M2G

Find a good Protein bar. The RTD shakes won't go thru airport security (unless they are under 3oz I believe) so the ziplocks with the Protein powder is probably a good option. I think most aiports have deli places where you can grab a yogurt or even a hard boiled egg. Have fun on your trip!

LOL, here I was thinking "this is in the 'powder Room' someone is going to say they are getting hit on by men and they miss the "insulation" that our fat can sometimes provide." Scareing the men away... :scared: I feel for you. We are getting a cold snap here in CO that is much lower than normal. Tomorrow's high is going to be -8, it's like we are living in Minnesota or the North Pole or something. :laugh: I will never trade being cold for being fat again! Congrats on your loss, woo hoo!

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Okay, Irene I don't know how you can change the color of the font, I'm sure it is something easy, but I can't figure it out. So I made what I wanted to "highlight' bigger. I think a LOT of NUTs are used to dealing with patients who have WLS and still have their full hunger. Everything is geared towards keeping you "full" or "satisfied" so you are less tempted to eat something off plan. But with most (I say most because I see some sleevers who still have hunger) sleevers, we don't have the hunger issue. If I eat 2oz of Protein, take a few sips of Water and it goes "through" my system quicker, well, so what. Because it's not like I'm hungry the minute it isn't sitting in my stomach. I'm never hungry, so it truly makes no difference to me. It will be interesting to see what happens to the NUTs and the literature, once the sleeve gains more popularity and has 10 years of data on a large portion of patients, to back it up.

Jody someone here has scanned their surgeon's notebook and offered to email it to anyone who would like it. It might give you some more clear direction. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/13062-gastric-sleevebypass-booklet/

These kind of "syrups" are more like "flavoring" than actual syrup (they are clear and the consistency of Water, or extract flavoring. Actually that is a good way to describe them, they are like extracts, that you can add to anything to give it flavor and sweetness. (Except they are in big bottles and you use more of them that you would if it were just an extract.) Frankly I'm not shocked that Hershey's SF (I'm assuming that is what you are talking about) syrup is nasty. When manufacturer's take out anything (fat, sugar, salt) they have to add more of something else to mask the "missing" flavor. Look in the coffee section of your grocery store and you might find the Torani or Davinci SF syrups.

I have tried them all, (and I usually buy according to what is on sale) but my all time fav has to be the Fage. LOVE IT. I've even tried the Kroger brand, blech, totally disgusting and not worthy of me even adding my SF syrup to. I already have one kiddo liking the Fage, just need to work on kiddo #2 (aka the picky sister). It's going to be a crazy yogurt bill around here on grocery day once hubby gets sleeved in March!

Hope you are in recovery and doing well. Walk, sip, walk sip! Welcome to the losers bench!

Hey Vickie, I see your ticker has moved since you posted this. (If I am reading that right!) Woo hoo! Does your surgeon have a NUT that you can contact? Maybe email everything to him/her and have a professional look at what is going in. I personally think that -20lbs is awesome, and I know how hard it is to do, but you cannot compare yourself to others on here. It is one of the worst ways to sabatoge yourself by saying "look how far XYZ is and yet I'm HERE." DON'T do it!!! How do YOU feel? Are your clothes looser? It sounds like you are focusing on all the right things, and sometimes that is the hardest part to keep doing the same thing every day and KNOW that you are doing everything "by the book" yet not get that reward on the scale. That is why those NSV's are SO important. The scale doesn't tell the whole story. I think it might be premature to call your sleeve (or yourself for that matter) a failure. Really. Hang in there Vicki! We are all here for you!

Congrats on the loss...woo hoo!!! Put me in the "Sheila's Rule" camp...lol. The last time I was with so many Sheila's was when I worked at Target in college, we had 5 Sheila's at my store! :shocked:

Welcome! I hope your 3 months FLY by! I had to do 6 months and while it seemed to take forever, I used the time to make some changes to my lifestyle that are now habits (dropping diet soda, and taking my Vitamins are just 2 examples!) Congrats on moving forward and downward (on the scale that is!)

I would also wait to see what effect pregnancy has on your body. We poor women go through SO much to give birth.

Fingers crossed for you!

Welcome! You will definitely find lots of support, advice and cheerleaders here! Best support group you will ever find!

Welcome! It is such a long hard road getting to the place where we decide we want surgery. Then there is another long road of tests, evaluations, dr. visits, nutritionist visits, etc. to actually HAVE the surgery (longer if you have insurance for sure!) Then the weight loss road is of course a long one and then there is maintenance for life. It's almost like 4 different journies we take. Congrats on have 2 under your belt and working on #3, may you have continued success now that you have a powerful tool in your corner!!!

I don't think it is just Yoplait, I know A LOT of yogurts use that. It is hard to find yogurt made with plain old sugar anymore. I think Moutain High is a brand that comes to mind that doesn't use the junk sweetners.

Cost Plus (World Market) used to sell Torani for CHEAP! Like $5 for a big bottle. I went in the other day and saw they are now $6.99, d*mmit! OH well, I still use them. I put them in my yogurt and decaf coffee mostly. Torani is made wtih Splenda.

Sorry to be dense, what are JoJo's??? I kept re-reading that to see if I could get a clue. lol. I think the fried stuff is always bad. Sorry your evening was ruined. And I agree about the portion sizes being way out of control. No wonder America has an obesity problem when restaurant food portions are gigantic and everyone thinks of them as "normal".

I am 39, so I'm thinking yeah, when I'm done I will probably have wrinkles that I never had before. But as Tiffany said, I will take wrinkles over fat any day. Being fat puffs up your face SO much. When the first 20lbs dropped off that was the most common thing I heard "I see it in your FACE" and they were right!

My surgeon is a stickler for 6 weeks post op for anything more than walking. I did a LOT of walking in those 6 weeks (we have a treadmill). My normal workout is Curves, so I did take a 6 week hiatus from that, and once I was cleared at 6 weeks to go back, I pulled a muscle the first day. It took a full week to recover from the pulled lower abdominal muscle and I had to go back to walking only during that week. There is still one machine I avoid at Curves becuase I think it was the culprit of my muscle injury. lol. I'm 3 months out now and still avoid it. This question, however, is something you MUST ask your dr. about what their protocol is. I've heard some surgeons release as early as 4 weeks. I know the walking is boring, but it is preventing blood clots, getting you moving and helping with your whole system.

You are looking wonderful...and YES those lbs are gone forever!!! Definitely something to celebrate!!! :Banane01: :Banane02:

My Vitamin protocol (for now) is fairly simple, in the am I take 2 adult gummies (they taste good I buy them at Costco) 2 chewable Calcium citrate (ordered them http://www.celebratevitamins.com), 1 Biotin and 1 sublingual B12. In the pm I take the same but omit the biotin and B12. I bought one of those granny style pill case holders and helps to remind me, and I fill it once a week. A lot of bariatric vitamin sellers wil let you order a sample pack to "try" before you buy. My surgeon just changed his guidelines for blood work for sleevers to be at 6 months post-op. I'm not going to take Iron unless I need to. Same for other possible Vitamins. I don't know what to say except that I've never before taken daily meds or any other vitamins in my life (this is the first time!) and I guess I just viewed it as necessary...you know part of the guidelines we agree to live by if we want to make our surgeries a success. I DO want to be successful, and healthy. And since I'm on the Quest for health, I don't want to short-change myself. I started the vitamins before surgery so that it would be a habit after. Do you know what the roadblock is for you personally? Is it that you forget, or don't like the taste, etc? I think trying to identify what is hard for you personally about taking your vitamins regularly might help you figure out ways to make it easier.

Thanks for posting this Susanne. know for me personally I try to stay around 30-50g a day and that seems to work for me. I have done a zero sugar diet before (it was a chiropractor diet that was offered through my Curves) and I honestly never felt better, but it was ultimately not sustainable (surprise!) for me. The no-sugar extended to things like carbs that TURN into sugar once they hit your system. So it was essentially a no-sugar, no-carb diet. I do better with complex carbs (fruits, veggies and whole grains) than the simple (i.e. junky) carbs.

That is such a great way to give back. You both are wonderful inspiration!

Mini...thanks for your posts and encouragement, and thanks most of all for not deserting us once you hit your goal. I appreciate each and every long term vet that has been here well past meeting their weight loss goals, because they give me so much HOPE. So thank you for sharing your journey with us. :love: