antigone40

@@leag78 The really cool thing is we don't have to go back! Bye 300, you're not welcome anymore!. Way to go!

Lol seems like im reppin australia solo styles at the moment xD

Kingman, Arizona

I've been accepted to the 200 club...I got on the scale this morning and I weighed 299.4. I am super excited. I know I still got a long way to go but at least I am no longer in the 3s. Yay!!!

@@Missbliss14 I don't know for sure (not a medical professional) but I doubt a drain would have an effect on whether or not you throw up. Anything you throw up starts inside the closed world of the stomach, but the drain is from the abdominal cavity and doesn't take anything from the inside of the stomach. That's how they can tell if there is a leak from the drain Fluid -- if something drains out that should be staying inside the stomach, there's a problem.
Surgical anesthesia is pretty good these days. If you have a tendency to throw up after general anesthesia, discuss it with your surgeon and anesthesiologist -- there are steps they can take to lessen the possibility of that happening. Good luck!

I'm glad you've maintained a "friendship" with food. I'm realizing now how it is a tough relationship to redefine. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much for your insight @@JamieLogical, @@no onions; @@Daisy Girl; @antigone40; @@zonetracy!!!
I really am in a "brave new world," and I'm grateful for your observations, advice and support.
It really sounds like the 2-week mark is key!! Can't wait!!
I'll update after Friday's doctor appointment. Thanks again for everything.

Hi C2F,
I'm 5 weeks out. I had VSG and my gall bladder removed and I was feeling okay after 6-7 days. After the second week, I felt fantastic.
Sometimes when I have other things going on, I forget that I'm sleeved and take a big gulp of ice Water ('tis summer after all). It still hurts when I get up in the 2-3 oz. range. I think it's bothering me the most, because chugging Water used to be so fun, and that's how it became a habit!
Best of luck; you'll get there!
Summer

they sure will! i make the best of it. lol got my nips pierced

thank you so much for replying

You will not be able to get even close to 1000 calories for a while. What you are getting now seems right on par. Here's kind of a rule of thumb:
1-5 weeks-400-500 calories
6-8 weeks-600-800 calories
8 weeks and beyond-800-1000 calories
Of course, your miliage may vary. I didn't start eating 1000 calories until about 6 months out. At 10 months, I am at 1200. Probably could eat a few more calories because of exercise, but I struggle even getting 1200 sometimes.

Agreed, I don't think I could get near 1000. My surgeon said no exercise (besides walking) until 6 weeks out, but I have a follow-up tomorrow so I'm going to ask him if I'm able to start before if I feel okay. I'm anxious to get into an exercise routine because that part is harder for me than the diet.

Yep, they're gonna shrink. I'm down 2 bra sizes, and one cup size, in 5 weeks!

Yep, they're gonna shrink. I'm down 2 bra sizes, and one cup size, in 5 weeks!

I'm on soft foods and have been getting between 500-600 calories. Sometimes it's really low, and then other days I just have more caloric intake. But I'm burning at least twice that amount of calories (Thank you Fit Bit)!
Personally I don't think I could get up to 1000 at this point.....5 weeks out.
My two cents-
Summer

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.

Hey! I had my sleeve on January 27th, 2015. I had my rough days, in the beginning there are some hard adjustments and things to learn. I had my periods of depression...I mean I had just re-defined that relationship with the love of my life (food) we are still friends, its just not the most important thing in life anymore. Don't get me wrong...I still LOVE to eat, but its different. Things I never thought I could give up (crème horns, cupcakes, ice cream...) just don't appeal to me that much anymore. I prefer food that makes me feel good. I eat generally a diet high in Protein, nuts, veggies and fruit. That's not to say I deny myself treats, I just don't eat much of them mostly because they have lost a great deal of their appeal. The first couple of months I still wanted bad food, but I noticed after I ate it I didn't feel great, I felt tired and just overall unwell. When I eat the kind of food my body needs I feel GREAT! I also started working out, and I don't mean so casual working out, I work out hard and heavy pretty much everyday. My body and do things I never thought I could do again, I am amazed at how much better I feel (not to mention how much better I look) I am happier with me than I think I have ever been in my life. Any of you reading this can feel this way too, and you will you just need to wrap you head around the change you've made. It's going to take you a couple of months to heal, but you will heal and you will feel better when you eat! Here is the advice I would give from 5-months out and at my half way goal:
1. Remember you will heal and feel better.
2. Weight loss surgery is a tool, and must be used with your other tools
3. You must work out, at about 3 months out try to hire a personal trainer to assist you
4. Eat small amounts of food's every couple of hours during the day.
5. Eat food that makes you feel good (high protein, veggies and fruit)
You can do this, you have come this far and the best is yet to come!!!
Andrea

So, I just saw an ad when at the cinema last week for a dating site for those who have undergone or who are currently undergoing significant weight loss. It's called WeightlessDate.com. It encourages team work and support based on experiencing the same challenges and accomplishments. I thought it was a great idea and wanted to share with the community.

i know i will need a panniculectomy but i went into this knowing I would and knowing tha id take some loose skin as a side effect to really feeling good and being able to function at a level i haven't in many years. im almost 3 months out and my belly has shrunk, bt it also has fallen, so it hangs down lower than before, but trust me ill take that any day, the health implications are so drastic already its amazing. heres a quick example last night after riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes and 7 miles my heart rate was at 131 bpm. just 4 months ago at my stress test, after 8 minutes i had to stop and my heart rate was over 162 bpm. Thats how much stress i have removed from my heart. you cant compare that to some loose skin.

Once you lose the weight - most of us tend to forget why we did WLS in the first place... To get healthy... and it becomes more about what we look like...
So some of us end up with some extra skin... it happens... but i accepted that before hand knowing that might happen... I have extra skin around my stomach area, and very lose skin in my upper thigh area... but i FEEL good, i can get up and down the steps, have fun & LIVE.

Oh, boy.
Guys, you're forgetting that marijuana is used medically in many states, and is used to treat many chronic pain problems as well as an assortment of medical issues/diseases.
Please educate yourselves and get out of the dark ages.
Many, many people who you never would suspect use marijuana do. I'm one of them. I've got two degrees, run two of my own businesses, and have debilitating chronic pain issues that I *might* wish on my worst enemy but certainly not anyone else. I've been a stoner for many years, and have been using it to treat chronic pain issues (metal rod fused in my spine) for several years. I'm grateful it's an option. You don't just have to smoke it-you can vape, do edibles, use a tincture drop under your tongue.
I'm 7 years out with my LapBand, and don't have much of an appetite these days. It actually helps me eat. It helps me sleep. It helps with so many things, and I wish people would stop being so closed minded about it because they're not educated about it.
I'm not sure I would recommend it on a regular basis as a new bariatric patient, because of munchies, that I will agree on. You're trying to learn new habits over years of developed bad habits, and I could see that as being detrimental in some cases, but certainly not all.
Once a week is not a frequent user. Not a bit.
If it helps you relax, and you can retain control over the munchies, you go right ahead.

@@charmia, that's my take on it, too. I think that since smoking marijuana lowers inhibitions, you could end up making bad food choices and/or overeating. I'm not a smoker but if I was, I would avoid it post surgery.
Just my $.02: Lets be careful how we use the term addiction. If it's applied indiscriminately to every behavior we don't approve of, it loses its meaning.

I promise I will try it after my surgery and I'll give a shout out about my experience. (some of these responses truly had me laughing out loud!! folks need to "lighten up"!)

"Be curious, not judgmental"
--Walt Whitman
Please be kind to each other on this site - aren't all of us trying to stay positive about perhaps the hardest things we have ever done? I know I am. I come to this site for inspiration and answers - not to read others being negative about others' choices. Be respectful please. You don't have to agree with what others do, but no need to hate. This is hard enough.

@@Ms. Reid
"Deal with it Babe"?
Thank you for that very well articulated response regarding the correlation of smoking Marijuana and it's effects on post Bariatric surgery patients. I also appreciated your well thought out response and obvious expertise about the dangers of addiction and addiction transfer post WLS. Your critical thinking skills must be the envy of all your peers.
I'll bet you're fun at parties.