JenniJune

I try to weigh twice a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. If I weigh any more than that it drives me bonkers.

For the puréed stage, I puréed everything, lol. Soup, chili, veggies, meatloaf, meat sauce (for spaghetti). If you can eat it, you can purée it.

Here's the thing: We are not all going to agree with each other, period. That's the beauty of being human - we all have our own thoughts, beliefs and realities. If your surgeon said it was okay, then good for you! I miss my diet coke like crazy, myself. But please remember that not everyone is going to think it's okay because of their own personal thoughts, beliefs, and realities (as stated above). Just ignore the posts you don't like and acknowledge the ones you do. As for me and my DC addiction, I quit long before surgery because my family and I are transitioning to a natural foods lifestyle. This was a personal choice. After reading some of the ingredients that go into diet drinks and sugar substitutes, I was so scared about what I was putting into my body that I chose to get rid of it for good. Good luck on your journey!

I'm on the 11 as well. I am up to soft foods, but right now the only soft foods I can tolerate really are cheese and deli meats, LOL. I've been having a weird "full signal" - pain in my right shoulder. Anyone else have something like that? I'm eating a lot of yogurt.

I have a four year old and an eight year old. My husband returned to work on the 7th day after my surgery and I did fine taking care of them. The 8 year old is pretty self-sufficient though and she helped with her brother a LOT.

This is something a local restaurant makes. Their's isn't awesome, honestly, so I re-invented it. This is a great meal that the entire family can eat. Fajita Stir Fry 4 1 cup servings 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1 yellow squash, sliced into half moons 1 zucchini, sliced into half moons 1 onion, sliced 1 red bell pepper, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 C cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half 2 T salt-free fajita lime seasoning salt and pepper to taste 2 T red wine vinegar 1 T Water Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat on medium. Cook chicken until no longer pink, remove and set aside. Cook veggies until tender, return chicken to pan and mix. Add seasoning, water and vinegar and cook until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. I like to serve this with a little FF sour cream and FF cheese on the side along with some guacamole. Right now I am on full liquids, but once I'm eating real food again, this is going to be one that I run back to immediately!!

When do you think this philosophy starts? I've heard some people say "never" and others that have said "as soon as you're on real food". What's your opinion? I think that once you're fully healed and on solid foods, this is great philosophy. For me, this was a way to live a normal life and have a normal relationship with food, NOT to have to think about Protein and carbs all day, every day. That just feeds my obsession (and why I failed at programs like Weight Watchers). I just don't want to have to think about it. I want to be able to eat a sandwich, if I want a sandwich. A salad, if I want a salad. Or even a piece of pizza or a bit of hamburger, if I want that. The point, for me, is to be able to say "I'm full" and stop eating after one piece of pizza or 1/4 of a burger. What are your opinions?

I have the same: I think it's fairly normal. Mines still sore when I move a certain way or bend over, so I just don't do those things, lol.

We waited exactly two weeks and had no problem.

I used to have my brows waxes, but that got too expensive. I have thick, dark strays that show up on my cheeks, chin, and nose. I'm Norse descended so my body hair is naturally pretty light, thank God! I did have one woman wax my lip without asking (I was there for brows only) and I've had trouble there ever since.

Thanks everyone for the replies, there certainly is much to think about isn't there?

Pre-sleeve my best friend and I had "sushi Friday" where we'd make our own rolls with shrimp and artificial crab (okay, so it's not REALlY sushi, LOL). But it was fun. I could easily eat 5 entire rolls in one sitting. The thought that I will be able to eat a few pieces and be satisfied is so wonderful to me. I am only 2 weeks out right now, but hope to try it soon!

Absolutely, I'm not saying to eat like that EVERY DAY of course, that would be just silly. This is just an every once in a while scenario (thus MODERATION). Of course, the majority of the time you SHOULD eat right - eating junk all the time is what got us all here in the first place.

Sounds like you just might have caught a tummy bug.

Hey everyone! I am loving My Fitness Pal. It's such a great site/app! I'm WifeOfQeelin on there. Hope to see some of you soon!

I chose the sleeve because, for me, it made the most sense. I didn't want to have to return to the doctor over and over again for "fills". I didn't want to be limited on what I can and can't eat. I didn't want major invasive surgery to re route my entire gastric system. Also, my mother and several friends have the band and have had MANY issues with it from slippage to not eating enough to eating too much. I have also heard of the pouch on both the band and the bypass becoming stretched out. With the sleeve the possibility of your stomach ever stretching out THAT much is slim. I also have friends that have had the bypass and have stated that they now wish they could go back and do the sleeve instead because of all the problems they're having. Bottom line is, whichever surgery you chose it's a personal decision. Of course here on the sleeve forum, we're all a bit biased so we'll tell you all the praises about the sleeve and all the downfalls of the other surgeries. My advice to you is this: DO YOUR RESEARCH. Visit web sites, talk to people, learn the good, the bad, and the ugly on every possibility out there. I do have one question, though: you said you're already scheduled for the sleeve in August, but want to know which surgery to go with? Are you having doubts and second thoughts? You should not be forced into any procedure, so be sure you are going with what is right for you! Good luck!

I'm about a week out and so far haven't found anything that I can't have - I'm on full liquids and puree just about everything and thin it, LOL, so I've had everything from chicken noodle soup to vegetable beef soup to spicy tortilla soup. The beef and chicken didn't bother me nor did the spice from the tortilla soup. I have yet to try bread or rice as I am not to this stage yet, but I don't anticipate any issues there either, because I can tolerate grits and cream of wheat very well also. Good luck!

Here's my 2 cents on diet soda and the sleeve. The reason we aren't supposed to have it during the first few months is because of the staples on your stomach. If there is any metal exposed on the inner wall of your stomach, the soda can actually erode it and cause rust. This can cause infection and a slew of other issues (as per my surgeon). It's all about allowing our newly formed tummies to heal. AFTER our stomachs are fully healed (around the 6 month mark) there is no surgical reason why one cannot indulge in one once in a while - the carbonation, however can cause discomfort for many, so be careful. My personal feelings on diet soda: ONE, over ice, once in a while is okay as a treat, but daily it should be avoided. There are so many reasons for this: the carbonation and acidity can cause ulcers in the stomach lining, the aspartame in it is a carcinogen (I try to avoid all aspartame as a result of learning this), the artificial flavors and coloring are also carcinogens, and there is absolutely zero nutritional value in them. I was addicted to diet coke for 20 years - I drank up to a (12 can) CASE a day. I suffered from severe indigestion, gas, ulcers, and a whole host of issues. I quit drinking them shortly before I started my pre-op diet and haven't turned back. I feel much better, stronger, and haven't had any digestive problems since. I truly sympathize with those of you struggling with this addiction - contrary to believe it IS an addiction just as strong as any drug - but I urge you to be strong. You'll be so glad you did it and so proud of yourself. And your gastrointestinal system with thank you for it.

I had to do it cold turkey (I was pregnant at the time) and it was the HARDEST thing I've EVER had to do. I visited LOTS of web sites (quitassist.com was one I frequented). Of course, this was also when I gained a lot of my weight, so I'd invest in a lot of gum and sugar free lollipops. Also, take up a hobby that will keep your hands busy. I started crocheting and cross stitching during this time as well. Most of all, you have to BELIEVE that you CAN do it. It has to be "not an option" and there can't be a way out. The problems with losenges and gums is that you can actually become addicted to THEM (I've seen it happen more than once). Good luck to you!

So far, so good! My first goal was to be at 275 by 1 wk post op, which will be tomorrow and I hit that as of today! Pre-surg: 285 CW: 275 GW: 240

What are your thoughts on bringing older kids to the hospital? My daughter (8) wants to be there tomorrow along with my husband and my parents.

July 11!!! I am so excited!! I can't believe how fast this has gone.

I'm tomorrow as well and have also been singing that song! Lol!!

Yes I am! I can't wait!!!

Obesity is absolutely an epidemic on our planet. Yet society's image of the perfect form is getting smaller. I've even noticed the BMI charts have changed over the years. We get so focused on size that we lose sight of what really matters: heart. That's true for gays, straights, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, and everything in between. It is sad. I was single my entire life except for two three month stretches until I met my husband. I was crazy about a guy for years that wouldn't give me the time of day because of my weight. Moral of the story is, when the "right" one shows up, weight won't matter.