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Hello Suzanne, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I know what you mean about getting nervous about surgery. I almost chickened out several times before I finally did it. My co-worker just kept telling me it is so worth it and helped reinforce my decision. I really admire him and respect his opinion so he literally walked me out onto the edge I am just at the beginning of my journey but it is nice to have someone to "follow". That's why I love these boards. I hope that I can be a mentor to someone someday who needs this surgery to turn their life around. I love my decision! I am in healthcare and got so sick of being a hypocrite. Now as I drop the weight I can lift my head up high and really help encourage others!

Our bodies are in an inflammatory state right now, usually until about 6 weeks out. That means our bodies grab on to fluid and let go of it in cycles as the body heals and that's why we are seeing the scale move up and down. My doctor explained this to me at my 3 week post op check up yesterday. We will lose the weight! But our bodies are just trying to heal right now.

Although I am not over 60, one of my co-workers/ sleeve mentors is. He is 62. He pretty much talked me into the surgery. He had the surgery in October 2010 with a starting weight of approx 350. He has since lost over 100 lbs and is off most of his meds (bp, diabetes, arthritis, etc). He says that he feels great and has much more energy. He definitely gets around better at work and looks happier! Good luck to you. Sixty is the new 35!

So good to hear that you are doing and feeling better! You are doing great girl!

Sounds like you are doing good kellyw74! Don't give up on the chicken salad though. I bet if you try it again after waiting a bit it will be just fine. I haven't done the refried beans yet, but I do alright with the cottage cheese. I love Wendy's chili so I stopped by and got a small cup. That was 3 meals for me! Heck, I used to eat one of those, a baked potato and then sometimes added a hamburger to all of that. About the only thing that I've tried that didn't quite agree with me was eggface's ricotta bake. Oh well, I'll try it again later on. One of my favorite things is Kroger Carbmaster yogurt. One container has 60 cals/1 gram fat/ 4 carbs/ 3 sugars/ 8 protein. I'll have to try that Premier protein, I've heard about it. A very kind person from this forum just gave me 4 tubs of protein powder, and they all seem to taste pretty good. I'm not really picky on taste though so I will try to get through these before buying something else. I haven't mixed my protein powder with milk yet; I like the soy milk idea. I also drink ready made eas carbadvantage shakes. They are REALLY good. I feel like I'm cheating when I drink them. Those will come in handy when I go back to work next week. Oh well, enought babbling. I feel like I have hijacked this thread Sorry KeKerene.

Ilkrista and Wishes, I did week 1 day 1 yesterday and by the evening I could barely walk. The arch on my right foot was throbbing. I will try it again next week. I would love to come on here and see how ya'll are doing with this! Please keep us updated on how you are progressing! It's definitely a work out! I downloaded an app from Itunes that allows you to make your own playlists and cues break in as needed and tell you when to walk or run. I'm sure there are tons of apps for C25K.

Kelly74, as you said, I bet going to soft foods will do the trick. I didn't have to do mushies, went straight to soft foods, and the first day I ate, I was the least "hungry" that I had been in about a week. I really feel satisfied now that I can eat. Are you starting to get more calories in with Mushies? I remember reading that you were pretty low on your calorie count on liquids. Kekerene, I really don't get hungry either, although toward the end of my liquids I felt like I had a huge appetite and I was salivating over the thought of food. But NOTHING compared to my preop liquid diet. That was AWFUL. I was delirious with hunger I think there was a thread last week about this with some good responses if you want to do a search on hunger. I'm sorry you have had such a bad experience with the band. I did not have one so I can't really compare my experience to yours. Wishing you the best!

I didn't get mine till after surgery, so you getting yours ahead of surgery is great. I was told to do 10 reps approx every hour for two weeks. I did it for one week because I was back in the gym the second week. And I did suck (vs blow) on mine as well.

Yeah, getting fluids in the first few days can be overwhelming for sure. At home I woud drink some isopure, then water. The first day I was home I didn't do so well, nor the next. But as the swelling began to subside I was determined to get my fluid and protein requirements daily. Since I was now full liquids I threw the isopure out and began working on my Eas carb advantage shakes, and my bariatric advantage shakes, both of wich worked well together to keep me happy. The key really is hydration at first, but the sooner you can get those protrein drinks going, the better you heal. You will get there. Listen to your body and see what works for you. Take care

Yeah, as Tiffy said, I was told to measure volume vs. weight too. It is good that you are doing this now. You seem so motivated and organized. You are going to do very well after your surgery!

Lol at the thought of Meggie sitting down to her beloved egg. I can see her slowly raising her fork with a tiny morsel of egg to her mouth...she closes her eyes...tears rolling down her face as angels sing in the background.

When I asked my surgeon pre surgery he really didn't fully answer the question. What he did tell me is that the experience of the surgical team together makes quite a difference. For instance, some use a 32 and it works well, while another uses a 38, but if the surgical assistant is pulling too tight at the stomach during the procedure, you could end up with a tight spot after stapling. I'm not explaining it as well as he did, sorry. Anyways, I need to ask him again. So Kara, I think it is just a guide and technique accounts for size quite a bit too. Don't worry about all of that. I'd much rather have some room than deal with strictures or having a sleeve so tight that you can barely choke down a whole egg 2 years post op (read a post about that on here last week). Take care!

That is about what my blood pressure was running with meds. I was off the meds less than a week after surgery. Maybe you can call your surgeon and explain the situation. Could he prescribe some blood pressure meds for you? Your blood pressure isn't really even considered "high" at those numbers, so I'm a little suprised. Good luck to you; hopefully this won't mess with your surgery date!

Good job on your egg Meggie. I had one this morning and ate the whole dang thing with no problems. I am going to have to try the egg/ avocado out Husky (or should I say healthy?) It sounds great! Cottage cheese 1/4 cup max for me. I love not being hungry!

I can't join either. I don't have firefox on my computer. Sure would like to join the gym rat group to help keep me motivated (yes I am hinting for an invitation).

Sounds like you are doing good with your walking. Don't be afraid to ask for more pain meds! Congrats on your surgery That pain should start subsiding pretty quickly, just keep up with the pain meds. Take care and good luck. Welcome to this side!

Don't work and drive Glad you had a good day; you'll sleep good tonight!

Hope you get to feeling better soon. I would have never thought of what your trainer said regarding your back pain. You aren't too far behind and your weight loss is great! Stay strong and motivated. Take care!

Maybe you will start to feel more energetic since you are eating your mushies. I just started today so it's hard for me to judge. I sure hope you get your energy back and the light-headedness goes away soon! Wishing you the verty best! Like the above posters said, we are recovering from major surgery so we need to listen to our bodies and take it easy. Keep us updated! Take care.

It sounds like life has thrown you a lot of curve balls but you are going to win! Welcome and good luck to you. I had my surgery on May 17th, so we are pretty close in that respect. Take care!

What a difference! You should be VERY proud!

How long are you trying to walk? I started out just walking around the block and worked my way up. I will be 2 weeks post op tomorrow too. Take it slow. My doc wants me to work up to walking 30 minutes a day everyday by the time I am one month out. I have already done that. Are you getting enough water? How much protein are you averaging daily? I am at about 80 grams. Have you checked your sugar levels? Maybe you need to add some carbs to give you a little extra energy. Don't push it though if you feel light-headed. Maybe give it a couple of days and try it again. My doc is pretty serious about his patients getting enough protein as far out as we are since our bodies need it to heal. Good luck!

Good job Heatherr!

Yes, you will be fine. Just do the best you can. I was supposed to be on a 4 shake a day / 1 protein bar for 7 days before my surgery. I replaced the protein bar with meat and veggies, tried to keep it low fat. I felt that I could cheat though because I knew that my liver was not fatty or big ( I am a sonographer and I scanned myself). I was SO hungry during my pre op that I pretty much reasoned that if I didn't do some controlled cheating that I was going to go crazy and binge (and I'm not really a binge eater but the pre op was about to push me over the edge). Let me tell you, the liquid diet on the other side of surgery is SO much easier. You are going to make it. Just remember, you are trying to put the odds in your favor for a successful surgery so don't over do it.