traceyinflorida

You look beautiful! Congratulations on your sucess!

What an incredible transformation! You look so beautiful and happy! Keep up the great work!!

It is nice that she is trying. That super blender will come in very handy for you. It's great for making protein smoothies. I liked to puree bean soup down to a thick creamy consistency so I could have them during my full liquid phase. Some of the things your family is eating for dinner will puree nicely. I made my family a chicken caserole and threw mine in the food processor and was able to eat it. It wasn't quite as appetizing to me that way, but it had the same flavor, so I lived with it. Enjoy your early birthday present! For your next birthday she will have to buy you new clothes because nothing from this birthday will fit!

Hang in there. It gets better. The first month was REALLY hard for me, food wise. Every stage was hard for me until I finally got to real food and then it was still a bit of a chore to eat. I kept thinking that I would never get the hang of this and that eating and drinking the right things, the right amount and the right timing were like a full time job. But I will say, that each week was better than the last. As you start to see real movement of the scale and dropping sizes, the excitement starts to build and helps to fade any regrets and wishes for the old you. Also, you will suddenly realize that while you still have to plan, eating right becomes second nature. You probably also will get to a point where you are no longer craving and desiring the things you loved pre-surgery and that food no longer controls your life. That is liberating!

Six weeks? Is there a reason you are on clear for so long? I think a discussion with your surgeon and NUT may be in order. I was climbing the walls after two weeks of full liquids. Hang in there girl. I always told myself during all the things that were hard and unpleasant (pre-op diet, liquid post-op, pureed post op) that it was just for a set amount of time. I would just keep busy with other things and the time would pass. It did. It will for you too. I would still have a conversation with your surgeon and NUT though to ask if you can have anything else!

Agreed, don't be afraid to ask for help. My husband has muscular dystrophy so I needed to shore up my support group for after surgery. Some of it I hired, some was given by my family, friends and neighbors. So many times people want to help, but don't know what they can do, so they wait to be asked. Alternatively, if you don't have anyone you would feel comfortable asking to "volunteer", why not hire a few industrious and strong teenagers in your neighborhood to help? If you plan for it now, maybe you can enjoy your yard a little longer before having to take it all down. I used to live up north and remember the fall clean up and winter prep all too well. I am happy to be living in Florida now where my patio stays out year round (unless a hurricane is coming )

Pooh, check with your local hospitals to see if there is a WLS support group that meets on a regular basis. We have one that meets once a month. Ours is pretty loose, so I imagine anyone could join, regardless of where they had their surgery. I find between this forum and that support group, I am able to stay more on track. They are a resource of a lot of good ideas and a good place to talk things out.

I see lots of posts on here about nausea. I read somewhere that peppermint helps. I have found that my multi-vitamin, no matter when I take it, makes me nauseous. Most recently I discovered that sucking on a sugar free peppermint makes it go away immediately. This has also worked for me when a food has not agreed with me. I just thought I would share in case anyone else is having the same issues. I wish I would have tried this months ago!

I can't make a decision for you, but I can shed some light on my thought process as I had the same thoughts and fears you did. I went around and around with this for more than two years. I was really scared of the small, but real possibility that something could go wrong. I have two children and a husband who is disabled with muscular dystrophy. He is completely dependent on me for all things. While he is a wonderful husband and father, he cannot drive the kids around to their activities, or get himself to their stuff. If something happened to me, it would be devastating to my family beyond just the loss of a mother. I was 272 lbs when I finally made my decision. I had no other co morbitities other than some mild sleep apnea. But the reality is, the chances of my having a heart attack, or developing diabetes and all the complications that go with it are much higher than 1%!! Then where would I be, and where would that leave them? I was only living half my life....if even that. I tried doing it on my own, but the reality has always been, I would have some success and then gain it all back plus an extra ten pounds for good measure. I finally decided enough was enough. I did my research, found a really good surgeon who has logged several hundred of the proceedure I was doing. It was time to give my trust to GOD, the surgeon and his team. I figured if it was my time, then it would be my time one way or another regardless if I went through the surgery or not. I was part of the 99.9% where everything goes right. I have read the posts of people who have had terrible complications. My heart goes out to them. I also see how that can really scare someone who is still deciding. But, now that I have done this and taken the chance, I am so happy that I did. I have undone over 15 years of weight gain in just three months. I am finally eating healthy and feeding my family healthy and enjoying it. I still have just a little under half way to go, but I now know it is doable! I have so much more energy for my family and feel like I am living life again. Yes, there is some risk, but it is a calculated and small risk to take, with huge gains on the other side.

I would ask your surgeon. Swimming is usually not allowed post-op for a period of time because of bacteria etc, but I do not know how long. That sounds like FUN though! My kind of thing to do!

I love your science project! It definitely highlights how easy it would be to sabotage your weight loss eating chips since it looks like the restriction of a smaller stomach won't do much to deter eating too much. I can't say that I will give up chips for LIFE as your NUT suggested. But, I will be mindful that if I decide to have chips, that portion control will be key and it would be a once in a while thing, not a daily or weekly with lunch thing! Thanks for the information!

It will be easy to hurt yourself if you pick that week to move all of your furniture to a new location by yourself. Seriously though, plan to take it easy for the first couple of weeks. Regular activity that does not require lifting over 10 lbs or a lot of twisting will not cause you to rip open your incisions. Your doctor will give you orders, make sure you follow them. You will not be out running a marathon or weight training, but you can walk. Your body will let you know how much you can do. You will meet with your surgeon a couple of times in the first days and weeks post surgery and he/she will let you know when you are healed enough to lift over 10 pounds and do all forms of exercise. When I was released from the hospital, I was told to rest when needed, take it easy, don't lift over 10 lbs for the first month and free to walk as much as I could handle. At 10 days, I was cleared for all normal activities except lifting. (and I felt like I had not even had surgery at that point) At six weeks I was cleared for all and could do any form of exercise I chose.

Hang in there! I have read countless posts of people not losing in the first week or even gaining. Then one day you will wake up, get on the scale and boom, pounds lost. Your stomach is swelling, you were pumped full of fluids, you are likely retaining water, you may have hit a quick stall after losing 30 lbs. Just keep going, doing the right things and the scale will start to move. Before you know it, you will be posting happy success stories all over the place!!

You made me look and you made me laugh!!

I have a similar workout that I ordered about two weeks after surgery. I have yet to open the box. It has now been sitting on my dresser for two and a half months! I will make you a deal...if you try your workout tomorrow, I will open my box and try my workout. I guess I just need some extra motivation. I await your post!

Lisa, thank you for sharing your experience! I know it will help so many people who have no idea what to expect. I am so glad all went well. I love your story of walking into the OR and your joke with the anesthesiologist about the double chocolate martini! I am jealous because you got more to "eat" in the hospital than I did! All I got was water after my leak test. Not that I really wanted anything, but some tasty warm broth would have been soothing! Welcome to the Loosers Bench!

It has been three months since my surgery and I have lost 42 pounds since that day. So we are losing at about the same rate of 14 pounds a month. Sometimes it seems reeeallllly slow, but at other times when I put it into perspective, I realize that I could never have done that on just a DIET! And, by now I would have given up and started to gain it all back plus several more! How long did it take you to gain your weight? The bulk of what I have lost so far took me ten years to gain. Hmm...three months to lose 10 years of weight...seems pretty good to me! Randi is right about not thinking about what others think of you. Chances are likely they are not thinking of you at all....they are too busy worrying about themselves and their own issues and insecurities! I used to work for a direct sales company and had to teach myself and others this lesson daily! It's really true!! My suggestion is that you get someone to take a photo of you and compare it to your pre-surgery pictures (if you are like me, these may be hard to find....lol) 54 lbs is a lot of weight! I am sure you will see that you have come a long way. Remind yourself daily that this is a marathon and not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race. Fuel your body with the right foods and lots of Water. It sounds like you are exercising, playing volleyball. Keep it up! You've got this girl!! We are all here for you! Oh and as for your mom's butt hole clenching....they have to find some reason to do that! That's what they are best at (at least that is what my teenagers would say about me!)

Congratulations!! That's awesome and inspiring weight loss! I hope you will post some pictures!

Thank you for that. I am three months post op and still struggling with what to eat. The cupcake recipes look like a perfect lunch solution for me! I think I will be baking up cupcake meals this weekend!

When I finally made up my mind, I was READY to do it right away and was disappointed to find out I had to go through six months of insurance required nutrition counceiling. The funny thing is, when I finally got approval and got my date, I also felt like everything was going so fast and was overwhelming. I had been thinking about it for over six months and I was suddenly overwhelmed by it??!! I guess my point is that it is a big step in anyone's life regardless of if you have weeks or months to think about it. Getting nervous about it is completely normal. It sounds like you have taken the time to do your research on it and you are ready. A November surgery date still gives you two months to mentally prepare. With all of your appointments happening in rapid succession, it just seems like it is happening tomorrow. Take a deep breath, relax and look forward to the journey of becoming a healthier, happier you! (and know that I am green with envy that you didn't have to wait six months!! )

You just cracked me up! I am still laughing! Thank you for making my night!

Yes I went through it big time this month. While I have been very good about eating protein first and complex carbs, it is the one time of the month that I find myself craving simple sugars and carbs and have given in several times. I am thinking it might not be a bad idea to make note of it, track it and be prepared. There is an app called Period Tracker that allows you to keep track of your cycles. Based on your input, it projects when your next period will start. The week leading up to that is big time cravings for me, so I guess I need to be better prepared with snacking alternatives for next month.

So far, at almost three months, mine is coming out a little but not at alarming rates yet. My understanding is that about the three-eight month mark is when it is usually at its worst. My hairdresser has had many patients who have undergone either bypass or sleeve and has witnessed the hairloss first hand. She assured me that while it might come out in alarming clumps, people do not go bald and in most cases it is not noticible to anyone other than you who sees it on your brush and in the drain. She said it is critical to take your vitamins and also suggested biotin to strengthen your hair folicle.

Once you start on real foods, even mushies, you will know you are full! Just take it really slow. Tiny bites, chew chew chew. Set your spoon or fork down in between bites. If you eat too fast, you will not know you are full and then you will overeat and be uncomfortable....ask me how I know!!

First let me say all of this will get better! I had an awful time with liquids in the beginning. I ended up adding Crystal lite to my water and was able to drink it. (something I normally do not like) I also tried other soups like vegetable broth just to mix it up a little. I also liked tomato soup but could not drink as much. My protein shakes were too icky sweet to me, but now I like them again. Your taste buds will readjust themselves again. In the meantime, try to focus on fluids as much as you can.