wishful_thinking

I am at the beginning of my journey, only 2 month out from being sleeved. I had two sizes smaller than what I was wearing packed away. Everything else was donated years ago. So I'm enjoying wearing clothes I haven't worn in quite some time. As things get too big, I toss them into a donate pile. I know that I'll need to shop soon. I have already bought 2 sizes in workout wear. I plan to just buy what I need to make it through... maybe a couple of pairs of work pants... maybe a dress or two, perhaps they will last a little longer if they can be belted. I'm not quite sure yet... I have looked into Gwynnie Bee and I'm still tossing that around. I can see my style changing. I'm 34 years old and I have been wearing big girl clothes that are not that fashionable. I would definitely like to wear more cute things that are more fashionable and that look good on me. I can't wait to be there!

Things I'm dealing with emotionally post-op (I'm about 7 weeks post-op): 1. I don't think i look any different even though I have lost a little weight so far and I know that I am getting a little smaller... I just don't really see it. 2. People seem to be so happy for me and they want to talk about my weight loss progress all the time, and I find it a very personal subject that I don't really enjoy talking about with people I don't know very well. 3. It's very hard to verbalize how I feel about my journey. It's a very odd experience. I feel that most people who haven't been through surgery wouldn't understand. 4. I don't like how people talk about "skinny" like that should be everyone's goal. I just want to be healthy and happy... I don't care if I'm ever skinny and I don't want to measure myself against other people's standards. 5. I had my first bad day about a week back where it was a shitty day and I would have normally stuffed my face with some greasy goodness... but I know that I can't do that now... so I do have to deal with my emotions in a different way. So far it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be in terms of that. My husband is my biggest supporter and I share my thoughts with him a lot. I think I'm doing pretty well so far with all of this. I also have a great friend that had the surgery 6 months ago and I talk to her a lot. I have another friend that's about to have the surgery... so I try to help her out as much as possible. So I have my little group of support that I am thankful for. I haven't been to counseling but my husband and I both agree that if either of us feel that it's becoming necessary then I will go.

It will get much better once you get to solid foods, if that helps any. You'll probably have the opposite problem. I remember during my first 2 weeks when I was still home, I was worried to even go out to Target because my tummy was so unpredictable. I started on soft foods at 3 weeks but my soft foods included deli meats, eggs, tuna. So there is an end in sight!! Good luck to you.

I have this same problem! I think it may be because as your body is getting smaller sometimes it's still the same shape. Like for me, I have a big belly... so even when I look at myself in my photos, I still think I look exactly the same... because my belly is still the biggest part of me and overall I feel like I still look the same because I'm still the same shape, just a few pounds smaller. I know that I am getting smaller because I can wear pants that I put away because they were too tight before... so I know there are changes, but sometimes they are hard to see. I agree that taking measurements can be really helpful. Sometimes your scale may not move but you can still be losing inches, especially if you're exercising. As far as exercise goes, the exercise guy at my surgeon's office recommends walking 6 days a week, so that's what I'm trying to do. Then after walking, a light weight workout, I started out with 2 pound dumbells and I'm going up to 3 lbs now... and then some light stretching. I can see some changes in my legs, I've gotten comments about my arms looking smaller... I can't wait to see less belly though!!

I got a similar rash. It started above the belly button incision and I was scratching like crazy. It spread to the lower belly and my chest. I have a history of heat rashes so I figured that maybe my increase in exercise outdoors triggered it. It was itching so bad and the OTC hydrocortisone cream was not cutting it so I went to my primary care doctor for that and because I actually got bronchitis about 2 weeks after my surgery so I needed antibiotics of that. She agreed that it looked like a heat rash and gave me prescription strength cortisone cream. After a couple of weeks of using that it has cleared up. Right now it's not itchy at all but kind of looks like Patches of dry skin so I'm putting lots of lotion on after I shower.

Hopefully this will be of some comfort - my surgeon actually told me at my 2 week visit that most patients don't loose any weight during weeks 3 and 4. I was so happy he told me that so I had the expectation that any loss would be better than most. I did lose a few pounds during that 2 week period. I think my stall ended up being more like week 4 and 5 instead of 3 and 4. Everyone is a little different.

Hi everyone! I'm phasing over to solids! Which is so exciting!!! I've grown quite tired of the Protein drinks/shakes. I'm glad to have more options. I'll start with soft solids like eggs, tuna salad, and then probably move on to some other solids like chicken. I was wondering if there are other folks sleeved in April that are transitioning to solids and how it's going for everyone. Which foods were easiest to tolerate at first? What are you're favorite go to meals now that you're in solids? Is there anything that you've tried that hasn't gone so well?

My surgeon's staff forewarned me that week 3 & 4 they call the "lost weeks" because patients tend to not lose any weight. It's still frustrating... but at least I know that it's normal and OK. I figure if I lose any at all then I'm ahead of the game!

@@jmshields That's great! I'm glad your sleeve is healing well and giving you tons less problems than the band.

Awesome! I'll check that out!

I want to try the ricotta bake also!! It looks really good. I'm going to stock up on some things at the grocery store this weekend. Another thing that sounds good to me is a deli meat roll up with the meat and cheese and then maybe some mayo or mustard. I had a scrambled egg tonight and it was yummy! Best egg ever! I'm going to try tuna salad tomorrow. The buffalo chicken didn't give you any problems? Did you make it yourself or get it at a restaurant? That sounds amazing! Of course, all food sounds amazing right now.

This is my first week back at work and it's tough. I feel like I was so much more focused on my Protein and liquids when I was at home. But, I think it's just about figuring out a new routine. It may take a little trial and error to see what works best, it's a learning curve. But I'm sure we'll all get there! I've been packing a lunch bag with ice packs to store my Protein drinks, Water, yogurt, and Jello. I'm starting on solids next week so I hope it will get a little easier. I did have one day this week that I didn't get enough protein in and I didn't get many calories and I felt like crap. Lesson learned. This is all new to me... so still figuring it all out.

I was sleeved on 4/20 also. Went back to work today and definitely found it difficult to get as much protein and water in as I should have. On the bright side - next week I get to start on soft solids and veggies... I can't wait!!!

Good luck! It's a good idea to bring a robe, non-slip slippers for walking in the hospital, and some sort of chapstick. My lips were terribly dry and I was so glad that I packed that.

How much are you able to drink in one sitting as far as ounces go? I'm able to get in between 10-15oz in one sitting (over probably 10-15 minutes). At first it was not easy to get that much in at all. But in the last couple of days I feel like the swelling has gone down a lot and it's easier to get more in. I definitely feel like staying focused on drinking is going to be one of my struggles when I return to work. I'm usually not one to drink a bunch while at work... so I'm going to have to try to come up with a way to keep myself focused on it... because it seems that if you go too long without drinking it's really hard to catch up.

Yes, all premade. It seemed like premier protein had excellent reviews and most people really like it, so I gave it a try and liked it and stuck with it. I added in the Isopure for variety (it tastes more like unsweetened kool aid). I have ordered a sample of Unjury unflavored and I'm waiting on it to arrive. I hope that I like it so that I can add it to applesauce.

I'm using Premier Protein shakes, Isopure zero carb ( in the glass bottle) and Cocotein (similar to Isopure but tastes a little better).

I am 1 week out also! So far I've lost 14 lbs. I have been able to get 60 grams of protein in the last couple of days (unfortunately, my goal is 77-96 grams...so I'm still not at my goal). I have a lot of tummy rumbling, my sleeve is very noisy. I have times where I feel hungry also, but I've seen on this board that many times than can be stomach acid and not true hungry. So I'm trying to just focus on drinking as much as I can and it seems to help. When I really feel hungry then I have applesauce, broth, jello, or yogurt, those are all on my plan for now. I don't get to soft foods until 22 days post-op.

Me too! April 20th... have to be there at 7:00am for surgery at 9:00am. So excited!!!

Got my date... 4/20!

I should be getting sleeved in April. I don't have a surgery date but the process is moving along quickly since I'm self paying. This is my first post on here but I've been reading the forums for a few weeks trying to learn as much as I can. I'm getting nervous and excited! It's great to have a source of info and support!