Tauruslady5

Morning. We have all gone through the feeling you are having at this time. It takes at least 4-5 months before you see a real difference. Wait till you buy your first outfit in a smaller size. It is amazing. I went from a 4x to an XL in 6 months. I love looking in the mirror and seeing this amazing transition. You will see it, be patient and give your body a chance to react to your amazing work. Have a sparkling day !!!

Morning How funny this question is on here today. I just attended the support group last night and this was discussed. What they recommended is you make your own. You just need to heat your broth (on the stove) and while it is bubbling, add an egg and swirl. Will make a healthier Egg Drop Soup then what you would get from a Chinese restaurant. Good Luck.

Afternoon. I had my surgery in November and have NOT had one Protein drink. It seems that after my surgery, I could not stand the taste. So I consulted with my surgeon and it was okay that I did not drink them. I found other ways to keep the protein coming in. At 5 week I was able to eat a lot of different types of Beans, Peanut Butter, etc that has the protein. I ate yogurt, cottage cheese, soft cheese. Whatever I could find with protein I ate it. I was only able to eat 1 tsp every 2 hours, but I did it. Good luck.

Morning. This, too, will pass. I have been on this site for almost 7 months now and almost everyone has gone through this feeling. I promise it will go away and you will be fine afterwards.

Morning. Ketchup has a lot of sugar in it. The mustard is okay. As for pickles, lots of salt if having dill and lots of sugar if having the sweet pickles. I was told to use mustard over any condiments. Annamarie

Hi. Hope your Memorial Day went well. My physical progress was that I actually went down a slide with my grand-daughter last week. First time in 32 years. I was never so excited and my daughter actually put it on her phone and shared on her Facebook. My love for my heart is I can actually go outside and work on a flower garden and do yard work without getting sick in the sun. I even sat on the chairs that I re-did yesterday without a worry of getting stuck. This was a great question.

Morning. Yes, you can gain it back and plus more. Reasoning: You were given a second chance. This means that you now have a "Baby's" tummy. Think of this, when your new baby starts life, you feed it every two hours of liquids to fill their "tiny" tummies. Well, this is you. As your child gets more months older, you start feeding it more softer type foods, but still every two hours. Again, this is you. Now your child is 6 months old and you start feeding him/her the stage 2 foods, which have some texture into it. This is when your child starts to really grow, their stomach stretch so that you do not have to feed them every 2 hours, maybe every 4. This is you. Right now I still after 6 months, eat every two hours so my stomach does not stretch. I still eat healthy, every now and then, yes I will have an ice-cream or something sweet. But not as much as I did. Reason why, I do not want to be 310 pounds every again. Right now I am 222 and enjoying the weight loss and more energy I have. I always say: My surgeon performed surgery on my stomach, not my brain. My brain is mine to teach to eat right. If those demons are in your brain telling you to eat the way you did, then it is YOUR job to get rid of them. Drink more Water, eat a small snack. It is just your body telling you that something is needed. Don't give into that feeling, channel it to something better. Go for a walk, this helps me a lot. Hope this helps. This is a tool, it is your responsibility to keep yourself healthy and work towards your goals. HAVE A SPARKLING DAY Annamarie.........

Morning. My first stall was at 4 months. I realized I started to drink my sugars. So I stopped that one drink and now back on track. First thing you need to remember is that your surgeon performed surgery on your stomach, not your brain. You need to change the way you think about eating, what you eat, and how long it takes you to eat. I enjoy a lot of cheese, eggs, olives, grapes, different kinds of fruits and veggies. Before you put that old habit back into your mouth, STOP, THINK, and SAY...............Do I really want to go back to the old self? This helps me a lot. It will get better, you are still new and give it time, it will melt off and those old habits will disappear with the weight. Have a sparkling day.

Hi. I had my surgery on November 21, 2014 and to date have lost 75 pounds (sleeve Gastrectomy surgery)

Afternoon. Sorry you are feeling hungry. My sister had her surgery 8/2014 and I had mine on 11/2014. To this day, she is always hungry. I, on the other hand, am not. She was hungry after surgery, and I still can only get in 3 oz of food if that at one sitting. My sister has a healthy appetite. (So. everyone is different) I think it depends upon how you train your brain. You actually just may be thirsty instead of hungry. Your body cannot distinguish between hunger and thirst. Try drinking your Water or Protein drinks to help with the hunger feeling. Your body is adjusting to this new stomach. You will be fine. Just remember to drink and walk when possible. Hope this helps.

Morning. Start to write down what you are eating daily. This is a start. You are just comfortable and feel you know the amounts you can eat by heart. I did the same. Also, try making your lunch the night before and dinners the week of. Breakfast, I usually have one egg, one slice of cheese, and one slice of melon. It is healthy and has Protein. I never drink my calories, I would rather have substance. Start walking and making sure you are drinking your fluids. Hope this helps.

Hi everyone. I have seemed to upset one of our writers on this post. Very sorry if I hurt your feelings. It was not meant to be that way. I stated my opinion, not needing a reply. I have been on this site since my surgery, and most have had their surgery in Mexico only to complain that they do not know what to do next with their care. I would say about 85% or more having this issue. If a post is posted and asking for information then I feel I can give information (only). I am not advising anyone to do what I have learned and followed since my surgery. Also, name calling is so childish, as I would assume we are all adults here. Someone is not Ignorant because they make a statement. I have and still continue to do my research/educaiton on the Gastric Slevectomy finding out more about the Mexico surgeons and those in the states to see how and why they differ in the Pre and Post surgery planning. So, again, sorry if I offended you..... Have a sparkling day.............. Annamarie

Good Sparkling Morning. Here is some GREAT ADVICE. 1. Your surgeon performed surgery on your STOMACH not your BRAIN. 2. You have to learn to eat like a NEWBORN baby, because that is the size of your stomach. What I usually do is prepare my foods 1 week in advance. Every night, I put my lunch/snack bag together, put in the refirgerator and then that is what my food intake is for the day of work. I eat about 100 calories every 2 hours (If I can eat that much). I eat alot of grapes, cantalope, pepperoni, cheese for Snacks. I eat at 6:30 am (Breakfast usually consists of 1 egg with 1 slice of cheese and 1 slice of cantalope). great proteini. 8:30am - snack of maybe cheese and grapes 10:30am - snack of cheese, pepperoni, and olives (2 small squares of cheest, 10 circles of ppn, 10 olives) 12:30pm - LUNCHTIME - I have substance (chicken, hamburger, whatever you wish). Usually 3 oz only. then have veggies with them (soft). I sometimes can eat 3 oz but mostly only 2 oz. 2:30pm - snack. 1 banana, or more cheese and olives 4:30pm - I usually am walking, so I bring Cheese with me to snack while walking or an apple. 6:30pm - Dinner (something light and healthy but filling) 8:30pm - last snack of the day - hard boiled egg, apple, or banana (not all three) lol I take 3 walks during the day (work hours) Only 15 minutes each, but at least I am moving. Then at night, it is it warm out, I do alot more walking about 2 miles or so. right now I am not doing any weightlifting because I do not bring in alot of calories yet. Hope this helps. Remember only YOU can train YOUR brain. No one else. Also...........You actually may not be hungry, you may be thrity. Your body does NOT really know the difference between hunger and thrist. Have a sparkling day

@(member="Canyonbaby") How sad that is. I believe those who are going to Mexico are desparate. I feel that the surgeons in Mexico are just in it for the money and not the health of the patient. Where do these patient's go for their follow-ups? How sad. What is something was to really go wrong. Their only choice now is to go to the Emeregency Room in their hometown, which hopefully is trained in helping us who have had the surgery. I hope these individuals really do listen to us who have already been through the procedure. @@Tauruslady5 I have recently discovered a lot of folks who have had WLS are not given post-op plans (can you imagine?), and aren't aware of the dangers that can result from doing the wrong things at the wrong (right?) times! In fact, I was just made aware of this the other day by a good friend who is going to Mexico for their surgery, and hasn't been given ANY plans, pre-op or post-op. What can we do? As we are not the doctors, nurses, or dieticians, we can only offer our experiences and suggestions, and hopefully that will help. I'm with you, your advice is excellent!

Definately. I would make a lasagna w/o the Pasta. Would make exactly the same with the hamburger/turkeyburger chopped to very fine consistency. Enjoy. You can also have Refried Beans with small amt of Cheddar cheese on top. Yummmmm

Ibuprofen is a NSAID lol...............SORRY Meant to say Acetaminophen..................

Morning. OMG....why are you drinking OJ and Juices .......................LOADS OF SUGAR...........Sugar turns to Fat !!! This is a definately NO-NO, and was told during the Pre-Surgery Stages. Right now you should only be drinking liquids (no red liquids). You are in the healing process of your surgery. You shouldn't even be eatting a banana. Weeks 1-2 = Liquids ONLY Weeks 3-6 = Soft Mushy/Pureed Foods (no nuts/seeds) Weeks 7-12m = Introduce foods one at a time (very slowly) Try to avoid nuts/seeds if possible. Stay Away from Cookies, CRACKERS, CAKE (Carbs are not really healthy, the turn into surgar which, again, turns into fat). Eat Slowly. You should take a bite of food, and put your utensil down, wait about 30sec to 1 minute and then take another bite. Your stomach is healing and takes a good 6 months to completely heal. Drink lots of Water, if able to do so. Drink slowly and DO NOT gulp. Also, remember you have a BABY tummy. You need to think how you would feed a newborn baby. This is how you will be eatting. Relax, Breathe, and enjoy your new self. Have a Sparkling Day !!!

I can no longer take NSAIDS.....................these will cause Ulcers.......................Not worth it in my book. You can take Ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) Annamarie

Hi. I am sorry you are feeling this way. Just remember we all had had this surgery and are here for each other. I started my whole investigation/knowledge into this procedure even before meeting with the provider. I had to do an orientation first, which was the start of my knowledge. I went online and found even more information to help me decide which surgery was best for me. Understand that my surgeon is more knowledgeable than I am, but he was certinaly impressed when I met him with the information I already knew. I knew exactly how the surgery was going to be performed. I understood exactly what was expected of me mentally. When I went to see him, I even told him ... "This is my new opportunity to start over. I will be having a new "baby" tummy and know I have to think that way". He was glad that I understood this. When I answer others on this site, I always leave them by saying... "your doctor did surgery on your stomach, not your brain" or "You have a new BABY stomach, treat it that way." Mentally you need to realize that it is a new beginning. I know it is tough, especially if you were not prepared of what would happen. Here is some helpful thoughts. 1. First 2 weeks is liquids only 2. 3-6 weeks - start with the soft/pureed foods (no nuts or seeds) 3. 7-12m - start off by eatting new foods introducing them one at a time. (still no seeds or nuts) 4. Relax and let your stomach heal 5. No stomach crunches until after 6 months to make sure you are healed 100% 6. Walk as much as you can. 7. Drink plenty of fluids (if you don't like the Protein drinks, don't drink them...... I don't and my protein levels are fine) 8. Think positively every day. 9. You will loose weight, just give it time. 10. DO NOT STEP ON scale DAILY. Try every week or every other week REMEMBER: You did this to become more healthier and you will succeed. If you feel depressed, go to a therpaist and talk to someone. This is one subject that my surgeon made sure I did if I needed to. I am assuming before the surgery you met with a Therapist. Call them if you need. They are there for you. I hope this helps. You are doing great, things will get better, and you will learn to eat more and more each month. Just relax, breath, and enjoy this new journey. Have a sparkling sunshiny day... Annamarie

Hi. Surgery on 11/21/14 - glue only and only 4 incisions. 2 (1/4" incisions) and 2 (looks like puncture wounds)..... I was only in surgery for about 45 minutes. I guess they said I prepped well.

Relax, you are only 8 days out. I did not notice any change until 2 months into the post-surgery. Your body is still swollen, still adjusting. Take a breath, DO NOT go on the scale daily, try bi-weekly at first. The more you go on a scale the more upset/depressed you will become. Your body needs to adjust to the new stomach. Be patient......................I promise it will come off Annamarie

Hi. Why hide it. Eventually they will all ask how you lost the weight. Who cares how you did it, at least you did something to make yourself become more healthy. Yes, they will stare and then ask questions. I bring friends to dinner too, or get asked to go for a bite. I order what I can eat, mostly it goes home with me for other meals, but I let them know why and they are okay with it. You did this for YOU and not them. They will ask questions, or some may just talk behind your back and think you may be sick. Be honest with yourself and with others. annamarie

Morning. I love your positive list. I, too, have pictures hanging on my mirror in the bathroom. I have also resigned from having NEGATIVE people/organizations in my life. I love being more positive. I feel great and have better days. Annamarie.

Morning. Post-op Week 1-2 : Full liquids only Week 3-6: Soft mushy type foods Week 7-on: Can start any type of foods except no nuts, seeds, or hard veggies/fruit. 6monts-on: Nuts, Seeds, hard veggies and fruits when starting a new food, try very little because your new stomach may or may not like what you eat now. Try all different new ones too. I love asparagus, califlower, broccali, etc........

Morning. I was in a size 4x pants/shirts for scrubs 28 for jeans 4x for regular shirts. NOW L to XL on shirts depending upon material 18 for jeans I am estatic about this .......... Annamarie