SpaceDust

Vidalia, that sounds very much like the kind of thing I do for Breakfast or lunch several times a week right now - I'm trying out a variety of ideas to give me some options once I'm past the first week. My spin is I generally choose to use plain Greek yogurt (I buy the large containers, either Costco's brand or Fage 0%) and add my own fruit - a little bit of banana and/or 1/4 c. blueberries, mixed berries, cherries or peaches. Other than the banana, the fruit is usually frozen and helps to thicken the shake. I do add a scoop of whey Protein if I choose to mix with Water, and maybe half a scoop if I use milk. Depending on what fruit I'm using, I might add, oh, a tablespoon or so of almonds or a teaspoon of PB2 powder. If I'm feeling like indulging myself a little, I'll do a mocha or a caramel latte Protein Shake by using 1/4 c. strong-brewed coffee with a rounded scoop of whey protein and 1/4 c. milk, then adding unsweetened cocoa powder or sugar-free caramel sauce to taste. Add 1/4 c. yogurt, a tiny touch of coconut sugar or agave nectar if needed (tiny is 1/2 tsp or less), and a little ice if I want it really thick. I will also sometimes make this a bit thinner by adding more coffee and skipping the ice, depending on my mood.

Every location is different about what they'll allow/require, of course, and you always need to be aware of what the facility and your doctor says. I have had my phone with me whenever I had to stay at the hospital, and the only thing that I was told was that there was no guarantee it would be secure. It's a risk I was and am willing to take. Plus I've been told I'm required to bring my CPAP (ugh) because apparently anasthesia increases the risks related with sleep apnea. I hoped I could get away without it since my apnea is pretty mild, but it was a no-go. I beg to differ regarding the reading - I spent a fair amount of time reading as a distraction even after open abdominal surgery several years ago. I slept right after the surgery, but later that evening I read for a couple of hours, and quite a bit the next day. As I mentioned, nothing complex or highly challenging, just lightweight reading that served the same distraction purpose as watching the TV, which allowed me to relax better in between getting up to walk around (yup, had to do that for other surgeries, too). That is only my personal experience and yours may vary, but don't assume automatically that you won't be up for reading if it's something you do normally. I'd still suggest it doesn't hurt to tuck in a book or a few magazines, even if you're only going to be there overnight. Of course, I also think that taking a bath requires a book, as does any trip over 15 minutes in the car where I won't be driving at least part of the time... I highly agree about bringing along a loved one My husband couldn't be there 100% of the time for my past surgeries, but he was there as much as he could be, and it helped immensely. Also, the point about not bringing work to the hospital is well taken. While I know that after my appendectomy I was perfectly able to focus and provide good judgement at my work within a couple of days after the surgery, I was also not trying to start a complete lifestyle change and understand how to work with profound changes to my biological functions at the same time. Really, even if you find you can focus after 3-4 days, I suspect it would be taking concentration that would better be spent figuring out how to work with your sleeve!

My weight loss binder from my clinic says to avoid because of the empty calories, but once I'm on regular foods again my NUT (who works at the clinic) said the occasional small drink is fine. Just be aware, as kerbarrett mentions, that you'll get drunk on far less booze - probably good since we don't need all those extra calories anyhow! Additionally, because many of the people who have WLS are recovering food addicts at some level, to keep in mind that transference of the food addiction to something else (alcohol, drugs, etc) is a risk we should be aware of and monitor ourselves for. I don't plan to completely give up alcohol, but I'm already one who rarely drinks more than a few drinks a month (as in, usually 2-3 or so), so I also don't expect it to be a problem.

I've also been told that hiccups can be a sign that you're full enough, so you might want to consider if that's a factor.

Hehe, I'd just thank them for their concern and point out that I see my PCP and my endocrinologist regularly, I've spent six months working with a nutritionist, and had a personal trainer twice a month for a year. I've had plenty of expert advice and support to try and do this non-surgically over the past few years, but my medical team and I have agreed that this surgery is a good idea for me at this point after thoroughly assessing the risks and probable outcomes. End of discussion, generally, I expect. At least among my friends and family, I'm pretty well known for doing a thorough job on research, and enumerating the types of people I've worked with extensively lends credence to my decision.

Outstanding! Good to know a few others will likely be joining me in my idea of summer fun this year Seriously, I'm just happy with the idea that I will hopefully have seen enough progress and established a new way of eating well enough to resist the temptations by the time the holidays roll around! And, with any luck and plenty of hard work we may all be svelte and energetic in time for summer next year!

With regard to Water, if you really can't stand the plain stuff, even filtered, then try it at different temperatures - you may find that you like it better warm or at room temperature rather than cold. If that doesn't work, flavor it. If you like citrus then a little slice of lemon, lime or orange may go a long way to helping you out. You might find a slice of cucumber also offers enough of a flavor change to assist. If you tolerate artificial sweeteners, Mio, Crystal Light and Dasani all offer flavors for your water. Depending on what your doctor allows, try herbal or caffeine-free tea. It doesn't all have to be plain water. sugar-free popcicles count as water. Ultimately, it's about getting liquids in so that you are well hydrated.

I'm more or less the same way about things. I haven't had this surgery yet, but I had nose surgery a few years ago that was phenomenally successful in correcting some breathing and sinus issues. It wasn't a big secret, but I also wasn't telling everyone about it - it simply wasn't necessary for everyone to know my personal healthcare decisions. Most people at work just knew I planned to be off for a few days and working from home for the following week. It was likely guessed that it was health related, but not expressly stated as such to anyone but my boss and his boss. I did, however, talk to a couple of coworkers who were considering options for similar issues to let them know the pros and cons, and talk a bit about my experience if they wanted to know more.

The idea is that it's not a magic bullet, and it won't do the work for you. You'll still have to be mindful of your diet and eat the right things (get that protein, skip the empty calories and be careful about slider foods when you are back to normal foods, for example), exercise, and everything else. What the sleeve DOES, what makes it a tool, is that it will assist you by restricting how much you can put in you at a time. It won't keep you from drinking sugary drinks, or eating something high-calorie, but it will keep you from eating, for example, an entire pizza at one sitting.

It was suggested to me that setting multiple goals along the way would be a good idea, and it's best to be somewhat realistic. If you're 50, it's probably not realistic to think you're going to get back to your weight as a high school junior if you were particularly slim, for example - your body has changed with age. High end of healthy BMI was a suggestion of a reasonable goal. Then once you get there, consider whether you want to continue or maintain and adjust your diet and exercise accordingly. Your surgeon may also have a goal for you. If it's less aggressive than the one you've set for yourself, then by all means think of the surgeon's goal as a major milestone, but not as the end of the journey. And don't forget - this is not a race. Slow and steady can reach a goal, too!

It really seems to vary by doctor, but in general the usual seems to be 4-6 weeks out to start regular foods. For mine, it looks like I'll be able to start a regular diet after 4 weeks, assuming all goes well, of course!

I live about 23 miles from the facility, so I won't have to do the hotel thing. However, I think if I had to do that, in addition to what I plan to bring for the hospital, I'd bring a heating pad, plenty of bottled water, a loose nightgown and a second set of underwear, sweat pants/yoga pants and loose-to-baggy shirt. I'd also tuck in some slippers because I don't think I would feel like putting on socks but I would have cold tootsies (I always do when I have surgery, even though I never seem to any other time!). I'd also make sure I had something to sip my water from that had measurements on it so I would know how much I was taking in. I might also bring something to flavor my water in case I have problems drinking it.

I actually currently use powder for my breakfast shake 5 days a week (I'm not really close to my surgery yet, but I'm starting some changes to try and make things less impactful later). I do like to have some ready-to-drink hanging around, though, for those times when I'm really on the run. While I can and sometimes do use a shaker bottle to mix the powdered stuff, I really prefer to blend it with skim milk and half a banana or a little PB2 if I can.

Hey, did you know you can actually have a blog on this site as well as post in the forums? I'm not at all suggesting you want to stop posting here (please don't stop; I know I read the forums from my phone when I'm on the go!), but you might find it helpful to do more extensive blogging as well. Good luck on your journey!

Who I've told: My husband, my parents, my father in law and his wife, my brother and sister in law, and three good friends whom I trust to be supportive of my decisions will also give me honest opinions and food for thought. I haven't told my three sisters yet, or my mother in law or my husband's brother. They will probably be told when I'm closer to my actual surgery. It isn't some big secret from them and I expect that all of them will be pretty supportive at some level, but I haven't had any reason to discuss it with them yet. My sisters' husbands will likely think it's a bad idea. One will likely try to talk me out of it, the other will express his opinion and may lecture because he lost a bunch of weight without surgery and had managed to keep it off, but he'll ultimately respect my decision. Both of them will act that way because they care about me, so I will accept it, but that doesn't mean I need to voluntarily prolong the experience by telling then too soon! I don't plan to tell people outside of my family and close friends. If I'm asked, I'll stick to the facts of reduced portion, high Protein diet and more exercise. It's no one's business how I'm reducing my portions, and I won't be lying in any fashion.

Based on what you said originally, all that you know was shared was that you will be out having a procedure. Do you know for sure that anything more than that was shared, or are you allowing your imagination to jump into the picture and make it seem worse than it is? I know how easy it is to do that - I've done it to myself before. If the only thing they know is that you had a procedure, then just politely answer that you're fine but you don't discuss details about your health and change the topic. Most people will get the point and leave it at that. If you find that you're being harassed about it, a conversation with HR is in order, but I'm betting that most of what you'll get is a cordial "Welcome back, how are you?" and maybe an occasional question that you'll have to politely not answer once or twice. There have probably been more new things to gossip about while you were out. You're old news now, m' dear. The rumors about Susie being seen talking with that cute married guy in Accounting is probably what the gossips are going on about this week

Nah. That would be "JUST DO IT!"