TinaF_1971

I have heard of it happening, at the hospital I went to. The patient decided to go all out, eating, the week before his surgery. He went out to eat quite a bit. He gained weight and the surgeon cancelled it. I don't think that would be a common mistake, though.
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I never did, either. At around two months out, I was so moody! I figure some of it had been because I was losing a "friend," in a sense. It eventually went away, thankfully.

Fairlife milk jugs...lactose free

Certain activities, I do enjoy. When we had our pool, I was in it twice, in two weeks, and lost 12 pounds. I also like riding a recumbent bicycle, as I loved bike riding but have bad knees. I did end up joining a gym, three years post-op, but I really need to push myself to go. Before that, I didn't do many other activities. Right now, I'm having a difficult time losing weight, and have even regained between my two year and three year surgiversary. I need to build up leg muscles, though, because I have difficulty walking, without aid. I found the gym has a sit down elliptical, which I like, too. I breezed through weight loss my first two years, with no working out, but I started at a higher weight than most.
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I can't stomach Isopure, either, so I use a vanilla EAS shake mix and add different sugar free coffee syrups. strawberry is my favorite. I have used a cheap brand, from Walmart, that was a Cookies and Cream flavor. It was really good. I guess I am lucky that my lactose intolerance hasn't been as bad after my surgery. Before, I had it really bad and it was almost like dumping syndrome after eating something with lactose. Don't they have a soy Protein shake mix? I have seen a couple, at Walmart, but never tried them. Good luck!
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A couple of thoughts about problems with the vitamins! When I think I am going to hate a taste, there is no convincing my tummy otherwise. I smell first and make that decision! I tried the dry chew-able tablets, the chewy candy type, and the liquid Vitamins. ICK! None of the gummy vitamins have enough of most of the requirements and you have to eat sometimes 4 a day. I was desperate and determined I would not take the Vitamins. My tongue got horrible cracks, my skin and nails dried out, and all this in only a week or so. I had to stop on the side of a road and vomit when I drank a crystal light with a liquid Vitamin. Then, after staying up late in a last ditch effort, I found "PatchMD" Patches for vitamins. I have used them for almost 2 months, had great blood tests for Vitamin, and no problems at all. They are less than $1 per patch. Google PatchMD and go for the Multivitamins. All the vitamins are in them with at least 250% of all the requirements.

this surgery will not work without therapy or psychological help, you have to get your head in the right place before you get your body in the right place.

But also remember in terms of percentage of body weight, you might be losing at the same rate -- but since you have less weight, there are fewer pounds in that percentage.

I'm 2.5 years out and am still losing slowly- you have less to lose, your body does not want to give it up- just stick to the plan the results come eventually

My personal experience with many nutritionist is that they often over simplify their explanations. As this thread has evidence the full explanation is likely closer to something along the lines of WLS having it's biggest impact on weight loss in the first year. The rest is up to the individual.

I'm really wondering if it's a stricture also. I'm trying hard not to become dehydrated.

At 8 weeks out... One day I threw up my Protein shake!!! I didnt think too much about it but as the day went on I started noticing that I couldnt drink as much Water as I had been. Later that day it was time for my next Protein shake... I couldnt finish it or keep it down!!! Next day I woke up and tried to start over .... Same Thing. Called my surgeons office and they wanted to get me in the hospital for egd. It took 3 days before my egd and I was so afraid I was going to dehydrate because I was barely drinking anything. Turns out it was a structure... Once that fixed me up I have had no trouble w my Water or Protein but every now and then ill try something new and up it comes. The zofram did not help my nausea at all while I had the stricture.
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Demand an EGD be done to rule out a stricture .

Call them or go in and politely but firmly tell your doctor to give you something (prescription) for nausea/vomiting. That's not right to let that go on for weeks and just tell you to push through it!
I can't imagine how awful that feels and I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.

This is different due to my restricted stomach capacity and (at 18 months post-op) I'm still feeling the effects of reduced ghrelin (the hunger hormone). I do still feel hungry when I'm hungry. But the runaway hunger that demanded food now isn't nearly as strong as it was pre-op.
Also -- and this is key: This time with WLS I didn't lose just 20 or 40 pounds, which wasn't even halfway to goal. I lost ALL my excess weight! And that has made so much difference. Because now my knees don't hurt and I CAN walk farther and more often and faster than I have in decades. My daily routine is so much more energetic -- housework, errands, fidgeting.
All these things are self-affirming. My increased activity level keeps me calmer. The fact that I eat more Protein and complex carbs (and fewer simple carbs as a lifestyle, not just the weight loss diet) also reduces my appetite by keeping my metabolism burning steadier, not up/down.
Finally, when you actually engage in healthy behaviors for 18 months, you actually do build new habits that, together, are a very different lifestyle that reinforces itself because it makes you feel so good. Habits are very, very powerful -- including the new habits you will build after WLS.
Good luck!

Another thing that most folks don't realize about the sleeve surgery - it removes such a large portion of the stomach that it reduces the amount of the hunger hormone (called ghrelin) that is produced in the stomach. Studies have recently posited that the hormone is over-produced in some people and that absolutely can cause obesity since if you are constantly feeling hungry, you're going to eat more to try to feel sated. Without that hormone overproduction, you get normal feelings of hunger and feel full faster and stay feeling full for longer.
The lack of overwhelming hunger is usually a long range effect; some people never regain the need to overeat due to perceived hunger, but most people do redevelop a normal hunger response after a certain period of time (roughly a year).
Two other ways the sleeve works:
The most obvious is the size and portion control/restriction. You have a stomach that will hold at most 5-7 ounces of food after about one year (it is much less for the first 6-8 months, but will relax (not stretch) after a time. In its natural state, the stomach can hold up to 6 cups, so that is a HUGE reduction of tummy real estate!
The portion control/restriction coupled with the lack of overwhelming hunger means you finally have real control over what and how you eat. You get the optimum effect for roughly 12-18 months, and during this time you have to teach yourself how to eat healthy and make smarter choices. The best measure of long term success is how well you do to relearn how to eat - Protein first, veggies next and then complex carbs in small portions.
My doctor said that anyone could lose a significant amount of weight for the first year or so even if they ate absolute crap the entire time due to the restriction. But they will eventually have major issues (since most bad for you food is also lacking in nutrition and high in fat, sodium and bad carbs) and regain if they don't completely revamp their diet to eat correctly - protein/veggies/complex carbs. And of course eating "slider" foods - things that break down easily like cake, breads, Cookies, ice cream or basically anything that turns to mush easily - that slide right through your sleeve and never really trigger that feeling of fullness. There are many ways to eat around your sleeve and consume to many calories. These are the people that get fat again and then complain about how their sleeved failed; but it didn't fail - they failed due to poor eating habits and not taking advantage of the time to really get serious about getting healthy.
You can eventually eat the junk again - there won't be anything you can't technically eat. But you should cut out all of the garbage foods and only eat them rarely and in small portions.
If you take the time to plan meals, revamp recipes to remove the high carb/sugar/sodium, eat healthy small portions of good Protein like fish and chicken and get some nice veggies... and you eat that way 90% of the time, in addition to exercise and getting in your Vitamins and Water, you probably will be successful for life.
It is a total lifestyle change - ditching the bad habits and excuses and embracing the healthy. If you get your head straight and are able to do this, it will work for you or anyone.

I knew I was grumpy as hell and yelling a lot at my kids, but I never thought about the fat/hormone thing! DAH! Thank you so much for this thread! I thought I was just going MAD!
Congrats on all the loss!!! Yippy!

I'm irritable.

Haven't had the surgery yet.

I'm using the HOLY CRAP IT'S COLD! excuse currently.

HE got MAD? That YOU didn't want him to eat a bacon cheeseburger in BED next to you? WTF? I'd lose it under the best of circumstances if that happened to me, so no wonder you were crying and upset a month post-op! Jesus!

I am so freaking happy I found this thread. I have been having serious PMS like symptoms with mood swings, etc since like week 2. It all makes sense now! haha

I dealt with being hangry also. I take Snacks and Protein drinks to work and eat or drink something every couple hours. Definitely helps.
My wife said that pic was me the first few months after surgery

I have found that it gets better. I started a thread a while ago about the same subject. You should check it out and see if any of it resonates:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/343777-guys-room-is-everyone-else-overly-emotional-or-am-i-just-an-ae/

With good reason! OMG!

Yeah... the lyrics are... relevant... kinda...? But to consider that an effective strategy to overcome lifelong issues... I was just gobsmacked. Also the fact that it's crappy music offended me, but that's beside the point. I was so shell-shocked at that point that I went ahead and scheduled my next appointment, but I called the office and cancelled it later and never went back. My next therapist was horrified when I told her about it and was embarrassed on behalf of her profession!

It's great that you are finding the support you need here. But also don't be afraid to "shop around" for a therapist! It's almost like dating--you have to find one you "click" with. I had to go through several therapists before finding one that really works for me. I seriously saw one woman who suggested that to get over my body image and food issues, I should watch the video for "All About That Bass." Also, I don't personally feel comfortable with talking to a male therapist. I'm the same about gynecologists.