LipstickLady

Check your math, chicky! I am just OVER halfway. And that's my stretch goal! I would be happy at 160, 150 is a dream. :wub:

I am 10 weeks out and my ass breath has finally disappeared. It's ketosis, I believe and it causes a coppery smelling funk that won't go away. I used Listerine strips which covered the smell for the most part, but I swear, when I woke up in the morning, my room reeked of my breath. It was foul. This will pass, I promise.

my kitchen scissors! I use them all the time. I ham 10 weeks out and released to eat anything but I still have a lot of restriction swallowing. I know I need to take smaller bites and eat slower than slow, but I am also fairly impatient. I use my scissors to cut up everything into fingernail clipping sized bites (gross analogy, I know). It only takes minutes to cut through anything; chicken, beef, lunch meat, salad, cole slaw, fruit... I've bought myself a few pairs so if one set is in the dishwasher, I have back ups. I used kitchen scissors when my kids were toddlers eating finger foods, I don't know why it took me so long to remember using them post op!

:ph34r:

Fifty-nine pounds down and, well...

I have no doubt that my opinion on this will come across ugly/be unpopular/will earn me a tongue lashing, but I can't be quiet on this one. If you have insurance, you should use that after working through the issue with your husband. The American tax payer works hard for their dollars and it's my opinion that my tax dollars should be used for people who have serious illnesses or are in desperate need of help, not on someone who is choosing NOT to use the resources they have because it's not "important enough to go through the trouble for". I tried to keep my mouth shut, but I'm not really good at that.

I slept on my back with a body pillow under my back propping my right up. I was sort of on a 45 degree angle. Laying in your left side helps gas escape easier plus, when it was time to get up, it was easier to roll myself out of bed from this angle. I did that from night one! By night 4, I was sleeping on my tummy as usual.

Sounds like you need iron. I'm anemic and when I have a particularly heavy flow, iron helps. It will constipate you, though, so I would suggest talking to your NUT.

My name is LipstickLady and I am a cokezero-aholic. I've been clean and carbonation free for 2 months and 27 days. I am determined to stay this way but my limits are being tested late at night. Like REALLY late at night. I gave up carbonation and caffeine cold turkey on April 18 and haven't strayed yet. I've been tempted, but I've held my ground. For the last week or so, I've been having very vivid dreams of opening a can of Coke Zero and chugging it down (physically impossible for me). I dream of holding a Big Gulp cup and filling it over and over, just pouring it all over myself. I can smell Coke Zero in my dreams and I can feel the cold bubbly goodness fizzing down my throat. In my dreams, everyone is offering me an icy cold Coke Zero, delivering cases to my house, drinking them at the gym, at the pool, in my car. Even my daughter who despises soda is haunting my dreams with cart fulls of two liters. HELP ME OUT OF THIS COKE ZERO HELL!!!!!

I didn't poo for 13 days post op so when I finally did, the colors of the world were brighter, the birds sang louder, the butterflies appeared bigger, it was heaven!

I was kind of wondering why he was Mr. Nice Guy while talking about fat ladies, but, well...

I add 1/3 cup of dried powdered milk to mine, add crushed ice and blend. It's creamier, smooth and far less sweet, plus it adds protein.

Good on the debit card, too!

Just take care of you and know your limits. I am self employed and no work means no pay for me, too. That said, my fat but shrinking ass stayed on the couch for three days post op as sipping water is actually exhausting.

I make sure I walk at least 10,000 steps a day along with the other exercise I do. Walking a lap around the family room after each bite helps, plus it makes me burp. HA! Think about this... Your stomach was just cut and stapled. It's really swollen at first and even a few teaspoons of anything will fill it up. Each day, the swelling goes down a bit allowing a little more substance in. Have you ever gotten a black eye where your eye was swollen shut? The first day or three, you couldn't see out of your bad eye, then slowly, each day, the swelling went down and you could see a bit more until it was fully healed. That's what is happening to you. After surgery, I couldn't hold more than an ounce of Water every 15 minutes. By week two, I could get in 8 oz over an hour. By week 4, I could get in 8oz in 30 minutes. Now I can get in 16 oz in 30 minutes. My tummy is still healing. I still can't eat a full yogurt or an entire egg with a little cheese but I am eating more than I was a month ago. It's normal.

I wouldn't count on going back to work quite that fast. Not saying you can't, but that's pretty ambitious. Good luck to you! It's a fabulous journey.

It's still a liquid so it's still going to flow, just not as quickly as gatorade. Instead of eating until you are full (it takes your brain 20 minutes to figure that out BTW), measure your foods to your NUT's requirements and only eat that amount. Use small utensils like baby spoons and cocktail forks and put that utensil down between every bite. I was eating far too fast at first and throwing everything up. I now take a dime sized bite, chew it 20 times, take a lap around the living room (the house is an open floor plan so I am still with my family) and then sit down and have another bite. I get my steps in as well as slow down my eating.

Relax. Follow the guidelines you were given by your doctor and NUT and call on Monday morning. I am sure you are fine. Does your surgeon offer classes or support groups? I think it's very important that you get some more guidance on your dietary needs and restrictions. This forum is a great place to learn, but every surgeon does things a bit differently and it's important that you follow YOUR doc's guidelines.

Thin/clear liquids are mostly water while full liquids have protein, higher carbs, possible fat and other things that actually fill you up. Think about a strainer. If you poured apple juice through it, it would go through instantly. If you poured yogurt, a protein shake, or creamed soup through it, it would take a little longer. Full liquids will back up a bit making you feel fuller than clear and pureed will make you fuller than full liquids, etc.

Not necessarily! Not saying the OP has a leak, but the symptoms aren't always this obvious at first.

The 4oz I was speaking of are liquids, not food.

I am only 10 weeks out today so I don't have the experience that others do, but I am not yet able to drink as much as you. The 4oz is the recommended MINIMUM so that those who are post op will not get dehydrated. I am concerned about the bolded statements above. You should *not* be eating/drinking until you are in pain or uncomfortable. The sleeve is a tool to help you stop eating before you overdo it. As for eating as a reward? That's what got many of us into this predicament in the first place. I would recommend finding a new way to reward yourself other than food. I do small cups (about 3 oz) of frozen yogurt once a week or so but a large Costco froyo is 390 calories and 80 grams of carbs. Those are some pretty high numbers. Keep that in mind when making your choices.

I told my mom, my dad, my best friend group and a few people on my team. I felt no need to tell anyone else and I don't feel bad about it.

Totally normal. Put heat on it and it will go away slowly. I have this happen almost every time I have an IV.

I am 10 weeks out tomorrow and have already lost 50% of my excess weight. I have no doubts I am still losing. I chose sleeve over bypass because I wanted more flexibility in my life and I don't regret it for a minute. I've gone from a 20w pant, 2x shirt to a 14/16r pant and an XL top. I can shop in regular stores. I can fit in theatre seats with room for my handbag next to me. I no longer turn sideways when going through turnstiles or down tight aisles, I look chubby instead of FAT and S-E-X is so much better. Only you can decide which surgery, but YOU determine your success, not the statistics.