LipstickLady

I wish I had known how COLD I'd always be. FREEZING ASS COLD. I wouldn't trade it for being fat, but GOOD GOLLY!

Oh! I forgot about True Lemon crystals. They make lime and orange, too. They taste great, add a bit of flavor and no artificial sweeteners.

I am almost 19 months out and plain Water still makes me feel like poo. I add lemon, crystal light, a flavor drop, something to it to to break it.

I put a note on ours that says "Some sprinkles may be my boogers. Just an FYI."

I'm fancy, too. And sparkly.

Yes! Meatballs!

I was totally a "healthy fat". I did martial arts, I huffed and puffed my fat ass through the park, up the dunes, through 5ks. I had no co-morbidities. I was a master at faking it and just dealing quietly with the pain that was starting in my knees and feet. It wasn't until I lost 100+ pounds that I figured out what I was really missing. You should not do this until you are ready and as you don't feel this is urgent for you, I agree that the time might not be right for you. Only you can decide that. You will know when you are ready and NO ONE will be able to change your mind.

I totally understand and to me, you are still really new out. It was so scary to me to start adding in new foods because I was afraid of "failing". Until you do it and see that you won't wake up back at your highest weight tomorrow, it's kind of terrifying. High Protein, low carb, regular fat. Healthy fats, though, not french fries and potato chips. Real foods. Real fat. If it has more chemicals than things you recognize, don't eat it. You will be amazed at how much better things taste. I do SF where I can and light milk because I prefer it, but real eggs, real cheese, real dressing. My hair looks better, my skin looks better, I feel better. I am eating like a healthy person, not a dieting person. It's so freeing.

I was willing to risk the possible complications over the idea of allowing my children watch me die slowly due to obesity. My quality of life is so much better and we have more fun together. I am no longer exhausted after a day of activity. I can fit into any ride at the amusement park, I don't worry about weight limits when we go zip lining or rock climbing, and I am the first one to suggest a mud run or a day of tubing on the river. I wish I hadn't wasted so much of their childhood obese. That's a huge regret for me.

According to my surgeon, you really can't stretch your sleeve. When the surgery was done, most of the stretchy part of your stomach, or the fundus, was cut out, leaving the muscle of the stomach behind -- the part that is much harder to stretch. You can do a little damage with consistent overeating but your stomach will never stretch out to where it was. Of course, over the first year or so after surgery, your stomach will heal, the swelling will go down and the muscle will relax, allowing you to eat more than you could at your third or sixth month out so many people seem to assume they've stretched their stomach. (We don't have a pouch, that's bypass.) I have a hard time believing someone died from overeating unless they had other problems going on with their sleeve. It sounds like one of those "I know someone who knows someone who" stories, but that's just MY opinion. You know what they say about those. My best advice is to weigh and measure everything until you figure out your full signals. I used to love eating until I was full--almost stuffed--but now I hate it. HATE IT. I am more than happy to eat every few hours over the horrific feeling of eating one too many bites.

Just curious, but why not the whole egg? The yolk is healthy fat which will keep you full longer, is great for your skin, hair and nails and tastes great. To make your eggs even better, add some cheese. You may find you need to snack less as you are getting almost no fat in your diet. That's not a good thing, in my opinion. Snacks? Almonds, beef jerky, greek yogurt (blurp), cottage cheese, full fat cheese, avocado, sf lattes, Peanut Butter, hummus, cream cheese, deviled eggs. I am making the assumption that you are SUPER new out of surgery because your diet is very limited. Add some variety! Your sleeve is not a sentence to bland meals and your body will get used to the same foods over and over and won't burn calories as efficiently. Refried Beans and cheese, browned hamburger topped with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella, a cheese stick rolled in ham, turkey or roast beef and grilled in a pan to get melty, meatballs (homemade is best!) and cheese, chicken salad, ham salad, egg salad. Don't be afraid to eat just don't LIVE to eat.

First, I have my feed days and my non feed days. There are days that I can eat almost an entire cup of food in one sitting, and some days where I can barely eat 1/2 cup. There is no pattern and I never know what the day will bring until I try to eat. My runny nose trigger doesn't always happen so I may be going along fine, eating slowly, chewing thoroughly (kind of) and BLURP, it's revisiting. Anyone else? My NP says that I have probably reached my max capacity, too. I am 18 months out, is this all I am going to be able to eat? (I sure as sh!t hope so!) Second. I have NO slider foods. I get full on crap as fast as I get full on Protein ounce for ounce. I am happy for this and I hope it doesn't change. Do all of you have slliders? Next, the 30 minute drinking rule. Like most, my NP says no drinking 30 minutes after a meal. NO PROBLEM. If I do, I throw up. In fact, my initial sip ALWAYS is just that -- a sip. If I feel tightness, I know not to drink any more. I usually have to wait an hour or more before drinking after a meal. Anyone else? I still can't drink plain Water very often. It makes me gag. Psychological? Hmmmm.... You? I wonder if my sleeve is "tighter" than many. I have a slight stricture that I refuse to have stretched. I like/need the restriction and the sick feeling I get if I over do it. Keeps me honest. For you experienced vets, do you think this is my new normal or do things still continue to evolve?

I think that if I was named "The Great Queen of All She Surveys" here, that would be perfect. Just sayin!

That's another reason I choose to tell very few people. I know if I do, it suddenly becomes their story to share and I don't care for that.

I'd suggest finding another surgeon if you really want to go through surgery. It sucks, but it's best to have a plan B!

Girl, I am almost 19 months out and I still don't get in all my Protein or liquids most days. I was at least 6 months out before I could get even half in. Sounds to me like you are doing great. Do the best you can, and remember, the liquid is much more important right now than the protein. I actually found that blending ice into my shake made it better for me. It watered it down enough that it wasn't too thick for my teeny tummy and I got fluids in at the same time.

It's easy. Smile kindly and answer them like they are idiots for asking. Not the first time, but the second, third, fourth, etc.

Talk to the surgeon, see what he recommends. If your diabetes is weight relatable, you can "cure" it with the sleeve, too, it just won't be instant. I was highly pre-diabetic, but by the time I finished my pre-op diet, I was out of the prediabetes zone. Mine was 100% because I was fat and eating badly. Check out your WHY and then decide.

Anything stir fried, light on the oil, no rice, light on the sauce will work. Tastes better, too.

Bad habit, girly. Find something else to keep you awake.

I eat nuts and seeds but wasn't allowed to do so until 6 months out. You need that incision healed fully, first.

I'm doing great, how about you?

"Thank you for your concern. How's your holiday shopping coming along?"

You can eat whatever you want but I wouldn't recommend it. Watermelon has a lot of sugar and not much nutritional value for the volume it will take up in your tiny tummy.