Comfy_Blue

I really like this one because a lot of times I've found that I reward myself with food. Like, "I've had a long day, I deserve some mac and cheese and a big steak" or "I'm gonna have a long day, let me treat myself to a tall, 5 pump vanilla latte with extra whipped cream and a pastry. Oh and maybe a cake pop for "later"). I saw a pin on Pintrest that said, "You are not a dog. Stop rewarding yourself with food." So anyway, I like your #5 and it is something I want to add to my list

1. I wish I'd known that when my doctor prescribed my Prilosec that even if you aren't feeling any pain right after surgery, you should take it right away. I suffered through about 3 days of pain in my chest every time I swallowed. I thought it was gas, and kept taking Gas X but got no relief. Someone on here asked about if I had been prescribed Prilosec, I took it, and I feel much better 2. That half the stuff I packed I ended up not needing (the hospital was drafty and I was very sore, so I didn't want to take a shower) 3. That I had brought my own blanket (they kept giving me those flimsy hospital blankets and even when I had about five of them, I still felt too cold) 4. That it's normal if you have trouble peeing right away (when I was moved from recovery into my room, I had to pee so badly and I kept straining but couldn't go. I got REALLY scared. Luckily the nurse calmed me down and when I tried again in 10 minutes, I was fine)

1. Weighing myself more frequently (in the past i would avoid the scale because i hated seeing my weight go up and the accountablity. I woukd go for 2+ months without weighing once) 2. Eating at home and cooking for myself more (I LOVE eating out and on weekends it wasn't uncommon for me to eat Breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack all at restaurants/coffee shops) 3. Increasing my exercise (i'm starting slowly with a 30 minute daily walk, then I want to increase and start going to the gym) 4. Tracking my food (i bought a little note book that fits into my pocket so even days when i don't have a purse i have no excuse for not carrying it) 5. Going out for junk food (no more Chunky Monkey, raw cookie dough, potato chips, etc in the house!). If i want ice cream, i will go out and have a scoop, not a spoon and an entire carton in front of the t.v. for an hour. 6. Being nicer to myself (i avoid mirrors when i am unclothed and when i do look at my body, i am so critical of my lumps and bumps. I am trying to look at myself and focus on the good and take action to "correct" the bad rather than just saying "ugh, look at your flabby thighs. Gross. You are such a pig. Look at your double chin, those nasty, bulging love handles. You're so gross. How can your husband stand to look at you naked?" and eating another hot dog) 7. Smaller, slower bites 8. Not drowning my food in salt and sauces. I've been avoiding salt and other seasonings and am finding that i actually like the natural flavor of a lot of things. Like i used to put salt on foods before even tasting them. 9. Tiny sips of Water all day (this is the hardest) 10. Saying "no thank you" when offered temptations and NOT feeling guilty. (This is hard because in my culture "food is love". So i dread when we go home for the holidays having to tell my husband's sweet Grandmother. "No thank you") Wow! Thank you for this question. It's really made me think and bring my thoughts to paper so they are more concrete. I'm going to copy paste these into a word document and print them out for my WLS scrapbook

My mother in law got one for Christmas. She really likes it. If my sleeve can tolerate bananas iI would like to get one.

Edit: HEY, I just noticed we're Surgery Twins! WHOOOO DECEMBER 23!!!! I'll be sure to check out your blog. Always curious and interested in all things WLS. Here's my menu from yesterday: Day Four, Full Liquids Diet: 8oz GNC Lean Protein shake 4 oz seafood stew (husband strained it for me. he combined shrimp, crab and veggies in a crock pot, poured on some seafood broth and seasonings and cooked it about 8 hours. It was delicious) 11oz plain Water 4oz Dasani Drop flavored water 3.6oz SF chocolate pudding 6oz Butternut Squash Broth (Trader Joe's) 8oz Blackbean Broth (Trader Joe's) 2.5oz Chobani Plain, Lite Yogurt sweetened with Dasani Pina Colada Drops Today I am going to strain some Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden so I can eat out with my family.

Hi, I have mild obstructive sleep apnea. It was recently diagnosed and I was given four options (1. Lose Weight 2. Mouth Guard 3. C-Pap 4. Corrective Surgery. I went with the first option). Anyway, while I was waiting for my sleep study results, my surgeon told me that if I was prescribed a machine, I would need to bring my C-Pap with me to the hospital. The reason is that sometimes sleep apnea patients are harder to rouse/more groggy from the anathesesia than "regular" patients. I was also told that I might need to use it for a day after. When I had my surgery, they didn't have to use a C-Pap on me and I don't think I was anymore out of it than a typical patient. I slept most of my first recovery day, but my breathing was normal. I'm not a doctor, but what I found happened with my own body is that as I've been losing weight, my sleep apnea seems to be correcting itself. At my heaviest, I was about 245lbs and I was having to wake up for frequent bathroom trips, couldn't stay asleep, and was feeling fuzzy brained all day. I lost about 20lbs before the surgery (I was 226 the actual day) and even though my apnea isn't cured, I don't wake up with a bursting bladder anymore, I'm able to make it through the day without needing a nap and I don't wake myself up with my snores/uncomfortable breathing. I hope this was somewhat helpful. I would definitely bring up your concerns with the surgeon so he can address any questions. You'll feel much more relaxed that way. :-)

I'M HERE!!! So glad to see I'm not alone. By chance do any of you know of any support groups in Maryland that meet in person? So far the only groups I'm finding meet during the week and are in Baltimore, which is too far. Any groups that meet nearer to the Redskin stadium or on the weekends in MD?

There's a website called ModCloth that makes really cute, retro clothes. They have a plus size section, but I don't feel comfortable enough in my body right now to wear many of the items. I want to be able to order a regular sized, cute, holiday dress from ModCloth that comes slightly above the knee, with cute, patterned pantyhose and cute shoes, not the ugly orthodic ones I've been forced to wear due to foot and knee pain. For casual holiday get togethers, I look forward to wearing skinny jeans with a tunic that hugs my curves (not rolls mind you, but CURVES)

Did someone post about asking your nutritionist if they knew anyone that might want/need new clothes? Mine runs a WLS support group, plus she sees patients all the time, so she'd be a good resource. I also plan to donate clothing to my church because I know they'll put them to good use at women's shelters and assisting less fortunate members. Even though we have a thrift store nearby, I'm not a fan of taking things there because the employees pick through and take a lot of the "good" stuff to keep for themselves. (One of my friends worked there back in HS)

Disclaimer: I was married when I decided to get the sleeve, but I will still give my opinion incase it helps you. First off, congratulations! Dating so so exciting. Even though I love my husband and the comfortableness between us, I remember how much fun it was when we were still getting to know each other and everything was new and shiny. YAY you! If I were dating (and this is just me) I doubt that I would feel comfortable telling my boyfriend just yet because we're still getting to know each other. I guess it's kind of like talking about exes. It's not that you're ashamed of the last person(s) you dated, but you just wait until you know each other better. I think of my life as a movie and while people are always invited into the "theater" you have to earn a front row seat. For me, time is the best way to determine who deserves front row. Because the decision to get sleeved is one of the biggest, most personal, emotionally/physically/mentally challenging things I have ever done, I choose to only allow four people into the front row (husband, parents, best friend) because time has shown me that I can trust/count on them. Anyhow, that's just my opinion. You will of course have to decide for yourself. If you feel very comfortable with this man and your gut tells you to tell him, then go for it. But if you do tell him, I would recommend that you tell him everything, like how we do pre-opt diet, the weeks of post-opt diet, how much work it is. Before I had WLS, I always thought it was a quick, easy cure. It was my best friend who brought me back to reality (she has the lap band) Whatever you decide, I wish you and yours well.

Ugh, the dreaded pre-opt diet. I was assigned to do it for 7 days, but ended up doing it for 10 because I wanted to start on a Saturday instead of a Monday. A lot of people said it gets easier, but for me, I felt hungry the entire time. I guess the only thing was somewhat easier is I got "used" to a gnawing, growling hunger. Like I'd feel it deep in my gut and it sucked, but I'd just say to myself, "You can have broth or a Protein shake. You are NOT going to eat meatballs/Chipotle/burgers". At first my tummy would keep "crying" and rumbling that it didn't want those things, but I kept telling myself over and over "Protein Shake or Broth. Otherwise, shut up stomach". My stomach still protested, but the cravings got easier to fight. When I got home from work everyday, I would have a headache and feel drained, so I'd lay in bed, but be unable to get into a deep sleep. It was weird because here I'd be dog tired and hungry, but my body would go into a really, really light sleep where the slightest sound would jar me awake. Not very restful. While this is probably not the best thing to do, what motivated me to keep going is I would periodically check the scale (again NOT endorsing this, it's just what worked for me). At first my weight stayed the same, then I began to lose a pound here and there. The day of my surgery I had gone from 240lbs to 226lbs which felt good. You CAN do this. I know it's not easy, but it'll be so worth it.

I thought about it like this - If I stay the same (240lbs and gaining) then I am definitely going to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, need joint replacements, continue to have irregular periods/fertility issues, my sleep apnea get worse, get winded easily, have low energy, have joint pain (I'm not even 30 yet!), avoid social outings because I'm ashamed of how I look, etc before dying an early death. If I have this surgery there is a small chance I could die of a complication, but a much larger chance that I will turn back the clock, reverse the damage I've done to my body and be able to lead a longer, healthier life. I also reminded myself that I had to have a ton of lab work done on me and had my surgeon and PCP checking and double checking me to make sure I was healthy enough for the procedure. It's still scary, but to me the risk of a complication was less scary than the definite of continuing on as I was.

No, i haven't had a hernia or a repair. No, no no... I thought and did the exact same thing! Your stomach needs the acid reducer for healing, as my surgeon told me -it's not just a comfort thing.I'm glad i wasnt the only one! I took a prilosec around Noon and already i am starting to feel better. The pain is so much better. I still feel a little pain/pressure when i eat, but not to the point where i am crying out anymore and avoiding my fluids. You guys ROCK

I am four days post opt and have found that every time I eat/drink anything, when I go to swallow, i get this pain/pressure that seems to come up from my stomach and it sits in my chest. It is hard to describe, but it sits there for 3 to 5 seconds then it goes away. That is until I swallow again. Sometimes it comes when i am not eating. It makes me not want to eat. I am eating slowly (ie: yesterday i took six, slow bites to eat a spoonful of pudding.when i drink my 2 oz of Fluid, i don't guzzle, but use a spoon and it takes me about 3 slow, teeny sips to finish each spoon full. I put the spoon down and take little breaks in between). And yet, i am still having pain. It is making me not want to eat/drink because it hurts. But i cant avoid food because i need to stay hydrated. I dont know if they are related, but when i burp or hiccup my chest and esophagus hurt. My nutritionist is out of town so no help there. Please can u all help me.

I got sleeved on the 23rd and underneath all the gas pain and general soreness that comes with surgery, i realize that i don't feel hungry. Now don't get me wrong, i have head hunger (i smelled some carrots and peas in another hospital room and was like "mmmm" and the same when i smelled a strawberry muffin.) however i don't feel physically hungry. Is that going to change after i'm healed or are those of you who are much further out like that? I'm not having trouble getting down my Clear liquids thankfully, i just am not eating/drinking for hunger snd thirst, but because i know i have to.

I'm so in!

Thanks everyone for your advice. I thought the acid meds were like the pain meds and for an " as needed" basis. I'm going to fill my prescription now and if the pain doesn't go away, i'll call the surgeon on monday. Thanks again! I really appreciate this.

I was prescribed prilosex but have not been taking because i've never had acid reflux so i don't know what it feels like. I thought a id reflux is when you burp and it tastes like vomit/food coming up and it burns?

Thanks Art. That's actually a relief to hear. I hadn't seen a lot of posts about this (which is understandable because there are A LOTof threads on here) so i was scared I was having some weird complication that no one else had ever had. I a, going to give it the weekend and then call if it still feels bad on Monday. I also have a follow up with my pcp on Monday and my surgeon on Friday. If anyone else has gone through this, please post. I want to know if you went t through this, if you found out what it is and/or if are there any things i can do to alleviate it.

They're absolutely right, you do look like your daughter (or should I say she looks like you?). I don't think they were joking when they asked if you guys were sisters. If you had posted this picture without an explanation/caption I would have assumed I was looking at two sisters about 2 - 4 years apart. Talk about an awesome NSV!

Ah, the dreaded (but necessary, lol) liquid diet. What got me through was LOTS of GNC Total Lean Protein shakes and various flavors of broth from the Swanson brand. Not sure if it's still going on right now, but when I was doing my clear diet (I started on Dec 14 - 22) GNC was having a holiday special where it was buy two cases of Protein shake and get 1 free. The cases are 4 bottles of 12oz drink, and each case is about $10, so it saved me a good amount of money.

Wow! I can definitely see a difference. It must feel so good to be making steady progress toward your goal. Keep up the good work (I also like the new hair style. Very chic)

WOW, thank you all for the awesome answers. I'm a few days post opt, and so far I think I'm just having gas/indigestion/heart burn pain. I'm definitely experiencing head hunger and I felt what I think was a small actual hunger pain my first day home because I'd only had like 28oz of my required 48oz (6 cups) of fluids for the day. I'm just hoping that my hunger doesn't become intense and is more "normal" when it does return. Prior to WLS, when I'd get hungry, it's like all my other senses would shut off and all I could think about is when I could stuff my mouth and once I did get food I wanted to cram in as much as possible as fast as possible to turn off the "OMG I'M STARVING! FEED ME!!!" signals my body would scream at me.

OMG get out of my head! That's me to a t! When I was a teenager, my two best friends were a sz 0 and a sz 00 (so basically extra small and extra- extra small) whereas I was 150lbs and a sz 6/8, so I felt like I was enormous. People always told me I was thin and one of my friends posted a picture of us from high school recently and I was SHOCKED at how thin, shapely and good looking I was. Here I felt like Ugly Betty in high school but looked so beautiful. I think you have to try and love yourself where you are as you work to lose weight because what I always found is that I'll feel and think I look disgusting fat at a certain weight, then once I surpass it, I look back at pictures of myself at the previous weight and I'm like, "I wish I could go back there." I remember I was mortified when I hit 200lbs. I actually went home and cried for like an hour because I swore to myself I could/would never get that big and that my life would be over if I did. I recall my mom telling me to work to get smaller because pretty soon 200lbs would seem small if I kept gaining. I did some crash dieting, binge eating, didn't believe her, ballooning up to 245lbs at my heaviest. I'm not saying you shouldn't work to lose weight, just try not to beat yourself up and hate your body because (in my case anyway) it's a downward spiral that leads to self loathing and all these negative feelings that I end up eating away. When I see my rolls, my thighs mashing together, my double chin, etc, I feel a little bad but remind myself that I'm making permanent moves to fix them