theoldmusicbox

Dude, I was 5'6" 373 pounds. 56" waist, 28" inseam. 5-6x shirt. I also had hbp, irregular heartbeat, sleep apnea, and a host of other comorbs. They were able to do mine without going open, out of the hospital day after surgery. I was sleeved on June 4. I'm at 258 now, wearing size 44-46" waist and a 2x shirt. Get up and walk the halls as soon as you are able, that will help with your gas pains, and get you feeling normal quicker. You can do this buddy. Only a complete idiot would go into this without a little anxiety. Here's to your new life buddy. Good luck on your journey

so, i started this journey with my preop diet on April 1, 2012. at 5'6" i weighed in at 373. i got my sleeve on june 4, 2012. now, on september 1, i am still only 5'6" but now i weigh in at 258. i decided to Celebrate by sharing a before and after (during, since i'm not at goal yet) photo. my beautiful wife is a non-op, but is so supportive of me that she has lost 54 pounds by eating with me, and excercising with me. also, to share my favorite nsv so far. i was able to join my cross country running son in a 5k, the second picture is me getting ready to cross the finish line at 49 min 20 seconds. life is good, just wanted to share.

I loved tubing when I was younger. Go you! Here's to many more fun activities to come!

These are my go to resources. There are some great ideas that make you feel like a normal person, and it's really good food. http://gastricsleeve4me.blogspot.com/ http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/p/favorite-recipes.html http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ http://www.emilybites.com/p/recipe-index.html If you don't try anything else, try the Emilybites cupcake meals. They are amazing.

It was about 5 weeks before I felt 'normal' again. I had horrible cottonmouth till then, and still do if I'm not careful. Another thing to consider, if you are on any kind of blood pressure meds, they may need adjusted. If you're doing this good on the weight loss, you may be close to getting off your meds. Just another idea. Here's to feeling better soon buddy.

ok, so, I had some boneless skinless breast tenderloins that, in the past, would be fried in oil or butter. I had a hankering for that and after a few days of thought, this is what I came up with. The main reason to avoid 'fried' foods is because the oil/grease/butter that we cook it in is full of calories and fat, right? Well, i have been using parkay butter spray for all of my butter needs, it has 0 calories, 0 fat and only 5mg sodium. So I thought to myself, why not? I unscrewed the sprayer, and poured just enough to cover the bottom of my skillet, heated it and fried up the tenders. It tasted awesome. Any thoughts? Is this a great idea, or is this a good intention and I'm not seeing the downside? Honest question here. My sleeve treated it like anything else I've eaten. What are your thoughts? P.S. This is not a 'gateway' thing, nor a slippery slope. Had I not thought of this, I would have just gotten over my hankering, and had an Emilybites cupcake, so, no worries, just haven't talked to my nut yet, so I thought I'd ask here. Thanks guys, much love.

I don't have anything for the cream soups, but, for when you get to have real food again (soft food and further) these are my go to resources, and everything we've tried from here has been really good food. http://gastricsleeve4me.blogspot.com/ http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/p/favorite-recipes.html http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ http://www.emilybites.com/p/recipe-index.html

These are my go to resources. http://gastricsleeve4me.blogspot.com/ http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/p/favorite-recipes.html http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ http://www.emilybites.com/p/recipe-index.html

I was using a stool softener, but my doc said that was treating the symptom, not fixing the problem. He said I needed to get more Fiber and things would start moving. Started taking fiber advance tummies (makes me feel like I get candy!) and now, I'm moving fairly regular, without 'pushing'. Good luck

B - chocolate splendor unjury (8 oz skim, 8 small ice cubes, 1 scoop powder, 1 packet instant coffee) L- 12 cocktail shrimp, no sauce D- pizza baked spaghetti (recipe on Emilybites.com) Snacks- string cheese today.

Not silly at all. Last night, I cut my own toenails, for the first time in 10 years. Doin the happy dance with you!

I started at 373, surgery went fine, still able to do it without going 'open'. I've had practically NO complications. On a side note, I'm only 5'6" so 373 means 56" waist 28" inseam, 5-6x shirt. So, yeah, I was a beach ball with hands and feet. It is normal to have fears, we all did at some point

hey guys, welcome to what, for me at least, has been the best decision I have made in a long time. The best advice I can give to pre ops, is start looking now into the kinds of foods you should eat after surgery. I was so consumed with the pre op diet, then the liquid stage of post op Protein shakes, that I totally forgot that I'd get to eat real food eventually. There are some really good resources out there for us, and these are the four that are my go to recipe sites. recipes for the whole family. Breakfast or lunch all week. Good luck on your journey

http://gastricsleeve4me.blogspot.com/ http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/p/favorite-recipes.html http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ http://www.emilybites.com/p/recipe-index.html

If you think the pre op diet sucks, just wait til you get to the wonderful joys of the post op diet All kidding aside, yes, it does suck, and during the liquid stage of post op, there will be days that you want to eat a bullet instead of another cup of Jello, but just keep this in mind. Once you get through the fazes and get to the 'soft food' stage, it will seem like a distant memory and you will be tickled that you get 'real food' again. And hey, this is the road that has taken me from 373 to 260 in 5 months. (2 months pre op diet 3 months post op). also, for post op, start looking into recipes now so you have a plan. These are the sites that I get a lot of ideas from Emilybites.com is amazing resource Bariatricfoodie Gastricsleeve4me Theworldaccordingtoeggface Good luck

My parents don't even know. When people ask me how I'm losing it, I just tell them that I'm working with a nutritionist and she has me on a tailored diet that stays under 1500 calories a day that is high protein, low fat, low carb, and a lot of walking. All of this is true, and since I'm not saying I'm on some crazy 'diet', if they try to do what I say I'm doing, the worst that happens is that they go to a NUT and learn some healthy eating habits

if you are really craving Pasta and aren't cleared for it yet, check out emilybites.com she has a recipe for lasagna cupcakes (lasagna made in cupcake tins) using wonton wrappers instead of pasta. it is amazing. i actually made these for my non op parents that don't know ive had surgery, and my dad said it was some of the best pasta that he'd had in a long time........ there's no pasta in it, but you'd never know. good luck.

For me, after the first 3 days, I didn't really have pain, I had discomfort. But it's different for everyone. But, since I have a very physical job, I had to take several weeks off before I could do the heavy lifting required. unjury makes a decent Protein packed chicken broth, during the full liquid stage, I lived on Protein shakes and strained cream of chicken soup. Every doctor is different. Mine let me go straight from full liquids to soft food. He just said to make sure I chewed really good. My family is very much like his. If he doesn't want them to know, he can do what I do. When they ask, tell most of the truth. I tell them that my dr told me I was going to be diabetic in 2 years and dead in 10 if I didn't make changes, so I started working with a nutritionist who has me on a tailored diet and I have to stay under 1500 calories a day. I'm not lying, and if they follow me, the worst that can happen is they learn to eat healthy. And I'm very good at making a plate looked fuller than it is, and that I've eaten more than I have. I never really got more drive to workout, I just make myself do it. After the 1st 50 pounds came off, it got a lot more enjoyable though (ok, since we're being honest, I'll say I don't feel like I'm gonna pass out or die anymore, so that's kinda like being enjoyable right?) The only problem I had is that I had EXTREME cotton mouth for the first 6 weeks. Make sure he has a Water bottle within reach at all times. You don't want to have to go back to the hospital for dehydration. Other than that, my only problem has been that I have to run to the local thrift store every few weeks to get new pants, cause Im not payin full price for jeans I will only be able to wear for a month I'm so glad that he has your support. The fact that you are on here for him speaks volumes of the love and care that you have for him. This is, at times, a hard road to walk, but, with my wife on board, it's a lot easier. Also, start looking into recipes now. Emilybites.com has amazing recipe ideas that you can start using now to help get started during preop

It took me almost a full six weeks to get rid of my constant cottonmouth. Never be far away from your Water bottle. Not so unbearable now (2.5 months out) but I still keep my bottle with me everywhere I go. I remember several times, I woke up more than 2xs a night because my thirst was painful. It gets better, I promise.

My new favorite snack is grilled stuffed jalepenos! Sliced, then stuffed with 0fat cream cheese with Italian seasoning, then grilled for 5-6 minutes. I started doing that around week 6. So, yeah, I guess some sleeves still get to enjoy spice! I also mixed a diced habenero in with my cheesy mashed cauliflower bake this week! Mmm

When I started this journey, my bmi was almost 61! Now 6 months later, my bmi is 42! First let me say, you will NOT, let me repeat, will NOT suddenly be thin and everything wonderful. The sleeve HELPS you achieve your goal. It WON'T magically, suddenly make you thin. That being said, I think at some point, everyone thinks that they will be the one that this doesn't work for. I would think you were crazy if you didn't have those thoughts. But, if you work the program, and do what you're supposed to do, within a year, you will be amazed at yourself. I lost about 50 pounds in the 2 months pre surgery, and another 57 in the 2 months since surgery. I feel like a new man. I actually did a 5k with my son last week. 6 months ago, that would not have been possible. Just know this. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You will have stalls, you will get frustrated. There will be days you want to throw your scale out the window. But, I have found that as long as you focus on YOU, and don't compare yourself to others, you will be amazed at the results that you get. Good luck

I know how you feel. At one point, I was on the phone with my insurance rep being told that NO, even though my surgery was covered, and part of THEIR requirements for me to have surgery was a visit with a nutritionist, that my $250 office visit to the nutritionist was NOT a covered benefit! I finally said to him, "you know, with all the money I'm going to be saving you in the long run, I figured you'd be taking me by the hand and saying 'come on fatty let's go', but it almost seems like you're trying to make this more difficult than it has to be" Trust me though, it does get better, and for me, it was worth all of the 4 years I spent waiting to get it done. I was 373, now I'm 266. (5'6"). I ran/walked a 5k race last weekend in 49:30, my kids can hug me and touch hands behind my back. I can tie my shoes without feeling like I'm going to pass out, I can sit in a booth at a restaurant, and the list goes on and on! If I had to do it all over again, I would jump through all the hoops all over again because, for me, it was worth every bit of 'hazing' they put me through. It does get better. Hoping all the best for you.

I wear mine on a sterling chain around my neck.

Especially look at the "cupcake meals" on Emilybites. They are really good. 1 cupcake will either make a whole meal for a newly sleeved person, or be more than you can eat. My non-op wife and I have some form of cupcake meal for lunch everyday. I spend an hour on Sunday baking them, then we have lunch all week long and don't have to think about it. I either pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds, or if I'm in a hurry or on the road, they're even good cold. Good luck

I typically have a cupcake from Emilybites.com for lunch everyday. They are freaking amazing.