Lissa

I'm still working low weight and high reps and seeing incredible results in my arms and legs. I wish I could say I'm seeing the same results in my abdominal muscles, but the skin there keeps the abs from being visible still. I may never have a six pack, but I'm WAY stronger now than I was six months ago. I'm hoping my genetic predisposition is to long and lean rather than bulky muscles. I don't know because almost every woman in my family is BIG. Those who aren't big are so skinny that they look emaciated. I'm gonna find out what we look like as normal weight people! LOL

FL doesn't require weight on Driver's Licenses, thank goodness!! However, my picture vaguely resembles me now, if you look closely. Mine is due for renewal this year, but I'm trying to wait until the last minute to do that so I have lost the maximum amount of weight possible by the time I get the new picture. Since I'm a notary and identifying people is my job, I know how important it is to have good, accurate identification.

You can fall into bad habits again. The surgery doesnt fix our head issues with food. It just keeps us from eating too much food at a sitting. Now soup is actually more liquid than anything else, so it can go through very quickly. Just because you drank 8 ounces of soup does NOT mean that you'll be able to eat huge amounts of food. You said that you basically failed to plan and ended up taking in more/wrong food. You already know that you're going to have to plan better from here on out. I assume you're on clear liquids since soup is freaking you out, so make sure you prepare things that are allowed at this stage and take them with you. Later, it's a good idea to keep a couple of protein shakes handy and/or carry a protein bar at all times. I do lots of driving, so I make sure I always have a protein bar in my purse. That way I don't stop and eat somewhere that doesn't have good food choices for me. BTW, you are NOT a bad girl. You're in a learning process right now and it does take some time! Good luck!

Awww, (((Deb)))!! Isn't that just the most amazing feeling!?! To know that you CAN do whatever you like, need or want to do. I remember feeling like Rocky Balboa the first time I walked around the lake in my apartment complex and the first time I walked from one end to the other of the mall without having heart failure! You go girl! THAT is what it's all about. We take our lives back instead of giving them to the fat and letting ourselves die a slow, painful, ever-less-satisfying death. Congrats!! You've earned that NSV!!!

You are leaving more behind than you think. Not only will you eat less food and drink slower than you do now, but you'll also leave behind lots of unwanted fat. You'll leave behind the look of pity in other people's eyes as you slowly kill yourself with food. You'll have to get used to being able to walk longer distances instead of huffing and puffing from the car to the store. You'll lose the aching joints from carrying too much weight and you'll lose the constant fear that any little pain might be a precursor to a heart attack. You will have to get used to buying clothes that arent made by Omar the Tent Maker and, heaven forbid, you'll have to give up shopping in the big and tall/plus sizes section. I know that you will miss being forced to accept whatever Omar decides would look good on an obese person...or at least give maximum coverage. You'll also lose the fear that you won't be able to perform in bed...and sex might actually become fun again. That may make up for a whole lot of glasses of wine. Oh, and you will gain back some length on the equipment, or so I read in the Man's room. I know that won't be an important and exciting side effect! Most importantly, I know you won't like the feeling that you get from taking control of your life and your health. I'm certain that won't make up for all the things you'll have to give up. Good luck on your journey!

Measuring out your food is the best way. My full sensation early post-op was a bit of shoulder pain. Now it's a burp usually. Once I burp, it's time to push the plate away, no matter how much or little I've eaten.

I do a combination of things now. Either I order the absolute smallest portion I can, usually ala carte, or I ask for a to go box up front. This leaves me open to say "I had a big breakfast/lunch" or "I'm not really hungry". Once the plate arrives, I portion out what I want now and for later. If I order something that I don't want to take home (taco salad anyone?), then I eat the meat and move the rest around. I'll break up the taco shell on a taco salad, or spread out the veggie, etc. This makes it look like I ate more than I did. Now, I have absolutely NO problem telling people I had surgery. I feel like I talk about it constantly. However, my dining companions don't want to hear it every time we go out to eat, so I've become creative about making it look like I ate more than I did. I also order Water to drink rather than have someone constantly offering me a drink.

So far, I'm pleased with my neck. My quadruple chins are gone and the skin is looking pretty good. Crossing my fingers that it stays that way! I'm also doing some facial contortions and neck stretches that I found somewhere to see if that helps.

That's awesome! Did you have a chance to talk to the sleever about your journeys? Or is that frowned upon at work? I found it very cool that several of the nursing staff at my hospital had been sleeved by my doctor. During my pre-op workups and my actual hospital stay, I had several unsolicited recommendations of my doctor by people who were at, or close to, goal. It was fantastic!

You'll be able to drink water much faster than you can now in a couple of months. I'm a little over six months out and I can drink a 20 oz bottle of water in about 30 minutes if I'm pushing it. You must keep sipping now, though, to avoid dehydration. Being actively thirsty means you definitely need to push yourself to sip, sip, sip. Good luck!

SJW, Walking is fantastic for early post-op! Good job on that! You'll want to add some weights for arm toning, and probably some calisthenics (sit-ups, push-ups, planks, jumping jacks, etc) to help with toning other muscles. The intensity and amount of weight will depend on your gender and your goals. I suggest that you check out posts by several of our veteran sleevers to see what their routines have been. You Tube has tons of exercise videos to check out and possibly incorporate into your routine and, yes, Leslie Santone's videos are great for helping you incorporate weights into your routine. Good luck!

Click, sold by amazon, has a espresso/cappucino flavored protein drink.

ourborous said: "So, my reading of this parallels with yours: the ghrelin-related neuron mediation seems to be specifically in the hypothalamic areas regulating feeding. It's like my pituitary adenoma; it's sensitive to dopamine, but only locally so -- I cannot infer systemic dopamine effects just based upon the one neoplasm. In short: if I'm reading this study correctly, it doesn't indicate generalized memory loss from ghrelin loss. Relax, folks." I read the first paragraph and was like "Okay, how many people understood that?" Then I saw that you translated it into English for the rest of us. Thank you!!

Up your Water intake as well. Often, especially pre-surgery, we eat because we are thirsty, not hungry. Drink water, decaf tea, decaf coffee, sf non-carbonated drinks. Those will get you used to what you're supposed to do post-surgery. Also, when I did do Atkins and lost weight, I found that the fewer carbs I ate, the faster the weight came off. Of course, even that was nothing like the rate I've dropped weight since surgery, but it was still pretty fast. On Atkins, a typical day was an egg mcmuffin from mcdonald's without the muffin, lunch would be a hamburger patty, and dinner was usually a grilled chicken breast with some cottage cheese and a small salad with very little dressing. I dropped weight quickly...of course, I gained it back even faster once I slipped, but that would get your weight down before surgery. Lots of water/liquids and, between eating like this and the water, I wasn't hungry. Start taking Vitamins now, as well. Especially B12. For me, the B12 is like a daily energy boost! Good luck!

That's a great NSV!!!

Yeah, I know what you mean about being frisky today! Yesterday was an "eat" day...meaning I was "hungry" for food all day, so I ate over 100g of protein. Today, my energy level and libido are through the roof! Before I do something dumb, like hitting on the cute guy down the road, I need to work out. I've already washed and vacuumed the car, vacuumed the house, mopped and swept floors, and now I'm heading to the gym to ride the exercise bike. I think 3 or 4 hours on the bike MIGHT take care of the problem! OMG

Congrats! You have really rocked your sleeve!! Amazing transformation!!!

LOL, Rootman!! I'm waiting on someone else to make a trip to FL, though!

Oh, blackanese, you're giving off pheremones now, SOMEONE will crawl out of the woodwork! I decided it was time to start dating again, since dumb DH has become even dumber DH, and the most unexpected thing happened. I didn't even announce it publicly, but suddenly I have several gentlemen trying to get my attention. Ima need a bodyguard soon! LOL

Oh, and I forgot to mention planks!! I try to do three or four of them a day. Done right, they will make your arms sore in a hurry. Every time I go in and out of my house, I do one using my steps as a workout aid. They work like push ups for the arms, but I think it's easier to do them on the steps because I wasn't fit at all to start with.

Rex, because he's been down-sized from a T-Rex!

I do high reps of low weights every day. Biceps curls, triceps extensions, straight arm lifts. Hit You Tube and look for arm workouts, then steal whatever seems to work for you from the videos! It won't completely eliminate the batwings, but it will help. I have biceps again after lots of wiggly skin and I'm 45. It will help tremendously!

AMAZING NSV's!!! Those are worth the price of admission right there!!!