emily_0192010

For most people, pretty much whenever. As long as you are NOT taking your pain meds there is no reason why you can't drive. As my doctor loves to say "if it hurts, don't do it". I was a bit uncomfortable even a week later, however I drive a manual car... so I had to use both legs (and since I'm short I have to really reach with my leg to reach the clutch) and both arms... so my stomach twinged a little bit. But honestly, it didn't last long. I would say that you should be fine to drive at that point. Good luck!!

Hi Stephen! First, I think you've done an awesome job! And second, my cousin, also named Steven, was also a first responder on 9/11. I know how tough it was on him and our family after that. Good luck on getting back to the "old Steve"... you got through 9/11, you can anything!

Awesome! Isn't it great to see such a difference??? Congrats

Don't sweat it I know how hard it is but there are a TON of reasons why this could have happened. Since you just started weight training, that definitely could have affected your weight. Are you getting in enough Water everyday? Try upping it by a bottle every day for a little while to see if that helps. Also, if you happen to be around that time of the month you could be up because of that as well... combined? I wouldn't be surprised at all. My suggestion is to leave to the scale alone for at least a week. Focus on your water and your Protein and try not to worry. This is not like other diets. Your body may want to stall out for a little while, but ultimately you and your sleeve will force it to budge. Good luck and congrats on starting the weight training so early! That is awesome!

Awesome! Congrats

I have those days too! Where I wake up and I hope and hope that the scale would have moved but then... nothing. And those days suck. But then I force myself to look at before and after pics and to see how far I've come and it makes it easier. I focus on how much better my life is and I remember that my back didn't hurt when I woke up and I remember that I don't have to worry about my sugar anymore... and it makes it all worth it! You are right, some days it is better to look back instead of forward... they are great reminders of where we've been and how we got to where we are now. Looking ahead will be for tomorrow

Me! I have never thrown up. Since day one in the hospital everything has stayed put Now, I've had some nausea here and there, but I've just been very careful and I don't push it. At first I would go slowly and allow my sleeve to adjust. I will say I didn't try anything "different" for me until quite a few months after surgery. For instance, I'm not a fish eater, so I didn't eat any fish after surgery until last week when I tried some of my friends (still don't like lol). I stuck to foods that were simple but I knew that I liked. I was very happy when sleevie liked them too (like slow cooked pork roast). Treat your sleeve kindly We are both lucky enough to have easy-going sleeves! I am definitely thankful for that.

Hello September 2011's!! We should all either have hit or are just about to hit the 6 month mark, how is everyone doing??? Hopefully well!

I love your new attitude! I think it is great that you can enjoy your life and maintain at an 8/10... wasn't that the whole point of this?? Why we all went through this? I don't think any of us want to be supermodels, we all just want to be normal. Congrats on doing so well!

I found the easiest way for me was to drink the calories... I would stick to my Protein shakes though. There are a few that are higher calories, like EAS Myloplex. Sometimes the only way to break a stall is to wait it out. I know how hard it is (I just broke a 3week stall) but sometimes you aren't doing anything wrong. Make sure you are getting in your protein, your Water and your Vitamin and try not to worry about the numbers. It can be difficult but it will break. Good luck!

"Lucky YOU" indeed Congrats I bet that felt awesome!

I love your attitude, the whole "i'm gonna do it my way because it works for me". Awesome! I am glad to hear you are doing so well! Ever since my pre-op diet (which was super low carb and high protein) I have never followed my surgeon's "orders" perfectly because they didn't work for me. They don't know it, but after a few weeks of only losing 1 or 2 lbs per week I had a frappuccino... and that week I lost 4 lbs! My nut said "whatever you changed, keep it up!" I laughed hysterically after I got back to my car. But guess what, each week I had a frappuccino and I kept losing good numbers. I never told them but it worked for me. I guess my body just didn't like being "that" low in carbs. Now that I'm post-op, I do watch my Proteins, but I'll still have a treat here and there... I just don't worry about it! Its working for me and I'm happy about that Congrats again!!

For me, the answer was yes... however there were some things that my sleeve just doesn't like even if I try a bit or two. One of them is hot foods, so no more medium/hot wings for me! pizza sits very heavy for me, so I typically just eat the cheese and toppings. Mac and cheese would be iffy for me... sometimes Pasta hits me hard. I am only 6 months out though and have only tried these things recently, and in very small amounts. I think that one day I'll be able to tolerate a larger variety of foods. It was one of the reasons I chose this surgery... because I wouldn't have restrictions!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! That is amazing, both the weight loss and the triathlon! Thank you for sharing!

For high protein/low carb I use chobani plain yogurt. I add in a scoop of unflavored Protein powder, some torani sugar free vanilla syrup (i highly recommend), some walnuts and some cinnamon/nutmeg. Love this! And it is very high in protein. After surgery I could barely eat any, but now at 6 months out I can finish the container in an hour. Good luck!

Awesome job! You look great Thank you for updating us!

Welcome Ana Congrats on being sleeved!! We are about the same height (i'm 5'2") and I'm also hoping to be in the 120-130 range (though my ticker reflects a goal weight of 115, which i picked strictly because it was in the middle of the normal BMI range). I'm glad to hear that your recovery has been good for! You have definitely come to the right place for support and info! Oh, and in case no one else made it official- Welcome to the Loser's Bench

This was me... literally until this morning! I went three weeks with NOTHING. I went back to basics. I hit my Protein goal and drank my Water and stayed away from treats (for the most part). This last week I also stayed off the scale to give my head a break. I'm not sure if it was the water or just time but today my stall broke. It will pass, just give it some time. I know how frustrating it can be! Oh, some people suggested to me to change up your routine, I kinda did that as well as this weekend I went away so everything was different. I got back Sunday but waited until this morning (my normal weigh in day/time) to weigh in. Good luck and chin up!

Congrats everybody!! I think this is a good idea, i've noticed that a lot of people seems down recently as well. My most recent NSV was this weekend. I went to my old school and I saw a few people who haven't seen me since before I lost any weight (down 105 now) and they didn't recognize me! That was pretty cool for me

I don't have any advice since I was lucky enough to not have to do the pre-op liquid diet, but good luck and it will be over before you know it!

I am JEALOUS! That looks PERFECT!! I am going to bookmark it and see if I can find some close by. Did it taste good? I know sometimes pre-made chicken can taste off... Thanks so much for sharing!

Congrats I remember the first day I didn't "need" to take a nap in the afternoon... I never did because of time but everyday I felt like I needed one. When I finally went through the whole day without thinking about the nap I wish I could have had... it felt awesome! Now when I nap... its just because I love naps lol.

I agree with wishes, the incisions from my surgery I don't care about, and honestly they almost look like birthmarks, they are so tiny and at this point (6 months out) can barely be seen. My stretch marks?? I HATE them. I think some of the ones on my shoulders have faded a bit, but my stomach? Well the only thing I can hope is that if I ever can get my extra skin removed the stretch marks will go with it!