Proud2BMe

It's called a weight stall or just "stall" for short. Everyone experiences them. They can last from days to months, depending on the person. You can shock your body back into weight loss mode through a no carb diet but since you are diabetic then I would advise you to speak to your doctor. Otherwise, increasing your exercise is the only way to go. Good luck!

The claim that one can prevent sagging or excess skin after weight loss is an urban legend. There is no method to prevent sagging and excess skin. The proper thing to do is to own it. We allowed ourselves to get this big and this is the consequence. The good news is that there is a solution to having to go the rest of our lives with sagging and excess skin. That solution is plastic surgery. I will be having a tummy tuck and my chest done after I get to goal weight. I would advise those who have already been sleeved to go ahead and start researching plastic surgery options. Most insurance companies will not pay for it unless there is a health condition. So keep in mind that you will likely have to pay for it out of pocket.

The U.S. still technically requires one, at least the passport card. If you travel by air into Mexico you will need a passport. If you are driving, just a passport card. Whether or not the border patrol will ask to see it is another question entirely. I bought a passport card for me and my father who accompanied me and it was like a little under $300 I think.

The key is to learn to eat slow and knowing when to stop eating. I've just recently mastered this art, of stopping just shy of being full. When you are sleeved it is very uncomfortable to be full. It's like you are a reptile and just have to lie down and do nothing for 30 minutes to an hour to digest your food. I hate it. But if you do it correctly and stop shy of being full you can continue about your daily life as normal.

The rule most people go buy is that if it's bigger than an m&m then crush it. I'm 4 months out and I just chew up pills larger than an m&m. I used to crush them but that got to be to much of a hassle for me. I've never had a single complication from my sleeve. I've never experienced the pain you describe. Check your temperature daily. If you notice a fever and the pain continues then it could be sign of a leak. However, please consult your doctor.

I think it's just a gimmick. I don't have one and I've yet to be denied a child's meal when I go out to eat. I just explain to the waiter or waitress that I had surgery and can't eat a normal sized meal and they always say that it's fine. However, and most importantly, most children's meals suck. There's only so much macaroni and cheese one can take. I've recently just been ordering sides. Mashed potatoes and white gravy is divine. Refried beans are also really good. I try to stick with meat and avoid the carbs though.

It's normal. And when you begin eating solid food you will then switch to becoming constipated. It's not uncommon to go days, if not weeks, without a bowl movement. I once went three weeks without one and when it finally struck I about died. Now I used laxatives once a week.

Didn't know there was a starter kit. unjury can be expensive. Many people just buy whey Protein shakes or powders from local stores, like Walmart. It's cheaper that way. However, Unjury does taste really good.

Talk to your doctor. Your health and safety is of the utter most importance. I personally wouldn't mind if my doctor told me to wait a bit more due to health concerns.

I think people here are forgetting that every doctor is different. Instead of people getting a bit huffy with me over my post perhaps they should realize this fact. I will follow what my doctor says and other people should follow what their doctors say. I'm very pleased with my weight loss so far and hope other people are pleased with theirs as well.

Whenever I go out for Mexican I always end up getting a side of Beans and rice for my meal. For some reason the beans at a restaurant taste way better than the canned variety.

Not a "full meal", as in what you would eat before the surgery, but three small meals a day. Every doctor is different but mine said no snacking during the day.

I didn't say you were trying to eat as many calories as you want. I said my doctor told that to me, that when people try to eat every couple of hours that they are trying to sneak in as many calories as possible and their weight loss is usually very slow. I get about 70 grams of protein in a day, the norm, from drinking 2 Protein shakes a day (Breakfast and lunch). Then I have one small meal for dinner and focus on my protein first and then low carb vegetables. I do not eat high carb foods, fruit or sweets. In between foods I focus on getting in enough liquid. I'm four months out tomorrow and have lost 112 lbs so far. I estimate my daily calorie intake between 800-1000 calories day, what it should be. I still have no hunger.

Go to another doctor. Most doctors today are moving away from the band as it has too many complications.

Yes. I too am going back to the pre-op diet. I lost 100lbs in three months and then all of a sudden I just stopped losing weight. So I'm hoping the pre-op diet will kick me back into gear.

A week is a long time. Mine was pulled on day 2 after surgery. However, it was painful. My entire abdomen cramped up something fierce.

i personally can't eat processed meats. Every time I try I end up throwing up. I think it's the salt and preservatives in them. However, the focus is on small balanced meals. My doctor told me I shouldn't be snacking at all, just 3 meals a day and focus on liquids in between means.

I had my gallbladder removed at the same time as my sleeve. No pain or other problems. However, any pain you may experience form the surgery is far better than the pain of a gallstone.

As Babbs said above, you don't have dumping syndrome. Your body is still healing and you are trying to rush food. You should follow the set diet given to you and only advance slowly to solid foods. When you have dumping syndrome you feel like you are going to die. You may have heart palpitations, begin to sweat, have a migraine, etc., not just the diarrhea. FYI: When you finally get on solid food you will experience the opposite of what you now experience. You will be constipated and may not go to the bathroom for a week or longer.

You really should have been on the pre-op diet for longer, at least 2 weeks. I lost 25lbs on my 2 week pre-op diet alone. It jump starts your weight loss. During the pre-op diet you should eat no more than 600-800 calories a day and it should be protein-based with little to no carbs. My doctor allowed me to have up to 50 grams of carbs a day, no more. The first week one may have one mean of lean meat with salad greens and then two meals with a Protein shake. The second week should be strictly Protein shakes, three times a day. That's what is needed to truly jumpstart weight loss. If after you surgery you are not losing weight then it's likely a combination of eating too many carbs and not exercising enough. Cut the carbs out of your diet and begin to exercise if you are not currently doing so.

My doctor told me only three meals a day. Many people believe they can eat every two hours but my doctors says they are fooling themselves into trying to consume as many calories as they want. I eat three small meals a day, no drink until about 30 minutes after I eat, and then focus on the time in between meals for drinking liquids.

The sleeve doesn't actually stretch. What happens is that your body will adapt by keeping the food in your stomach for less and less time. As a result, you will steadily begin to eat more and more. Within 5 years most people with sleeves can consume a normal dinner plate portion of food. The ideal is to get the majority of the weight you need to lose off before that happens. Therefore, when you reach that mark you will be on maintenance.

Congratulations! So proud of you!

Try it. Find out for yourself. The worst that will happen is that you will get sick and throw up. I experimented. I can't drink while eating. The liquid takes up too much space. Funny that I found out I could drink carbonated beverages. However, I have to make sure I burp after each swallow. Otherwise the pressure hurts.

I lost 100 lbs in the first 3 months. For the longest time I was averaging a pound a day. However, not any more! The fast weight loss stage seems to be over. I've had stalls that last over 2 weeks and if I'm lucky I'll lose 2 lbs a week now.