M2G

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Vent away Coops, that is why we are here. I lost all of -2lbs in Feb....and it sucks!!!! I think I've lost -1lb since the start of March, but it is soooooooo frustrating when you know you are doing all the right things and still the scale doesn't cooperate. I did take my measurements (all over) and lost almost 6 inches in Feb. so that was encouraging. Good luck with getting checked out, and I hope you can figure out some of the puzzle so you can move onward and downward!

I am sorry about your leak, I hope that you are feeling much better soon!

Thanks Paul...do you mind me asking...do you have a desk job? (that is back to work QUICK...that is awesome!) He has a desk job (computer-related IT type work) and thankfully he can work from home (or sometimes not thankfully when it is a Sat. or Sun. and most people have the day off...lol) I had a very quick recovery, but I am currently not working so there was no "push" to get back to work, etc. And the drain, oh my, you are so LUCKY to not have had one! Our surgeon uses a JP drain (you can google that if you want to see what it looks like) but it was a long tube coming out of my abdomen down to a bulb that drains excess blood and Fluid from your insides (you have to empty the bulb every so often.) My drain was in for 6 days and since I had an easy surgery and easy recovery, if I had to pick the worst part of surgery, it would be the DRAIN. I'm not sure how long my husband will have his in, and maybe he won't hate his as much as I hated mine. Thanks for your insight, I know the first week or so tends to be the hardest, so I'm hoping that all goes well.

Ooooh, that is good to know about exercise. I definitely think that he will want to exercise more as the weight starts to fall off. And I had to PROMISE him to NOT GET MAD at him if he loses faster (which I'm sure he will)...but MAD and FRUSTRATED are two different things. I think your goal weight and his are similar ...about 190lbs? (if I read your ticker correctly) Although he did say that he wouldn't be sad if ended up at 180. I guess getting to goal is a process and I've heard from several people that they actually change their goal as it approaches according to what they are comfortable with. Thanks for your comments and insight!

WOW!!! 60lbs has made a huge difference in your appearance! You are rocking that sleeve, and doing awesome...Congrats!

Ooooh, that is awesome! I am thisclose to that milestone too!!

That is great news! Congrats! My DH is getting sleeved on 3/7/11...which actually happens to BE his birthday...lol. He picked the date, not me.

OMG Doug!! Thank you. I hadn't thought of that at ALL. I am worried about him b/c he doesn't exercise at all, even though he was an athlete in H.S. (running back was his position at a top ranked HS in CO.) The closest he has come to exercise was back in 2009 when he traveled a lot for his job and stayed in hotels every week, and actually had the time and a place to exercise.

Kgremmy, I just came off the month of Feb. with losing exactly 2lbs. Talk about frustration. Aaargh. All I can say is that I hope Mar. is a better month for me.

I loved those pre-op, but have yet to try them post-op. They are the perfect amount of bread!

Woo hoo!!! And you know what? I think this is the man's version of "Plus Size," don't you think? Even though the mens stuff is politely called Big & Tall (even though I can guarantee there are many men who only fit the "big" category ), having a waist less than 40 inches is like us ladies breaking through to the "other" side... when we are out of the dreaded Plus Sizes. Congrats! Definitely worth celebrating!!!

STALLS SUCK. I'm only 4 months post-op and I've already had several stalls the most recent one being 22 days long. Every time of month I stall during THAT time so I guess I'm used to it. But when I looked at my stats for last month, since I had a 22 day stall, I only lost -2lbs. Sitting here trying not to be depressed about that. I *know* it won't last forever, but when you are in the middle of one, it sure does suck big time. Hang in there!

I'm sure you are following your surgeon's diet, but I recommend to anyone following their surgeon's guidelines to a "T". I know my NUT said to me "even if your sleeve can hold 4oz doesn't mean that you should be eating 4oz" (at least not this early out.) I think it does take a while for your stomach to know what that feeling of "full" is, you are so early, that I'm sure your body is still in recovery mode, and I would really caution that you don't push the limits of what you can possibly eat. My NUT also explained that the normal feeling of "full" that we had pre-surgery was usually the feeling of "overfull." On a scale from 0-10 with 0 being your body running on complete empty that you would experience lightheadness, exhaustion, etc (physical hunger) vs. a 10 the feeling that you might hurl if you take one more bite, that always always always you want to be full at about a 5 maybe a 6 but not more than that. So make sure you are working on redefining what YOUR body recognizes as "full." Do not eat to overeat. (I hope that makes sense.) As far as feeling hungry, if you truly are feeling hunger, then I would talk to your dr. and see what he/she recommends, as there are PPI's, etc. (from what I understand I don't take them personally) that can help with the hunger feeling.

I think you need to eat every 2 hours. I feel like i have to eat all the time to get my 60-90 grams of protein in. 40 grams is too low, but you are still in the early weeks so I think it is to be expected. My surgeon expected us to get 60-90 grams at 6 weeks post-op all from food (no shakes!!!) and to do that I would have to eat every 2 hours at least!

Ditto!

Sorry Sarah! I kind of had a crappy eating day today too. I ate some Puffcorn (my answer to popcorn) and I usually am very careful and measure, but today I remember sticking my hand in the bag a few times, then I had 1/4 cup of ice cream and caramel sauce which I almost never do (my treats are usually greek yogurt with splenda or ricotta and splenda) and a 1/2 inch wide slice of pizza I made for my girls. I don't know why I was eating crap today (other than it's that TOM and I always stall during that so I sort of gave myself a 'free pass' to eat some crap.) But even though it wasn't a lot of food, it was more the "mentalitly" that scared me. I DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK TO MY OLD EATING HABITS. So I don't really have wonderful words of advice, but I know what you are feeling. Hey, how about this: I'll PM you my email addy and tomorrow we check in on each other and be accountable for what we consume. It's worth a try.

Some health insurances do have a 3 month fast track plan. I know my PCP said he had someone who had to do all the 6 month stuff and his health declined greatly in that time period. And to make matters worse, the man was denied and had to start all over. I hope the letter does the trick for you. I had to wait the 6 month (and so did my husband) but if your health is in serious jeopardy I think you should ask for it to be waived. Good luck!

Awww, thanks Irene!

Mini...here is the lands end link http://www.landsend.com/ix/swimwear-swimsuits/index.html?tab=6&seq=1&page=1&pageSize=12&store=le&cm_re=SWIM_-D-1 They have more mix and match than anywhere else I've seen! Here is another online link that might have some good options http://www.swimoutlet.com/Womens_Boardshorts_s/383.htm And tops to mix and match with the shorts http://www.swimoutlet.com/Tankinis_s/1061.htm Happy Shopping!

Oh my gosh, you know what? I actually cringe when I see a before picture of myself. And let me tell you something else. I would have argued (at the time...pre-surgery) that I was healthy (no co-morbs, great cholesterol, great BP, not on any meds whatsoever) and I exercised 4-6 days a week, why did I need to cut off 85% of my stomach in order to lose weight (I'm not a binger/purger, not on antidepressents, no eating disorders, etc.) And I can tell you right now, even as healthy as I was, that losing almost 50lbs has made me feel 1000% better. I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER AND I DIDN'T FEEL SICK BEFORE. So yeah, I hear you. The fear of the unknown is a hard thing to get a handle on. And even typing it out ...it does sound drastic. 85% of my stomach. Gone. Forever. But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat to feel this good. And I'm not even halfway to goal yet. Glad you had your decision-making moment. I don't think you will regret doing this for yourself.

I haven't had any alcohol yet (I'm 4 months out), but I am not much of a drinker anyway, so it really hasn't been that hard. Not sure how long I will wait, definitely 6 months, but I can honestly see waiting until the 1 year mark.

Great job! And yay for another "couple" sleevers! My DH is getting sleeved in 2 weeks, I'm so excited for him!

Congrats to you both! I'm sleeved and my hubby is getting sleeved in 2 weeks (I'm 4 months out) so we will be close together but not exactly going through the same thing at the same time. He has been able to watch me and know what he is getting into. Best of luck to both of you and hopefully you can help each other during recovery!

Cool! I :heart: eggface and all of her recipes! Where did you find the mini-donut pan? And could you make them in a mini muffin pan and get similar results (do you think?)