Hi all! I am officially 6 weeks tomorrow! Yay! So I thought I would pass on some advice to those of you that pre-sleeve or just newly sleeved (newer than mine lol).

1.) Take it slow after surgery. Don't push yourself because you WILL pay for it in PAIN. At 6 weeks I am just now getting back to my normal energy level.

2.)Relax!! I know that we want this to work so bad and so fast that we freak out when something goes awry. You are going to have stalls..BUT if you stay on plan (Protein first blah blah blah) you WILL lose the weight. Some lose faster than others and every body is different. Just try to have a little patience and don't tie yourself to a scale. Inches still come off in a stall!

3.) If you feel something isn't right. Call your nurse or doctor and ask. There is no harm in asking and I am sure they have heard anything you can throw at them.

4.) Don't beat yourself up! There is going to be a day that you are going to eat something that you aren't suppose to. My personal opinion (yours may be different) is that I did not do this to myself to be on a diet for the rest of my life. I stay on plan but I do treat myself to a bite or two of something I like sometimes. I have still lost weight. Not fast, or slow but somewhere in the middle...And YES I can eat a little more than most (My surgeon used a 40 sized bougie) but NOT so much that my loss has been different. I can still only eat about a 10th of what I used to at any given meal. When you feel yourself freaking out..take a step back and look at everything you have gained (ie..smaller clothing size, ease of movement)...and all that you have lost (ie inches and pounds).

5.) Keep up on your Vitamins. In the beginning there is absolutely NO WAY to eat the amount and variety of food to get the recommended amount of vitamins/minerals your body needs. You WILL feel it, and not in a good way if you don't.

6.) Keep up on your water/fluid. You WILL feel it, and not in a good way if you don't.

7.) Get active! Sitting around bored will not help with head hunger! Do other things! Get a hobby! LOL

I am sure there is more that I could add, but I am leaving work and wanna go HOME! *whiney face lol and I am running out of time. Feel free to add what you would think is important to know.

33 pounds down and even though I am mad at myself that I had to do this and get here to lose weight it is the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. I can only see good things ahead. Good luck!

Thanks needed to hear this I have an appt tomorrow with the surgeon most likely I'll have my surgery date in May and he too uses a size 40

Hi all! I am officially 6 weeks tomorrow! Yay! So I thought I would pass on some advice to those of you that pre-sleeve or just newly sleeved (newer than mine lol).

1.) Take it slow after surgery. Don't push yourself because you WILL pay for it in PAIN. At 6 weeks I am just now getting back to my normal energy level.

2.)Relax!! I know that we want this to work so bad and so fast that we freak out when something goes awry. You are going to have stalls..BUT if you stay on plan (Protein first blah blah blah) you WILL lose the weight. Some lose faster than others and every body is different. Just try to have a little patience and don't tie yourself to a scale. Inches still come off in a stall!

3.) If you feel something isn't right. Call your nurse or doctor and ask. There is no harm in asking and I am sure they have heard anything you can throw at them.

4.) Don't beat yourself up! There is going to be a day that you are going to eat something that you aren't suppose to. My personal opinion (yours may be different) is that I did not do this to myself to be on a diet for the rest of my life. I stay on plan but I do treat myself to a bite or two of something I like sometimes. I have still lost weight. Not fast' date=' or slow but somewhere in the middle...And YES I can eat a little more than most (My surgeon used a 40 sized bougie) but NOT so much that my loss has been different. I can still only eat about a 10th of what I used to at any given meal. When you feel yourself freaking out..take a step back and look at everything you have gained (ie..smaller clothing size, ease of movement)...and all that you have lost (ie inches and pounds).

5.) Keep up on your Vitamins. In the beginning there is absolutely NO WAY to eat the amount and variety of food to get the recommended amount of vitamins/minerals your body needs. You WILL feel it, and not in a good way if you don't.

6.) Keep up on your water/fluid. You WILL feel it, and not in a good way if you don't.

7.) Get active! Sitting around bored will not help with head hunger! Do other things! Get a hobby! LOL

I am sure there is more that I could add, but I am leaving work and wanna go HOME! *whiney face lol and I am running out of time. Feel free to add what you would think is important to know. <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

33 pounds down and even though I am mad at myself that I had to do this and get here to lose weight it is the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. I can only see good things ahead. <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> Good luck![/quote']

Thank you, so helpful.

Thank you!!!

Thanks for this its extremely helpful. I have two questions , what is a bougie, and how does the size effect the outcome of the surgery? Congratulations on the 33 lbs lost!

Thank you so much. I'm 7 day post op. I'm hard on myself. I was thinking I was a wimp. I appreciate the encouragement.

A bougie is the tube the anesthetist passes down our throat into our stomach to guide the surgeon when they staple the stomach line. A smaller bougie is supposed to mean more restriction, but these things are measured in millimeters, so there's literally [ ] that much difference between a 32 and a 40 bougie. You're not going to cram much in there.

I have seen discussions that suggest that a 40 bougie is less likely to have a leak than a 32 bougie. My doc used a 34 on me, I believe.

A bougie is the tube the anesthetist passes down our throat into our stomach to guide the surgeon when they staple the stomach line. A smaller bougie is supposed to mean more restriction' date=' but these things are measured in millimeters, so there's literally [ '] that much difference between a 32 and a 40 bougie. You're not going to cram much in there.

I have seen discussions that suggest that a 40 bougie is less likely to have a leak than a 32 bougie. My doc used a 34 on me, I believe.

Thanks so much for the explanation Lisa, always to the rescue lol

Congrats!! 33 in a body bag.. SWAGG! lol keep us posted...

A bougie is the tube the anesthetist passes down our throat into our stomach to guide the surgeon when they staple the stomach line. A smaller bougie is supposed to mean more restriction, but these things are measured in millimeters, so there's literally [ ] that much difference between a 32 and a 40 bougie. You're not going to cram much in there.

I have seen discussions that suggest that a 40 bougie is less likely to have a leak than a 32 bougie. My doc used a 34 on me, I believe.

Thanks for this, I was wondering what the difference meant in terms of restriction:)

Thanks needed to hear this I have an appt tomorrow with the surgeon most likely I'll have my surgery date in May and he too uses a size 40

Your welcome! lol If you have any questions just IM me.

A bougie is the tube the anesthetist passes down our throat into our stomach to guide the surgeon when they staple the stomach line. A smaller bougie is supposed to mean more restriction, but these things are measured in millimeters, so there's literally [ ] that much difference between a 32 and a 40 bougie. You're not going to cram much in there.

I have seen discussions that suggest that a 40 bougie is less likely to have a leak than a 32 bougie. My doc used a 34 on me, I believe.

What she said!

Congrats!! 33 in a body bag.. SWAGG! lol keep us posted...

LOL yes I know! Everybody says I look like I am shrinking but I haven't really gotten it through my head that I am the lightest I have been in 2 years!! LOL All of my old 'smaller' clothes are fitting and all of my 'bigger' clothes are too big! I am now in a size 14! yay!

Thank you so much. I'm 7 day post op. I'm hard on myself. I was thinking I was a wimp. I appreciate the encouragement.

Your welcome. A lot of people are too hard on themselves after this surgery because I guess they feel pressure to 'succeed'. Sometimes you just have to look at the big picture. Try your best..that is all you can do.

Thanks for this its extremely helpful. I have two questions , what is a bougie, and how does the size effect the outcome of the surgery? Congratulations on the 33 lbs lost!

Lissa already answered this for you, but I wanted to thank you for your congratulations lol