joatsaint

I don't come right out and tell anyone that I've had WLS, unless they ask specifically if I've had surgery. Anyone that asks how I'm losing weight, I tell them the truth - I have drastically cut back on the amount I eat and I do lots and lots of walking. And when people try to get me to eat stuff I shouldn't, I just say thanks and politely tell them that I need to stay on my eating plan.

In addition to the things stated above, I would add - get a pedometer and keep track of your normal walking distances for a few days - to get a baseline. Then try to walk farther each day. The goal: reach a minimum of 10,000 steps per day/7 days a week.

Guinness World Records called me today. It was out of the blue and I thought it was my shameful little secret. But apparently being startled by a squirrel can help you become a Guinness record breaker. I was in the kitchen messing around and heard some scratches in the utility room. Upon opening the door, I was confronted by a dastardly squirrel. Being a normal (sort of) person, I figured if I stepped towards him, he'd head for the hills. But no, he charged me! Squirrels aren't supposed to charge! They're supposed to hang upside down on the sides of trees and play funny games of tag with each other. It's in the Squirrel Manual. Chapter 1 - Squirrels are supposed to look cute, chase each other, and RUN whenever confronted by things that outweigh them by 300 lbs. This squirrel, obviously, was a dropout. He's the kinda punk squirrel that skips squirrel school, hangs around the pool hall, and smokes. I would add that he's a heroine addict, but I didn't have time to check his little squirrel arm for tracks - I was too busy trying to release the squirrel back into his natural habitat. By that, I mean that I screamed like a girl and slammed the door. That's where Guinness comes in. I thought my shameful little secret was my own, until I got the phone call. Apparently Guinness heard the scream and the door slam at their headquarters and tracked it back to me. I wondered how they tracked it back to me, until I saw the fault line (apparently caused by my slamming the door) snaking across my property and down the street. I now have two Guinness records - one for Loudest Girly Scream from a Man and Hardest Door Slam Without Knocking the Door Off the Hinges. P.S. The Man Club heard about it as well. I tried to explain that I was employing my catlike Ninja skills and the scream was my way of focusing my Chakras - but they weren't buying it. They said they had already given me a break on the whole Monarch Butterfly incident, but they couldn't give me a pass on this one. I now have 2 points on my Man Card. One more point and I have to take a refresher class. :-( P.P.S Does setting the world record for screaming like a girl count as an aerobic workout??????

Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve!

I've found 2 that I like - 1st place: Premier Protein chocolate shake - 2nd place: EAS carb control chocolate I like them even better with a scoop of powdered chocolate protein thrown in. I like my Protein shakes kinda thick. I bought a bag of chocolate soy Meal Replacement mix at Sam's Club and have been putting a scoop of it in my shakes. Sometimes they feel a little "grainy" but they always taste good. No chemical aftertaste. AND cheap, just over $1.50 per shake. You can get EAS at Wal-mart - 4 for $5. The Premiers, I had to buy a case of 12 at Sam's - 12 for $19.

Congratulations, I know how exciting it is to see the lbs melt away. Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve!

I had a tough time with eggs the 1st month. Frankensleeve no like! Now they are no problem, really love scrambled eggs with salsa. :-)

My doctor wanted me to walk 20 minutes a day 7 days a week. Not necessarily 20 minutes in a row. He said, if I needed to, break it up into smaller periods - just as long as it all added up to 20 minutes at the end of the day.

Twice is the minimum! :-)

My top items are: Premier Protein shakes, multivitamins, calcium citrate, chicken breast, ground turkey, and pork loin. Don't forget the Crystal Light lemonade!

No, no, no! My scale would die of loneliness if I didn't stand on it at least twice a day. Embrace your inner scale. The scale is our friend.

At one month, I was pretty much eating the same thing for every meal. Either Cream of Mushroom soup or my taco chicken recipe.

I've read testimonials that said he was back at work after 3 days. But it didn't work that way for me. I wasn't able to drive for 7 days and was back to work on day 10. Everyone recovers from surgery at different rates. You might want to ask your doctor and some of his former patients how fast they were able to get out of the house.

You're not alone. I think about good things to eat when I'm bored - especially in the evenings. I don't have any solutions for it yet. At work, I can get up an harass my coworkers when I'm bored. :-)

Yes, chicken breast is one of the hardest things on my stomach. Beef, pork - no problem. Plain ole grilled or canned chicken breast - and Frankensleeve is mad!

I have had dizziness and a little problem sometimes with coordination - especially after exercise. But you didn't mention if you're getting enough water. I drink between 100 - 120 oz. daily. When you mentioned dry skin, getting in enough fluids was the first think that came to mind.

Congrats on getting approved. P.S. Please hold off on the throwing up till you're in the pre-op liquid diet - that way it will count towards your pre-op weight loss.

Stalls are a normal part of the process. It's just your body getting used to the weight loss and reduced calories. I just got past a 3 week stall as of today. But for the past 3 months, I've had at least 1 two week stall per month. And I'll freak out, thinking, "Is this it? Is my weight loss over?" But I keep on working my diet and exercise program and the weight loss starts again.

I've been on a CPAP for 3 years. I get air leaks pretty regularly. I find that usually it's because I let the oils from my skin build up on the seal and forget to wipe it off. I use baby wipes to keep the seal clean and if that doesn't work, I put some chapstick on the seal and where it touches my face. That usually does the trick.