sharonintx

I drank it the whole time. Before, after, every day. I can't really finish a whole cup at a time but I do have 2 or 3 half cups throughout the morning. It never bothered me.

I'm saggy right now. I don't care for it that much but here's the deal - You can cover up saggy. You cannot cover up fat.

If it helps you any, I haven't felt real hunger in over 2 years. From time to time I feel some sort of hunger-like sensation but for the most part it's my mind saying its time to eat. I'm never really hungry. It boils down to if I have room to put any food in my stomach. I thought it was surely an overstatement when they told me they remove the part of the stomach that signals hunger, but its true. I guess some people feel hunger after surgery but not all. I don't even remember what its like to feel hungry.

The walking really is very helpful after surgery.

You'll do great!

Asparagus. I love it. Always hated it before.

Yes - i got the rash too. They told me that it was caused by glue that the surgeon uses in addition to stitches. It went away in a few days to a week. It was maddening in the meantime though.

I didn't have to have a pre op diet either. The day before surgery I only had clear liquids. Had no problem.

I would take a sleeving any day over a C section. I had a C section with my first child. It was way worse than the sleeve. Honestly, I didn't feel much pain after the sleeve. The recovery was much easier with the sleeve.

A lot of people say within 6 weeks, some 4-5 months, and then others like me didn't really get it back for 10 months or more. I think it just depends on the individual. We'll hope yours comes back real soon! Hang in there:)

I do not even know how I got in here.

@@alwaysvegas Haha I'm right there with you about seeming disturbing when I type it out

@@alwaysvegas Haha Amen to that. I'm right there with you.

Elizabeth21 is exactly right. There were a few weeks that i hated this whole thing. I'm sure my family wishes i had been more the crying type because I just got angry. Stayed mad quite some time lol. But I got past it and you will too. The depression takes a little longer to conquer but look at it this way - you are depressed now because of what you've done to yourself an how it's making you feel. Before weren't you just as depressed to be fat and upset that nothing ever changed? You can do this! You can be happy, you can eat normal food ( not much of it but at least some), and you are going to shrink in size and become just as beautiful on the outside as you undoubtedly are on the inside:)

Welcome Ann. I'm around the Dallas area and I chose Almanza too. It was a little over 2 years ago. I liked the guy. I'm sure you have read or heard of the stories about him. In my experience he was excellent. The staff was helpful, I was never alone or afraid, and they took care of everything i needed. i cannot say that I was in luxurious surroundings but it was more than adequate and i lacked for nothing. Almanza gave me just what I asked for, I had no complications or problems, and the sleeve he gave me works like a charm. It does not stretch, it certainly isn't too big, and it is highly effective. Keep in touch! I'd love to hear about your experience and keep up with the transformation you are about to make. Oh - Almanza isn't bad looking either.

I can completely understand. I've had 3 big giveaways. The most recent was just yesterday. i got the remaining big clothes out, threw in the shoes that are too big now, and some purses that I carried when I was bigger. I had to get rid of the 'fat purses' too. Every time I picked one up I felt like a big cow. A messed up mindset but it's all I've got. It feels good to get rid of the last big clothes! Of course now i don't have near as many options in my closet as I did before but I don't mind. I'll wear the same old smaller clothes every day with a big smile on my face:)

I started on soft food within 3-4 days, the second week added a few more things that I could chew easily, by 3 weeks I was eating most everything that seemed appealing. Salads and certain fruits took a little longer but I mostly ate what I wanted at the rate I wanted. No rupture, no leaks, no ill effects, no stretched sleeve - things went just fine.

@@bikrchk that is so awesome. I hope you have the best first day at a new job ever. I never stopped to think about who has never known me as I was before. Now I'm going to have to give this some thought:)

It's all good faxxy. I know how badly you want to see the scale start dropping. All of us react differently to surgery. You may just need a little more time. The pounds will undoubtedly start disappearing. I have learned that this surgery is about so much more than losing weight. Yes that's the main goal but that's not all you get in return for your efforts. You will shrink physically but emotionally you will grow. You'll learn that not only can you lose weight but you can do many more things as well. Losing the weight is such a big change for those of us who have struggled with obesity our whole lives. It launches you into an all new, strange universe. The changes come fast in comparison with how long we've been overweight. I guess I'm trying to say that you have the rest of your life to find and get to know the 'new you'. It may not be happening as fast as you want but it will happen. Enjoy the ride as much as you can. It's a long ride and there's plenty of new experiences along the way.

I think you should go for it.

Hey now that you mention it I think that's what's happened to me too. I never stopped to think of it in those terms but yep - that must be the deal. Thanks for sharing that.

Omg I love it!! You look just beautiful and your smile is so genuine. Congratulations you've done a wonderful jo.b

That's right - it all counts! Include every single ounce.

No regrets really. I didn't like the emotional aspect at all. What a rude awakening that was. But you get through it and move on. I do get annoyed at my inability to eat sometimes. Like yesterday. I cooked for hours and tried to keep the sampling to a minimum but I could still only eat about 6 bites before I was full. Oh well. I walked out my door this morning NOT being a larda** so it's ok.

I waited a few months - maybe 5 or 6 months. I found that drinking an entire drink was out of the question. It took too long to drink it all and I got bored with it. So now if I want something to drink it has to be a shot. Right away I discovered that the alcohol hit immediately. I could feel it go down and it felt like it spread over my whole body , stomach first then outward from there. Woweee....it was intense. Now I rarely drink but I can manage a shot then one more a little later. After that I throw in the towel. You can drink something just be real careful on the quantity and time frame. It sneaks up quick.