Berry78

Aww shucks! Thank YOU!

I know you haven't made this decision lightly, and it does sound like it's the appropriate course of action. Do tell your doctors about it, because it will explain any HCG, and in case you need any extra medical attention. Don't be surprised if there might be a delay for your surgery, though. The docs may want another month or so in between. [Hugs] Good luck.

Rainbow, what a sad and yet, uplifting, tale. My condolences for your loss. Helping family is a wonderful reason to take control of your health!

A shopping list helps, and going to the same store, so you memorize where everything is. I had the same overwhelm too.. but the more I went back (for brief trips), the easier it became. Make sure you eat before going, so legitimate hunger doesn't make it worse. It gets better, I promise! I now enjoy going and looking for "hidden" healthy foods.

I'm only 7 months postop, but my relationship has gotten slightly better. We didn't have a bad relationship before, just very stuck in a rut... a lot of apathy. It's not all rainbows, but things are shifting a bit in the right direction. A lot of people get the surgery when they already are in a bad relationship. ("It'll be better if only I were thin").. those are the ones that tend to fall apart first. Because even though we're smaller, we're still the same people. Solid, good, relationships tend to stay that way, from how it seems.

We are all so different! Milk felt so thick around 8 days postop, could barely drink any.. it just filled me up and kept me full.

A couple little walks a day are just fine. In another month you can worry about starting to build up (if you are ready at that point).

For this one, I recommend going someplace outside of your normal routine. Maybe to the next town.. go to a mall or movie, where you can do something while carrying a bottle of water or snack. If you are too weak from not eating/drinking, then you need to suck it up and swallow something. Call your doc if it's past the point of no return. You can get an IV, and maybe something for your nerves.

You could try cutting it up and eating less at a time. Otherwise, you may need to switch types.

Liquid is more important than protein this first week. If protein keeps you from drinking fluid, then minimize the protein. Watering down protein might make it go down easier too. Carry a cup or bottle with you constantly. Take a sip every 5 minutes. Try different temps and flavors. If you drink less than 40oz a day, contact your team. You may be getting dehydrated. Congrats, and good luck!

Try and drag yourself out for a little walk. It may actually give you a boost. If not, well, at least you tried. Don't worry about the low calories too much quite yet. Protein and fluid goals are key. Hopefully you won't be on 1000 calories forever (a few people need to be, so it depends on your metabolism). I was really breathless for walks for about the first month. At 3 months I finally felt back to normal. Hopefully something will give you some oomph.

Around here we don't usually recommend changing it up very soon postop.. because if you are following the plan, you don't HAVE to change anything. To keep looking for ways to break a stall is pretty much saying "I'm doing something wrong, so I have to fix it"... which is usually NOT the case! Self esteem issues are rampant, so the idea that you can screw up the postop diet (that you ARE following).. does way more harm than good. Of course if someone stalls out for an excessive time, then it's time to reevaluate. Maybe they aren't following the diet as well as they thought, or it may need a tweak for them individually. But, the vast majority of stalls break in 3-4 weeks on their own.

November 7th is my Birthday! You couldn't have a more auspicious day... I'm 5'7, female, and started at 305lbs before my preop diet. I was 289 in the before pic.

Ok, here is another way of looking at it for yourselves. First, figure out your personal mercury maximum based on your ideal weight. 100lbs = 5mcg/day, 35mcg/week 125lbs = 6mcg 150lbs = 7mcg 175lbs = 8mcg 200lbs = 9mcg Ok, now, you'll use the ppm (or mg/kg.. they are equivalent) in the chart. Figure up how many grams of fish you want to consume per day or week (28.4g =1oz) Multiply ppm * [grams of fish] = mcg of mercury consumed. Here is the fish chart: https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm115644.htm Here is an example: So, my ideal weight is 150lbs. I don't want to consume over 49mcg of mercury a week. I want to eat fish 3 times a week, 4oz each time. That is 12oz (341g). I want to eat canned chunk light tuna, which has an average of 0.126ppm. 0.126(341) = 43mcg 43 is less than 49, but not by much. Keep in mind, we get mercury from other places, not just fish, so we don't want to get too close to our maximums. And, if the reason I want to eat fish is DHA, and there isn't any in the canned tuna, then maybe I want to switch to frozen skipjack. It has only a little more mercury (0.15ppm)... but that small difference puts me over my 49mcg limit. (It gives 51mcg). Crazy stuff....

For those that eat 12oz a week or less, they can eat all the fish in Rainbow's list, and can add: Cod Flounder Herring Pacific Mackerel Atlantic mussels Oysters Ocean Perch Pacific pollock Atlantic salmon Pacific yellowfin tuna For regular fish eaters (12oz/week), we should NEVER eat fish that have a level higher than 0.13mg/kg mercury. 8oz/week open up a few more (.20mg/kg): Pacific crab Pacific lobster Pacific albacore tuna You hear "limit consumption" so you think if you eat shark once a month it's fine. Right? Actually, it's only fine if that were your only fish consumption at all. If you also eat salmon or shrimp or anything else, you've gone over the safe level.

Ok, so with your high level of consumption, I looked at the mercury level chart as it would pertain to you. I don't know where your fish come from (which is really important), but if they come from the Atlantic and/or Pacific then the following are the only types you should ever eat: Pacific anchovies Atlantic herring Pacific mussels Atlantic pollock Pacific canned or fresh salmon Scallops Shrimp There may be safe fish that aren't on my list, they would have to be looked up individually. They should have .04mg/kg mercury or less. If you eat local fish or types other than what are on this list, I highly recommend you get tested for your mercury level. Ask your doc.

I have the sleeve. Got it done in Mexico with Dr. Illan.

The scale can sometimes be stubborn during our journey. It's important to have other metrics of success. Changing clothing sizes is always fun, but when we're in the bigger sizes we can lose several inches before having to buy new ones. The tape measure is a great tool to add to your arsenal. Try not to measure too often. Once a week to once a month may be enough. It's good to measure in several spots. Chest, waist, hip, maybe arms or legs. Women should measure their chest while wearing a bra. The waist measurement needs special care. Don't measure at the belly button necessarily. As things deflate, they tend to head south, and the measurement won't seem to change... but its because you're measuring some vertical distance too. Learned that one the hard way on my hubby and myself. Find the area in your side where your ribs and hipbone almost touch. That is your natural waist, and measure there, in a mirror, keeping the tape horizontal. You'll likely be above your belly button. (For me, it's almost 6 inches above!). The hip measurement is also going to change the area of your bottom that you measure. I originally measured at the middle of the cheek, now I'm at the top.

Oh, yes! No illusion! Be sure to use the tape measure every now and then for another way to check progress. Sometimes when we're in bigger clothing sizes we can lose several inches before having to buy new ones. Another thing.. don't always measure only at the belly button. As things deflate, they tend to head south, and the measurement won't seem to change... but its because you're measuring some vertical distance too. Learned that one the hard way on my hubby and myself. Find the area in your side where your ribs and hipbone almost touch. That is your natural waist, and measure there, in a mirror, keeping the tape horizontal. You'll likely be above your belly button. (For me, it's almost 6 inches above!). You know, I'm gonna put this info in a new post since not everyone looks at stall posts...

Oh, man! Huge congratulations, and what an inspiration!

Full. Time. Job

They should also look at your gallbladder while they're at it. Good luck!

Aww, this is the worst of it. Keep on walking and using your breathing exerciser (if you have one). Congrats on being on the other side!

At this point, I think the OP's picture has the right expression.

Halloween permits candy on my personal "plan".. not my doc's recommendation.. I'm 7 months out so can try what I want. I haven't had candy since surgery, so had no idea what would work. (I did have fudge, but it wasnt good). Tried a small bite of twizzler, and baby tummy hated it! Tried a small bite of York peppermint patty.. that was a mistake... horrible horrible mint..kinda burned! Those were my favorites preop, too! 3rd times the charm. Tried a Payday, and it was super good (better than preop). Ate the whole thing.. it was one of those little 3 inch long ones... snack size or something. No more candy until Easter!