4ALongerLife

Totally agree with the "don't stock up" suggestions! After surgery, I found cytosport ready to drink whey isolate drinks in tropical and tangerine. They are Clear Liquids and I thought tasted good. Now, I'm over them, but I LOVED them for a WHILE after surgery. If you want to try them, go to Vitamin Shoppe and buy them out of their refrigerated section. Buy one of each. Go to your car, taste one. Wait 15 mins. Taste the other. If you don't like them, go right back into the store with your receipt and the opened container and you get your money back. But I iced them down and drank them throughout the day. I think it was great Protein (I don't remember the grams now), low carb but they do have calories, fyi. I also liked unjury chicken flavored soup but it clumps if I heat it to the temp I prefer, grr. For Water, I used crystal lite cherry pomegranite and now I use sugar free crush in strawberry, grape or orange. I get the crush from Family Dollar or Dollar General (sorry I always confuse those two stores). But the flavor is a BURST in my 30 oz. mugs. For later, on full liquids, my fav soup is just campbell's cream of chicken with mushroom. It's just flavorful and yummy IMO. I also liked protein pak power pudding in chocolate. And I make pumpkin cheesecake with Protein powder added, on full liquids anyway! Best of luck!

Rachel (and all on a liquid diet pre-op), you girls rock. I love Rachel's 'tude... take it hour by hour, moment by moment and do what you can to just get through it. That was the hardest challenge prior to surgery. You can do it guys and gals. And wow, I have to smile at how far you have come and with a great 'tude too! Kudos to you! That's a huge NSV! xx

Greek light & fit yogurts by Dannon! 80 calories and 12 g of protein, 9 g carbs. For EIGHTY calories, that's awesome (to me anyways!). When I was on solids, I would snack on shrimp. (Buy a bag in the frozen food section at WalMart and divvy out 5 for a snack or so). Low cal and a true protein source. Best of luck!

Both I believe. Oh there is a video that I think OTR sleever posted. I can't remember who posted it now... but it's a video that shows putting applesauce in a strainer on top of a bowl. That's the food in your belly. So imagine how the applesauce slowly glugs glugs out of the strainer into the bowl below. Your body needs that glug to indicate fullness and to absorb the nutrients. If you add Water to the strainer, then the applesauce and the water rush through.... food "slides" through you more easily. At least that's the way my brain understood it. I'm sure someone will correct me on how wrong I am my apologies, it's just been that sort of day for me today .... I'm going to try to find that video now....

it's o so odd what one dr. says and another one says is ok! go figure.

Y'all CRACK me up. Please note, I have been on a liquid diet since 9/4. Today is 11/5. Need I say more? I think not. Thanks for the laughs though!

Ok IDK what "a bunch of added sugars" is exactly, so with that being said here's the ones that I take.... citrical calcium gummies (2 a day, from walmart) they have 7g of sugar/7g of carbs, 30 calories for two. They taste like a candy almost so yeah, I like them lol. Then I take chewable spectravite mutlivitamins with iron, 2 a day from cvs, 10 calories, 2 g carbs, 200% of iron/vit a and vit c. Some places sell bariatric advantage and I hear they are expensive. They aren't the only thing you can take, but yes, you have to take vitamins as I understand it for life. I also take b12 once a week (my dr. gives his patients a free bottle, will do us for a year) then I also take biotin as a supplement. I'll have to look up the info you posted on b12's that I got from my dr. to ensure it's the "right" kind of vitamin. I still have much to learn, obviously! Thanks for the thread - hope that helps you!

agree with all of the above... stay focused hon. it's truly HARD pre-op but after op, easier. make a list of all of the reasons why you want to be thin/doing this surgery now. think about the details of the reasons (make it real... like things you can picture doing, seeing, etc). my dr. for my wls support group highly recommends this to keep you motivated throughout the journey. best of luck!

I just want you all to do ONE THING. Open your mind to the possibility that you can accomplish whatever goal (within reason) that you want to do. I never got that ... as I got close to my goal weight and size, my mind still hasn't fully "gotten it". But if you think "I can never do that" then you won't. And you can, if only you open your mind to it happening. It takes a plan - probably including working your butt off with exercise at some point, planning or tracking your intakes, maybe excess skin removal, but you can can can do it. And fyi, something I never knew... there are smaller lbs discrepancies between the smaller sizes. I could lose or gain 30 lbs and stay in a 16-18. In the smaller sizes, from what I'm told, it's a differential of like 5 lbs. I have not yet tested that theory. I'm still over the moon at getting to/passing my original goal! Best of luck everyone. I truly wish you that! xx

More likely you are an emotional eater. And you have to learn to address it so you can succeed. And right before surgery, to me, you go through a myriad of emotions. I think that's normal. And if you eat your emotions, well, that's the answer. I still struggle with this, surgery or no surgery, it's (to me) not easy. But keep trying. I am in a WLS support group and a dr. runs the group. Do you have anything like that in your area? Could you work with a professional on cognitive behavorial techniques?

sorry just saw your question a sleeve4me... yes my surgeon repaired the leak. it's tiny even after repair, but still there grrr

I can't get this silly song out of my head... You made me love youuuuu, I didn't want to do it, I didn't want to do it. It's now 10:35 and I've promised myself bed at 1030... so why posting? IDK. Today was a good day. I haven't had many of them and I've been in so much pain lately that I wouldn't recognize it if I saw it, or so's I thought. But IDK, today I just have been telling myself I know God is healing me. I sound corny or crazy, not sure to which is more apt to describe me; however, I feel like it's right. I am not the most church going person (long list of reasons why, but mostly summed up in as: experience with major hypocrisy, i don't have time to spell check that so forgive me, dang microsoft/now i'm dependent on freak'n spell check).... anywho, the pain was tolerable today (thank God) and I had planned out everything. Limited schedule of time and running, busy today. I like those days. Like I "have a life"... which I say I don't. Living in this large area, there are many times I find myself lonely. Everyone is so spread out, then you add in kids and extracurricular activities and limited time from work to do everything so it's crammed in on the weekends, well... to me, it gets lonely sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I personally have no qualms about "me" time or being alone, that's why I am a gym addict. Once I got over that thing that most of us women suffer from (you know, the 'I have to have a buddy or I feel self conscious'), I was all good and set to fly. Most of my life seems to operate that way and most of the time, it's copasethic. But sometimes, my most social side says "hey over here!" C'est la vie.... Anywho, I am rambling again. It's late and I'm honestly tired, but my 3rd wind wants to kick in. I'm about to brush my teefies and get into the most comfy tempurpedic mattress (worth every single stinking penny, twice over) with loads of pillows so I can go to the gym in the morning. Even if it's only for 30 mins (dammit, I want 60) but I just wanted to say, it's been a good day today. I seem to only post whenever there are issues and I'm at my breaking point. Today I feel the light of God surrounding me and I hope His light shines through me to others. Oh pitash if you don't believe in all of that ....... you should be around me, then you'd see it. I hope that I emulate what I feel from Him, to show my faith. Don't get me wrong, I am not perfect (for certainnnn) .... and I still pray 15 gizillion times a day for Him to heal this leak, that I continue to hear gurgling, but in time I know He will. I am trying to think instead of this issue as an opportunity.... maybe this is happening to me so I can truly understand "mindful eating" and that is one major obstacle for me, that could be my undoing. I am a food addict, to the core.... ashamedly I admit, but I never am one to sugar coat (except with hershey's, hehe i wish, dang still on a liquid diet... digressing...). IDK, but I'm trying to view the lesson in this experience (whatever that is) and learn from it, instead of concentrating on something pathetic like poor me, why's this gotta happen (which I'd love to say, but pitash... pffff... s*it happens and it ain't gonna undo what's done or fix it). In every experience I have learned one thing.... there are reasons for these things to occur, which is revealed eventually. So today, thank you God for a good day (but pls pls pls heal this leak inside of me... I did my part, 132 g of protein, that was work too!). Please give me the strength to not be pathetic (as I would like to crumble into the fetal position and cry on occassion), give me the courage to identify my irrational behaviors and the wisdom to learn from my mistakes and move on, being the best me that I can be. Yeah so I ripped off the serenity prayer, but I'm an addict, unfortunately. My drug of choice? Food. And I cannot escape it. So give me strength, courage and wisdom to learn successfully how to deal with it and any of these issues that cross my path. Amen. Ok this was another rambling post, but it is what it is... oh and make sure you go to bed singing "you made me loveeeee youuuuuu, I didn't wannaaaa do it..." *smiles* hugs... xxx Stephanie

My original goal was a size 8. Shockingly, I fit into a size 6 last weekend (jeans even!). I have NEVER been below a 14 prior to surgery. My largest was 18W. I am 5'7 and medium bone frame (who knew that until i lost weight? always thought i was 'big boned'!). My original weight goal was 150 but after looking at bone frames, I'm pushing myself now for 140. Just cuz. I am ok if sustainable for me is "ballooning" back up to 150-160. (that is a LOL comment you know... ballooning up to that, jeesh that's normal/ok weight for me!) The weirdest thing for me to "get" ... is being able to shop anywhere. I just haven't fully grasped that yet. And a sidenote to those of you that think this is never going to happen for me, it's taking so long, etc etc.... You all can do this. Stay dedicated and be patient. It WILL happen if you work the program! We just have to work the program (Water, Protein, working out, logging, planning food, etc etc). Best of luck to y'all..... always! xx

Sweetie, you have to open your mind to the possibility of succeeding. I totally can understand, but you are 19 days post op. Isn't it a bit early to call this an epic failure? It's not a race. There is NO finish line. You are going to experience so many ups and downs, trials and tribulations. That's what this board is for... reminding you when we've all have those OCD moments and us talking you off the ledge. Hang in there! Give yourself time to succeed... but open your mind to believing this thought... I CAN DO THIS. Because the moment you open your mind to it's possiblity is the moment that success starts. Yeah I totally sound like Tony Robbins or some crap, but I tell ya... it's true. YOU CAN DO THIS. Work the program and give it time. Holler if you get on the ledge, we will talk you away from it. Best always. xx

Three weeks is a milestone where almost every single WLS candidate goes through a stall. I think other ones occur, but not sure that they are as predictable as the three week stall is. Sweetie, you have lost 18 lbs. in nineteen days. Please tell me, how much should you have lost? What is an amount in those nineteen days since your surgery that you would be "happy" with? More food for thought: You can't rush perfection. If you do, you'll have severe skin left over anyways from it, so avoid that if you can! Anyways, it took you years to put it on, how long do you think it's gonna take to get it off? Slap me if you must, but... think about what I said pls. Oh and btw, you will have an influx of emotions in this journey whenever you lose quickly. Your body is making hormones for you at your largest and doesn't quite 'catch up' with the amount you lose so quickly. It takes time to recalculate. So best thing I can tell you is this ... be patient as you can... work the program (i.e. dr's orders - Protein, Water, exercise, regular BM schedule, sleep as well as logging your food) .... and best of luck to you, always. xx

I have been thinking of several things lately.... trying to work on my head issues. In my rambling mind, I mostly have been considering what my overall goals were of having this surgery. I wanted to take health issues off of my plate to live a longer life for my son. Losing my mom in 2008, it really undid me for a while. IDK if my son will ever feel that same way, but I know one thing... when you lose your parents from this earth, the world feels much much smaller. As I get older, as "friends" have come and gone, I hold two people closer to my heart and that's my hubs (who knows if or when he could/would/should trade me in, but I'll always love him) and my son. So doing this surgery was primarily for them. But it was more than just living longer. It was so I could be more active with them, which I have done (discounting football... I know sacreligious comment but I hate football. College football I can withstand SOMETIMES). Next week kiddo starts basketball and I've committed to taking him to those practices and games. So I'm trying to push myself to do what I said I was going to do - be more active, more involved with him/them, etc. The other reasons for my surgery are rather vain or self-absorbed. I hated shopping. And I love to shop. By that I am not a Kim K. or those heifers you see on t.v. where they think the world revolves around them. (rolls eyes) Instead, I like searching out affordable buys that are unique if possible. Yesterday we went to the mall to have my watch looked at. I had to have FOUR links taken out of my watch... lol. THAT is weird to me. I asked her to put one back in and I'm wondering if I should have put back two. I got so used to everything bigger on me like watch bands, bagger like clothes to hide my fat, etc.... that this journey still hasn't yet made sense in my brain yet. To say that I've lost 109 lb.s in not even 8 months (not quite yet), I find that rather amazing. And my eyes look at me in the mirror, but my brain doesn't register that it's me, that I am small as I am now. I mean my "desire" in my heart, deep down, was at least to get to a size 8. I used to always always always tell the hubs, it'll NEVER happen. Now I'm a size six in my smallest jeans. Jeans! I thought that had to be a 'fluke'... it was jeans from old navy and someone said they run large. But this weekend, I tried on different styles/brands at yet another Ross excursion and guess what? One swallowed me and one was tight. The other fit perfectly. Mind you that I still am also wearing 8's and 10's, I probably even have a few 12's mixed in my closet now. But I have never in my life been below at size 14 ... that was my smallest and I wouldn't allow myself to get bigger than 18W. Side note, the 12's are comfy to me too... I got so used to wearing baggier clothes whenever I was obese, it's now a hard habit to break. I remember being a teenager and wanting to be a size 4 so bad. That was the "ideal"... that's what you saw all of those girls in Seventeen magazine, smiling, looking so carefree and they all had to be super tiny. Now mind you, I know it's gay men in that industry that dictate the cut/look/style of clothes so yes, of course they are going to choose girls that look more like boys! lol... (nothing wrong with a gay man or men, but c'mon... how in hades did we agree that THEY tell us what is sexy for hetero's? this world is so odd sometimes right?). But to think that I'm almost to that "ideal" ... and at 38 years of age. I wish I could have had this surgery in my teens or 20's. Not that I want my life to change or be changed, but what would the difference in my confidence have been? I get looked at differently, treated differently, IDK quite how to explain it. Women that I used to think were uptight and pretentious now openly smile and talk to me say in a store or the gym. That used to never happen. Is it me? Have I opened up? Or is it them opening up because of my thinned appearance? This journey causes you to consider and reconsider so many things you used to assume. Or at least for me it has. Yesterday I went to the mall though, got the watch changed up (links taken out) and told hubs, let's go look at the shoe dept. I need some new Sketchers as I throw those on on the weekends and love them to bits. There's a store across from the shoe dept that I have never allowed myself to walk into. I was always too big for that. If it didn't say Lane Bryant or The Avenue or was known to have a plus size section (i.e. Cato, Dots, Dillards, Macy's, etc etc U KNOW WHAT I MEAN), then I just didn't even allow myself to go in and look. But I had to literally check myself with the thought, oh yeah, I AM "small" now... and hubs said ok whenever I asked to go look. The oddest thing to me is trying on clothes where a small swallows me. The other odd thing is that I can fit into anything that I want or can afford. Except for shoes, damn size 11 feet and the tranny's/cross dresser's always buy up the cutest ones, grrr.... (hey they sometimes have great taste so I ain't hating, but dammit I AM a girl and have to buy those type of shoes so leave a sister some choices!!!!). Anywho, I just worry now.... I worry entirely too much... but what if having this leak caused me to lose more than I would have otherwise? Once it's gone, can I keep the weight off? I pray still, every day, that this dang thing heals. (and I struggle getting good protein in for my total day a LOT lately) But honestly, this leak is a mind f*$# too ya know? I am still going to the gym (even after hyper extending my flexor muscle in my left foot) and doing 7-9 miles when I go. So do I even give myself the possibility that I have worked my tail off to have such a large weight loss in such a short time? No. And isn't that sort of thought process what gets us into trouble in the first place? Not giving ourselves credit and instead only nit picking all that we have done or do wrong.... Or is that just me? I get ppl that I hear talk crap about me behind my back. I never have understood jealousy (thank God) and I know that's what the root of ppl talking about me behind my back. The thing is... what I'm doing in this journey, I don't keep it a secret. And I'm happy to share what's worked for me vs. what's not working for you. But the thing that DOES piss me off... don't turn your self loathing onto me. That's one thing I cannot respect or fathom ya know? If you are angry at yourself for not doing what I am pushing myself to do, don't use my name as the target for what you are feeling. It's misguided. Go look in a mirror. Then I see ppl on here or MFP many of the times with posts about not losing or stalling ..... ok, I have to admit this... I'm sorry, but I'm so tired of it. I attempt to be supportive of these ppl but whenever I ask - do you log your food? (are you logging every bite? you'd be amazed what 3 bites here or there equates to in caloric intake!) Do you exercise? (and omg when I tell them to do cardio 60-90 mins most days of the week, they totally shut up! but c'mon it's true...) Do you drink water? I usually get non-responses but the thing is - if you aren't doing these basic things, then you are probably better to not even ask why. You say you did this surgery to change your life. Well that's partially right. Some of these ppl, to me, I have to interpret it as you took the easy way into trying to change your life by having this surgery. By making that statement, I mean that there is an easy portion of weight loss involved after you cut 85% of your tummy out for every single one of us who've chosen to do this drastic measure. But then it stops and it relies on you and the environmental/head changes you attempt to instill. And in a year, whenever you can eat more, you better have gotten your stuff straight because it's real easy to slide back from what I understand. And that scares me, especially with my having all of these complications. So yeah, I'm pushing myself. Trying to get my own chit straight because I want to be a life long success story. The other issue I have with posts like this... you give me a bad name. People look at me whenever I tell them I had surgery and it's this momentary UMMM HUMMMM. We all know that judgement from someone we've told or will tell. Well two words in my mind for those ppl: bite me. Yes, surgery has made my innermost dreams a reality but bite me because I AM doing 7-9 miles in the gym on a regular basis. I do track every stinking (and some days quite shameful) bites and I DO drink 7 glasses of 8 oz cups of water a day. Am I perfect? HECK NO.... no way, no how, no sir. But whenever I read these posts here or on MFP on what am I doing wrong.. well first on MFP have your diary shared. If you don't, then what can anyone look to see how you are doing and suggest changes? Plus, how are you being held accountable? Second, get back to basics before you ask that. By that I mean, clean house - are you planning your food or just running to sonic and or mcdonalds? are you getting water/protein/sleep/exercise as you know you should? But if you aren't doing the basics, it's time to either clean up what you are doing or tweak things up on those levels. You have the knowledge at your fingertips. The best marketing message in the last 20 years comes to mind........ JUST DO IT. Yes we all struggle with getting back to motivation, so that's where I lean most days and try to be supportive... but as I just read a whiny and somewhat angry post about stalling, it struck a nerve. My bad, sorry. Ok my saying all of this is a venting/rambling session. Doesn't mean I won't support ppl who need help... but jeesh louise. Ya know? So I guess this is another entry from rambling rita (my real name is stephanie but i call myself this as i brain dump here whatever thoughts are crowding my skull, in between my dogs coming to play, son coming to talk about wresting, hubs coming to ask me about x, y, or z... so pardon me!). I truly wish everyone the best of luck on this journey. I have so much to learn and work on, but I'm trying to practice patience with myself.... and extend it even to others (with their crazy posts, lol). Best always! xx Stephanie

Two things: are you tracking your food? And are you in the infamous week 3 after surgery?

Well per MFP, 3 oz of Whole Foods cioppino is 67.8 calories and 1.8 g of fat but only 2.3 g of protein. Ah boo... well it's still low calorie and soooo tasty! (The caribbean crab wasn't bad either, surprisingly, go figure). Enjoy it getting there! Best of luck all!

The Whole Foods that I go to has a Soup bar outside different sections in the store and I have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cioppino soup (outside the fish market). It's low cal and I believe decent Protein. We actually went there tonight to eat and listen to the band they had in the store. (Suprisingly I like the Caribbean Crab soup now too, although it's a bit spicy!) Trader Joe's is pretty nice too, but I'm on a liquid diet so I can't comment too much on it ... yet.

Isopuke RTD's were NOT good IMO. Now every taste differs (and after surgery, taste changes, fyi to whomever might be reading this and didn't know). I loved the Cytosport RTD's in tropical and tangerine, watermelon yuck was like a Protein bullet to me. Those I got from vit shoppe as gettingthere said. And know if you buy from there and save the container and your receipt, within 7 days i think it is, you can return whatever it is that you buy, should you not like it, they will give you a refund. They have a refrigerated section should you buy anything RTD (ready to drink/already mixed up) so you can try one before you buy a larger size. I currently like Oh yeahs, pure protien and premier Proteins (premier's at costco and sam's) but IDK that they are 0 carbs. But they are low carb and great protein sources. I prefer the RTD's, dunno why, but the protein powders just make me go yuck.... go figure. Best of luck to you!

Call your dr. I had (still have) a leak and I am pretty sure that other symptoms usually come with one.... although I am not a medical professional (hope that helps give you some comfort). I bet it's gas, but call your dr. Better safe than sorry!