Redo2017

Today marks one month post op for me and I am feeling great! 22.5 pounds down since surgery, 36.9 pounds down since start of pre op diet. I have never regretted the surgery for one second and am looking forward to shedding more of this excess weight! I have a significant decrease in lower back pain, increase in energy, sleeping better, and I feel in control of my eating habits for the first time in a long time. I hope that the rest of you July sleevers are doing well!

As a fellow July 10th sleever, I am in! Sounds like a fun way to stay on track.

Don't let your surgeon shake you up. I had a nurse give me a hard time over not losing weight before my pre-op diet began. It really bothered me, but I just pressed ahead. If your surgeon is hard on you next time it can't hurt to tell him that you it would be helpful for him to give you ideas to get through weight loss stalls rather than berating you.

Cottage cheese is delicious and an amazing source of protein! Some like it sweet, but I like it savory. Try it with salt, pepper, and dill. Or add celery salt. That's my favorite way. Why are you only eating the egg whites? There is healthy fat and protein in the yolk. I also add cheese to my eggs for some added protein. Try getting an unflavored protein powder to add into your foods. I use a brand called Unjury. I threw some of that into all my purees for an added protein boost. Of course, don't take my suggestions if they are not in your program's plan! As for the mental aspect, have you tried thinking about what you're feeling when you're "hungry?" For me, boredom at work can really get me thinking that I need to eat something, even when I have just recently eaten a meal. I usually take a little walk or have some water or crystal lite when I get "hungry" soon after a meal. I find that the sensation always subsides until my body actually needs another meal.

I had a spell of constant hunger around 2 weeks. I upped my protein and focused on getting most of that protein from puréed protein (cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, meats). Once I made that adjustment the hunger subsided. If you are getting most of your protein from shakes it could be that it's passing through your sleeve very quickly and leaving you feeling hungry. If it fits in your plan, try reducing shakes and getting the bulk of your protein from real food. It definitely helped me. Best of luck!

How much protein are you getting in per day? How much water? This may be over-simplified, but what's so bad about feeling hunger? Is it head hunger or actual hunger? Do you have to eat just because you feel hunger?

I had a stall in week three. Gained and lost a handful of ounces over and over for a solid 7 days. I'm in week four now and my weight is moving down again. My stall coincided with starting soft proteins, and I do believe that my body was just adjusting to the change. It is totally normal this early! You will get through it!

Are you still taking pain meds? I was having anxiety in the evenings and during the night when I came home from surgery. I quickly figured out that the Norco I was taking was causing my anxiety. I stopped taking it and the anxiety went away. Just an idea. I hope you are felling better soon!

I was allowed scrambled eggs in the purée stage, which began at 3 days post op. Purees lasted 14 days and I then moved to soft proteins, which included fish.

Pre-op is scary, but in a few days you will feel better. In a few weeks you will feel AMAZING! Focus on the future!

I had VSG July 10th and had a one week stall (actually a small gain of 0.8) this past week. I finally broke the stall yesterday and dropped 3.9 over the past two days! I'm totally thrilled. There is so much excellent advice from experienced sleevers on this site about staying off the scale and expecting stalls, especially in the early weeks. All that good advice really helped me to keep a calm head during my dreaded 3 weeks stall. So, I want to pay it forward and reassure the newly sleeved that stalls are normal and nothing to freak out about! So many of us are emotional eaters and worrying about a stall can really lead to getting off track. Don't let the stall derail you! Stick to your program and you will drop the weight eventually!

I was sleeved July 10. Feeling great, but I'm in the dreaded 3 week stall. I haven't lost an ounce in a week. I'm trying not to let it get me down because a lot of people experience this. *I will not complain. *I will not complain. *I will not complain.

They had me walk swiftly in loops around their office. They would stop me briefly at every lap and take my blood oxygen level and heart rate. I did not have to do a sleep apnea test because I was already diagnosed and being treated. For me, all the surgical clearance appointments were a breeze. Best of luck to you!

To put your mind at ease on the diet aspect (which I completely understand is not your focus at all right now) my program has its patients on purees beginning at day 3 post op (including scrambled eggs and cottage cheese), moves to soft proteins at 2 weeks, and solid protein by 3 weeks. It seems that every program is different and that difference can be the source of much debate. Regardless, I am so sorry to hear of your complications. I hope that you are on the mend and feeling better very soon.

Hahaha! This is a perfect description of the first two days! I felt much better on day three and tremendously better on day four, but YES, those first two days feel like a post alley-way beating for sure!

Wow! Amazing! So inspiring!

Thanks for clarifying. I appreciate the support.

Ok. This debate has now become a criticism of my personal choices. The reason behind this thread was not to inquire as to whether I should tell coworkers about my surgery: I carefully made the decision long ago not to divulge that information, as I made the decision not to tell them about other medical issues that I have. They have absolutely no right to that information. As a matter of fact, the laws in our country are set up to protect individuals from sharing their private medical information with their employers. To suggest that I have "risked my reputation and integrity" by exercising this legally protected right is contrary to the law, ungrounded in fact, and frankly, quite insulting. My initial inquiry sought advice on how to handle questions about my eating habits. I appreciate all of the advice I have gotten on THAT topic, but if disagreements between posters is going to make me a target for personal criticism, I'd prefer not to have the advice that comes along with it.

I agree with the "looking crazy" part, but even more than that everyone would know I deceived them, which just doesn't need to happen. This is especially true because I work for a small company with no guaranteed paid medical or vacation time. My boss gave me paid time off because he is a nice guy. I would look like a total jerk if I suddenly revealed to him that I had a different surgical procedure than I initially described. Truth be told, my colleagues are all really nice people and we are close in a co-worker sense. I think it is just a huge change for them to see me going from devouring everything on my plate to eating tiny portions. I think their inquiries do not come from a bad place, it is just annoying to me! Thanks for chiming in!

Awesome advice all around! Sounds like you are crushing your new lifestyle! Thank you so much for the encouragement.

Thank you for your advice. That is exactly what I've been doing so far. I can't wait for them to get the hint and stop commenting!

I agree with you. I committed long ago to not telling because I do not want my medical and weight issues to be topic of conversation in my place of work. To me, that is inappropriate and intrusive.

I am two weeks post op and just transitioned to "soft proteins." I work in a small office and we always go out to get lunch and eat together as a group at the office. I told everyone that I was out for hiatal hernia repair and have explained to them that I have some diet restrictions as a result. All last week at work I ate my purees/liquids at my desk. This week I decided to join back up with the group and I am getting so many inquiries about my small portion sizes and diet plan. Its getting difficult to keep up the charade. I want to eat with everyone else like normal. I don't want to be rude, but I do want all the questions to stop. Any advice?

Congrats on reaching purees! My puree stage ended yesterday. I ate a lot of cottage cheese and scrambled eggs during purees because my program does not requires those foods to be pureed. I also made chicken salad with chicken that had been through the food processor. That was very tasty and sat well. I start soft solids today. Every food transition makes me a little nervous.

I'm day 8 post-op today and I just started feeling hungry yesterday. I was thinking that maybe I need more protein so I decided to try to eat a little more today. I am on pureed foods and I ate about two thirds of a scrambled egg this morning, a protein shake for lunch, and sugar free jello for a snack. I also added unflavored protein powder to a bottle of water. I'm still feeling a little bit of hunger, but not nearly as much as yesterday.