Stef_L

tomorrow is my 2 mo anniversary and when i go out to eat, i do eat a salad but i make it a chicken salad and eat primarily the chicken for the protein and maybe one bite of lettuce... at about 30 days like you are, lettuce gave me the "foamies" and didnt sit well, but like they said in a previous post, its dependent on the person so maybe just try a tiny bite and see how it sits?

That's amazing! very inspiring keep up the good work and the last 25# will be off in no time!

Hey everyone, i just wanted some imput on this. I'm 8 weeks out today and total with pre op dieting and post surgery im 75 lbs down from my highest weight ever of 394, i weighed in at 319 this morning... but I looked at the mirror this morning when i was getting ready and immediately started crying. Everyone tells me I look great but when i look in the mirror i see myself GAINING weight, i dont really notice a difference at all so when people tell me i look great, psychologically im like "yah right, they just want to be supportive" Has anyone else gone through this? I dont want to develop body dimorphic disorder and never be able to enjoy the weight loss, instead i'm making myself miserable because when i lose 10 lbs, in my mind, i look like i gained 10 lbs. Any help/suggestions are welcome, thanks!

Thanks guys, all great suggestions, I should really take more pictures, I haven't since I was just 4 weeks out and I'm sure it's changed a bit since then.... I need to stop and buy a tape measure too cuz I'm sure if I saw those numbers going down I would feel a lot better. Thanks again

So i used to be obsessed with beef stroganoff hamburger helper so i was playing around and found a decent replacement! take 1 lb of 90% lean ground beef and brown it. add 1 cup of peas and 1/2 a bag of baby spinach and sautee it until spinach is cooked. then mix 98% fat free cream of mushroom Soup w/ 1/4 cup of skim milk and mix until thinned. Add the soup to the other ingredients and simmer together for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it thicken and it tastes amazing! it's all the tastes of hamburger helper with minimal fat and no pasta! you can season to taste

I'm 24 and had to jump through the insurance hoops for a year in order to get approved, but its VERY much worth it, For my insurance you had to be above 37% BMI in order to be approved with no co morbitites,but i'm not sure how it works there. Good luck!!!

No problem! I was just playing around with the stuff I had in the kitchen and it turned out amazing. Lol btw nice ace Ventura picture

I had those pains a while ago before i even had surgery, its probably from the constipation. I used to get pains under my ribs in waves and it would hit me like a ton of bricks and go away in a few seconds. Its when your body is trying to push the stuff down your intestines it makes a sqeezing motion but when you're backed up, it causes a sudden pain. I ended up going to the ER and found this out and they gave me a laxative and the pains went away once i went "big potty" lol Seems like you're having the same symptoms i had when this happened so maybe this could be it, but i'm not a doctor :\

My first few days were rough but today marks 5 weeks out and I wouldnt trade this decision for anything. I'm already down a pant size and feel better and have more energy than ever. It definitely gets better! Once you start eating foods again and see the weight melt off it'll all be worth the few days of discomfort!

When i ate yogurt and stuff, I just kind of swished it around my mouth a little bit- like you said, to water it down..... that does sound gross when you say it out loud lol

awesome! u look great and im loving that shirt!

My surgeon told me about 4-5 months post op it's safe to have a drink. He recommended MGD 64 for beer since the big concern is consuming calories when you need to use calories to get in your protein. Also, nothing with carbonation like rum and coke. He also said to be very aware that it will hit you 10x harder than it would before since it'll be released into our blood stream a lot quicker. so just have a drink and make it last all night. at least it'll be a cheap night!

I'm curious as to what people found to be the easiest to eat or any good recipes for when I start the soft food stage-- I'm about a week away and want to get a grocery list together!

I was there too- i had to do 2 weeks preop with only protein shakes and jello and then it continued for 2.5 weeks after surgery- im now almost 3 weeks out and was cleared for soft food- there's definitely a light at the end of the tunnel! it'll be here before you know it. You just gotta give your new stomach some time to heal

Yeah, i had the same discussion with my hubby prior to surgery and we just went to the grocery store before hand and he stocked up on sandwich fixins' and easy stuff for him to make when he gets home from work. Now the laundry getting done, that's a whole other story lol.

That's great! Congrats on the weight loss that's awesome! Yah at least we can share the struggles of living in the state known for its cheese,brats and beer!

All sound yummy, thanks guys! This really helped!

Hey --from greenfield (Milwaukee) and sleeved on 5/16 and down 40 lbs including pre op diet! Hope to find fellow wi sleevers to connect with!!

That's good advice! thanks! i think im just feeling down on myself because not eating solid food for almost a month now is starting to get to me. just have to remind myself it's all worth it in the end.

I need a support system. I was sleeved may 16th ad so far so food, minimal pain but the post op diet is really starting to get to me. It's beginning of summer and memorial weekend so everyone is off at bbqs and having fun while I choose to stay home. My husband is super supportive of everything but I don't want to keep him from living his life when this was ultimately my decision. It would be nice to have someone that can relate.