Didjit

Thanks for the tip! I hope to not have another one, but if I do I'll give it a try. er... um... I think I'll stick with the spasm. Thanks, all, for the feedback. FYI, I did have an echo and a stress test, so like I said all's well there. Seeing my PCP in a couple weeks, so I'll see what he has to say.

I'm a bit post post-op (about 20 months after a VSG) and things have been pretty unremarkable since the initial loss. But recently I've had two episodes out of the blue, unlike anything I've experienced before. The first time, I thought I was having a heart attack. A vague nauseous feeling turned into a chest tightness. It was like the wind was knocked out of me and I couldn't breathe beyond tiny gasps for about 20 minutes. Long story short, it wasn't a heart attack and all cardiac tests showed my heart to be working perfectly. Needless to say, it was scary as hell, and the anxiety that I might be having a heart attack was enough to give me one! But then it happened again, a few weeks later. This time I really tried to focus on what was causing me distress. I think that it was a muscle spasm, focused in my upper abs and/or mid back. Maybe the diaphragm but it really felt more like a tight band wrapping around my lower ribs, forcing me to exhale; the diaphragm would force an inhale. Stretching and massaging helped a little, but was really hard to do in the moment. I'm really worried now about it happening while I'm at work or out in public. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I'm wondering if my GI tract triggered a spasm for some reason.

Try Chike. It's high protein coffee. Makes delicious ice coffee. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BF0JKF0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_h2BOG2z99FXEL

We've used Blue Apron for a few years now. It has generally worked well for us. The recipes are delicious and easy to prepare. It lets me cook (and I'm no chef) on the nights when my partner (who is a great chef) can't. But unfortunately we're quitting Blue Apron. We've had just too many problems with late/missing deliveries and missing/leaking/spoiled ingredients. So now we're looking around for a different service. Purple Carrot looked nice, though it's all vegetarian. Also, it appears to run low on Protein and high on carbohydrates. We'd tried Hello Fresh but were disappointed (I guess "Mostly Canned", while more accurate, doesn't have the same ring). Are there any recommendations out there? We're looking for good, interesting, healthy meals using fresh organic ingredients, low-cal, low-fat, high protein.

@Ken S., Unless your changes haven't been pushed out yet, it still isn't quite right. There is a Goal line (red) but it's showing my milestones. My ultimate goal doesn't appear on the graph at all. Perhaps if I didn't have milestones defined? If you look at the attached picture, I have a goal weight of 210, which doesn't appear.

For those who have essentially "leveled out", how long did it take? Obviously everyone has different bodies starting from different places, but from what I gather for VSG it seems that most people lose most of what they're going to lose within a year. Is that true? And is it 6 months? 9? Or do many people take years? (Disclaimer: I know this is a life-long change, and it's not just "bang" and done. Just trying to gauge how low I'll go and how long it'll take.)

@rossthebossAt 2 months out I can only eat about 6 oz. at a time. That's like a small chicken breast and some vegetables. Liquids do pass faster. For example if I over-drink I'm uncomfortable for a couple minutes, but if I over eat the discomfort can last a half-hour. That said, I can drink 8 oz. in about 20 minutes. Maybe 10 if I really work at it.

Only about two months.

I just got back from a week away on vacation, my first vacation since having the VSG. We stayed at a beautiful all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. And like being on a cruise, we were always surrounded by free food and drink. There's a lot I didn't do "right". I never made it to the gym (though I did swim every day and went kayaking once). I did indulge in alcohol, though never to a sloppy excess. And I did visit the dessert buffet on more than one occasion. But I also made an effort to emphasize Protein, and stop when full, and separate eating and drinking. I was constantly struck by how little I eat now -- just a few bites and I was full. I found myself rearranging the food on my plate to make it look like I'd eaten more than I had. Honestly, there was a little regret that I couldn't "enjoy" the meal like I used to: 2-4 courses with 2-4 drinks. Instead it was a taste of this and that and a sip of wine at the end. But beyond that disappointment there was amazement that I could now just walk away from the food still on my plate, that I could skip dessert or an appetizer and not really care. I even dropped a pound or two while I was away. For example, I knew that if I had something like french toast I wouldn't have room for any protein, so I didn't bother with the french toast or at least with no more than a small bite. And after all the dire warnings it was somewhat comforting to find that neither my susceptibility or hankering for alcohol had increased noticeably. But best of all I felt so much less self-conscious poolside. I've passed my half-way point with "just" 40-50 lbs to go, and I'm rediscovering favorite old clothes I'd put away.

@Montana Gal, thanks for a fantastic video! As top-notch as my surgeon is, there were points in that video he never made clear to me. They key one for me is [paraphrasing] "Don't worry about your stomach stretching. It will, and that is expected. Worry instead about falling into the same traps that brought you in in the first place." Scary, but that is the core issue for us all, isn't it.

Chart display of past weight doesn't handle the goal weight correctly. It seems to assign it to a much earlier date. This makes the resulting chart too wide to be of any use. And if you remove it then the chart is too tall to be of much use

Hi Carole, I say this without judgement: it sounds like you could really use some counseling, to help with the grief and the self-medicating use of alcohol. And I hear a lot of self-blame, when I think it's amazing you lost 130 lbs! We're not perfect but we do need to be accountable to ourselves. Counseling or therapy can help with that. I don't know quite what a behaviorist does, but changing behavior is easier when you address the underlying feelings that drive the behavior. Be well, Chris

I don't think so. As I understand it, the rule is to prevent washing solid food into the intestine before the stomach has broken it down. With a shake there's nothing to break down.

I too was expecting the wine to hit me harder than it did. I'll have to check with my dietician.

My partner texted me that he wanted to go out for dinner tonight. My mind flooded at once with so many different thoughts: What if I can't find something on the menu that meets my diet restrictions? What if "something" goes wrong? How silly will I look as a large man claiming he's full after three bites? I was having a bad day and I didn't want to deal with this; I was having a bad day and I really could've used a glass of wine over a nice meal. So I made reservations and we went out. I did order that glass of wine, not entirely sure if I was "allowed to" yet. And Oh! that bread looked good, but I abstained. My partner had half the loaf and an appetizer while I sipped meekly from my wine glass. Finally, the Entrees arrived. I'd ordered the panko crusted cod (Not the gnocchi, nor the scampi, nor the fettuccini-anything). It was delicious, but at +3 weeks I could only eat a couple ounces - maybe 1/4 of the dish. And I confess, I did have a taste of my partner's tiramisu. I'm still learning how to eat less, and judging how much is enough, and knowing when I'm full. I won't lie, it's a bit frustrating, like a circle in Dante's hell, having delicious food in front of me but just a tiny stomach that can't take it in. But I wanted to treat this as practice, and be willing to leave food on my plate and wine in my glass, to pass on the bread and have no more than a spoon of dessert. Generally I think I did well. The fullness still catches me by surprise -- gotta work on that! But for about the first time ever, I came out of that restaurant with something new: left-overs!