Lilee84

To all those who think that success is only measured in pounds, I'm here to tell you you're wrong. If you're not taking measurements and you're just going by what the scale says (it lies BTW) you're only doing a disservice to yourself... My starting measurements as of 1/1/12: Weight - 278 Pants - 24/26 Tops - 2x - 3x Neck - 14.5" Chest - 47" Arm - 16.5" Waist - 42" Hip - 55.5" Calf - 20" My measurements 5 1/2 months post-op as of today: Weight - 196 Pants - 14/16 Top - L/XL Neck - 13.5" Chest - 40" Arm - 14" Waist - 37.5" Hip - 47" Calf - 18" Don't sabotage your success by only looking at the scale - measure your success in whatever way you can! By my count I can celebrate 9 successes instead of just one, and I dunno about you but when it comes to celebrating, more is better

Congrats and welcome to the losers bench!

I call these people haters... We all have them, but they way I look at it is the quickest way to lose 150lbs is to get rid of a hater in your life. There's a poem that says something to the effect of "People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you know which one it is you know what to do with them." Theres a more detailed version here (http://www.finerminds.com/love-relationships/people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetime/) but I think this poem hit the proverbial nail on the head, because it's through our greatest times of need that we find out who our true friends are.

I'm assuming when you say disability you're not referring to short term or long term disability, but more specifically like Social Security Disability, correct?

I slept on my stomach in the hospital... It was the easiest way to ease the pain...

Decided I wanted some popcorn tonight but I was concerned I'd over eat since its a slider for most, so as soon as it was done popping I grabbed three lunch bags and packed them full, then ate what was left. It wound up being about q cup and a half - next time I make popcorn I'll be breaking out the ziplock!

197! Down 5# this week and officially in Onderland! Woot woot! Looks like she really is that kind of girl

Sorry, I just saw this question. The answer is no, not all are done laproscopically. In the event that your liver is enlarged or too fatty and the surgeon is unable to safely complete the procedure laproscopically, your surgeon may either opt to perform your sleeve open, or to close you back up and reschedule until after your liver has reduced to a manageable size.

Sorry, I never saw this question... Beer is a typically a no no for a couple of reasons: First, the same general rules of soda apply here. No carbonated beverages. Second, beer is simply empty calories, has no nutritional value, and contains about 150 calories and 10g of carbs per 12oz bottle. Third, alcohol effects us differently post op and one beer could be enough to make you tipsy.

With such a drastic difference in those two outcomes, it's possible he said that to ease the inevitable anxiety that comes once Onderland is reached when many of his patients probably begin to stress over being so close to goal. It could be more of a mental thing than a physical thing. That being said, I hit Onderland last week after about 4 weeks of basically no progress, and I've been holding stead at 198 since Sunday, but we'll see what Saturdays "Official" weigh in brings...

Are you taking a B12 supplement?

Well, I would say yes but it seems I'm the minority. Drinking liquids got easier for me once I realized that if it wasn't ice cold it wasn't going down.

Welcome to the losers bench! What you're feeling is totally normal, and it goes away. Eventually you will enjoy eating again. Just be patient and remember that you did this for all the right reasons, it just going to take time.

I bake them until I can shake the pan and the egg doesn't jiggle, so the yolks won't be runny. They will *look* like they're going to be runny, but the egg comes out light and fluffy and is delicious! I keep 5 in the fridge so I can grab one each morning, and freeze the rest. I find that letting them defrost in the fridge for 24 hours better than warming from frozen. They only need to be nuked for about 30 seconds.

At 5 months post-op you'd think that I'd have my eating down and that I wouldn't make mistakes, but you'd be wrong... We learn that Protein always comes first, and even though we know, sometimes we still make mistakes. Like this morning, when I forgot to grab my egg "muffin" (http://thesimpledelights.com/?p=246) from the fridge before I left the house. I got to work and felt like I was about to gnaw off my arm when I decided to break down and buy my Breakfast. First stop, the refrigerated vending machine. Sometimes they have an egg and cheese biscuit or something in there, and I just take off the bread and eat the protein. This morning, no such luck. Next stop, the school store. They usually have beef Jerky - not ideal but in a pinch it'll do. Today however they're out. The store did have a blueberry muffin so I thought "Well, it's that or a bag of popcorn... Muffin it is." Wrong answer. I intended to only eat the top, but after about 1/3 of the top my body started protesting and into the garbage it went. Carbs don't sit well with me, and I know this, but I ate it anyways because something was better than nothing, right? So for those of you who think that after 5, 6, or even 12 months you'll be a sleeve expert, or a pro at always knowing and doing the right thing, think again. I'd venture a guess to say that even the most tenured veterans that are 12, 18, or even 24mos out still make mistakes in their eating. It's not the mistake that counts, it's what you do AFTER the mistake that counts. So, for the rest of the day I'm on protein only, and this evening before bed, I'm going to make sure that my food for tomorrow is packed and ready so that if I don't have time in the morning, I don't have any excuses. Mistakes happen, but as long as we learn from them and consistently try to do better the next time around, it's not the end of the world...

This is my go-to breakfast of choice... http://thesimpledelights.com/?p=246 I just grab one as I'm walking out the door (Sadly not this morning though) and eat it on my way to work. I use deli-sliced turkey or chicken instead of ham, and I make 12 at a time and freeze half. It's two weeks of breakfasts all at once so there's really no work other than reheating (30secs.)

I love the lingerie idea! When I was a size 14 last time I had matching everything, even Cami's to match the bras and panties. As I gained though, I stopped shopping at Fredrick's and started grabbing bras and bags of Haynes Her Way panties from Wally world. I didn't feel sexy anymore NOW, however, it's an entirely different story! I like the idea of a lingerie for every 10lbs, I'm gonna have to steal it

Not a bad choice, just not ideal for me. I try to stay away from a lot of sodium and preservatives. I eat it in a pinch or when I just need something quick.

It depends on whether its pimples or black heads, but i use a honey and lemon treatment to get my skin up to par... Slice a lemon in half, put a drop or two of honey on it, and rub all over your face paying special attention to acne prone areas like forehead, nose and chin. Let it sit for 5 mins then rinse with cold Water.

Yeah that's kinda my issue... I'm really concerned about the one on my calf, but i guess we'll see how it goes.

Post op isn't as important, but if you're still taking the blood thinners I'd wait, unless you enjoy bleeding like a stuck pig I have a couple more that I want but I'm kind of waiting to see how bad the ones I have get first

Sounds like a classic case of head hunger to me, with a food funeral kind of thrown in for good measure... In plain English, you're not really hungry for it but your brain knows you can't have it, and we always want what we can't have, so you're grumpy because you know you can't even though your brain is saying "yes please!" They'll pass in time, and we all get them at one point or another.