Kindle

Time to get new friends and move on! There really are good people out there that deserve your time and effort to be friends with. I am shocked every time I read about someone getting negative feedback from unsupportive friends and family. I truly don't get it. I am incredibly blessed to be surrounded by "good" people. I have had unconditional support from all of my friends and family and even acquaintances. I had just one "friend" who was very negative when she found out but she's terrified of surgery in general. She won't even have the hysterectomy she needs because of bleeding, precancerous tumors in her uterus. So for me, I only have one negative loony bin in my life. Just yesterday I ran into a client I hadn't seen for awhile and they gushed over how great I looked and wanted to know what I was doing. I told her I had had surgery and she exclaimed "that's great! I have several friends that have had weight loss surgery and have not lost much weight. I know it still takes a lot of work, so good for you." THESE are the people I chose to have in my life.

That is cool, and I'd never pass up an opportunity to check out Dr. So! But for only $2500 more I'll take my permanant sleeve!

My belly was so swollen my sister made me pose for sideways pictures because I looked pregnant. So glad I was such a source of entertainment for her! Despite losing pounds, all of my jeans were too tight to wear for at least 2-3 weeks because of all the swelling. Sweats and elastic waists for me. And of course things hurt and you can't walk as much as you could before. If you had a leg amputated, would you expect to be playing basketball one week later? Even though we can't see it, you did just have a major organ mostly removed. Remember to give yourself time it heal and take it easy. My work partner had a hysterectomy shortly after my VSG and it was a good 3 weeks before she even started to feel normal again. Sweats and elastic waists for her, too. Major surgery is major surgery.

And that's why people shouldn't let the numbers on the scale dictate how they feel. I actually gained 3 pounds between weeks 6 and 10 but lost a whole pant size. My boobs have shrunk immensely and I have no butt (I've NEVER not had a butt) so even as I lose weight, I'm no longer shaped " normal". But that's OK, nothing I can do about it so no sense fretting over it. No math formula or dietician's plan can explain what happens to our bodies, so just keep doing what you are doing because it's obviously working.

I bet you will... In high school and college I felt awkward and out of place (not necessarily because of my weight, but just because I never quite felt like I belonged). But as an adult, I have been a very strong, confident, independent person. I've travelled back and forth across the US by myself several times and have lived in Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho. As I gained weight ( especially after turning 30 and again after 40) I started feeling like an awkward teenager again. That body wasn't me and I didn't like me. Just making this decision to have surgery and make all the changes necessary has been empowering and a way to get control back in my life. Now that I'm down to my "fighting weight", I am overflowing with confidence and I am comfortable with myself again. Boy, I missed me!

With pre and post op I was 34 days on liquids. I embraced it and actually felt empowered that I could do it and do it well. Each day I made it a point to create something different from the plethora of broths and cream soups and protein powders and flavorings I had stocked up on. Pretty sure I never ate the same thing in all those days. Like Lindafromflorida said, it's now all a distant memory and I rocked it while I was there! You can too.... it's all about the attitude you choose to face it with.

I mean I don't weigh my food. I weigh myself once a week. Usually on Friday, but I cheated and weighed myself today because it is my 5 months surgiversary.

Premier Protein chocolate, skim milk and 1 small banana (or 1/2 big one) is a staple for me...I have it at least 3-4 times a week. So I'm getting banana carbs AND milk carbs. I also eat berries, peaches, apples, pancakes, and have partaken in tiramisu, ice cream, cake and wine on a few occasions. None of these treats made me crave more of them. I don't count or weigh or track anything so I have no clue how many carbs I get in a day. I'm living my life, loving my sleeve, and everything in moderation. That being said, I've lost 75 pounds in less than 6 months, so I'm thinking the bananas are not the evil fruit that exist to halt our weight loss progress. At least not for me.

Good morning all! Today is my 5 month surgiversary and I feel fabulous. I can't believe how much has changed (for all of us) since I started this thread 9 months ago. Time flies, doesn't it?! So I usually weigh on Fridays, but since today is a "special" day I stepped on the scale. Only 2 pounds from Miranda's goal. Wow, that was "easy". (No really, it kind of was if I forget the travel nightmare and the diarrhea and the unnecessary worries). So I'm officially going to switch my ticker to my original personal goal of a normal BMI. (About 10 more pounds). But really, I NEVER thought I'd be in a size 12! So congrats on everyone's progress and good luck to all future OCCers. It's a great club to belong to,

Unfortunately no words of wisdom here. Pretty normal week for me....I worked everyday right up until the moment I left for the airport. I guess I did spend a lot of time confirming that my pet sitting arrangements were covered (I had one "friend" back out at the last minute). I was looking forward to a leisurely postop recovery "vacation" but my planned 2 weeks off turned into 1 week. Sure hope you can manage a more relaxing time for yourself. I guess the upside is I was too busy to fret or second guess my decision. And life back to normal as soon as I got home.

I don't remember where I ordered mine from. I just googled seat shrinker and went with the best price I could find (around $80 with shipping) The one I got is made by Martin. It's made for a western saddle, but fit my aussie just fine. It's actually pretty comfy. And may all of you be back in a saddle soon!

I was so excited to start this whole thing that I actually started my 2 week preop diet two days early. (Excited and fearful that I wouldn't lose the 12 pounds I was supposed to). I had purchased a bunch of different RTD shakes and Protein powders, PB2 and unjury cheese Protein powder. I also added Mio and Dasani Water flavor drops to my shakes for even more variety. I bought several broth Soups and unflavored protein powder to add to them. Basically, variety helped the two weeks fly by. I made it a challenge to see what yummy thing I could make each day. Physically, I had wicked headaches the first 3 days and I was hungry the whole time. But I knew it was all for a good cause and I was so mentally and emotionally prepared and committed, that cheating never crossed my mind. Until day 14. This was 2 days before my surgery and I had a little nervous breakdown thinking WTF was I doing?! I cried in my car sitting in the grocery store parking lot. But it passed and I went on with my day without cheating. Yes, It mostly sucked, but it also gave me a sense of empowerment because I kicked my preop diet's ass. And I lost 22 pounds in that 16 days so it was more than worth it.

Sounds like we all have a lot of the same staples. For me it's... cheese sticks Sliced cheese Deli meat Greek yogurt Mixed nuts Tuna packets eggs Bananas and various berries to add to shakes Individually frozen 1/8 pound burger patties Frozen turkey sausages Edamame unjury unflavored Protein powder Premier Protein chocolate and vanilla Garden of Life Raw Protein Syntrax nectar powder I also always have a batch of homemade protein pancakes frozen for weekend breakfasts. On work days I eat Breakfast in the truck, so I just made quick on the go quiche squares. Basically mixed 8 eggs, spinach dip mix, spinach, Swiss cheese, turkey sausage, skim milk, 2 scoops unflavored Protein Powder, and a bit of pancake mix....poured into a 9"x9" pan and baked at 375 for 30min. Cut into 16 squares and froze individually. I just heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds, grab and go. The pancake batter made them set up so I don't need utensils.

So I'm watching last week's Grey's Anatomy and they were talking about a magnetic esophageal sphincter for reflux. So I googled it. This was just one of many articles... http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/779727 Anyone's doctor or surgeon ever mention this as an option to medication or conversion to Bypass? I haven't had any issues with reflux postop (knock on wood). But after totally curing my C. diff infection with an "experimental" fecal transplant, I'm all about exploring options outside the box. Of course is is in very preliminary stages and I guess I could see it having similar scarring issues like the Lapband, but still, it's an interesting approach.

Syntrax Matrix vanilla has been a staple of mine. I switch up the flavor by adding PB2, fruit or various Mio and Dasani Water flavor drops. Syntrax nectar Cherry and Apple. Jay Robb Piña Colada Garden of Life Raw Fit and Raw Protein Vanilla And I put unjury unflavored in anything I can....soups, pancake mix, quiche, crab cakes, casseroles, etc.

I got the Premier Protein 12 pack at SAMs Club for around $18. But they also only had chocolate and vanilla. The other thing to look at besides cost is the amount of protein. Premier has 30g and if you are talking about the Designer Whey shakes at Target, they only have 18g.

Here's another suggestion for newbies and perhaps a little incentive to take MR's advice and actually use the search function on here. If you simply post your question, you are only going to get responses from people currently on these boards who happen to read your post. Yes, you will get some responses, but you are greatly limiting the pool of members that can offer help. I, personally, skip over the repetitive posts and don't waste my time typing the same response I've typed a dozen time. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. So if you actually use the search function to find the answer to your question, you will find answers not only from members that wouldn't answer your post, but you will be getting answers from probably hundreds of members that have moved on and don't come on this forum anymore. They won't ever even read your post. It's like reading today's newspaper and expecting to know what going on in the world, as opposed to sitting down and searching through the last 5 years worth of newspapers. In which scenario will you find more information?

Are you allowed protein bars yet? I'm not a big fan because the texture and artificial tastes are gross to me. But I found one I like that might fill your need for crunch. GNC lean bars... Just picked up a variety pack at Sam's Club. Chocolate Chip, Cocolate Peanut Butter and Strawberry Yogurt. Their texture is similar to rice crispie treats and tasted pretty good.

I've tried Quest, premier, pure Protein and many other "regular" Protein Bars and didn't like any of them. It's mostly a texture thing, but I'm not a fan of the "artificial" taste, either. I have found 3 that I like though, and I keep them handy for lunch on the go. They may not pack as much of a protein punch, but their protein/sugar/calorie ratios are acceptable to me... Natures Valley Protein (nuts and soy protein isolate) 10g protein/6g sugar/190 cal. You are chewing actual nuts, not a gummy, pasty glob of protein. GNC Total Lean (soy protein crisp, whey protein, milk powder) 15g protein/4-7g sugar/170-180 calories. Texture like a rice crispy treat. Fiber One Protein caramel nut (peanuts, soy protein isolate) 7g protein/7g sugar/130 calories. This one barely qualifies as a Protein Bar (ok, it really doesn't) but it's like eating a snickers!

I just want to point out that your decision to have this surgery is something you need to be putting your whole heart and soul into. The entire process involves sacrifices that can't just be bypassed by taking a pill. You need to be committed and hopefully excited about the changes you are facing. You need to make a lot of lifestyle changes for this surgery to be a success, not just look for a quick fix. I'm sure I'll get slammed for being a big meanie, but seriously, this is only 2 weeks out of the rest of your life. We were all in your shoes and yeah, it sucked but you need to focus on the end goal. You will have to find a way to control your hunger and cravings and emotional eating issues for the rest of your life, you might as well start now. (And yes, more than likely, you will still feel hungry post op.)

I've traded in my "clean plate club" membership for the "leave at least 4 bites -one for each dog" club. It makes it real easy to stop eating when I'm satisfied instead of continuing until I'm full.

Police? In the rants and raves section? I'd say you walked into a den of thieves. I'm with inittothinit....go for it!

I've lost 75 pounds since starting preop and am 3 pounds from my nut's goal. I walked a mile a day on the treadmill for the first 2 weeks just to help with gas and digestion. I did no formal exercise the next 2 1/2 months. I was sick with diarrhea for part of that and very prone to dehydration so I didn't want to do ANYTHING that might make me lose more Fluid. But mostly I was just being lazy. I started riding my recumbent bike at 3 months post op for 20 minutes 3-4 days/week. (While watching Judge Judy ) Pretty minimal exercise, really. At almost 5 months out I continue to lose weight at a rate of 1-2 pounds /week. I'm a vet tech and have a very active job....basically I'm doing squats and lifting weights all day long and I have very good muscle tone even without a formal exercise regimen. I'm thrilled with my progress because I hate exercising. When you say your weight loss has slowed down, what rate are you seeing now compared to before? Are you still eating like we should?

I think Michiganchic got it right. We are all individuals and there are many different factors contributing to obesity. Whether it's genetics, bad eating habits, or mental issues, each factor has varying degrees of influence on each individual. They even think GI flora plays a roll. Look how different people react to stress...my work partner can't eat and she exercises like crazy when she's sad or stressed. Meanwhile, I stuff my face. (And these are "normal" day to day stresses, not major "need to be in therapy" stresses.) Even look how each of us handle the experience post op....there are individuals that are thrilled with their sleeve maybe even despite complications. They adapt to the required life changes with little drama. There are others that get depressed and feel like failures when they hit a stall. And still others that regret the decision simply because they miss food. Even the success stories are different..some track everything, some train for marathons, some simply eat healthy and never bother to count or weigh anything. Some people can eat an occasional dessert while others must avoid carbs at all costs. The reactions to getting thinner and healthier are at least as diverse as the ways we got obese in the first place.

I read this with the biggest smile on my face because I felt the EXACT same way prior to my surgery and I am now 5 months post op and 80lbs down and I look back and still think it was that I honestly just loved food! Growing up, I always played sports and was extremely social and outgoing and with that comes dinners and events like crazy! I literally loved (and love even more) everything about my life except my weight. Great marriage, family, job, etc... So to answer your question, yes I think that could be your issue was that you just are in love with food! It's strange because my husband and I went out for a really nice meal tonight and as I was sitting there, I realized "holy crap, I'm fully paying to the conversation instead of wondering, "when is good coming out? Is he going to eat all of his half? That's all they are bringing out?! I'm still hungry!" I know people say all the time that this surgery isn't going to fix all of your problems, but for me, I honestly felt like it solved the big "issue" in my life. Everyone is different but we may be in the same boat here!! Good luck to you! Ditto. (Minus the husband part).