gamergirl

I would say three days post op, at least 85% of people are exactly like you in that they share your symptoms. I'd encourage you to think that if your recovery is "Normal" and like everyone else's, perhaps your success will be like that of others too? I blogged my first eight days and if you care to read it, you will see what huge and wonderful changes each day brought. It gets better. Really.

Right?? Someone needs to free us from our over-sweet Protein hell

hey there, there's a big thread on this: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/66359-lets-share-our-myfitnesspal-username/page__st__280

dr_urvashi

I'm dr_urvashi

I LOVE the fresh ones. I can't eat the crunchy ones for whatever reason. Need to try again, post-op.

Now that I'm reading this Bacon thread, I can see why my surgeon felt compelled to point out in his book, "Bacon is NOT a lean meat!" I was like, no sh*t Sherlock but I see there's an underground upswell so to speak that I was missing. Aaaandd now I want bacon. Thanks guys!

This is a large part of it for me. I think people believe all fat people are lazy and lack self-control and that if only we would work at it more, or try harder. In fact I know NO one who works at it more, thinks about it more, worries about it more than fat people. My surgeon's office said they had worked on several people from the Big Loser. (I'm so out of pop culture that I had to google what the heck that was). But what they're doing to those people is not sustainable. I just came across one of your posts about slow losses and it's got me thinking about how I want to approach this journey. Do I want to hit the finish line as fast as possible by doing whatever it takes? Or am I willing to admit that this is the rest of my life, and what I need to do now, is start living it today as I mean to go on? (I mean, not literally today, I don't want to drink shakes and Soup for the rest of my life but you know...) I'm leaning to living it as I mean to go on. Historically, I've given up everything else to lose the weight, stopped eating certain things, exercised like a fiend...and then when I go back to my regular life and moderation, it all comes back on and brings several more of its friends. Maybe it's okay if it takes longer, but builds in me, sustainable habits. Maybe I will use that time to get my head in the right place, about long-term maintenance, about how many of society's bad views about fat people I have internalized, that I may need to let go of in the next few months.

I have been thinking about this since you posted it yesterday and I feel for you. I think what you're going through has to be much harder. Sending you hugs. Kudos to you for doing the right thing for yourself. I didn't even know it was possible to get a sleeve after RNY so I learned something yesterday too.

have you started shopping for them online yet? That's at least three-fourths of the fun for me.

Oooh I LOVE the Seder meal! I find all of it very comforting and I didn't even grow up Jewish! I treat holidays as a way to spend time with family and loved ones eating good food, and enjoying the conversation. We did have some traditions pre-surgery that I wonder how we will replace post. Every Christmas and Thanksgiving, the kids and I went to a Brazilian churasscaria. When I got married, my husband joined in even though it was strange for him to not have the traditional meal. All three of them luuurve pigging out there. Now, it would be a bit odd to go eat half a sausage and then sit there getting bored while the kids eat for the next hour. The two biggest questions on my 13-year old's minds when we told him about the surgery? Does this mean we won't be going to the Brazilian place anymore?! and Will you look different when you come back from the hospital? (I wish!) So yeah, the traditions matter. It's not a religious thing I don't think, it's the stuff that doesn't change in an ever-changing world, and that comfort is not negligible.

What is it they say? They are no atheists in war-time trenches? I think we may have some of that in all of us, I don't know. I would love to believe that I will see my mom in an afterlife. Problem is, I don't really believe that. But I'd LIKE To believe that. How comforting would that be? I think of prayer as self-fulfilling prophesies. There's a ton of research to in support of self-fulfilling prophesies. What you think will happen does because you sub-consciously enable them to happen. So I do "pray" but I think what I am doing by that is the new-age version of visualizing success. And that can't be a bad thing, right?

See?? THIS! We don't know why bad things happen, really we don't. Any one who tells you otherwise, has some explaining to do because then, WHY were those bad things allowed? And I don't understand the Western concept of hell, very confusing. If you are a bad person, shoudn't Satan LOVE you and do all s/he can to make you comfortable and happy? Like, let you eat all you want without getting fat?? WHY is he torturing the sinners who were most influenced by him? Aren't those his peeps? It's this kind of lack of logic that gets me. It's okay to believe whatever, but internal inconsistency is not helpful.

So if I can build on this...I am doing my best to drink 64 oz daily. I really, really am. Yesterday I almost passed out at costco because it's hot in Texas, I was outside, and I didn't drink right before I got there. By the time I realized I was thirsty, it was too late and I was a mess. Sweating, tired, dizzy, light-headed, had to go sit down like a small child, hoping I'd make it without falling down. This morning, I was trying to drink but it was 10 am and I had only drunk 14 oz. I was rushing to get out the door to go for a meeting in Dallas. I couldn't. I had to sit down, my husband had to come help me, and I had to down a G2 in 30 mins before I felt better. So now I'm lying her in bed listening to a boring meeting when I should have been AT that boring meeting. My blood pressure fell to 100/55 not because I am not drinking 64 oz, but because it's either not enough in the heat, or because I'm not drinking it consistently. Like several others, I worry about newbies, the newly-sleeved, and those who are looking for advice, reading something like this and thinking it's okay to not drink the 64 oz. Drink your Water, people! Don't be like Gamergirl, passing out and sh*t.

So classic instance of as you sow, so shall you reap. What you give, you get back. I go in to get a shot and the nurse says she is sick, I say I've just had surgery so I am trying to not get sick, she asks me what kind of surgery and I take a deep breathe and say ... Weight loss surgery. She is so happy for me, congratulates me, wow this and that (and of course, perversely I wished she had said, What?! You don't need it! But noooo, I am surrounded by super-supportive people who NEVER say that!). She wants to know what kind, I say sleeve. And then she says...you know I had it last october. I've lost 78 lbs and I have 20 more to go. Wow. She says, I don't think it's anybody's business so I don't tell a lot of people but I wanted to tell you so you could be encouraged. She proceeds to show me her excess skin on her arms, pulls down her pants, shows me her tummy, we both agree it's not that bad, and I walked out of there with a spring in my step. What you give to the world, is what you get back. I put myself out there, and she gave me back support, and information I needed. Life, she is good.

I'm really happy, 24 days out. We avoided complications, pain and horrors. We're both losing weight. And today I had a good and bad NSV although bad may not qualify as V? Good: I'm fitting into my smaller pants! Land's end elastic waist starfish pants, but went from XL to L. Yay me! Bad: I'm starting to show turkey wattles under my neck. Eeps! I worried about aging when I lost weight because the fat sure plumps out my 47-year face. I have very few wrinkles compared to women my age but again, artifact of fat I'm sure. This is normal, right? You can't lose 21 lbs in 4 weeks without getting some signs of aging, yes? This will lessen over time? Maybe? What's been your experience?

I've seen your pics and I don't see baggy droopy so I think you are correct! Don't anybody think I'm complaining. I'd rather taking looking older and living longer than looking younger until the minute I drop dead prematurely but I'm having a vain moment

Serves your husband right!

My husband and I are 14 days post op and counting pre-op liquid, he's down 26 lbs. He started at 278 and is down to 252 already.

I am not saying you should do this but our surgeons instructions said when we were getting in 64 oz of Water daily, after 10 days, we could have decaf coffee. Well this is the ONLY area where I have disobeyed him. I waited the 10 days. I drink the 64 oz. i started with decaf. But on day 12 i moved to caffeine. I am a bad girl! I drink chike coffee Protein shakes now every morning. I did feel sick the first time I tried it but got over it rather quickly. I limit myself to just that morning injection of caffeine. I don't recommend doing what I did. I'd order the chike decaf instead. In my defense, that is what I THOUGHT I'd ordered but the pack arrived and it was caffeinated and I was too impatient to wait to order another jar, etc. Excuses excuses.

I was at costco yesterday and had to go sit down because I almost passed out. Got a diet lemonade and sat down in the cafeteria part. I never have eaten the junk they sell (except the hotdogs until I realized one had 500 calories!) but I was surrounded with smells of pizza, churros, and other savory goodness. It was weird because it all smelled really good.....but I didn't want any. When you consider I haven't eaten any food and been on nothing but liquids for a month no, that's quite extraordinary. Long live my sleeve!