Teachamy

I was never one to crave sweets, but salty, crunchy starchy junk was my go-to. I have found that if I avoid it, I do a lot better. Or I allow myself a 60 calorie bag of "Pirates Booty" at my kid's Little League Snack Shack, and that satisfies my need. (If I bought a giant bag, it would be gone in 2 seconds.) It is an addiction, and I have to be very mindful of its effects on me. Overall, I abstain.

Douchey indeed. Condescending, obnoxious stereotypes. Clearly written by an egotistical "fitness" expert who feels he must bestow his vast knowledge on all of us dumb little women who don't possess the appropriate amount of converse or convex curves for his gratification because our "boyfriends" or "husbands" didn't teach us right. Blah.

I have never felt bullied here and hope no one has felt bullied by me. There are times I speak honestly and am very blunt about what I say, but I try to be kind, even in those moments. It is sometimes hard to express tone when writing on a web-site.

My BMI was 35 too, but I had a lot of co-morbidities associated with obesity. When people compliment my appearance, I steer them in the direction of my health--tell them how great that's going. Maybe you could do the same? Otherwise, maybe you could fess up in the form of a break-room letter or email to those in your immediate circle. OR Tell them when you had your hernia operation, your doc had a heart-to-heart with you about your weight, and that you are now in a supervised weight loss program. Or finally, you could just let it go and let them continue to be fat and jealous. Best, Amy

The link didn't work for me.

That's terrific time! Great job!

I always say "there's no finish line", and "this isn't a race". Sure we all have goal weights, but there will never be a moment where we say, "well, thank God that's over, back to eating with reckless abandon! " Great post and very well said. Thanks.

I had a lot of good luck at the Loft. I also like Macy's and can find the occasional item at Land's End.

Rock on! Your triglyceride levels are directly related to your blood sugar levels. Now that your A1C's are so fabulous, your triglycerides should remain perfect too! Amazing health benefits!

I resorted to sports bras for a while too. I finally went to a local boutique to be fitted. Most bras were too small, a few too big, a number of them felt like instruments of torture. I had always wore padded underwire bras, but I found a couple of sheer underwire that worked well, and a couple of padded without underwire that still provide lift and are very comfortable. It was nice to be at a boutique where I wasn't being "fitted" by a teenager. Also, the lady brought me a million different styles and after a while, helped me hook the bras! (She works hard for the money!) It was worth the time spent. I am a 40 D, btw.

I didn't get smaller, just LONGER. Gravity is a b%#ch!

You say you go back and forth between 306 and 308. Is this every day, or several times a day? My best advice is to STAY OFF THE scale. You are only a couple of weeks out of major surgery. Of course you are exhausted! Don't push yourself to overdo exercise yet. A half hour is great, if you're used to it, but you may be someone who needs to build up. Start with 10 minutes twice a day. Then you can add 10 minute increments as you heal and build up tolerance for exercise. Don't expect too much of yourself. You are doing great! Take things slow and be patient. Your sleeve won't be completely healed until 12 weeks. Until then, try to weigh no more than once a week. If you do that, you are less likely to see "stalls" or to stress out over a number that will fluctuate daily for a myriad of reasons. It isn't something you are doing wrong. Best of luck!

If you miss chips, you might try Beanitos (made from beans) or Simply 7 (made from quinoa). I also saw some recipes online for homemade quinoa chips that seem pretty simple. I haven't made the homemade ones, but Beanitos and Simply 7's are both delicious. I just have to remind myself they are still processed packaged foods that are trying to convince me they are good for me!

Jencovi--My correction dose went from 1:50- 1:100. Crazy how insulin resistance just disappears, isn't it? Bluesclues--I didn't have much pain at all. I threw out my pain pills when I got home.I was exhausted for several weeks, but I gave myself the time I needed to rest, and I was feeling pretty close to normal in terms of stamina about a month after surgery.I could've gone back to work about a week after surgery if necessary, but I was able to get the time off. I healed fine. I do still have the scars, but they won't be visible eventually. I am patient about that. Amy

All is still well. I take under a unit an hour all day and night. The low amount of insulin limits my hunger and allows me to lose the weight I had accumulated. Having the sleeve was the best thing I have ever done.

I am 5' 5" and I was 210 at the beginning. I worried I wouldn't qualify either, and had to make sure my BMI stayed at a 35. I was a tight size 16, and I hated it. 1X tops were getting tight. My "muffin top" was more like a bundt cake. I had high bp, high cholesterol, high blood sugars, asthma, OSA, atrial fibrillation--you name it. People told me I didn't need it, but I went with my gut (quite literally, actually) hoping it would improve my health, and it DID! Every one of the issues I mentioned are gone. I am still diabetic (as I have auto-immune diabetes), but my blood sugars are a breeze to control. And I don't hate looking in the mirror anymore to boot. All those people who said I wasn't big enough for surgery are amazed at how I look now. And I am so thankful I had supportive doctors who said the surgery was worth a try. For now, it has virtually halted my litany of auto-immune "syndromes" that seemingly had no cause and no cure. Best decision of my life.

I eat when I'm tired, and I always ate as a reward--for a job well-done, for a long work week, because I felt "I deserved it". It was a habit formed when I didn't take any time for myself, or draw personal boundaries between Mom-time and Me-time. And yes, I always ate during the long, dark days following the loss of a loved-one. Not immediately while the pain was searing, but for years after, as the emotional scars formed and the pounds were added. Stuffing myself meant pushing those emotions down into the back of my mind. I didn't come to these conclusions through therapy, but every day little memories of those parts of me occur as I do housework, or am at work sitting at my computer.

Just realized though, that I believe I was 3 months out when I had them because I wasn't allowed shellfish right away. Not sure if that is true for all sleevers.

I have had crab cakes post-op. They were fine for me. Just keep in mind most recipes call for bread crumbs, so you'll need to account for the carbs. If you make them yourself--even better! I ordered mine at a local restaurant. (Gluten free, baked.)

Unbelievably frustrating! I had a similar issue with my GP's office not sending a fax for MONTHS! It nearly sent me over the edge!

LOL! Hilarious!!!!

"Recent Topics" lists posts from most, if not all threads in Bariatric Pal. I know it's not ideal, but for the time being, if a bander only wants others with the band to respond, perhaps they could say that in their initial post? I don't always pay attention to what type of WLS a poster has had, so a request for banders only would help me to be more respectful of your needs. I don't think any of us sleevers want to overpower you--we just didn't know any better!

I can certainly understand why you wouldn't want attention for appearance. Your uncle did some horrible things to you in your formative years and as one poster suggested, continued body-image therapy might be very helpful as you go through this transition. As a child I was lucky. I was always told by my mom and dad that I was beautiful. But I haven't felt that way in at least 10 years. My obesity was shameful to me, and I began to worry how others viewed me. Now that I have lost most of the weight, I actually like people to comment on my appearance because it is an ego boost. My formative years taught me to appreciate attention for my appearance. Yours taught you to hide. It makes complete sense to me. I hope you can find some peace within yourself with WLS.