Holly5.3

E-mailed......sorry! It's still early - I'm blind! 

Love it! Thank you so much! I just w-mailed it to myself and am printing multiple copies for reference!

Yaaa! You're coming down the homestretch now! Let us know your date so prayers and positive energy can be sent your way!

Just a suggestion...read Bethany Frankle's Book, "Naturally Thin". I read it a few years ago when I went on Jenny Craig (lost 70 lbs.-gained back 77, ta-da!!!) and I just re-read it. It gives a prospective of the relationship between food and being a naturally thin (I prefer the term fit) person. The relationship I've had my whole life with food is warped. Love/hate. In her book, you can learn about the balancing of foods from meal to meal so that your day balances -carb/fat wise. Wonderful recipes also. My fav. tip-"Cancel membership in the clean your plate club"-leaving even a tiny bite of each food item on your plate is empowering, let's you know that you DO have power over food-it's not the other way around - any more! Eat to live-not Live to eat! Yaaaaa!

I know how scared you are! Time seemed to crawl when you were starting this journey-Now as the date nears, time is flying like a run away train! Breathe and try to stay calm and centered.you've made a decision to change your life forever. That was the hard part. Now you are putting your plan into action. Feel strong in your decision! Visualize how you will feel say a year from now or next Summer. Let positive, exciting thoughts if what's to come push out your fears, whenever possible. My faith also helped me get through it all. A lot. I'll be praying! Good luck, sweetie! You'll be great! 

One thing for sure is by week two after most of the gas and diareah has passed, you can actually hear your digestive system! Stomach growls when empty (someone said sounds like a small animal is living in there-lol!), growls/groans as I am eating (or sipping, I should say!) my meals and I still have some gas (burping) after meals-not half as bad as after surgery, but I must take in too much air when sipping my protein shakes or soups. All in all, the weight pretty much pours off week 1&2. Let's see what this week #3 brings to the table!

I'm 2 weeks post op and I had horrible gas! I would walk around the house or march in place in front if the TV pumping my arms up and down. Also, I noticed bumpy car rides jostled some of the gas around to allow it to escape. I also ate GasX before eating broth, for some reason chicken broth, even fat free, made me more gassy! It will pass! Promise!

My diet plan says no food over 15 grams of sugar is allowed. Also, carbs should total only 20-30% of your total daily nutrients (carbs, fats, protein). MFP shows exactly daily or weekly percentages in an easy to read pie chart. It's hard to stay in the 20-30% range! The days I had just 2 shakes, protein chicken broth and Crystal lite w/protein was the only days I met that requirement!

How's all my 10-11-12ers doing today? Hard to believe 2 weeks ago today I came home from hospital! Weight-wise, I'm doing good-total loss from DOS to today -15.5 lbs.! However, my cals. are staying pretty low (600) since I can't yet tolerate yogurt or pudding (forget Farina-never a fan, can't get mire than tsp. down!) so that's been a bummer. I was only taking Tylenol but after going to work last Monday, 10/22, too soon, the burning came back and now I'm taking Vicodin! I'm Ok-saw my surgeon Tuesday-just overworked the muscles that are trying to heal by too much movement. Ouch!!! The burn is getting less and less every day, but I truly felt better a week ago than I do today. Don't push yourselves too hard! Take it from me, itsnot worth it! I think I was trying to prove to everyone and myself that the WLS was no big deal- wrong! It's a life changing event-it's a verrrrrry big deal!! 

First, good luck this morning at your scan! Hopefully it is just the healing process and at the very least a little infection that anti-biotics will cure! I know exactly what the burning feeling is-my surgery was on 10/11/12- home a day early and by day 4, was feeling great. Burn only after a hard sneeze or cough...until I returned to work Monday 10/22/12-OMG, by the end if the day, the burning was back (I still have it to a lesser degree!). Went to my surgeon as area felt warm to the touch-very scared I tore something. I was fine, muscles are still healing from laproscopic tools (plus I had a bad hiatal hernia repaired!) I'm taking vicodin for the pain. At work I twisted, stretched and got up and down too much stressing the tissue trying to recover and heal. I'm supposed to go back Monday-I'm scared to give myself yet another setback. Take my advise-don't go back to work too soon-not worth it! Take care!

Whoooo-hooooo! You did it and are doing it! Congrats! I can't wait to join your club!

Food v. Feeling Fantastic. Hmmmmmm I know I used to think good tasting food made me feel fantastic to eat, but when the food was no longer in my mouth being tasted-I just hated myself! The momentary, dare I say "ecstasy", felt while consuming is a mind F---! Afterwards the self hatred and negativity canceled all those warm fuzzy feelings i had when eating.

You're doing great fellow newbie! I'm also enjoying the 3 week "Honeymoon phase" of weight loss (the week prior to surgery and the first 2 weeks after!) I'm down a total of 15.5 pounds since 2 weeks ago today! Wow-that's a first for me in my life! I made my Halloween goal early-psyched! Slow and steady wins the race! Good luck!

Funny how we are all so different! At my Pre-op I said to my surgeon, "Make my sleeve a tiny, gourmet banana - no plantains for me!!" of course he laughed, but I was serious! I appreciate that the sleeve will stretch eventually to accommodate what we take in-but for me, this is the LAST time I'll see the numbers on the scale that I now see FOREVER! This journey is far from easy, and I really just started, but I visualize me at my permanent small size and I'll do what it takes to get there and STAY there for the rest of my life! Food is food. It's not love and it's not life! Good luck!

Yaaaaa! Made my Halloween goal this morning 10/26/12 - 240.0. Whoooo-hooooo!!

Ive been taking Tylenol extra strength rapid release caplets. They are pretty small and I can get both down together with one sip of Crystal Lite. Today I took a vicodin which is pretty big, Tylenol wasn't cutting through the pain I started having Monday after returning to work when my body wasn't ready. (Surgeon approved, of course.) I strained my stomach muscles which are still healing from sleeve and hernia repair 2 weeks ago today. I hope I'm feeling better to go back on Monday-I miss work! Good luck and don't worry about taking pills, I'm sure you'll be fine -just don't take too much drink with them to swallow!

That is an amazing price difference! No wonder health care in America is so messed up! Has anyone gone to Mexico for plastic surgery (if I have to self pay my tummy tuck and breast augmentation, might as well explore all options.) So many success stories from people who went to mexico (Dr. Alvarez, if I recall). Curious if there is plastic/reconstructive sugary center that does such an excellent jib as Dr. Alvarez.

I know what you are going through! I am still gassy. Can't yet tolerate yogurt so I'm having 2 shakes (Costco's Premier brand Pre-made, 30 gs. Protein,) Soup with skim milk and Crystal lite with unflavored protein added. I'm starting to really miss chewing! The thought of a nice healthy green salad makes me drool lately! I take an afternoon nap (like now) then I'm up til about 11:30-midnight. I only sleep 2-3 hours. Today I finally slept unti 4:50 am, but all week I woke up at 2:30 wide awake and unable to go back to sleep. By 1 pm I'm exhausted, especially if I go out (went to Marshall's this morning. Retail therapy works wonders, but I find shopping of any kind to be exhausting!) I try to limit my afternoon nap to 1-/2 hours max. since I can't sleep through the night. I even take Tylenol pm and I'm still not sleeping longer than 4 hours straight tops. Could it be the diet? I'm on zero caffien and ni Vitamins yet til next week!

Yaaaa! That's great! It's hard to not have high, and maybe unrealistic weekly weight loss goals after going through this whole 'life-style change'-WLS! But in the long-run, from what U've read and seen in UTube, by one year post-op everyone is a new person! Regardless of the stalls we experience and maybe some months we don't lose as much as other months for whatever reason, slow and steady wins the race! We are all better off physically than a year ago and that's not even considering how much additional weight and more obesity related illnesses we could have acquired ibmn one year had we NOT decided to change our lives permanently-finally! Keep up the good work!

Hey there! I've been on an emotional roller coaster ride since surgery on 10/11/12! My husband, daughters and poor mom (who is here from Florida to help me!) cannot escape the wrath! Major hormone release I'm assuming since it feels so uncontrollable like when I had PMS! (Thank God I'm past that part of life!) I do miss chewing, but I know I'm losing weight so it helps me get by. I'm just praying my emotional and physical health improve more and more each day, not just for me, but for my family!

Thanks for asking! I'm 2 weeks post/op today. I'm sore still due to hiatal hernia surgery at same time (I didn't know I even had one-discovered I have 3 hernias, actually! The other 2 will be fixed after I lose 100 lbs.-fun!) I returned to work last Mon. 10/22- too soon! Came home in tears, back to dr. on Tuesday and he said I was fine, I didn't tear anything (thought I did!), but I went to work too soon. He recommends 2 weeks off work and I tried to do only one. My bad! My empire BC BS is NY state employee (NYSHIP)-I'm civil service, secretary at elementary school. This surgery not only saved my life I believe-it is giving me a life! How I was living before last August was not living-it was a slow, pound by pound suicide! good luck! I am here for you!