SerendipityHappens

I was 290 at 5'5" and I was around a size 24/26 pants when I traveled to Mexico and I did not need one. I just buckle UNDER the belly and then drape my shirt over the top so people can't see how ridiculous it looks with my belly hanging over the top of the belt. Arm rests also went down just fine.. The seats were 18" wide on my flight and I did not encroach on my neighbors space. Now if you are taking a small plan for a connecting flight, you may have a different experience. Some small planes have 16.5" seats... which is a LOT smaller than 18"... that inch and a half makes a huge difference! When I flew during the past few years at 310-320 pounds I only needed one once and that was on a belt that had been cut way down (I checked another seatbelt before getting off the plane out of curiosity and it fit me, it was just the belt I had that was about a whole FOOT too short!) I don't think you'll need an extender serenity, BUT if you do, remember that it will be the LAST time you ever have to deal with that!

Yup.. It's just one of your internal stitches working through. I just tugged GENTLY on them and they came right out.. the one that didn't yield when I gave it a gentle tug, I just clipped with some nail clippers (I used them fresh out of the package, but you could just sanitize them first)

I had one in the hospital and wanted to announce it from the roof tops! Though since then I've had periods of time where I've gone a whole week without one... which for me is REALLY difficult since I used to be a twice a day girl pre-surgery! Now that I'm able to eat vegetables and chia seeds again, I'm finding that my movements are coming every day or every other day which I guess is "the new normal" for me.

It's good that you have plenty of time for your layover... that way you're not rushing to get to your gate! As long as you're not rushing you shouldn't need a wheelchair.. I checked my bag and just had a few light things as a carry on. I purchased some yummy vitamin water zero at the airport and enjoyed those very much on the plane. I flew from San Diego to Boston and found traveling very easy. I didn't find it necessary to do pre-boarding or any of that stuff as by the time I was traveling home, I was already feeling quite well. I usually opt for a window seat, but for my trip home I made sure I had an aisle and I got up and walked every 45 minutes or so... also I wore my knee high compression stockings. I made sure I had lots of gas-x strips for the plane ride. I only needed a few, but some people have reported going through many of them so it's better to be prepared.

Quite right.. Unless you're going to make green smoothies.. you don't need all the power of the nutribullet

I like the little nutribullet. you can use the 18 ounce container to make a shake or use the little small container to puree just a very small amount of food. I use mine a lot... it's great for making salad dressing and chopping garlic or veggies in addition to making nice smoothies.

I vote for a 6 ounce steak with grilled asparagus and steamed green Beans you can eat half now and half tomorrow for lunch! Go to outbacksteakhouse.com and click on nutrition information... you can check out complete nutrition info including calories and Protein grams. There are a lot of good options there... just stay away from that damn Bloomin'Onion whatever you do!

LOVE IT! Congrats on this huge milestone.. and so close to the "under 300" milestone as well! Looks like someone is going to need to go shopping for some flirty cute summer outfits!

I'm almost 6 weeks out and I can drink about 2/3 of a cup of water at a go... My sleeve empties of water pretty quickly so I just have to wait a few minutes before I can continue gulping more water. At about a week after surgery I was already drinking three gulps at a time so everyone is different. Some people have a very swollen sleeve and can't tolerate much liquid at a time at all... they also might get a lot of air in their tummies when the gulp.... others of us don't have much swelling and we are not air-gulpers! Everyone is different!

So basically, the Yes Whey! are just like any whey RTD shake.. except that it just has less fluid... and according to most people, it tastes like feet.

What about this one?: "From the makers of the first Protein shot, Yes Whey™ is the first and only to use 100% pure whey protein -- and nothing but whey protein. Yes Whey was designed to help consumers feel at ease about the quality of protein they consume. While other companies boldly use the word 'whey' in their brands, Yes Whey is the first ready-to-drink protein shot made exclusively from whey protein. This guarantees that the protein going into your body has a PDCAAS* of 100, the highest quality rating a protein can receive. Yes Whey contains 25 grams of whey protein, zero fat, zero carbohydrates, and 100 calories -- all in less than three Fluid ounces."

I suffered from reflux for YEARS. I used to sleep on five pillows to keep my head raised. Mine was cured when I stopped eating wheat! I used to think that eating crackers or pretzels was helping my acid problem because it temporarily made my tummy feel better, but in reality for ME it was the root of the problem. Of course this started for you when you were sleeved, but still, I wonder if you have some undetected food issue that isn't helping the matter. You might be eating all the "right foods" for everyone else, but for YOU it could be causing the problem.. Common offenders are wheat and dairy... Best of luck, I hope you find resolution soon. I know how alarming and painful it can be to wake up with acid coming out of your nose.

I think you're in the right place. We don't get a lot of people here who have the surgery because they HATE food I've found a lot of support at MFP. (myfitnesspal.com) I started journaling my food there several months before surgery and it helps me a lot. It also helps to see what other sleeved people eat and my MFP friends help get me back on track if I stray a bit.

What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of the actual surgery, like complications or are you afraid of failure or afraid of changing everything you know about eating? Whatever you're afraid of, I'll guarantee, many of us have been afraid of the SAME thing.. I wasn't afraid of the actual surgery, I was just afraid I would fail. I was afraid (and still am sometimes) that I would just fall off the wagon and eat lots of slider foods and fail miserably. The other day I ate 1/2 ounce of corn chips with my cottage cheese and half way through I thought : OMG, what if this is a slippery slope and tomorrow I wake up in a gutter clutching an empty family size bag of Doritos. I am terrified of failure sometimes. There I admitted it..See, most of us are/were afraid of something.

I had a drain for two days following my surgery. When the drain was removed I was told that drainage from that incision was not cause for alarm as long as it was not puss...

Chas, are you taking them together or separating them out throughout the day? I've been taking the capsules which is a 6 capsule serving, but instead of taking them all at once, I take three, two capsule servings with meals. (I just swallow with my own saliva or literally a teaspoon of water) and they set well on my stomach this way.. If I take all six at once though, it's way too much for my system and makes me feel kind of sick.

Oh Abraham, I'm so sorry you are going through this.. I've been extremely fortunate in my recovery, so I'm of no help.... except to direct you to the section of the forum that is specifically frequented by those who are enduring complications.. Just go to the main page and scroll down, there's a "complications" subforum.

This thread made me eat a hamburger for dinner!!! AND IT WAS DELICIOUS Serves 6 1/2 pound extra lean beef (I use grass fed 90/10 cuz that's how I roll) 5 cups raw spinach blanched in boiling Water and excess water squeezed out and then chopped 2 ounces chopped cheese 1T Parmesan cheese 1 carrot minced very fine 1/4 of a large onion minced very fine 3 garlic cloves minced very fine 1t cumin 2t chili powder adobo seasoning to taste 1/2t black pepper 1 egg Mix everything together with your hands Use your 1/4 cup measuring cup and scoop out 1/4 cup and flatten into a patty. Fry in a COVERED non-stick pan on medium-high heat until done (flipping once obviously).... I ate mine with a slice of bacon and 1/5 of an avocado... and I used a romaine lettuce leaf as a bun... BEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!! one burger has: 120 calories, 3 carbs (1 fiber), 6 fat, 14 Protein

I don't know about "normal" but it's not "bad" My first day back at the Marriott, I ate an ENTIRE bowl of broth (about 12-16 ounces) in ONE SITTING.. Totally freaked me out too.... but I just kept telling myself.. It's CLEAR liquid.. it runs through a non-inflamed stomach like Water through a funnel. People who say they can only eat/drink a few tablespoons at a time don't have a smaller sleeve than you, they are just suffering from more inflammation than you are. You're the lucky one because your sleeve is less swollen then theirs is so you can take liquids easier.. Some poor folks have sleeves that are nearly swollen shut and drinking fluids for them is like trying to force liquids down a coffee stirrer.

*raised hand* guilty of eating when not hungry... Last night I made an egg with 1slice bacon, cheese and 1/2 cup spinach.. Not a lot of calories, not a bad meal... I ate half and was full... So I stopped... and set the plate down.. BUT I didn't get rid of the left over food.. so about an hour later I polished off the second half. No it didn't kill me with calories, but this isn't a habit I want to get into either and it defeats the purpose of the sleeve Don't worry. I don't know of anyone who went through weight loss surgery because they were perfect! The good thing is that we realize that we have room for improvement. Don't stress.... just try to do a little better next time.

That stinks that you wasted that money.. I am looking at my bottle of capsules right here and it states in the allergen information specifically that it's FREE of milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. I wonder if maybe they've changed their formula since your bottle was produced. Hopefully your doctor will clear you for capsules soon... I get what you're going through with not stomaching the chewables. YUCK.

I'm curious as to why you have to take chewables in the first place. I was swallowing capsules the day after my surgery although the doctor said if I had a lot of swelling (which I didn't) that I would have had to wait up to two weeks to start capsules. If the doctor or nutritionist tells you it's because your stomach can't break them down, I'd question it because when I did a test of the Bariatric Advantage capsules, they dissolved enough in plain to release the powder inside in about six minutes.. so surely in your stomach with even a little acid and some food rolling around in there, it's going to break it down even faster! They may have a good reason why you can't take the capsules but I'd want to know exactly why they've forbidden them. I take bariatric advantage capsules. no iodine and I take six small capsules a day.. I break them down into three two capsule doses.

I was sleeved five and a half weeks ago. I lost 21 pounds in March and I've been stalled for the ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL so far.. But I'm not worried about it.. I was eating at 800 calories a day for THREE and a half months preop so I lost 45 pounds during those three and a half months so I was due for a good stall! I'm eating between 800-1000 calories a day.

You're not going to stretch your sleeve. I was drinking 80 ounces of fluids the DAY AFTER SURGERY and the doctor was thrilled. It just means that your swelling has gone down in your sleeve. I felt very little restriction eating puree foods. I could eat half a cup of cottage cheese without "feeling" it. Once I was able to eat regular foods, I could DEFINITELY feel it though.