notmeanymore

My hospital gave me a Bari-Bear (a very firm teddy bear for bariactric patients) and I used that thing like crazy. It really helped me to be able to turn on my side a little bit. If I had to cough or anything I used it to hold my tummy tight. I loved my Bari-Bear

I take 1 stool softener in the morning and one at night. I learned the hard way about getting backed up. I ended up in the emergency room. No fun having someone else help you poop

About once a month my friends and I go to our local Pho restaurant and I order mongolian beef every single time. I start with a half cup of egg drop then end up eating about 3 bites of mongolian beef. Where I go it isnt spicy at all but Ive heard others ask for extra spicy so Im thinking you can ask them to go easy on the spiciness. Its more sweet than spicy to me. This way I have leftovers for a few meals afterwards.

There are a group of my friends and most of my family that know Ive had surgery but for those who dont know and ask I usually say portion control and that I eat several little meals throughout the day, stay away from carbs, lean protein, fruits/veggies, lots of water and excersize. Not lying because thats exactly what I do.

Ive lost a LOT of mass in the boobies! But the trade off is that I now fit into size medium shirts from the junior section and I dont choke myself at night and mammograms are easier and I get to wear cuter bras, etc. You get the point lol.

Absolutely! I get treated much different now. Doors are held open, salespeople are willing to help, people will stop to let me cross the street, people offer me help, etc. Someone pointed out that pre-surgery I wanted to be invisible and now that Im 87 pounds lighter, I dont mind being seen so that might have something to do with it but regardless, I get treated much differently now.

Dayum!!! You look awesome. Love the ink too. Ive got a 15 hour piece (from bra line to butt crack lol) and even after 87 pounds, it doesnt look any different. I cant wait to get more ink on my new body! Way to go!

Try to think of this as the best birthday gift you could ever give yourself. Would you rather be healthier, be lighter, love who you see in the mirror or a glass of wine? For your 31st, celebrate your 30th Youll knock one year off your age, youll look and feel younger and you can really treat yourself by going shopping for some cute fun clothes and being amazed and proud of yourself for getting sleeved

I also never stopped drinking caffeinated coffee. I enjoy decaf though cause its the taste not the caffeine for me. I drink a lot more tea than coffee though and it has caffeine in it too sometimes.

Im only almost 8 months out but like you, I dont get hungry, I just feel empty. I could go all day and not eat but then I just get tired. I do have to regularly time my meals to ensure I keep my metabolism moving and getting enough protein and calories for the day. I really hope that the hunger doesnt come back because in the past I couldnt say no to it.

I have BCBS Federal Illinois and they were awesome! I had to do a 3 month medically supervised diet, have a psych evaluation, get cleared by a pulmonologist and submit 2 years of weight history. When I heard about the weight history I was concerned because I wasnt a 40+ BMI for the past 2 years nor did I have a full 2 years of medical records because I didnt go to the doctor very much. But it didnt matter. BCBS was fine with a gap in my medical history. I collected my records from the gyno and my primary because every time I went they weighed me so BCBS was able to piece it all together and it didnt matter that my BMI wasnt 40+ the whole time. Once I completed all my requirements I was approved in about a week. p.s. I heard the same thing about BCBS Federal Employee coverage ~ cadalliac of policies! Good Luck to you!

I am in the slow loser club as well. I started at 242 pre-sugery, 222 at sugery date and almost 8 months later have lost 67 post surgery with a grand total of 87 from my highest putting me at a happy with my slow success weight of 155. I go in spurts. I can be stalled for 3 weeks to a month and then lose 2 in a week. I was concerned that my losses would slow even more the closer I got to goal which is 142 but I seem to still be losing at a consistent pace albeit slow but Im fine with it. It hasnt bothered me one bit. I take my measurements every month and even if the scale doesnt move, I still see inches lost which is exciting. I more concentrate on finding cute clothes rather than what I lose than on the scale. Ill be happy when I get to 142 but my doctor says he would like to see me around 130 - 135 because Im only 5'4. I attempted to add pictures below so I hope they show up The first pic is at my highest of 242 and the second was taken a few days ago at 155.

Nothing wrong with friendly snide remarks about how much fat, calories and sodium they are taking in lol. I mean cmon, you are strong, not an angel right? Watch, after surgery you will start to notice how much food people eat in one sitting and will realize how much society over serves people.

Wow, that was a tough day but you made it and survived! I dont know you but Im proud of you. Not a high percentage of folks couldve put themselves in that situation and not b*tched and moaned and complained. You keep up that attitude and you are going to succeed like a rock star!!!

I tried one and thought it was ok so I bought 10 more and hated one more than the other. I got rid of every single one, they were the most horrid tasting protein drink EVER! Now if you want to know how I REALLY feel about them just ask lol.

I was gonna say...thats quite a transformation. From a cute puppy dog to this beautiful woman Keep up the great work.

Couldnt agree more. Luckily I never let my slower losses bother me. I make it a point to take measurements every month and I get more satisfaction with losing inches than I do the scale moving. I know Im losing, if I wasnt then my clothes wouldnt be falling off me. Im super happy to lose a pound a week, sometimes it takes 2 weeks but as long as I keep fighting the good fight, itll all be fine.

June 7th I met with my super awesome wonderful surgeon and December 5th he changed my life (surgery day). At first when I knew I was facing 6 months it seemed so long but the time flew by and I figured I had been miserable and unhappy for so many years, waiting 6 months was nothing. Best thing Ive ever done for myself besides marrying my husband

Oh my goodness. Im so sorry that happened to you. Im sure everyone thinks of the risks but rupturing your esophogus certainly wasnt one that I thought of. Hope you heal quickly and get past all this and onto your new life very soon with no further complications.

Careful with the egg. Ive heard of people having issues digesting eggs after surgery. Not myself, I havent had a food yet that didnt agree with me. Blessing and a curse.

I just obtained my doctor records from my primary to my gyno because both would weigh me and gave it to my coordinator at my surgeons office and they submitted that to the insurance company.

I can only eat 3 rolls (yes with the rice). They are usually on the smaller side. My local sushi place has lunch specials 3 rolls for $1.25 so needless to say, Im a cheap lunch date. I only eat it about once a month. Each roll is one big bite for me. I just chew really well and wait about 10 minutes between each roll. Oh and I use chopsticks lol. Sushi is the only food that I actually miss overeating but my skinny jeans make up for it so its all good for an occassional treat.

Obviously it depends on your taste and preference for particular foods but the staples that Im never without in my fridge are tilapia filets, ground turkey meat (for 2 ounces burgers with a 1/2 slice of cheese, no bun), Im really into BLT wraps right now but I dont use bread - I use large lettuce leaves and cut up a smal tomato and 3 strips of bacon and a little mayo, sliced lunch meat (I put some whipped cream cheese on it with a little cut up green onion and wrap. I can eat 2 of those), cottage cheese, eggs, Special K breakfast sandwiches (I take the top part of the bread off to save carbs), fresh spinich or kale and frozen fruit because I make a smoothie in the morning so I know Im getting my vitamins and fiber.