, it should be whole grain/whole wheat and things like brown rice. But rarely and small portions. In ketosis, you'll notice feeling tired for several days/week while your body flips over to burning fat. It can also make your breath smell oddly (some describe it as "fruity") and you'll need to urinate more frequently. You should be drinking lots of Water in ketosis, which you should anyway after sleeve surgery. But once you are in ketosis, you'll burn fat and lose more weight and feel better once you make the changeover. You absolutely should be tracking every bite of food that goes in your mouth in some form of app that can break down the amount of fat, carbs, protein and Fiber and your total caloric intake every single day. This will give you a better understanding of what and how much you're eating and you can see instantly where you might need room for improvement.

I just saw these in the refrigerated healthy food section of my local Kroger and wondered about them. Now I think I might have to pick some up next time. I do miss my noodles!

The fat! It jiggles now!! I have been losing weight evenly all over for the last year. Even from my fingers apparently (have had to buy smaller rings twice now)! But the last month or so, I've noticed that I'm really, really jiggly. Like the fat parts are looser, less firm and much more Jello like (I was always a very solid/firmly packed fat girl). After searching all over, it appears that this is a good sign that the fat areas are jiggly, because they are filled with Water instead of full fat cells; because the fat is in the process of being broken down and used. I have been doing really well exercising and noticed also that holding my legs or arms out a certain way causes the fat areas to sort of hang off like fabric and I see the muscle definition very clearly. But the skin itself is doing fine, thank goodness (no real saggy stuff happening yet). This also could mean that if I'm drinking enough water, I'll start seeing a real reduction in the jiggly areas soon. So does this sound about right? Anyone else have experience or insight into the jiggle?

Too funny! I'm of German ancestry mostly and I have always said I look like a sturdy German milkmaid. I a probably medium boned (can't wear many types of bracelets due to larger wrists). I have always had a very solid layer of muscle under all this fat and have shocked the hell out of people about how strong I am. Like when I was helping my inlaws to move some furniture and was carrying a queen sized mattress (in the front) so fast I was told to slow down as my FIL couldn't keep up with me. The doc said the same thing - my "ideal" weight was something like 135 and I busted out laughing so hard. I told him even in high school when I was not fat at all, I weighed right at 155, and the idea that I'd lose down to 135 at my age (early 40s) was ridiculous. I'm shooting for 175 and in being in killer shape.

I think he had a brain fart... or else he's just really good at saying stupid things. It's a gift! But really all you had to say is that he is an engineer. Known too many of them not to get that they all seem to think very linear and lack social skills and tact sometimes. I big pink puffy heart love sushi and there was no way I was giving it up... so I modify the way I eat it now. I mostly eat sashimi but still order some sushi, but I take the fish off the rice ball, separate out about 20 ish (I'm not counting but it's roughly a green pea sized) portion of the rice, add some wasabi and then dip that in the light soy. I still get a tiny taste of the yummy rice, but it is probably barely a spoonful once I'm done with my meal. I'll also unwrap some rolls to remove most of the rice and request rice free rolls if available.

I make it several times a month. I make dry rub for a big batch of chicken drumsticks, then after we eat on those, I add about 6-8 cups of Water, the chicken bones to the slow cooker (have also saved bones from thanksgiving in a freezerbag with all the air squeezed out - the neck bones are particularly good for making bone broth and have very tender meat), dump in the ends of things like celery and onions (I throw them in a separate veggie freezer bag also as I'm chopping veggies and save up the bag until it's full), add a dash of either apple cider or red wine vinegar or lemon juice (supposedly helps break down the collegen/marrow) then cook on high for at least 12 hours sometimes just let it go on low overnight. Roast the bones first (like in the oven or slow cooker) as that adds more flavor. It is perfectly fine to save the bones from a meal you and your family have eaten; they'll be totally sanitized/safe after boiling for hours. I let it cool, then using a fine metal colander, strain off the bits and bones and put the broth in quart containers and freeze. I use the broth for all kinds of Soups, chicken and dumplings...

My doctor said the same thing, but added that it was because the body's metabolism adjusts after about 12-18 months to the new eating patterns and activity levels, therefore meaning you'd be basically having to eat even less and exercise more to get results... sort of like where we started before the surgery (well, kind of, since we've had such a great opportunity to relearn healthy eating habits). I don't think this is exactly the same across the board for every person, just a general caution. I'm coming up on 13 months out now, and still losing. I've also started feeling really good and getting into exercising. I was doing okay through the summer into the fall, but the drive and enjoyment levels have really ramped up for me at this point and I'm now pushing past my usual routine and advancing into uncharted territory for me. So I do think it is possible to continue to improve both eating and fitness wise after the 12-18 month period, but you have to work for it harder.

Yeah, the powders made me throw up every time, even tried them again just to see at about 7 months, and same thing. They just make me gag even smelling them. I'm using Boost glucose control (usually all the diabetes nutrition shakes are much lower carb) shakes now - purchased both at HEB and Krogers. They have 16 grams of Protein and 16 grams of carbs, and they are pretty good. There have to be some Protein Shakes out there you can drink, so I'd suggest you try a few different ones and see if you could find one that works. Then drink several a day to supplement your protein until such time as you can get the solid protein up to a decent level. I eat a whole lot of eggs and soy sausage, canned tuna or chicken salads, baked fish (Swai fish is cheap and high protein and really easy to get down because it's so soft). And high protein milk (like Fairlife or Mootopia from HEB... if you're an Aggie, I suspect you might live in Texas, so check it out - one 8oz glass has 12 grams protein and only 6 carbs).

Fat stores hormones and can interfere with a woman's cycle and can cause infertility. Some of those hormones, especially progesterone, can make you feel a whole lot better and improve skin/hair as well as increase cycle regularity. If you are sexually active, make sure you're using precautions as there have been many incidents of pregnancy after surgery due to the loss of fat/hormone flooding that occurs.

Call your doctor. Running a fever is not something to play around with after this type of surgery, especially coupled with pain as you describe. It could be nothing, or it could be serious; in any case, get it checked out ASAP.

Fat stores hormones like estrogen in great quantities. As you lose fat, the stored hormones are released back into your bloodstream. That in turn means you're constantly dealing with a flood of hormones and will feel irritable, angry, weepy, depressed and joyful - sometimes in rapid succession. This will likely be an ongoing issue until you stop losing weight. I would just advise you to be aware of the possibility of having a hair trigger/easily to set off, do your best to remind yourself when you are feeling angry/sad that most likely it's just hormones, and take some deep breaths and try to get control of yourself. And also advise close family or friends that you likely will have some pretty wild mood swings and hope to not subject them to too much crazy. I am also loving exercising as a means to deal with the mood swings and am feeling better when I get out and do an hour or two of something a bit strenuous.

I know right? I also have had to get new (smaller) rings twice over the last year to replace my plain wedding band. My fingers were soooo fat!! Oh, and ankles! I have ANKLES!

I got hot flashes and light headed/sweaty with anything sugary too! It sucked, but then again, I now avoid most of that stuff because of the feelings, so maybe not such a bad thing. Definitely discuss with your doctor, but it likely is just an intolerance for certain foods now.

Wow! That is awesome. You sound so proud and confident! I hope to be even half as content as with my body in another year or two.

Thanks so much for all the thoughtful replies! I am getting in my vitamins/calcium every day. Hitting all my protein (and then some), drinking 64+ oz of water... the food/nutrition part is golden. My favorite exercise is swimming and I used to do that and water aerobics, but our pool is closed until summer (May) so I have to make do with walking/biking and yoga right now. No nearby gyms even with pool - closest one is over 45 minutes away and would cost several hundred for a membership. The issues may very well be related to my back and just transmitting pain down to the hip/leg areas. I have a giant rack still (currently wearing a 36 G bra), and even when I wasn't fat I always had giant boobs (was a DD in 6th grade and that was way before I gained weight). As I've lost weight the only thing that has changed is my band size (used to wear a 44 G). So I know how to buy supportive bras, but I may need to get some specifically for sports/compression and see if that helps as well. I will go shoe shopping this weekend. I realized after reading all the mentions about how important shoes are. The ones I just reglued are over 14 years old... the glue might have failed just from age! I never wore them that much until the last year, and now I wear the hell out of them, so my frugal nature just said "fix em' and save money" and it didn't even occur to me that the support might be shot by now. Oops. I'll keep doing my stretches and warmups and ease off of the jogging and stick with walking for now. I do think I'm getting much better, but with this much weight loss, I'm having tendons, ligaments and muscles behaving like a gangly teen and definitely will give my body more time to adjust. And will keep physical therapy in mind if this situation doesn't improve. Again - thank you so much all!

I love walking at night. Stay safe, watch your walking path for obstacles and enjoy yourself.

I've never been a regular exercising type of person until now. I am really into walking and have been doing it consistently for going on two months - at least 2.5 miles a day, 5 days a week average. I've gone out in the early morning and then again in the afternoon or evening sometimes I'm enjoying it so much. I've been able to fit in up to 5 miles on some of those days. I just had to reglue my walking shoes - the soles came off! But I've been running into issues with both pain and stiffness the last couple of weeks as I'm working on upping my distance/time and adding in a little (very) slow jogging. My hips started hurting - sounds like bursitis - so I added in some hip abduction exercises and that's mostly resolved. I have had sciatic pain in one leg before all of this, and it seems to come and go now. And I'm noticing that after sitting down for any length of time, I am stiff as a board and have a dull overall pain in my hips/butt/legs upon standing up and trying to walk. It takes a few minutes to loosen up and stop feeling achy. Is this just due to the fact that I am regularly exercising now, and just need to push though it, or a sign of something bad and should scale back and maybe do less days? I hate the idea of not going out as often or doing as much, as I'm really into it and this commitment has NEVER stuck for this long before and worry I'll lose my enthusiasm if I start sitting out more days. I have family history of rheumatoid arthritis so I'm worrying over the idea that I might be developing that too. Any suggestions?

First off, losing 22 pounds in just over 2 months is not at all slow. When have you ever lost that much weight that fast? That is awesome and you should be really happy about that much weight gone. Second, yes, many people are slow losers. You can't compare how fast your body loses weight with how fast other people lose weight. It's not a race, and your body will do what it needs to do at exactly the pace it decides. Not anything you can do about that as long as you are getting your protein/nutrition, Vitamins, Water and exercise as defined by your doctor. Lastly, yes, starting out at a lower weight overall is going to mean the weight loss overall will be much slower when compared to someone starting at a high BMI/weight. Instead of looking at actual pounds, why not look at percentage lost? Keep doing well with your food/water and exercise, and the pounds will drop away. It might not be as fast as you'd like, but you'll get there in the end.