FindingElise

Congrats!!! You're SO beautiful! (I absolutely love the white dress in your before pics!) I started out over 300 lbs, so seeing your pics gets me excited for what the future of my journey holds.

I'm saving a lot of money on food! My significant other and I were going out to eat at least twice a week, and I can get away without going to the grocery store every single day for little odds and ends or fresh ingredients.

It was about 2 weeks for me. Once my surgeon removed the steri strips over my wounds (ugh, they smelled HORRIBLE) and I got the nausea under control, I was able to function like a normal human being. (Oddly, the day after my surgery, I thought I felt like myself. I was dancing around my room, walking up and down the halls every couple of hours, and enjoyed sipping my diluted apple juice. It must've been the drugs, because by that evening I felt like I was hit by a truck.)

You're not being too sensitive - what you're feeling is very real! I love MyFitnessPal for the tracking, but I tend to stay away from the forums. There are way too many buttholes posting there, who are way too opinionated about weight loss and fitness. The "would you date the person before you" or "rate my pic" threads remind me way too much of high school.

I don't know...I think I'd be less likely to purchase a package of sausages with a muscular, shirtless man on the package! There are a few German breweries that make beer for ladies. I think one kind even comes in pretty, pastel colored cans. Too bad many of us are sleeved, or we could have a garden party with our special beer and lady sausages.

Telling you not to feel guilty is a lot easier said than done. I understand where you're coming from, and I felt some guilt during the planning stages of my surgery. Once you get through the early stages of the healing process and have some weight loss to Celebrate, the guilt will wane. My brother has muscular dystrophy, and has had close to a dozen surgeries on his arms and legs throughout his lifetime. The recovery was pretty difficult for most of them. When I first told him I was going through with this, his exact words were: "Why would someone choose to put themselves through pain and the risk of dying?" He eventually came to respect and support my decision when I pointed out that I could die an early death from a heart attack, but I wondered if maybe he had a point. My boyfriend was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2009 and had a bowel resection. His digestive system shut down for nearly a month afterwards, and he was in the hospital on a feeding tube. I wasn't thrilled about him having take care of me after all of the medical drama we've been through together, and knowing my pain and discomfort would be brought on by choice didn't feel very good. As others have said, you just need to keep reminding yourself that you're making a smart choice for your health, as well as your family's well being. They need you. If you needed a pacemaker or your gallbladder removed, there would probably be zero hesitation to get well. Think of your obesity as being as serious of a threat. I wish you the very best. *Hugs*

I was hoping to get some input from those of you further out than I. As of yesterday, I've been sleeved for 3 weeks. I've had some problems with pretty severe nausea, but it's under control with medication. As long as I take my prilosec and zofran (an anti nausea med) every 8 hours, I feel great! I had a follow up with my surgeon this afternoon, and he wants to see me increase my calories from 400ish to 800 - 1000 as soon as possible. My primary care doc (who happens to be a weight management specialist) thinks the calorie increase will also help me not be dependent on the zofran. Does this seem a little high for just 3 weeks out? It seems like a lot of people aren't even on soft foods at this point, and are struggling to eat. I don't have a problem with eating more, since I could use the extra calories to fuel my walks and the yoga class I've signed up for, but I want to make the most of my "honeymoon period". Do 800 calories seem reasonable at this point?

I could definitely make window shopping a workout. I've hated shopping for the last decade or so, but now that I know my body is changing I absolutely love to look at things and know I can wear them one day.

Did you have any trouble with exercise at 350?

Whew, thank you! I feel much better! I'm usually about 10 grams short of my current goal of 60 grams of Protein each day, so I think the calorie increase is going to help me get closer to 80 - 90 grams. akmys11 - The way you break it down makes it sound very easy and reasonable. Oh, and BTW...I love your Grumpy Cat. I keep picturing him saying NO! SerendipityHappens - Congrats on your weight loss! You are kicking butt without those 2 extra pounds per month. Rosita - On the bright side, at least you're probably getting more of the Vitamins and nutrients your body needs, and slower weight loss is statistically more likely to be maintained.

What a great problem to have! I haven't dropped sizes yet, but I just wanted to wish you a happy shopping spree - enjoy your new outfits! Tell the hubby you want to pick out something cute to wear for him, and maybe he won't be too upset about the spending.

I had the same problem, and unfortunately nothing would go down easily my first two weeks post-op. I found that walking and drinking at the same time really helped, and my doctor eventually put me on Prilosec (to reduce the acid in my stomach, rather than to treat heartburn) and Zofran (an anti nausea med) which worked wonders, and is allowing me to eat most soft foods at 3 weeks out without too much trouble. It gets better! Hang in there!

Unless it's someone I know very, very well, I don't comment on people's weight. It's a very personal thing. If I ran into someone I only know casually and told them they look slimmer, I'd be worried they might assume I thought they were enormous/looked bad before.

Laura, yours is very sleek and cool looking!

I can't recommend a good body scale (I still need one), but I've been using this food scale for years: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Stainless-Pull-Out-Display/dp/B000WJMTNA It's a bit on the pricey side, but it's always accurate (when using it to weigh packages, I often double check the weight with a luggage scale) and has taken a lot of abuse. You're probably wondering how someone abuses their food scale, but it's been through three moves, and let's just say I have a weird problem with knocking things around.

We both have 50+ starting BMIs, so seeing your before and after pics is very exciting. You look great! (Something my mom used to say comes to mind: "Ohhh, you have a lovely shape!") Congrats on your progress, both with your weight loss and your education! I'm hoping that my weight loss helps me get the courage to go back to school for my RN. Here's to the next 6 months! *Cheer!*

I know this post almost a couple of weeks old already, but I had a really bad experience with oatmeal this morning. It's on my soft foods list, and my dietician suggested it probably wouldn't cause a problem if I made it kind of soupy, with lots of milk. At first I thought it settled just fine in my stomach, but about 20 minutes after breakfast I got very nauseous, and soon came the stomach cramps and dry heaves. I had to spend an hour in bed to feel normal again.

I love when people post pics! You are so adorable - in both of yours! (BTW, is that a zombie on your shirt in the first picture? Love it!) Keep up the fantastic work.

You and your wife look so happy and sweet together. Congrats on your weight loss! You look awesome!

I had these a couple of times during my pre-op diet and they were very tasty (the mini flax pitas): http://www.josephsbakery.com/ I don't think my body can handle them just yet at 12 days out, but I'm looking forward to it!

I don't have much to add to the great advice already given above. I was sleeved on 6/6 and suffered with extreme nausea, and lots of pain when drinking. I was eating 5-6 sugar-free Popsicles per day in the beginning, because that's the only "liquid" I could tolerate drinking. Now I find that drinking while walking helps a lot with the nausea, but things still hurt a little bit when going down. I get weird chest and stomach pains, and I always feel like I need to burp. I had a crying fit last night after dropping the contents of my purse all over the floor and not being able to pick everything up, so I completely understand where you're coming from. Please believe me, it DOES get better!!! I know you feel horrible right now, because I've felt exactly like you do, but the pain isn't going to last forever. You'll be back to holding your baby before you know it. Keep reminding yourself that you're doing all of this to be healthier and live a long life for him.

Ooops - double post!

I really hope things work out. Definitely call your hospital! Since they're going to be making a lot of money off of the other 90 percent that your insurance company is paying, they should more than likely be happy to work out payment arrangements for your portion. I am responsible for 20% coinsurance with my health plan (it will end up being a little bit less, since I am close to my out of pocket maximum for the year), but I wasn't asked to pay when I checked in at the hospital. That might be the case for you as well, since the bill will likely vary depending on whether you have to stay in the hospital longer, meds used, etc. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you!!!

Everyone is right...you are SO beautiful both before and after! (Like model pretty!) You are going to reach your goal, so keep it up.

You look so unhappy in your before picture. It reminds me so much of myself! In your after pictures, you look amazing! Your confidence really shows! I bet you do a good job keeping up with your puppies now, too. Very inspiring!