SeattleSue

I had them...The occurance seemed to lessen the more I walked and the further away from surgery I got. I think I was swallowing air in my sips. But I found I also got them sometimes when I would stand after sitting for a while. Mine didn't hurt...I felt them coming and would apply gentle pressure across my incisions. Maybe Gas-X strips might help you?

So glad to hear from you! Welcome back (Papa) Jack! Keep it up...you're doing great. Enjoy this time when you'll have no hunger/desire...I say, embrace it. Enjoy your ice-chips (they were soooooooo soothing)...and even make gatorade ice cubes to drop in your water! yum. Now, give me 3 laps!

Good for you! I'm glad I found this site too...with people just like yourself--making informed decisions and moving on. I know you are gonna rock your sleeve!! Go on, bring sexy back!! WOOT WOOT Susan

OMG You look amazing and I am thrilled for you and so excited by your success. Thank you for being so candid. I hope that EVERY military person considering VSG surgery reads this post! And thank you and your husband for your service!!!! God bless you both, Susan

That is so wonderful... I love the comment about not being controlled by food! AWESOME

Welcome Ruby...You are going to do fine! Please touch base and keep us updated. Ask anything you like here, there is a ton of information at your fingertips! Best of luck! Susan

Hey kiddo, are you allowed to have protein shakes? They help... You can do this--it's not easy, but you CAN do this.

Happy Dance for Deevah! Congrats...love the idea about organizing your closet into sizes between now and then! GREAT idea.

Anonynurse... This was very good. Didn't diappoint. I love hollandaise and this was very tasty with a nod in that direction. Thank you! Susan

Ali...you should be buzzing. What a great accomplishment. You can do this and you can do anything! Focus on THAT! Hugs to you girl. Susan

What a great and inspiring post! You do look amazing and 'jumping on a trampoline?" Seriously, I cannot even imagine that for me... That IS a huge NSV. You look wonderful and you sound...content. I'm so happy for you. Susan

Yes, can TOTALLY see a difference. 65 lbs is a big change. Way to go! Gotta say that just looking at your face, it's hard to believe you have 30+ more pounds... Bet you feel wonderful! Susan

lol Did it sound like that? 'Cause I could have just said pull your big girl panties up and stop whining! BAWHAHAHAHA Oh Lord, don't call me a heffa 'cause I may just lose it totally! Kayyybeee, you are a riot!

While you are in the liquid stage...especially clears - you have that "fasting" mouth. Icky breath, coated tongue...it's just not pleasant and your sense of smell becomes very acute. We really "taste" with our noses more than we know, so everything is wacked for a while.

Well My dear, we don't want you messing up that face with an extra foot growing out of your forehead! OK, so I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but me thinks we will be taking them always no matter how well we eat. So, you need to find something you can handle. Hopefully your Nut told you not to take the Iron and the calcium together. I take Ferrous Gluconate because it's fairly easily absorbed into your bod and I take it with dinner because it works best in an acidic environment AND I get sleep through most side affects (I actually haven't had any). I'm not sure that liver is really something ANY good cook can doctor for you unless you are predisposed to liking it in the first place. That's about the most iron rich food their is. BLEH

WOOT WOOT Happy New Life Papa JAck! Can't wait to hear how it went...!

Good for you!!! How exciting... Love that you took a picture of the scale to send, so cute!

OK, so I was all brave with my talk of how I was all mentally prepared for the inevitable “3 Week Stall”. Yeah, big talk sister! Then after no weight loss since last Thursday, I got socked, like an old fashioned cartoon this morning, WHAM! Picture me (or not) in the bathroom, buck naked with my mouth hanging open, standing on my scale and yelling, “GAINED A POUND??! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!” Not a pretty sight! I’m sort of slogging around in the denial stage right now. “…more water…must have more water…” OK, so I know some of you are gonna say that I should stop weighing every day; but shoot, the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. Maybe it just did…probably not, because I know that I’m going to have to work it out and machinate the heck out of this thing, at least the first time. It’s just the way I do things. Grrrrr So anyway, what do I do? I go running straight to this forum and search “stall” and read just about every post that has anything to do with the word stall!! OK, I got through 2 pages full—there are a LOT of us talking about “stall”. The more I read, the more normal I felt (hahaha, that alone was worth the price of admission!) and I stumbled across this amazingly succinct explanation of why we stall. Now, this makes sense to me and I can deal with it a little more rationally (Lord, I hope that’s not gonna earn me another “yeah, big talk sister!”) Thanks to meggiep for posting this link! I thought it was worth bumping up! The WHY behind the STALL Thanks for listening. I hope this link makes someone else feel "normal." Taking life another salty slice at a time... Susan

I've settled in with my Isopure/Cranberry cocktail this morning to see if I can get a few thoughts down about what's been going on in (dun dun dun DAH)...The Battlefield of my Mind! Maybe you remember when you were a new parent and someone said, "Oh a baby changes everything." I do, I sort of was young and invincible, and so my response was a mental, "Duh." Of course, not even a week into child rearing and I was like, "Holy crap, this is hard! How do people do this?!! WAHHHH." Do you remember? Well this, THIS little sleeve of mine? It changes EVERYTHING--it truly is a game changer. Now, it's not bad...but change is not always easy (maybe NEVER for some of us certain personality types...you know who you are...). Maybe easy isn't the right word. Comfortable? Whatever, my point is it's not bad, but it's new and what makes it particularly uncomfortable is being at the bottom of this steep learning curve. Having head knowledge of how to change a poopy diaper is different than hands-on experience when you are getting the "full senses" tour. Don't get me wrong, I am all about having head knowledge and being as prepared as you can be. Doesn't mean I always am...and frankly, I have been known to leap without looking a time or two. I'm a cook. I'm a creator-cook. Cooking is what I do, so I have been cooking for my family since I was day 6 post-op. I've made Red Beans & Rice with Andouille Sausage, Arroz Con Pollo, Southwest Taco Chili, Salmon & Rice Pilaf, Beef Peppercorn Stirfry, Sweedish Meatballs... I mean, I like to cook! Now to some of you, that may seem like unecessary torture, but the truth is, I will always be cooking for my family, making lunches for my son's. Preparing delicious meals is what I take pleasure in doing. Now I just have to deal with not "tasting and partaking" like I did. But regardless of what we are exposed to, the fundamental truth to all of us is that we have an addiction (and I realize that not everyone here does...some have physical or chemical reasons for being overweight) but most of us do, and we have to cohabitate and live with our "poison". This isn't like removing all alcohol from our lives to avoid drinking. We still have to eat, period. I read a book some months ago written by the wife of a singer whose teenage son accident'y ran over their little 5 year old daughter. The book is entitled, Choosing to See, by Marybeth Chapman. I know it seems random, but sometimes concepts transcend topics. The books title has stuck with me...as much as the amazing story of healing and courage did. I am choosing to see. Choosing to see the truth of why I eat, why I have to stop, why it is OK to do this for me (this may be a foreign thought to some of you, but it seems to be a real stronghold for people of certain faiths), and that it really isn't just about me but about the impact I'm supposed to have on my loved ones. What I eat impacts others and it does matter. So I said all that to say, someone recently asked me if I still obsess about food. The answer is an unequivical YES. I'm not sure you heard me over there in Idaho, but YEEEESSSS. The motivation has somewhat changed...so I'll cut myself some slack. When you haven't chewed in 4 weeks, even gumming greek yogurt is almost euphoric. I am not overstating this fact. Eating half of a Ricotta Bake (by Shelly), is enough to make you cry. I did. I savored every little tiny miniscule particle that I put on my tongue...all the while knowing that this moment might lead to, gulp, constipation. What's changed is that I'm spending as much or more time on food now because I'm reading labels for a whole new sub-set of information. It's similar to WW with Fat/Fiber/Protein...and yet it's really all about the protein and the carbs. There is some mental gymnastics for hitting daily targets. It's not hard, it's just different. After some time, I expect to know quite a bit about a variety of foods...just as I use to know the point values of most of my favorites. Am I mourning the pleasure of snarfing? Yes. OK, if I tell you somthing, you have to promise it's just between us, ok? My son had McD's in the car (he's a brave boy...get's it from his mamma) and I asked him for a french fry. Just one. SHHHHHHHHH! Yes I did! And I ate it too!!!!!! And it was...G-0-0-D. And one was enough. My guilty pleasure was met and paid for and it was enough. Sure, I chewed it till it completely disolved in my mouth...and yes, I know that it could be a slippery slope....but I felt like I snarfed and it made my screaming mind shut-up. Seriously. I totally nipped my whiny mind in the bud by giving it a fry. It didn't bother me after that. I felt like a won. I certainly didn't feel deprived anymore and ultimately, I felt good about having just one! So, as I head into week 3...did I mention I hit that inevitable "STALL"? Yeah, the minute I introduced yogurt, cream of wheat, etc. I hit the stall. I knew it was coming and I also know that IT is not going to be a game changer for me. Mentally, I've won this battle because really, what the heck can I do? Haha Hopefully it's just a quick blip and I don't lose face on the bravado I'm feeling right now. As I was saying, as I head into week 3...I'm facing the constipation consideration: Not just having less frequent BM's, but actually feeling the urge to go but can't...so I'll increase my water, try to increase my activity a bit, add some fiber. Try to get my BP stabelized--which has dropped dramatically from 145/80 ish to about 95/70....I've had a reduction in meds so we're working on it. It's not just the 30 pounds, but it is the decrease in sodium, no doubt. So as you see...I'm not obsessing-free yet. I totally look forward to that day, but for now, I'll take things one salty slice at a time and try to keep things in perspective. Thanks for listening. May the Lord bless and keep you, Susan

Eureka!!! Thank you Tiffykins (bumping up for all us newbies!)

OK, so I was all brave with my talk of how I was all mentally prepared for the inevitable “3 Week Stall”. Yeah, big talk sister! Then after no weight loss since last Thursday, I got socked, like an old fashioned cartoon this morning, WHAM! Picture me (or not) in the bathroom, buck naked with my mouth hanging open, standing on my scale and yelling, “GAINED A POUND??! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!” Not a pretty sight! I’m sort of slogging around in the denial stage right now. “…more water…must have more water…” OK, so I know some of you are gonna say that I should stop weighing every day; but shoot, the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. Maybe it just did…probably not, because I know that I’m going to have to work it out and machinate the heck out of this thing, at least the first time. It’s just the way I do things. Grrrrr So anyway, what do I do? I go running straight to this forum and search “stall” and read just about every post that has anything to do with the word stall!! OK, I got through 2 pages full—there are a LOT of us talking about “stall”. The more I read, the more normal I felt (hahaha, that alone was worth the price of admission!) and I stumbled across this amazingly succinct explanation of why we stall. Now, this makes sense to me and I can deal with it a little more rationally (Lord, I hope that’s not gonna earn me another “yeah, big talk sister!”) Thanks to meggiep for posting this link! I thought it was worth bumping up! The WHY behind the STALL Thanks for listening. I hope this link makes someone else feel "normal." Susan

HAHAHAHAHAHA My 16 year old is the WORST He was not raised in a barn--when did he start eating like that??? IS THAT NEW OR IS ITJUST ME ROFL (hormones?)