SerendipityHappens

Only say you're getting your gallbladder removed if you actually ARE.. otherwise, if you ever have to get it removed for real, then that's another cover story you'll have to invent... If you really feel you need a cover story, you could say you're having a hiatal hernia repair...And it's something in the digestive system, so it would require the liquid diet and all that. Personally, I just didn't say ANYTHING. That left my options open so that when I was ready to, I could tell people. I waited until I had lost 100 pounds and then just casually told people about it... kind of like in an "I can't believe you didn't know" kind of way.

I was allowed caffeine from the beginning, but just warned to take it easy on the coffee at first.. As far as tea, I like the orange box with the swan... I think it's Alwazah... I don't know for sure, I just look for the orange box with the swan... The box with the horse on it is also good. I believe they are both Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka. I don't read Arabic so I don't know more about them other than that they are strong and yummy!

I was allowed caffeine from the beginning, but just warned to take it easy on the coffee at first.. As far as tea, I like the orange box with the swan... I think it's Alwazah... I don't know for sure, I just look for the orange box with the swan... The box with the horse on it is also good. I believe they are both Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka. I don't read Arabic so I don't know more about them other than that they are strong and yummy!

I was cleared for any and ALL activity at six weeks.

I was cleared for any and ALL activity at six weeks.

How Gluten free do you need to be? Most are do not have gluten or wheat added to them, but they cannot be certified because they may be processed in a facility that may have processed wheat and can't 100% guarantee zero cross contamination.

Never had a UTI in my life.. Had three after having a catheter with my gallbladder surgery. GRRRRR.. Anyway as for the actual catheter feeling... I was already sleeping when they put it in and I didn't feel a thing when it came out. When I woke up in recovery the first words out of my mouth were "GET THIS THING OUT OF THERE" and I wouldn't let up until the nurse removed it..Maybe I didn't feel it coming out because I was SOOOO caught up on the idea of being utterly disturbed that I had it in the first place. I only had it for a couple of hours but that was MORE than enough for me.

My weight was a burden. I wanted to be able to be more active and enjoy everyday activities like hiking and biking again. I wanted to be able to go canoeing without worrying about the weight capacity. I want to go on a zipline. I want to take a horseback tour of Gettysburg. As far as appearance. I didn't want to lose weight in order to look better.. Though I DO look better already. I also am enjoying a better selection of clothing.

OK, Call me stupid,superficial hypocritical or anything else you want to call me... I'm NOT attracted to fat men. There are many women who ARE attracted to fatter men, but I'm not. I've never dated a fat man and I have no desire to do so. I'm also not fond of blondes, red heads, or facial hair. Furthermore, I don't expect men to overlook their preferences when choosing to date me. Many men are not attracted to fat women, and I invite them to walk on by and find a woman who suits their preferences. What you look like does not dictate what you're attracted to. I'm fat with very pale skin. I'm crazy for thin to average/athletic Arab/Mediterranean/Desi men... and trust me, there are plenty of men who fit this description who find me attractive in return. I fail to see the hypocrisy here. We like what we like.. I simply can't FORCE myself to be attracted to a larger man. Now why these women were dating you in the first place if they weren't attracted to you, that's a different story. They should have been honest with themselves and with you and not wasted your time when there were indeed many other women who would have found you wildly attractive. Course now it all might be a moot point since you'll be the skinny guy before you know it.

Alphas, Revenge, Jeremiah, Jericho, and now I'm watching the 4400. Oh and whoever said Downton Abbey, YES that one is fantastic BUT sadly not available for streaming on Netflix :-(

The capsules are actually VERY quick to dissolve and inside is a powder. These are made for bariatric patients.

My biggest problem with finding a non-bariatric multi is that I needed one without Iron but that had all the nutrients I needed. I found some chewables without iron, but I couldn't find any good capsules or tablets that didn't have iron.. I like to take my multi with my calcium so having iron in the multi is a dealbreaker for me. And chewable Vitamins of any kind.. YUCK. I simply cannot do it.

I have to agree that there are too many foods disguised as healthy, and so many parents fall for them. I work in a convenience store and You would be SHOCKED at how many parents won't let their kids get candy and then will say: "Here, why don't you get these fruit snacks instead" or they won't buy their child a soda, but they'll get them a drink that is "mango-carrot juice" when in reality it only has 7% fruit juice. I don't doubt these parents are trying to make better choices for their kids by steering them away from foods that they deem less healthy, but they're falling for the pretty labels and advertising... and it's not about lazy and I'm not talking about parents who are consciously choosing to buy an occasional treat for their child.. these are people who are legitimately believing that they are helping their kids make better choices.

I do not have celiac, but I had a lot of inflammatory responses to wheat. Reflux, hypothyroid, joint pains... Any time I eat wheat the reflux comes back right away and within a few days the joint pain starts.. I don't have to be super careful about trace amounts of gluten like someone who is celiac, I mean , I'm sure I get traces of gluten here and there and I don't react to it, but something like half a tortilla, or a few bites of Pasta and I'm paying for it BIG TIME. The sleeve has helped me stick with eating wheat free. YAY I've actually been so compliant with avoiding wheat that I no longer require synthroid as my body is now satisfied with the amount of hormone my thyroid gland can produce! (please not that 99.99% of people will NOT see this type of improvement because for MOST, the thyroid gland has been damaged and it can NEVER heal no matter what, I got SO LUCKY because my thyroid gland was still perfectly healthy) I also am free of about 80% of the joint pain I experienced previously.. Yes I still have aches and pains in my knees after working all day, but it's pretty mild and doesn't stop me from working out.

I've been taking the Bariatric Advantage capsules since the start and never had any issue! It's a six capsule dose but I only take four capsules since I get a lot of nutrition from my foods and they are originally for RNY patients so they're quite strong. My vitamin levels are fantastic so my GP is fine with my dosage. They're not very large at all and easy to swallow. If taking a high concentration of vitamin makes you sick, you can divide them to smaller doses of course, which is better for absorption anyway. I bought the 540 dose bottle and it's enough to last 90 days at the six capsule dosage but for me it last just over four months at the 4 capsule dosage. The cost is just over $40.00 a bottle. Hope this helps!

I went alone and I DEFINITELY didn't need a support person. I was happy to be alone! You have to walk, walk, walk anyway so even if it's uncomfortable it's better for you to get up and get what you need. Also, you should have a mexico coordinator there who will look after you a bit and make sure that you get where you are going, etc, also if there is any type of emergency they will also call your loved ones for you. About half the women who were in the hospital with me had traveled alone.

I'm the same way. A lot of the things that are given to VSGrs are just copied from the RNY manuals and they don't actually apply to us, so I QUESTION EVERYTHING! Also, for me if the reason why I can't have something is because "it might make you uncomfortable" that's a lot different than if the reason is "because it might damage your sleeve"

Another fantastic manual is from MU's bariatric program. Go to the following site: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=ApwOpPknBz8UYczyEUimJXGbvZx4;_ylc=X1MDMjAyMzUzODA3NQRfcgMyBGJjawM4Z2JxamY5OTRnZHVqJTI2YiUzRDMlMjZzJTNEdXQEZnIDeWZwLXQtMTQ1LTEwNgRmcjIDBGdwcmlkA1NrdDFqdFRGVF9TODN1SjNaMnVKcEEEbl9zdWdnAzEEb3JpZ2luA3d3dy55YWhvby5jb20EcG9zAzAEcHFzdHIDBHBxc3RybAMEcXN0cmwDMTMEcXVlcnkDTVUgYmFyaWF0cmljcwR0X3N0bXADMTM4MDQ2ODk2NTY3OQ--?p=MU+bariatrics&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-145-106 and scroll half way down.. there is a great nutrition manual as well as a vitamin manual. I also learned a lot from their basic what to expect manual about how to avoid DVT. I didn't follow their manual EXACTLY, I followed a combination of the MU and the manual my doctor gave me.

Grace, I HEAR YOU!!! We are about in the same places in our journeys at the same BMI even. I just went back to LCHF Atkins induction style. I'm tired of 3 or 4 pound months. I know they are going to happen occasionally but frankly EVERY month is slow for me and I have 40 pounds to Onderland! Sometimes I feel like shaking it up is the best way to go. Not only physically but mentally as well. My sister is getting married in January, and I know I won't be in Onderland by then, but I want to at least be knocking on the door! That's my carrot at the moment!

No problem with icy.. The only issue I had was that at first I couldn't tolerate them well because mixing them in the blender with ice incorporated too much air! But after a few weeks it was no problem either.

I was eating half a cup VERY early on! I now eat 3/4 to 1 cup and it's been stable like that for a while. For the first few days to several weeks, you can have a lot of inflammation of the sleeve. as that goes down the sleeve will hold more and more food.

Lady, you're rockin' a whole lot more than just a pair of boots! You're looking fantastic!

Anything italian-ish without the bread/pasta... The ricotta bake suggested above is fantastic. I've been sauteeing a half an onion with some garlic, then adding some peeled chopped zucchini and adding a can of small diced tomatoes with some oregano and basil..Let it simmer together for a bit, Then add a bag of fresh baby spinach and wilt it down and cook until the spinach is done. Add a drizzle of olive oil. To serve, Toss the portion you are going to consume immediately with some feta cheese and top with a cheese of your choice. Microwave until your cheeze is melty and bubbly.. Tastes like a greek pizza! And it still has a nice "fresh" taste but it's HOT! It's NOT a high protein meal, but I've still been hitting 70-90 grams even with including this deliciousness for one of my meals.

YAY! And you look absolutely FABULOUS!

I was taking capsules starting on the first day after surgery.. The nurses and I were all fed up with my IV and veins and got the doctor to agree to let me have all my meds orally. I started taking my vitamins in capsule form about a week after surgery but was told to wait two weeks before starting the calcium since that was a larger pill and in tablet form. I'm currently 6 months out and take a "vitamin meal" of about 10 pills twice daily. I just toss the whole handful of pills (including a few large gel caps and tablets)in my mouth at once and drink a sip of water. Never had a problem.