LuckyT

Hi Lark, I don't know if it will help you but recently I have been heading down the low carb/paleo path and have been reading lots of interesting things about the food/body/mind connection. I really think there is something to it. If you are interested in checking it out there is a lot on Amazon. One person who stands out as having a lot of commonsense about this approach is Maria Emmerich; she has a few books on Amazon and a blog - mariamindbodyhealth.com; I also have gotten a lot out of the Low Carbing Among Friends cookbooks - lots of tips and resources. Finding a way to live healthy and not only feed my body, but to also heal it, from the years of neglect is one of my goals in this journey, I am really inspired looking at your accomplishment in the past year! Awesome job

I agree with Seela, too many to count & it is such an awesome feeling to be able to say that. I'm thankful for finally feeling like I can do this - all those years of trying and making no progress were taking a toll on my overall happiness. I'm thankful for renewed interest in my own health and especially thankful to actually feel good! Thanks Linda for a great thread! I'll read all the posts too

Yes, I had a blood clot in 2009 which blew & passed through heart & lungs (scary day!), then had lap band surgery in 2011, then band removed in 2013 then sleeve surgery in October 2013. I was on Coumadin for 2 years then stopped since no reason for DVT could be determined. My hematologist suspected it was possibly related to birth control pills. In any case before each surgery my history was discussed and heparin shots administered. Prior to the lap band surgery my surgeon put me on 5 days of home administered heparin shots - it wasn't fun but it was doable & gave me reassurance that we were being proactive to prevent another DVT. Good luck to you, I am sure you will be fine just because you are already looking for answers

That is an awesome achievement! Congratulations No questions at this point but I am sure I will have some in the future. Brutal honesty is okay, sugar coating things never helps.

If you keep the waxed white paper with the container and use a spoon to level the yogurt then push the waxed paper on top of the yogurt using the back of the spoon it will "seal" the yogurt keeping air from entering and making the whey separate. I do this with both yogurt and sour cream & it works great.

Hi Kerri, First let me say congratulations! 60lbs is great! I totally relate to your fears, my closet is stacking up with clothes that I am nervous of giving away. I had the lap band for 2 years and at first lost weight, gave most of my loose clothes away only to have the band fail and the weight to creep back up. Now with the sleeve I am trying to find the balance between gung ho and cautious optimism. I wish I had the perfect advice for you, all I can say is try to stay focused on all the reasons why you had the surgery in the first place and how great you are going to feel when the scale hits your goal weight. Also keep coming to this website, it has been a great help to me. Good luck, Trina

Congratulations, that is fabulous & so inspiring How has the experience been for you? I am 4 months in my journey and am loving the sleeve - best thing I have done for myself ever!

Hello! I am in California too (Northern CA, in Chico area); my surgery was in October 2013. You are doing something for yourself & your family so don't let other people's negative reactions undermine your decision. Many people don't understand how hard you have tried to loose weight in the past without success and what has led to this decision; I shut down some of my concerned family by reassuring them that I had done my research and understood the risks as well as the benefits which include a better quality of life, more energy, less health problems, more time on this earth, God willing, with my family - the list just goes on. This forum is a great place to talk about these things.

Hi Gin, I haven't heard of New Direction but can tell you from my own experience that Protein will almost always curdle when very warm liquid touches it. I found a lot of good tips for making hot drinks/meals with protein on the Bariatric Foodie website, plus she (the author's name is Nik) has a book on Amazon. Hope this info helps

Hi Sarah, I have PERS Choice through the county I work for. My insurance has been fabulous; I went from a lap band to the sleeve and was denied on the first request for revision. My surgeon did a peer to peer conference with Anthem Blue Cross and I received approval soon after. I feel very lucky & blessed especially after reading what hoops some people are made to jump through by their insurance companies. I am a little over 4 months out and love my new tummy and lifestyle more each day. All and all it has been a great experience so far. Trina

Wow, great idea Alex. I like my doctor's support group but often miss meetings due to the time they are held which is either mid-day when I am working or early evening which is hard to do sometimes as it is a bit of a drive to get to where the doctor's office is. This would give people in my area a great opportunity to connect.

I had bouts of nausea for a few weeks post surgery until I figured out the culprit was cold Water. I had previously loved ice cold water but now new tummy likes room temp, warm or hot fluids only; even today a little over 4 months out and cold stuff makes me feel slightly nauseous. Might not be the same for you but thought I'd mention it as this blog is what helped me figure out that was what was causing me to feel sick.

I can't speak for anyone else, and it is early days for me as I am only 4 months out but each day brings new changes that shore up the changes I have already made and inspire me to continue to try and make better choices/decisions when it comes to my health. I too have a fear of this surgery not working but I have to say that it is lessening as I realize how far I have come. In the past by the time I had hit the 4 month mark in any other "diet" or "lifestyle change" I had only lost maybe 10 or 12 pounds. Having lost almost 50 pounds in that same amount of time has also really shored up my confidence. Last but not least I feel more in control of my cravings because #1 I really want this to work, #2 the surgery itself has caused me to look at food as fuel not just fun or as a tool to soothe emotions, #3 when I do feel tempted to indulge I am able to have just a small bite to be satisfied knowing that if I eat a large portion I will pay a price that I am not willing to pay and lastly I just feel so good - healthy, happy and much more confident with 48 pounds off of me and clothes getting looser everyday. I hope this isn't too rambling - putting these thoughts out there is hard as I am not good at sharing feelings, one of the reasons food had been my friend for so many years

Best feeling ever! Kohls is having a big clearance sale and I found a few extra large tops that fit, I so excited! Love these small victories, they are making this journey even more worthwhile

I take 5000 mcg twice a day, well I try to take it twice a day but sometimes miss the nighttime dose. I began taking it about 2 months before surgery - so far so good, hair loss minimal

Hi Stars, I too had a revision and can only tell you from my experience the sleeve is way better than the band. I think you will be glad for the change. I am still in the soft food stage but it feels more normal to me than when I was banded as everything seemed to make me either nauseous or get the stuck feeling. Best part of it all is I am down nearly 50# in 4 months - I never achieved that with the band. Good luck to you and if you have any questions feel free to ask

Asinger, don't give up on the sleeve. 10lbs down in a week is a lot so perhaps your body is catching up with the loss. There are many threads on this board about what is referred to as the 3 week stall - many helpful tips and thoughts on what is happening when we hit a stall, if that is what you may be experiencing. I have found this very helpful. By the way, yea you for those 10lbs!!!

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

That is awesome to hear! I am truly happy for you. It feels good to take control of the weight but the perk of regaining good overall health is pretty much priceless too

Quinoa is good but check out tips on cooking it, I found a couple of sites on Pintrest about it & it helped a lot. First time I made it I didn't know you were supposed to soak and rinse it to get a slightly bitter taste out of it. By 3rd try it came out great .

I had my band removed in April 2013 then was sleeve 10/22/13, so far I am down 47 pounds. I had nothing but problems with the band - stuck feeling in chest all of the time, regurgitation and couldn't even nibble any type of bread without paying high price AND still didn't loose any weight. Needless to say I am loving the sleeve and wish I had considered it before having the band.

The cold Water thing is tough to get used to. I loved ice cold water and it took me about a month of trying to force my new tummy to like it too before I finally conceded defeat. Never let it be said that I am not stubborn and possibly a little dumb sometimes LOL Since I switched to not refrigerating my bottled water I can drink it fairly normally - not quite a chug but more than the sips I was doing with the ice cold water then feeling nauseous or having the pain you described. Hang in there - you will find what works for you and have great success.

I love the food Network and am a Pintrest addict. So far I have found that I still love to cook and try out new recipes, I just don't feel the need to eat a lot of it. The main thing that I changed though is my focus is more on Protein dense foods and vegetables instead of carb loaded meals and/or sweets. I think perspective is the key

Wow, Cowgirl Jane, you certainly don't look 49! Good for you! I don't have any photos on the lap top - need to post a few next time I'm on my PC. Do you have any advice for us as far as skin care during weight loss?

Not too worried as my main motivation was for health but I am a girl so I do want to stay looking pretty I just had my 49th birthday and thanks to good genes my skin looks pretty good but I have quite of bit of weight to lose so it is a concern. I am doing what I can to keep my skin looking the best it can by moisturizing daily, face & body. I use virgin coconut oil and other essential oils and I swear it is making a difference. Also Water is really important - skin needs moisture from diet as well to maintain elasticity.