LipstickLady

Depends in the day for me. At three months out, I can eat 1.5oz of dense Protein one day and 3oz of the same on another. I've not figured out if it's due to a moon phase, which direction I'm facing, whether or not my socks match... Absolutely no rhyme or reason! It just is what it is. I am learning to serve myself in 2 oz portions and if I go back for more, great!

All I had to do was write a list of all the things I've tried. WWs, Atkins, South Beach, Phentermine, doctor supervised, nutritionist. No actual documentation was submitted, but just a estimate of time frames and outcomes of each.

A day or two, max. I was fine to be alone the day I came home from the hospital. You can walk the stairs, you can get up to use the bathroom without assistance and you should be walking as much as possible, so there is no reason to have someone at home unless you need to take painkillers and you have to drive somewhere.

Right now your new tummy is still numb and you may not feel that you are overdoing it. Stop, please, before you damage your new stitch line. Measure your food out, give yourself 30 minutes to eat it and when that time is passed, stop. While you are on full liquids and pureed, you will not feel the restriction as much because liquid tends to pass through your sleeve faster than solids will. You will feel much more restriction in a few weeks. Until then, you have to control your intake. This is mind over matter and your desire to binge is in your head. I suggest that you seek the help of your NUT or counselor to figure out an action plan to get over your need to binge. This is something MANY MANY of us here struggle with, so do not feel alone. And lay off the sausage. Seriously.

Amazing success story! I am sure you are very proud and you should be! Remember that every body is different, every body loses at different rates and every body goes through phases of weight loss and what will work best. (And I do mean every body not everybody.) Age, muscle tone, body chemistry, hormone level, metabolism, etc. will all play a difference in what works for each individual. I am certain you didn't mean to come across as condescending, but remember, you are an expert on your body and others are experts on theirs. We don't all get it right, nor do we all find success immediately and advice is ALWAYS warmly welcomed, but it's all in how it's delivered.

It's not the insurance company's fault. And no, I do not work for one. WE are responsible for knowing the requirements. Your employer decides what is covered and what is not covered along with how long you must wait pre-op. They pick which package they want to pay for. The insurance company is simply following the guidelines that that are set out by the company who is providing the benefit. Some BCBS plans have no wait, some have 3 months (mine), some 6 (my last company), some a year (our county schools), some 2 years (the neighboring county schools) and some have no coverage at all (my BFFs). We are all BCBS.

I lost about 50 pounds before I lost my first size. Maybe because my clothes were snug, maybe because it was a lot of Water, or because I was losing from all over - my face, boobs, wrists, arms, thighs, etc. When I hit a stall, I am not losing pounds, but I am losing inches which equates to sizes. It's all good, you will get there.

The only thing you really can do is to sit down with your PCP, tell him exactly why you want to have this surgery. Let him know that you plan on doing it with or without his support and if he doesn't feel like he is the best fit for your decision, you will need to move on to a doctor who will. It's your body, it's your life, it's your decision. Personally, I would rather have a team behind me who I don't feel guilty going to see, who, if I had a complication wouldn't "I told you so" me, and one I know I could call in a panic. You deserve that.

I had a 30 minute drive home and wanted to die. Every bump, every turn, every quick stop about killed me and about 15 minutes into the ride, I was so nauseated, I was positive I was going to hurl. The only reason I didn't ask my mom to pull over was because I knew the braking along with the lane changing would have put me over the edge. But that was just me.

A few days with no loss does not a stall make. My weight loss since surgery has averaged out at about 8-10 pounds a month at three months out, so while 20 is an awesome thing to hope for, do not get upset if it's not reality. Congrats on your awesome success so far! You are doing fantastic.

You probably didn't mean that to sound as ugly as it did. Welcome lark! We were sleeved around the same time, I was on May 16. I can only consume about 2-3 ounces at a time, usually only 2, getting in about 650 calories a day a 40 grams of Protein on average. I am stalling pretty consistently so I understand how you feel. It's frustrating but it is what it is! I can't quit and I'm moving in the right direction. Congrats on your decision to be healthier! Edit to add: We have similar stats, too. I am 5'3", started at 263.8, lost 20 pre op, and am at 193.4 as of today. You seem to be moving along just fine!

Is it stuck or giving you heartburn? I am 3.5 months out, had my first inch of banana last night (heaven) and needed a tums. I get food stuck a lot, but this banana wasn't. Tums did the trick, though!

May I ask what a protein square is?

25-40 is great! Try different temperatures of Water, adding flavor drops, even diluting Gatorade. At three and a half months, I still struggle with plain water some days. It just feels too (for lack of a better description) hard. You can count Popsicles and your Protein drinks as your liquid for now, too. I was a gulper, too. It's my biggest challenge because when I gulp from habit, it hurts. It is better each week and I can see the end of the tunnel. I can actually get 4-6 ounces down in one sitting now, so that's a huge plus for me!

Yup. Lost 'em. Not once, but twice during kickboxing today. The first time I was scooting backwards across the floor on my butt. I went back, my pants didn't. The second time, I was concentrating on my punching form so hard, I didn't even notice my pants were around my mid thighs. Ooooops! I am quit certain my martial arts instructor will never let this one go. I can't even kick his arse! Lesson learned. Always wear pretty underwear.

I used it wherever I would have normally used Pasta or rice. Under stir fry, with Parmesan, olive oil and feta, as a side with chicken or chops... I love spaghetti squash.

Three months out here and I cannot do chicken, turkey or ham. I love(d) chicken, turkey and ham. :sob:

We shop, bowl (I am terrible, but it's fun), have coffee and chat for hours, game night at someone's house, shop, take classes together (jewelry making, cooking, hot yoga), pedicures, shop.... All kinds of things can be done without food. That said, I am the only sleever so far, and I have no problem sitting at a restaurant for hours sipping my drink or picking at an appetizer.

And then you punch him in the junk.

I'd seriously tell him to suck it. If he did it again, I'd punch him in the junk. I'm a grown woman and I make my own (sometimes bad) decisions. That would make me really mad and when someone tells me NOT to do something, I tend to do it. Twice. My husband has learned the hard way that his input is not only not necessary, but not welcomed unless I ask for it.

On the smoking. That's awesome. I saw that as of four days ago you were still struggling with it so I was worried for you. Quitting is a tough battle, I know, and it's so hard giving up everything at once. Hold on strong! You are making great changes. On the diet. I apologize for MY misunderstanding of your question. I didn't get that you were asking why a preop diet exists. We do the diet to shrink our liver, making the surgeon's work easier. Some surgeons require it, some do not. I started mine early because I was anxious to get on the losing side and I wanted to be sure I wasn't turned away during surgery as I've heard my surgeon will do if you don't follow his directions (on both diet and smoking). Best of luck to you! I'm sure you will be a great success.

Next!

I'm 42. It's all good. Twice as good, in fact!

It's all good. You can tease him later with your new hot body the way he is teasing you with yummy smelling food.

Save the best bite for FIRST because it's highly unlikely I will get to eat it if I save it for last! I "blame" a lot of my weight issues on my previous tendency to make big luscious meals, pile my plate high and then save the best bites for last, ensuring that I will clean my plate. I've always done this, from my first PB&J (eat around the crust first, from the driest bottom side, all the way around the edge to the squishy under butt of the crust and then circling around to the fattest middle filled with squishy deliciousness), to a pan of brownies (eat all the gooey, slightly under baked middle first, saving the crispy edges for last). I had a method of gluttony for eating everything (green bean casserole, push most of the crispy onions to one side to be enjoyed in the last crunchy salty bite) and the last bite had to be eaten no matter how stuffed I was. After all, it was the best bite, right? Never did I consider simply cutting off the crust, just eating the edge of the brownies or simply adding a few more onions to a smaller portion of casserole. My mom has always been skinny and her dieting motto was to always leave at least one bite of everything on your plate, two bites of your favorite thing. My skinny friends rarely finish their plates nor do they need to eye everyone else's plate for one delicious morsel. It really feels good to eat my bites best to worst, because when I am done, I'm done! It's still habit to save the best for last, but it's one I'm breaking slowly now that I've missed out on it so many times.