TheGamer

I have had both bread and pasta, though honestly they were both a bit underwhelming after not having them for so long. I had a few bites of fettuccine and a little garlic bread at a work luncheon (it was all they provided, so I didn't have options) and it sat fine. As long as they're the exception, not the rule, it's all good. One of the reasons I chose the sleeve was so I didn't have to spend my life not eating certain things ever again.

They work, at least for me, and they work fast. I still use them occasionally. I picked mine up at WalMart.

I was sleeved 10/22 and a children's meal would make me sick. There's no way I could eat that much. Depending on the density of what I'm eating, I can eat from about 1/3 (dense protein) to 1/2 a cup (soup) at a time. Some of the longer term sleevers that are a year or so out have mentioned they can do about a cup of food at a time.

If you're getting in your needed protein, vitamins, and minerals, you should be fine. If you're going to add to your intake, maybe add some healthy fats, like walnuts?

Yes, you should remove piercings during surgery. If you're worried about them closing, I recommend using a good heavy coating of neosporin or vaseline over the holes.

Then I will take my tongue-in-cheek attempt at levity and depart your thread. Have a good day!

Anything that tastes like pina colada can't be all bad!

I'm not nasty, but I do argue a lot. It's the best way to test my arguments for weakness! You can't test arguments without arguing! It violates the whole purpose of having an argument! I also name call, ESPECIALLY if I'm playing Borderlands 2. Can I still hang out?

If you like the spicy stuff, don't underestimate the power of chili peppers, either. The hotter the better! Burn it out

I was just talking to my mom about this yesterday! I'm currently at 280 (I'm 5'10") and yesterday I fit in to a size 22 pants with no stretching, sucking in, or pleading to the clothing gods. I'm fitting in to tops as low as the 18/20 range, and I've even bought some 1x things. Never have I been so "small" at a weight like this. I know, mentally, that part of it is the fact that I have rather even weight distribution. I also wonder about vanity sizing - making larger clothing at a smaller size to make consumers feel good. Because of health issues, I've not been able to exercise consistently, so I know that it isn't because I'm suddenly a gym rat.

Real friends are the ones who are going to be supportive of you when you undertake something like this. They'll be worried for you when you're in surgery, they'll be glad when you're up and about, and they'll cheer on your milestones, regardless of how much they themselves weigh or where they might be in their own weight loss journey. Nobody who has gone through this process would ever call it an easy decision or a cheat. Her own insecurity is trying to drag you down with her. It's possible that she's not *trying* to sabotage, and that (unless you've brought this up with her) she's unaware of the damage what she's doing is inflicting. It's possible she's that clueless. I'm a skeptic and would say "nah" but you never know. I'm a pretty up front person and so I'd tell her either get on board or get out. You're doing what's best for you, no reason to drag a naysayer along on the journey.

Looking at your ticker, you've done a really good job with adherence. Honestly, you've done better than I would have if they'd told me I had to lose weight before they operated. You weigh less than I did when I started my pre-op, so in my eyes, you're off to a great start One of the big challenges post-op is knowing how to go out to eat and still eat in a way that's good for you. Many restaurants offer "diet" or reduced calorie menu options and you can never go wrong with lean meat and a vegetable. I've found that many restaurants are really accommodating, letting me swap out white carbs and fatty items for veggies.

I am a sucker for Celestial Seasonings blueberry tea or berry zinger tea. I also just discovered that Lipton is now making a diet green tea without that awful citrus flavor. Granted, they're still sweetening the green tea (which ruins the taste) but it's not bad if I pretend it's not real green tea.

Now if only the closest Trader Joe's wasn't 30 minutes away I used to be so addicted to their Cookie Butter

Well if I went back to eating off the McD's dollar menu, I could eat a whole lot cheaper Making the switch from quantity to quality isn't cheap. Plus, those of us who live alone have nobody to scarf down our leftovers before they go bad SO SAD!

At least there will be a guaranteed amount you won't lose!

Are you paying? I'm still paying off my surgery here!

I tried some of the "light" ice cream after struggling with an ice cream craving for a couple weeks and it was so terrible. No flavor, no nothing. This week I had a little bit of real ice cream and it was delicious. No more than 1/4 cup and I was good to go. Savored the heck outta it and regret nothing!

Adding protein to it won't reduce the overall amount of sugar consumed unless the drink was split in to portions. The special K drinks are pretty low protein (around 10g) and high in carb (close to 30g). If you add Protein Powder to it, as she did, then you can get more protein, but the carbs won't go anywhere.

If you're gaining a pound from eating a piece of salmon, something's very wrong, unless you're eating a 16 oz pound of it. You're talking about the weight loss of others, but there's really no reference for us in where you're coming from. Did you start with high BMI, low BMI, what kind of intake (Protein, carb, fat, calories, Water, Vitamin, mineral) are you having? Are you tracking your input using something like My Fitness Pal or other application? I'm not attempting to discount your feelings, but I am a logically oriented person and when presented with something that seems contrary to all the other input I've seen about the surgery, I'm curious about the variables that make your experience so contrary to what we'd normally see. What has your doctor/surgeon said about your experience, as you are a year out? To me, when someones take a step like this, gets rid of most of the stomach capacity and has such greatly reduced food intake, to have such a minimal response would be troubling. Adding on that you seem to be doing miles and away more exercise than many of us and it just seems to present an interesting conundrum.

And the worst part about it is that even though I found protein I liked pre-op, my taste buds and tolerance changed so much post-op that I had to go through it all over again!

Because our initial weight loss is so rapid, we get attached to what are, honestly, high and unrealistic numbers. Think about it, you said you're losing a pound a day. That's about 30 pounds a month. That's HUGE. Even for someone like me, who was high BMI, 30 pounds represented about 7-8% of my total body weight. Not my excess weight, my TOTAL weight. That's a little bit crazy to drop that much weight in a month, but we do. Eventually, though, it will slow down. Stalls, plateaus, and other frustrations are a normal part of the process. Learn to be okay with the fact that sometimes, even when you do everything by the book, your body will have other ideas.

Perhaps a salad with some chicken or other lean meat would be a good compromise? If I couldn't avoid eating pre-op, that's probably what I would have done. I don't know if these people are aware of your situation or not, so if they were, not eating wouldn't be a huge shock.

Honestly? Don't focus on the number of calories you're getting in, unless you're worried it's too low. Your stall, which many call the week 3 stall, is normal and will go away. Focus instead on getting your Protein, Water, and Vitamins. While none of us eat a lot of calories (I get 800 on a good day), it's good to keep in mind that even if you were to eat 1,000-1,200 calories a day, you're still probably expending more calories than you're taking in and you would still lose weight. When they said it's a marathon, not a race? They weren't lying. Stalls, plateaus, seemingly impossible gains and other frustrations are going to be a part of the weight loss process. While it's hard to do so, make peace with them because you'll save yourself a lot of frustration on the road to your goal.

For me, the sleeve was less hassle. Additionally, everyone I've known with a lap band seems to have terrible luck or results. I also like the fact that I can eat what I want, really, even if I can't eat that much of it.