playlikeworldchamps

Here is info on Effexor. Looks like lower doses work too which lowers changes of any side effects http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/74199

Actually I went thru chemo induced menopause a couple years ago. There is a non hormone drug that does work for hot flashes and also will help your depressive symptoms. It is the anti depressant Effexor. It made a big difference for me. I was getting flushed 20 times a day and this drug stopped that. If I forgot to take it for a couple days those flashes would come right back so it truly worked for me. You start out on a lower dose like 75mg and work up to 150mg usually. There may be some mild side effects but those subside after a couple weeks or so. Google Effexor and menopause and talk to your doctor. This drug has not impacted my weight loss at all either. I stayed on it because I think it also prevents me from getting overwhelmed with stress. About 10 years ago stress led me to have panic attacks and I don't want them coming back (even though I lost weight cause I did not feel like eating!)

I have slowed down to a crawl since starting to work out the past 6 weeks. Before that I went down and up and down since thanksgiving so I guess I still averaged 1 pound a week since then but since working out it is highly variable. I was in Onederland for about 2 seconds till going back up. I think 0.5 a week will be the new normal. And that is if I am lucky enough to get to the 180s. But as I said my goal is fat percentage now < 30% and whoever that puts me. Did you say what your goal is? On this iPad I can't see your previous post when I type! I feel kinda bad that would need to lose 30lbs to have normal BMI. That's why I hate BMI. I will just watch the fat percentage. Maybe I'll still need to lose 30lbs but at least I know and accept that fat% can take a while to change at this later stage.

My surgeon allowed coffee right away but my sleeve did not like it for about 6-8 weeks. It would give me bad acid and not taste so good. Probably my body telling me not to drink and let stomach heal. After that timeframe it got better. Now I drink 2 cups a day I. The morning. #lovemykeurig

My surgeon did not specify a goal weight. My one year appt is coming up soon and I am down about 108 from his scale. I am BMI of 28.9 at 201 lbs. my next goal is to finally get to 190s and I picked 187 as my goal. I did this because 173 would be BMI of 24.9 for me at 5-10. But I had 4 huge babies and drooping as and age so I gave myself some leeway. I also figure 187 gives me a big buffer under 200. I almost don't wNt to ask the doctor for a goal weight cause he my pick like 160 or something and that would be depressing! I also am working out and trying to get my fat percentage under 30% for my age under that is acceptable. Good thing about when I turn 50 it will go up to 31% as acceptable. That number is more important than weight or BMI. Last measurement it was 36% but I have lost a size since then if only 5 lbs. so I am looking forward to my next fat percentage measurement in about 6 weeks.

Can you share or PM the place in NJ. Thinking his may work for my turkey neck

Real hunger gradually came back for me in 5-6 weeks. There was absolutely none for several weeks. But hunger is not as strong as it once was. It is easier to satisfy. I am just shy of 1 year and 115 down so having physical hunger come back was not detrimental. Real physical hunger is not what got me obese. Eating too much when I was hungry and head hunger did that. Sone people are lucky I guess and have no real hunger for much longer but not everyone is the same.

Real hunger came back for me in about 6-8 weeks. Wish I was one of the lucky ones who went months or even a year. It is not as intense through and that's good. And am satisfied with a lot less. Now head hunger that will always be the main problem. After all I did not get obese because of real hunger.

Thank you for that. (Check in mail! LOL!) I feel younger. And I am now getting hair colored at salon not out of a box! That's my treat to myself! I'm 48 and I'll be In Better shape at 50 than at 40 or 30! So many young people on here getting sleeve. What a gift to yourselves not to spend 20 years struggling.

I am two weeks shy of 1 year out. I have lost about 115 pounds. here is a comparison shot in same sweater. I used to be. a 3x and 22/24 pants. now I can fit in L and 14 I tied off the sweater like my 14 year said to show diff!

Now I say it all the time even though still not in onederland. I am 201 and I express my disgust at trying to get to Onederland all the time. I always avoided telling him before. Even whispering it in nurses ears when I had other surgery so he wouldn't know. Even when about to give birth! I was ashamed. I will never weigh less than him. He is my height and 163. I weigh a lot still but I don't think I could get another 40 pounds off me without being a bag of bones. Shockingly he thinks I look kind of skinny now and cannot believe I am still over 200. It's good to be tall I guess. BMI says I need to lose 28 more but I am shooting for 14 more. I hate that it will be such a high number for a woman but oh well. The 180s is a lot better than 315. I won't mind telling everyone then. It usually shocks them that it is that high.

Wow you are all doing great and now its almost a year. I am down to 201 now. That's a loss of over 100 since a year ago. I think 108 since pre op and 114 overall. Have to do math! I very briefly got into Onederland but it was a blip. I hope it was because I started working out with a personal trainer and my body is now getting used to using muscles and eventually the weight will come off again. I think I have lost more inches. It seems that Onederland is like impossible for me. It's taking so long. Thankfully I am 5-10 so most people would never guess I weigh so much still. Happy to report I can fit is size 14 in any case. Surely Onederland cannot be far behind? Please?

Actually if you focus on protein it will fill you up and satisfy you with less because it is more dense. But you have to be willing to try it. It is how we are supposed to eat with the sleeve anyway. Cereal and tortillas and fruit are the exception to a sleeve persons diet not a staple. You have to go back to protein first. If you try for a while and you can eat more than 4 ounces then contact your surgeon.

First you got to get off the carbs (cereal) in the morning. For some people (like me) carbs will cause uncontrollable cravings for more carbs. You will not lose weight on a high carb diet like cereal and bananas etc. It is a physiology not psychology. Your body causes you to make more bad choices because of the cravings. Start the day with an egg or cheese. Anyone can boil an egg or fry it. Goto YouTube to learn how to cook if you need to. For lunch have some lunch meat and cheese or some chili (even Wendy's chili). Or heat up some Soup (no noodles or rice in it) For dinner make a hamburger patty. You can just fry that if you don't use a grill though those George Foreman grills work good. For Snacks have Greek yogurt or a cheese stick. You got to detox from the carbs to stop the physical cravings. Once you get off carbs it will be easier to follow the plan your doctor gave you. I am not carb free but sometimes when I am out of control I need to detox from them to get back on track.

I know this feeling! It is a little better now at 11 months out. But at 4-5 months I remember going to restaurants and really missing my big stomach. Now I give the rest of my steak to my daughter who is skinny and happy I have a small stomach. And when we got pizza I would be in the habit of finding the biggest damn slice. Now I am retrained (just barely) to choose the smallest. During stress I still find comfort in food which is a work in progress. But at least now I can't go over the edge and eat 10 peanut better cookies. At worst maybe fit in 3. It's hard to change 48 years of behavior but I'm trying!

My heart goes out to you and your husband. You are in my prayers.

Sounds like you have been to a lot of experts. We you in US? Have you been to a National Cancer Institute Center. These are the research hospitals like Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson etc. That where you will find clinical trials. Also find specialist in that sort of cancer. I went to NCI center when I had breast cancer and my brother going to NCI center with leukemia. Go to www.cancer.gov to find one near you. Also check out http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/adult/liver With clinical trials http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/adult/liver/clinical-trials You may also be able to search clinicaltrials.gov to find near you For example http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=Hepatocellular&Search=Search

What you are going thru is perfectly normal. I am 11 months out and i would have to say that the first 2 months are hardest. I am pretty much "normal" now except I eat a lot less at a meal. I can gulp cold water! I also felt in the beginning that I would never be able to drink or eat without awful stuffed feeling. Eating meat just plain hurt. It will gradually get better and then you won't even remember er this difficult stage. I used to burp so much after every bite! I was so tired of burping! Water has high surface tension so gets stacked up in the sleeve. Drink it more room temperature and tension is lower. You may want to switch for now to diet tea or diluted Gatorade or crystal light. She. Water is mixed with other things the surface tension is lower. I had to switch to diluted diet snapple and diluted Gatorade of I would have been dehydrated. As for food, go slowly on adding thicker food. Try things like thicker soups and chili first. Don't get discouraged! The benefits truly are amazing! I don't even notice separating eating and drinking anymore. Only if I drink on purpose to be too full to be tempted by bad food. It will get better one day at a time. I am down 114lbs in the past year and still losing. And I eat pretty normal. Just less. Whenever you get down just visualize yourself in a couple months. It will be here before you know it!

You look awesome.

I will eat an ounce of sharp cheddar cheese or 1-2 Sargento cheese sticks for a snack or part of a meal. About 100 cals and very filling. For me fruit is not a good idea. Too much sugar in it. I will eat a banana every other week. Perhaps Apple slices with Peanut Butter 1 time a month. Strawberries perhaps every on e in a while. When I eat sugar I just crave more and this is true for fruit for me as well. If you eat fruit make sure to have Protein like cheese or peanut butter, etc at the same time so that it counters the sugar and you feel full.

For every meal and snack I think about its protein content first. If it does not have protein then I don't choose it. Empty carbs are Pasta, bread, white flour things. Empty carbs have no or very little protein. I am not carb free but I think twice before having carbs. See my food chart yesterday. I went over calories and did have pizza. But also a lot of protein. On Fridays I have a slice of pizza! Typical meals for me are Greek yogurt ( Dannon light has less sugar), chili, some turkey or cheese for a snack, dinner is whatever we make but I don't eat many of the carbs and eat the protein first (turkey dinner I eat the turkey and only spoonful of potatoes; pasta dinner I eat the meat sauce and only spoonful of pasta, etc) Get 65g protein a day minimum Don't drink and eat at same time Don't drink your calories (unless Protein shake meal replacement) Keep sugar grams low (< 25-30g) Those are the rules I follow. Note I don't have rule for total carbs I also have a 1300 target calories. Yours may be different. I am 5-10 so can get away with more. Up till now my exercise consisted of walking 2-3 days a week. Now I started now to the gym. But for health not for weight loss. I am on a zone line diet. About 40% carbs, 30% protein and fat each. Sometimes one is more than the other. Keep your sugar grams under 25g a day and you can't help but lose weight. I do not do that all the time and then I pay for it. But it's my goal. But that is what I do. I am not perfect but I track the good and bad choices. Every bite. So I am accountable. If I can do it so can you! You have it in you to be successful and the sleeve is your friend in accomplishing it!

Tell us a little more Do you track? I highly recommend myfitnesspal. My ID ther is kenmj11 if you want to add me. Your sleeve will work. Just go back to the basic rules. Protein first. Avoid sugar like its poison. It makes you crave more. Every morning I have to Choose not to eat sugar and empty carbs. If I start the day with sugar or carbs it's bound to be a very bad day of cravings.

Congratulations! great to hear how others are doing almost a year later!

and the inside of my kneecaps are hard. if I lay on my side with legs together they actually hurt a bit! no cushioning (or not as much!) in fact if I sit with knees touching there is daylight between upper thighs. I don't remember having that even when I weighed much less than this! the things we appreciate now - collarbones, kneecaps, ribs, hip bones - a appreciate my skeleton so much more now. it used to have to carry around 100+ more pounds! it is about time I appreciated it!

Amazing job! Congrats!