mae7365

You look great! You have got to feel so good about your decision 2.5 years ago.

I track everything on MyFitnessPal and I focus on getting 60+ grams of Protein. Right after surgery, I tried to keep my carb intake very low (<50), but the dietitian told me I need at least 125-150 grams of carbs for proper brain function etc. I have my 1000 calorie MyFitnessPal set at 50% carbs (125 grams), 25% protein (63 grams) and 25% fat (28 grams).

@@ChavaBling, I ate Special K Protein meal bars (10 grams of protein) until I got my taste buds under control. They may not have 20 grams of protein, but they taste really good and offered a good amount of protein for the calories (170-180). I thought it was a good transition bar for the first 2 months. Now I appear to have my old taste buds back, so the Quest gives me more protein for the calories.

I agree with comments about nutrition. Not getting enough Protein, Vitamins, minerals etc. can cause lethargy. And the biggy is dehydration. Not having enough fluids can cause lethargy, lack of energy and make you feel terrible.

Good old fashion exercises from elementary school - sit ups,leg lifts, arm circles, leg stretches etc. You can do them on the floor while you watch TV. So far, it's helped firm up my legs and abdomen. I'm also lifting 5 lb weights to help with the excess, hanging skin/whatever it is in my upper arms.

If you are on solid food, Quest Protein Meal bars are 170-190 calories, 20 grams of protein and some of them have amazing flavor (cinnamon roll, white chocolate raspberry, apple pie, S'more just to name a few!). I eat two a day as Snacks and it almost guarantees I hit my 60 grams of protein goal.

I love to shop the clearance racks at Macy's, Dillards etc. They have designer clothes on those racks at crazy prices. Plus, they always have further discounts on weekends. Ross is always fun and reasonable. Designer names at discount prices. I'm currently into yoga pants (they make me look skinny) and I love getting them at Ross for 50% of what they cost at Dicks or Sports Authority!

After your stomach heals, you will sometimes forget that you had 75% of your stomach removed. You just feel normal, but can't eat as much as you did before. To me it's like a miracle - I'm full on 1/8th the food I used to eat, I can eat the same foods I used to eat before surgery, but my new normal is less food and no crazy "I'm always hungry" feeling.

I'm almost 12 weeks post op, and I'm just beginning to get the acid reflux under control. It's really bad at night, aid in my throat and nose followed by hours of coughing. I take 40 mg Nexium and 40 mg omeprazole every day. I use lots of gas-X, Rolaids and Tums. My surgeon and the dietitian who runs my support group assures me it will go away by month 6. I had acid reflux disease before surgery, I had hiatal hernia repair during my sleeve surgery, so I still have a lot of stuff going on inside. I just have to be very careful how much I eat, what I eat and how late I eat before bedtime. I see my surgeon again in March, so it's on my list of questions/concerns to discuss. I've been told there are other prescription medications that I can take, but I'm sticking with the current plan until March since it does seem to be getting better each week.

Sleeve for sure. Your digestive system is intact and you do not have the malabsorption and dietary restrictions of RNY. Sleeve has been done for years for treatment of gastric ulcers etc. I look at it this way: I had a 32 ounce stomach that I could fill until it hurt. Now I have a 4 ounce stomach that makes me pay if I over eat (pressure and even worse - throwing up). So even if I overeat and eventually stretch out my 4 ounce stomach, it will never be the old 32 ounce stomach that just let me over stuff myself whenever I wanted. Unless I decide to eat every hours, high carb, high calorie foods, I just can't imagine being physically able to gain back all the weight I've lost. Does this make sense?

I shared with my immediate family (husband and children) and two neighbors/friends. About 6 weeks after surgery (Christmas time) I told other neighbors and friends from work. I really didn't want or need people to agree or disagree with my decision. It was mine to make and I wouldnt even try to defend my decision if anyone wanted to be negative. To me, I just told people in a matter-of-fact manor and all I've really had is people ask me curiosity questions like "Do you feel different? Did it hurt? How does it work? etc". I was a low BMI (36.1 on day of surgery), and I would have expected people to question why I did it. I've been pleased that people see how much better I look now.....I guess that could be why I don't get any grief over it. I'm not sure if I helped, but its the way I handled it. I never want people to think I'm embarressed about having WLS. I'm proud of the decision I made.

Sorry to the guys, but my biggest NSV's are girl things. 1. Buying pretty, lacey underwear size 7 vs. presurgery size 10 2. Yesterday I bought 5 new bras in Victoria's Secret and I haven't been able to shop there since 2005. Then there are all the other greats like no more medications for high blood pressure & high cholesterol. Having a BMI that is Overweight vs. Morbid Obese. Having my daughter tell her friends that her Mom is now "skinny". Thanks for posting this topic. I love reading everyone's posts.

Anyone interested in being "Fitbit Friends"? I'm Marsha E on Fitbit and it's great place to challenge each other to increase our daily and weekly activity. Feel free to send a request if interested.

I sent a friend request.

This is my first post, but I didn't know who else I could share my experience with who would actually appreciate the fun and joy of going shopping for real clothes in the mall. I've been trying to not buy anything new since my surgery back in November. I didn't want to waste money when I could see that my size was getting smaller each week. Even when the scale only changed a pound, my body changed a lot. So my daughter and I decided to waste some time in the mall yesterday. Macy's had racks and racks of clearance items and lord knows I need sweaters that fit since I'm always cold since I had surgery (even living in sunny, but chilly, North Florida). So my daughter kept pulling these really pretty sweaters off the rack and begging me to try them on. Size Large when I was 2X 11 weeks ago. Then she kept telling me to look at my profile....."Mom you are so skinny"! I kept looking in the mirror and seeing a "skinny" version on myself. Then my daughter tells my how proud she is of me for changing my life. She's my youngest, only 20 yrs old, and she tells me she wants me to live a very long time so I can enjoy all her first....engagement, marriage, grandchildren etc. I thought I had this surgery for me. To improve my health for me. Now I understand I did it for my family as much as for myself. My sons and husband weren't real supportive of my decision, but now the three of them are also commenting about how much better I look. That I look younger, have more energy. This morning as I was thinking of which new sweater I'm going to wear today, I was overcome thinking how much my family loves me. Sometimes it's easy to forget you're loved until you open your heart and listen to what they say (even when it's not "I love you"). I feel blessed and hope that many of you feel the same way!

I'm support "GO TO THE ER IF YOU FEEL THAT SICK". It's not worth waiting until Monday if your have an internal problem now. But I also agree with CowgirlJane. Two months post-op would be a long time for your sutures to open, but I guess if you fell and hit something just right, it could happen. Best to have the medical experts decide.

Pressure and the feeling that I need to burp. Some times I do start burping if I eat too much. Believe it or not, I keep Gas-X with me for those occasions just so I get through without feeling the need to vomit. I'm very sensitive to vomiting, so I try to avoid that last bite that gets me to "full". But it's hard to gauge when that's going to happen. So it's a trial and error learning process. Good luck.

Welcome to the next chapter in your life. I'm 11 weeks post-op and enjoyed a great dinner at Outback with my daughter yesterday. Steak about the size of a half dollar, tsp of garlic mashed potatoes, 5 cheesy fries, 3 strings of blooming onion and a spoon of ice cream. My daughter was so impressed with my eating - not a lot, but a taste of everything. Of course, it was a bit carb heavy, but a nice treat. I'm so happy that I made the sleeve decision - smaller stomach = less food. But I don't feel deprived from enjoying a nice dinner with my family. Keep a positive attitude and follow your doctor's orders. Don't rush to soft or solid food too fast - I did that and ended up getting very sick and dehydrated 2 weeks post-op. I can't wait to see your future weight loss posts!

On my day of discharge (less than 24 hours after surgery), I was barely getting a couple sips of fluids into my new, smaller, swollen stomach. The charge nurse gave me a bunch of 1 ounce medicine cups and told me "Drink one of these cups of Fluid every hour, and you'll be fine". I immediately felt much better. A one ounce medicine cup is much less terrifying than a 16 ounce bottle of sugar free Poweraide! Believe me, I got no where near 64 ounce of fluid those first couple weeks post-op, but eventually the swelling went down and I could increase my liquid intake. My surgeon was a realist who reminded me that I had gone from a 32 oz. stomach to a 4 oz. stomach. I had just had major surgery. He gave me permission to just relax and not force myself to the point of being sick. Give yourself time to heal. Everything will eventually fall into place.

Good luck. Can't wait to hear from you on the "other side".

I'm 57 and as much as I'd like to say retired, I really am unemployed. I didn't want to stop working, my job was abolished and I haven't been able to find a job since July of 2013. So I finally figured out a routine - daily chores, lots of longs walks, TV time etc when WHAM! my husband retires at 59. So now my routine is gone, he spends all his waking time with me talking about his job of 37 years, and I'm going crazy. I feel younger, healthier, so much better about myself since surgery and a 41 lb weight loss........but yesterday I wanted to just run away from home, no forwarding address and hide. food isn't comfort any longer, so I don't know how to find peace right now. So I guess I understand what you're going through. I'd love to tell you how lucky you are to have an office to go to each day, but I don't want to minimize your agony. But I do want to share that there are other 50 somethings out here looking for more than the day-to-day, same-old, same-old routine. Since you're in a positive relationship, maybe plan a weekend get-away. Not a blow the budget type thing, but a lets get out of town and see something different type of weekend. Sometimes a change of scenery can help. Good luck on your journey. Congratulations on your weight loss. Good luck finding your new "normal".

Didn't drink enough fluids and had vomiting issues 2 weeks post op; ended up readmitted with dehydration and hypokalemia (low potassium). Lots of I.V. fluids, potassium and Vitamin cocktails and 24 hours later I was discharged. I was put back on liquid diet for another couple weeks. I now make an effort to drink more, eat at least 60 grams of Protein daily and I think I'm pretty much where everyone else would be 11 weeks post-op. I won't know for sure until I see my surgeon in March!

I went shopping for new tops yesterday and kept defaulting to the larger sizes. Ended up in LARGE but kept walking back to the Women's sizes. I've gone from Size 2X to Large in 11 weeks. My daughter tells me I look "skinny" and I actually have a waist! I keep my sewing machine in the kitchen so I can take in the seams of my slacks before I leave the house. I'm trying to create new habits - park as far out in the parking lot as possible so I need to walk further, I make a conscience effort to speak to people I know since people don't seem to recognize the thinner me........I'm proud of the decision I made and the changes I've made that have got me to this thinner me!

I am 11 weeks post-op sleeve surgery today (lost 40 pounds as of this morning). I will be honest and tell you that I had a few complications the first 6 weeks, but most were preventable had I been paying attention to my body. I had hiatal hernia repair the same time as the sleeve, so I had esophageal spasms (crushing chest pain) every time I would put anything in my stomach plus I had nausea and vomiting. So I didn't eat/drink as much as I needed to and ended up dehydrated, low potassium and back in the hospital for IVs etc. I also continue to have severe acid reflux, but that is improving each week post op. I'm going to answer your questions for how I feel today - since it really does take 8-12 weeks for your sleeve to heal, the swelling to go down and your eating to get to your "new normal". I am wondering what the sleeve feels like on a daily basis? I physically feel exactly like I did before surgery. I compare it to get getting your gallbladder removed. Once your healed from surgery, you just don't miss what was removed. What do you feel when you eat? I now feel "normal" when I eat, but I just can't eat anywhere near as much as I could before. I can consume one Protein bar over a 30 minute period. But I could never chow down the whole bar in 5 minutes like I could before surgery. What do you feel that makes you stop eating? I feel pressure. What happens if you eat after you get that feeling? I end up feeling nauseated and throw up. Even 11 weeks post op, I will still throw up if I put too much in my stomach. Do you get “stuck” and throw up? I'm throwing up less and less, but I will throw up if I eat too much. In your own words, not the informative website words, how does the sleeve work and how does it feel? I think the sleeve is the best option out there for gastric surgery. I can eat normal food, including spicy food, as long as it's in moderation. The other surgeries disrupt the normal digestive system and this one doesn't . Your stomach still dumps the food into the small intestine and digestion occurs as usual. You just eat less food.

You might be surprised how much less pain you have in your joints as you loose weight. Just be patient and keep on your weight loss journey. Loosing weight will definitely help with health issues.