Stephanie Stroup McIntosh

I would suggest calling your doctor. I had some discomfort. It felt like my muscles in my stomach were spasming when I would take a bite. I found it was worse when I was dehydrated. Your body is still healing and your digestive system is still just starting to function again. Some discomfort is normal, pain is a concern.

The human body is crazy. It will try to store the calories that you do consume, because it is in shock. Stay with the program. It will work. I understand the frustration. I routinely burn more calories at the gym than I consume, but my weight doesn't always show it.

A lack of Protein can definitely effect your weight loss and your energy level. You will lose some weight just because you are eating less, but your body will attack your muscles to burn the calories stored there. You need the protein to replace what your body uses. Also protein will help you heal. I would make sure that you are drinking some Protein shakes to hit that goal. I drink 2 shakes (60g protein) and then eat some higher protein food. That way I am getting the minimum protein for sure. I am only 3 weeks post-op, but just met with my doc today and said thats exactly the way I should be doing it. She said not to worry if some days I can't get it in, but most days I should get at least 60 if not 80.

I was sleeved on 3/23. I lost 20lbs in the first 2 weeks then I put on 2 pounds when I got my period. I finally lost those 2 pounds today. I had my post op appointment and they said that I did really well. I have already lost 29% of my excess weight. Everyone loses at a different rate, so don't be too concerned. Just make sure you are getting your Protein and Water and exercise.

Really chew your foods. My surgeon says to chew each bite 30 times. That alone will make it that you aren't swallowing too quickly. Also use smaller utensils to take smaller bites.

I had to wait 2 weeks for pureed foods according to my surgeon. Take it slow. If you need to stay on liquids for a few days, do that. It takes time for the swelling to go down and for your digestive system to start working again. Make sure that when you are eating foods that you are taking small bites.

You won't be able to get that much Protein right now. Gradually work up to it and try to make sure you are getting protein before other items. Supplement with Protein drinks. I am not getting 800 calories at 3 weeks out and usually get about 90g of protein.

I don't really watch the fat too much. I stay away from sugar and try to choose leaner items, but fat is not the end all be all. I would stay away from anything fried and anything with extra fat, but I am a fan of real foods vs chemically altered foods. Also most low fat/ no fat items just have extra sugar. Watch your sugar first and then look at fat to see if what you are eating seems to be worth it.

It took a few days for my insurance and then my surgery was scheduled about 3 weeks later.

I am guessing that your mom has an issue with it because it is a different path than she had. I would have a conversation with her and just let her know that you understand where she is coming from and respect her opinion, but this is your choice and with the help of your doctor, you decided that this was the best option for you and that you would prefer if she would not tell other people, as this is your life and not hers. If you approach it in a respectful and caring way, where she feels heard, it should go over well. If it doesn't go well, at least you tried. Find people that are supportive though, because that goes a long way in being successful.

Its hard to say if you will be ready or not, so I would recommend having a back up plan in case you are not out of the hospital yet. I wasn't discharged until around 6pm. If thats the case, you will probably miss the rehearsal dinner. You also probably won't be able to drive so make sure there is someone that can do that. Moms are strong so if you are out of the hospital, you will probably be ok for the wedding, but don't over do it.

My pre-op consultation was a lot of talking. I was weighed one last time and then the surgeon reviewed my chart. He made sure that all my prerequisites were completed. He went over all his expectations for surgery and made sure I was comfortable with everything. He also showed me where he expected me to get weight wise. I also met with anesthesia to review all of their stuff. They made sure it was safe for me to have the anesthesia and reviewed things about blood clots and walking and breathing. It is recommended to have someone accompany you to these consults. Be prepared with any questions that you may have. Good luck

Hopefully you feel better soon. This could delay your surgery, but thats just to make sure you are healthy enough to have surgery.

I think a lot of docs use the liquid diet to help make sure patients are actually going low carb and high Protein while still getting the nutrition that they need. I am just a little taller than you, but was about the same weight pre-op. I had 12 days of liquid diet before surgery. I did cheat a little and had a few bites of healthier foods. I don't recommend that, but I am being honest and I didn't cheat a lot. I might have had 200 calories over the 12 days that were from not Protein shakes. If your doc does not require a liquid diet, thats fine. Just make sure to stay away from the fat and sugar. They are processed and stored in the liver. The less in your body, the less in your liver, the easier the surgery. Good luck

Today's Weight = 245 Memorial Day Goal = 230

I would work to make sure you are getting your Protein. Try to drink it throughout the day. Also make sure to get plenty of Water. Typically a meal is 2-4oz and you should have 3 meals per day.

I gained 11 pounds of Water weight while I was in the hospital. You have that to lose as well as the fat. Everyone is different in how they lose. Make sure you are getting your Protein and water and stay away from sugar. The weight will come off.

Your doctor is recommending the bypass because you have so much extra weight to lose. The bypass is more effective because it limits your intake and the absorption of the food. The sleeve just limits what you can eat. The duodenal switch is a 2 part surgery where you do the sleeve first and then the bypass. This is very effective, but does come with more side effects like gas and diarrhea. I recommend really researching all 3 and see what you will be most comfortable with. Good luck with your decision and your surgery.

You came to the right place. This group is full over sleevers. Good luck and welcome to the group.

There is a chance that they would find something that would prevent surgery, but this is very unlikely. They will check to see if you have a hernia that needs repaired and will look for damage caused by acid reflux. This is really a way for the doctors to make sure that the your sleeve will be safe.

So lately a lot of people have asked me what made me decide to have surgery and I wanted to write it out and share it publicly. I find that I am better able to hold myself accountable when I am open and honest, not just with myself but with others. So here goes my story. Well this is the short version. I have always been overweight. I have also always been very active. I didn't see my weight as something that was holding me back. I am successful in my career and my relationships. I have great friends and family. The company I work for started doing voluntary health screenings about 7 years ago. They even paid you to do it and there were no consequences. I knew the numbers wouldn't be pretty, but who can't use a little extra money. Pretty much the annual health screening was the only time I saw a doctor without being sick. The numbers got worse over the years, but I could look in the mirror. I knew I was gaining weight. Two years ago, the health screenings were tied to my insurance. I could get a significant discount on my insurance if I met certain benchmarks or made improvements from the prior year. If I didn't do either of those things, I could take a nutrition class or participate in a program to get the discounts. This was fine with me. I did the programs. I played the part and did what they told me to do. Its not like I didn't know I was overweight, I just wasn't really at a point in my life where I was ready to change anything. This past year when it was time for the health screening, I wanted to have some better numbers. I didn't want to jump through the hoops of the various programs just to save $10 a week. I decided I was going to make sure I improved over the results from the previous year. I was eating right and working out more. I was confident that I would have some improvement. I was wrong. My numbers were all worse than the year prior. I still had a few weeks before everything had to be submitted, so I decided to try even harder and go to my PCP before the deadline to get updated results, hoping they would be better. I cut out all sugar. I stopped going out to eat. I lived on chicken breast and steamed veggies. I increased my exercise. Guess what...3 weeks later when I went to the doctors, my blood work numbers were even worse. It seemed like I was doomed. That is when I realized that I couldn't do it on my own. Even when I did what the doctor told me, my health was getting worse. I have some pretty severe back issues and was really limited in what I could do, but I wasn't giving up. (I completed six 5k races last year.) I also have PCOS which plays a part in my inability to lose weight. I decided that it was time to make a more drastic change. I started the process to have weight loss surgery. I joined a new gym (and actually started to go). I donated most of the food in my house to people in need. I started talking to other people about my weight. By this point (September 2014), I weighed 295 pounds. I probably weighed more before that, but never got on the scale. I was in horrible pain all the time. I regularly saw a chiropractor, just so I could stay upright. I was dying. I showed up to the first consultation having already fasted, knowing they would send me for blood work. I had all of my pre-op testing done that first day. I was serious. My routine at the gym started with 2 hours in the pool. I was in too much pain to do anything else. I went 4-5 days a week. I work as a kitchen manager, so I would often go to work before the gym even opened in the morning, but it if was still open when I got out of work, I was there. Many nights I wouldn't even get to the gym until 9:00 p.m. I made it through the holidays and was losing weight. The ladies at the doctor's office were all very happy with my progress and encouraged me to keep going. In January, I started a weight loss competition at my gym. Previously, I wouldn't have even considered signing up for it. This competition gave me an extra incentive to lose the weight. I weighed 282 pounds, but I was already feeling better. I started working out on the machines at the gym instead of the pool. This is also when I really started to share with people what I was doing and why. My support system grew. I went to the gym almost everyday for the next 6 weeks. I stopped drinking Pepsi (that was the hardest part) and stopped making excuses. People were staring at me at the gym. Not because I was overweight, but because I worked out so hard. One day I had a man in his 40s ask me to stop going so hard, because he couldn't keep up and I was making him look bad. That's a great feeling. The end of the contest came and my team won. I weighed in at 269 pounds. I admit I was pretty dehydrated at the weigh in and made sure to wear my lightest clothes. The contest ended the day after my 6 month weigh in for surgery. Both of the 2 things I was using to hold myself accountable came to an end at the same time and my birthday was just a few days away. I went back to my old habits. I jumped up to 280 pounds in a little less than 2 weeks. When I stepped on the scale, I couldn't believe how quickly I had put the weight back on after working so hard to take it off. I was failing. I realized that I had to change my life for good. There would be nothing easy about having weight loss surgery. By the time I had surgery on March 23, I weighed 263 pounds. I had fallen in love with the Arc Trainer at the gym and was really putting in the effort required. My surgery went well. My only complication being that they hit a nerve putting in an IV and I now have a lot of pain in my left arm. I am hoping it will heal on its own. I chose to spend 3 nights in the hospital, since I have had some allergic reactions to pain meds in the past. I got up and walked every few hours and felt great when I left. (I weighed 271 the day I was discharged because of all of the Water weight that comes with surgery.) Now on April 9th, I am 243 pounds and have no back pain at all. My stomach is still sore from the surgery, but its nothing to severe. Its just achy muscles. I am back at the gym on a daily basis. I started with just walking the track and every day I am going a little farther. I did some basic strength training yesterday, but am waiting for the doctor to clear me to do more. I don't want to hurt anything. The weight loss is already very noticeable. People who I never thought would have cared are noticing and asking about it. I am telling them the truth and explaining what my life is like now, post surgery. I have found that a lot of people know someone who has had the surgery. Everyone has been very supportive so far and a lot of people are now asking for my advice. I have lost just over 50 pounds. I still have a long way to go, but I am confident that I can get there. I am putting in the work. The results will come. My doctor's goal for me is 192 pounds, but I am shooting for 160. My blood work that I have had over the past month has all been better than that from September and I am feeling great. I only wish that I would have taken before measurements so that I could know how many inches I have lost. I know I have lost a few, because I can wear my old jeans again. Thanks for listening to my story and I look forward to hearing yours.

One day someone asked me why I was having the surgery and asked if I was ok or if I was sick. No one had really asked me why before. It was no secret that I was overweight. I responded to the woman by telling her that I didn't have any major issues at this time, but knew it was only a matter of time before something came up. I feel like I could have written your post (minus the pregnancies). The weeks leading up to surgery, my husband tried to convince me not to have the surgery without actually telling me not to have it. He is over 450 pounds himself and also worried that I would leave him after I lost the weight. Some people thought I was taking the easy way out and that if I really wanted to lose weight I could do it on my own. People shared their fears. Basically what I learned is that most people aren't educated about the procedure and are genuinely concerned for your health. I tried to educate everyone who asked me about it so they could have the actual facts. I am almost 3 weeks post op and all went well. My friends, family, and coworkers know that I had abdominal surgery and many know that it was weight loss surgery. Putting in the 6 months of diet before the surgery showed them that I was serious about losing weight and that I knew this wasn't a quick fix. Morbid obesity is a major medical issue. Being constantly sore is a major issue. Having a family history of diabetes is an area of concern. I can tell you from my experience, with every pound I have lost, my pain in the rest of my body has decreased. I recommend getting as many facts as you can about the surgery and share them with the people that question your choice. Start now and make changes to live healthier before the surgery. There is no need to be ashamed. This is just a tool. You still have to put in the work. I like to compare it to buying a gym membership. If you have the membership, but don't actually go, nothing will change. You wont get any healthier. Same with the surgery. If you don't make healthy food choices, your sleeve won't help you. I apologize for this being a little unorganized, but I am not feeling so well tonight. Long story short. You do have a major medical issue and this surgery is just a tool. I found it very helpful to have a conversation with myself about exactly why I wanted to have surgery and why I wanted to have it now. Once I was clear in my head, it was all smooth sailing. Good luck with everything and I hope that your friends and family come on board. You are worth it.

Can I add that it bothers me when people reply to the post without actually reading what it says? So many times I see people give all the information in the original post and then will see people respond with a comment asking something that was clearly written in the original post. Its fine if you don't read all the comments, but please read the question if you are going to answer it.

So I am just over 2 weeks post op and have been walking every day. I feel fine walking and am able to go at a good speed. I was exercising a lot prior to surgery. My question is how soon can I start doing more than just walking. I would love to do a spin class and some weight training. I was just wondering about how long I should wait to do more than walk.

I use opurity for my Multivitamin and calcium. They are big and chalky, but not too bad and are cheaper than a lot of others. Everything else I take is a regular pill that i swallow.