Getting There

Has anyone found a Greek yogurt that is both fat free & sugar free? Seems like the ones I've found are fat free but pretty high in carbs.

I have a friend who is considering surgery with Dr Castro. Wondering if anyone has any experience with him? Your feedback would be appreciated!

I have a friend who is considering surgery with Dr Castro. Wondering if anyone has any experience with him? Your feedback would be appreciated!

My NSV yesterday - shopped in "regular" sizes at Dillard's. I kept thinking someone was going to point at me and tell me where Women's sizes were while laughing hysterically (lol). But no strange looks or anything. Bought 4 sweaters in XL and 2 pairs of jeans without a W after the size! The bottom 1/2 of my body doesn't seem to have lost quite as much size-wise as the top, but it still felt really good! Yes, I admit to doing a bit of a happy dance in the fitting room! (If anyone had seen that, they would have definitely pointed & laughed!). I have noticed lots more hair in my brush the past several days. I've been taking Biotin since 3 weeks post-surgery, using Nioxin shampoo/conditioner, getting 60+ gr protein - so I'm doing what I can/should. I have fairly thick hair so hopefully it won't be too noticable. Like others, I do need to step-up the exercise - just can't seem to make myself do it. I'm ALMOST 1/2 way to my goal of losing 130 pounds - only 6 more pounds to go. I had hoped to be there by 1/1/13, but I'm totally happy with the 59 pounds I've lost - and that I didn't gain any over the holidays Glad everyone seems to be doing so well overall. There are some struggles, but hey, if it were easy, everyone would do it - LOL. Keep up the good work Sept Sisters! Happy 2013!!!!

Merry Christmas Sleeve Sisters! Hope you all had a great day and didn't get tempted too much by all of the goodies

I'm not 100% sure about chewable vs. "regular" vitamins at this stage but I do know that bariatric vitamins - or a very high quality vitamin - makes a big difference. Most OTC vitamins (Centrum, One-A-Day & similar) don't absorb well. Some don't have the essential minerals we need (they are vitamins only). I'm still taking a bariatric chewable but once I finish the (endless!) bottle, I'm going to order multi's from USANA (swallow type, not chewable). They are a bit expensive but they are pharmeceutical grade, well absorbed and nutritionally complete.

NGM - Way to go!!!! I went shopping today for new jeans and am a bit disappointed. 18's are too big and 16's are just a little bit too small....... Guess I'll need to wear baggy jeans for another couple of weeks. Oh well at least I'm losing and I'm good with that!

Welcome to the group K9qt! Sorry to hear about your difficulties but so glad you're on the mend!

Ready - Just check the ingredients for Ibuprofen or aspirin - those should be avoided - but most cough meds will have acetaminophen (Tylenol) which is fine. Hope you feel better soon!

NGM - I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. I almost wish I had more problems - it's way too easy for me to eat too much. I've been very strict with what and how much I eat, but I could easily eat much more than I do....... It's frustrating - I thought the surgery would curb more of my hunger and ability to eat as much. No, I can't eat as much as I used to - but I can eat way more than I think I should be able to........

NGM - No hair loss so far (hoping it stays that way!). I started taking Biotin about 2 weeks post-surgery. Also using Nioxin shampoo, conditioner & scalp treatment. Keeping fingers crossed that hair loss will be minimal As far as vitamins, a good friend of mine is a veterinarian - also has his masters in Chemistry and has completed advanced studies in nutrition as well. I go to him for advice since it is an area he is very knowledgeable about, he keeps up with trends and I trust what he says completely. His advice is to spend the money on high quality vitamins, preferably pharmaceutical grade. This way you are assured of what you are getting and that they will be well absorbed. Also need to keep minerals in mind. Don't take calcium with iron - separate by at least 2 hours. Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron (if you are a post-menopausal woman, you may not need iron - check with your doc). His advice is to stay away from Centrum (as least in pill format) as it is notoriously poorly absorbed. Not sure if the chewable is any better. Some One-a-Day formulas and most gummie types of vitamins lack minerals - minerals are as essential to good health as vitamins are. I KNOW high quality vitamins/minerals can be expensive. But what are you trading health & energy-wise to save some $$$ ? I'm saving so much by not eating out like I used to and not buying junk foods that I'll gladly spend the $ on vitamins, etc. that will help keep me healthy...... But I do realize that I'm very fortunate to be in the position to make that choice.......

Surgery was 9/10. Total lost (including from pre-op diet) is 47. Not any hair loss yet - some breakage but I think that's just from coloring, heat styling, etc. I'm getting about 60 gr protein/day without fail and 64 oz fluids without any problem. Unfortunately, I seem to be able to eat more than just a few bites and I do feel "real" hunger (it's NOT NOT NOT head hunger - even my doc agrees after i spoke with him - it may or may not ever change - BIG disappointment there!!!). Did well last week. Had just one bite of several things for Thanksgiving dinner and that was it - lost 3.4 pounds so I'm pretty happy about that!

I've been taking a chewable from The Vitamin Shoppe - Bariatric Support - It's not too bad but I've seen lots of great reviews on the Celebrate vitamins. If you choose non-bariatric vitamins, make sure that you take high quality vitamins that include minerals (lots of them don't and minerals are just as essential for us as the vitamins). One a Day and Centrum are NOT considered to be high quality - they do not dissolve well in "normal" stomachs, much less in our tiny, itty bitty tummies. If you don't want to pay for the bariatric ones, I would go to a health food store or similar and get a really good one (which will probably be as expensive as a bariatric one). I've decided to either continue with bariatric multi's or go with USANA brand (widely recognized as being among the best nutritionals you can buy - pharmaceutical grade, properly and easily absorbed, etc. But they are expensive ) and figure that the money I'm saving by not eating out and not drinking alcohol will more than make up for the expense LOL....... Besides, what's more important than our health???

I've tried the Think Thin bars too. They are pretty good but aren't as dense/filling as the Quest bars.

I like the Protein bars made by Quest. I get them at GNC or order from Quest directly. High in protein and low in carbs. They are very dense and filling. I tried the Protein Bars from Celebrate and didn't care for them at all - while high protein/low carb, they are made with what tastes like small bits of rice krispies and some type of gooey material so the texture is grainy and they aren't very filling. Not to mention I don't like the taste. As far as raw veggies, my surgery was on 9/10/12 and I've been eating raw veggies for a couple of weeks - no problems at all. Those wondering about salads - I would think that all that lettace would be filling perhaps but with very little nutritional value - unless it's made with spinach. Walden Farms makes several salad dressings/sauces that are 0 calories/0 carbs - I like some on my veggies to change up the flavor sometimes.

I am THANKFUL for my sleeve! I am VERY THANKFUL for all of you - it's wonderful to be able to share experiences with, and ask questions of, others who can so well understand and relate. Happy Thanksgiving my Sleeve Family!!!

Wondering - is anyone else concerned about our overall nutrition? I'm getting at least 60 grams of protein per day but not eating alot of veggies and almost no fruit or whole grains. I take a multi-vitamin, calcium, vitamin D, B12, Omega 3, and Biotin daily - but I've always thought that getting most of my nutrition from food was much better than getting it from supplements. I'd be interested in your thoughts my Sleeve Sisters (are there any men in our little band of merry losers???).

Momofthings - It's weird, there are days when I feel like I never really get full and days when a few bites of "solid" food fills me up. I have yogurt every morning for Breakfast (5.3 oz container usually, sometimes a 6 oz) and feel comfortable after that. Yesterday I was way out of my routine - went to visit some friends after work so didn't have dinner when I normally would have - when I got home I was pretty hungry - and way behind on my Protein. Had a couple of large shrimp, a Protein Bar and later a yogurt. Got my protein in but was STUFFED! That was way too much food eaten in too short a time....... I'm one of the "lucky" ones (being very sarcastic!!!) who does feel stomach hunger still (doc said that may change - or it may not - BUMMER if it doesn't!!!).

Stalls absolutely suck!!! I'm in one now - weighed the same last Monday as I did this Monday. Very discouraging - but I've read enough to know that this will pass - I just need to keep on doing what I know I need to do (protein, fluids, calories) and hopefully next week will show a loss........ Or else!!! LOL

I get a headache when I have anything containing aspertame so I avoid it for that reason. Fortunately, there are LOTS of alternatives. Nectresse is a good one - made from monk fruit, Truvia/Stevia, Splenda, etc. are pretty easy to find. And many sugar-free products now offer aspertame free options. Crystal Light has a fairly new line, Crystal Light Pure, which is sweetened with Truvia. The popular Torani sugar-free syrups are sweetened with Splenda. You should be able to avoid certain artificial sweetners if you want to

NGM - I KNOW that had to be such an amazing feeling!!! Keep up the great work and when you're feeling challenged, remember the comments from the party - that will certainly perk you up

Momofthings - Call your surgeon's office. They should have someone on call who will know what questions to ask, etc. to evaluate whether or not your symptoms are surgery related or not. Your surgeon was well paid and questions like this are part of the job. My dad is a physician and being on call just goes with the territory

5'3" Pre-Surgery/Pre-liquid diet weight 265.4 Size 22 jeans 2x shirts sometimes 3x Surgery Date 9/10/12 weight was 256.0 On 11/14/12 weight is 220.1 Size 18 jeans (a little loose everywhere but stomach) 1x shirts Goal 135 pounds Size 4/6 I guess

With everyone expressing concern about over-eating on Thanksgiving, consider this (taken from My Fitness Pal): 2 oz white meat turkey - 70 calories 1/8 C cornbread dressing - 37 calories 1/8 C mashed potatoes (made with whole milk & butter) - 30 calories 1/8 C mashed sweet potatoes - 23 calories 1/8 C green bean casserole - 23 calories 1/4 C turkey gravy - 25 calories So IF you could eat all of the above, your total calorie intake would be a whopping 208 calories. Gee whiz - worries gone! No, you might not get in all of your protein - for this ONE day. And you might exceed your carbs - for this ONE day. But really, at 208 calories I'm not even thinking about being bothered by this at all (and let's face it, NO WAY can any of us eat that much in one sitting). Now the big "gotcha" will be the desserts. A slice of pumpkin or pecan pie has about 400 calories (1/8 of 9" pie). But ya know, the 2-3 bites we're going to have, whatever! So enjoy the day with your family. Have a nibble of this and a taste of that. We all have to learn to live REAL LIVES and holidays with food is part of that. Just remember that Friday it's no longer the holiday and get back on track with protein, fluids, etc. We're all going to be just fine - I KNOW it!

Thanksgiving - no big worries for me..... My fiance' is an airline pilot and he won't be home until Friday morning and we're leaving as soon as he gets for a long weekend at the race track and he could care less about Thanksgiving dinner. Going to my mom's for a small family dinner. And my mom is one of those naturally thin people who doesn't at all go overboard with cooking. Probably because she's not a very good cook (of course she doesn't know that so please don't tell her! ). I'll enjoy a couple of bites of her dressing though - she does a great job on that. And I'll keep reminding myself how thankful I am for my sleeve and the tool I have to prevent me from stuffing myself to the point of misery this year. Remember, if you do overeat or eat things that you've been avoiding for several weeks now, it's not the end of the world. You have the ability and the tool to get right back on track Friday morning. Think - normal weight people splurge on Thanksgiving without beating themselves up - they just go back to healthy eating habits the next day. We can do the same. This year we'll be eating 2-3 bites of pie - not 2-3 (or more) pieces of pie. Good luck everyone!