Squidgy101

VSG was on 9/21/21. I'm right there with all of you, in that the loss has slowed down just a bit. But, I completely agree with @LizzieD, sticking to the basics and really focusing on incremental improvements has kept me on track. I'm really pleased with where I am, though I still have probably 40lbs to go before I'd be really content. Every day I just remind myself that I can only take it one day at a time!

Hey. I had my surgery in Sept too. My weight loss has slowed quite a bit and at one point it stalled. What I found is that even though I didn't think I was, I was eating more than I had been and drinking more. My body had finally gotten used to the new stomach and I think adjusted itself. So I went back to the basics.... Making sure I had the correct portion sizes, weighing my food/snacks, drinking zero calorie drinks, I also added in weight lifting. Everytime I hit what I think is going to turn into a stall I retrace my steps and also add just a little (and I mean a little) more activity/exercise into my routine. I also make sure that if I'm only going to eat a little it's Protein. Also, I remind myself that I'm trying to maintain my muscle and build more while losing fat so if I've lost a lot of fat since surgery it makes sense that the further out I go, the less there is to loose and the longer maybe harder it will take. You will get out of your stalls I promise!

I've lost 35 lbs since surgery and almost 85 lbs overall. I can walk faster and fit in an airplane seat better, but I don't feel "good." I don't have more energy and I'm hungry all the time and I'm uncomfortable every time I eat. I'm always afraid I'm going to throw up because I'm nauseous a lot. I always had plenty of energy, but now I'm weak and dizzy all the time. I can't even lift a suitcase into the overhead.
I'm sort of wishing I hadn't had this surgery. Maybe because I had such high expectations?

Been busy with work and baking. 😁
Magic cookie bars, copycat lofthouse Cookies, salted caramel fudge, chocolate covered chocolate chip cookie bars, cinnamon applesauce bread, cheddar bay bread, and not pictured are some Keto cheddar crackers and sugar free almond crescent cookies for a coworker.
Also my meals from yesterday- broccoli cheese Soup and turkey, hard boiled egg, and some green Beans were the stars next to my green smoothie.

Alright I gave in and made pumpkin pies (I do not really like pumpkin pie but I was outvoted).
The crust is homemade (oil crust) and the filling is 100% canned pumpkin puree (not squash) with various fall spices.
Also all baked goods I make I have no idea of the cals/macros… but this was made with real sugar because it’s not for me (I made myself a tiny pie)
   

Oh my goodness - I am so craving this right now! Start soft foods next week - wed - can’t wait. Might be a bit longer before I can this though.

Ps absolutely loving this thread - thank you!

Starting soft foods next week - wed, looking forward to it! Thinking weetabix & milk for Breakfast, maybe a mashed banana, Soup, mashed tuna or salmon & avocado or potato for lunch/dinner. Surgery on 15th, definitely gets easier as days go by, the first week is pretty crappy so glad that’s behind me. Onwards and upwards - good luck everyone!

Shortness of breath from just turning yourself over in bed
Arms that are too short to clean yourself properly
Clothing sizes that begin with X
Shame when you hear the whispers and giggles behind your back
The appetite of three people

Due to go in and get sleeved at 9 am, waiting in my theatre gown, sexy stockings and hospital pants. A bundle of nerves but excited about the future. We can do this💪💪

Thank you so much for sharing this. I go in tomorrow at 6.55 am. Am all over the place too, just hoping I manage to get some sleep tonight. Congratulations. Hope it continues to g well x

Ha ha ha! Actually, just be yourself. Most men have dad bellies and man boobs. If you are yourself he will feel better about being himself. If he’s not nice, kick him to the curb, or better yet make him dress up in the outfit above.

I'm with @PolkSDA on this one (Full disclosure: I used to be Team Ultra-Low Carb during weight loss phase and some months afterwards, but had changed my tune since.)
OP, I eat "unhealthy" stuff on the regular. Mostly in the from of dessert-y stuff, and fried stuff. I still limit my carb-y bread/rice/pasta intake, but eat some once in a while ,esp if it's homemade. I also drink (alcohol) regularly.
I'm sure many of the members on here would tsk-tsk or clutch their pearls at the range of foods I eat. But I get it...my eating habits, while they work for me and my lifestyle, would be an utter crash and burn for others. I know my limits and boundaries and they know theirs. We all succeed and fail under different circumstances. The secret is to figure out what special set of circumstances will work for YOU.
I track everything I eat (garbage and all), and make decisions on what I am willing to eat based on what MFP says, as well as what my scale says in the morning. This protocol has been serving me well for 2 years.
I am only almost 3 years post op, so am really still just "at the beginning of the rest of my life", so who knows if what I'm doing will sustain me. But its working so far.
P.S. I am 5'2" female, 115 lbs and have been maintaining this weight (+/- 5 lbs) for 2 years.
Good Luck! ❤️

I was sleeved 9/13/21 and am about 24hours out. All in all, I have no regrets so far. I was a mess going into surgery, couldn’t stop crying and asking my husband if I was making a mistake, but I’m so relieved I did it. I feel like this is the first day of the rest of my life! A few things that I think might help those of you about to go in…

1. When I woke up, pain was about a 7/10, they gave me some meds and I felt much better. Ladies, if you’ve experienced contractions this is a walk in the park.

2. Deep breaths are uncomfortable (doc tells me this is totally normal). They have me blowing into one of those funny tubes to make me fully inflate my lungs to avoid “gunk” as they called it.

3. Minimal nausea (they give you meds that help) and no vomiting.

4. The pain today is about 4 or 5 out of 10. This is not surgical pain from the sleeve, it’s pain from the air they use to inflate your abdomen while they operate. They tell be it’ll subside in the next day or so.

5. They’re having me take 60ml of water/hr (no more) until I get to 500ml which they think will be around 3PM at which point they’ll discharge me. All I’ve tried is room temperature so far but am having no issues.

If you made it this far, I hope this was helpful. I’m so thankful to have everyone here that’s always been willing to support and answer questions I have, my goal is to return the favor. Good luck everyone!!

Anyone having their surgery in September? I got my date today 4th September - can’t wait!

Any prep tips? Think the pre op diet is 2 weeks before - just after my 40th birthday. Phew. 😊

FutureSylph, I'm so sorry. I hope they can reschedule you somewhere else. That's what my surgeon did when the hospital I was initially going to had to cancel all non-emergency electives. Crossing my fingers for you.
I'm on the 22nd. Ten days away. Starting to feel the anxiety knocking, so I'm distracting myself. It's not the surgery itself, I've had two surgeries so far in my life, so I'm not a "nervous flyer". Until now, my WLS has been a bit abstract, and as I head into the final week of pre-op, it's getting super real. Never done anything so life-altering as this, so I've got that "holy crap I'm really doing this" feeling, like I'm getting strapped into the roller-coaster and only just noticed how high it is.

Goodluck on Monday!! How are you feeling? I haven’t lost much on pre op diet either but have a few more days to see if there is a change. Got my out of office ready today excitement and fear starting to kick in. Bricking Wed. All the best x

Goodluck on Monday!! How are you feeling? I haven’t lost much on pre op diet either but have a few more days to see if there is a change. Got my out of office ready today excitement and fear starting to kick in. Bricking Wed. All the best x

Goodluck on Monday!! How are you feeling? I haven’t lost much on pre op diet either but have a few more days to see if there is a change. Got my out of office ready today excitement and fear starting to kick in. Bricking Wed. All the best x

I am really struggling with the liquid diet, scared I won’t have shrunk my liver enough. Surgery week tomorrow😫

Thank you. I know what you mean though, it’s a constant conversation I am having with self, what if I fail here too, this last resort station I need to not fudge this up. It’s just so blooming hard when everyone around me is eating - I am not even hungry just a ‘want/need’ to eat. Maybe it’s head hunger I don’t know. But yes, if I am struggling with 2 weeks of milk and yoghurt, how the fudge will I cope after surgery. Need to find me a hubby - won’t be able to eat (at least not much, won’t be able to smoke( not that I do now) or drink by the sounds of it… all will be well!! Good luck with your 2 weeks abs look forward to hearing how you got on x

Thank you. I know what you mean though, it’s a constant conversation I am having with self, what if I fail here too, this last resort station I need to not fudge this up. It’s just so blooming hard when everyone around me is eating - I am not even hungry just a ‘want/need’ to eat. Maybe it’s head hunger I don’t know. But yes, if I am struggling with 2 weeks of milk and yoghurt, how the fudge will I cope after surgery. Need to find me a hubby - won’t be able to eat (at least not much, won’t be able to smoke( not that I do now) or drink by the sounds of it… all will be well!! Good luck with your 2 weeks abs look forward to hearing how you got on x

I was nauseous and exhausted last week after starting my preop diet (low carb, low fat, high protein). I felt better by Friday, then over the weekend I wasn't exactly perfect because I was with friends over the weekend and we ate out a few times so I'm not exactly sure how much oil my vegetables or meat was cooked in. I cooked most of the meals and know what was in them, but twice we went out and I know it had more oil than I use at home.
Now I'm back to being nauseous and exhausted. I'm worried because my friends always get together at restaurants, rarely at people's houses. Most of them don't cook at all, and my apartment is too small to have people over now that I had to turn my dining room into a home office. Plus, I travel for work a lot, so I feel like I'm going to have to navigate restaurants all. the. time.

I just started my 14 day liquid diet today, surgery on 9/21. I'm not so much worried about liver size; as long as you are in ketosis and at a calorie deficit, your liver will shrink, which is why the pre-op diet varies so wildly from surgeon to surgeon. But I am worried about the mental piece of it. I feel like if I can't "hack it" without cheating, then I'll fail at surgery, too. What if its too hard? What if this is just like every ding dang time before? I'm having to literally take it minute by minute and remind myself that this is a long haul change, that surgery is a tool, and that the pre-op diet is just a step along the way. Good luck on your surgery! I'm sure you're going to do great! WE CAN DO THIS!

Tell your brother, "True, I've eaten too much in the past -- but at least I haven't put my foot in my mouth today."

Just look at how many people on this forum think they should of come out of surgery skinny! You see posts all the time...I only lost xxx number of pounds since surgery, I thought it would come off faster! I didn't tell anyone until after I had surgery because I didn't want to hear their opinions and frankly, I think I had that fear of once again being a weightless "failure."