catwoman7

thank God!

yes - sounds like you might need to see a specialist. They'll probably do a scope to see what's up.

I don't know where you are weight-wise now, but if that 30 lbs you mentioned you still want to lose will get you to a normal BMI, then yea - the last 20 or 30 lbs are a BEAR to lose. it's not unusual for people to fill up fast on dense protein (like chicken), but be able to inhale snacky things like there's no tomorrow. That's why they recommend we focus on dense protein and low cal, highly nutritious things like fruits and vegetables. And that's what people should be focusing on anyway if they want to stay healthy, regardless of weight or surgery status. if you aren't tracking your intake, I'd start doing it. I still track everything I eat at five years out. I've learned I can maintain my weight if I stay between 1500-1700 calories a day (and that range it going to vary for everyone - you may be able to eat more or less - but if you're still trying to lose weight, then probably less....). It's really easy to go over your range and start gaining weight if you're not paying attention. The only time since surgery that I didn't track (other than a day or two here and there) was when I spent a month abroad last fall. I didn't THINK I was eating too much but....TA DA!....I came back a few pounds heavier than when I left. Easy to do. if you want to continue to lose weight, you'll have to focus on dense proteins and vegetables. They're filling and will give you the most nutritional bang for the buck. And maybe small servings of fruit, too (I could eat fruit with no problem - but some people limit it because of the sugar). If you focus on those things but STILL aren't losing weight, then you'll have to cut back on total calories, too. I didn't consistently go over 1000 per day until I was about a year out. btw....I do keep some "safe" things around for snack attacks when I get them - SF Jello, SF popsicles, Light & Fit yogurt, baby carrots, celery, Costco roasted seaweed, lots of different types of tea, lots of safe and fun things to drink, like flavored waters. I know it's really hard sometimes - but it's the only way to lose weight - or avoid gaining it. It's a daily struggle...

I never wore it after WLS (but i did after plastic surgery), but I would think after your incisions have healed up and your scabs are gone (which takes around four weeks), you should be OK to start wearing it. But you might want to confirm with your clinic.

it could be that but it could also be the hormone issue that the above poster mentioned. A lot of women have screwed up periods for the first few months after surgery (and weird moods, too). Supposedly it's because estrogen is stored in fat cells, and when you start losing weight rapidly, that estrogen is released. It takes awhile for things to balance out again.

yep!!

that's what I do. I have a range and if I get up over my limit, it's all hands on deck until I get back under it again.

some people would say that people who are really tied into the bariatric community - like participating on these boards and/or active in support groups - tend to do better than average, so that might be part of it. I'm still active in the community at five years out because it keeps my head in the game and keeps me (mostly) on track, and I'm sure that's the case with a lot of people who are regulars on here. That kind of thing can make a difference.

don't chase the full feeling. A couple of things going on 1) you had some nerves cut during surgery, and it takes them awhile for them to regenerate 2) most of us don't start feeling the restrictions until we start eating solids - like meats. Once you eat something like chicken breast, you'll notice it 3) your full "cues" may be different than they were before surgery. It takes awhile for some of us to recognize them. Until then, just measure out what you're supposed to eat and just eat that...

I was allowed to walk right away. I was cleared for everything else except for weights at four weeks out. At eight weeks out, I was cleared for weights.

I love the tangines with meat, dried fruit, and rice - and I made pastilla (also spelled bastilla) once - it's sort of a sweet chicken pie with cinnamon. OMG....

I LOVE Moroccan food! We used to have a couple of Moroccan restaurants in town, but no more. I used to make it once in awhile years ago - I should start doing it again!

it seems like most people who fail (provided it's not some mechanical failure with the surgery, which is rare) do so because they aren't consistently following the plan. So just be hyper-committed, and you should be fine. the headache, fatigue, etc is probably due to carb withdrawal. Mine got a lot better by about day 4. if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, just smile and nod when the dietitian tells you that you should have lost double the weight. I was a slow loser throughout my whole weight loss journey, which was pointed out to me by one of the medical residents ("you should have lost a lot more by now"). I ended up losing 100% of my excess weight and blowing most of their patients out of the water. If you're following the program to a "T", you're good.

I had issues with that at about two years out and they did a complete work-up. Everything normal. It was a head-scratcher for sure. But then it got really bad one afternoon about an hour or two after I had a piece of cake at some retirement party at work. My PCP suspects it may have been reactive hypoglycemia - and that my glucose level just happened to be normal at the time of the work-up. Although I'm sure you've been tested for that. I now eat something every three hours or so and always pair a carb (when I eat them) with a protein. It seems to have worked... But again, not sure what your issue is. I hope they can figure it out!

this is cool! Although this is definitely based on averages. It predicted at year 2 I'd weigh 232. Actually, I weighed 138 then - so almost 100 lbs less (I gained a few lbs in year 3, which is unfortunately, very common). As others have said, that 50-70% they always quote is an average - and as with any average, there will be people who fall on either side of that. Just stay as committed as you can to your program. I almost never went off mine that first year.

I've gotten them occasionally - it's always been when I overeat.

I'm guessing you may have had a morphine pump in the hospital (or some other narcotic), so that's probably why it felt worse when you got home. It's most likely gas pain - it should work its way out in a few days. The getting in and out of bed thing is common. To be honest, I didn't have any pain at all other than when I was getting in and out of bed. It felt like I'd done 1000 crunches - but that'll go away soon, too.

the above posters are right - you're going to blowing through sizes pretty quickly, so don't get anything really form-fitting - at least not now. And get things second hand if you can. I got most of my clothes at places like Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul. If I could only wear something for a month, it wasn't the end of the world if I only paid like $3 for it...

you're right in that it could be the sodium in the broth - or it could be the artificial sweeteners in some of the other things. Some people do get G/I issues from those...or from some of those, anyway. However, if you've eaten these sweeteners before without incident, and you're still pre-op, then that's probably not it.

I still feel like that sometimes at five years out...

don't chase the full feeling. You likely won't feel it at all this early out because a) you had some nerves cut during surgery, and it takes awhile from them to regenerate and b) most people don't start feeling any restriction until they start on solid foods. Even after everything is back to "normal" ( whatever "normal" is after WLS), for most of us, "full" is different than it was pre-surgery, and it takes awhile to recognize what your new "full" cues are. in the mean time, measure out what your clinic says you should be eating and only eat that. Don't wait for the "full" feeling, because it's not going to come for awhile, and when it eventually does, it's going to be different than it was pre-surgery. P.S. unfortunately, the surgery fixes our stomachs, not our brains. If you're having trouble with binge eating, therapy may help with that (a LOT of WLS patients go through therapy - at least for awhile - to help with food addictions)

nope. I eat at about the same rate as I did pre-surgery, I just don't eat as much (I did eat much slower when I was really early out, though)

it's a real crap shoot. It gets worse for some, but not for others. I wasn't willing to take the risk, but some people are. SOOO....it's hard to say..

you won't need a week. I was walking around my house pretty early on. We don't have a full flight of stairs, though (other than to the basement - and I didn't go down there). We do have some half-flights, though - at minimum, I would have gone up one when we came home from the hospital. I don't remember them being much of a challenge. If you're convalescing on the second floor so you're not having to go up and down them all day, you SHOULD be OK - but we'll see if someone with a two-story house responds. And someone who may have had a tougher recovery than I did, too.

haven't heard that one before - although intolerances are pretty common early out. Once people are out a ways, they can tolerate most things. I haven't tried crab since I had surgery (in fact, I haven't had it in years), but the only thing I can't eat at this point (at least that I know of) is a really fatty meal (e.g., a Reuben sandwich - or a fish fry (with breaded or battered fish filets and a side of fries). I like both, but.....my stomach does not!)