immeagain

I am 9 mos out, 110lbs down and love my sleeve every day!! I took out a loan to do this and do not regret a dime of it. It is a lot of work, the first few weeks do suck as you figure it out. A month out I thought to myself "what did you?",I got so tired of smoothies and shakes but I knew that this is all part of breaking an addiction! It isn't all sunshine and roses, it is a "tool" to use to get healthy. If you use your tool correctly, it will work! But it doesn't do all the work... you have to do the work, the changes have to come from you. I went low carb, high Protein. (goals originally were: cal-600, protein-75+, carbs-40). I used myfitnesspal.com to keep track of my calories and exercise. I read the forums, I used http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ as inspiration. I adjusted my mindset. I made the tool work for me and have been successful!! You can too. I never threw up, only overfilled my pouch once... that hurts, and stayed smart! You can do this and make it work for you!

dietdirect.com is a great site for a variety of protein items. I love the Bariwise hot chocolates! I add unflavored protein with it to get 40 g protein for breakfast

I actually order a salad portion of chicken. I just ask if I can have a side plate of the chopped grilled chicken they use on salads or I will just order a chicken breast by itself. I haven't really had many restaurants even blink an eye and the last time I did this, they gave me the equivalent of two chicken breasts chopped up and charged me $4.00 for it. This was a nice restaurant too! I had meals for several days! I also take either steak or chicken home and re-season it so I don't get bored.

I take Caltrate Plus chewables, almost taste like a tums. Not bad at all. I would check with your doctor because the one Vitamin you are not supposed to take with the calcium is your multi because of the Iron in it. It doesn't absorb as well or something. I also know that taking the calcium with meals is best because the Protein helps with the absorption into your body. Good luck!

I use Special K protein water mix ins, I put 2 of them in a bottle of water (10gr total), its not much but it doesn't taste like anything but fruit juice. Also I know that Nectar has something similar for juice type instead of shake type. Try your shakes with water. Add Silken Tofu (yogurt consistency, no taste) to get that creamy taste and 5 gr protein. Make sure the proteins don't contain any milk products. Definitely talk to your NUT about it too!

I use the silken tofu in my protein shakes, adds an additional 5 gr Protein and has the consistancy of yogurt. No taste at all. This is the bravest I have gotten with the tofu so far but I am willing to branch out. I have the shirataki noodles to try too. I hear those can be great if done correctly.

I have been craving sushi for a week now but I know that at 2 weeks out that is not an option yet but I can't wait. I also am dying for a pickle.... how crazy is that?

I also work in medical billing and was back in a week. I felt pretty good, would get tired occasionally. I also would get "antsy" so I would have to get up and walk around every now and again. Otherwise I felt better than before surgery.

Tina, I don't know about the menstrual cycle, I have had a hysterectomy so wasn't an issue for me. On the poop issue, I was warned it could be a couple of weeks before that occurred but one think I didn't find out about until it occurred is the "liquid in/liquid out" so beware of that! I guess it depends on your diet. I add Flax Seed oil to my morning shake to help with that also. Natural movers are better! Good luck and congrats!