jensjoy28

That is funny...although "majority" in this case may be by land mass and not population ...the funniest to me is Alaska and that one little yellow circle in the middle of the country

I am 5 months out and just had my first pasta the other week. I have had bread as part of sandwiches since about 2 mos. out. I definitely loved carbs pre-surgery, but post-op I don't crave them and, while I don't have any issue with them making me feel uncomfortable, I really just enjoy a few bites as part of what I am eating

CONGRATS!!! Such an exciting milestone...keep up the great work!

I've used straws since day 2...absolutely no issues. Welcome to the first of many differences between surgeons' post-op rules and guidelines. Personally, I think as beneficial as this forum is for swapping stories, tips and experiences your best bet is to a) follow your specific post-op plan and ask your surgeon directly about any questions for why he does/doesn't allow certain things. From what I've gathered about straw use is that there is a concern that you will take in more air than liquid, however, I don't know what the larger concern (beyond discomfort?) is

I think some of these responses come about because we drop weight so quickly...imagine if we gained weight as quickly...it would be equally alarming.......of course, this only accounts for some of the responses...the rest are responding from a whole other cadre of underlying insecurities, jealousy, resentment (some that they are likely not even aware of) that has more to do with them than us...

You are a beautiful woman, and I love your style...tres chic. Congrats! I, too was just about 308 at my highest and am 5'7"...hope I look as good as you do at 191 :-)

Ok, I'll admit it...I had a little judgment for the posters who panicked the first time they had a stall and came to the site posting a) as if they were the first person to stall and immediately looking for a "quick fix" to break the stall........that was until I had my first stall. (It was easy to be smug when the scale was dropping regularly). Then, two weeks ago at 4 mos. post-op, I hopped on the scale for a few consecutive days and the number didn't go down (hmmpf). Then, for a few more days, it went up (whoa, what's the big idea, let's go back to just not going down). This went on for two weeks, and I admit that I experienced many of the same thoughts that others before me had said..."what if this is it?" "What can I do to jump start things?" "Was I too cavalier during the honeymoon phase and now I'm not going to progress as far as I want?", and on, and on, and on. What I take comfort in is that as the thoughts were swirling in my head, I was able to (fairly) effectively counter the negative self-talk and self-doubt and not obsess constantly, and plow forward with my plan. And, true to the experiences of countless others before me, this morning, after two weeks, I have broken the stall and have a new, lower number on MFP...and, like many others, the duration of the stall and the "catalyst" for it to break are mysterious, and in some ways, seemingly paradoxical. So, I will tuck this experience away and try to reference it when this happens again, and hopefully improve on the mental side so I spend even less time with self-doubt...all part of the journey. :-)

I take my measurements once a month and was excited to note that I've lost 60 inches in 4 months (I take neck, biceps, chest, waist, hips, thighs and calves). I have another 10 days until my 4-mo anniversary from surgery and I've lost 70 pounds so far (hopefully another 4 pounds down by then). Have been a "consistent" loser so far, but not breaking any records...no real stalls... Took some pants in to be altered yesterday, and was really something to see how much she pinned on the sides and the seat/crotch (btw, that is just a word that sounds terrible). The boobs are just now starting to deflate, still an F cup and look good in a bra, but holy geez, nekkid is an entirely different story. Last two months I've been exercising 3x weekly...Started doing barre classes last week, and the bodies of the other class participants encourages me that my muscles could become more "eucalyptus" than "oak trunk" like I currently have :-)

Just got back from a 3-day wine tasting trip and it was SOOO nice to actually think I looked good in the pics taken.

Oh, also something that I know is out there are websites where you can try to elicit funds from people to "fund your life". Here is a link to a story that talks about this "Internet phenomenon" http://www.techworld.com.au/article/415094/crowd-funding_site_offers_open_alternative_kickstarter/

Could you get a credit card with a 0% interest period? Then your dr could run a portion on the card (or you could get a cash advance) and then make monthly payments over the 0% period...how about an unsecured, personal loan through a bank or credit union? (that's what I did). As far as creative ways to raise money relatively quickly...not sure I've ever really thought about that, and this is not necessarily a "gem" ...but how about doing a "walk-a-thon" where people would pledge money for ea lap you walked...remember they did those as fundraisers when I was a kid...would guess there are some online resources you could look to for quick templates for how to structure...but that seems to be a way to show your commitment to getting healthy with the chance of raising a little money from a lot of people...or finding a local 5k or 10k and asking for pledges from people based on you completing it.

My surgeon says nearly 80% of his WLS patients have a hiatal hernia. If doing bypass, it isn't necessary to fix, but for VSG it is...however not a big deal in his book..mine didn't show up on upper GI, but I had a "decent size one" when they got in there, think it added about an additional 30 min toy surgery time

Mine was 3 months for any seeds or fruit with membranes (so, if I was going to have grapefruit or orange, I had to cut them so I just for the fruit premiums, like when they serve fruit on a salad in a restaurant) As far as cooked veggies, those were on the soft good portion of my post-op diet, so at 4 weeks

Took the words right out of my mouth

I live in So Cal...land of breast augmentations, and the people I know who have had them done all tried different size implants in their bras prior to making decision...see what looks best to you :-)

Ok, first side-by-side pic was May 1/June 1 and shows 32 pound loss...really subtle change. Dates are on the second one, but that is 4 mo. Pic at 70 pounds I know you are frustrated, and it is hard to trust the process, but I PROMISE that in no time YOU will be the one trying to reassure new post-ops that it will work itself out

I would honestly say it took me 40+ pounds before it was even *a little* noticeable...and, now, at 70+ pounds it is definitely noticeable. What people say is true, the visual changes don't always tie to the loss on the scale and they take time to "catch up". Also, the earlier comment about losing visceral fat around your organs is very true. I, too, take pictures (I do mine 1x a month), so, since you can't post yours, I'll post mine to try and illustrate

I was a cash pay and was able to get a personal, unsecured loan through my credit union for less then the interest rates offered through the medical financing options.

On one hand, I like that he is being honest with you about the change in his stats, but on the other, it is shocking to me that he is now (still!) pushing for lap-band. Unbeknownst to me at my initial consultation, my surgeon has been a trainer for Allergan and the lap-band...and he, admittedly, was slow to embrace the sleeve, but now only recommends the lap-band with serious reservations...he says he had to do what is in the best interest of his patients, and the lap-band just isn't! Complications can and do happen, and are not always the result of poor surgical work. I would definitely talk with him and see what he says about those 2 cases...is he baffled as to how the leaks occurred?...was there a component of patient non-compliance? Is his post-op eating plan possibly an issue (re-introducing patients to solid food before prudent)... I didn't go through insurance, so I don't know the answer to this, but does the pre-approval process have to start over if you switch doctors? I know you said you have limited local options, but would be worth it to me to travel a bit to get to a surgeon that is an ardent supporter of the sleeve with many hundreds of VSG surgeries under his belt!!

I remember Dr. Oz saying on an Oprah episode years ago that anything from 3x weekly to 3x a day is considered to be within a "normal range"...while that still seems like a generous range for normal, when you realize that is for the "non-sleeved" population, not going every day is not just "ok" for us, it is common within the larger population.