Lissa

Go, Go, Go!! You're looking great!!! I Love that the sleeve creates (or helps) more eye candy for us gals!!!

Cheetos are my nemesis. If they are anywhere near me, I am compelled to eat them, way past the point of satisfied or even full. I love cheetos...they don't love me, but they are my crack. I don't keep them in my house. I do allow myself some of them. Once a month I buy a single serving bag and I am definitely like a crack addict. I sit down somewhere, just me and my Cheetos, and I eat them with as much appreciation and adoration as I can manage. NOTHING interrupts Cheetos time. Then, I throw away the package, wash my hands, brush my teeth and refuse to buy any more for another month. Perhaps you need to do something similar with Jiffy. Allow yourself that once a month treat, but eat clean (Protein and water) the rest of the time. Someone will disagree with how I do this, but this is how *I* manage my addiction. For me, it's easier to avoid the trigger when I know that I am allowed to have it, just not today. And, in a huge way, Im glad that my brain has focused on one food rather than a whole spectrum of foods. It makes the craving easier to manage.

When I do vomit, rarely, thank goodness, it's almost like an expulsion. There's no pain. For me, it's like my sleeve hit the eject button.

I don't know how far pre-op you are, but I suggest cutting down now on the soda. Reduce your consumption by one a day, replacing it with a bottle of Water or some other caffeine/sugar free drink. I found that decaf iced tea helped me a lot in dumping soda. I didn't drink a single soda for over 4 months post-op, but I finally decided that fighting the soda craving on top of all the other changes I was making was too much for me. Your mileage may vary on that. I am proud to say that I am STILL caffeine free and I don't miss that high at all.

Zino, I'll attach a couple here just for you. I have a whole gallery on here that you're welcome to look at as well. Click on my name and it will take you to my profile where my gallery/photos are posted. The first one is 3 months post-op. The second is in August. The third is a few days ago.

I'm printing this post out and going to put it on my mirrors so that I see it every single day.

I think a woman or man should have at least a couple of sexual partners before marriage, for a couple of reasons. One is that I don't think anyone should buy a "pig in a poke" to quote my granny. The other is that I believe that a good teacher is worth his/her weight in gold, especially when it comes to sex. A good sex life can make up for tons of other problems, or at least make one more willing to work other issues out. What is your greatest fear?

MK, I'm a year out and over 120 pounds down. I drink decaf diet coke, about 1 a day, sometimes 2. I also use a straw in my Water cup every day. I eat bread very rarely these days because it makes my sleeve hurt, and I used to LOVE fresh hot bread. I baked it every week for my family pre-op. Now I do well to eat a whole small tortilla...and I'm full for way too long afterwards, so I make that a very rare thing. As for what you can never have, there's not much that you can't ever have again. That's the beauty and frustration of the sleeve. You CAN eat whatever you want once you are past the post-op diet, but you'll find yourself needing to make better choices in order to meet your Protein goals. I eat very few veggies these days and find that I have to deliberately plan them into my diet, but I eat anything I like protein wise. My sleeve doesn't like bread and it doesn't like spicy foods, but I don't miss them either. For me, the sleeve has been a godsend..and I'd do it over again if I had to in order to lose almost 120 pounds in just over a year. What would you give up to weigh 120 pounds less? I think that bread and spicy food was a great trade for me! Good luck, whatever you decide.

Tbearfan, You have probably NOT stretched your stomach! That's very difficult, if not impossible, to do. Are you back on soft solids yet? If so, you need to try to get your Protein from food as much as possible. Regular food (chicken, pork, beef) will keep you full longer than a Protein shake. It will also help your sleeve heal. The stomach needs the challenge of digesting regular foods, and solids will stay in your sleeve longer. When the weight loss slows down, you need to do a few things. One is to log your food and Water intake. Getting too few calories is just as bad as eating too much because your body will not have the energy it needs to work at it's optimum potential. You also need to drink water to help flush toxins, hormones and fat out of your system. WATER and PROTEIN are the keys to losing weight. Two, take your measurements now and then do it again at least monthly. I lose inches when my weight loss "stalls". I lost my first pants size during a stall and I've lost most of my inches since my weight loss (in pounds) slowed down. I've lost slightly over 15 pounds in the last three months, but I've dropped several pants and shirt sizes in that same 3 months. Three, shake things up. Add in a few calories or carbs...or subtract them. Do more, or less, exercise than normal. Go dancing with friends, play at the park with the kids, or buy and do a new exercise video. Sometimes just changing the routine makes a huge change and causes your body to let go of a pound or three. Four, ENJOY THE RIDE. FavoredOne, another poster here, is a huge advocate of this. Look for the NSV's (non scale victories), enjoy your clothes fitting better. Celebrate the little things along with the big milestones. This is NOT a race. It's your life...and you're on your way to a better, fitter, happier you. That should fill you with joy, rather than make you stress that you aren't losing weight at the same rate as someone else. Good luck!!

Yay!!! Congrats, Tally! I can't wait to see you on the loser's bench with us!!

I'm personally opposed to stimulants in general, but I don't know anything about the one you're describing. What is the active ingredient? Caffeine? If so, I'd skip it, but only because I battled a serious caffeine/diet coke addiction pre-op. At any rate, you may want to run this product by your nut and surgeon to see what their opinion may be. How far post-op are you? Your metabolism is boosted just from the low amount of food you can eat post-op, so you may not need a booster anyway.

If you're self-pay, most plastic surgeons won't care where you had WLS surgery done. If you have to wait for government approval, there may be some questions about that, but skin removal surgery can definitely be considered a medical problem, rather than a cosmetic one, and where/how you lost the weight shouldn't be an issue.

So, you're about 8 weeks post op? I don't think you can squish your stomach/sleeve, but if sleeping on your right side seems to be causing you pain, try sleeping a different way for a few nights. Lots of people do have some pain in their stomach area as they heal. Some doctors use internal stitches and they can pull a bit as you heal. If the pain is really bad, or continues for more than a day or two, you should probably call your doctor and have him/her look at the area. It's probably nothing, but better safe than sorry. Good luck!!

I take 1000mcg daily as well. It's sublingual, but I find that I have low energy and foggy brain when I don't take mine religiously.

You're rocking that sleeve!!! My pre-baby weight from my last baby is 205. That's MY next major goal, only 34 pounds to go!! You're so close to yours you should be able to smell it!

I like the Pure Protein shakes that I buy at Sam's Club. My best advice, though, is to NOT buy a lot of any one shake until after surgery because your tastes WILL change. Nothing tasted good to me post-op, although there were several protein powders and shakes I liked pre-op. I finally resorted to using up the last of my protein powder as "creamer" in my coffee.

Yay! I hope you love your new bike and really enjoy riding it, especially as you lose more pounds!!!

Rainy, 35 pounds lost is terrific! Don't down yourself for that! If you truly feel you're eating too much, start measuring portions and logging on My Fitness Pal or another food logger site. I bet you'll be surprised at how low your calories intake is at this point. Never compare your weight loss to anyone else. You are losing at the perfect rate for yourself. You may want to mae certain you're drinking enough Water and meeting your Protein goals. For me, those are the two magic bullets in my weight loss journey. As long as I keep those two in line, I lose steadily, but not super fast. I've also noticed that most of us reach the Century Club (100 pounds lost) around 9 months to a year out, no matter how slow or fast we start out losing. This is a journey, not a race, so be sure to enjoy the ride. It's exciting to get up every day and see pounds gone and watch our bodies reshape themselves, at least to me. Good luck!!

Well, Fool, I think you're doing the right thing to get checked by your doctor very quickly! I hope it's something very simple, like drink more Water and take the right combo of Vitamins. If it is peripheral neuropathy, there are meds for that and, hopefully, losing pounds will reverse the condition quickly. My aunt has PN and it's not pleasant by any means from her description. Good luck!!

Yay for you, Donna!! It seems like we jump through all kinds of hoops before surgery, but it's SO worth it! Good luck on your journey!!!

I'm reading while still on the first page, so forgive me if someone else has said this. I had this same thought process when I was newly sleeved. My 6'3, 21 year old son would eat with me and he would vacuum the food from his plate, at least that's how I saw it. He's by no means overweight, but the rate and amount of his food consumption floored me early post-op. I think it's a stage WE go through, to be shocked at others' eating habits. As I've gotten further post-op, I don't notice what/how fast others eat as much. Maybe it's part of OUR readjustment process post-WLS. The trick is to refrain from commenting until we get to a better place mentally, IMO.

Congrats on your two year surgiversary!!

It sounds like you're doing great!

I think it would be great!