Terry H.

200+ pounds to lose right here Debi. I want to lose at least 220 and hopefully more like 240. As of this morning I'm down 111 so halfway to Onderland. I've been working on it since June and had surgery in October. I've now crossed the line of losing more than half of my loss since surgery with 60 lbs in about 3 and a half months. I saw my surgeon a couple of weeks ago and he thinks it will take me about another year to get there. Based on the progress I'm making, that is fine with me. Good luck to you!

I really like Sushi/Sashimi too. I've had it several times since surgery. I usually share with friends and have a couple of rolls or pieces with rice and then some sashimi. I don't eat all the rice on the regular sushi though or I wouldn't have room for anything else. Cooked items I've had include ebi (steamed shrimp), spider (soft shelled crab), tempura shrimp roll, and eel. The tempura shrimp and crab are the only breaded/fried things I've had since being sleeved but since they are sliced very small the calorie load is acceptable to me. Enjoy your birthday!

The clean plate club was a bad thing. In my grade school, we were also encouraged to go back for more after cleaning our plate so I took a double hit. No wonder then that I really started packing it on when I turned 8. I've found it easy to work through my clean plate issues at home - smaller plate and a measured portion. When dining out I purposefully choose small dishes most of the time and I've come to terms with the focus being on the Protein. If I like the protein (or if it is destined for my dogs), I will take the part I can't eat to go. Otherwise, I've pretty much come to terms with the idea that the food is already wasted when cooked. Therefore, I can eat it or not eat it and it won't make a difference to any one else. The amazing thing about the surgery and my perception is that almost all restaurant portions now seem so gigantic to me that I can't fathom EVER having been able to eat them (of course I did). That somehow also takes pressure off me to finish.

Deep Water Aerobics twice a week (starting this week) and two regular water aerobic sessions. More exercise all around. That should keep me on the path to onderland via twoderville. :not_ripe:

Well, I can't speak for your general condition of course, but I was freezing sometimes in the early days (and sometimes now too). I'd be in warm clothes, under a blanket, with a heating pad. Still today I find, as do most, that I run cooler in general. I sometimes take a hot shower just to warm up and I am wearing an undershirt, shirt, and sweater most days. That would have suffocated me pre-surgery.

Seems to me it took about 3 weeks but that might just be when I got notification. I called Aetna to check on it and my phone rang - surgeons office to tell me I was approved. Coincidence? I think not!

Right you are Moon Siren... here is my latest - Sugar Free apple cider - hot with caramel flavored syrup = caramel apple. Try to make that a bad thing!

OK, here's one for the books... Last night I was at the grocery store. I was pulling out to leave when the wind blew a cart loose (yup, it was a strong persistent windy rainy day yesterday). I didn't want it to hit any cars, so I put my car in park and ran (ok, slowly but still) after the cart. After retrieving it, another one blew loose and I was able to grab that one too. I got back in my car and realized that before surgery I probably wouldn't have stood a chance of catching the cart - much less two. So it may not sound like much, but I'm definitely getting more confident and active.

I'm a type II diabetic (off meds since surgery). Anytime my blood sugars fluctuate my eyesight takes time to adjust. During that time, I'll have blurry vision and have trouble reading closer without reading glasses. It usually adjusts itself within a month or two. I had blurry vision for a while right after surgery but when my blood sugar normalized, the problem resolved. Given your diet has changed pretty dramatically, this may be happening to you as well - or it could just be coincidence as previously stated.

Adding Crystal Light or Propel to water can help a lot. Plain water is sometimes hard for me even 2,5 months out. I still use a lot of sugar free popsicles to bolster my liquids.

Hi. I was a side sleeper and that didn't work for me for about a month. I slept in a recliner during that time as I couldn't be comfortable laying in bed flat on my back. Have you tried that? I didn't take sleeping pills during that time, but I did try to do a routine to get ready for sleep (somewhat effective). First a warm shower and then a warm drink. I also listened to music which seemed a great help. I have an album that I listen to when I have trouble sleeping. It has become a trigger to me and I rarely get past about the 3rd song before I drift off. Hope that helps and Happy Holidays to you too!

It seems I go through spurts of a pound a day then a gain of a pound or two with stall. The stalls last 3-9 days. Of course your mileage will vary!

So here is my day so far: B - I made Shelley's Protein Pumpkin pancake for Breakfast (eggface recipe) L (the big meal) - I made a mock panini turkey cordon bleu (my own recipe) and had 3 oz Coated turkey cutlets with a parmasean, sage, salt, pepper mixture Heated pan with a couple of teaspoons of butter and maybe a tablespoon of chicken stock (to keep it moist) I browned both sides of the cutlet and heated up a slice of spiral ham Then I stacked a cutlet, a slide of smoked swiss, a slice of ham (sized same as cutlet) and then another cutlet. I sprinkled some asiago on top and turned it over to brown the asiago and then repeated for the other side My wife says it was the best turkey she had ever had. I also had spoonfuls of broccoli cheese casserole, sweet potato casserole, and stuffing. About 200 calories total. Not sure what I'll have the rest of the day. I am very satisfied though and don't feel at all deprived. Enjoy

I walked the mall and other indoor places early out (also treadmill at the gym). Last night was my first real workout (I'm six weeks out) and I did water aerobics. That felt really good.

My NUT recommended adding dry skim milk powder to things to up the protein content. Recently I've been making swiss miss diet cocoa with 10 oz of hot water, 1/3 cup of dry skim milk, and some unsweetened protein powder, with some splenda. VERY rich hot cocoa flavor with a decent protein content.

<p>I'm coming up</p> <p>on six weeks out and I've eaten out several times. Here's some of the choices I've made:</p> <p> </p> <p>Mexican - Grilled Shrimp with refried Beans (about 3 meals worth)</p> <p>Vietnamese - wonton soup (I opened the won tons and ate the contents and the broth); Steamed dumplings (discarded the wrapper and ate the contents)</p> <p>Greek - chicken Franchese (chicken cutlet in egg batter and a lemon sauce about 3 meals worth); Soup</p> <p>Fast food - Grilled chicken thigh (discarded the skin); Wendy's chili</p> <p>French - Grilled salmon (sauce on the side 2 meals +)</p> <p>Bistro - Crab dip (shared with my wife); Hu

I'm six weeks out now. I stopped taking metformin a week before surgery and actos at surgery. My blood sugars immediatly fell. They were actually on the low side for a while but have leveled off right around 95-110 and that seems pretty normal to me. :biggrin5: I'm planning to see my PCP soon and hope to get off the BP meds also. My readings since surgery have been normal/low.

Believe me Laura, the last day of that course was a happy day. I'm down to 3 pills a day and they are tiny. Just taking my ppi, bp med, and allopurinol for gout. Really hoping to lose the bp med soon and maybe the allopurinol one day. Take care and hang in there.

Yeah, those pills were a treat. They can't be taken as powder, broken, or cut. I took about 3 days worth before the surgery and then waited until the second week before I took the rest. I was on a PrevPac which was 8 pills a day for a 14 day course. My only advice is to space them out a little bit and take them with a couple of sips to help them slide down. First thing in the morning didn't work so well for me, so I took them mid-morning and later in the evening. I want to have another test for h.pylori now to be sure I knocked it out given that I broke up the series into two parts (before and after surgery). I took them sometimes with a shake and that seemed to slide them down better. Good luck!

I have a VERY big (but shrinking) stomach. It was not comfortable for me to lay on my side for about a month. I slept in the recliner. I think this is one of those very individual things.

TDSK, many people have to do some dieting to satisfy insurance requirements. Once I decided to get the surgery I committed to changing my behavior to maximize my health before surgery and my chances of success with the weight loss. I stopped drinking with meals, dropped soda and caffine, and practiced taking in liquids and eating slowly. The difference with this diet for me was that I knew it wouldn't be coming back. Remember that the sleeve is a tool to help you but you still need the discipline to stick to a program to get the weight off and keep it off long term. Take this opportunity to prepare and kiss those pounds good bye.... and cheat once in a while just for fun.

Mine lasted 9 days and hopefully broke today (down a pound). Dang, I didn't like it much but I was losing inches like crazy. Thankfully I'd read enough to prepare and control my dissapointment. So I know the sleeve will work, this is a journey, and we just have to be patient. Hang in there.

In the hospital, one thing that saved my sanity was my iphone. I didn't make any calls, but I did listen to music with noise blocking ear buds. It really helped me rest.

I wish I had weaned myself off the lortab pain medication a couple of days sooner. It led to a constipation problem that I wouldn't want to repeat.

I'm coming to the end of my 4th week. It is so textbook, but I am having a stall. Losing the inches in the last few days is quite nice though. So far, I'm down a total of 70 lbs total and 19 since my surgery Oct 10. That ain;t hay! :cornut: I'm not having any trouble with liquids or Protein (still do a lot of shakes). Mushies have gone down well. It still surprises me how I can't eat a single little egg but how satisfying that 3/4 I can eat can be. My 4 week follow up is next Tuesday and I should be released to soft foods. Every day gets better and feels more "normal". My spirits are high and I think this will be a big success for me. Best wishes to my fellow Octoberians.