smjuroska

You look great!

I don't track my food for the most part. I check to see every once in awhile to see how much I am taking in with carb calorie and protein. I always eat protein veggies/fruit then a carb. I have dieted most my life and ate pretty clean and healthy before surgery. Snacking was my big problem! I was always hungry! Since surgery this is not a problem for me. I didn't get this surgery to be constantly thinking about food. I don't snack or pop in extra food when cooking and stick to portions. Some people need to track. It a sense of control and keeps them accountable. I however don't at this point and I am not going to go crazy and make myself miserable doing it. I am too busy to do that even using the scanner on mfp. I am losing weight and have no problems what so ever. I am a little over month out and have lost 35 lbs from the start of my pre-op diet.

I can't stand them either! At first (like the first few days) it was tolerable now I choke one 8oz shake a day to make up what I am lacking protein wise if I need too. I like you have tried every kind I can think of and the torani syrups. The soups like gamer said saved me! Good luck and know you are not alone!

That sucks that you are feeling so run down. I have no suggestion except try different foods, liquids to get the protein in. At threes weeks I could have soft foods. So it helped. I am 1 month out and I have to gag (I can't even handle the smell of them now) down one protein shake (30g of protein) a day to meet my goals. I do it and some days are harder than others. Sometimes I feel sick hours after one. Just know you are not alone in this struggle. Hang in there.

I can't believe my surgery was a month ago! Everything is going super speed here! I am feeling pretty good and at a very good place mentally. I think being prepared for all the ups and downs and having wonderful support has kept me sane. So my offical stats are 33 pounds lost total. I started at 258(my offical start weight with my surgeon) had a down slide blew up to 265 (my weigh-in the day I started my pre-op). I think that is super awesome! I have also lost 18.75 inches (from the parts I measure). I know I will not lose another 26 pounds this coming month but hey as long as that scale is moving down I am happy. 33 pounds in 6 weeks is quite a bit of weight and a great starting point. Hopefully next month I can have another 10+ pounds off. Things that I am thankful for are: My internal stitch popped last Sunday! I had lots of pain Saturday from that darn little thing and Sunday instant relief! My sleeve! It has really made this alot easier for me. I am human and still want to eat but my sleeve keeps me from over doing it. Still in shock by the amount I can eat. Before that would have a been a nibble before I actually sat down and ate. My family, and job. They won't allow me to whine and complain and they keep my life "normal". Both keep me moving and active. The world didn't stop because I had surgery. Although the first few days I felt it should have! That constant hunger and craving bad foods is gone for the most part. Yeah I will get a whiff of something and think that smells good but it ends there. I don't walk around the grocery store craving the fresh baked whatever and end up buying it and eating half on the way home. I simply don't really want it. Some things that I need to to work on (I am not near a perfect human nor WLS patient but, who the heck is?) I HAVE to start toning up my flabby butt! For real! I HAVE to find the time in my jam packed schedule to do some cardio I need to keeping trying "new" foods to see how I can handle them. I want my fuel to come from food not shakes and bars. I am so against living off protein shakes and bars! They are fake nasty tasting junk, to me anyway! But I am not able to meet my protein without them for now... So I still use them. This surgery was a lifestyle change for me not a "diet". So far it is working but I know that I have to keep up with a healthy lifestyle to be healthy and keep the weight off. So cheers to Fridays! I am going to go and enjoy my hot TX summer weekend (the last weekend of summer for us, school starts Monday)!

I am an X-ray tech and I can tell you I see this alot and most times the CT comes back ok. I actually just x-rayed a lady and she went to CT to find out she just had a little extra fat around the lung. It caused a shadow in the lungs on x-ray. It was chronic and stable. It could be alot of benign things (x-rays are a great tool but are limited) and the CT will just give them a better look. Good luck to you and keep postive.

Don't you hate all the hormonal stuff we women have to put up with! I had to deal with that last week! With all my body is going through then add PMS to the mix and bam talk about mood buster and weight staller! Before surgery I was ravenous and ate all the horrible foods that I would normally not eat. This time that was not possible and I had to deal with it! My poor hubby! I think as we let go of food and our focus changes this will be easier. The scale is just reflecting some water weight! Kick that no good heffer to the corner for a few days and focus on that postive outlook you have and keep on keeping on!

I am so glad my little blog helped you out! That's has made my day! I have read so many things on here from others that have help me through the roughs days glad to know I can pass the favor on! I really try not to dwell on the scale. I have constantly lost but it had slowed WAY DOWN this week! I compared measurement though and found I lost more inches this week then the 2 previous weeks even though the scale didn't move much. First week 2" Second 4" this week 8"! People this week notice the loss and my clothes do too.

So I am 3 weeks out from surgery! Can I get a woo hoo! I am starting to feel more like me and not a weight loss patient. As I see it this feeling can only improve as I progress. I can actually sit down with my family and have meals. Albeit I can't eat exactly what they are eating but I can eat with them and have my own plate of food (I am offically on soft foods for a week or so)! Been loving my fish soft veggies and chicken salad! I notice too I can tolerate a whole 1/4 sometimes even 1/2 of cup of food! I ate nearly a whole tomato (a very small tomato from my garden like gold ball size) and 1/2 cup of chicken salad yesterday. I freaked out! I actually called myself a pig to my hubby! WHAT?! My hubby looked at me and said are you kidding our 18 month old eats more than that?! Yeah he is right, I was just having a OMG moment. I get them sometimes even this early out! I had to get rid of some clothes this week. I had some things that were baggy and needed to go. I am not going to be one of those people who are going to wear saggy sad clothes. I like my clothes to fit, saggy butt is not cute! I have always looked nice no matter what size. It ain't changing! But as I was getting rid of things I thought really Shannon you might needs these again! Where the hell did this negative girl come from? I ofcourse pushed on and thought shut up negative nelly these clothes are outta here. What a feeling of accomplishment! The scale has tempted me this week! I hopped on today after swearing I was going to only weigh in on Fridays! I had lost but I don't want the scale to determine my success. I knew I had lost because my clothes were getting loose. That stupid number is just a number! But it still has power over me and I was glad it went down! This is something I am working on! Stalls WILL HAPPEN and I need toprepare myself for that. Previous diet attempts this is usually were I would give up and go on a binge so to speak! Not this time thanks to my sidekick sleevey! We are going to get through stalls like nobody's business! (I hope I don't became a blubbering mess!) Anyway, I am thankful so far for my surgery and feel I have a realistic mindset and postive attitude through the very short sleeved experience. Hope I can keep this sunny outlook! Things that are working for me are... I don't track my food calories or carbs. Nor will I ever do that again! I eat a healthy balanced diet. I try to keep a rough count of protein and make sure I get my water for the day (all in my head). I go by how I feel. I know what 64oz of water is. I know what dehydration feels like and the signals that I need more. I didn't get this surgery to became obsessed with every bit of food that passes my lips! Which honestly is not very much! I did that before and I am not living like that again! It didn't work and caused eating to be a form of punishment and when I failed (i.e. ate a cupcake) I would beat myself up. Plus I have two girls and I don't want to pass on those negative traits to them. I remember my mom always being on a diet growing up and it affected how I was! I thought my self worth was based on my weight and clothes size. Right now while I am healing I have to change things up but my girls know mommy's tummy is healing. I am not dieting! If I have moments of weakness I don't let them see it. (like calling my self fat or pig!) I am not perfect but I am trying not to pass this to them! I love food and different flavors and still do! So I experiement with different spices and mix it up. I always ate healthy foods before and enjoyed them but let my weak moments sabatoge all the good I put in. I am following my guidelines but also listening to my body. For instance I was not suppose to start pureed for 2 weeks but at 1 week 5 days I needed a little more fuel to fill me up and moved to pureeds. I am not advocating this but I am very in tuned to my body and it worked for me. I am active and needed more than I was getting! Next week I may not be ready for "real" foods and may hang on soft foods longer. We will see! I take my measurements every week! I have lost 14 inches from my thighs waist hips arms and bust! Lets me see how my body is shrinking! That is more exciting than weighing and will get me through those stalls! I don't talk alot to others about my weight loss or surgery. If they mention it I say yeah I am feeling great and I am doing well and that is it. If they mention my weight loss I say Thank you! I am Shannon not a SLEEVE. I happened to have surgery but people who had gallbladder surgery don't constantly talk about it! This is my outlet for that not my real day to day life. I had the surgery to get healthy and prevent future health problems. Not for it to become who I am! I do not do fat free sugar free. I eat real foods! I can't wait to not need the protein drinks and shakes! As soon as I can consume enough protein from foods they are going out with the trash! I believe real whole foods are best for my body! I eat a piece of chocolate everyday (started back when I went to soft foods)! I buy the good stuff and have a square every night! It give me sweet dreams! Plus a small piece of dark chocolate has health benefits! Moderation is key here! Well that is what is on my mind today! Go out and enjoy life and have a great day!

Life it too short to fight with food! Congrats on your success! You lost a whole person! That is so awesome! No tracking necessary!

Teachamy how are you doing?

So I am on the sleeved side! I am doing ok...sore but ok. Surgery was uneventful and the first evening and night I just walked and pushed my happy button and slept. The next day is when the GAS hit. I was FULL of IT! Walking is helping but it is still there but much less. Until I could fart I was very uncomfortable. Now I am ok. I havent felt sick and I am handling all the fluids I have tried pretty well. I have had ISoPure power Zero with protein added decaf coffee and stevia broth jello and tea. Coughing hurts like hell burping can be uncomfortable. So day two the worst is I am just SORE. I have cleaned up a little and helped get the kids to camp and sitter and I am pooped. I have no desire to eat at all which is good since my family still has to eat. The smells don't make me sick either. Nothing too eventful and I hope it stays that way. Each day seemd to get eaiser. I havent even weighed myself. I am focusing on healing not the scale right now. Well I need a nap!

So today is 16 days post-op. I am back at work and seem to be fairing well. I had to stay an hour and then some over yesterday and was running all day. I was completely wiped when I got home. I was a little sore too. But I am still healing so that is to be expected. Talk about a welcome back! Anyway today is a new day. My weight is now down to 240.4 offically this AM. I was going to weigh every Friday but I felt lighter this morning so I hopped on. So now I am down 25 pounds since the 2 week diet and 18 since surgery. CRAZY! I am so not even going to complain or compare my weight loss with others (which I thought I would be obsessed with this, its a control thing). I am not a slow or fast loser in my book. I am just losing! I remember being so happy on WW and hitting the 25 pound mark! It took me about 2 months and I thought that was quick! I lost that in little less than a month with my new tummy! I am still worried about a leak or something going wrong. This while not easy has been a prettty uneventful and my tummy has responed well to everything I have put in it. I guess I am waiting for the bottom to fall. Don't know what that is about. Some of the issues I am dealing with... Fatigue. I feel normal but then BAM it hits me and I am down for the count. This happens when I am busy and not taking steady sips of water. (like yesterday afternoon at work hauling a portable x-ray unit around and having to walk up and down 2 flight of stairs about 6 times in an hour) Bathroom issues. I have always been regular, now I go days and NOTHING. I am taking extra fiber and milk or mag (twice now). I don't feel bloated but I guess I am not taking in much so much doesnt need to come out. I know gross but true. The damn main insicion. I am ready for it to heal and the internal stitch to pop disslove whatever it does. Heat I am ready for fall so I can get out and excercise. I am not a treadmill kinda girl. Even listening to music or watching a show I get ansty and bored after 15 mintues. Thinking about joining a gym so I can switch it up when I get bored. But I am not walking/jogging in 105 heat! My period I have not had a period since end of May beginning of June. NOT NORMAL for me. You can set your clock by my cycle. First I thought nerves and stress now I don't know. I know I am not pregnant. My surgeon know about this and my PCP told me to let my body heal before getting concerned. But it worries me. H.Pylorus My surgeon got the report back from pathology and my stomach was very inflammed and tested postive for this. So now I have to have a strong 2 week dose of antibiotics to resolve this. Have to wait unitl I am eating regular because they will wreck havoc if I am not eating. Apparently lots of people have this but never know unless it causes problems. Which I was having prior to surgery. So those are my issues which are all minor! I thank the Lord for watching over me and hope I continue this journey with only positive results. I want to post pics but I am waiting for the 1 month mark! My face is where I see it the most. No more chin(S)! I now have ONE just ONE chin! My nose is smaller too! Not so WIDE. Weird never thought noses got fat until I compared it with my "skinny" pics back in the day. Now it getting back to "normal" lol. Well that is all folks until next time!

Its hard to do here in TX this heat kills me. I am going to try a video early in am and see if I can maintain that until fall. Good luck fitting it in. My life is chock full and it is hard for me to find that time for myself.

I think it is normal and you ate too fast. I have that too (feeling it in my throat)but no pain. I am eating too quick and when I slow down this doesn't happen. I am 15 days post-op. Happens too when I moved to pureed the first couple if meals.

Good luck:-)

So I am off the pain meds. Hope this blog makes more sense than day 2. I am doing well I guess. I am only sore where the main incision is. The only reason I know of the others are they are starting to itch. Everything I have put in my tummy is going down pretty well. No issues. (thank you good Lord!) Hope as I progress this continues. I love variety in my diet and hope that I can still do that post-op. I am pretty much drinking the 64oz. and getting 50-60 grams of protein a day. It is an ALL day chore however. I am having some bathroom issues. But with what I'm putting in my body I think this is just trying to adjust, not to mention I just had surgery. I am ready to put some texture in my mouth. I am tired already of liquids but I am not hungry at all. I have to remind my self to sip something other than flavored water. I get tired very easy! I am a go go go person and I just can't do it. That has been the worst part. I want to do things but my body just won't let me yet. I worry about going back to work. I hope I don't still have zero energy then. But that still a week and few days off. I am getting better each day and by then I may feel somewhat normal. I can't wait to feel like myself again! One month from now I am sure I will be screaming from the rooftops! I have lost 18 lbs since starting my pre-op diet, 8 since surgery. That is crazy to me! I can already see a change in my body. Well I am off to walk and drink and drink and drink!

How are the sleevers from the 23rd doing...I am so sore and still dealing with gas pains.

This summer has been so crazy that time has flown by! Now I am only a few days out. This all hit me this week and I began to panic. So I had a little pep talk with my friend who had the sleeve over 3 years ago. She made me feel so much better! I have been freaking out all week! I have strict orders to call her when I freak out the next few days. She has done great with it and lost tons of weight and says she feels better now than when she was in her 20s. She did mention that after about 18 months she started to slip with diet. She could eat whatever she wanted and more than ever before. She said she is still battling with sweets and sodas. She never had a craving after surgery until she had a moment of weakness 18 months out and let herself indulge. Since then candy and soda are her vice and she has to watch it. She is still skinny (5'6" 135) but said she put on a few pounds by backsliding. She said this is a TOOL, to me like 1000sX... she was starting to sound like my DR! I just love her! Anyway things are all a go and I have all my vitamins and protein ordered. Still gotta get a few things but I am ready! Still hanging on with the pre-op diet. (I am lucky though only liquids day before)This pre-op diet has had its moments still (mostly my husband taunting me with all the bad foods) but I am doing it and weighed today and I have lost 9 pounds in not even 2 weeks! I have been following it but I am not tracking my calories or carbs. I have just been eating lean protein (nothing fried or battered) and approved veggies. Lots of cheeses no butter. I have not had ANY bread, pasta, or potatoes! That's a victory in it's self! I am allowed 30 grams of carbs so I use that with sugar free chocolates(my treats). I get 3 bite size pieces a day for a total of 21 carbs. I am sure I have a few extra carbs in my foods to equal 30. I also try to add in a protein drink most days to up the protein. Hope that what I am doing is good enough. I hate calculating everything I eat. I did that with WW and I am over it! I was worried I was not doing it correctly but after my weigh in I think I am right on track. So now I just keep truckin on until surgery 5 DAYS FROM NOW!