lmblakes

@@deedee19625 I began my journey weighing 250 exactly. As of today I weight 139. So that's a total of 111 lbs. I've actually lost a whole entire person. It's really deep when you think about it.

@Imblakes One of the things that you have to remember is that you are going to go through multiple stalls. I have been through probably 3-4 stalls, and during each one of those times I will go up and down 2-3 pounds for a couple of weeks. I would eventually move past the stall and begin losing again.
The main things for me are to be sure to get in your recommended Protein levels everyday, and make sure that you keep your Fluid levels high. When you come upon one of your stalls, change something about your intake. My doctor told me to increase my carbs a little. This will lightly shock your system into a change and you will start losing again once you decrease your carb intake again.
I wish you all the best on your journey.

So I'm a little over 5 weeks out and although I'm still learning, I feel great. I still have a issue seeing myself as plus sized but today changed my mind. Here's why

I am officially 9 months into my post op journey, and if you would have told me this time last year that I would be down from a size 20 to a size 6, I would have laughed in your face.
For everyone who is struggling with this decision, or is losing weight at a slow pace, keep your head up and let your new sleeve work for you. Don't over think things. If you slip up or fall down, pick yourself up, brush your shoulders off, and keep on truckin'.
I will not lie and say that this journey is easy, because it is very, very, hard. But believe me, if you work with your sleeve, and let your sleeve work for you, you too will find yourself in complete awe of where you'll be 9 months out from your surgery.
I wish everyone true happiness and success in their journeys, and if you are fortunate enough to find people here in the forums that will be as honest and upfront with you as some of those people that I have encountered have been with me, I promise your journey will be made just a little bit easier.
Thank you @@Alex Brecher for creating a forum for all of us to share, encourage, and uplift each other along this path.

203

Lots of great ideas and suggestions, my fitness pal is awesome, might also look at Protein Bars for your mid morning Snacks, I was sleeved 2/2 and am often full at 1/2 a bar. Best of luck, you can do it!

Lots of great ideas and suggestions, my fitness pal is awesome, might also look at Protein Bars for your mid morning Snacks, I was sleeved 2/2 and am often full at 1/2 a bar. Best of luck, you can do it!

My gut says that's pretty high in calories and sugar. I eat Dannon Light & Fit Greek. It's the least "greek" tasting yogurt I was able to find. Like you, I've never been a fan of greek yogurt. But there's no denying the higher Protein content! Here are the stats on Dannon Light & Fit:
Calories: 80
Fat: 0 grams
Carbs: 9 grams
Sugars: 7 grams
Protein: 12 grams
It does have some artificial sweetener in there (sucralose), so if that's something you are avoiding, then it might not be your best option.

I have given blood for over 15 years. Even when I was below 200 lbs, my cholesterol was terrible. It was highest last summer at 270. In March, it was 234. I gave blood on the 3rd, which was a month after surgery (as long as your cleared it was fine to donate) I was able to give a double donation with the ALYX machine, it takes rbcs and gives you back your platelets and wbcs, along with fluids. I hardly have a high enough hemoglobin to do the machine but this time it was at a great level. I checked my cholesterol a couple days after my donation and it was 181! It has never been below 200 in over 15 years! I consider the surgery a success even in one month and if I stay at this weight. I plan and hope to lose much more but to not worry about having heart issues knocking on my door every minute is a reason I wanted this. To be healthier!!

Monday 7/20 was 204.6

This morning was a weigh in day and as I sat and marveled at the fact that I'm only 6 lbs away from hitting that elusive 100 lb mark I thought about just how much my life has changed in 8 short months. 8 months ago I was starting a new semester In college and it had got to the point to where I could no longer fit into any of my clothes (like, none of them!) I HATED clothes shopping, I hated the whole process of it from the horrific full length mirrors to the equally horrific lighting stores insist on using. So I decided instead of putting myself through the trauma of clothes shopping (I flat out refused to go up anymore in size) I would just buy myself two sets of black 2x scrubs to wear to school. Now, normally that wouldn't seem like such a big deal seeing as how I do wear scrubs for my occupation (nursing) but at the time I wasn't even working. I quit doing contract nursing to go back to school full time. I know nobody ever though anything of it, people just though I had been at work. I never lied or said I had been working it just never came up but I knew. I felt pretty defeated at that point. I knew I had to make a change. I got to the point I really didn't even want to leave the house but I had to go to school. When I think about that and then compare it to the fact that I just went out and bought myself some new scrubs In size MEDIUM ( I really am working again now) after only 8 months it seems like a real life miracle. I'm not sure why I'm really even sharing this but maybe it will give some newbies that are feeling the way I did some hope that it can and will all change. There is a light! I guess I'm just feeling extremely blessed and humbled this morning. So if anyone else would like to share their "fat confessions" I'd love to hear that I'm not the only one that did wacky things Life is good!

I definitely did NOT cut out carbs to lose all my excess weight. (I'm now 6 pounds below goal.)
Carbs aren't just sweets and breads. Carbs are in milk, yogurt, fruit, green and other colored veggies, whole grain foods, etc. Carbs are necessary for high energy and good nutrition.
I don't understand why people think life after WLS means no carbs or even low carb. I think there's a terrible lack of education about which foods contain carbs and which carb-laden foods are much healthier for us than others.
Now on maintenance, I average around 100 grams of Protein a day and 150-200 grams of carbs a day. But I don't eat slider foods (Cookies, chips, crackers, Desserts, sweets, pastas) often at all. Yes, I have them occasionally, but they're not an everyday item on my menu.

Goal weight is 199, today is 206, I can do this!

First time in 100's since 25 years ago. Feeling proud. Down 109 lbs now since November

I found this online. I have great restriction still at a year out. I'm curious is this a myth or is this proven? Gastric Sleeve Surgery – Will My Stomach Stretch After Surgery?
October 18, 2013
One of the first questions patients ask about food. The surgery has a nice benefit of reducing the hunger inducing hormone Snacks in between meals. Almonds are a delicious and healthy way to feel satisfied in between meals.
Get a good book with healthy recipes that are geared for people who have gone through gastric sleeve surgery. DO NOT get discouraged. If you fell off the wagon and binged one or two meals or even the entire previous week. The stomach and the mind is an amazingly resilient thing. Start over and start eating normal meals again. Call your surgeon and ask for help before it gets too far out of hand. Get on the online forums and ask others for help. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. So stretching your stomach after gastric sleeve surgery is not a myth. It can happen and it does happen. Be aware of it and prevent it. Remember how hard the surgery and recovery was? Remember what a big decision you made? Its never too late to change your habits and get back on the right track.

Goal weight is 199, today is 206, I can do this!

I'm in with a goal of 195.

A lot of problems can be avoided by staying on top of your hydration and fiber. I'd recommend going with tasteless fiber additives that you can mix in with a food of your choice if plenty of Water and prunes don't work. Even with laxatives/stool softeners, if you don't have adequate water, you can end up with a fecal impaction. I'm a nurse, so whenever a patient has Constipation, I always address it in a specific order, and if it doesn't clear up, I move on to the next step: extra water ----> prune juice ----> metamucil ----> milk of magnesia

I'm in with a goal of 199

I have an hour long lunch break at work and typically take my lunch. I eat slowly and when I am done just continue to enjoy the company of the others I'm having lunch with. As for dining out, you will always have leftovers ???? but it's only as awkward as you let it be. Once your family and friends get used to your new eating habits it's really no big deal. Good luck!

I have an hour long lunch break at work and typically take my lunch. I eat slowly and when I am done just continue to enjoy the company of the others I'm having lunch with. As for dining out, you will always have leftovers ???? but it's only as awkward as you let it be. Once your family and friends get used to your new eating habits it's really no big deal. Good luck!

I think you've described wonderfully what your experience was. Congrats on being home and feeling so much better.
But with respect, not everyone experiences what you did. There are so many versions of our WLS experiences. For instance, I've never vomited a single time post-op. And I was in the hospital only a single night, and it was completely adequate to my needs.
But unlike you, I did have gas pains (as do most people) -- so congrats on that. And I definitely walked. And I did do the pre-op diet with no troubles at all (lost 8 pounds during that phase).
The best we can do is share our own experience. That way, newbies can see the range of others' experiences and be prepared for whichever version shows up on their plate.
Big congrats to you on making it to the losers' bench. Onward and downward.

So here's the truth, uncensored, successes, regrets, and over all feelings:
I'm still on the liquid phase post my sleeve. Where do I begin? My story may be different than most in that I just found out about the sleeve procedure about 5 weeks ago. Seriously. From the moment I found out about this procedure, I did research. I mean non-stop all night (literally until I had to shower for work in the morning with only 30 minutes of sleep).
Within 2 days of research, I decided this was what I was going to do. I looked into insurance financing and they told me I had to be on a physician approved diet for 6 months then submit it to them for possible approval. That wasn't going to happen. So I looked into self pay. I decided on a place overseas (btw- I live overseas) and the total was $17,000 not including flight, hotel, or transportation which would have pushed me past $25,000 easily. I booked it anyway. I asked the facility tons of questions but they were hesitant to respond (I assume I was too thorough for them) so that gave me pause. That's never good. Then I found this website and read read read. I passed by something that said Mexico and I was thinking, no way. Fast forward 5 days (4 weeks ago total), I changed my mind and booked it through a well researched documented reputable company. So before I continue let me tell you this, when I decide on something, I research at nauseam then go forward full speed ahead. That's exactly what I did. I proceeded to give my medical history, pay my deposit, and within 2 days I was scheduled with a date. So I booked the flight, reserved a hotel, and prepared for the best.
I was told to be on a prep diet for 10 days. Total fail. What can I say. It was completely on purpose as the first day was great then every day after was a I'll start off fresh tomorrow type of day. It never happened.
I flew to get the surgery done in Mexico. I was all by myself. There's only one other person which was my spouse (who knows me aside from the medical team and company of course that I'll never see again so that's ok) that knew what was going on. I booked at some cheap hotel because I was thinking hey, it's just for a night and booked the same hotel for the night before my flight.
I checked out of the hotel the day of my surgery, driver picked me up, drove me to Mexico, and the coordinator was at the door waiting. From then on it was easy street. Got all the tests done, IV in (only stuck me once...super rare), and prepped to go and actually get it done. They told me not to eat at all from midnight the night before on and I actually listened to that :-) . I was supposed to be #2 for surgery which would have been around 2 pm but another patient got sick so I got bumped to #3 which was actually around 7 pm. Hey doctors have to take a break and eat lunch too right?
On the way down at night to get the surgery done, everyone was asking me, "are you nervous?" I said, "should I be?" It made every one laugh. I guess people typically say that they are nervous but I truly wasn't until the 11th person asked me if I was. I was brought into the surgery room, then told to count to 10. I counted to 10 then laughed at the physician because I felt like I accomplished something truly special. Then about 2 seconds later, I woke up in the recovery room. Joke was on me.
PAIN!! Pain pain pain pain pain. Seriously. My chest felt like it was going to explode out of my skin. It hurt like nothing else I've ever felt in my life. All I wanted to do was sit up. Literally. Just sit up. But they refused to let me. I suppose they figured my guts were going to fall out. Then it began. What would plague me for a full day and a half. Vomiting. Over and over and over. I figured I would vomit as I always have after procedures but this was insane. Non stop vomiting. Every 10-15 minutes. Remember I didn't eat so it was nothing in my tummy. So what did I vomit? Blood. Lots of blood. All shades of red and pink. Various ounces. Gross at best. Of course before the sleeve vomiting blood was always a bad thing. Taboo even. So when I became the queen of bloody vomit, it was awfulness. Before I left the recovery room, I sat up. Flat out refused to have the exploding chest feel while I was vomiting blood. Wasn't going to happen. That was the only time I actually regretted having the procedure at all (knock on wood). So they figured I was in recovery long enough so they moved me back to my room.
The nurses were great. Never once got upset at all about my shooting bloody vomit spells everywhere, and were always kind, empathetic, and caring. Constantly. Plus there turn over was impeccable. I mean when ever I got a new nurse or new person, they got a full debrief of everything. My full case. Start to finish. Sometimes it was a little annoying like I just want to go, but then again, I've never seen such thoroughness during turnover of staff even when the shift hadn't changed.
When I got back in my room after I woke up from a much needed nap (honestly have no idea how long I was out), there were doctors all around me. Turns out they continued to do my vitals and my blood pressure was through the roof meaning over 200/145. Needlesstosay, everyone was scared. Really scared. They kept asking me how I felt, taking blood, giving me different meds, and so forth. I was fine. The pressure in my chest was going away, the bloody vomit continued of course, but otherwise I was fine. I suppose they didn't believe me as the testing continued and they wanted to ensure I was truly ok since the tests were different from what I stated. Eventually they gave me some combo medication that worked and all my vitals went back to normal.
Oh I forgot, the pee. I had to use the bathroom constantly. That's what happens with an IV from morning until... But they wouldn't let me get out of bed so the bed pan and nurses were my best friends.
So we have bloody vomit, bed pan, vitals, repeat. I did have #2 in the hospital and stayed 3 nights total. I got out of bed twice total. No walking what so ever. Also no gas pains.
Fast forward until the day of discharge. Got up, showered, dressed, and finally got to do my hair. The staff was in awe about how great I looked. I wonder how bad I looked in bed that whole time come to think of it. :-) I was able to walk very easily and drag my carry on suitcase. But the driver took it from me and brought it to the car instead. I hugged all of the staff, we didn't exchange information or anything, told them how amazing they were and how blessed I was to have them care for me. Then I was driven back to the border, stopped by the store to get some bouillon cubes, and put in my cheap hotel, last day.
Couldn't wait until morning. Got a shuttle to the airport and prepared for my 30 hour airplane journey back home. Checked in and walked the airport, carry on bag and all. I was tired. Sleepy and exhausted. My bouillon cubes disappeared, go figure, so I was stuck with nothing but Water and Powerade. That didn't help as the air sickness started to grab my neck so I at starburst candies. Yes, less than a week after surgery I was already eating junk. Couldn't help it and don't regret it. Saved me from starting the vomit story again.
Now I'm home and doing great. All of my incisions (5) have healed but the one that had the drain. I bought some scar removal stuff online and will use it to hopefully get rid of all 5 physical external memories of the surgery. I looked at the two X-rays (before and after) from my surgery. Took me a while to understand exactly what I was looking at. From what I remember in passing, the doctor said that he took 80% of my stomach away. I could be totally off about that though. So that little slither that I saw must be the new stomach that's left.
I've been able to get my Protein shakes in (1.5 a day) as I love chocolate. Always have. I drink both Atkins and Slim Fast high Protein Shakes. I'm drinking Water too but no where up to 64 ounces. I also "eat" miso and watery potato Soup that comes from powder. It's great and I don't feel deprived, tempted, or anything. I don't know when I'm full but I know I can't gulp because I'll spit it back out. Tried it three times (not on purpose) and failed each time. I chew gum, drink water, eat chewable Vitamins, drink Protein, and get some watery broth Soup in. I am alert, energetic, and feel like I'm queen of the world.
So what have I learned? Pre op diet is ideal, not mandatory. Recovery room sucks bad and hurts like hell. Vomiting blood once in a lifetime is not a death sentence. Constipation is not inevitable. Starbursts may be the best thing invented since electricity. Mexican hospitals are perfection and I couldn't have asked for better care. My family is the most supportive in history and my children accept answers the first time when they know I don't want to answer countless questions. Life is a journey and I'm going to enjoy every single second of it!
Thanks for reading. :-)

I weighed it at 212, I think my goal was 215, so think I made it ????

Who designated a time frame? I'm just saying that there is no reason to think you've failed when in reality to have the rest of your life to make it work. It may not be working as fast as you want and you may not be doing all you can to help it along, but there's no failure. If you need to do better then just do it. Falling off the wagon and catching yourself is nothing to worry about. Just start today and do a little better than yesterday, and so on.
You have every day from now on to do a little better than the last. There's no race to the finish:) Love yourself and be kind to those you love. You'll make it in the end - you know - as in slow and steady wins the race.