Tiffykins

You have to walk it off, and it just dissipates out of the body. You don't burp or fart it out. It just moves throughout the body and escapes through natural processes. Some of it escapes when they remove the trochars, and it's not like you wake up with a belly 5 times the size it was when you went in. It's noticeably bloated, but it goes away.

I can answer these questions with my experience. I just passed the 21 months out point. I'll be completely brutally honest with you and anyone that asks me. I have been maintaining my weight loss VERY EFFORTLESSLY at the age of 34 for almost a year. I have a 5lb bounce around on the scale any given week. I can tie it to my indulgences of high sodium foods, and my "girls nights out" with copious amounts of alcohol. I do not ever get in any formal exercise and have NOT for a solid year. I've had spurts here and there of working out at home for a week to 10 days, but nothing consistent at all. I honestly I do eat anything and everything I want. Here's the kicker, I don't want to eat a lot of junk food. Why? Because my body runs best, I feel best physically when I feed my body a nutrient dense, Protein full diet, BUT I eat Cookies, chips, pretzels, rice, bread, Pasta all in moderation. Of course, about 85% of the time, I eat protein first, but sometimes all I want is some veggies. I do not count anything other than protein and calories now. I keep white carbs in moderation to some degree, but if I want mashed potatoes and gravy, guess what 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes and a little gravy didn't make me FAT, 4 cups of mashed potatoes with gravy on top of a 12oz ribeye with mac-n-cheese, 3 dinner rolls, and 3 glasses of sweet ice tea made me fat. Moderation is the key. I will add that I have zero metabolic issues, nor is my body sensitive to carbs. I do not get the "eat a carb, crave a carb" nor am I an emotional eater. Therefore, going into this, I feel I beat the curve quite a bit. I was a volume eater. The sleeve will work just like any other weight loss surgery works. RNY and DS can be considered failures as well. Not one single weight loss surgery is bullet proof. So, a tool working long term is only as successful as the person using the tool. Just like a hammer to a nail. You can choose to keep your eyes open, steady your arm, and aim with precision as you go to drive that nail in with just a couple of dings, or you can wield that hammer blindfolded, with a swagger in your swing, and you'll more than likely miss the nail, hit your finger or dent the wood. Make sense? ? ? I will add that I am eating the same amounts currently that I was eating a year ago, but that quantity is double what I could at 2-3 months. The sleeve matures over time. There is minimal stretching. When I say double amounts, I was able to eat 2oz dense protein at 2-3 months out, today I can get in about 4-5oz of dense protein with a couple bites of veggies. You can cheat any of the surgeries, and the sleeve can be eaten around. I know the tricks, I employ them on occasion. Drinking warm fluids or having a glass of wine with my meal relaxes my stomach, therefore I can fit a bit more in, a bit more = 1-2 ounces of mashed potatoes, or mac-n-cheese on top of my chicken. To this day, I can NOT eat an entire chicken breast without stretching my meal out over 40 minutes. I can barely eat 1.5-2 poached eggs. What I'm saying is that there is a max capacity to the sleeve, but the restriction you have the first 6 months will change, ENJOY that time, maximize your weight loss, and become diligent with changing your lifestyle. Any weight loss surgery success is defined by either compliancy or complacency and with some mechanical failures on the other surgery types you can find that a specific tool "didn't work properly". It's a choice you make. No one else, the surgery doesn't fail UNLESS it's not performed properly because there is nothing mechanical to fail with the sleeve like there is with the band or RNY. The other issues can be metabolic issues, or carb sensitivity, or some people lose differently. Stoma and pouches stretch, malabsorption of calories, fats and carbs stop after the adaptation process occurs in the intestines, and then RNY patients are having to rely on restriction only with a stretchy pouch, a blind stomach left behind making ghrelin at a higher level vs. Sleeve patients. With the band, the list of issues with it are long, detailed, but the reasons the band can and does fail are numerous. Pouch stretching, not being able to get a decent fill, then there's the physical issues with the band itself. I can go on and on. But, I know plenty of VSG'ers that are 2-4 years out (mainly on obesityhelp.com) that share my opinion on weight regain with VSG, their experiences are pretty similar to mine. There are several out there maintaining fairly effortlessly as well, and live a life of moderation. I've seen 20-40lb weight regain on a couple of patients that are 3-4 years out, and every time, they admit, I quit eating the proper foods, life happened and I turned to my old friend for comfort, or they just gave up and expected to eat ding dongs and hos hos without consequence. Most naturally thin women I know don't eat packages of hos hos on a regular basis. Most naturally thin women do watch what they eat, and do not shovel shitpots of craptastic food into their body without consequence. At least none of my naturally thin friends can eat like I did pre-op and not see weight gain. If you have any other specific questions, please feel free to contact me. I'm extremely open and honest.

Thanks so much. My stylist at the time told me to go easy on heat styling products, no coloring or highlighting, and no ponytails. I used Folicure extra care shampoo every other day, and on the opposite days I used Nexxus Dualiste anti-breakage shampoo and conditioner. The Folicure cleans the scalp, and strips your hair of build-up so the new growth can come in. I had new baby hairs coming in before the shedding stopped. I used a wide tooth comb, and a wide tooth pic to comb out my hair even though it didn't stop the shedding, pulling my hair with a brush seemed to cause more shedding with each brushing. I never used anything super special for my hair. The Folicure (they have a conditioner as well) I picked up at Sally's beauty supply, and the Nexxus was available at WalMart.

So, I was trying to let my hair grow out, but I was so tired of it. I wanted a new edgy, fun cut and style to match my personality. Never in a million years could I ever pull this off with my fat pre-op face ! ! !

I wasn't allowed raw fruit, veggies or nuts until I was 3 months out.

The sleeve does NOT fix head hunger, compulsive eating habits. None of the surgeries will. The sleeve does immediate and permanent restriction, but I can eat 6 Cookies in one sitting if I want to do it. I always tell people that if you have compulsive tendencies, or major food demons, do not think surgery will fix it. I had to do the work to change my relationship with food, did the sleeve help? Sure it did to an extent, but to this very day, if I want to I can eat an entire huge slice of red velvet cake, I can do it with zero issue. I can still suck down a 2000 calorie milkshake. I never dealt with compulsive eating issues, nor was an emotional eater so I never really struggled with these specific feelings. I can tell you the people that do have these tendencies typically need behavioral modification counseling along with surgery to be successful long term. Surgery will only work when you head is in the right place. Early out, you'll read on here that restriction is great, and you're so focused on getting in Protein that there isn't room for anything else. BUT, if you're food demons are bigger than your willpower, you will find away to eat around the surgery, and it's not difficult at all. And, as time progresses, and the months pass, you will be able to eat more than what you could at 2-3 months out. It happens to every WLS patient, it's normal. I have a max capacity, but I can turn around and eat 2 hours later. I hope this makes sense. Long term success is going to be a struggle if you do not tackle these issues. Some of my "old" habits have come back and at 21 months out, almost a year in maintenance, I can tell you that the head issues are just as present as they were pre-op. I have to still make the best choice, I still have to stay out of the fridge when I'm bored or I'll gain weight.

I agree with not comparing yourself, but there's a few things you look at and see if you can tweak things to get the scale moving. Are you counting carbs, Protein, and calories? If so, where are your number? If carbs are high, cut them for a week or so, and increase protein. Are you getting in all your clear fluids? If not, push fluids. Are you working out? If so, are taking in enough calories to offset what you are burning? If not, you may need to tweak your calorie intake. What does your fat intake look like? I never had fat guidelines, and I lost the most when I didn't fret over fat intake. I wasn't taking in huge amounts of fats or anything, but I kept carbs super low and that's what kept me losing on a regular pace.

I went through this stage as well. I always thought I was pretty smoking hot even at 270lbs, I'm a little over-confident and not willing to deny that about myself. BUT, I do remember over-analyzing every wrinkle, crinkle, flaw I could find about my face. The one thing I did was learn to apply make-up to my new oval shaped face instead of my previous round, chubby cheeked face. There is a lot of difference in face shape, and how to apply make-up. I was still stuck in my fat face regimen, and once I tweaked what I was doing, I started being less critical, and started loving what I saw in the mirror again. The one thing I can say is that my face has changed dramatically even over the last 6-8 months. I also cut my hair to a short, stacked layered style, and it really helps add a little fullness back to my face. When I had long hair, it elongated my face, and I kind of had that 'horse face' thing going on, and I hated it. I had a girlfriend that does hair/make-up give me some pointers, and maybe you could visit a department store make-up counter like Clinique or Estee Lauder and have them do a consult. They are typically free, and they can help you get a "look' that you want. I have a "day time" look, and a "night time" look.

I promise I wasn't trying to be snarky, but I don't want anyone to jump on me for giving advice. It's that internet forum thing, and it's just a way to protect myself. I hope it works for ya, and you get some relief

The life of moderation I wanted so badly is now mine. I used to beat myself up when I was getting into maintenance, and started adding a lot more yumminess to my daily intake. I can tell you when it clicked for me. It was the day that I watched what all my naturally thin, never had a weight problem, active, loving life, skinny bitch friends were eating. Guess what I found? I was eating just like they were, and I was maintaining and not feeling deprived. Nor was I willing to beat myself up over indulgences here and there. Skinny bitches drink moscato and have a couple chocolate covered strawberries ! ! ! I've always said that mashed potatoes and Cookies didn't make me fat. Eating 3 cups of mashed potatoes and an entire sleeve of chips Ahoy cookies with milk made me fat ! ! ! Grant it, everyone knows I was super strict with my carb intake during my losing stage, and during that time, I listened to my body. I realized what I needed to do in maintenance because of the work I put in during my losing stage. You will get there mentally, it takes time, and you'll lose those last few pounds to get you to goal.

I'll preface this statement with this : I am not a trained, educated medical professional. BUT, I would not go without a PPI especially if you are having acid reflux symptoms. If you choose to take Prilosec, take it on an empty stomach, wait 1 hour before eating, and it can take 4-14 days for it to fully kick in. My surgeon doesn't put his patients on a PPI either as a standard protocol. But, when I started having issues, I demanded it. Barrett's esophagus is NOT worth not taking the PPI, nor is the gnawing hunger pangs that came right after eating. Funny how she chalked up it to going to the next food stage too soon, but that's their program, right? I know that sounds snarky, but I really do hate when office staff does not fully take into account what their patients are experiencing. Just because it's not their standard procedure, it doesn't mean that it might help you by taking something. I can tell you most surgeons don't like online forums. They really want you to be "their" patient, and not seek advice from anyone other than them. I do understand to an extent, honestly, I do. However, I am an individual, and my patient aftercare should be individualized based on my needs/goals. Plus, they don't like being questioned about their "protocol". My theory is "Yes, they are trained, educated, experienced surgeons, but they are not GODS, and it's my body and my future health therefore I need to take the reigns when it comes to my aftercare."

FABULOUS RESULTS ! ! ! You look great, keep rockin' your sleeve.

YAY YAY Patti ! ! ! Make sure to take it on an empty stomach too. Wait an hour before eating really helps it last all day. Coupons.com has coupons occasionally, and since I'm pretty coupon crazy, I actually order coupons from a clipping service in Florida. You can pick and choose which ones you want. Also, Prilosec typically goes on sale every 60-90 days in big retailers such as WalMart and Target, try to keep your eye out on prices and notice when it goes on sale. It'll go down 2-3 bucks and then back up. I've seen coupons for up to $5-$8 bucks off depending on the tablet count. If I run across any, I'll message you ! ! !

I think it depends on where the leak is located. My leak was at the top of my stomach, right in the area where my band was removed. My surgeon had to remove the entire tissue around my stomach where the band was placed, and removed during my revision. He had to literally remove that capsule that surrounds the band, and my stomach was completely in 2 sections. The scar tissue was so severe that the staples couldn't hold it together, and that's where the leak was detected. He had to literally suture my stomach (that ended up in 2 different pieces) back together. That's the only way my leak was repaired. I've seen others have leaks heal with the assistance of stents placed, but their recovery was like yours. Several weeks to months of NPO on a feeding tube or TPN. I will honestly say that all the complications were worth having the life I have today. I would do it all again to live like I am right now. It is/was very draining on me physically and emotionally. I know that it's easy to get depressed, and please know you do not have to endure this alone. I'm here for you, and if you ever need to talk, cry, vent, scream, do not hesitate to contact me.

I personally hated WW meetings. I say this because of a few things. #1 I couldn't stand the whining at the meeting (we all knew why we didn't lose that week) #2 When I was short on my points for the day, the group leader told me to drink a soda or to eat 10 saltine crackers (now that's not mindful eating, or making the best choice) #3 I didn't really think the "plan" was geared toward making the best choice, and they give shitpots of cheat points. If you have a bariatric support group in your area, I would choose that option over WW. Tracking my intake on myftinesspal.com kept me on track for my food, for the mental aspect, honestly I turned to the group of ladies that all joined the site around the same time I did, and had surgery around the same time. They got me through all the complications, and hardships I struggled with the first 3 months of my recovery. We chatted at night, found each other on Facebook, and stayed in touch a lot through our losing stage. To this day, they are still my main source of support. I know I can pick up the phone, text, call or shoot a message to them, and they'd be there for me in a heartbeat. They're not active on the site anymore, but we stay in touch via FB more now.

The Calcium carbonate in Tums can cause you some rebound reflux when it starts to wear off so don't be alarmed if the reflux episode is worse in a couple of hours. For some reason, it seems that Gaviscon helps much more until you can get on a true PPI. I know it's frustrating to have to stay on mushies, but my surgeon shares the same philosophy about getting off shakes ASAP. The only way I could hit protein goals was eat 4 meals a days with each meal consisting of 15gr of protein per meal. That's why I stuck with mushies for so long. I couldn't get in enough meat without having it mushed up or adding some "food lube" to it. But, I never relied on shakes so getting in the protein from food was priority, and if that meant lingering in the mushy/soft foods for 2-3 months, I was willing to do it. If you like seafood, I recommend some soft shrimp, scallops, or tilapia. Scallops are actually my favorite, easy to digest seafood product. I'm not a fan of shrimp, but it chews down to literally mush and has good protein counts. Do you like poached eggs? I found those easier to eat than scrambled. 1 poached egg, with 2 wedges of laughing cow cheese is right at 14gr of protein so I ate that A LOT LOL. Of course, tuna/chicken/egg salad were staples in my diet. I mixed it with nonfat plain greek yogurt and sprinkled the dry ranch or italian dressing in to keep carbs low, and increase protein counts. 3oz of my chicken salad typically gave me about 25gr of protein so it really made it much easier to hit my protein goals. I know you want so badly to be on normal foods, but your body is still going through all kinds of cattywhompus changes. Every week will get better and better, I promise

It sounds like a combination of foods binding together, and the bread with Peanut Butter could be the culprit. Usually esophageal spasms occur if we swallow too fast, or eat something without chewing well enough. However, I will say that restriction, especially this early out, can and does vary from week to week. At 5.5 weeks, I was still on mushies, and barely able to consume 1/2 cup of super mushy food, I can't imagine putting that much food into my body that early out. But, everyone is different, and you know your body best. Remember, your stomach nerves have been severed, and even though you ate all the food the day before, you might not feel residual swelling. It sounds like too that the crystal light might have caused the food to run through faster. All of the symptoms you are describing are pretty classic of putting stuff in there either too fast, or your body didn't accept those foods today. Plus, you're right at the stage when acid seems to become a more noticeable issue. I had the same thing happen with acid around the same time. I went on Prilosec 20mg once daily, and everything was resolved. I would recommend to go back to at least mushies if not full liquids for at least a day, allow your stomach to rest, and your gi tract get back to normal. Yogurts, and mushed bananas will help. Try warm liquids as they seem to soothe as well.

Due to my complications with my revision, I put on over 30lbs of fluids while hospitalized. It took forever to drop that weight, but it did go away. Your body is still in shock from surgery, and recovery.

It's not stupid. I'm 34, and will be having fillers and botox done. I've had 2 consults and Juvederm was mentioned for my laugh lines, and botox for my 11 lines (in between the eyebrows) and deep forehead wrinkles. I'm not sure if I'm willing to have her botox my crow's feet because I don't want "concrete face". As for the turkey neck, I was able to avoid that one. I've been using Garnier gravity defying moisturizer for over a year now, and I see a noticeable difference in my neck when I skip that area. I've also looked into a mini-facelift, but my derm thinks that's a little extreme at this stage. I can say that my face has changed several times even in maintenance. Fat redistributes, skin changes, and then BAM a new wrinkle appears. I'm trying to wait until I'm close to 2 years out before doing anything to my face. Boobs and tummy tuck are on hold as well because once again, my body shape has changed, and skin is rebounding. Have you ever looked into Lifestyle Lift? ?? It's supposed to be less expensive than a full face lift? ? ?

I never really doubted surgery, but the doubts I had were tied to my previous diet attempts and failures. With VSG, I didn't feel like I was dieting at all. It was easy to follow my dietary guideline. The fact that I've lost all my physical hunger is a huge contributor to my success. At 21 months out, I still never experience true physical hunger. Losing was easy, maintenance was tricky. I had to establish a new relationship with food. I have to still make the very best choice on what I put in my mouth. BUT, making that best choice is much easier with VSG. I lost 138lbs with VSG in 10.5 months. The first 115lbs were lost in 6.5 months post-vsg so losing was easy for me. I was diligent with my carb intake, and Protein intake. It's a lifelong change, and honestly, establishing better habits, and seeing food as fuel helped me be successful. I honestly believe that with any of the surgery choices that our amount of success is completely dependent upon on US. No surgery fixes our head hunger or bad habits. Success is a choice, and I chose to make the best choice about 85% of the time. I have been in maintenance for almost a year, and honestly, it's still pretty easy to stay the course. I have indulgences, I eat junk food, but moderation is what keeps me in check. I wanted to be as "normal" as possible, and I firmly believe normal, naturally thin women eat Cookies. Big difference now is I can eat 2-3 cookies instead of the entire package, and I am truly content.

This is very normal part of the losing stage for us girlies. Estrogen is stored in our fat cells. During rapid weight loss, it's released into our bodies thus causing hormone overload. I was in full b*tch on attack mode for a solid 6-8 months. During my ovulation week, I am a raging lunatic with mood swings. I love the world one day, and the next, I'm ready to throat punch most humans that breathe in my direction. It's not pleasant for anyone involved. My husband said "you used to never act like this". Because every month, I go on batsh(t crazy for a couple of days. It's always tied to my PMS/Ovulation/right before my period. You might also start feeling "hungry" or like you could everything in sight. I know all I want to do is chow on carbs. I can say that I now have extremely regular, light periods. Unfortunately, the mood swings and emotions are almost not worth having a super light, regular period. Things will level off once your weight loss kind of stabilizes. When you are losing on a more regular basis, and your body starts adjusting, things do get better. Just warn your family/friends that this is a normal side-effect of rapid weight loss, and apologize profusely for any rants/raves that might occur.

This is my experience, and my experience alone. My program is 2 weeks clears, 2 weeks full liquids, then onto mushies for at least 2 weeks then introduce softer, more solid Proteins. I was able to do 17 days of clears, 1 week of full liquids, and then I stayed on mushies for nearly 3 months before progressing to solid foods. I would eat a few meals of solid food like fajita steak, chicken breasts, and other dense meats. But, I stayed on mushies because it was easier to stay on mushies/puree food to meet Protein and calorie intake goals without using protein shakes/drinks. I have never felt hungry once I went on Prilosec 20mg once daily. Acid overproduction can cause false hunger. I experienced it around 5-6 weeks out, went on Prilosec and have never felt hunger again. I stuck with a very mundane menu through my losing stage. Tons of meat, cheese and greek yogurt. I restricted carbs to no more than 30gr per day. It's what I knew would work for my weight loss goals. I ate tons of deli meat with cream cheese rolled up, chunk cheese, chicken/tuna/egg salad. I'm one of the few that has a hard time with scrambled eggs so I never ate those, but poached eggs worked wonderfully. I would eat green veggies that scored less than 50 points on the glycemic index. Green Beans were the staple green in my diet. The drinking and eating thing is true except for my program we can drink right up until we take that first bite. Liquids go in, liquids go out. Liquids especially clear liquids hit the pyloric valve and empty into the intestines. We do not have a pouch like RNY or band patients so liquids do not have to seep out of the stomach. Early out swelling will make drinking more difficult for some. I had to sip, sip, sip early out, but now drinking is just like it was pre-op. I have been drinking soda for over a year with absolutely zero change in my sleeve capacity. Early out carbonation is uncomfortable to drink, but now I have zero issue drinking soda. I'm also in maintenance so it's a little different for me. I eat 2-3 times more than I could at 2 months out and YES that is perfectly normal and most sleeve patients experience this as our stomachs mature, but I still amazing restriction. I do honestly eat anything and everything I want/need. I do not deprive myself of any type of food. But, I am not sucking down 3000 calorie milkshakes. I have indulgences here and there, and I do follow the "protein first" rule about 85% of the time. I have been in maintenance for almost a year, and have a 5lb bounce around on the scale any week. Maintenance is the tough part. Losing wasn't tough for me. I lost fast and hard, got to goal in 6.5 months, and then continued to lose about 20-25lbs more pounds over 4 months which got me to my current weight of 125-130lbs. Best wishes on your surgery, you're gonna love the sleeve ! ! !

I had a leak with my revision. However, my leak was repaired immediately, and I was NPO with a TPN bag and pic line for nutrients/calories for a little over 2 weeks. I went NPO around 20 something days, and was able to start clears and proceed with the diet. It is very draining, physically and mentally, with complications. I was hospitalized again around 5-6 weeks post-revision due to abscesses in my abdomen and pelvic cavity. I had drains placed again, but recovered. I know it's very depressing and exhausting. Please hang in there, and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I struggled with this very thing for several months after I went below goal, and to an extent, I still look at myself even in a size 2 and hate what I see. I really don't think I will ever be 100% content with my body. I do plan on plastic surgery, but that will not fix my head. I know that having full, round breasts again will make me feel feminine, but it's not going to completely fix the way I view myself. I've been below goal for a year now. My body is still changing on a monthly basis even though my weight is the same. I'm not sure if I'll ever like what I see when I'm naked. I do know I look amazing in clothes, but that doesn't help much when I get out of the shower and am reminded that my body is a weird shape now, my breasts are just skin bags, and my inner thighs are super wrinkly and flabby. I still wouldn't go back to weighing 270lbs for anything, and I'm working on accepting that the body I have is a grim reminder of all the punishment I put it through for so many years of being morbidly obese.

I am so sorry to hear of this news. I know how frustrating and upsetting a MC can be. Best wishes on future pregnancies ! ! !