SKCUNNINGHAM

Tiffykins - If you weren't expecting and just maintaining your loss, how frequently do you get your blood nutrients checked with a full set of labs? Or, do you just have specific things checked?

I crushed or cut any tablets I took at first, and gradually got the pieces bigger as I was farther from surgery. I have been taking all of my pills whole for a few months now. Vitamins and minerals, which tend to be large, I get in a chewable or sublingual form. Most pharmacies have a clever gadget that can crush or cut pills for just a few bucks. Good luck.

Congratulations! You are AWESOME! Can't wait to join you in the "100 pound club".

If you want to spend time at your family's place and you want to make sure you stay on your plan, take food with you. If your husband wants to go somewhere with you, take a small ice chest and take what food and drinks you need. I have gotten through the first seven months doing that. I will not let myself be put into a situation where I need to eat and don't have any good options. Good Luck.

If you are on blood pressure meds, check your blood pressure - it could be very low. Mine was, and I had to reduce my BP medicine. I was also anemic and had to start taking Iron. Also, it took me a couple of weeks to recover from the anesthesia. Hope you feel better soon.

Coops - I'm sorry to hear you injured yourself and have to be on medication. That is miserable! I can sympathize - I sprained my ankle badly, and was in a boot cast for 5 weeks and an ankle stabilizer for 3 weeks (next week will be the last week). I had to watch my intake carefully - and my weight loss has really slowed down since the injury. I am looking forward to getting back to my pre-injury exercise program. Resist the urge to comfort yourself with food. All the bad carbs in my house were talking to me something fierce after my injury. I resisted - but it was tough. If I felt the urge to munch, I would eat a serving of raw sugar snap peas, or a serving of raw carrots, or 1 ounce of beef Jerky. Again - my heart goes out to you. Hope you feel better soon.

I think my taste and sense of smell have changed since my surgery. I really enjoy the natural sweetness of certain foods - baby carrots, scallops, sugar snap peas, etc. I am really enjoying the taste of steamed squash with just the tiniest hint of butter and lightly salted. I haven't been eating any white carbs or high fat / high sugar foods, so I guess I have learned to appreciate the subtle pleasures of what I am eating. I do think my body only appreciates the "good" foods if I stay away from the "bad" foods. I had 1" of a twice-baked potato half last weekend. When I put that potatoe-y / cheesy bite in my mouth, I thought I could hear angels singing! Truly it tasted wonderful. But I had eaten my 3 oz. of Protein and had eaten a veggie serving, and stopped at 3 bites of the potatoe. Any more and I would have passed the full point where I stop eating. My sense of smell has gotten very acute. I can smell chocolate if there is any around me. I can smell sugary candies if I get anywhere close to them. Kind of funny, really.

What you are experiencing is normal. You will get better - by the second or third week my acid was much more in control. When I would feel acidy, I would drink Water and use one of those dissolving GAS-X strips. I took Famotidine (Pepcid AC) in the morning and prilosec at night. Also, drinking broth seemed to help the acid not be so annoying. Hang in there - you are going through the toughest time of your whole journey. It gets better, and starts getting really fun as you see the pounds and inches melt away. I am spending the weekend getting all of my size 16's packed up to get rid of. I have dropped from a size 24 Women's to a size 12 or 14 Petite. I am still losing - have another 25 pounds to go. I don't know what size I will end up. Good luck!

I'm old school - I use a small notebook and record everything I eat and drink. I track ounces of liquids, calories, and grams of protein, carbs and fat. I do have a smartphone with an app on it, but I like the notebook.

Congratulations! Collar bones are great!

My size 16's are leaving the buidling! I am now into 14's and some 12's, so by-by 16's! The guys at the local thrift shop are used to seeing me come by on Saturdays with a box or two. I'm on a big cleaning spree, in addition to losing weight. I seem to want o get rid of all my excess baggage, not just the pounds.

Back in 1987, I lost about 100 pounds through Modifast. I had just completed the re-feeding phase and started maintenance when I started having gallbladder attacks. I had my gallbladder removed the old fashioned way. But, from the size of the stones I had, I had been haviing gallbladder problems for years, and didn't recognize that was what was happening. It was wonderful to get rid of it - no more "stomach" problems! Doctors won't take out a perfectly fine, non-diseased gallbladder - the same way they won't take out a perfectly functioning appendix. If you are worried you will lose yours afterwards, get the tests done prior to determine if you have exisiting gallbladder problems. If you do, find a surgeon that will take it out while you are getting sleeved. Good luck - it seems you are doing a lot of research on this procedure. So did I. I am very glad I chose the sleeve - it was the right decision for me.

I bought underwear that fit as soon as I shrunk out of the previous size - I hate the feel of loose underwear. I also invested in belts (something I had avoided) to keep my pants up. I realized I needed a belt when I was wearing a lose pair of jeans, reached up into the cabinet to get a glass from the second shelf, and my jeans fell down around my ankles. Thankfully, I wasn't entertaining guests. I wanted to look OK at work, so I wouldn't let what I was wearing be too loose and baggy. I shrunk back into clothes I had kept and bought some. I looked at thrift stores and resale shops, and also shopped outlet sales. I've also swapped some clothes with my sisters. I had a few garments tailored, to have them last a longer in how they fit. When I bought garments, I bought things with an eye to how they would look on me as I continued to shrink. Good luck - this is the fun part!

I wore a weight support belt around my stomach for the first two weeks - 24 hours a day (except when I showered). It made it easier to move around and easier to sleep. With the weight support belt, a heating pad, and pillows propped around my stomach, i could sleep on the side they didn't pull the stomach through. I didn't sleep with the heating pad, just used it before sleep.

Try Isopure PLUS. It is fruit flavored, either grape frost or punch. The flavors remind me of crystal lite flavors. Each 8 ounce bottle has 15 grams of Protein. So if you drink 32 oz of it during the day, you get your 60 grams of protein. I ordered mine from Amazon and it was shipped directly to my house (in the middle of nowhere). ISOPURE PLUS is different from the ISOPURE regular product - I can't stand how the regular tastes, but like the PLUS. If you aren't getting in protein, you are going to feel weak. Try to get some in.

There is a woman who is a mentor to a lot of people on this forum - her screen name is Tiffykins. She has lost and maintained her weight, and is now about mid-way into her pregnancy. She has done a lot of research on pregnancy and VSG,. She would be a great resource for you to correspond with. You could find her and send her a private message, if she doesn't happen to see your post.

Queenmab - here is what I did in the last seven months. I did not do a lot of exercise the first six weeks. At six weeks, I started walking at work. (Huge building – large halls – organized walkers) and using my elliptical. At about 4-5 months, I started doing Zumba class once a week. I haven’t any exercise for the last 6 weeks because I have had a cast on my right foot and ankle. I just got out of it into an ankle stabilizer, so it’s back to walking and the elliptical – but no Zumba for a while. I will start physical therapy on my ankle in another two weeks and will find out when I can start back to Zumba. I am going to start working out with light weights and doing floor exercises (lunges, squats and ab exercises) and am looking to add a spinning class or two a week. From the standpoint of eating – I started out barely able to get 40 grams of Protein in a day. By about 3 weeks into sold foods, I was able to get my 60 grams of protein a day. (if I'm remembering right) I counted total calories, grams of protein, grams of carbs, grams of fat and ounces of fluids. I was tried to keep the carbs low – usually ranged from 30 – 60 grams per day – but wasn’t as adamant about the carbs as some on the forum. But my carbs primarily came from veggies, a few fruits, cottage cheese, yogurt, and the prepared Protein shakes. I do not eat white carbs – bread, Pasta, potatoes, crackers (except melba toast or flatbread) or cereals. I measured (still do!) my food – my food scale and measuring cup are my best friend. I kept my calories to around 500 from 6 weeks to about 5 months – then went to about 600. At 6 months I raised it again, and now eat between 600 and 800. I try to get between 60 – 80 grams of protein per day.. For Breakfast, I eat a protein smoothie made in my magic bullet, or drink a Protein shake. Once in a while to vary the monotony I will eat cottage cheese and fruit and may add a little extra protein into the mix. If I make a shake it is with nectar Protein powder – I like the fuzzy navel flavor – which I mix with part of a frozen bananna and frozen strawberries, or the chocolate flavor mixed with a low cal yogurt. For a snack – I might have 2 laughing cow wedges on melba toast, or a baby bell light cheese or an Activia light yogurt. For lunch – I make tuna salad out of the foil packages of tuna, mixed with 2 T of dill relish and 2 T of lite miracle whip. Or I have 3 ounces of chicken breast or 3 ounces of salmon (again from the foil pouch). I will usually eat a veggie at lunch – either cherry tomatoes, green Beans, sugar snap peas, carrots or cucumbers. For a snack – I will have one of the cheese Snacks from above, or another helping of veggies. Now that I’m eating 80 grams of protein, I might have 15 grams of protein from beef Jerky as a snack. For dinner – it’s usually 3 ounces of some kind of protein (the choices listed above) or beef or pork or grilled fish or grilled chicken. Sometimes I make an omelet with one egg, 2T of cheese, some sautéed mushrooms, and 1 ounce of protein. I have another serving of veggies with dinner – I love steam squashed or steamed asparagus or fresh sliced tomatoes. Sometimes for lunch or dinner, I go to a Chinese food restaurant or a Mexican food restaurant. If I eat Chinese food – it is chicken and veggies, beef and veggies, or shrimp and veggies. I get 2 to 3 meals from the meal. If I eat Mexican – it is chicken fajitas – no rice, no beans, no tortillas. Again – 2 to 3 meals from the meal. I also eat the fresh salsa like gazpacho – about ¼ - 1/3 cup. That restaurant also does steamed zucchini as a veggie – and I eat some of it. If I want a treat in the evening, I have a low cal sugar free pudding or a low cal fudgesicle. I don’t eat sugary or really fatty (fried) foods. I haven't eaten a real "sweet" since the surgery. I think my Calcium chews (like caramels) are a wonderful "treat" when I have them in the morning. I drink between 60 ounces and 100 ounces of Fluid per day. I don’t drink carbonated beverages or caffeinated beverages. I have sipped a little bit (2 mouthfuls) of alcohol 3 times during the seven months. It goes straight to my head. I don’t plan on having a real drink until I am at goal. M2G - Here is a picture of me at Christmas. I met with my doctor about January 10th, and started my pre surgery diet on February 9th. My surgery was on February 22nd. The second picture is of me on March 1st - while I was still home recuperating from the surgery.

What you are experiencing is normal. Your sleeve is working like is should. You will get multiple meals out of your "meals" now. If you push it and eat a bite or two (or spoon or two) too much, your sleeve will communicate its dispeasure to you. Welcome to the world of the sleeve!

I don't drink them - never did. I don't drink caffeine. If you are tired, you might be running low on B12. Or, if you are on blood pressure meds, you may need to take less. Check your blood pressure and see if it is running too low. Both the B12 and BP situation came up with me, and both made me feel just exhausted. Now that my B12 levels are good, and I back off of most of the BP meds per my doctor's orders, I have all the energy I need.

Prior to my surgery, I couldn't get down on the floor without using support, nor could I get back up again without using one or more pieces of furniture to lever myself back up. I avoided doing things that required me to get on the floor. Yesterday at work, I was facilitating a meeting. Think of two big flip charts on easels, several multi-colored markers, and flip charts (filled out) sticking on the walls. Towards the end of the meeting, we needed to score each item on each flip chart. I had stuck them to the walls so they went almost down to the floor. Without thinking, as we were recording the scores on the items on the lower flip charts, I dropped to my knees to be able to reach the lower ones. I had a marker in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, and just knelt. I moved (walked on my knees) that way for a few feet, recording the scores. Then I rose back up to my feet. I did rest my hand on the easel so I wouldn't knock it over as I rose back up - but I didn't use it for support. I didn't even think about it when I did it. A friend who has been very supportive through this whole process pointed it out to me when we were back in my office. Yea! I have mobility back!

Ask if it is possible for them to give you the drug they give people before having an endoscopy. You are awake, relaxed and ameniable to following commands (like :"swallow") - but when you wake up, you have NO MEMORY of anything. I have had two endoscopies in my life and had that drug both times. I was intubated and swallowed some sort of camera /probe. I don't remember anything.

I know how you feel - they day I went for my psych evaluation, I had just found out my sister-in-law (who I love like a sister and was one of my best friends for 30+ years) was going to die. When the doc asked me questions about my mental attitude, I told her I was incredibly sad and why - and there were definatley tears. That doc passed me - I will be celebrating my 7 months sleeve-versary tomorrow. Good Luck to you.

tuna salad (tuna, pickle relish and lite miracle whip), salmon patties (eat the soft insides, not the crust). taco meet with queso, cottage cheese with salsa, pureed hot and hour soup (until it was in small chunks), chicken salad, chicken chooped fine mixed wth salsa, roast beef cut really fine mixed with gravy.

I brought home hot and sour soup from my favorite chinese restarant - and blended it until pureed. It was great!

I have been having so much fun looking at clothes, at fashion magazines, at fashion programs, and trying on clothes. The times in my life I have been thin before, I was at a different point in my life, a different age, and needed different clothes than I do now. I'm trying to figure out what I want to look like now that my choices are wide open again. No longer is "it fits OK" going to be good enough for me. I can buy clothes pretty much anywhere. Now I just have to decide what I want to wear. I kind of would get in a rut - would pick one look I enjoyed and stick with it. In 1975 - 1977 -in college - I lived in blue jeans, peasant tops, and wore earth shoes. I had little sense of fashion - as long as the jeans were clean with no holes, and I had on good smelling perfume, pretty earrings and cute briefs - I thought everything was great. In 1987, when I was a size 8 - I wore tailored suts, silk blouses and 3" heels to work everyday - and loved it. Wore that "uniform" for years - no matter what size I grew to be. In 2001 - when I became a size 8 (again), my heels had dropped (bad ankle, foot surgery) - but was still doing suits for work. The wern't as conservative as previously - but still the same look. I got the opportunity to work from my home office for four years - and traveled occasionally. When I was home - I wore blue jeans, Chuck's on my feet, and an assortment of "life is good" T shirts. Now, the world has changed. My office is professional business casual . On Friday's, blue jeans are OK - I still need to look professional. I am looking through all my stored smaller clothes - keeping some and getting rid of others (even though they fit). I have bought some basics as I shrunk (got to have black pants for work and blue jeans that fit). I have bought some of the Travelers line of clothes at Chico's. They are of fabric that you can wad up into a suitcase then just shake out when you get to your destination - and some of them look really professional. So - bottom line - yes my fahion sense is changing - and I am having a heck of a good time trying to figure out what I want.