LisaCaryl

I love all the pictures. You all look fantastic!! I have been taking pictures monthly, but I can’t share them unfortunately because I wasn’t thinking about sharing them with anyone aside from my sister. I’m doing it in sweatpants and a bra. I’ll have to look back and see if I can find some pictures of myself recently before surgery and take one now.

@RonHall908 You look amazing!!! NickelChip, I had a similar experience about 5 years ago. I got down to 202 pounds and couldn't get under 200. Then, I started to gain weight and, over the next few years, reached my highest weight. I am hoping to push under 200 without a big stall, but if it does happen, I'm going to fight hard to not let it mess with my mind! I find it interesting that so many of us are stalling at the same time. It makes me think this is a normal pattern after surgery. So far, I've been steadily losing weight —even if it's a pound a week. I'm guessing I'm going to be stalling sometime soon, too. This is when we have to look at the NSV's (Non-scale victories)... Ron's pictures for example!! Hang in there everyone!

That sounds like a great trip all around!

I hate that you are feeling down. Stalls are going to happen, and it can feel frustrating. My dietician told me that while the scale might not move, we will notice a difference in how our clothing fits. How often are you weighing yourself? I used to weigh once daily, but I'm trying hard to do it only once a week. I guess that can be good or bad. So far, I'm good with it. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you! Hugs.

Did they give you a prescription for anti-nausea medicine like Zofran? I had to take it for many weeks and just stopped. Also, have you tried broth or other soups? I found that getting away from the sweet shakes and drinks helped a lot. I would call the surgeon's office again and try to speak to someone else. That response wasn't ok! When I was battling nausea, I got dehydrated, and my blood pressure got really low. I had to go to the hospital for IV fluids and vitamins. It's like a vicious cycle with the nausea and dehydration. If your surgeon can't help, maybe contact your general practitioner. Sorry you are going through this!

Beans is brilliant and ginger sounds wonderful! I could probably use that to help with my stomach. Today for lunch I'm having one with banana, blueberries, strawberries, PBFit, and coconut water. Simple and easy to get down.

Have you ever tried putting an egg in your smoothie? The thought of raw egg is gross, so I have never tried it. But the protein factor would be nice. I forgot to say that I put a scoop of Genepro unflavored protein powder in mine too.

We are for sure surgery buddies! I'm down about 30 pounds, but that is starting at my 10-day pre-op diet. Eating is so confusing to me. It's hard to put it into words. I want food, but when I eatI'm usually miserable. For the most part, it's not horrible pain unless I overdo it, but it's just very uncomfortable. That heaviness in my chest and feeling like it all wants to come back up. And I wish I hadn't eaten. Nothing is satisfying like it used to be. Tonight we went out for Chinese food, at my request. I ate maybe an 8th of what was on my plate. Probably less. It was shrimp and veggies... and, of course, way too much rice. I had 2 tastes of rice that had been soaked in the sauce. It was ok, I guess. I had 3 small shrimp and picked at the veggies. I didn't eat so much that I was miserable, just slightly uncomfortable. But I wanted more. I knew I couldn't eat more, so I stopped. I am trying so hard to stick to a schedule of 3 meals and making them primarily healthy. I just feel so blah after eating. Smoothies made with coconut water, 1/2 banana, spinach, blueberries, and some frozen fruits have been my friends the past few days. I don't think the sugar in the fruits is great for us, but it's helping me stay hydrated which I know is super important. As for bread, a friend of mine who had surgery two years ago recommended Dave's Killer Bread, the thin-sliced variety. I really like it and can usually eat one slice. I've put a few different things on it: tuna, smoked salmon, and PBFit peanut butter. You may want to give it a try. The slices are small and taste good. The other night, I had some leftover beans and cooked veggies. I took a taco shell and put them in it along with a bit of low-fat sour cream and taco sauce. I was surprised to be able to eat it all. It was tiny amounts of stuff inside but I even at the taco shell. I absolutely have to ramp up the exercise. After NickelChip mentioned her walking pad, I started to look into them. I'm excited because I ordered one yesterday. I'm hoping to use it while watching tv. I've been doing some "cardio drumming" and it's super fun. It's also super easy so not sure how much exercise I'm getting out of it. I'm rambling, sorry. I'll end now! It's been good hearing how you all are doing and seeing that while different, our paths are also similar! ♥

That's what I was wondering... if it might help my stomach when I'm nauseous.

Has anyone tried to drink soda? I haven't had one since last October and lately have such a craving for it. I'd probably hate it! I'm pretty sure most docs/programs say no soda, but I'm curious.

Sorry the chicken got you! Overall, it sounds like you are doing great! Surgery on the same day, and I'm around 30 pounds lost, too. I don't weigh til Friday, but I'm pretty sure that's where I'm at. You are doing much better than I am with exercise. I need to get a walking pad or something. I live in the country and on a mountainside, so walking outside is hard. I get about 4,000 steps in just taking care of my animals, but for sure need more!

Ugh, that doesn't sound very good. I haven't had anything affect me for over an hour or so. I've eaten too fast and too much and both are so uncomfortable. I mostly get the heavy uncomfortable feeling in my chest. If I eat too much I will burp up food and sometimes have to spit it into a napkin cuz there's no room to swallow it back down. Isn't it crazy how eating has gone from something we loved to do to a chore that is often dreaded? At least for me, it is.

I'm not doing great on protein. I am lucky if I get over 40 grams a day. However, my nausea is subsiding quite a bit so I'm hopeful I'll be able to do better. I do supplement with powder. Last night I has some low fat clam chowder and put a scoop of Genepro Unflavored Protein in it. I don't love the texture that the powder turns some things, but it wasn't noticeable in the soup. I was determined to hit 60 grams yesterday, so late at night, I had a protein bar, and that pushed me over. Some fish seem to be quite high in protein (I don't eat chicken or meat, so I depend on fish). Mahi is pretty high. The thing is, I can only eat about 2 ounces max. I'm hoping that I'll be able to tolerate the shakes again soon. The thought still turns my stomach. I'll be following this closely as it is a struggle. I eat things with protein, but it's never enough.

Thank you!

You are doing great!! Congrats. Question... what is "little walking pad treadmill"?

Congrats!!!

You sound so much like me. I think about certain things and get nauseous! Water is so difficult. I took some Mio to the beach with me this past week and it did help some. I used to LOVE Crystal Light decaf tea and lemonade mixed. I haven't been able to tolerate it since surgery. I did make another 1/2 pitcher this morning and am praying I will like it again. Nearly all liquids make me gag. Oh and don't get me started on pills! Lol. I eat fish, but not chicken or meat. Tuna is good, and I can tolerate small amounts of baked, grilled, or broiled fish for dinner. I also like smoked salmon a lot! I've fallen for Dave's Killer Bread, thin sliced. A friend who had sleeve surgery 2 years ago recommended it. The slices are small, and I can usually finish one slice with some tuna salad or smoked salmon on it. PBFit powder is another thing I like. I never had it until NickelChip talked about it, I can't tell it's not peanut butter for the jar! I don't ever want to get dehydrated again! I didn't mind being in the hospital getting fluids, that was a nice break from life... but the way I felt was just horrible. Dehydrated, nauseous, and low blood pressure. I was a zombie! That alone is forcing me to sip on fluids even when I don't want to.

Welcome out of lurking mode! We are true surgery buddies with the same surgery date! It looks like you are doing great weight-wise. How are you feeling?

I only weigh once a week, and it's been slow going the past few weeks. But as long as I'm losing, I think I'm ok with it. I was told to expect stalls around this time. The hard thing for me is waiting a week to step on the scale. We have been away for 5 days at the beach. That's always been a big eating event for me. This has been quite different. We only ate out 2 times... one breakfast and one dinner. It was uneventful... not the wonderful experience it used to be.

I'm so sorry you are struggling. That doesn't sound fun at all. I, too, am struggling with fluid intake. I'm barely getting 20 oz a day lately and I know I need to do better. Can you do sugar-free popsicles? I guess that would be hard when traveling though. Broth, soup? or does it have to be water?

Hey there! How are you feeling? I feel you with the struggle taking pills. I’m not putting mine in applesauce I’m trying to swallow them, but it can take me an hour to get four or five pills down. I think about them and I start to gag. And it’s really weird to me because I used to be able to just pop a mull in my mouth and take them no problem. We are heading out your way today. My husband and I are heading to Myrtle Beach for a few days. I’ve lived in NC for almost 25 years and I’ve never seen the beaches of North Carolina, only South Carolina. Let’s do keep in touch, please!

I must be on the low end of normal too. I've lost a total of 27 pounds from the start of that pre-op diet... 16 since surgery I believe. My surgery was the day after yours.

Bummer. How are they going to treat this? And, I'm in NC too... Western foothills.

I don't eat meat or chicken, but I do eat fish. Tonight I had 2 ounces of swordfish, 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes with some mozzarella melted on top. I felt horrible after I ate. Maybe I ate too much, but this was full and horrible indigestion. It's the first time I've felt a burning and discomfort like that. I took 1 Rolaids, and within just a few minutes, I felt fine. I'm so glad to know that Rolaids, a simple fix, can help like that. I, too, struggle a lot with not taking that one bite too many. I want to learn when to stop and do it!!!

That book is on Audible, and I just downloaded it! Thank you for mentioning it.