Lissa

Try a church or local women's center for lower cost therapy. Lissa

Awesome NSVs!!! Lissa

Great job!! Congrats!! Lissa

Thanks Barbb! I'll check that out!

I think depression happens because we are so excited before surgery that the post-op phase can be a bit of a let-down. However, it shouldn't last long and I've found that exercise helps to really push those blues away. A friend of mine had post-partum depression and was opposed to meds, so her doctor prescribed 20 minutes of sweat-producing exercise daily. When she started doing that, her depression immediately improved! I don't know what it does specifically, but he made referenes to sweat-producing exercise releasing endorphins/serotonin to combat the depression. I've been using that theory to motivate me to exercise!

There is a clothing swap forum. It's not super active, but it's there. I've actually been given clothes by a couple of people on this site and I'm getting ready to post some clothes myself to give to someone else.

It sounds like you're doing great! Walking really helps boost the metabolism, plus it makes your legs and butt look great!

I don't take Vit C except as part of my multi-vitamin. Have you had success with adding the Vit C to your supplements or are you just looking for information? I do find that B12 makes a huge difference in my energy levels.

Slightly nauseated could be because you didn't drink enough Water while working out, or you ate too close to when you worked out. Stomach pain could have a number of causes, depending on where the pain is located. If it is inside your stomach, then it could be related to the nausea. If it's in your abdominal area, then you could have loose skin bouncing around while you work out and that can definitely cause discomfort. You could also be holding in your stomach while you exercise, which can make the muscles sore because you are using muscles that you haven't been using before. It's also possible that you are being too ambitious by starting the C25K without having done other cardio to improve your ability to breathe. I still have to really concentrate on breathing when I'm on the exercise bike because I have a tendency to want to pant instead of taking in deep breaths and then giving a full exhale. I'm finding that I have more energy to finish if I work on breathing properly instead of panting and huffing and puffing. The panting/huffing leaves me feeling achy in my core and diminishes the quality of my workout. When I breathe properly, I feel the burn in my legs and glutes instead of in my stomach area. Good luck and keep up the good work!!

I had a small piece of stitch sticking out and my doctor told me to just pull that with tweezers. I think the internal ones are supposed to be dissolving stitches, but they sometimes work to the surface instead. My little piece looked like a tiny black hair and came out with no pain or fuss.

If I want pepperoni and cheese, I simply put a couple of pepperoni on a paper towel with a little shredded cheese and either microwave them or cook them in a small non-stick skillet until the it's all hot. That gives you the pizza flavors without the crust. I've done that with quite a few things. I just create a non-bread version of it. I really liked roast beef sandwiches before surgery, so now I make roast beef rollups with a couple of slices of roast beef, swiss cheese and a pickle! One of those is lunch a couple of times a week for me. I use sweet pickles, but you can use any kind you like, or substitute olives (green or black) if that's your preference. I actually ate a Peanut Butter and banana sandwich on one of those mini bread rounds the other day. It was really good and was just the carb boost I needed before I worked out! Good luck!

Oh, I still have that clothes dream sometimes! Especially since it seems like I cannot get/keep all of my clothes put away. When I do laundry, I have to sort out the stuff that's too big and put it in a pile, then go back and see if any of those clothes can be altered to fit me. Clothes are a never-ending problem right now. The worst is bathing suits. If it fits today, it wont fit in a week. It's embarassing to have to fight the shoulder straps because they are falling off, yet the rest of the suit fits fine right now. I'm planning to go shopping this week and see if they make a suit that has adjustable straps and decent seam lines that I could adjust as I lose weight. Anyone got suggestions for brands/styles? It would be awesome if I could find one that was built like a wrap dress!

Great NSV! Even better, those catty girls were envious because your clothes are now too big! I'm loving it!

I HATE it when someone puts the word "only" in front of their weight loss. It's one of my pet peeves. You're diminishing your own accomplishment by doing that. You HAVE lost 45 pounds in 3 months! That's wonderful! By putting only in front of that weight loss, you make it sound trivial and unimportant...and it's NOT trivial; it IS important! That's 45 pounds of ugly, nasty, unhealthy fat to which you have said Goodbye forever! It's 45 pounds of possible heart-attacks, diabetes, asthma and stroke that you have flushed down the drain or burned into oblivion. You are now 45 pounds healthier, 45 pounds slimmer, 45 pounds closer to goal...and in ONLY 3 months! How fast could you lose 45 pounds before? At two pounds a week, you'd have needed more than 5 months of absolute diligence and compliance with a diet and exercise program...if you could stick to it that long. I had a terrible time with that before surgery and I think most of us had a tough time. Plus, pre-op, you'd be guaranteed to gain it all back. That 45 pounds you've lost is NOT coming back. It got lost and is going to stay lost! Good luck, but please don't say "only". You have done an amazing job with your tool! Keep rocking that sleeve!

Well, I hope that I never come across as mean or nasty! I enjoy your posts and am always happy to see your name in a thread! This IS my support group. I attend one IRL and I talk to a therapist regularly, but I'm on here daily to learn and, hopefully, pass along what I've learned to others.

Hi Jess! I'm so happy to see that things are going well for you! I doubt you'll get cleared for strenuos cardio until at least week 3. He'll probably tell you to keep walking, but the benefits of the walking add up fast! Are you loving the book the nutritionist gives out? I swear I lived and breathed that book for the first few weeks. You're doing great on the weight loss so far! I count from my highest weight and haven't quite made 90 pounds yet, but I'm really stepping up the exercise now so I'll get there soon. If you see this and you're stil in Sebastian after 11:30, give me a call. I'd love to meet up with you. I'll PM my number again in case you don't have it with you!

Isn't it a pain when our sleeves won't work with us?! Just keep doing what you know you should and your sleeve will get used to it soon!

I'm loving my new energy level as well! It's amazing to know that you can go somewhere and walk around for hours without being exhausted!

It's time for me to clean out my closet again. I make a pile in the corner as I undergrow things and it's time for me to get rid of that pile, plus more. I'll be doing a giveaway in the next couple of weeks. Leslie (Hi up there!) gave me a bunch of wonderful clothes a couple of weeks ago, so it will be my turn to pay it forward in a few days!

Oh, Mom, this is normal! Your body is dumping hormones like crazy as it dumps fat. There is definitely an adjustment period. Try doing some extra walking, although 3 kids probably keep you pretty active! Lots of Water and as much exercise as you can handle are the best prescription. You probably can't exercise right now to the point where you sweat, but that releases endorphins that help with mood swings and the frustrated feelings we all experience. Good luck!! (((Hugs)))

Hey, bigjoe! Do you have a progress post anywhere? You've lost an amazing amount of weight and I'm sure we'd all be interested in reading your journey!!

I used milk with mine until I realized I am lactose intolerant. I usually mix protein powder into decaf coffee now.

I have an aunt who can't "phanthom" things, and a dear departed friend used to use "inadvertently" incorrectly. I'd give anything to hear her say inadvertently again! My worst habits are run-on sentences and ending sentences with a preposition so I'll write a whole post and then say things like and that's what I'm talking about. I should really learn to write better!

Congrats!! Here's hoping that surgery goes well and that you have an easy recovery!!

I don't think that a tape/latex allergy is related to reflux. I've had mine since some minor surgery to remove a mole on my back years ago. They taped bandages to me and the pain from that tape was worse than anything I had from the surgery! On my surgery day, I was the first surgery because it requires special cleaning of the OR for a latex allergy patient, plus everything that contains latex must be removed from the operating theater. You need to be sure your doctor and any future surgeons know that you are allergic to latex. It's pretty common these days.