Momonanomo

mokee, I really appreciate you having said this. I believe I too am a carboholic, and i'm thinking of the period right after surgery as being a "detox". I know it's going to be hard. But I also recognize how it's a vicious cycle with the carbs. So I'm thinking I'll be one of those people who will not be able to introduce carbs back and just have a little here and there. Thanks for sharing your experience and words of wisdom. Best of luck and one day at a time Onward!

a 5k yeeeoowww that's awesome! I can't imagine myself running....but I have to say reading your words make me go hmmmmmm maybe someday I will run too! Congratualtions, that's a real accomplishment and I can tell you feel wonderful! Here's some pats on the back from me too!

I love the title of this blog entry! Sooo funny!

You've done the right thing by asking him to pick up his things. It's time for you to concentrate on yourself and your wonderful son. Life's too short to waste time being with someone who doesn't make you feel good. And I mean it -- love is supposed to feel GOOD! And.... you want your son to know that you are a strong, happy, healthy woman. You're doing the right thing. It's natural to be sad when a relationship ends... but you've got quite an adventure coming up that will help distract you! I send good thoughts your way. We're all pulling for you! Onward!!

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time I'm still pre-op, but I believe what everyone says, it will get better. Everyone has a different experience as far as recovery. It's a shame they led you to believe that you would, without question, be close to 100% right away. It's major surgery and it should be expected that you wouldn't be 100% right away. I just want to check for understanding though: "the rounding person from the team was telling me that I would be released and he just signed off on a person who had this done 2 weeks ago, for that person to run in a marathon." You mean someone had a verticle sleeve gastrectomy and ran a marathon 2 weeks later?!?!?!??! wth?!?

Vicki, how did you take it in the days immediately after surgery? Did you crush it? I keep meaning to ask my endocrinologist....

I've been on it for appx 4 years. My weight has gone up & down like always, so no effect there unfortunately

Yaaaay you've done so well! Lisa i always love when you post progress pics because we have similar stats and you have absolutely ROCKED. Very inspiring! Glad your gallbladder surgery went well. Best of luck on your goal, i know you can do it!

HI & welcome to VST!! Glad you found the site too I know it's been instrumental in helping me make my decision. I've been addicted to the boards the last 6 months or so leading up to my surgery which is scheduled for 5/22. I'm so glad I've spent time reading so many stories of people's experiences through blogs and on the various topic threads. Go to the Forums Home page and browse around -- everything you can think of has been covered -- and some things you may NOT have thought of ! LOL! Right now, since my surgery is right around the corner, I like reading about people's actual hospital stay and immediate recovery. It helps me prepare for what will be happening. And it's ALWAYS awesome to read people's success stories and see their before & after pictures!

I think we would all be really appalled to know the truth about sodium levels of restaurant and fast foods. I have no doubt that the majority of that gain was water retention.

OMG you look fantastic!! And HAPPY!!!! Congratulations!

Hey Ms Vicki! It does sound like The First Stall has indeed ended, yay! I say join the gym, get your swim on And, as you progress on your journey, you may decide to try the various classed they may have and/or use their machines for strength training. IMO, having the gym membership will give you exposure and access to new and cool things to try, and therefore keep you motivated to keep moving! lol I am SO looking forward to that whole energy and libido surge thang! keep on rockin!

My understanding is that it is a multi-level marketing product, like herbal life. You buy the product & the person you buy from will start asking if you're interested in being a sales rep too or if you want to be a part of a great business opportunity.....

Erp makes a good point that there are some higher calorie foods that are also nutritionally valuable. Just keep after it, you're going to find that sweet spot. That is surprising and upsetting that the premier shakes are staining your teeth! Costco has an awesome return policy - I'm sure you could take your unopened cases & return them.

Moving right along! Went and got my EKG, chest X-ray, and h.pylori tests done yesterday. The offices were right across the hall from each other, so Efficient Me got in and out in 45 minutes (don't tell my work! I took the whole afternoon off!) All 3 tests were uneventful. The chest xray involved stripping from the waist up and wearing a stylish paper gown. The guy tech was a cutie! One pic while I faced a white board, and one pic while I faced the side with my arms up. The EKG -- remove shirt only, kept bra on. Before hand, the female tech asked "are you wearing a regular bra?" and I said yes, so she said ok to leave it on. But I can't help but wonder what is a not regular bra inasmuch as what kind of bra would I be wearing if it wasn't ok to leave it on? LOL. But I digress......she had me lie on a table (too short! My toes were on a cart at the end of the table!) and then she stuck stickers all over my front. Then she attached these wires with clampy-things to each of the stickers. Then she asked me to lay still and breathe deeply for like a minute, maybe two. Then she unhooked the wires, peeled of the stickers, and I was good to go. Then I went and got my blood drawn for h. pylori and my thyroid panel. Yes! Moving right along! Also am beginning to figure out accommodations and car while we are on Oahu for the week around surgery. And lining up sending my dog to "camp" for that week My RN emailed me to ask if I've gone to any of the local support group meetings.....I have to say that I've decided NOT to go. Several reasons. I live on an island, and it is a very small-town atmosphere. I have chosen not to shout from the rooftops about my surgery. I have a friend/ coworker who had WLS several years ago, and she is excellent support for me. Additionally, she went to the support group meeting -- once --- and someone there, who clearly didn't value privacy the way my friend does, went and told a bunch of my friend's in-laws who she had chosen not to tell. Then she was bombarded with phone calls. Not cool. VST has been and will be, I believe, just the right amount of support for me with a greater collection of people experienced with the sleeve than what I could find here in an in-person meeting. Diversity rocks, ya? And... I know myself well enough to know that if I get into an in-person support group environment, I could easily try to help everyone but myself. Denial is easier with distractions! Yes, I think VST is just the right amount of support giving and receiving..... at least for now. I would never say never, but this is how it seems best to me for now....

it's the Incredible Shrinking Tummy! yay you!! great job!

so why are nanners taboo? It's on my 'avoid' list, but since I'm not crazy about them, I didn't ask.

I'm to be sleeved in May (yay!) I'm slightly over 40 bmi, so now my insurance will cover, but when I started researching, I was slightly under 40 BMI, with no comorbidities..... YET. So I was asking myself a similar question. I would consider your personal history with weight loss -- for me, I had gone up and down with an upward trend since high school-- that's over 22 years. I knew I could lose the weight but I couldn't keep it off, and my pattern is to gain even more back with each loss. I was tired of that, and tired of being overweight, and mostly just really TIRED! I also considered that going forward with it now instead of waiting until I weighed even more meant probably 1) an easier surgery/ recovery 2) being able to get on with life in a healthier body sooner 3) avoiding any further damage to my joints and the rest of my body I agree with Carrie-- if you can make it work, go for it. In the long run you will most likely be better off.

Everything's coming together and building momentum!! Did my psych evaluation, which was actually quite nice -- I liked the counselor a lot. The RN coordinator had warned me that it would take at least a week or more for the surgeon''s office to get the psych report back, and she was really pleased and surprised when she got it back less than 24 hours later approving me! I guess I really AM a good candidate for surgery! Now I can go get my ekg, chest xray, and h pylori test. I have to travel to Oahu for surgery, so my next NUT and exercise appointments are over the phone. Then they'll submit to insurance for surgery approval. I specifically asked -- with all the diligence in getting the insurance requirements done, is there any reasonable possibility that insurance would say no at that point? And the RN said "nope!" Yay! So today I got my tentative surgery date of May 22. This....is my mom's birthday. I know she'll be ok with that - - she is VERY in favor of me having the surgery, and she's not the type to need special attention on her birthday (we can celebrate early I'm sure!) I just feel like I should ask and make sure she's ok with that. Surgery is always on a Wed., and the required pre-op class is always on a Thursday before surgery...so I'll have to make one more day trip to Oahu. That's getting a little tricky with work, but my boss has been supportive and I will do what it takes to make it happen! omg so excited!!

Here's the criteria my NUT gave me for protein shakes: calories < 200/ serving (remember milk adds calories) Protein <36 grams/serving Fat<5 grams/serving Carbohydrates< 18 grams net carbs/ serving

Oh Vicki that is SO wonderful! I can't wait to have the energy you're describing! And 20 lbs (gone forever!) in 5 weeks is total kick-ass. You're doing great!

O M G You look great! You've done so well! Congratulations !

nerves are natural, but I can say from recent experience -- don't worry It's not as scary as you might think. I had mine last week, and I found myself being more honest than I had thought I would be. And I passed anyway lol! Just remember that this person is on your side. My eval consisted of talking to the counselor for 90 minutes, and it was like talking to a friend. Then I had to take some silly T/F tests that I was instructed not to "overthink". The questions ranged from "True or False: everyone is out to get me " to "True or False: I am a generally happy person" , things of that nature. You'll do fine! And soon this too will be over and it's on to the next thing !

I actually like the sparkpeople one better than my fitness pal....it used to be free but I just looked on google play store & it's $3.99.... I just found it a better interface for me.

I'm penciled in for May 22nd......got my fingers crossed on getting all test results back OK & on time!