keldolbeth

Oh, dang! I thought your post said 3 weeks pre-op. Whoops! The diet was HORRIBLE! I had to do FOUR weeks of it! After 3 days I was calling Rebecca because I felt horrible. Just curious, why were you at the doctor today? Is everything ok? Because I only have 1 week and 4 week post-op appts... are you still doing purees?

Yeah, doctor said as soon as off of pain meds AND could comfortably turn all directions to view mirrors, back out, etc. I drove to my one week post-op appointment and probably shouldn't have. I made my mom drive home. I was still having a lot of fatigue and dizziness.

I was sleeved June 25th, 3 weeks ago today! Are you having surgery there or at Jewish? Let me know if you need any tips or pointers about the process. I had been going there for 5 months for the Adipex program to lose weight pre-op and I still felt a little unprepared for the surgery. JourneyLite is so separate from Dr.C's office and Fast Track. I had no idea what to expect.

I'll weigh in (ha ha) since we have the same doctor! Go JourneyLite! How do you like it there? Anyway, the scale there was always within 1.5 pounds of my home scale, usually higher because at home I weigh first thing in the morning in my underwear. My gym scale is 6-7 pounds LESS than home scale and I was hoping to go with that but last week I went to my PCP and their scale agreed with mine. Dangit! I'd say if the number doesn't change at all for a while or you see sharp increases or decreases then you might want to change the battery. I don't think you need a whole new scale. Or try a third one at the gym or friend's house to be the tie breaker, that's kinda what the PCP scale did for me.

I agree, I'm not sure how I would feel about that. I've mentioned on a previous thread that my weight is a very personal issue for me and even more so my WLS. I think it would be a little odd/awkward with a sleeved guy. Also, I could see it getting competitive (just my nature) unless one of you are at/near goal. I don't know, I guess I shouldn't knock it until I try it. The guy I'm talking to has lost a significant amount of weight himself (still not exactly sure how but don't think it's surgery) so it's nice to know he can support my habits without knowing every little detail.

Oh yes, this was a major concern I had when thinking about dating post-op. That, and just when, or if, to tell a guy. I'm three weeks post-op and wasn't planning on dating for a few months. However, I met someone on match.com right before surgery. My suggestion is to plan the date yourself. (What guy doesn't love us doing the work for them?) Make it in the middle of the day or late at night and find other options that don't include dinner. At least if you were just going to do a drink/app thing you could nibble a little and just make up a reason for why you can't drink. But, yes, I'm aware they expect us to eat heartily, which I don't like to do on a date for other reasons. This guy lives an hour away so this is easy to do when he comes here. We've gone swimming, watched a movie at home and to see live music. I was supposed to go up there tonight but some work stuff got in the way, which I'm almost relieved about since he kept mentioning dinner. He says he needs to take me out since he hasn't spent any money on me yet. Ok, not used to that! I've gone as far as looking online and contacting friends who live near him to find date ideas to get out of dinner! lol

I'm on pureeds for one more week then soft solids! Yay! Today I've had Oikos(?) brand Greek yogurt with black cherries. It was 5 ounces and took me 4-5 hours to eat it. I just made the Ricotta Bake recipe that's floating around here. This is the first time I've made it. I made it in ramekins about 1/2 full. I ate about 2/3 of one. Oh, plus half a strawberry protein shake this am. I've also been eating refried beans with cheese, soups, carbmaster yogurt, chili, NSA FF ice cream (once or twice) and NSA italian ice cups, eggs and turkey sausage pureed with some SF syrup to liquify, pureed turkey meatballs with tomato sauce, string cheese, a pureed buffalo chicken concoction, cream of wheat with cinnamon and mashed bananas (omg that was good), of course protein shakes and whatnot. That's all I can think of for now. I stayed with my parents for the first two weeks post-op. When I got back to my place last weekend I went to the grocery and apparently bought WAY TOO MUCH! Everything I bought follows the diet I'm on but I was thinking in terms of my old quantities. I have so many leftovers in my fridge!

Niahri, We have the same doctor! I think we chose a great place! Btw, I live in Dayton but I'm from the west side of Cincy and stayed with my parents after surgery, which is why I chose Dr. Curry.

Congrats! This is a big deal and I know how you feel! My 10 year reunion is coming up in September. A year ago when friends started talking about it I was in a severe depression. For months I told everyone I would go if "I was more content with life" by then because for a while I hated everything in my life (single, hated my job, +70 pounds since HS, etc). Now I'm trying to beg my best friend to go. (I only friends with 2-3 people from HS and I don't want to go alone.) How about give us the details afterwards? Maybe it will give some of us (me) confidence to do the same thing.

My doctor doesn't mention or focus on calories either. They talk about protein, carbs and fat. If you meet their recommendations on that they say you will automatically be eating a low number of calories. Every doctor and NUT is different.

You can also put a lot more water in it without any spillage! NSV, holla! lol I'm not a huge bath person but it will be nice to fit better in there when I choose.

I've been wondering the same thing and have been stalking restaurant menus all day. I just started dating a guy who doesn't know about my surgery yet and he wants to go to dinner Sunday. I'm trying to figure out if I can just avoid it and suggest something else to do or find some mushies on a menu. (I'm 18 days out.)

What Crystal Lite flavors have you tried? There are certain flavors you can get to make a pitcher but not in the individual packets. (Bummer.)

Has anyone found any frozen fruit cups or Italian ice in the sugar free or no sugar added variety? I love the Icee and Minute Maid brands but there are way too many carbs. I know most of swear by certain SF popsicles but there's something about spooning it about of a cup that I enjoy so much more. lol Plus, I have sensitive teeth and they don't always agree with popsicles. I've looked at my local stores but I'm just curious if anyone else has had any luck.

I'm also an adjunct at a university here in Dayton. I haven't told anyone from the department. I think they will be quite surprised considering I didn't teach spring quarter so they haven't seen me since March and I teach evenings so I sometimes go a while without seeing many of the faculty or staff. The good thing is, none of them know me all that well so I doubt they will say anything.

Thanks so much! I've never seen the no sugar added variety but I am familiar with Luigi's! I knew WalMart had a better selection but I usually shop at Kroger. I'm going to have to make a stop. It's just easier to know what I'm looking for instead of standing in the aisle and reading for 5 minutes.

I'm frustrated with fatigue too! I have had no energy at all and I am ~18 days post-op. The first 3 days I slept and slept and slept. I was on Clear liquids and having a horrible time with the clear Proteins. I'm not napping anymore but I'm still very tired. I was allowed to start working out on Monday and I've been to the gym twice. I want to get some exercise but I don't want to push it. I feel like I'm doing pretty well with hydration as far as Water, crystal lite, Powerade 0 but Protein has been a challenge. I just got the shipment I ordered from Vitalady with some Protein powder samples so I'm going to start experimenting soon.

Yes, I think this is my problem too! I haven't been able to get "in tune" with my body's responses yet. The trouble is I've always had problems with IBS, heartburn, burping/gas so it's hard to know what my normal issues are and what are intolerances/hunger/fullness. I'm used to it all so it's difficult to pick up on any changes.

I'm a high school math teacher in Dayton, Ohio. I teach at an online school so there's only 6 of us who work at my location together. The only person who knows resigned. A few of the teachers who work from home know about it but no one in my direct office. I planned to tell one of them but that didn't happen before school got out. (How do you bring that up?) We have professional development about 6-8 times a year where I will see all of my friends, team members, and administrators. I'm kind of nervous for our convocation in a month because of all of the attention I'm afraid I'll get. I lost 65 pounds pre-op (surgery 6/25) and hoped people would notice so it wouldn't be such a shock in August but that didn't happen. I did tell a few people I was having surgery over the summer but didn't give any details so we will see if they ask!

10 days... and I was doing all the work. lol No problems or pain! My doctor told me I could do it as soon as I felt up to it, as long as I was careful.

Star, I've been big my entire life too. Now when I feel a new bone I worry it's going to break easily. There's always been so much cushioning! lol Funny story about bones: My dad has lost 50 pounds recently, probably now close to 100 from his highest weight, and I've never seen him so skinny! Last week we were just watching TV and he started poking at his chest. He said, jokingly, "Kelly, I never knew I had a bone here." I started laughing hysterically. I think he thought I was making fun of him because he sheepishly said "I'm just kidding. I knew I did." When I finally stopped laughing I told him it was funny because I've been saying that a lot lately, discovering bones and whatnot. So we started comparing where we feel those hard pointy things sticking out. So funny! And exciting for both of us! I only remember him as being a BIG guy.

I am still a ways away from my goal weight but I've experienced some of the feelings you are having. Everyone has different reasons for their preferences. It doesn't sound like yours are superficial or shallow, if it's related to lifestyle and not appearance. I used to only like skinny guys because I like the fact that they didn't know what it was like to be fat. Then I started liking chunkier guys because their size made me feel more feminine and not so enormous. About a year ago I met a guy on match and went out with him. I found it funny that neither of us had full body pics on our profile and I think we were both surprised when we met. He was a very, very big guy. I've never been attracted to men over a certain size because I know how limited I am in certain aspects of life and I don't want someone who is the same. (Personally, for me, I always think "how is sex gonna work?" lol) My weight is a super personal issue to me, one that I don't share with many, so being with someone who actually can relate and know how I feel kinda scares the sh*t out of me. I felt like a total hypocrite for not liking him but I couldn't help it. He was a nice guy but it was due to my own insecurities really. Conversely, it's so hard to judge attraction from a picture on the internet, even if they have multiple. Attraction has so much more to do with personality, mannerisms, body language, intellect, sense of humor, etc. So you just might be surprised. That being sad, I agree with most everyone here and you should definitely go on the date just for the experience. One date isn't going to give him the idea you want to marry him. I've had plenty of "one and done" men from online dating. I know it's scary because of the lack of experience, but don't let that stop you. The only way to gain experience and get rid of the nerves is to go out there and do it! I just met a guy on match and at first I was totally intimidated by him. He was good looking, "normal size," a lawyer, rich, independent, no kids or baggage, etc. I thought he was too good for me. I told him I had been losing weight and when I had surgery but he doesn't know what kind yet. (I fully intend on telling him soon.) I worry that he's the kind of guy who just likes big girls and won't be attracted to me later. BUT, a few weeks into talking to him I found out he's lost about 150 pounds!!! We haven't gotten to the how yet, he just mentioned it a few times. When we went swimming the other day I picked up on a little insecurity because he has some excess skin. It really just made me giggle because I was thinking about how we could bond over it! lol I didn't have the "omg, he knows what it's like to be fat" reaction that usually scares me because eventually neither of us are going to be fat and I hope not to have those same issues and insecurities. It excites me that he's made changes and is active now. There are so many things I can't wait to experience with him. Point is, you can talk yourself away from any man for any reason... you are only going to find out what you like by finding out what you don't. So GGOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

If you read The World According to Egg Face at all, she uses them in probably half of her recipes. I'm going to have to get some. Anyone able to find them in stores instead of online? I know I can get better deals but I'm too impatient and Amazon gets me in trouble!

My collar bones were one of my first NSV's at about 20 pounds. I've definitely lost from the top down, as "they" say women do. When sitting at my desk at work, I often lean forward with my elbow on the desk, cross my arm across my chest and rest my hand on my chest/shoulder. The first time I felt that bone poking out it scared me. It takes a while to get used to!

I'm sure everyone who posts here is going to tell you something different... Now, for me and my NUT, I had to do a two hour nutrition class pre-op and this is what they went over: Protein: 60-80g/day (which can be a challenge, at 2 weeks post-op they said it's good if I can get 40-50) I've never heard anyone mention this on here but it may not be anything new... they refer to 1 oz of lean meat, 1 slice of cheese and 1 egg as "exchanges," because they are each 7g of Protein. They said to try for 4-6 meals with 14-16g of protein at each, recommending two "exchanges" with each meal. Carbs: 45-60g/day but can vary if needed, stay away from anything that has ANY form of sugar as one of the top 3 ingredients. Go for complex carbs over simple carbs. Fat: Try for <5g per serving and <25g/day, mostly from mono- and poly-unsaturated fats Calories: my dr and NUT says not to count calories too much because if you are staying in line with the above categories then your calorie count will be fine. The protein and carbs are the most important.