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You're doing a great and will be at goal in no time! ~Cheri

This one is really useful. I prefer to manually enter my food instead of relying on my calorie counter's pre-loaded nutritional data. I find that it's wrong most of the time. ~Cheri

Great job! If you keep it up, you can easily make your birthday goal. ~Cheri

My scale stalled out right about the time I started on full liquids, sadly. I'm going to put the blasted thing away until a week from today, and see what it says then. I need to incorporate exercise, but that's not as simple as it sounds when you chase two toddlers around all day. I've been taking them on a walk then playing at the park to get more movement in, but the scale isn't budging more than two tenths of a pound. However, my pants are all getting so big I can pull them down without unbuttoning them, so something is happening. I need to take measurements again to see just what's going on, but my waist and thighs are definitely smaller. I recommend everyone do this, because if I were relying solely on the scale I'd be pretty discouraged right now. La: I'm glad I'm not alone. My biggest issue is that no Protein supplement tastes good to me anymore. To make them taste better, I'd make them with milk which would push my carbs up too high. I did find two flavors of IsoFlex that work for me, so I'm sticking to them. They're low enough in carbs that I can make them with skim milk and it won't hurt my daily totals. And while I might gripe about eating all day long (which has gotten better now that I'm incorporating some soft foods that are higher in protein) I certainly don't want to drink all day long instead! I'm also putting the scale away - it's hardly moving and it's very frustrating. I need to start incorporating exercise, I guess. Donna: I can easily eat about 1/2 cup of something soft or mushy, but it takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to do so. I can only take three or four small bites, then I have to pause for a few minutes. Maybe the foods you're eating are so soft that they aren't giving you a full feeling? What's your typical meal plan for a day? I also have the same issues with the scale, so don't worry too much. Everyone is different. My hope was to lose 24 pounds the first month which would have been just over 20% of my excess weight. However, I've been stuck around 19 pounds lost for almost a week. I'm losing on average about a pound a week right now. I will most likely lose 20 pounds this month, and that's from my starting weight since I have no idea how much I lost on my preop diet. I hope everyone is doing well. My husband is gone on a trip all next week so I have the evenings to do my exercise videos without feeling silly. I hope that it'll kick start the scale again and help make exercise a part of my regular routine. I do so hate exercise. At least starting out...once I'm used to the habit I look forward to it and enjoy it, but I'm a long way from that place right now! ~Cheri

You always look great and you always have great information to share with everyone. I started lurking on this site right around the time you had your surgery, and the entire time I spent considering the sleeve you were a big inspiration. Thank you for coming back and updating everyone on your progress even though you're out living your life now. Really - THANK YOU! ~Cheri

I was just sleeved on 15 July in Mexicali and I agree with Oregondaisy - Dr. Aceves, Dr. Campos and the staff there were wonderful. I had a great experience, and I fully intend to take my mom back in the future for a sleeve of her own. I went unaccompanied and I was perfectly fine. Almost all of the nurses speak a little English, and the cheat sheet with some Spanish on it made communicating with the ones that didn't very easy. They kept my pain under control the entire time, which was important to me. I saw Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos several times a day each. I've never had such quality care after a surgery in the states, and I am not exaggerating. Don't worry! You've already done the hard part: deciding to have the surgery in Mexico. You chose a great surgeon, and he'll take great care of you. ~Cheri

I, too, think if you get up and move you'll be fine. I flew from Germany to San Diego for my surgery and spent just under 13 hours in the air just four days post op. I got one additional dose of Lovenox before my flight. Since your surgeon decided to scare the hell out of you, he shouldn't find it too difficult to write a script for Lovenox if taking it will ease your anxiety. Yes, you have an increased risk for 4-6 weeks out from surgery, but DVT is possible with any long flight. Just take preventative measures and you should be fine. If taking Lovenox will make you feel better, insist upon the prescription. The ways to avoid DVT are to stay hydrated and exercise your legs. If the flight is turbulent, do leg exercises while seated. Get up and move every chance you get. Take care, enjoy the trip. ~Cheri

I am on mushies and I am sick of eating. Crazy. I never thought I'd say that in a million years. I feel like in my attempt to get in all of my Protein, hit at least 600 calories and drink 64 ounces of Water a day I am eating or drinking ALL DAY LONG. Ugh. I'm sick of it. Nothing tastes good anymore and I'm not hungry and I do not want to eat. I cannot believe eating is such a chore. My husband can eat pizza in front of me and I don't even care, other than the fact that the melted cheese smells pretty good. But actually eating any of it? Yuck! I seem to be very slowly dropping for the past week. I'm still losing faster than ever before, but I'm losing like two to four tenths of a pound a day now, instead of more than a pound. My goal is to get to 218 by the end of one month (15 August). That means six pounds in 12 days and I'm not sure it will happen. I'm also having trouble sleeping. I'm comfortable, and when I finally fall asleep I sleep very well, I just have trouble actually falling asleep. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'd like it to stop. Sorry to complain so much. The sleeve has been great so far, and I'm feeling just fine. I just wish there was an easier way to get all of the nutrition I need. Mellifrits: Glad to hear you're doing so well. It's amazing how much life changes with the sleeve - I remember a time when I felt 9 nuggets with a large fry weren't enough food. You're almost to goal, keep up the great work! Donna: Thanks for the link! Take care everyone, I hope you all are doing well. ~Cheri

It sounds like it would be pretty easy to shave calories off. First, try switching up the 2 eggs for eggbeaters or 1 egg and 1/2 portion eggbeaters. Are you eating the light versions of hot dogs? Make them at home instead of eating out, if you're not already. Ballpark makes a Fat Free Smoked White Turkey dog that has these stats: Serving Size: 1 dog (50g) Calories: 40 Fat: 0g Carbs: 5g Protein: 6g Fiber: 0g In my opinion, 15 carbs for three dogs would be overkill, but your nutritional guidelines might be different. Still, it's probably a better option than what you're eating. Eat them with no buns, of course. If you buy your taco, start making them at home. Use ground turkey, greek yogurt (1-2 Tbs.) instead of sour cream, lighter calorie cheese, etc. Try mixing up your lunch with some lowfat cream cheese and deli meat rollups, or by eating more of that chicken (even rotisserie chicken would work) and by keeping a closer eye on your portion sizes. Make the pudding a sugar free Jello, or a portion of cottage cheese with some fruit preserves. I'm not trying to offend you, but it sounds like you're making easy choices that are similar to what you would have eaten preop. You had the surgery to make changes in your life. While it isn't always easy, you can't slack when it comes to food choices. I wish you the best of luck. I hope some other folks will chime in with advice. I have plenty of ideas for what you COULD eat, but I was trying to base my suggestions on what you're currently eating. ~Cheri

You've had some great advice here, even if it's hard to read or you don't like some of what you're hearing. It's hard to admit you have a relationship problem, especially in a public forum. You deserve a pat of the back for reaching out and asking for help in the first place. Everyone else gave you advice that I pretty much agree with - but I wanted to add one more thing. When we want a relationship, or we suffer low esteem, or we just don't want to be alone, we tend to settle. It seems impossible to believe it now, because you haven't met your partner in life yet, but when you do, these issues simply aren't there. If you felt he was going to love you unconditionally and support you, you wouldn't hide things from him. If he was going to love you unconditionally and support you he would at least try to understand your decision. I've been through more than my share of bad relationships, so I can relate to settling for what's there instead of waiting for something better. But I'm sure every single happily married woman on here (myself included) will tell you the same thing - the right guy is the right guy. There's no forcing an "almost perfect" relationship to keep it together, no hiding problems and no gaps in the love and support you receive. Oh, sometimes they need a smack in the head to get their act together (they are men, after all), but they're always on board because they LOVE you the way you're supposed to be loved. The right relationship is almost effortless and you both fall together in the same path with no real bumps in the road. To me, even without the surgery issues it seems like you're trying to force a relationship by compromising yourself to make things fit better. It won't work. It can't work and make you both happy. Why settle for less? Best of luck to you. Have the sleeve, extend your life and be happy with the way you look. Someone out there is far better for you, I'm sure of it. ~Cheri

Oh, and good luck to the upcoming surgeries! Can't wait to hear about your experiences once you're sleeved. ~Cheri

I haven't vomited, but I do get the hiccups (which are painful) if I drink too quickly or if I drink something too cold. Try the Unjury Chicken Soup protein (available online), and since you're either on full liquids or mushies, try picking protein packed options. I'm on full liquids and I gave myself permission to have more carbs during this phase so that I could get in my protein. I add unflavored protein powder (1/2 a packet since I don't like the taste) to my pureed soups, pudding, yogurt, etc. Every little bit helps. Making shakes with skim milk will up your carbs but also your protein, which is more important at this point. Good luck, hope it gets easier for you. ~Cheri

I hope all of the folks recently sleeved are doing well. If you're feeling sore and uncomfortable, just remember it gets better pretty quickly. I'm now 11 days out and feel completely back to normal (I even slept on my side last night!) except for the knowledge that I have healing incisions on my belly. They do get a tiny bit tender if I overdo it, and I still can't drink supercold drinks like I prefer, but other than that it's golden. I'm down about sixteen pounds total, which isn't terribly exciting but isn't anything to frown at, either. I've never lost weight so quickly or effortlessly before. I'm working exercise into my routine now that I feel better. I'm aiming for 7,000 steps a day to start, with 30 minutes of low impact exercise in there. I just danced around the living room with my twins for a while and that will count towards my total for the day. I'm actually a bit eager for six weeks post op so I can start a real workout again. possumtrot: Good luck at work tomorrow! I hope you continue to feel great. LaSa: How are you doing on full liquids? I noticed that the nutritional info Dr. Aceves gave us is more limited than most full liquid diets. What are you incorporating at this point? I had a Protein shake this morning (chocolate) and it was like manna! I was so happy to have something "solid" as crazy as that seems. I think lunch will be a pureed cream Soup with 1/2 a packet of unflavored unjury (blech) added for protein boost. Hope you're doing well. Did Sa buy you a dress yet? What a sweet guy you have! My husband pointed out my hourglass figure is reemerging today and complimented me on how well I'm doing. It's great to have a cheerleader, isn't it? Well, take care everyone. I need to break up a fist fight between my twins...my daughter is pulling my son's hair while he kicks her and shrieks. Awesomeness. I am so ready to be out of the toddler years, even though I know I'll miss them once they're older. ~Cheri

Pretty much. I was in the hospital three nights, but I was in a bit of pain the evenings of day two and day three. I came home and was pretty tender - hiccups hurt like the devil, I couldn't bend at the waist or lift my arms above my head without discomfort. I was on pain pills as needed for a few days but by about 6 days post op I felt fine. I'm 10 days out and if I overdo it I get tender where my incisions are, if I drink something too cold my sleeve tightens up painfully and I still can't comfortably sleep on my side but other than that I'm back to normal. Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk. You'll be back to normal soon. ~Cheri

I'll wait to vote in the poll until I'm sure my sugars won't adjust upward once I hit mushies, but I'm a week out and haven't taken my metformin since the day before surgery. I was on 2 pills daily, with additional pills as needed - so if my fasting sugar was above a certain number in the morning I'd take two pills with Breakfast, and the same goes for lunch. There were days when I took four pills, but even with pills I almost never saw my sugars (even fasting) drop below 130. That isn't terrible, but I'm only 29 and it didn't bode well for the future. Since surgery they've dropped every day. The last several days they've been between 89 and 103. I have NEVER had a fasting blood sugar lower than 118 in the past. I'm amazed and can't wait to see if the numbers stay down. Even doing Medifast and Atkins in the past my numbers weren't this low, so I'm very hopeful. ~Cheri

So I weighed in and I have no idea how much I've lost. Let's say twelve since preop, because I don't know what I weighed before surgery. I was down eight pounds during the preop, but when I weighed the day before I flew to San Diego I was up five pounds again. Whatever. Twelve pounds in two weeks is more than I've ever lost in an entire month in 14 years of dieting. I haven't had to take my diabetes medication since the day before surgery and for the first time in years my sugars are normal. I'm not sure if they'll go up again when I get to full liquids and mushies, though, so I might hold off on calling my primary doctor for a workup until I'm sure. Ellenmarie: Good luck! Keep us posted. Libby: It sounds like you're doing well. How long are you on the Lovenox post op? They gave me one additional shot because I flew almost 13 hours home but that's it. I hope it gets better soon in any case. LaSa: I'm JEALOUS! I slept on the couch last night for the second night because I can't sleep on my side yet. However, I did get ten comfortable hours of sleep on the couch so I can't complain. I'm off the pain pills but I'm still a teeny bit achy if I overdo it. All in all, it's going well. But you were right...I'm ready for some real food. Not because I'm hungry, but because I'm tired of drinking my meals! Donna: Don't fret, everything I've read says liquids go right through us and that we'll feel more fullness with mushies. I'm easily able to get in 80 ounces a day in liquids, I just can't drink a bunch at one time and I have to sip to do it. Happy Belated Birthday and don't beat yourself up over workouts yet. Just walk a little more than usual and take the steps when you can. Hope everyone else is doing well! ~Cheri

I suppose it's time for me to move to this thread now that I'm sleeved! Today is day 5 for me. I had a headache yesterday but then again, I had zero Protein yesterday. Today I had a little Isopure (yuck) and three packets of unjury, getting in my 70 grams of protein. I think it made all the difference, because today I had no headache, wasn't tired and sluggish and managed the entire day without needing a pain pill. Well, until my two year old accidentally headbutted me in the belly - that hurt! I'm feeling really good except for a bit of soreness around my incisions and some achiness in my abdominal muscles (like a hard workout or being pregnant). I have ZERO hunger. I'm thrilled. Tonight we went out to eat and I was going to order chicken Soup and ask for mostly broth so I could eat with my family. However, they only had shrimp gumbo, which is something I do not eat. I was amazed that I was able to sit at the table and sip Water while my twins and husband ate their meals. I wasn't hungry in the slightest, though I admit there was a twinge of head hunger when I got a good whiff of their meals. It was a little odd - almost like I was stuffed to the gills and couldn't eat, but still I felt that ingrained desire to eat food because it's there. It was very interesting. Having no hunger made it incredibly easy to just ignore their food and chat the entire time. I really feel for folks that don't lose hunger with the surgery, because it would be much harder that way. I'm hoping mine never comes back in the force it was prior to surgery. I was hungry every second of the day before and would eat myself sick to have a full feeling. I'm going to hold off on a weigh-in until one week post op (Thursday) because I'm still feeling a bit bloated. LaSa: I'm fine, thanks! I just hadn't moved to the post op board yet. How are you doing? Take care everyone! ~Cheri

Sorry to hear you went through this! To avoid this issue, I went to vitalady's site and bought a slew of samples - that way I could decide if I liked something enough to buy the giant tub. Try working with the shakes - mixing with SF pudding or greek yogurt (w/splenda), freezing them to see if they're more palatable very cold, making them with 1/2 scoops instead of a full scoop. Try mixing the vanilla with fresh berries and vanilla soy milk for a smoothie, or mixing it with a cup of chai flavored tea instead of Water. I hope there's a variation out there that makes the shakes palatable. If not, maybe someone on the boards will buy them off of you if you ship them? Everyone's tastes are different, so someone out there probably doesn't mind the unjury vanilla. I've only had their unflavored and chicken Soup Proteins as I'm on clears, but I have no issues with either one. Like I said, everyone is different! Good luck, ~Cheri

La: I'm glad you're back and feeling great! I'm feeling pretty good, too, especially since I got about nine hours of sleep last night. How are you doing with your 64 ounces? I had a heck of a time getting anything in yesterday, probably due to nearly 13 hours in the air. Today I'm doing great and I feel a lot better now that I've incorporated clear protein (Unjury chicken broth is a godsend). I've decided to wait until Thursday (one week) to weigh, since I'm definitely bloated from the IVs followed by a day full of flights. How are you doing on that front? jls: Glad to hear you're feeling so great. Enjoy that transition to soft foods. I'd say I'm jealous but since I have no appetite I'm okay with my ten days of clears followed by a week of full liquids. :001_tt2: RAINY: Glad to hear you're feeling better, too. Everything from day three out has been fairly easy and it keeps getting better. I second those rave reviews of Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos. Wow, what a great experience! I never had any worries and I felt that between his talk to prepare us and my own research there were no surprises. I already plan to bring my mother down to Mexicali when she's ready for her sleeve. Good luck to everyone sleeving this week. I think there were several folks for the 19th, so hopefully they'll be up to posting soon. Take care everyone! ~Cheri

Just a quick update! I'm doing great. It's day two and I've been doing lots of walking and sipping. I had the dye test not too long ago and now I'm able to sip my hot chamomile tea and some apple juice. I've only had to take one pain pill today - the soreness around my drain was getting to me. Between the Gas-X strips and heating pad the gas is pretty well under control. I have some minor pain in my left shoulder, but I slept on the heating pad all night and burped up most of what was trapped in my chest, I think. Anyway, the entire staff here is wonderful and Dr. Aceves has stopped in to see me both days I've been here, as has Dr. Campos. I hope tomorrow goes well, too. I'm ready for to get this drain out and take a shower! ~Cheri

Get better! You can have IsoPure and Unjury makes a chicken broth protein powder and an unflavored protein powder you can mix with crystal light. SF jello is a clear, but doesn't have much protein. Some folks make the SF jello with IsoPure and eat that to boost the protein. I was told (every doc is different) that the main thing in the first few days is to stay hydrated. Protein will come later, after you're tolerating your clears well and not dehydrated. Best wishes to you, keep walking! It's helping me a lot. ~Cheri

Take it easy. I'm glad to hear you got through surgery and are doing better. I hope you heal well and get back to normal soon. Thank goodness you have family helping you out while you recover. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted when you feel better! ~Cheri

Best of luck, Kathy! I'm here in Mexicali waiting my turn (LaSa is next, I believe), and just as happy with my decision as you are. Get sleeved, heal up and then head out there and conquer the world! Take care, keep us posted. ~Cheri

KathyM: Prayers and positive thoughts! Good luck tomorrow. I know I'm excited as all get out, and I imagine you are, too. Donna: Don't fret overmuch. Dr. Aceves lets his patients have a "last meal" that's pretty much whatever you want, so I'm sure your biscuit and wine send off won't hurt you. Good luck! So, I'm here in Mexicali (with LaSa) and everything is GREAT. The hospital is clean and orderly, the staff is wonderful and I feel very comfortable with my choice to go with Dr. Aceves. We head to the hospital at seven, and by this time tomorrow we'll be sleeved. Yay! So, I'm off to sleep. Those margaritas Dr. Aceves recommended sure hit the spot. :confused1: I'll update sometime after surgery - maybe not until Friday if I'm feeling funky tomorrow. ~Cheri

Thanks Elllisa! I'm sure the layover won't be too bad, but I still hate sitting in airports with nothing to do. At least it will take a while to pass through passport control and customs, and then I can probably sit down and eat at a restaurant to take up some more time. I'll have my books with me, too, so I'll be fine. I guess I'm just impatient to get my surgery! Euphoric it sounds like you're doing well. Sorry that you can't do more with your daughter - I'm worried about the same thing when I get home to my almost three year old twins! I just click on my ticker in my signature for updates, by the way. Crystal, I hope everything is going well for you today! Be sure to post your experience when you're up to it. Welcome to tlkeuler, sunshine, sanct and chica! Time will fly by and you'll be getting ready for your surgeries before you know it. chica, you might try Isopure (I warn you that some people hate it) or unjury. Unjury has unflavored Protein that mixes well into Crystal Light and they also have a chicken broth flavored protein that I'll use post op. I can find IsoPure at my local commissary and I know GNC sells it, but I had to buy Unjury from their website. Shipping was very fast, though. I had my order in four days and I'm at an APO adddress in Germany. KathyM, I'm sorry to hear you're on clears now, but it's only three days and you'll be sleeved before you know it! I hope everyone continues to do well. My flight leaves tomorrow morning and by tomorrow late evening I'll be in San Diego. I cannot believe how quickly time flew by for me! Take care everyone, my thoughts and prayers for everyone healing and for those about to have surgery this week. ~Cheri