Momonanomo

Omg look how radiant you are!

How far out are you? I ask because i was under the impression mood swings were an early out thing. However this week, at almost 4 months out, i seem to have turned into a raging b***h. Then i cry. Swinging on the mood swing & it is no fun. It was period week, but ive never been like this... Lol my new nickname is 'Fang'

You are awesome! Congratulations on your success everything has just fallen into place-- I love it! The things you were worried about turned out to be ok, and you've done SO WELL. I enjoyed reading this very much, and I thank you for sharing! I've had this crazy thought in my head recently that I might like to try running, but dismissed the thought as crazy....now you have inspired me to try! thanks!

I just had a moment of silence for my boobs RIP boobies. Lol . the good thing is, my tummy has gone down more than my boobs, so Im more of an hourglass now.

It most certainly does change when you switch to solids! Try not worry.

Sleeved 15 weeks here. When I think of a bite for me currently, it is equivalent to about 1/3 to 1/2 of a tablespoon I would say, whereas before surgery a bite for me could be about a tablespoon I think. There are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so a quarter cup would be 4 tablespoons (presurgery bites). . ..I don't feel like doing the math to figure out what a quarter cup in pmy postsurgery bites is it is less than a quarter cup tho, safe to say. If I'm eating chicken, beef, pork etc., I can only get about 4 bites in before I am full. eggs and fish I can do maybe 6 bites. I have been known to spit out that last bite that I realize while chewing will end up being one too many. What I do instead of measuring cups or bites is to measure ounces or grams on my little food scale. I measure out 3 oz of my Protein, and usually have 1 to 1 1/2 oz left when I'm done eating. ANYways, all of this only applies to eating protein. If I'm eating pudding or yogurt, I can defntly get more than a couple of bites in.

What helped me mentally prepare was to read VST and similar as much as possible. I read as many people's experiences as I could to help me gain perspective on what this journey is all about. It helped me also in that nothing that has happened to me so far has really been a surprise. Yes no two peoples experiences are exactly the same, but when you have been exposed to all the different possibilities beforehand, it gives you a chance to consider things before you're right in the middle of it. In some ways that has helped me shape my experience too. So my advice is to read read read as many blogs and msg board entries as you can!

Just to build on what others have said... I follow the protein first rule, then veggies, and so on, and honestly at this point I wouldn't have room for starches by the time I got to them! So although it is a 'diet' in that I am abstaining from starches, it's not like it is a struggle for me or that I feel deprived (doesn't the word diet have connotations of deprivation?). My sleeve, at 3 1/2 months, is definitely functioning as the tool that it is to help me stick to the food choices I believe are best for me right now. thank god!

You are so right, there are a lot of different plans. For me, I am doing a pretty strict low carb plan. Once i hit my goal weight i plan to incorporate back some healthy grains etc. This has been my choice, although my NUT would be ok with doing whole grain stuff now. I think I have a pretty bad carb addiction so I am enjoying having been detoxed and will be very carefulwhen i start adding carbs back to my diet. So for me....diet now, moderation once at goal.

K Im gnna be the one to step up and say to the Old You: It DOES MATTER!!! Shoo! Go away Old You, the New You is here and wants to be healthy!

Pixie it seems to be a special detangler brush. I just looked it up on amazon....tons of great reviews!

I have actually been taking a daily pic in the same 3 poses (front, side, back) in the same place with the hope of doing a cool time lapse i have 2 months worth of photos so far...wish i had started sooner

Just read this on tumblr by someone called runsleepygirl: "Even when the scale doesn’t change, the image in the mirror looks the same, when you feel like all of your efforts are for nothing, they’re not. Slowly, your body changes day by day. Your goals creep up on you until one day you look at an old progress picture and realize your words have become actions, your hopes have become reality and it was all worth it." i love that

Omg look how cute you are! Can totally tell you work out - your posture is nice & strong. Im sure thats also confidence! You've done such an amazing job!

Lol Gman that made my day! OP -- run dont walk to a new PCP. If the surgeon feels you are a good candidate, then you are. Find a PCP who will support you. Best of luck & keep us updated!

About 5 days

omg elephant's penis. wasn't expecting that LOL

FINAL UPDATE Well I spoke with my NUT and she seemed concerned, and advised me to call my surgeon right away. Called my surgeon's office and his assistant told me that he instructs her to tell all patients with similar experiences to try an OTC or get with my PCP to prescribe something. She didn't seem all that concerned. Honestly, the acid problem has really improved the last couple of days, although it's not resolved and I am eating super cautiously. NUT pointed out that I shouldn't have to do that forever. So I will get an OTC and give that a go. If it doesn't help I will go to my PCP.

My surgeon has all his sleevers take nexium for 3 months after surgery, then stop. He told me that several times...take for 3 months, then never again. So, i took my last one on Wednesday. Friday afternoon the acid & heartburn started, until I vomited. Today during the day I did only Protein shakes but still battled the acid. For dinner I had about 1.5 oz of ground beef (that never gives me probs). 30 minutes later ....major heartburn until I threw up. I do have to say it amuses me to realize that for the rest of my life when I throw up it will be such a tiny amount :] it is less than when my cat has a hairball lol. But ANYways....my question is this: is it common to have a temporary backlash from suddenly stopping the PPI, but it usually resolves itself? Or is this a possible sign that this will be a frequent battle? Anyone else's surgeon have them take the PPI for a set amount of time? When you stopped how did your body react? I wonder if it would make more sense to taper off the dosage and wean myself off rather than the shock of cold turkey. If it continues, i will call the dr on Monday

OMG high heels!!!!! I'm looking forward to that! I always lied to myself and said that I don't wear heels because I'm tall already (5'9") but the truth is it's been because high heels at a high weight hurrrrrrts! So yeah, I will invest in some heels..... and strut like a sexy Amazon! lol

I also used it a LOT before my sleeve. It irritated my stomach a little then, so I suspect it would totally tear me up & make me miserable now at 3 1/2 months post-op. I've only recently added back small amounts of coffee. My NUT wanted me to cut all caffeine for 6 months because it is known to irritate the stomach lining. She knows that I added some coffee (mixed with vanilla protein shake) and is ok with that as long as my tummy tolerates it. I'm hoping when I lose a significant amount of weight I will naturally have more energy from not carrying the equivalent of another person around and won't feel the need for a bunch of caffeine!

UPDATE! Hi everyone! It's now almost a week since I stopped my PPI , and I have to say that my symptoms have gotten better every day! So I'm hoping I'm like minkywinks (see above). I do have to say that I went back to Protein shakes only for a couple of days and am sloooowly & cautiously working back to regular food. I am hoping the horrible heartburn was just a reaction to stopping the PPI so suddenly, although that's what dr said to do. I have a phone conference scheduled with my bariatric team tomorrow, so I will address it then. I will also ask if there is an OTC PPI that I could keep on hand to use as-neeeded. Will update & post what I am advised. thanks again for everyone's input. I can always count on you guys!

That is really unfortunate! Rest assured that the others in that group have witnessed how petty and childish she is. It is sad she feels it's a competition, and that's she is so insecure. You can find plenty of support elsewhere!

What a great question! Ahhh it has set me to daydreamin'.... I think my dream outfit involves brightly colored skinny jeans.

Yes, almost everyone seems tp experience thinning to some degree -- I have read as many of these hair loss posts as I can, and I have yet to read a vet saying it didn't happen to them, regardless of how they eat or whether they took supplements. Some say it's because of surgery, but I'm not sure about that, because people have other types of surgery and don't always lose hair. Some people say take Biotin or eat plenty of Protein or use a special shampoo. But from what I've read, people still experience hair loss. These things may lessen the thinning, but who's to say. It certainly can't hurt! But I think the body just goes through a shock of severely reduced calories and fast weight loss. From what everyone says, it seems to start anywhere from 3 to 6 months and can continue for several months --- it's slightly different for everyone. I'm at 3 1/2 months and I haven't noticed any hair loss yet, but I am mentally prepared for when it starts. Here's the good news. It doesn't last forever, and it does grow back. There's a product called toppik that's like these little hair fibers that can camouflage thin spots. I think sally's carries it or you can get it on amazon or the toppik website. That's what I plan to use if necessary. I wish you the best!