maquinn20

This is my Fav Meal right now! It came to me after getting bored with cold cocktail shrimp... Yumsies!! I take 5 defrosted cocktail shrimp (Market Pantry Large Shrimp) and skewer on a small stick. I sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a True Lemon packet. I place on a pre-heated, medium-heat pan sprayed with spray Canola Oil and cook on each side for like 30 seconds. I place this over a half cup of low-fat Kroger cottage cheese. Stats: 20 g Protein 5 g Carbs 4 g Sugar (from Cottage Cheese) 140 Calories I am four months out right now and can get this meal down if I eat over about 15 minutes. If you are on a cold shrimp kick, I recommend my signature sauce: Reduced Sugar Heinz Ketchup with a dab of horseradish (depends on your liking). Much lower sugar shrimp sauce option than any bottled sauce you will find out there!!

I am totally with you Amy. When I dieted pre-op, I lost 40 lbs in 6 weeks doing the South Beach Diet (stayed below 40 carbs). I have lost 52 lbs in the 4 months since I had my surgery. I agree that I have no regrets about surgery but wish it would come off faster like before. I will say that I weighed almost 100 more lbs than I do now when that weight came off so quickly so maybe that is why. I did no exercise at that time either, now I walk an hour at least 5 days a week and only lose 1 to 3 lbs a week :/

I am in the EXACT same situation. I was sleeved 1/15/2013, am down 23 pounds, and have only lost 2 pounds in the last 2 and a half weeks. I eat between 700 and 950 calories and get between 50 and 80 grams of protein. It's so discouraging

I take Yaz and was told to take them the morning of surgery, while in the hospital, and immediately after. In other words, never missed a pill.

I am one month out and lost 21 pounds in like 2 and a half weeks and stalled out. I put away the scale 5 days ago. The stalling devastated me. I get in about 60 grams of protein a day and it seems to average 850 calories. How can I not be losing? I just assume my body is adjusting to the shock. I promised myself I wouldn't weigh myself until the 28th....it will have to budge by then! Good luck!

I've almost blacked out twice. Once in when I was taking a hot shower (about one week post op). And once today while I was standing in the kitchen for a while making the infamous baked ricotta. It's pretty scary: tunnel vision, black spots, loud buzzing in ears, my limbs start to give out. I assume I am just dehydrated. I know I don't drink enough liquids. I sit down and in a couple minutes it goes away.

13 pounds is amazing! A pound a day!!! That is the rate I am about running...17 days post-op and I am 20 pounds down!! You should calorie count - even if it is just for one day - and you will realize we are "eating" barely anything. I drink like 4 double skim milks a day (8 oz skim milk + 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk = 160 calories x 4 times daily = 640). Sometimes I add a small 5-8 oz yogurt in. Clearly that is so much less than we used to eat. And even as we are allowed to add more solids in, it is minimal and again, way less than what we used to nosh on before! You will be fine! We will be fine!

So I am two and a half weeks post op (20 pounds down!). This week I have been experiencing a wicked amount of acid reflux (a burning feeling that comes up to the back up to my throat). I have been experiencing it all day everyday, regardless of whether I just "ate" or not. It was coming up while I was sitting up at my desk at work, resting at home, and sleeping. The only things I drink/eat are skim milk (with nonfat dry milk added) and Crystal Light or Diet V8 Splash. In case anyone else experiences this post-op, I just wanted to tell you this is normal according to my surgeon (I had my first post-op appointment today) and will probably last for awhile while I heal. He told me to take Prilosec or Prevacid. I bought Prevacid at noon and am already feeling better! I should have just called 4 days ago when it got bad but I figured I would wait until my appointment. You don't have to live through that! Call your doc!

Tips? Keep saying the mantra "it gets better." Every day things get better: the pain, the emotions, the weird feelings when you drink. And before you know it, you are rewarded with weight loss! My tastes seems to change everyday. I was able to eat my chewable Vitamins for the first week post op. Now, they make me nauseous. Like they actually come back up or make me feel blah I am switching to the Celebrate vitamins you can mix together like Crystal Light (Celebrate bariatric vitamins are what my surgeon recommends). The simpler the taste the better for me. I was able to drink some Protein shakes and Carnation Instant Breakfast-No Sugar Added post op. But after a week, the only thing I want is plain skim milk with nonfat dry milk powder added (by drinking 3 to 4, 8 ounce glasses of these a day, I get my 50+ grams of daily protein needs). My best tip would be using alcohol wipes to stop nausea. I got nauseous about 4 times during my 3 day hospital stay. I would call for my nurse and she would quickly put one on my nose and I would take like 3 to 5 deep breaths and it would calm me down (meanwhile she would be putting nausea medicine in my IV but told me it would take a few minutes to work). I still use this trick regularly (my nurses kindly gave me like 30 wipes to take home). Granted I don't get anti-nausea meds pumped into me anymore but it still works (you have to realize early post-op nausea is a little more intense because of all the pain meds they are pumping you with). One more thing - friends and family act funny post op. Learn to deal with it/laugh it off. A coworker ate candy in front of me and then was like Oops! And hid the wrapper behind her back. I laughed it off but trust me, I want nothing to do with sweets right now! And then the other day my dad was driving me to the pharmacy and was mad that I didn't "eat" anything that day yet. He asked if I could have a Wendy's Frosty! Clearly that is not a good idea - but I gave him an alternative, we went to McDonalds and I got a kid-sized milk. I now use that little half pint container daily (8 oz)...cutest thing ever. I digress... Let me know if you have any other questions while it is still fresh!! Good luck with your surgery! I am sure it has been a long journey. I had to go through a 6 month insurance approval process. I pinch myself everyday that I am now on the other side!

I had a wicked amount of pain in 2 out of the 6 incisions. I would literally hold them (they were right next to eachother) when I walked because I felt like they were tearing. It took about a week to go away. Two and a half weeks post op and I have NO PAIN in my abdominal area anymore. Good luck with your healing!!

I was a Starbucks-a-day iced coffee drinker. Don't get me started on full fat Frappuccinos that I was addicted to for years but I stopped that in January 2012 and switched to iced coffee with a little cream or whole milk and Splenda. That being said I cut back on coffee almost completely about one month before my surgery. I had my surgery on January 15 (2013). Through my required nutritional classes I was told to avoid caffeine because of ulcers. In the hospital during recovery, my stage 2 menu included Decaffeinated coffee and tea. At my post-op visit on January 31st I do plan to talk to my doctor about coffee because I would like to treat myself to a skinny latte or iced coffee when I am out with friends! I'm sure I would only be able to get down a tall Starbucks drink anyway...

I am seven days post-op and have a shooting pain and constant pain, really, in two incisions. I have 6 total and the two that hurt are on my right side right next to each other. One, I know, is where they took the drainage tube out of. I plan on asking my surgeon what the other incision was for when I see him next week. It's funny how 2 out of 6 hurt really bad.

I am one week post-op (yay!) and tried Isopure yesterday. I have the fruit punch one...yuckies. It is almost a sticky sweet flavor with a strong aftertaste. So I have been obsessed with Crystal Light Fruit Punch this week so I put an ounce in 3-4 ounces of my Crystal Light and the Isopure taste is minimal. I have to get in my clear liquids anyway...might as well use up the Isopure and get in a little protein each time!

I'm someone who had to go through 6 months of the monthly doctor visits for insurance reasons (started process on July 3, 2012). My surgery was tentatively scheduled for January 15th at my last surgeon appointment (December 19th). That gave me a month to let it settle in. But I told myself I couldn't get excited until after I got my results back from my January 2nd scope. I got the results back on January 7th that I was good to go. But in the meantime I had developed a cold and laryngitis and then was worried my surgery would get delayed. Well today I found out at my pre-op surgeon appointment that I was good to go and that the combination of the cold and the scope most likely caused the laryngitis. I went back to work after my appointment and I finally let myself get excited for my pending surgery. It has finally sunk in that I am going to go through with something that will change my life forever. My excitement is unmeasurable but I don't show it. I don't think anyone else can relate to me...even my obese parents (I'm 28, btw, and my parents are still a big part of my life). But they don't really ask me too much about what's going on or genuinely share in my excitement. Only all of you can understand. What I think is so weird about me right now is that I am not focused at all on the surgery/pain/recovery. I try to stay focused on the energy I will have when I am 100 pounds lighter...and have a whole new fab wardrobe...and am more confident with myself. These next 4 days are going to be the longest of my life!

I definitely agree with lolly. I just got "approved" for surgery today and had finished my 6 months of doctor visits last week (December 3rd). Half way through, just like you, I switched doctors. However, it was from my regular doctor to her physician assistant as my doctor had left the practice. So there was no transfering of files or anything. Come to find out at my surgeon appointment today (where I weighed in and had my pre-op appointment for my endoscopy) that the 6 months of paperwork from my doctor doesn't get turned into my insurance (the surgeon reviews it and they keep it in case my file gets audited by insurance). Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan apparently doesn't require submitted approval. As long as I meet my insurance's qualifications (40+ BMI and 6 months attempted of doctor supervised dieting), it's essentially up to my surgeon to go through with the surgery on me. Good luck with your last 3 months! I know it seems like a long time, but in the end it is a great way to put you in the right mindset. I've had a lot of time to think about what I am going to do and can't wait for January 15th (tentative surgery date) to come and for my new life to start!