Fleur de lis

I'm 4 weeks out and I won't lie, I am struggling with the no candy. My sweet tooth is not gone and every time I go to the store, I want to grab an assorted bag of candy. I haven't done it but it's REEEEEALLY hard. Sigh.

I find that I'm tired a lot, too. I usually wind up take naps lasting upwards of 1 1/2 hours. I think it might be due to lack of Vitamins. I haven't been taking my multi-Vitamin like I'm supposed to and I bet if I did, I'd have more energy. Have you started your vitamins yet? I will say that it's better now than it was when I was first sleeved, so I think time and vitamins will help us out.

My surgeon suggests 6 months to 1 year before consuming alcohol. I'm only 4 weeks out so I won't be testing it out any time soon

I was/am an extremely fast eater. I would wolf down my food like there was about to be a famine. Now, I eat slightly slower but it's definitely something I have to work on. For me, it takes a lot of concentration. The best place to eat (so I've been told) is at the dining room table and not to have any distractions. Well, we got rid of ours so dinner is on the couch, in front of the tv. What I've started doing is taking a bite, chewing until it's pretty smooth, and then I'll put my fork down and literally time myself. I try to give myself 2-3 minutes between bites. I'm sure as I do this more and more I won't actually have to stare at the clock, but for now it's gonna have to do. Also, sometimes my sleeve will let me know that I need to slow it down. Depending on what I eat, if I'm shoveling too much in, I swear I can feel my stomach inflate. It's probably not but that's the best way I can describe it. So when I get that feeling, I stop eating and don't start again until it's gone. I hope this was slightly helpful

Even post-op, I share this frustration. I went in on Monday to see my NUT and she weighed me. I weighed in at 7 lbs more than I had when I weighed myself on Friday at home. 7 POUNDS!!! That is a huge difference. I mentioned it to her and all she had to say was that the scale at the office "weighs heavy" and plus, it was the middle of the day. I can see that making a 3 lbs difference. But 7? Sheesh.

I'm lucky to get in 16 oz of Water. I know, I know. Terrible. But I think I'm afraid to drink more at a time for fear of explosion. LOL. Plus, I'm just not thirsty. I couldn't drink 64 oz pre-op. so trying to do it now is a real struggle. I need to figure out an eating plan because I don't really have one. My nutritionist gave me an example of one to follow but there is SO MUCH food on it. And she did say she doesn't expect me to follow it yet but I should at least eat the first thing on it, which is Protein. I don't get super hungry and when I do, sometimes I ignore it and it goes away. Sigh. This is harder than when I had a big stomach. Worth it, but harder.

Hey yall. This is something my mom used to make for me when I was little. I thought maybe it would be good to eat when you start your mushies, since it's basically roasted veggies. Cut the eggplant into discs and sprinkle them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until soft (I don't really know how long your supposed to roast it for; I do it at 425 for about 25-30 minutes. it depends on how much crunch you like to your veggie). Once they are roasted, pull them out and top with some marinara (I just use jarred spaghetti sauce) sprinkle with some low fat cheese and put it back in the oven until the cheese melts. Viola!

My NUT suggested putting Protein powder into smoothies. Blend up some fruit, add a scoop (or however many) of Protein Powder..... I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on it.

Has anyone's cycle lasted an abnormal amount of time? Mine has been going since 2 days after surgery. Yep. Almost a month. I haven't stopped taking my BC and I'm not really sure when/if I should see my doctor. I want to minimize visits since I don't have insurance so if this is a somewhat normal occurrence then I'll just wait it out.

Oh, and one more idea. When I lived in Japan, I was introduced to taco rice, which IMO, is amazing! It's exactly what it sounds like. All the taco fixings (meat, cheese, lettuce, salsa, etc) over rice. Yum-o!

Yay! I'm so glad you liked it! I get nervous sharing recipes because I'm always worried that people will think it was the most disgusting thing ever and that I'm a weirdo for liking it. LOL

Sooo I'd like to amend my statement. This might work easier for you since you're farther out than I am. I saw my NUT yesterday and because I'm not getting enough Protein, she gave me suggestions on things to eat. One thing was refried Beans and that's why I decided to do the taco-less taco tonight. Mine only has refried beans, a sprinkle of cheese, a tsp of salsa and a tsp of sour cream. As soon as the second bite hit my stomach, I got the worse gas pains EV-ER! I feel like my stomach is about to explode! It still tastes good, though

Hey Lady, Have you tried making a taco-less taco? I'm actually eating it right now. Basically, I combined everything that I would put on the inside of a taco and ate it out of a bowl instead of putting it in a tortilla or shell. It kind of tastes the same. Just an idea in case you try a tortilla and it doesn't work.

Weighed in this morning at 299lbs! Finally out of the 300's. Yay me

I haven't had that many responses. Two, actually. Anyways, I started my cycle a few days after surgery (which was early) but it still hasn't stopped. Mind you, I was sleeved on the 27th, so it's been almost a month. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this to be expected or should I be paying a visit to my doctor? I know, it seems like the logical thing to do would be to go to the doctor but since I don't have insurance, I try to limit visits unless absolutely necessary

I am on birth control. I didn't stop taking it, even on the day of surgery, because my surgeon said it wasn't necessary to. It's not heavy, but it's not light spotting either. It's like one continuous 4th day flow. LOL. But seriously, maybe i should call them.......

Thanks y'all Diva: it has been SOOOO worth it I can't believe I was such a complainer before

I was going to pose this same question. I am a sushi fanatic but I wasn't sure how anyone else had dealt with it. I REEEEEALLY hope that it's not one of those things that I can't tolerate. I might cry. LOL

I went through this struggle this weekend. We had our family reunion and it's pretty much an October version of Thanksgiving for us. This was the first time that I wasn't able to stuff myself to the gills with everyone else and at first, I was kind of down about it. However, I just took a spoonful of the things I wanted to eat the most. My brother commented that it must suck not being able to gorge myself, but after eating, I was the same type of full that I was before the surgery. And I became okay with it. Then the desserts came out and I thought "oh hell." I was getting down again about not being able to eat a slice of all five cakes, but then I just ate a bite fro two cakes and I was good to go. I think I'm starting to get used to this

I started my monthly cycle about 2 days after surgery (which was early) and it's STILL GOING. Um, it's been almost a month. Should I be making a GYN appointment? Does this normally happen?

Awesome!! And I hope you like the eggplant

Welcome Holly!! Congrats on starting your journey. I've only just been sleeved so I'm still learning to work with this tool. I'm sure plenty more people will chime in with their advice for you. I had a roommate who had the RNY done, and now she's trying to lose some of the weight she regained after the procedure. I'm not sure of her weight, but I don't think she weighed more than me (I started at 333lbs). However, it is a tool and she just wasn't using it correctly. So it may have less to do with size and more about the dedication you put towards it. Whatever decision you make, I hope you make your tool work for you!