RobertaMSN

Good job sticking to it - it's super important because it helps shrink the liver prior to surgery by forcing it to dump some excess fat stores. This helps the surgeon since especially an enlarged liver gets in the way of the stomach and is denser so not as easily moved to the side. Good luck with your surgery - it's the best thing I've ever done for my health.

My BMI was 34 when I had my gastric sleeve surgery December 2, 2019 - absolutely no complications and I'm thrilled with my progress. Did have a recent 4 week stall but they are to be expected; made some minor adjustments and now I'm back on track with slow, steady weight loss. My health has improved tremendously, and all my blood work is now in the normal range whereas before surgery I was pre-diabetic, labs indicated stage 1 kidney disease, and the beginning stages of fatty liver disease - no more! Good luck!

Yes! These two are especially true for me. I'm retired but when working it was so difficult (okay, impossible) for me to resist all the goodies coworker brought in, and once a month our manager bought a huge sheet cake to celebrate the birthdays that occurred that month. Amazon monthly scheduled auto-delivery of my protein shakes is fabulous - plus they are less expensive than what they charge at my local stores One more: I'm finally finishing some in-home painting projects I'd been putting off. Thanks for the uplifting post - love it!

Definitely walk daily if possible, but here's a link to Dr. Vuong's thoughts on doing more intensive exercise post-weight loss surgery. Hope it helps you make a decision on how to proceed.

Absolutely - only now at three months post-op has much of my normal level of energy returned - my calorie intake now averages 950-1150 per day and am still steadily losing weight. I'm able to work in my garden and take longer walks on the beach. My thoughts are it's a combination of very low calorie intake and recovering from surgery that causes the fatigue. Also make sure you're not anemic. Don't worry, it came back for me and I'd expect you'll be feeling capable of doing a normal level of activities in time. Good luck!

As an RN I can tell you the stresses, terrible working hours and conditions in nursing are why so many nurses are obese or morbidly obese. Top that with common sugar addiction - coworkers bringing in tons of sweets to share with all the nurses and staff to get through the 12+ hour shifts. Having gastric sleeve surgery (at 58) was the absolute best decision of my life and my health has improved tremendously. I wish I'd been able to do it years ago. Going into the nursing profession already at BMI 40 is a time bomb. Please take care of your weight and health now, whatever you decide. In addition, you'll be on your feet for most of those 12+ hours which wrecks havoc with the knee joints if we weigh too much. Knee surgery is no joke. I'm not trying to scare you, just letting you know the reality of the nursing profession. Whichever treatment option you decide on is up to you - just know I'm thrilled with my gastric sleeve It will take lifelong diligence with diet and weight monitoring to keep the weight from coming back but it's been a great tool helping me lose the weight and regaining my life and health. Good luck! One thing I almost forgot to mention: Be aware that post-surgery your calorie intake will be very low but will increase gradually once on solid foods. I had trouble remembering things when on 600-700 calories a day - my brain wasn't getting what it needed to be "up to speed." It's only now that I'm averaging 900-1100 per day that I seem to be back to normal. Prepare for a temporary challenge with studying and test-taking if it affects you the same way. Will you have a summer break? Maybe do it then. Nursing school is intense and challenging, needing all our brain power to succeed.

I've been having one cup of regular coffee a day within a couple weeks of gastric sleeve surgery with no problem. I add some liquid pre-mixed Pure Protein chocolate shake to it and like the taste.

Congrats! Isn't it wonderful to be out of "X - land"? I'm finally there - my XL pants have serious baggy bottom, ha, ha. Time to try a large - love shopping at the Goodwill. And good for you watching out for that stress-eating trigger - best of luck to your son. Due to the dramatic downturn in the market I've had to postpone much needed roof work on my home since I don't want to sell shares now. Luckily my contractor is fine with it - has other work but I imagine their business will be impacted by current events.

Hey! Had my sleeve surgery Dec. 2nd and as of today am past the 1/2-way point in my weight loss journey and am now below 200 lbs for the first time in about 15 years. Am thrilled with my sleeve, so grateful, and will be diligent for the rest of my life to stay healthy and avoid weight regain. Wishing everyone the best in their journey.

Another milestone reached this morning on my weekly weigh-in: I'm now under 200 lbs. for the first time in about 15 years! Thank you to all who've encouraged me here and for the valuable information and support we all give each other. We can do this!

Me, too - I have Amazon deliver my " Purely Inspired Organic Protein" shakes once a month via subscription - way cheaper than the local store prices. I like them - they are plant-based, 120 calories, low carb, and 20 grams of protein. Considering that I use one a day in my morning green smoothie (no fruit) it would get expensive if I had to pay more. I also get "Pure Protein" ones that have 30 grams of protein - like the chocolate flavor and use it in my morning coffee but the local store prices are good so I buy them there. I take the Barimelts vitamins also delivered by Amazon on a schedule. Good luck!

Ah yes, smaller feet! That was unexpected but so true. Depending on the type of shoe I'm down a 1/2 size to 1 1/2 sizes. At my highest weight I was wearing a 10 1/2 (women's) for pumps, but now I'm a size 9. For ankle boots I need a 9 1/2, though. Most of the time I'm in athletic shoes and dressed casually - it was funny the day I was going out dressed up a bit and my dress shoes wouldn't stay on! Had no idea they'd become way too big. Had to stuff some paper in the toes to make the event since there was no time to get new shoes. Part of this may be because I'm much healthier now and am no longer retaining water in my legs and feet. Most of my shoes got donated if they were in good shape. Luckily I was never an Imelda Marcos-type person with hundreds of shoes.

Great advice - spot on.

Today I'm at my half-way point in my post-gastric sleeve weight loss journey! Having the surgery was the absolute best thing I've ever done for myself and my health. We can do this. Unfortunately I didn't take any before pics - was too disheartened by my then appearance but believe me I look a heck of a lot better now. And yep, I've had a couple short stalls along the way including the classic one at three-weeks that lasted a week, so for those hitting those to-be-expected occasional stalls - no worries, just keep plugging away. Good luck everyone!

I had the same pain in that area for maybe three weeks post-op and it finally went away, if that helps.