Vixynne

Laura, thanks for this explanation; I saw a lot of people talking about loving Mio and Crystal Light, but I thought it was more about flavoring the water! I had no idea that it actually makes the water go down easier. Good info!

I asked my NUT and she said that in my surgeon's practice, they feel that patients will be on liquids for such a long while after surgery, that there's little reason to make people go on liquids-only before surgery. Not sure about that reasoning--especially if there's any medical benefit that you can get from the pre-op diet (shrinking the liver, etc.), but that's what she said!

Congratulations! I'm a month or two behind you--you must be SO excited!

Love these ideas! Also? The Whovian reference means you win.

Fuzzy navel just did not do it for me. I kept wondering if the recipe formulators at Syntrax misunderstood and actually filtered it through someone's grungy navel. (Okay, okay, I know, that was wrong. I'm just sayin'...) I had a 12 oz. bottle of water-blended Double-Stuffed Cookie for breakfast today (2 scoops are only 200 calories and kept me full from 7:00 a.m. till almost noon, and I'm not sleeved yet). I have to practically guard my 12 year old to keep her away from the container--she thinks it's a dessert milkshake! Oy. Fiddleman, thanks for the info on the Matrix version, that will definitely come in handy when I need a longer lasting Protein. Is it comparable to nectar as far as calories/sugars/protein grams?

Just gave in this afternoon, and bought the full sized container of Double-Stuffed Cookie Syntrax Nectar. I'm enjoying it when mixed with water rather than milk--I like it a lot more than I expected to! Had some as a substitute for after-dinner snacking, and it totally satisfied the urge for sweets.

I'm working through all the pre-op visits, and hoping for a summer surgery date. So far I've seen my NUT once, my initial psych consult is done, and now I have another NUT appointment, a followup psych as well as the required psych workshop ($500), and my labs, along with a secondary appointment with my surgeon's Nurse Practitioner. Whew. I still have a long way to go, but boy oh boy, do your photos inspire me!

The Caribbean Cooler is pretty decent in water, also--and I have to say I kind of love the Double Stuffed Cookie, but since I'm pre-op, I mixed that one with 1% milk, which miiiiiight have changed the experience a bit.

Wow! What a wonderful change! You look amaaaaaayzing--congratulations! May I ask how much you've lost so far?

Awww, but I don't think it's stupid or silly--if it helped you to feel calmer to know that "The Letter" was written, that's great! As long as doing it didn't feed your fears or make you even more nervous. In that case, yeah, better to skip it, because it's not productive or helpful. I'm actually considering writing one too, just in case--and when all is said and done and I don't need it, I'll happily shred that puppy and get to sipping my water and protein shakes!

Wow. Someone needs to set this jerkwad straight. Being "cool"--yes, I'm doing air-quotes here--has ZERO to do with body size. I've met some skinny people who could shop at Aberdeebag & Filch who were utterly dull people to be around. Measuring someone's worth by their waistband is just plain stupid. Personally, I believe my own definition of "cool" will have a great deal to do with NOT shopping at any company who sees themselves as the demagogues of the mall crowd; the Popular Kids' lunch Table where the rest of us band geeks, computer nerds and bookworms can simply never EVER dream of fitting in. Dear morons at A&F, even if I someday whittle down to a size 2, I'll still be far too cool to give my hard-earned cash to a company like yours. Fat is fat, but lack of character goes to the BONE, brother.

Hey guys, I'm a pre-sleever, exploring the options for post-op foods and recipes. A few weeks ago I read about chia seeds here on the forums and got curious enough to buy a little sampler pack of them at my local GNC store. I know that they "swell-up-and-gel-up" in liquids, but I'm curious what you folks think is the best way to use them. Dry and added to foods, or gelled and eaten that way? I'm looking for any recipes you know of with chia seeds that have post-op dietary benefit as well as (hopefully) something that tastes good. Thanks!

Good luck--may you have a speedy recovery, Sophia!

You must be full of nervous excitement, I know I would be--try to get at least a little sleep! Good luck tomorrow!

Jessie, I don't know the situation, but I've found that when you are faced with dealing with negativity or toxic people, one of the best ways to find compassion for them is realize that at least you aren't forced to deal with them 24/7. They have to live behind their own eyes; with no escape from themselves and their miserable attitudes. At least you get to walk away; they're stuck with themselves. Sad, huh?

Thank you for the resource! I think I'll try them out in some Greek yogurt and see how it goes. I don't usually have food-texture issues (unless it's something rubbery/chewy like overcooked calamari--ew). I can eat fish roe on my sushi--I'm still pre-sleeve--and that's often a little bit squicky for some folks. Hopefully the chia gel won't remind me TOO much of eating frog's eggs.

This is strictly guesswork--I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV--but it might be a hormonal imbalance brought on by the surgery. Our bodies (well, you ladies' bodies since I'm not sleeved just yet) go through a rather big shock, and I've seen lots of folks on the forum saying it's normal to experience a weight loss stall somewhere in the first 3-5 weeks, because the body senses starvation tactics and switches into survival mode. Maybe the hormonal balance goes off kilter right around the same time? People who eat very little, such as those who suffer anorexia, sometimes have a very irregular or nonexistent menstrual cycle. Maybe there's a link? Maybe the hormones get pushed to the back burner because the brain and pituitary gland are saying, "hold yer horses, we're not getting enough calories, so no procreatin'!" On the other side of the coin, since my heaviest weight was reached over the last year and a half, I've not heard from that particular Auntie, and my general-practice doc said it *could* be related to weight gain. He ordered blood tests, and they showed that one of my hormones was in the normal range, and the other had switched to menopausal levels. Going on oral b.c. kickstarted things. Stopping the pill send Auntie F. packing again. I'd love to hear what an endocrinologist or other M.D. would say about this.

Hummus with wee baby carrots is my current favorite way to eat it-- Tribe brand, garlic flavor is probably the one I buy most often. http://www.tribehummus.com/

Great question! ...and does the Great Cabinet Cleanout/Fridge Defenestration still go on when you've got kids who might want to keep eating some type of snackage? I can only imagine the wailing and moaning that would go on if I cleared out everrrrrrything.

You have my sympathy, and my faith that you'll power on through this. Hang in there, better days are comin'.

Here's one link I found...keeping in mind that it is a website created by the drug company who is trying to market their product. http://www.nascobal.com/

I'll be thinking of you and sending out lots of positive thoughts for you, and to everyone else starting off on their post-op journey tomorrow!

Glad you finally got your answers---I wish you a speedy recovery! (And no more scary pain attacks!)

Everything I've learned so far says you have a window of a year to 24 months to take it as far as you can--and from what I've seen on the forums, some people blow right on past the "you'll lose around 60% of your excess weight" expectation and lose 80, 90, 100 or 110% of their excess weight. Why hold yourself back--go as far as you want. Let the jealous types just learn to deal with it. It's not their decision anyway. Living well is the best revenge!

Well, look at it this way. Once you are married, the idea is to stay that way "till death do us part", right? (Your last name isn't "Kardashian"--this is for the long haul, yes?) In three or four decades, you and your hubby-to-be will definitely not look exactly like your wedding photos, whether you are sleeved and get thinner, or opt out of the surgery and stay at your current weight. There will be gray hair (maybe under some hair color). There may be a receding hairline on his part. Gravity will play its evil games with parts of you that used to salute the sun and were once called "perky". You both may get wrinkles (assuming that you don't go the route of Botox and facelifts). Health problems may arise, one or both of you may be moving slower than you used to. There may be a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair in your future; there's no way to know, really. But does that change your committment to marry? If any of the above happen, will you love him less or expect him to love you less? "Oh, sorry, I just can't be with you any more, because your bra is resting in your lap these days..." Of course not! Same idea with weight loss surgery. If your relationship is on solid ground, and if he loves you deeply, the outside is no more important than the wrapping paper on his favorite gift. It's just the outside, and not the best part anyway!