Beadingnurse

Christina, I struggle to get my 800 calories in each day and I am just under one month out. I have not been dizzy or lightheaded at all and I know what you mean because before surgery I would get shaky with hunger and I just don't have that now. I don't know WHY but it just doesn't seem to be problem. I had a fairly low BMI too and chose this surgery and don't regret it for a second! Tell folks to mind their own business...it is your decision!

Good for you! I pop onto the scale every day and I am trying to break the habit and weigh only once a week. I can't imagine just weighing at your doctor's office but I see the attraction to it. It definitely takes the pressure off those darn numbers!

Meg...I did the same thing! I went to Target and bought a couple packages of disposable toddler spoons and forks and have one package at work and one at home. They are very durable. I swore that I would not use baby spoons but now I realize that I need all the help that I can get!! The tattoo is next....

I am SO impressed that you can organize your brain enough to post so quickly after surgery!! Good for you and congratulations on having that behind you. The best is yet to come as you watch the weight drop off!!

I am glad to see this post because I have been obsessing about the scale recently and have been telling myself that I was NOT going to weigh myself everyday (for all the reasons noted above!) but still I pop onto that scale each morning. This morning I was depressed because it had "only" gone down by .4. I KNOW I would be better off to weigh weekly and I like the idea of a Friday weigh in. I think I will try weighing on Friday and then not weighing until the following Friday! It is also hard to not get obsessed about clothing sizes. I was thrilled this weekend to buy (and wear) some size 14 slacks and a skirt but I also bought a size 12 pair of jeans! They are tight as all get out but I can zip them and I estimate that I am about 5-7 lbs from having them look good and not like they were painted on. LilMissDiva...you probably have a LOT of muscle (which weighs more) because your pictures look like you weigh a lot less that you do!

My doc said two weeks but I drove about 5 days in without a problem but I only went a few miles. I can see how I might have gotten fatigued if I tried to drive several hours.

Congratulations to both you and your Mum! What an great support system you will offer each other! Good luck with your surgery and please post and let us know how you are when you feel up to it!

I posted this information on another thread but copied it over here with a title that will make it easier for folks to find. I looked up this article in Consumer Reports because someone posted that they did an article on Protein drinks. The article on Protein Drinks (July 2010) is scary. I didn't type the whole article here but I tried capture the main issues. My comments are in blue...the rest are direct quotes from the article. "Some protein drinks can even pose health risks, include exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals, if consumed frequently. All drinks in our tests had at least one sample containing one or more of the following contaminants: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Those metals can have toxic effects on several organs of the body. For most of the drinks we tested, levels of those contaminants were in the low to moderate range, when we could detect them at all. But with three of the products, consumers who have three servings daily could be exposed to levels that exceed the maximum limits for one or two of these contaminants in dietary supplements proposed by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the federally recognized authority that sets voluntary standards for health products..." "The amount of lead in a single daily serving of eight of the protein supplements we tested would require that the products carry a warning in California. State legislation known as Proposition 65 mandates that manufacturers notify consumers when products contain toxic substances at levels the state say pose even a low cancer or reproductive risk." "But federal regulations do not generally require that protein drinks and other dietary supplements be test before they are sold to ensure that they are safe, effective, and free of contaminants, as the rules require of prescription drugs" A lot more was written about regulations or lack thereof that I will skip over to get to the results. " We purchased 15 protein powders and drinks mainly in New York metro area or online and tested multiple samples of each for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. The results show considerable range, but levels in three products were of particular concern because consuming three servings a day could result in daily exposure to arsenic, cadmium or lead exceeding the limits proposed by the USP" "We found that three daily servings of the ready to drink liquid EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark chocolate shake provides an average of 16.9 micrograms (mcg) of arsenic, exceeding the proposed USP limit of 15 mcg per day, and an average of 5.1 mcg of cadmium, which is just above the USP limit of 5 mcg per day. Concentrations in most products were relatively low, but when taking into account the large serving size suggested, the number of mcgs per day for a few of the products we tested was high compared with most others tested." "The samples of Muscle Milk Chocolate powder we tested contained all four heavy metals, and levels of three metals in the product were among the highest of all in our tests. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 mcg in three daily servings slightly exceeded the USP limit of 5 mcg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 mcg also topped the USP limit of 10 mcg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 mcg was approaching the USP limit of 15 mcg per day, and the average for mercury was 0.7 mcg, well below the USP's 15 mcg per day limit. Three daily servings of Muscle Milk vanilla Creme contained 12.2 mcg of lead, exceeding lead limits, and 11.2 mcg of arsenic. A fourth product, Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate (liquid), provided an average of 14.3 mcg of arsenic per day from three servings." "Cadmium raises special concern because it accumulates in and can damage the kidneys, the same organs that can be damaged by excess protein consumption. And it can take 20 years for the body to eliminate even half the cadmium absorbed today. The products they tested are in a chart which I will try to reproduce. Here are the maximum daily levels of the heavy metals for reference: arsenic 15 mcg; cadmium 5 mcg; lead 10 mcg; mercury 15 mcg; The values after the name of the product are the amounts in micrograms of the heavy metals listed in the order at the top. PM me if this doesn't make sense. Product Name (heavy metal values) Arsenic Cadmium Lead Mercury BSN Core Series Lean Dessert Protein 3.3 3.7 2.5 0.3 Shake Chocolate Fudge pudding BSN Core Series Syntha-6 Ultra 4.2 2.6 5.4 1.1 Chocolate Milkshake Designer whey 100% Whey Protein Chocolate 3.9 1.6 2.4 0.9 EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate shake 16.9 5.1 - - GNC Lean Shake Protein 7.0 3.9 4.9 - GNC Pro Performance AMP Amplified 5.4 2.5 2.5 - Wheybolic Extreme 60 Chocolate Jillian Michaels Natural Whey Protein Vanilla 1.9 - 1.2 - Cream Shake Muscle Milk Chocolate 12.2 5.6 13.5 0.7 Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate 14.3 - 6.8 - Muscle Milk Vanilla Creme 11.2 2.0 12.2 - MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro-Series 1.2 - 0.4 0.9 Vanilla Milkshake Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% 2.5 1.7 1.0 0.2 Whey Extreme Milk Chocolate Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey 1.5 - - - Velocity Vanilla Six Star Muscle Professional Strength 2.3 - - - Whey Protein French Vanilla Cream Solgar Whey to Go Whey Protein Powder 0.6 - - - Natural Vanilla Bean Hope you can interpret the chart as I have typed it. It is worrisome to read about all of these heavy metals in our protein drinks and I wonder about all of the ones that they did not test. I haven't tried any of the products on this list but I'd love to know what is in mine. It is probably worth your time to get a copy of this from your local library if you don't subscribe.

Clarabelle...I will send some good vibes and healing thoughts your way the first thing in the morning. Congratulations! Your day is almost here....be sure and post and let us know how you are in a few days when you feel up to it.

OMG Gabriella...I am SO sorry to hear of your horrifying experience! I know there have been others who have posted about complications so hopefully some folks will jump in and share their experiences with you. I will keep you in my thoughts and send healing vibes your way. I'd like to rant about the doctor who told you what you were feeling was "normal" but I won't go down that path! Take care of yourself!

The Consumer Reports article on Protein drinks (July 2010) is scary. I won't type the whole article here but I will try to capture the main issues. My comments are in blue...the rest are direct quotes from the article. "Some Protein Drinks can even pose health risks, include exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals, if consumed frequently. All drinks in our tests had at least one sample containing one or more of the following contaminants: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Those metals can have toxic effects on several organs of the body. For most of the drinks we tested, levels of those contaminants were in the low to moderate range, when we could detect them at all. But with three of the products, consumers who have three servings daily could be exposed to levels that exceed the maximum limits for one or two of these contaminants in dietary supplements proposed by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the federally recognized authority that sets voluntary standards for health products..." "The amount of lead in a single daily serving of eight of the protein supplements we tested would require that the products carry a warning in California. State legislation known as Proposition 65 mandates that manufacturers notify consumers when products contain toxic substances at levels the state say pose even a low cancer or reproductive risk." "But federal regulations do not generally require that protein drinks and other dietary supplements be test before they are sold to ensure that they are safe, effective, and free of contaminants, as the rules require of prescription drugs" A lot more was written about regulations or lack thereof that I will skip over to get to the results. " We purchased 15 protein powders and drinks mainly in New York metro area or online and tested multiple samples of each for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. The results show considerable range, but levels in three products were of particular concern because consuming three servings a day could result in daily exposure to arsenic, cadmium or lead exceeding the limits proposed by the USP" "We found that three daily servings of the ready to drink liquid EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark chocolate shake provides an average of 16.9 micrograms (mcg) of arsenic, exceeding the proposed USP limit of 15 mcg per day, and an average of 5.1 mcg of cadmium, which is just above the USP limit of 5 mcg per day. Concentrations in most products were relatively low, but when taking into account the large serving size suggested, the number of mcgs per day for a few of the products we tested was high compared with most others tested." "The samples of Muscle Milk Chocolate powder we tested contained all four heavy metals, and levels of three metals in the product were among the highest of all in our tests. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 mcg in three daily servings slightly exceeded the USP limit of 5 mcg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 mcg also topped the USP limit of 10 mcg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 mcg was approaching the USP limit of 15 mcg per day, and the average for mercury was 0.7 mcg, well below the USP's 15 mcg per day limit. Three daily servings of Muscle Milk vanilla Creme contained 12.2 mcg of lead, exceeding lead limits, and 11.2 mcg of arsenic. A fourth product, Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate (liquid), provided an average of 14.3 mcg of arsenic per day from three servings." "Cadmium raises special concern because it accumulates in and can damage the kidneys, the same organs that can be damaged by excess protein consumption. And it can take 20 years for the body to eliminate even half the cadmium absorbed today. The products they tested are in a chart which I will try to reproduce. Here are the maximum daily levels of the heavy metals for reference: arsenic 15 mcg; cadmium 5 mcg; lead 10 mcg; mercury 15 mcg; Product Name (heavy metal values) Arsenic Cadmium Lead Mercury BSN Core Series Lean Dessert Protein 3.3 3.7 2.5 0.3 Shake Chocolate Fudge pudding BSN Core Series Syntha-6 Ultra 4.2 2.6 5.4 1.1 Chocolate Milkshake Designer whey 100% Whey Protein Chocolate 3.9 1.6 2.4 0.9 EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate shake 16.9 5.1 - - GNC Lean Shake Protein 7.0 3.9 4.9 - GNC Pro Performance AMP Amplified 5.4 2.5 2.5 - Wheybolic Extreme 60 Chocolate Jillian Michaels Natural Whey Protein Vanilla 1.9 - 1.2 - Cream Shake Muscle Milk Chocolate 12.2 5.6 13.5 0.7 Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate 14.3 - 6.8 - Muscle Milk Vanilla Creme 11.2 2.0 12.2 - MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro-Series 1.2 - 0.4 0.9 Vanilla Milkshake Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% 2.5 1.7 1.0 0.2 Whey Extreme Milk Chocolate Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey 1.5 - - - Velocity Vanilla Six Star Muscle Professional Strength 2.3 - - - Whey Protein French Vanilla Cream Solgar Whey to Go Whey Protein Powder 0.6 - - - Natural Vanilla Bean Hope you can interpret the chart as I have typed it. It is worrisome to read about all of these heavy metals in our protein drinks and I wonder about all of the ones that they did not test. I haven't tried any of the products on this list but I'd love to know what is in mine. It is probably worth your time to get a copy of this from your local library if you don't subscribe.

I will be 4 weeks out on Thursday so we are in the same boat. I didn't lose as much pre-op because my doc doesn't do a liquid diet and I can't say that I am a "fast" loser either but I am still thrilled! I've lost a bit over 25lbs since my last pre-op appointment and my weight hasn't been this low in 15 years! I am okay with losing 4 or 5 lbs a month as long as it is steadily moving in the right direction. At that rate I will be at my goal or close to it by the end of the year and I can live with that. I won't be mad if the weight comes off more quickly but I KNOW this is working for me and will continue to. Our bodies will work at their own pace and I just try to keep feeding mine decent stuff so I don't get malnourished. I haven't gone over 2 or 3 days without losing a bit of weight though and I may change my story when I go for 2 or 3 weeks without losing anything!!! :cheer2: Keep the long game in mind...we will get there!!

I was totally addicted to carbs and the sweeter the better! I had to do a low carb (30 gms a day), high Protein diet before my surgery. I felt headachy and sick for 2 days after starting it and then the 3rd day the fog cleared, my hunger decreased and it became a LOT easier. You might check with the doctor's office that will be doing your surgery and find out what their plan is and get started early. It seems like there are a lot of different pre-op diets, depending on the doctor. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery!!

I haven't had any hunger at all since the surgery. I do get that kind of "empty" feeling when it has been 4 hours or more since I ate but it isn't all that obvious and if I am busy I don't notice it. Before my surgery I used to hear skinny people say that they "forgot" to eat and I wanted to just slap them. How the hell could you forget to eat?? I had that ravenous, I will kill someone if I don't get something to eat right now, kind of hunger before the surgery and I would no more "forget" to eat than I would forget to leave the house with clothes on! But now...I can forget to eat. It is really strange but I guess I am grateful for it. It makes it a lot easier to be happy with the little bits of food I eat now. I don't know if it will last but it is what I have for now.

I have never been a thrift store or resale shop kind of gal....selection too limited and too time consuming but I have recently spent a LOT of time in Goodwill found some great bargains. I wash them immediately when I get home and now have 3 different sizes of work clothes in my guest room closet. I really don't want to spend a lot of money on clothes for sizes that I hope I am just "passing through"!

I agree it totally sucks and I am apparently the ultimate slow learner because I have done that now 3 times since I was sleeved less than a month ago! I also find I can't eat very much at all and that is a factor for me as I think I "SHOULD" be able to eat more and get in trouble even when I measure my 4 ounces. The hardest thing for me to learn is that we are all different and progress at different rates and I am still on the mushies/soft stage even though I'd like to be further along. I am thrilled that I have such good restriction and trust that eventually my brain will catch up with the fact that I now have a TINY tummy because I too hate that feeling of pressure and being overfull. Thanks for posting your experience. Maybe I need a tattoo that says, SLOW DOWN?

Have you had a sleep study? It sounds a lot like sleep apnea and losing weight should help you with this too! I know it is very scary to wake up gasping for breath like that. Talk to your doctor pronto and tell them what you told us. Good luck!

Great post!! My husband mentioned this the other night too as he has already started taking less money out of the checking account each week for "entertainment" as we don't spend as much eating out. I have become the ultimate cheap date! We used to eat out a LOT and we eat out less now plus when we do eat out, I am ordering less and still taking food home. I will have to be careful not to spend all of the savings on new clothes though as it is sure fun to fit into a smaller size!

Good luck!!! Post in a few days when you feel like it and let us know how you are!

I subscribe to Consumer Reports and save the old issues so I will look for the article tonight. If I can find it I will summarize the results here so we all have them. I have wondered the same thing as some of the protein powders taste worse than ground dirt to me!!

I will be one month out on the 12th of May and that is way more solid food than I can or would try to eat. I scrambled one egg for breakfast on the weekend and could eat about 2/3 of it and felt very full. This morning I had 2 small egg & cheese "bites" from EggFace's mini muffin bites. They are NOT big....about the size of quarter in diameter and 2 of them made me uncomfortably full....I won't try to eat 2 again! Tomorrow I will try just one. I had a 1/2 of a chicken enchilda in a restaurant one night and ate just the filling...none of the tortilla wrapper and I was full but not uncomfortably so. Good luck...I find learning to eat with this sleeve is a learning experience and I am certainly not a pro at it yet but I trust that I will figure it out!

I haven't told many people yet so have't suffered through some of the unbelievable remarks I am reading here. One of my sisters and my brother don't know as they are very judgmental. Fortunately they are both pretty self-obsessed so I don't expect either to even notice that I have lost weight. II am dreading though a family reunion in June on my husbands side of the family where I probably WILL have to tell his brother. He is anti conventional medicine, anti any surgerand a self proclaimed health food nut. He gave another family member a rash of s--t that bordered on harassment for having cardiac surgery!! He will notice the weight loss, the decreased capacity to eat and will have everyone convinced that I am terminally I'll if I don't tell him about the sleeve. Hubby agrees it is probably better to be proactive and just tell rather than have him worry that the weight loss means something ominous. I am tempted to lie and tell him I am dieting but my daughter (who knows) will be there and I don't feel good about that either. Oh well, guess I will put on my big girl panties and face the battle!!

Supposedly we aren't supposed to have "dumping syndrome" after the sleeve. Are you keeping well hydrated? You can get feverish and chills w/dehydration. Maybe someone else on here has some ideas. I wasn't able to tolerate nutrition at 4 days out.

I would be very leery of having surgery with this guy!!! You'd be safer to find someone who is comfortable with the sleeve and doesn't have to be talked into doing it. I know you just want to get it done but better to have it take a few more months and have it done right!

That is fabulous! You must feel like a new man already!