PhatGurl80

Great job, girl! and I LOVE that ticker!

When I was on full liquids and soft foods, Cream of Wheat was my go-to! I couldn't wait to eat it lol. However, I also couldn't wait to get on soft foods so I could have the tasty cheese re-fried beans everyone talked about. When I tried it, my tummy said "Nope! Not for me!" I was a little disappointed lol. But overall anything doughy and meat like steaks and ground beef sit very heavy for me and i'm 15 weeks out.

I'm 3 months out and still afraid to try :S

Hey All! I am definitely IN! Now I fell a little short on the Christmas Challenge. My goal was 215 and I ended up at like 218.2. However, I weighed myself again just yesterday and it said 221.5 So, i'm goign to start with the higher number. Starting Weight - 221.5 Goal Weight - 210.00 I decided to be a bit more conservative since i'm now going into 4 months out. Weight loss is slowing down a bit, but that puts me at losing aout a pound and 1/2 per week. I think that's doable. Good luck everyone!

Hi Lisa, it sounds like overall you are doing quite well. I think i cried once or twice being so frustrated I couldn't eat what my brain wanted to. My sleeve definitely now wears the pants in this relationship with food lol. It'll take a little while for your brain to adjust to your actual physical limitations with eating. When you're able to eat solids again, you'll start to feel better. And when you see the pounds come off, everything will come into perspective. Good luck and Happy New Year to you.

Agreed! Thanks for posting

Great story! Thanks for sharing and good luck with everything you do!

That sounds great! I just watched a news story about how support groups/counseling via phone were proven to be just as successful with helping people lose weight as face to face groups/counseling. My main reason for not going to.a.support group yet is convenience and location. I would definitely participate in a virtual group for the convenience factor.

Merry Christmas Sleevers! Well today I weighed in at 218.2 for the Christmas Challenge. My goal was 215....soo close! But i'm not worried, as long as the lbs are going down and not up. Plus I feel great that I've been sticking to exercise (bootcamp, yoga, running). My ultimate goal is to get to 175lbs by May. I wholeheartedly believe this can be done. Good luck everyone!

I've used calorie counter by fatsecret.com. I love it.

Now, I am no shake expert, but i'm sure you could create your own shake with some lowfat or fatfree vanilla icecream or frozen yogurt, put in a little bit of that Hershey's sugar free Strawberry syrup and blend with some ice and/or skim milk. I use the strawberry syrup in my protein shakes and I think it's delicious.

I agree with longerlife, if its been rough for u thus far, I'd follow your plan layed out by your Dr. as best you can and don't rush anything. Like I said I had no trouble testing the waters since I never got nausea and my pain even dwindled away quicker than what I thought it would

I didn't do a puree phase. After about two weeks of liquids and soup I went to soft foods like mashed potatoes, chilli, beans w/ cheese... I went to solids about a week after that. I hadn't been nauseous or anything tho so that's probably helped my progression.

I would really like to know the chances of having gall bladder issues after WLS. Ive seen some posts wiyh people having to get them removed. What causes these issues? What are some red flags ?

I resolve to make those steps towards mental health that I've been contemplating prior to my weight loss.

Wow. Thanks for all of the replies! I'll do some more reading up on that topic!

Yesterday marked 5 weeks post-op. I'm not officially weighing in until Monday, but I think I've lost another 2 lbs this week. At 6 weeks I'm going to do another video blog and take some pictures so I can compare them later. So, I wanted to dedicate this blog entry to my one and only. My fiance. He has actually been very encouraging and supportive throughout this whole journey. When I first brought it up a year and a half ago, he told me to do what I think will make me feel better and be healthier, but he also said he loved me no matter what. I've always felt so self-concious standing next to him because he's very slim. He's 6ft 1in and weighs 186. At the start of my sleeve journey I was 5ft 6in and weighed 270. Yeah, we looked like the number "10" standing side by side lol. Again, he never had a problem w/ that...I did. I told myself last fall of 2010 that instead of having an invasive surgery, I'd give one last REAL try at excercising and eating right to lose weight. Again....one last time I failed. From Fall to Spring 2011 I lost 10lbs then gained back 15. I was devistated that as many trials and tribulations that I've gotten though, this ONE thing keeps defeating me. I told my fiance in May of 2011 that I want to have the surgery, we came up w/ $5,000 because my insurance doesn't cover. At no point did he ever try to talk me out of it and I think deep down he thought that it would truly make me happy. We flew to Mexico together in September and he was there every step of the way. He wanted to document everything right down to taking pictures of the partially removed stomach. We workout together. He makes me tea and broth... he's just been amazing. He and my best friend from childhood are the only ones who know about the surgery. I just can't say enough about how happy I am to be marrying this man. He's accepted me before and I know he will accept me after I hit my goal. I can't wait to become the complete woman I know I was meant to be.