goodlife

I just got back from my appointment with my surgeon. He said I look great and I'm doing great. He has no concerns. He said my loss so far is great also. He said my incisions look good but that I should keep them out of the sun (purely for cosmetic reasons). On another note, I had bloodwork done on Monday to bring to him and all came back great and for the first time in over 20 yrs my total cholesterol level is NORMAL. My LDL is still a bit elevated at 128 (high end of normal is 99) but it was 222 back on March 22. My Vitamin levels all look great and he said as long as I don't have any trouble swallowing the pills, that I can go back to taking regular Vitamins and don't have to take the chewables....can I get an AMEN! Anywho..I go back in another 6 weeks for my 3 month appt.

Hi April sleevers!! It's so good to hear from some of you. I'm doing great...I'm down 29 lbs since surgery and 53 lbs off my high weight in the middle of March. As of about 2 weeks ago I had lost 24.5 inches. I can see it in my face but that's about it. Other people are definitely noticing. I'm still wearing the same clothes though for the most part...I guess most of my pants were getting pretty tight before and now they're pretty loose. I did wear a pair of pants the other day that I haven't been able to fit into in over 2 years. I love those pants which is why I've held on to them..lol I have yet to find any food that doesn't agree with me. But I do need to learn to eat slower and to learn how to not take that last bite that overfills me. I think slowing down will help that. Oh and I'm not really exercising. My back went out a few weeks ago and it's still not back to my normal..which is to say it still hurts but I'm functionable. Still a lot of things I can't do. I'm trying to swim as much as possible. I love my sleeve and so far so good!

I can't WAIT to have a salad. Salad is probably my 2nd favorite food behind boiled crawfish. One of my employees brought me some cucumbers...and I just love cucumbers in vinegar. I should be able to eat that ok, huh? I'm 6.5 weeks out.

Good luck my friend! By now you are on your way... Can't wait to hear from you after surgery. It will be fine. I think you should be prepared to stop very often to get out and walk around a bit during that long drive home. You might even want to get some of the compression socks to wear while driving..you don't want to risk a blood clot. *hugs*

Yay..it's about time huh??? lol Congrats and best wishes for a smooth and speedy recovery.

Congratulations and welcome to the "other side". I'm glad everything went well..and wish you a speedy recovery!

My nut said around 50 but I'm doing the 30/day. Some days it's a few under..some days it's a few over.

I think you also need to address your mental issues with food or the sleeve is not going to work for you. It's not a magic tool to make you skinny. You need to fix the problems too! I'm glad you went to the ER and I"m glad you had the wakeup call. I hope you feel better soon and good luck to you.

You guys are doing fabulous!!!!

Hey there...are you logging your food intake at a site like myfitnesspal. I can't tell you how much of a help this has been to me. Can you give us examples of what you're eating on a normal day? For the acid reflux/heartburn are you taking a PPI?

Will when buying the ready to drink stuff...you want to find things that are low in carbs. The Atkins, or Muscle Milk Light 100 calorie boxed drinks are good. I'd stay away from the special K drinks, the Boost, Ensure, Carnation, etc. Those are all pretty high in carbs. You will be using Protein shakes alot post-op as well so you definitely have time to order some samples online and see what you like. Meanwhile Wal-Mart does sell the big tubs of Protein Powder. I forget the brand name but alot of people seem to like it. I haven't tried it. Make sure you when you are buying protein powder that you are buying whey isolate...they say that's the best kind of protein. Good luck!

Congrats to both of you!! Welcome to the "other side"!!

Put the scale away! That's what saved my sanity. Allow yourself to weigh once a week. And if you haven't taken measurements, do it! I'm weighing once a week and taking measurements every 2-4 weeks. It happens to everybody. You'll start losing again...I promise.

good job ouro...and nice ride!

Hi Jim, Welcome to the boards! You're doing fabulous!! Your walking is phenomenol....I can't do it either because of my back. I'm trying to swim for exercise...but still haven't found a regular routine. Oh well...I'll figure it out one of these days I guess. What kind of things are you eating?

Good luck ladies...best wishes for a successful surgery and smooth recovery.

Wow...we've been wondering how she was doing. Thanks for the update! Please tell her we're thinking about her and give her a big hug from all of us!

yep me too...in the beginning it was all the time..all day every day. Now it's pretty much just after I eat...my husband started calling me toad. It's pretty much become a joke around here and at my office.

Congrats Angie! That's awesome.

Yep...going in search of a post op Maddie post...hope all went well!

stacy I know how you feel. It just boggles the mind how we can so greatly reduce the amount we eat and also WHAT we eat and not lose more weight! It just makes no sense to me. I know that I'm losing inches (or that I've lost inches...I'm only measuring once a month) even if the scale is barely moving. I'm following all the rules although I've not really been able to exercise because of my back. I'd like to be able to swim laps everyday and do some Water aerobics but it's been storming here every single day and the weather just isn't cooperating. Not to mention I still don't have a very high energy level. By the time I get home from work in the evening, I'm just flat out tired. I'm not discouraged and I don't mean to sound whiny...I get that we all lose at different rates and at different paces. I'm just going to keep following the rules as best I can and see what happens!

You're still doing great my sleeve buddy. Scale doesn't seem to be moving much over here...sigh.

well damn...lol I just took my last pill from my prescription. I'm going to get an OTC kind tomorrow.

Yay for Ian! Tell him to join this site so he can post too! Tell him we all wish him the best!

Christie...I think it takes time too.....I went through a few days of panic thinking I was going to be miserable and hungry for the rest of my life. It passed quickly and I don't have that problem anymore. I have no idea if it will come back and I will get hungry again, but I'm not going to worry about it. The good thing though is that it takes so little to fill up. Are you waiting a good hour or so to drink after you've eaten...especially after stuff like refried beans?