Holly5.3

I take my Xanax (1/2 of .5 mg pill) when my emotions are out of control. I don't get PMS any more but boy do I act like I have it! My food addiction, low blood sugar snd a stressful job topped by two teenage daughters, 18&19...need I say more? I'm exercising when I can and it does help, and I've been cleaning,organizing and doing a lot of unusual (for me!) things - I guess it's to replace the food I can't eat and all the time I now have since it's not all spent on eating or worrying about eating! Wow did I waste a lot of time! No wonder my house was so unorganized-no time! As for the Xanax- it does really help with the anxiety and OCD behaviors and I don't experience any side affects. If a take it twice in one week, that's a lot. But when I need it, it's there.

Ha ha! Very cute post! Made my boring lunch break! I too felt some kind of a hip bone structure the other day while lying on my side! We could write our own 'Bones' episode -where did all the fat go? Sppooooky!

Verrry handsome! Amazing transformation! I bet you feel like a new man, too -it shows! Keep up the great work!

I'm going to try BA calcium chews, I've been taking Unjury chewables snd they are citrusy and chalky! I can't eat them much longer! Anyone have suggestions for the multi-vit? Also gagging on chalky Unjury brand chewable!

At a little over 3 months, for me there is no fullness or emptiness, for that matter! When I over-eat, the nonstop burping starts and then the food wants to come up. Sometimes you can fight the urge, depending on what you ate and how much you over-ate, sometimes you can't! It happens when I forget about my sleeve then take a bite of something carelessly (watching tv, or just distracted) then I'm like, 'Why did I just eat that?' burp...burp! That's why I sometimes just have a safe food for dinner like a yogurt or cottage cheese. I can't take the discomfort when I eat a normal meal sometimes.

Butter...you're the best! Great advice AND recipes! Question: I'm just getting my raw veggies in, trying one at a time (very sensitive sleeve, I'm taking it slow), do you think juicing will remove the excess Fiber and be easier to digest (I'm just past 3 months)? I can only eat 2-3 tiny bites of salad still and chew til there's nothing left! But I want, and need more. I'm relying on dairy and miss the flavors of greens. I do have a Jack LaLane Juicer....it never occurred to me to juice! Thank you!

So true! I found a scrap piece of paper with all my surgery paperwork where I computed my losses based on 'statistics'! Sooo funny to read afterwards! I'm thrilled to lose an average of 10 lbs. a month, by my calculations Pre-op I should almost be at goal! I'm almost out of the 200's so I'm sure as I get closer to my goal my loss will really slow down. But my math cracked me up percentages, division.. I didn't work that hard in math class!

You've done fantastic and look gorgeous! Let their words fuel your desire to lose more and prove them wrong! Remember,you are smaller now so it will take longer. Do you track your calories? When I stopped tracking I noticed my loss slowing (just a little though, I'm at 3 months post)-I was taking in too much. Good luck! Plateaus or stalls are frustrating yet temporary!

Me too! That was a perfect reply- your 2 cents is worth at least 2$ 

You look wonderful! Keep up the fantastic work and keep posting B/A pix! Love 'em, so motivating!

I'm sad for you! I love the way an innocent, and very good, valid question was posed by you and the same people come on and go off topic. I'm getting sick of this too! I post a lot, but read a lot more and find there are 'cliques' here just like HS! I'm ready to leave too.

Amen! Everyone needs education and honesty. If you don't feel an honest answer will be received... Don't say anything! People were talking about our fat "arses" behind our back-you know they were! So why care what those same people think now?

I too was dying for a burger so I tried Weight Watchers Smart Ones - 2 cheeseburgers in a pckg. Removed bottom bun off one. Ate with a knife and fork to make sure my bites were tiny and almost finished it. I know processed food is bad, but as a once in a while treat for lunch, it did the trick, got my burger craving satisfied too.

Does anyone remember Star Jones? Instead of bravely being a champion for WLS, she made it seem more shameful! In fact, I was thinking Kelly Osborne might have had surgery, too. Once a celebrity who is respected comes out of the closet about WLS, people won't feel ashamed and maybe the public will become more informed and less judgmental!

For me at 3 months, sometimes the figuring of what I can eat enough of -- cue words 'enough of -- something that's delicious yet won't make me burp for the next 3 hours, is too much work so I'll eat a yogurt or cottage cheese (easy on my stomach plus low cal and high protein). If I knew Pre-op that I'ld be eating that for dinner, I would have said "you're nuts! I'm not having that surgery!" but to not have the hunger.. That's where the 'magic part' comes in! Like I told a coworker today who said I looked great, "Anyone can lose weight on 600 calories a day. It's not magic! The magic is in the not being hungry part!"

While my sleeve seems to haves hard time with certain textures still (chicken, eggs), I've always been able to swallow my Ppi meds and Tylenol for pain. They never felt stuck or anything. Taken with as small amount of liquid as possible to get them down. (I'm a little past 3 months post-op).

Let me put it this way, not that anyone really cares about my input... some days you miss food, some you don't! But I rather cry my way down a size when everyone else can't lose weight eating Buffalo wild wings, pizza, etc.! In time we can eat everything, just an appropriate amount for a normal-sized body! The choice is simple: don't have surgery and gain more weight. Have the surgery. It's hard work, but in a year or two you can eat and be healthy and more attractive too! Food is fuel, not life!

I suffered horribly until I could get more fiber in my diet. What's helped me is one prune a day and when I need help, Colace softener was gentle and helped. I eat a fiber one brownie as a treat every 3-4 days as long as I haven't had any other carbs that day. Raw veggies are so under-rated! good luck!

Just wondering how my fellow Octo-sleevers are doing now that it's November. Please share accomplishments and any struggles, if any. I know I've had a few!

I'm at 3 months and every day it's a challenge to either try something I want to eat, but it may give me the "stuck" feeling or may not, or eating something safe that I know will go down like soup orcottage cheese. I can't eat poultry or eggs, but can eat beef (weird!) I just started being able to eat raw veggies last week. Some days I struggle with head hunger and wanting the taste of something I know won't go down. But then there are days when I could care less about what I eat, I just eat because I need to (love these days!). Good luck and take it slow. We'll get there -I haven't read any posts saying after a year they still can't eat this or that. It's temporary. Good luck. (prep - Aug. 278/ DOS - Oct 11-255/ today 1/16-206 Total loss -72 lbs.!)

Jealousy really is a monster! I recognize myself as having been very catty, jealous woman when I'm unhappy with myself and/or depressed. My sister has always kept a trim figure and I'm ashamed to say that I would say the snarkiest comments to her when I felt really insecure about my appearance when she looked hot. I love her with all my heart, but when I'ld see her wearing a skimpy sexy outfit at the beach or a BBQ and there I was in my mu-mu- the hatred I felt toward myself would come out of me directed at her! Now, I'm losing the weight once and for all and I feel ashamed of the way I treated her (and the things I've thought or said about fit and trim women my whole life when I was dying of jealousy!) As long as women are unhappy with themselves, there will be b****y women-regardless if they're your co-worker, your friend or even your sister. Now I make it a point to encourage, compliment and empower the women in my life. I want to bring positive energy to my relationships, losing the negative with the pounds! PS-I love the pants falling down story! Priceless!