joatsaint

Don't worry, mines always been black, except when I ate the green lentils, then it was green. :-P

My honeymoon period ended around month 6 or 7. I could eat few ounce more per meal and I had to start walking a little further to get the same weight loss.

I need an answer to that question as well. I keep thinking, is this all there is to life? Shouldn't I be doing something more with my life? But what am I supposed to be doing? The older I get, the more I realize the authority figures I thought knew how things were supposed to run, actually turned out to be making it up as they went along.

I didn't know that it would work for me and I was aftaid I'd be making a $5k mistake. I expected the smaller stomach would limit my food intake, but the real bonus was losing that nagging voice in my head that compelled me to eat every few hours. After the surgery, not only could I not eat much, but I no longer had that little voice telling me I needed to eat.

Congrats. Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve!

Yep, but that number is misleading. My doc and hospital each billed $30K to my insurance, but insurance only approved $15k each. The hospitals over-bill to get the real amount they want. My CPAP doctor does the same thing when I order new masks. He bills $500 and gets paid $125.

I hardly use my blender at 10 months post-op. I bought a $40 food processor at Wal-Mart a few years ago and it did the job for me.

Quick FAQs - Weight Loss Surgery - What to bring to the hospital

I felt like warmed over death for the 1st 10 days, then things started getting better day by day. But it took me 3 months to get back to the same energy levels I had pre-surgery. Now at 10 months, my energy is going through the roof!

You can start losing anytime you want. Your sleeve doesn't have an expiration date. :-P It can be tricky though, finding out what combination of calories and exercise it takes to get back on track.

Whenever I can't sleep, I take 5mg of melatonin. I get it on the vitamin aisle at Wal-Mart. It puts me right out.

Mine was 5 holes, but I've seen pictures of the single incision. The one I saw went in through the belly button. I haven't heard any reports of pain levels.

Once you learn how much you can handle per swallow, it becomes a habit really quick. I can take 3 swallows of my drinks without even having to think about it now. I can tell by the feel on my tongue if I have sucked in too much liquid. But it did take me a few months to readjust to the new lower amount I was able to drink per sip. It started out at about a teaspoon full the 1st weeks and now it's probably about an ounce per mouthful.

Mine was 1 week of each - clear liquids, full liquids, purees, then soft foods, then full foods

I've only used Isopure unflavored Protein powder. I haven't tried to cook with it, but when I add it to something hot, I mix it with a little Water first (in my Protein shake shaker) and pour it in. I haven't had any clumping problems.

Hang in there. I can remember my 1st weeks post-op and my stomach did the same thing. No matter what I drank or how small a bite of food I took, my stomach sounded like a chainsaw dumped into a garbage disposable. It does get better and easier with every passing day. Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve!

My food intake has changed a lot in 10 months. I went from only being able to eat sugar free popsicles the 1st week to eating 3/4 can of Soup by the 2nd week and slowing progress till 10 months later - where I am eating about a cup of food per meal and can eating any food with no trouble. It really was a long progression and it was surprising to find that the healthy foods, like Beans and squash were the ones my stomach took the longest to get used to. And processed foods were the easiest to eat.

The biggest con for me is overcoming my old eating habits. When I'm bored, it is tough not to want to eat, just to have something to do. It would be very easy to overeat if I didn't keep a careful watch over that old habit.

I told my best friend and my parents. There wasn't anyone else that needed to know.

I had a pretty rough recovery, but was back at my desk job on day 10 with no problems. If you have to bend, squat or lift stuff over 10lbs, I'd say it will take longer to get back to work.

I just posted a new video answering why I chose the Sleeve over the Lap Band. I have a friend that had the band about 2 years ago. It was only a temp solution for him. He quickly learned to eat around the band and gained all the weight back. He also has had complications from the band rubbing and causing scar tissue on his stomach. It wasn't long after the scarring that they had to deflate his band and may have to take it out. It may be a few minutes before the vid is available. It's still uploading.

I watched it when it first started but not since surgery. It seemed to be the same show over and over, with little change. Then again, I started getting put off with all the food shows celebrating the U.S.'s overeating.