gracehughes

At three weeks out, your stomach is not completely healed yet. The advice to check with your bariatric team is wise. At three weeks out, I was still on pureed foods. In weeks 4-6, I could have mushy steamed vegetables. Be kind to your new tummy and don't rush it. Your tummy needs to heal, and rushing it could make you sick. I'm six months out, and I can eat raw veggies slowly. I have to chew them really well or they upset me. But so far, so good. Kale still gives me trouble as does fibrous, raw pineapple. But all other fruits and veggies have been great. Take your time. Check with your bariatric team. You've got this, and you will be so happy with your results.

According to my surgeon, it depends on your weight. You take your current weight and multiply by .3. So a 300 pound person (300 x .3) would have a Protein goal of 90 grams of protein. After that, I've heard different theories. Some say that your protein goal should stay about 90 grams. Some say that it can be reduced as you lose weight applying the weight x .3 rule. Some say that 65 grams of protein is the absolute minimum for women. And my trainer says that you need more protein if you are doing a lot of resistance work and trying to increase muscle mass. And then there is the question of when you eat protein. My surgeon said, "People who do the best with this surgery have a Protein shake every morning for the rest of their lives and have some protein with every meal." My trainer says you should have 8-30 grams of protein after a workout designed to build muscle. Hope that helps. I heard different things from different people, so it might be good to check in with your nutritionist.

Every body is different, so I can only tell you of my experience. I woke up nauseated with some pain, and my nurses helped alleviate that right away. They kept me comfortable and I spent the night with my vitals being checked regularly. They wouldn't let me leave until I could take small sips of Gatorade and Protein shake and tolerate it; also, I had to be able to pee before they would let me go home. The most important thing is to follow your doctor's advice to the letter. Once I was home, I was doing pretty well. The surprising things was the thrush on my tongue because the drugs they give you kill all the good gut bacteria. A little kefir solved that problem. Then I started to run a fever, which freaked me out, but it turned out to just be my lungs adjusting to the surgery. It went away quickly, and my doctor was on call for questions. I wasn't hungry. I wasn't nauseated. I followed my surgeon's advice exactly, and I recovered quite well. Good luck. I sure am glad I had my surgery, and I think you will be too.

If the person asking is someone that I know has struggled with weight, I always tell the whole story. Surgery combined with high Protein diet and exercise. I feel that is respectful way to treat someone who has also battled weight and the health issues that come with it. If I don't know the person, or I get a creepy, judgmental vibe, I make a decision. Is telling this person the whole truth helpful? If it isn't helpful or it isn't worth it, I still tell the truth, but I use a shorter version. "I've done a whole bunch of things to change my lifestyle." Hope this helps.

I did have some buyer's remorse at first, but it turned into depression, which I treated with counseling and therapy. Physiologically, you are losing weight and there are hormones stored in your fat cells so you will have more estrogen released. I think that contributed to my depression. Psychologically, my body was changing and my weight was my shield. For me, the only way to work through that was counseling. I am now 5 1/2 months out, and I feel better than I've felt in my life. I move more easily, and I sleep better. Exercise is easier. My counseling has helped me understand the psychological aspects of my weight loss, and my depression meds have helped me understand that my baseline anxiety has been so high my whole life that I medicated with food. Hang in there. This is a journey. You will have sad days as you grieve what was, and you will have joy watching yourself emerge as stronger, healthier, and happier. If you need counseling, find it. If you need to treat depression, do it. This is your time in life to take care of your body, soul, and spirit.

I once walked into my bosses office when she had her door wide open and her pants off in front of a window. She was changing her clothes. Yah, can't unsee that.

Great chart. Thanks for sharing. My doctor says that we need at least 50 grams of carbs for good brain function. On a day when my exercise is lower, my goal is 50 grams. On a day when my exercise is high, my aim is 100 g of carbs. The number for weight maintenance is interesting.

The Genepro has been helpful to me. It's flavorless and you get a lot of protein for a small scoop. I bought it on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Musclegen-Research-Genepro-Medical-Servings/dp/B00K6OSDYA

My sister lost over 300 pounds too. Surgery was the only way to get rid of the excess skin. For her, the extra skin caused sores, which for her meant that the skin removal was covered by insurance. Hope this helps!

I am 5 months out from surgery, and sneezing is still the weirdest thing. I wouldn't say it hurts now, but I would say that it feels weird and uncomfortable. I'm not sure why, but I can tell you that you aren't alone. If you have allergies, you might want to consider an antihistamine. It helped me out a lot. Burping is not pleasant either, but that's a whole other topic.

I replaced pants as I went down, but saved tops and jackets until I'd gone down 4 sizes. I needed a new bra once I'd lost 80 pounds. Wearing fitting clothes draws notice to weight loss. I wasn't ready to do that for a long time. It's really all a personal choice based on budgets and comfort levels.

When I was on the soft food stage, I could eat about 500-600 very slowly. This included protein shakes. It's hard to get your protein in, so make sure you still have protein shakes or powder in your diet. Good luck!

Congratulations! That is wonderful.

I was sleeved on February 17, and I'm down 65 pounds from my highest weight. I'm off of two medications and I move around much more easily. So happy that I had surgery. I feel so much better.

Honesty is always best. He should still be proud of you. You DID do this on your own. The sleeve is a tool, but the decision to lose weight, to be your best self, to be healthy, to commit to new lifestyle changes--that's all you. Be proud. Be open, because it helps you and others to know that the sleeve is a helpful tool, but everything is is YOU. Congrats on losing. You look terrific.