Lissa

I usually go to the same places so I know most of the wait staff. If I get someone new, I simply order the box with the meal. I also order Water and drink some before the meal, then leave it once I'm served food. Only one waitress has been super pushy and I finally told her that I'd recently had surgery and couldn't eat much. I didn't tell her what kind of surgery, mostly because I was not inclined to tell her. I think her "problem was that she assumed I'd want more because I'm still big, with about 100 lbs left to lose. Lissa

I'm also willing to participate and would love to read the final version, too!! Lissa

I agree that we should work to find better addictions. I see a therapist to help me deal with my food issues. It's made a huge difference in how well I eat and in keeping me level headed. That said, I did have a few minutes last week with having a pity party for myself. I gave myself half an hour to brood, then I went for a bike ride. The endorphins from exercise always get me feeling better! Good luck! It does get better! Lissa

Congrats!! Welcome to the losers bench and great job on starting the new year out right!!! Lissa

I am a traveling notary in Florida, currently separated from my DH. I have two grown sons and a stepson that I will continue to claim as mine forever. I'm 45 and just bought my first ever house alone!! I've been moving for days, so have been offline for a few days. I've been self employed for 10+ years and I love it! I see, read, live to garden and do DIY projects, and I am an aspiring writer. Someday... Lissa

I actually managed to eat a whole small Wendy's chili tonight! I was a bit shocked, but it did take me over an hour!! Lissa

Posting new pics to Facebook so that your friends "might" recognize you on the street. Oh, and walking right by my ex and him having NO idea it was me!! Lol Lissa

Congrats! Welcome to the loser's bench!! I can't believe you're ready to work out already!! Wow! You are doing great!! The "full version" button is at the very bottom of the page and is grayed out until you click on it. It doesn't look like it will work, but it will.

I'm going to agree with everyone else. Go back to the proper stage and call your doctor now. The diet is in place to help us protect our stomach while it is healing. Moving yourself forward is NOT a good idea, not without medical guidance. If you are feeling hungry, make sure you are taking an acid reducer. That will help with the acid your tummy is making. In the big scheme of things, this diet doesn't last long and will soon be a bad memory, but if you have a leak or an abcess, the complications (and liquid diet) will last a LOT longer! Please let us know what the doctor says. Good luck!!

I have no idea if there are any studies about low carb after WLS. I just wanted to say that your nut probably isn't too worried about high carb foods because she knows that most WLS patients can't eat much anyway. For me, bread and rice still make me uncomfortably full, so I don't eat them much at all. Mashed potatoes, otoh, go down very easily, but they fill me up fast as well. By the time I eat my Protein for the day and add in some veggies, I'm usually too full to put in much in the way of carbs anyway. Add in the fact that simple sugars are too sweet and make me have diarrhea (not dumping, but def changes that function, sorry TMI), and I don't eat much sweet anyway. So, those high carb, low nutrition foods are out most of the time as well. There are several on here who advocate eating carbs before working out, and their reasons sound very valid to me. You will figure out what works for you and it will be right! Good luck!!

Wow, a twofer!! Here's hoping that everything goes very smoothly and we're saving you both a spot on the loser's bench!! Congrats!!

I agree with everyone else. It's WAY too soon for alcohol. Have some sparkling grape juice or apple juice instead, but just a sip or two. I have a tiny bottle of white wine given to me by a friend, but it will wait until I hit six months out. As for the hunger, please make sure you are taking an acid reducer. It really does help. And, since I'm on coumadin as well, may I suggest that you have your PCP keep close track of your levels? Mine were pretty steady before surgery but I'm having to get mine checked at least twice a month now. The small volume of food I can eat makes my levels fluctuate a lot. I'm finally allowed veggies again, but, for a while there, I was on no veggies because my levels were varying so much. Also, talk to your doctor about what kind of acid reducer you can take. My pulmonologist has me on two tums twice a day rather than using either Calcium or prilosec. The others were, in his opinion, causing my fluctuating coumadin level. Good luck! Your stall will break soon and you'll be amazed at how fast the weight drops off of you!!!

Thanks for all your support!! I love the dancing smilies!! And, Realtor, I do real estate closings over here on the east coast! I found this one without a realtor, but my goal is to buy a built house in a few years. This one's a mobile in a 55+ community although I'm part of the 20% under 55 there. The price was phenomenal and I didn't have to involve DH in the purchase!

I was self-pay, but, from what I've read, it seems that the most important thing is to stay in touch with the insurance company and their benefits coordinator. Some doctors claim that their office staff will "handle" all of that for you, but being proactive seems to be the way to go. Good luck! I know you hate the thought of another year before you can have the surgery, but if that's what the requirement is, at least you're moving closer to your destination! Don't let that get you down, please! Here's hoping things work out for you to be sleeved quickly!

Looking, You need to measure your Protein post op. I do mine by ounces rather than cups. Usually I'm measuring out 3 oz of protein and then I add veggies/carbs as I can tolerate them after eating the protein. At nearly 4 months post op, I had pot roast for lunch today. I ate my 2-3 oz of pot roast, then a few bites of mashed potato, maybe 2 teaspoons worth and 2 whole baby carrots. The rest of the plate is in my NEW fridge waiting for me to eat a few bites for the next few days. I'll probably get 4 or 5 meals from the pot roast itself. I ordered the senior pot roast plate at Bob Evans today, if that helps for reference. With other veggies, I find that cooked veg is easier to eat and digest than raw veg, even now. And, I'll eat a bite of two of veggies, but there's not a lot of room left after putting the protein in me. I literally eat and think of food as protein or not protein. If it's protein, I'm eating it. If it's not protein, I have to think about it. My most favorite veggie is steamed broccoli. But, I can only eat a couple of bites of it at a meal. Good luck!!

It does get better. I loved all things dairy before surgery and couldn't do any milk or cottage cheese afterwards. I recently tried a little milk in Cereal and it works. I also don't like green tea since surgery and I HATE most of the Protein shakes because they are so sweet to me. Unfortunately, my sweet tooth is coming back. I need to exorcise that demon in a hurry!!!

I'm 4 months post op and I've only felt mild hunger a few times. Usually, it's because I haven't eaten anything during that day and my hunger hits several hours after lunch time. Then I know it's time to eat that protein bar I carry in my purse.

I see major changes in your face and neck!! Isn't it amazing that we don't see it in the mirror, but the camera highlights the changes very well! You are rocking that sleeve! Go girl!!

WOW!! I hope to be posting such amazing transformation pics when I hit goal!! You look wonderful!!

Yay, Congrats to you!!!

It's possible to have a salad that includes a good bit of Protein if you pay attention to what you're putting in it. I use a little spring mix as the base and add some cucumber and tomato because I love them. Then I add some chopped egg, sunflower seeds (make sure your nut approves them first), chopped deli meat, and just a little dressing. Most salad bars have enough protein options on them that you could have a salad that has as much protein as most other meal options. The bonus is that you get a little extra veggie in them. I can't do tons of raw veggies yet, but a few bites of broccoli and cauliflower are delicious in a salad as well. I skip the croutons and crackers in favor of the raw veggies, and cucumber slices make great "crackers". I've also used tuna or chicken salad as part of my lunch salads. Delicious.

Definitely call your doctor. I was allowed to soak in the tub after all my incisions were healed and that pesky one for my drain seemed to take forever! I still haven't been back in the pool or the hot tub, but that's because I've been too busy for either. I'm in Florida, so it's definitely been warm enough for them. I hope you get to take that soak soon. I adore my warm tub baths!

It WILL move again! You are at that 3 week stall, for sure. This is when taking measurements helps so much! While you're agonizing over the scale, your body is shrinking. Take some pics today and compare them to your pre-surgery pics. You'll be astonished by all the changes in your body and your face! Stalls happen and, despite anything we do, they are going to happen. We just have to find the NSVs to make them more tolerable! You are doing great!

I'll play. -I want to reach Onderland by my Surgiversary in August. I'm at 281 today and that gives me more than 8 months to get there. -I, too, want to send a sexy pic to an ex. If that's evil, so be it. LOL -Hopefully, I'm buying a house in the next few days. I'd like to have it paid off by June. This IS do-able, if I'm disciplined with my moolah. -C25K. I want to at least walk a 5k this spring. I'd like to run at least one by the end of the year. -I'm working on planning a family reunion this summer in Kentucky with my cousin. Since I haven't seen many of my cousins in years, this one is very important to me! That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure I'll come up with some more.

Welcome to VST!! I'm glad you decided to post. It's nice to see who is hanging around. Congrats on having a surgery date! As for telling people, that's entirely up to you. Just so long as you have a support system in place to help you with recovery, you should be fine. On the hair loss, I suggest Biotin. It's relatively cheap at the drug store and you can sometimes find it B1G1 at Walgreens and CVS pharmacy here. It's way cheaper than a lot of those miracle hair regrowth potions sold on television, so I'd def try the biotin before paying big money for something else. I've been taking biotin since 2 months post-op and I've had a little thinning, but not as bad as I expected. You're right, it is normal to be worried and scared before surgery. And you've got a lot of time before yours to get through. My best advice for dealing with the anxiety is to write your fears and worries down then look at your list. Figure out what you can do something about and do it! Then, pray, meditate, or literally burn the list and let the issues you can't do anything about GO. For example: I was terrified that I would die on the operating table, no, I was CONVINCED I was gonna die. So, I made sure my estate planning docs were put together, then I talked to my surgeon about my thoughts. He reassured me that he would not let me die, but I still had that doubt. I made sure I told my friends and family that I loved them, put the estate planning docs where someone could find them if they were needed, then put my faith in God and my surgeon. Once I relaxed about it, it made things much easier. Obviously, I lived! You're in the right place to research and ask questions about anything that has you worried. There is NO question that is TMI on this board, I've found. Good luck on your journey!!