Lissa

My late mother in law had a sleeve long before I met her son, probably 15 years or so earlier. She lived quite well with her sleeve and had no complications from the surgery itself. I don't think she was very compliant with the water or protein requirements she had, but that was related to the several bouts of cancer she had, not the surgery. She was always a tiny woman anyway, so for her to meet the goals was a struggle and she had several rounds of chemo. But her stomasleeve itself didn't give her any problems. That was one of the factors when I was deciding on which surgery to have.

Let them roll off your back, honey! You're doing fantastic and they are SO jealous of you they can't stand it!!! Just keep doing what you know you're supposed to do!

I was so far behind today that I didn't even turn on my coffee maker! I do add protein powder to my decaf coffee usually. I now have an emergency supply of protein bars and a partial can of Click in the car for days like today. Here's hoping I don't have to use it anytime soon!

I ate at Olive Garden a few days ago for lunch. I had about half a cup of salad, mainly the tomato, olives, pepper and onion with a little bit of lettuce, then I ate part of my chicken and a couple of bites of the mashed potato. I brought the rest of the entree home and had it for lunch the next day. Even with eating that, I still was under my calorie "goal" for the day. The carbs also gave me energy for my workout, so that was a bonus. I don't miss eating the huge amounts of food I could consume pre-surgery, and I find that the quickest way for me to make myself miserable mentally is to deny myself something that I am really craving. If I want something specific, I'll have a few bites and move on with my life. So, I guess the answer for me is that, No, I don't miss eating. I do find myself making better choices simply because I'm concentrating on my Protein and Water goals, but most of my cravings these days revolve around meat and veggies. Those are in my plan!

I have eaten oranges recently, but I can't eat more than half an orange at a time. The acid doesn't bother me now, thank goodness. It really bothered me for the first few months if I tried to drink orange juice.

Sally, I suggest that you sign up for My Fitness Pal. I'm on there as Lissa912 and I keep my food diary open to my friends to see. I'm a good bit further out than you, but you're welcome to look through there and see what I eat daily. I think that's a better indicator than just posting a daily menu, although I will give you and example of mine here. Wake up: Mini Babybel Light cheese (I can't take Vitamins on an empty sleeve) Breakfast: Either a Premier Protein bar or 1 egg with 1 sausage Lunch: Protein and veggie (usually leftovers) Dinner: stir fry made from a small steak, chicken breast or shrimp, with a few bites of veggies Snack: If I'm hungry I'll have fruit or a skinny cow ice cream. I've been trying to make it fruit now. Around half an hour before I work out, I'll have a banana or a mini thin Peanut Butter sandwich. This is a new add-on for me, but otherwise I dont have the energy to finish my half hour on the bike.

Honestly?! I don't see a fat girl... I don't even see "former fat girl". That picture shows a strong, healthy woman who is thrilled with her life and has just enoug zany in her to wear a tutu to run a princess-themed race. I LOVE IT!!! I don't think that your stomach looks bad in that picture at all. You look amazing!!!

Awesome!! It's people like you that inspire me to keep going! You prove that it is possible to reach our dreams!!

The title says it all.

UGH!! Paying taxes stinks!

Nannie, I don't think it was me. I just wanted to block the poster so I could actually see posts from people who were hear for real reasons!

Irene, I know you've posted before about how to find out your body fat percentage. Could you point me to that post or re-post it? Please?

Nannie, why are you scared? You missed the fun earlier. Someone decided to spam the board on every forum...and now those posts have magically disappeared. YOU are not the problem!

WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Awesome numbers already!!

chandi, lots of people go through the same thought process you're having right now. It's normal. I think it's the mind's way of accepting our new lifestyle. Take your Rx acid reducer and the pepcid. Some of them take a few days to kick in. When I was pregnant (a lifetime ago), I had horrible heartburn that didn't respond to anything. I took a tiny bit of baking soda (arm and hammer like the box in your fridge) and mixed it with a couple of ounces of Water. Maybe 1/4 teaspoon to 2 ounces of water, hold nose drink as quickly as you can manage. That will kill the heartburn temporarily. It's high sodium, so don't do it a lot, but my heartburn during pregnancy kept me from getting to sleep. I'll add the disclaimer now, I'm not a doctor and I don't play one here. I'm just passing along something that worked for me in a pinch years ago. I haven't heard anything saying that a tiny bit of baking soda will hurt you or your sleeve.

I have what I call "hungry days". On those days I'm especially careful to log everything I eat, but I eat what I like as long as I meet my goals. I recently met up with someone who had surgery the day after our meet-up. I let her scroll through My Fitness Pal app and she laughed when she saw that I had a canolli one day. I'm not recommending that as regular food, but I wanted it and it was delicious...and I probably won't eat another for a year! Even on that day, I was under my calorie goal and I made sure I exercised and did my cardio.

Love your post, even if it is "only" your thought process. You are very well-written and articulate. I don't do as well on internet forums, although I can write formally when it is necessary. I would definitely consider taking a bit more time than you think you will need. No one is irreplaceable, and the boss' will appreciate you more for having time to miss you. Good luck on your journey!!

Our doctors give us specific guidelines to help protect our new sleeves. I would not progress to the next stage without talking to the doctor first. You definitely do not want to cause a leak in your healing sleeve, or make it work so hard that it causes you pain trying to digest something that your sleeve is not ready to handle. Of course, various surgeons have varying diet plans for post op patients. I just tried to do what MY surgeon and nut recommended.

That's terrific! Congrats on the weight loss! I know you're thrilled to pieces!!

Everyone heals at a different rate. You may have soreness in that spot for awhile. There was a LOT of trauma to that side between removal of the stomach, possible stitches and the staples used to close up the sleeve. Try not to stress that area, but keep moving and it will help the healing.

Yeah, Mimo. I know why you're in a bad mood. Your body is dumping hormones into your bloodstream as you lose weight. Yes, men have hormones too. It will pass...just try not to take it out on your loved ones, so you'll HAVE loved ones when this stage is over.

I ADORE the admins here!! Thanks for your quick response to this!!!

yay!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Wannab!!

Look for the blog The World According to Egg Face http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ She has the recipe on there. It's YUMMY