OneWritersSoul

My husband kept telling me I didn't need surgery, he was against it, etc. I explained to him that I loved him and heard each and every single complaint/reason he gave but ultimately, the decision wasn't his. The decision was for me. It was for my health. It was for my peace of mind. About two months before the surgery we went to an appointment to talk to a reproductive endocrinologist. They told us that I'd have to lose weight before we could undergo in-vitro. My husband became my biggest cheerleader! Sometimes people will be for you, sometimes they will be against you. The important thing is to never be your own worst enemy!

I was weighed the day of surgery. It's not common practice, but I did request it because my scale hadn't been working for over a week. More than anything, it gave me a peace of mind but it was also a part of my official surgical record.

I've not had my one month follow-up but I'm surprised by your doctor's response. Granted, the Vitamins should help, as will increasing your fluids, but no Protein shakes/supplements at all? That's new to me. But again, I'm just a month out myself and have yet to see my surgeon for follow-up, so maybe that's the way it's meant to be. Any veteran sleevers have any idea?

Love this! I can't wait to tell my parents!

I used to detest water! So much so that I'd nearly vomit if I had to drink it. Once I forced myself to drink nothing else pre-op, no issues whatsoever- with one exception and that's first thing on the morning. I can't tolerate plain water upon rising without extreme nausea and vomiting since my surgery, so I drink diluted Light/Diet juice.

So, someone suggested sharing photos somewhere other than on Instagram but I've been very hesitant. But I put together a one month "collage" to see if I could see the difference from Week 1 (10/25) to Week 4 (11/22-exactly four weeks after surgery) and this is what I came up with.

Jay, you are not alone! My doctors, my family, and people on Instagram see it but I can't see an inch much less 40+ pounds of a difference! My honest belief is that it's going to take something more drastic than 40 pounds for us to see it. My therapist agrees with me. I also believe that I need to keep going to my therapy appointments, documenting my food intake AND not only my pounds lost but my other measurements to help myself see that my body is changing. Other people have mentioned NSVs (non-scale victories)- do you have any in mind? You don't have to share them (unless you want to!) but they're also a great way to keep track of weightloss progress! I'm keeping track of mine in a journal because I love to write, but there are tons of ways to do it! Find what works for you. If you need someone to vent to or whatever, don't hesitate to look me up. I'm always on here or MFP or Instagram.

I'm on MFP as serenity_lynn if anyone would like to join up there as well

I was sleeved 10/25 and I'm down about 40+ pounds. I'm officially into the soft foods phase but I'm still struggling with my Protein. Being a "born again" vegetarian has made it more challenging and protein shakes/powders make me ill. If anyone else is on MFP you can find me there as serenity_lynn

Instagram is an app where you can share photos, essentially. Others can comment, like, and follow as well. I've found Instagram to have a great weightloss community. People are so supportive! If you like to take photos and share them (no matter what they are!) I highly encourage you to check it out!

I'm on Instagram as OneWritersSoul

I'm still in the very beginning stages of all this, but I felt it was very important to know where I was headed before I started the journey. So, I have put a lot of thought and prayer into it. I want to be healthy, not runway model thin. I want to no longer need a seatbelt extender on a plane, to request a table instead of a booth at a restaurant, and I want to ride roller coasters the way I did when I was younger. I want to be able to carry a baby to full term without complications- for the baby or myself. After, I want to recover fully and quickly. Then I want to be more involved than ever instead of feeling as if I've ended up on the sidelines or (worst of all!) embarrassed my child by being so fat. Then when my husband continues to take me to all his male-dominated conferences, I want to come out of the hotel room. I want to have dinner and participate in their conversations and leave them stunned that he landed such a smart lady. That's what goal looks like to me.

You're not crazy! I've never been cold in my life- I'm the person that ran the air conditioner year round. 65 degrees and the temp didn't move EVER. Now, the heat is on at 75 degrees (minimum) AND I go to bed with a heating pad! When I'm outside, I wear a coat. I now use the heater in my Jeep and I don't complain about having a top sheet, a blanket AND a duvet on our bed. My very thin husband is happier than ever! I'm still cold!

Bariatric Fusion sells chewable iron in the higher dosage. I'm on my phone at the moment, so I'm unable to link their site. Maybe if you Google them it will come up for you. Hope it helps.

I've heard lots of good things about the food at Chikfila but I'm a an equal rights activist so I can't ever bring myself to spend money there. I'm very glad you found something that worked for you though! That is a good thing!!

Please let me know how you find the whole puréed phase. I'm struggling, so I'm just curious. On the flip side, feel free to tell me it's none of my business if you wish.

That's very kind of you to say, 39m. I do appreciate it.

I'm still messing around with the settings but I've had better success since I've personalized the settings. Right now, as a generic setting (until I can double check with my surgeon and nutritionist at my 1 month post-op appointment) I'm at 1,000 calories. My food is all low-fat, sugar-free, vegetarian, and high-protein so I haven't gone so far as to experiment with those specific settings yet. After my follow-up I may try it. However, based on my calorie personalization, I do notice a difference, even if I -am- still getting that "starvation mode" message.

I'll add you on Instagram!

Raised in Northern Virginia/Washington DC and went to boarding school in southern Virginia. I now reside in Pittsburgh, PA. (Everywhere I go it's the same thing- "You're not from around here, are you?!")

Week 1: Clear Liquids Week 2: full liquids Week 3: puréed Week 4: puréed Week 5: soft I'm on Week 4 but it's still a struggle so I'm still doing a lot of full liquids.

If anyone is on MyFitnessPal, I'm always up for adding friends! You can find me there as 'serenity_lynn'