Strangefruit

I am about 16 mos post op and have not had a carbonated beverage since before the surgery. Sometimes I miss them, I actually miss carbonated flavored water more - but I only drink tea and water now.

I was one year out October of 2013... I had pretty much lost and then maintained, but have gained about 5-6lbs since the holidays as my workout routine has changed. (I used to do a lot of walking outside and we have had a severe winter)... I am trying hard not to gain any more, but am confident - ok, hopeful - that this spring I can resume my workout routine and get back to where I was in the fall. I don't think I am eating a whole lot more, but my stomach *has* stretched some in that I can consume more than last summer... I hope that is normal... I thought I was supposed to eat more than directly after surgery, but much less than before surgery.

... I mean, I am 15lbs from goal... I have gone from 255 to 184... I feel better than I have felt in years. My blood pressure is down...my knees don't hurt. So why miss something as trivial as rice. I just do. I can't eat it at all anymore... it seems to swell in my stomach and always results in sickness and throwing up. I have finally accepted that I can no longer eat it. But I miss it.

That's so strange that different things cause people different problems. I *can* eat Pasta in small amounts...but my sleeve does not like rice. Or chicken breast - it's too dense and I always have trouble digesting it. I use boneless, skinless thighs in the recipes that I used to eat with chicken breast. No problems there. I have never been a big beef eater (I suddenly pictured the Brits on the gin bottle) so I eat beef rarely, but do well with dark meat chicken and pretty much any seafood. Thanks for the reality check!

I hear you... my favorite brand is Muller with the fruit or carmelized almonds in the corner... I almost always throw away a bit of yogurt.

I am now one year out...it was a HARD year, but I eat fairly well, exercise regularly, and overall am happy with my weight loss... This morning for breakfast, I had an omelette made with TWO eggs, ground sausage and cheese. No carbs... I am pleasantly sated and not over full... Should I be concerned as six months ago, I could only eat ONE egg? I don't want to get into that slippery slope of stretching my sleeve too much... What do you think?

At almost one year out, I am experiencing joint pain... Directly after surgery, I was told NOT to take Aleve, Motrin or other NSAIDs... Only take Tylenol to prevent ulcers... Have any of you been told that is a "forever" rule or just while healing? Tylenol doesn't really help with joint pain for me. I emailed my bariatric surgeons office and was told to check with my primary doc... But she is not a Bariatric doc and immediately suggested Motrin and Aleve and was not aware I had been told not to take them previously ... Anyone using these pain relievers without problems?

Is there any reason why some sleeve patients are discouraged from taking gummi vitamins? Does anyone know?

Good afternoon, friends! I wanted to share this with you - I just received a book that I ordered from Amazon dot com and although only half-way through it, I strongly recommend it to all who have had, are having, or thinking about having bariatric surgery. Honestly, it should be required reading, it is just that good... Here is the book...If you get HALF what I did out of it, it will be worth your money... Have a great weekend! "The Emotional First+Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery" by Cynthia L. Alexander, PsyD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976852659/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 p.s. If you check out the link on Amazon, click on "look inside" and you can read the table of contents and some random pages... very useful.

Are you exercising? Are you still following a diet? Yes, everyone is different, but if you are stalled, there are things you may be able to do to get the scale to start moving again...

ok, I didn't know they were "skinny" jeans - I bought them on ebay, NYDJ, which are usually pretty pricey in a size 16, thinking I own a pair of the same brand and could wear them. The jeans arrived last night in what I thought was a pretty small mailing envelope...I opened them, shook them out and my heart sank. They looked like jeans for a small child! ( For no good reason, I decided to try them on anyway. They fit. Snugger than I prefer, but THEY FIT. OMG. I want to lose another 8-10lbs before I wear them in public, but I can't believe I got these "tiny" jeans over my ass! I'm going to leave them out of my closet so whenever I get tempted to NOT exercise or eat something inappropriate, to remind me that I want to wear those jeans this summer.

you look awesome!!! how long since your surgery?

I spray Pam in a ramekin dish...add some Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles, egg whites, and provolone cheese... microwave for 1 min. Easy, delicious and filling breakfast.

what they said above...also, the referral from your pcp is likely to detail your BMI, and any co-morbidities that you may have due to your weight, and your general health and whether you are a good candidate for the surgery... good luck!

They don't have them at Maryland Costco either.

Going to Costco today - are these in the frozen section or the refrigerator section? Thanks!

PdxMan - that is the best news I have heard in a LONG time. Thank you. That really gives me hope and something to look forward to! I will be at the 6 mos mark on April 22... I *can* eat SMALL amounts of salad... still don't eat beef... chicken breast is too tough, so I eat boneless skinless thighs and turkey... I am just hoping to not have eating be a CHORE. I don't have to ENJOY eating anymore, but I shouldn't dread it either.

PdxMan - I guess what is hard for me is that even when I eat the RIGHT types of food... and eat a lot less...it is still not ... easy? comfortable? Not sure... I guess I could take exercising every day, logging calories (professional dieter - used to that) but I expected that I would eat LESS and eat healthier... what I did NOT expect was difficulty eating PERIOD. Eating skinless chicken or turkey, eating Protein, I don't even miss carbs as much as I thought I would... but I still feel physical discomfort eating. So. Perhaps that is just me. I did not expect a lifetime of dreading food...just LESS food and healthier food.

"What I'VE noticed, is the trend for more and more people with a smaller amount of weight, no health issues etc, getting sleeved. Maybe some of the problem with regrets. If you have not faced a lifetime of being overweight, severe health issues, etc, it might be tougher to not have some regret. As for me, I don't have a SINGLE regret. I am 2 months from being 3 years out. Lost 100 lbs in about 8 mos with little effort on my part. I did not have hunger, stalls of any kind during that time and only suffered some hypoglycemia/lightheadedness." See, I hear this a lot... I was 100lbs overweight, had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and other co-morbidities... I was not one of the people who did this to lose 30-40lbs... NannieG's quote above about losing 100lbs in 8 mos with little effort is NOT me... I am 6 mos out, 70lbs down...and the ONLY way I can lose weight is by exercising EVERY DAY and by strict calorie counting... I eat primarily Protein based meals, very slowly, I *do* get hungry AND have had lots of stalls...I work HARD at losing weight... Eating is a slow, time consuming chore...eating just a little too fast or too much ALWAYS results in hurling and pain. So, it does get a little frustrating when I have to eat 900-1000 calories and exercise like a gym rat daily to see the scale move AND get sick eating...because if I ate like that and exercised like that without surgery, I would have lost weight too.

I am one of the posters who have said in the past that I have regrets...Not all of the time, but yes - I have. I *did* do my research...I had psychological counseling... my entire preparation time was over a year. I KNEW what I was getting in to. I have had a love/hate relationship with food for over 40 years. So yes - it IS hard to adjust to a different style of eating. I WANTED to lose weight...I STILL want to lose weight. I am down almost 70lbs in six months. I am healthier... I exercise EVERY day. But. This is still the hardest thing I have ever done. And I can't say for sure that if I had to do it over again, I would. The last 6 months have been the hardest 6 mos of the last 30 years of my life... So, it hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns. People who think that weight loss surgery is an "easy way out" or a short cut? I want to punch them smack in the mouth. It was VERY hard. For me. Some folks seem to have the surgery and bounce right back and go to work the next day, run a 5k, etc, etc... ~shrug~ Flame away, but that is how *I* feel.

Italian sausage - I am thinking lunch..does it have a breakfast-y taste? I will look for it next time I go to Costco... thanks.

You can do this. One question though - what area Kaiser are you a member of? California, Ohio, Mid-Atlantic? I ask because I am in the Mid-Atlantic and there is definitely a weight list for the surgery. So, once I got my approval from the board, there was about a 6 month wait before being scheduled for surgery. I just realized I spelled it the first time "weight", which I guess is also true. I am a Kaiser patient...I had my surgery October 2012 and at almost 6 mos out, am down 75lbs. It really does work - BUT - it is also a lot of work. I work out EVERY day, which I never did before...And, I still track everything I eat. Good luck!

Amazon dot com says the Fitbit flex (the bracelet one, right?) will be released on May 1... I have already pre-ordered mine!

My doc and nutritionist only advise 30 grams of carbs a day... I am to get a minimum of 60 grams of protein and no more than 30 grams of carbs... I average 900-1000 cal a day and exercise 6x per week... Even then, my loss is slow, but steady.

Almonds. I eat 10-15 as a snack, but must count them out or i will eat too many.