skinnyginny

My brother and sister-in-law are visiting for a couple of days. My brother has struggled with his weight just like I have. He noticed that I've lost weight and asked me what I was doing. I was just about to tell him what a wonderful decision I had made to get the sleeve and that this would help him with his weight issues as well. He suffers from a bad back which we know is linked to his weight. Just as I was about to let it go, my sister-in-law goes on a rant about how weight-loss surgery is stupid and causes cancer. Hmmm... okay. So I will keep my secret a little bit longer. This is the very reason why I've decided not to tell anyone. I know my brother would be supportive and would even consider doing this himself. I'll wait for the right time, when we are alone, and will give him the good news.

I haven't told my family and probably won't. I did let one of my sisters know and she was the one who went with me on surgery day. She was super supportive. No one else in the world knows aside from the medical staff. I found it to be easier that way.

SO AWESOME! I can't wait to be able to ride in a plane and not have to deal with an armrest that won't stay down.

I'm like tmbasuhre, the only protein shake I can stomach is the chololate premier protein shake from costco. But, I can't drink it straight out of the container, I have to thin it down with skim milk. I pour the 11 oz shake into a 16 oz glass and fill the rest with skim milk. Then I can drink it down just like chocolate milk, no issues at all.

Wow! thanks for the info! Now I need to find my Costco coupon book. I hope I didn't throw it away...

I had the same thing... glue on all of my incision sites instead of stitches. They looked gross like a big bruise around each incision but they will eventually fall off. What is underneath, at least for me, is just a tiny little slit of a scar. What you have is completely normal and will go away

I have a closet full of clothes ranging from size 8 to 22W. I have been saving all of my skinny clothes thinking I'd get back into them some day. Well, I'm down 3 sizes so far and last night I decided to try on some of the clothes that have been sitting in my closet for at least 8 years. YUCK! The waist band went clear up to my boobs. Did I really wear that style back then?! All I could hear in my head was MOM JEANS! So, needless to say, not only am I getting rid of my fat clothes, I'm clearing out all of the old skinny clothes too. Buh-bye crazy out-of-style clothes. Time to shop!

That is so awesome! Good for you! I have just 9 pounds to go and I can-not-wait! I haven't seen one'derland for many years.

Same thing here... I even took photos of my face I was so bloated. It is all just the fluids they pump you full of to ensure you don't get dehydrated. I was an out-patient for my surgery and the next day I went back in and they pumped me full of even more fluids. All in the name of ensuring you don't get dehydrated. All completely normal and will eventually get flushed out of your system.

I didn't have the same problem but I didn't have something related happen to me. I was sleeved on 3/7/13 and prior to that, I hadn't had my period for months. A couple of week post-op I started again and have been on a regular cycle ever since. Odd. I really thought that I was menopausal prior to being sleeved and even if I was, the sleeve yanked me right back.

Hi tigerbelle -- this is the best place to ask all of your questions, don't you even worry about it. We are all in this together! You can buy the Premier Protein shakes and Premier Protein bars at Costco. These are the best tasting shakes and bars that I've found that have 30 grams of protein each. The shakes come in chocolate and vanilla flavor. They are pre-packaged so they are really easy to grab and go. I was able to drink milk 2 days after surgery as part of the liquid phase. But, you should ask your doctor or nutritionist what the procedure is for you. Lots of different people on here have different requirements so don't take our word for it, check with your medical professionals to confirm. I also was able to eat frozen popsicles during the liquid phase. I tried freezing the protein drinks but for me, I didn't care for it so I stopped doing it. As for when you can have crushed ice, again, I could do that during the liquid phase but be sure to check with your medical staff. I am not allowed to drink anything with a straw. My nutritionist said early on that my drinking from a straw days were over. But I see on here that there are others who can, so again, check with your medical staff. When in doubt, check with your medical staff.

I completely agree! I'm self-pay and I figure that I've spent so much money over the years on pills and programs and portion-control-foods that at some point, the sleeve will eventually pay for itself. You name it, I've done it. A few months ago I put together a list of all the stuff I've tried over the years and it sickened me to see how much was there. Thousands of $$ wasted.

Hi. My name is skinnyginny and I am addicted to diet pills. I have been sober for 56 days. Okay, I'm not really addicted but good golly it feels great to no longer see new diet pill ads and wonder, 'maybe this one will work.' I'M FREE!

Hey adeltaflower! How are things going for you post-op?

Wow! I've always wondered what recipes would be like if you substituted protein powder for flour. I may have to give this a try. Did you use vanilla flavored powder or plain?

Hi BabushkaBlue - I was sleeved by Dr Landerholm on 3/7 in the Edmonds clinic. I can say that you are in really good hands. The days before the surgery, I was nervous like you are now. I couldn't sleep a wink the night before. But the morning of, Dr Landerholm came and spoke with me, along with all of the other staff and that really put me at ease. I was in by 1pm, up and walking by about 4pm and home by 7pm. It went so quickly, with no issues at all. It will all be over before you know it and you will be on to your new life. You will do great!

I've been eating peanuts since about 4 weeks post op. I've had no issues with them at all. I did grab a handful of mixed nuts the other day (cashew, pecans, walnuts, etc, including some I didn't recognize) and it didn't sit well at all. It made me frothy for most of the afternoon. But peanuts, no issues.

If any of you are looking for a great podcast based running program, the Podrunner Interval Series really gets my butt moving. Start out with the First Day to 5K then increase to Gateway to 8K and Freeway to 10K. The music is great too! http://www.djsteveboy.com/intervals.html Or, if you are just looking for a steady BPM beat for working out on your elliptical, these are the best. I also use these on my walk each morning. It helps me keep a steady pace. http://www.djsteveboy.com/podrunner.html

Wow! That is so inspiring! I'm 4.5 weeks post op and I'm just now finally back up to walking 2 miles each morning. I'm planning to start the First Day to 5K podrunner series next week. Looking forward to running the rest of this fat off!

This is quite hilarious. At first I didn't quite understand what you meant by "froth". But, I completely get it now and yes, I can tell when I've eaten something wrong or maybe a tad too much or too fast, I get frothy. That is the perfect way to describe it! Thank you for putting a word to it!

Let me know how it goes! the next one in Edmunds is on the 16th of April (3rd Tuesday of every month). Are there any in the Kirkland/Redmond/Bellevue area that anyone is aware of? That would be a lot closer for me.

Hi there -- I'm in Kirkland and was sleeved on 3/7/13 by Dr Landerholm at Puget Sound Surgical Center. Curious to know if there are any Microsofties on here. If there are, and you’d like to get together for a lunch walk, I’d love to do that. I won’t tell anyone if you won’t…other than my medical staff, only one person in the whole world knows I did this, my sister . I haven’t been to any support groups yet, but thinking about going to the next one in Edmunds. Has anyone been? Are they worth going to?

These are just a few things that I’ve learned about myself in the 4 weeks since I was sleeved. I never realized how much Water I would drink with meals. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be not to drink water before/during/after meals. I never knew how fast I ate before. Sometimes I still forget and speed eat… after only a few bites, the sleeve lets me know I doing it wrong. I never realized how much food I used to cram onto the fork/spoon. One big swallow, the sleeve lets me know it’s too much. Buying baby utensils has really helped, although I look weird eating with them. If I have to eat in a hurry, it is better to eat something liquid/puree or nothing at all. The sleeve doesn’t like fast… at all. Chewable Vitamins make me gag. liquid vitamins make me gag. Protein shakes make me gag. Taco seasoning makes everything taste better. I'm obsessed with the scale. Edited 4/16 - I'm adding a couple more things to the list of things learned: 10. The feeling of 'nausea' is very different now. 11. I miss being able to have myself a good guzzle.

I am just over 3 weeks post op and still in the soft & mushy phase. I found two new recipes this week that are super yummy and loaded with protein. Banana Bread Shake 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder 1/2 cup skim milk 1/2 water 1/8 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon oats 1/2 large or one small banana (I freeze mine) 6 ice cubes Coming from someone who literally gags down protein shakes each morning, I was super happy to find this! 1 pound ground turkey 4 tablespoons of taco seasoning (I buy this in the huge jar from Costco) I think this is also equivalent to one taco seasoning packet, but not sure 1 can of refried beans Shredded cheddar cheese Cook up the turkey and drain all of the juice. Add the seasoning mix and set aside. In a bowl, put the refried beans and stir it up so it is spoon’able. Spoon the turkey into 10 Glad mini round containers (1/2 cup size), or whatever you want to store it in. Spoon on top of that the refried beans. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, pop the lid on and into the fridge they go. When ready to eat, pop one into the microwave for about a minute, and voila! Super yummy!

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