orionburn

To you as well! Good luck on your journey. The first few weeks are tough but it does get better. Looking back it's gone so fast I can hardly believe it.

Did your doctor give you a goal of 60g of protein a day minimum? That's the usual recommendation. It does make a difference in weight loss if you aren't getting enough fluids and protein in. I don't worry much about tracking carbs at this point, but looking through my food journal I'm averaging anywhere between 20-60g of carbs a day. It always seems that the heavier you are the quicker the weight comes off. I know that isn't very scientific, but usually that's the case with a lot of people.

You got about 2" on me in height so I get where you're coming from. I've always been a big drinker. Used to freak my friends out when I could down my 44 oz Diet Mt Dew in like 30 seconds if I wanted to...lol. It's taking some getting used to of not drinking while eating. All in all I've been good and try to stick to the 30 minute wait after eating before drinking again. I don't get gas from drinking anymore, but I do from time to time when eating. It isn't painful. It just feels like I need to burp but it's stuck. I try and hold off on eating more until it does finally come up which typically doesn't take long. I do feel "sloshy" from time to time from drinking. Just feels like I have a ton of water sloshing around in my guts. Doesn't hurt or anything...it's just that feeling of drinking too much. I had a bumpy start but am doing much better. This Wednesday will be 5 weeks since my surgery. As of this morning I'm down 30 lbs since surgery day. It's kinda crazy losing this much in such a short period of time but I feel so much better than I did prior to surgery. Lot of standard aches and pains have gone away and that's been the biggest blessing for me.

It will all depend on how you can handle it, but if you have an empty stomach fluids pretty much pass straight through. The main reason they preach to you to take smaller sips is to get you in the mindset to slow down when it comes to eating/drinking. There are times when I get really thirsty and I can drink a couple mouthfuls one right after another, but I give myself a bit of time in between so I don't overdue it. I'm back to most regular foods now and yes, eating takes quite some time. I try to take my time as much as I can so usually it will take 20-30 minutes to eat about half a cup of food. Even though I can't eat quickly my drinking feels normal. The early days are just tough so don't think it's going to be a permanent thing. There are some people that seem to still struggle months out, but it really comes down to the individual. I don't know if there is any relation to how much they drank prior to surgery or not. I could pound down the drinks prior to surgery so it's taken some adjusting to get used to slowing down.

Drinking will get much easier in time. First week was tough for me, but eventually got to the point where I could pretty much drink constantly (decent sized sips). I'm 4 1/2 weeks out and some days are easier than others. Most days I'll have at least 32 oz of fluids down by at least noon, some days earlier than that. While I don't do huge gulps I can get a good mouthful of Water down at a time now. Just keep plugging away and you'll notice it gets easier as each day progresses. When I do have a coffee (decaf mind you) I find that I can drink at my old pace now.

Best wishes for a quick & speedy recovery!

I had a really hard time trying to imagine being "full" on like 2 oz of a Protein drink after surgery. While it is different for everyone the days 1-3 can be pretty rough right after surgery. For myself I had absolutely no desire to eat anything. Hunger was non-existent and several weeks out that's still the case. What complicates matters is that every doctor is different when it comes to a post-op diet. For me personally the first few days were clear fluids only and my protein supplements. That was followed by 2 weeks of full liquids, then 2 weeks of soft foods/pureed stage. Last Wednesday was my 4 week follow-up visit and was cleared to eat about 90% of regular foods (some things like nuts, heavy meats like steak, etc. are still off limits). On average I'm only getting in about 500-600 calories a day, but it's all about your protein intake and I aim for 70g a day. It takes some time to realize that (eventually) 1/2 a cup of food is going to make you feel stuffed and that it make take you 20-30 minutes to get it all down. Honestly I think you'll adjust to it fairly quickly. It can seem daunting having to do this for a few weeks but after a lifetime of punishing my body I figured I owed it this...lol. I kind of freaked on the portion thing as well, but not having portion control is what got me overweight to begin with. I was never a candy/sugar junkie. I'd take an extra plate of Pasta over a candy bar any day of the week. That part is mental and it is something that you need to come to terms with. What helps me is that in time I'll be able to enjoy some foods that I used to but now I get to stretch it out for 2-3 meals. In the end I wouldn't stress to much about it. You just have to focus on getting your protein and fluids in after surgery. There will be times when you do have some food mourning, but you'll be so focused on following plan and healing that you won't be as preoccupied about it as you might think. Good luck!

Had all the same fears as you. While I still worry about some of the longer term things like skin and such I can tell you that being only a month out after surgery my chronic pain levels are so much better than before surgery. I've lost 30 lbs now since surgery and it has made a world of difference. My sciatica is nothing like it used to be. I could barely walk for 5 minutes without wanting to jump in front of a bus because the pain was so bad. Am I at 100%? Not at all, but I feel like I'm back to 85% at minimum. I already fell like I'm starting to get my life back. My sciatica pain has ruined my quality of life for the past couple of years limiting me on doing hundreds of things. There are risks with this. My spleen decided to spring a leak on day #3 at the hospital, so my supposed to be 3 day stay turned into nearly a week's stay. Did it suck? Yes, yes it did. The first week was really tough and I went through all the questioning of whether I made the right decision or not. For me I was out of options. I was looking at back surgery because nothing else had worked for my sciatica. And even then I couldn't get it done because they said it would be pointless with the weight I was carrying. So I had to look at my options and the pros outweighed the cons for doing WLS. My journey is just beginning, but despite the early bumps I'm thrilled with my progress and never thought I'd feel this good so soon after surgery. While I can't promise you'll have the same luck as me getting the extra weight off is going to be a good thing no matter what. Good luck on your journey!

Officially 30 lbs down since surgery! Weighed in this morning at 288 lbs. On a NSV note I tried on an old pair of size 40 jeans last night and they fit. I can't believe it because I just got back into my size 42 only a few weeks ago. For the longest time I was thinking I'd never get back into any of my old clothes but finally starting to happen.

Congrats! The pre-op diet is a challenge but well worth it. Keep up the good work!

I admit I'm guilty of weighing in probably 6 days out of 7. I've been on a steady decline since surgery on 1/25 and have been so giddy as seeing the weight coming off. I know it's a double edged sword once I hit an inevitable stall, though, but I think I've prepared myself mentally for it so that I don't freak out. At least that's what I tell myself...lol

I was up front and honest with my boss. He knew I was struggling with some other health issues related to me being overweight so it didn't make me hesitant to tell him. I felt it better he know about it so that if there were any complications or adjustments I needed to make at work after surgery he'd be prepared for it.

Everyone is different after surgery. Sometimes the swelling takes longer to go down. I had a lot of difficulty in the beginning but now drink with ease. MyFitnessPal tracks water along with your daily food. I drink a lot of Crystal Light so what I do is fill up a 32 oz Powerade bottle. As long as I get two of those down a day then I know I'm hitting my Fluid goals.

Knowing what I do now I will say that going through WLS is more mental than anything else. Yes, I struggled with the same issues: what if I want to go to Buffalo Wild Wings and pig out every once now and again? What if I do want to go to a AYCE Chinese buffet? What if I want to snack and eat all day on Thanksgiving? Problem is those "few" exceptions will become the norm. You will have to accept and come to terms that there are some things you will not be able to do again. When I quit smoking years ago I couldn't fathom doing some things without the ability to smoke. Going out to eat, to a bar, or just working in my garage seemed like they'd be impossible to do if I couldn't have a cigarette in my hand at the same time. And guess what? Life went on just fine. We need to look at food like any other addiction. If you're struggling with alcoholism you can't try to justify going to a bar only on big sporting events. It's a door you open that leads to more excuses of indulging yourself when you know you shouldn't. I'm as guilty for thinking of ways on "well, how can I get around having a smaller stomach and still do x, y, and z?" Now I realize what a mistake thinking like that was. WLS is a tool - it's not a magical pill. I'm about 4 1/2 weeks post-op now and yes it is still strange to take half an hour to eat half a cup of chicken salad. Each day it becomes more of the norm and I'm simply adjusting for it, but it hasn't been a bad thing. I'm down 30 lbs and feel better in these past few weeks than I have in years. There are going to be things that I miss, but that's what got me overweight in the first place. By all means take your time in making this decision. Things will be different but you have to be honest with yourself in what is best long term. Keep talking with people and don't let those that are unhappy with their decisions to scare you away from doing what you think is best for you.

I do my food journal through MyFitnessPal so I just track my weight in there as well.

I ran a low grade fever for several days once I finally got home from the hospital. The other thing to check is your resting hear rate. I had an elevated heart rate as well during that time (about 110 bpm). Those were the two things we were supposed to call our doc about - if either got over 100. Eventually both came down, but I know the feeling...it's a bit scary so soon after surgery.

Click on the option to the left of the chart for the list view. There it will show all your entered weights. You can edit the weight and/or date individually. For what it's worth I'm still having troubles getting it to display right with my goal weight factored in. I always end up with a strange blip at the end of the chart run.

Ricotta bake! Was my favorite thing during that phase. I ate a lot of cottage cheese so that with some blended fruit was good as well.

Do you ever have actual statistics or numbers to back up all your claims? Yes, there are risks involved. What about all the people that have truly benefited from it? All the people that no longer have to take a medicine cabinet full of medicines? Or is it more important to try and scare other people away because you're unhappy with the decision you made? It's one thing to be realistic with people and point out the very real risk of complications. It's another to not have any numbers to back up your claims and do nothing but try to scare people.

Basically a low carb diet. Your focus is on keeping your Protein intake up but your carbs extremely low.

Sore throat is likely from the breathing tube during surgery. Mine was irritated as well. Keeping tabs on the color of your urine is a good indicator of your hydration levels. I had a lot of back and forth the first few days but as my fluids increased the better it was.

It will be a while before your stomach is "wired" correctly again. Those sensors that used to tell us we were full get all screwed up after surgery. This is why measuring out your portions is so critical. You could be over stuffing your new stomach but your body can't tell you "stop!" at this stage, or it does signal you but it's way too late. While it's true some people can only manage 2-4 oz after a few weeks and others can comfortably do 6 oz you'll have to figure yourself out. Also keep in mind that not all ounces are equal. I find that I can have 5 oz of yogurt and feel like I didn't even eat, but 4 oz of ground beef left me feeling stuffed.

Do you feel full after only 1-2 ounces? That seems like a mighty small portion even at 8 weeks out. I'm 4 weeks and can typically do 4-5 oz without too much trouble. Some foods do sit heavier and can't eat as much, but I'd say 4 oz is typical for me at this point. The worry about constant snacking is that it'll just lead to old bad habits. My doc is the same way in that he wants 3 meals a day and that's it, but at this point I can't get all my Protein in either. I aim for 3-4 meals and have to supplement with a Protein shake. I think it'll get a bit easier when you can eat more. Obviously don't force yourself to eat more and end up feeling sick. You may want to talk with your doc if 2 oz is the most you can manage.

Best thing to do is capitalize on that fear. Stick to the liquids that your doc told you to do and don't deviate. You just have to look at it as the better you do in the next couple of days the better your surgery will go. Sticking to what you're supposed to do on the other side of a surgery is a must. Cheating now has some amount of forgiveness if you haven't completely gone off the rails, but after surgery you can do serious damage if you don't follow instructions. Stay positive but make a promise that there is no more cheating from here on out.

Click on your username in the upper right corner. In the drop down choose "My Surgery." In the next screen there are some options on the left hand side. Choose "Progress." In the following screen you will see the fields to enter your current weight. The options at the top let you see your past weights if you want to see progress. The far right one will put it into a graph format tracking you weight.