Creekimp13

My group discourages us from doing any circuit training or weight lifting for six weeks. Things like ellipticals, tread mills, gentle swimming, and bikes, you could probably do around a month out. But the official word at my group is to walk the first six weeks. All the walking you want:) You can start an hour after surgery! Best to ask your doc for your particular clearance. Happy Exercising!

Actually...it's VERY easy for some folks to retain water. Particularly if their salt intake is up a little some days and not others...this can cause pounds of fluctuation. If you're someone who gets edema in your extremities, how much you exercised that day could also contribute to a water gain or loss. Or if you drink coffee or other dietary diuretics. Hormonal water retention is known the world over during and before menses. Water can be tricky. But to answer your question...no, you should not restrict your water intake. Extra water will help flush out extra salt. Hydration is almost always beneficial.

i've switched to Mio, Decaf coffee with caramel premier protein, sugar free hot spiced cider packets, iced tea, and herbal teas.

Lots and lots of people do. My doctor said in a seminar that almost once a week someone bursts into tears at the hospital saying they regret the surgery they just had. He says by six months almost no one has regrets. You've made a big change in your life. One of your coping mechanisms...food...isn't there for you in the same way. Takes a minute to figure out how to cope with that in a healthy way. Stay strong, it gets better.

Having a little pause at three weeks is very common. It's important to follow your nutritionists instructions and eat well. Eating too few calories can actually stop you from losing weight because your body will go into starvation mode and actually conserve every calorie. Listen to your team and follow their instructions for the best results:) Good luck and best wishes.

I get the "Animal Shapes Complete"...which is the store brand knock off of Flintstones Complete. All the same values. If you're using Flintstones...Flintstones Complete is best. I take two a day. I also take 500mcg of B12 B50 Complex D 5000 IU (because i'm deficient) And 600mg Calcium Citrate twice a day

Can only speak for my own experience. My hubby has been awesome. Super supportive, super considerate about not bringing junk into the house. He's a normal weight guy, and he's enjoying my new interest in going for walks and doing more active things together. A lot of my new healthier habits are things he's been pushing for forever...(he hates fast food, loves salads, likes cooking together...he's a fruit and vegetable enthusiast) It's been a lot of fun. He keeps telling me sex is good exercise. LOL. Today, I mentioned in passing that I could eat apples again, but needed to peel them for another two weeks. I was in the bathtub later, and he brought me a bowl of peeled apple slices with a little cinnamon and splenda, and a cup of tea. Incidentally...this guy loved me and told me I was gorgeous at my heaviest. He's a keeper. 25 years this year.

My favorite transition foods were yogurt (whipped greek), cream of wheat thinned with protein drink, oatmeal thinned with protein drink, sugar free pudding, and blended cream based soups. After I tolerated those well and could eat about 3 ounces in one sitting, I started adding soft foods.

Best thing to do is to take your medication question straight to a bariatric surgeon. Email the office so the doc can write a response at his/her convenience. I'm sure they'll answer. Or schedule a consultation appointment. You could also ask a pharmacist. Best wishes and good luck:)

Having a little pause at three weeks is very common. It's important to follow your nutritionists instructions and eat well. Eating too few calories can actually stop you from losing weight because your body will go into starvation mode and actually conserve every calorie. Listen to your team and follow their instructions for the best results:) Good luck and best wishes.

Go to the nearest emergency room.

They tell you pre-op that carbonation is something you should give up forever. It can potentially stretch your new stomach and cause issues. I know some people do return to drinking carbonation, a few report they don't have problems. But nearly all bariatric surgeons will say adamantly that you should not do this. You go through a lot of trouble to have your stomach size reduced...why would you want to expand it? Sad as it might be, you might want to find a replacement for that particular habit. (and I sympathize...I miss carbonation, too...but don't want screw up something I worked so hard to achieve)

They can do a LOT to help. They can investigate what's going on and try to correct it. What you are describing is not normal. Keep communicating with them. Document everything and give them all the information you can. When I go to see my nutritionist, she goes over my food journal with a fine toothed comb and insists that I eat well. She has done this since week two...when she encouraged me to try to reach 1000 calories a day as soon as possible. (which I did at three weeks). I was sleeved 12/5....the day before you were. I am eating 1000-1200 calories a day, walking 7 miles a day, and eating a nearly normal unrestricted diet. I feel normal, healthy and really good. Not saying that to be insensitive...just wanting to illustrate how concerned I am about your situation. I am shocked to see reports like yours...where your nutrition has been allowed to suffer for so long. This absolutely would not stand at the medical group I go to. They would be extremely concerned and doing aggressive diagnostics to address the symptoms. Please document everything. Keep good records. If your office won't help you, take your records to another group and get a second opinion. Am so sorry you're going through this, and hope you feel better soon. Stay strong.

I have a lot of luck eating three meals and three snacks a day. Granted, all of these meals and snacks are only around 150- 200 calories each..but spaced six times a day...it really keeps the hungries away. Try not to lose hope quite so soon. You had less loss than expected...over Thanksgiving and Christmas.....a time when stress and opportunities to overindulge are chronic. Pick up some new recipes, rededicate yourself to your food journal, add a little exercise and try to keep the faith that you're still going to see some benefits of the surgery. There's time. Don't give up.

I think it'll be ok. For me...I know it would have been fine cause I colored my own hair in that time frame. But everyone is different. Might want to let your hairdresser know you might cancel and just wait and see how you feel?

I started feeling really good at about three weeks, when I could get about 1000 calories in. Before that, I felt like I was out of gas. Pooped. At 1000 calories a day, I turned the corner. Feel great, good energy:) It gets better!

I added a bit to above post.

Have you taken your temperature both during an episode and after? I'm a little concerned about fever/chills. Start documenting your temp and heart rate, just to be on the safe side. This information will help your doctor.

If you look at the hard numbers....Gastric sleeve patients lose, on average, about 60-70% of their excess body weight in the first 18 months after surgery. Some lose more, some lose less. At five years, most people maintain the loss of over 56% of their excess weight. Statistically, this is FAR superior to dieting alone. There's no magic bullet. It's all hard work and lifestyle changes. If you're living with a person who is unwilling to embrace those changes...it's going to be more difficult for you to make them. Document everything in your food journal. Be vigilant about your exercise. Seek support. Wishing you the very best.

Belief systems are private things. When you choose to air them publicly, you need to understand that other people have different belief systems and that not everyone will agree with you. I'm sure not expecting everyone to agree with my disbelief. Over 20% of the American population don't follow any particular religion. Over one out of five Americans...are like me. We have a voice, too. Globally...religiously unaffiliated people are the third most popular belief choice. I'm not alone. There are over a billion "religious nones" (nonreligious people) on the planet. I didn't call anyone foolish or crazy. I simply said that religions don't make sense to me. They don't. Incidentally, I fully support loving yourself and others...and expressed this by saying I hope each of us find the happiness we deserve:) And I stand by that. Christians, Muslims, Atheists, the whole bunch of us. I wish us all well on our weight loss journey. Cheers!

I'm actually kind of excited about it. I've never seen my husband in a Tux, and he says he'll wear one:) For our wedding 25 years ago, we were all Bohemian...he wore a billowy white shirt and tall boots, and I wore a crocheted sun dress. So social formal thingies....are not our norm, to say the least! Should be fun. I will post pix:)

I don't believe in gender. People are people. Women are just as nuts/mean/wonderful/loving/brilliant/dumb/contrary/dishonest/stable/amazing.....as men are. It's all individual. If you look for stereotypes, you'll find stereotypes. Look at individuals, and look deeply at yourself as an individual. No one is responsible for our happiness but ourselves. People who can be happy and find meaning and value in their lives...all on their own....are very, very attractive:) Religion feels like a placebo pill to me. It works for some people...I'm not one of 'em. LOL. I think I'm too analytical. I can't figure out why God would want to kill his kid to get over his own issues with our behavior. How did that help, exactly? Particularly when his kid was immortal the whole time and was really just a part of himself....so he was sort of sacrificing himself...to himself...to get over his disappointment in standards people couldn't live up to.....while never really being in danger of not existing. I'm not a theologian...but that doesn't ring of any truth or logic to me. (I find the theologies of all the other major world religions just as baffling and bizarre.) But, hey, if it works for you....that's awesome. To each, their own:) What makes my life kinda work (most of the time...lol).... My nutty, boring, amazing, long-suffering husband...lol, my smartypants kiddo, my extremely foolish dog, my adorable faithful best friend who i've known since I was six, my batschit crazy mom, my coven of cats, a bunch of plants, good neighbors, lots of good books and movies, playing bad guitar, laughing a lot... loud and hard, long discussions with people who love ideas, a cup of ginger lemon tea, wellbutrinXL LOL, talking to strangers in waiting rooms and grocery lines, sculpting, french kisses in darkened doorways, painting, writing annoying posts on message boards, and reclaiming my health for more crazy adventures:) Life is what YOU make it. Pick a good one:) And very best wishes to all on finding the happiness they deserve.

Well done! Congrats!

It's super individual. Some people struggle...others do really well. Can only speak for my own experience.....which was amazing. Sleeve was very easy for me. Hardest part (for me) was the two week presurgical diet, and waiting for food reintroduction. I was hungry. People say this weird thing "it was just head hunger." NO, I WAS HUNGRY. When you starve on very few calories for a couple of weeks, and you feel weak and tired and foggy your hunger isn't in your head....it's whole body real hunger. Maybe the realest hunger I've ever experienced. Wasn't fun. When I woke up from surgery in recovery, I had pretty bad pain in my shoulder and neck. I thought this was gas...but later learned that I'd had a hiatal hernia repaired and the pain was likely deferred pain from the hernia being fixed. As soon as I got to my room, I asked to walk. Had no problem getting up, using the restroom, or walking around. Balance was good, felt steady, and the pain in abdomen was very minimal. They cleared me right away to walk by myself. Spent the rest of the day drinking one ounce of fluid at a time out of little teeny medicine cups. Sucked on the lung clearing device. Took a walk around the ward every hour. Communicated with friends and family that I was alive, had some visitors....felt good. Woke up the next day, took a shower, washed my hair and blew it dry, put on make up and street clothes. Wanted the doctor to kick me out as soon as possible...so I drank my little cups, went for my walks and did everything I was supposed to do. I Got to go home shortly after he saw me. I had no nausea. None. Never vomited, and never thought I might. I was most shocked by this. They gave us really good anti-nausea meds. Took one dose of oral narcotic pain meds the first night I was home...to get a good night's sleep. Never needed them again. Did great on liquid Tylenol. Compared to a lot of other people, I had a very easy time getting fluids down and progressing through food stages. I really haven't had many problems. I have been suprised at how easy things have been and how well I'm adapting to my new lifestyle. As far as the surgery goes...I have had more pain and dysfunction, and longer recovery......from a dental procedure. I hope you draw the easy card. I'm incredibly grateful I did.

Conflicting advice with my group. The PA and nutritionist say absolutely no Ibuprofen. The surgeon, however, said that you can use it rarely (once a month or less)...but you should take an antacid like Tums right before taking it to protect your new sleeve. He also mentioned that ibuprofen risk is greater with RNY. I've had good luck so far with extra strength liquid Tylenol and a hot bath. Ulcers and leaks scare the hell out of me. Erring on the side of caution.