KBT

I make two or three dozen of these at a time using different recipes and stick them in the freezer individually wrapped. They are so convenient to grab one in the morning when I'm running out the door for work. Best places for recipes, in my opinion, is egg face and Emily's bites. Don't have the exact web addresses but sure you can google to find them.

Yes, Powerade Zero was my number one go to right after surgery because it so easy to get dehydrated those first few weeks. You definitely need those electrolytes. Gatorade G2 is good too but I prefer the taste of Powerade. Most find that water is hard to drink at first so be ready for that.

Even at 15 months out, I cannot eat the better for you type of lettuce. My stomach just cannot process it and I get very sick. I can eat iceberg or butter lettuce but that's about it. I really miss eating a nice salad but I'm lucky it's the only thing I can't tolerate.

I am 52 and have had only positive comments that I look 10-15 years younger since losing weight. Maybe this will happen to you too!

Prior to the sleeve, I had four open abdominal surgeries. A prior surgeon had told me I was loaded with scar tissue so I discussed the possibility with my surgeon of having to be opened for my sleeve surgery because of all the scar tissue. My sleeve surgeon said he would do everything possible to not open me up and luckily he didn't have to. Instead of an hour to hour and a half, my surgery took 3 1/2 hours. He said it took him well over an hour just to find his way around the scar tissue but he did it! The PA later told me they gave me some little baby scars to go along with the big scars. :-) I wouldn't worry about this as a possibility unless you have some underlying issue that would require an open incision.

Our stats are almost identical. I lost 100 pounds at one year out. The weight falls off during the honeymoon period which for me was about six months. After that, you have to work at it like any other diet. I am in a private FB group with others that had their surgery the same month as me and I am very average with the weight loss. There are some that lost all their weight the first few months and others losing slower. I can't tell you a month by month weight loss but I can tell you I am very happy with my results to this point and very happy that I had this surgery. I have never regretted it.

I got that one today and we've lost about the same amount!

A compliment is nice every once in a while but I get really tired of it. I had three comments at work before noon today and I was even sitting in a meeting for two hours of the morning! It gets so tiring...... That's not what I want to talk about at work. Wish I could change jobs and go where no one knew me obese!

I was 51 when sleeved last year. I've been told I look 10-15 years younger though I definitely have some forehead wrinkles now. I really need to see about botox! No second chin for me but I definitely need to do something about this hanging belly! The sleeve is the best thing I ever did for myself!

I work in a large office park and my weight gets commented on about 3-5 times a day. And that's the comments I hear! My weight seems to be the big topic each and everyday and I'm tired of it. I'm not at work to talk about weight all day long and I know people are trying to be nice, even when they say many of the comments mentioned above but come on! I'm over it already!!!! There is more to me than my weight! I need to change jobs where no one knew me fat!

I get mine at Trader Joe's. They are pineapple papaya flavored. Very good to have on hand.

Some things are better left not seen. I've had several joint replacements and didn't watch a video until AFTER the surgeries as I didn't want to get too freaked out. I've woken up in the middle of some of my surgeries to the sound of a saw/drill. Even though awake, you are so drugged up that the sound doesn't bother you but it sure would normally to think that is your bone being sawed off! Yikes!!

Being crazy is a prerequisite to being a mother. My daughters have me labeled as Crazy Lady in their cell phones. Actually, maybe it's the becoming a mother part that makes you crazy..... hmmm....

Yes. I take Celebrex everyday. No problems whatsoever.

Here is a link to their SkinnyLicious menu. http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu/skinnylicious/White+Chicken+Chili

Happy Birthday but you know what? That is a great gift! They have a light, smaller sized menu with some great selections. I had white chicken chili without the rice which was really good. I got three meals out of it. You really should check out their menu.

Yes! I had this problem after surgery and it went away on its own after a couple of weeks. I've seen a lot of other people post the same issue over the last year. I wonder why your Dr isn't aware of this?

Mine is the opposite that I can't figure out. I have been tested for food allergies and know that I am allergic to dairy products. This is not lactose intolerant but an allergy to the proteins. Prior to surgery I would get really sick and all things dairy would go right through me if I had anything even baked or cooked with milk as an ingredient. Now, I can eat dairy items without any problem whatsoever. The PA has no idea why this is and neither do I. Now I can eat cheese without getting sick. Yea!!! Who knows why? Weird, huh?

I'm the banana person Laura was talking about and will be a year out next week. :-) Yes, I can only eat about 1/2 of a banana unless I spend a long time with it. This morning I went to Ihop with the hubby and had a bacon and cheese omelet from the child's menu. I managed about 2/3 of it and about half the fruit. Hubby ate the rest. I usually get takeout boxes or share a meal with one of my daughters. Eating out has really become a non-issue. You will all get to this point. Just give it time! Life is good with the sleeve once you get past those first 2-3 months and start naturally thinking like someone with a tiny belly.

Yes, just as Beth said above. I chose the sleeve because I could continue on NSAIDs. I had to go off them two weeks before surgery and could not restart for 30 days after but I'm good to go since then without any problem I take Celebrex daily.

I take anti-inflammatories every day without any problem, just as I did before surgery. If you are taking Advil without stomach upset now, why can't you take it after surgery?

Yes, it happens ALL the time and I have found myself looking around to see who they are talking to when I realize its me! What??????? I work in the Dept of Defense where there are plenty of middle aged men hanging about that never noticed me before. I'm 52. I've also noticed my husband noticing men talking to me at the gym and other places too and getting a wee bit jealous. We've been married 32 years so no jealousy is needed. He's not mad at me about anything but keeps telling me to be careful of these men that want to "talk" to me.

I do use the light soy or almond milk all the time but yes, immediately after surgery, even those might bother you as they did me. You'll just have to try it. I'm thinking that most powdered Protein mixes might have some dairy in them? I guess I could look at the ingredients and find that out! Also, the first couple of weeks can be kind of rough getting anything down in quantity so that you don't become dehydrated. I was told that getting the protein in the first week or two isn't the most important thing to worry about. You might want to concentrate on Gatorade G2 or Powerade. Those were my life savers for preventing dehydration. Make sure you have some of that on hand. Ask your nutritionist what they recommend but this is what my experience will tell you.

Hmmm..... I have some left over from last May. They're sitting in the frig in the basement. Maybe they are now expired and I can toss them too!

That's a good way to get started Makemyownluck. Get a lot of samples and decide what you like best. Also keep in mind that a lot of people, including me, have/had trouble with any dairy type protein drinks the first couple of weeks after surgery. I drank the clear Isopure, or what many will refer to as Isopuke, until I could stand the dairy based protein drinks. It comes in 20 oz bottles and you can get it at the Vitamine Shop. I would also suggest getting single bottles of it to see if you can stand any of them. The flavors I was able to tolerate were Mango Peach and Fruit Punch.