1Day1Life4Now

I understand the angst of which you speak. My husband was against the surgery and I went back and forth for 10 years about this surgery. I'm 59 and could kick myself in the behind for wasting these last 10 years when I could have already lost this weight and lived a healthier happier life. People can lose weight by diet but they can't keep it off... that's why we got so big. The surgery is not easy but it does make it a little easier to stick to the diet and it helps you to maintain the loss afterwards. If I could have done this without surgery I would have done so but I couldn't. I had to have this surgery. Nobody can tell you what decision to make. It has to be your choice because it is your life but if you decide to do it, I am sure your boyfriend and friends will come around and support you with the decision you make. You can't waste time asking them what to do because they are not you and they don't deal with your medical issues. This is your decision...own it and do what is best for yourself. Good luck.

If you are watching your other carbs it shouldn't be that bad. I don't eat the bananas anymore because they give me horrible reflux. I stick to the banana flavoring. If the banana smoothie works for you then go for it. This WLS and eating plan is not a one size fits all kind of program. If you find your weight loss has stalled then it could mean you are getting too many carbs and you will know to cut out the banana. This diet is a on the job learning process. Go for it.

Mistymae, how about an update. How are you feeling now? Are you on your pureed foods now? Can you feel a difference in how you feel. You have to train your body about the full feeling. Sometimes you just need to drink fluids and you will get over the full feeling. Other times you just have to fight the urge. Hope you are feeling better and the struggle is getting easier.

Please don't eat things you aren't supposed to, it could hurt your stomach and cause serious problems. I know you feel like you are hungry but you really aren't. At this stage, if you feel you have to have something eat a Jello or soft scrambled egg or even some apple sauce. It will make you feel full and make you feel like you are getting real food. But try to stick to the Soups and it will be over in a few days. You will be able to start eating pureed food in a few days and it will take a couple of weeks on that to get your stomach used to semi solid food. If you stick to the plan you will lose more weight and your stomach will heal like its supposed to. You can do this. I know it seems hard but the rest of us did it and we know you can too. Keep telling yourself how important it is to stay on the plan, It will determine your later successes. Good luck and take it one day at a time.

livvsmum, you have done a great job. That is a lot of weight to lose in 8 months time What an inspiration.

If you have started taking vitamins or are still taking pain medication they could be making you sick. Stop the drugs. As the previous poster said the water can make you nauseous so you might need a little flavoring like crystal light, SF Kool Aid, or some of the others. The first week is pretty difficult and you just might need a couple of more days. Did your doctor give you some anti=nausea medication to bring home? If so take that and if not... call your doctor and get some. Good luck.

PAR, that's a very slippery slope you've tried to manage and it is one best left alone. The best way to discuss these things is in one of the support groups where everyone, including the employees, open up about their experiences. They generally tell their beginning weight and what they have lost to date and sometimes show the before and after pictures. This is where you will get the true gist of what is working for whom. Some people have larger amounts of weight to lose and it takes them quite awhile to get to the point that you might not consider them to be overweight. Everyone is different and not all bariatric patients wish to keep working to get thin. Some just want to get enough weight off to help them deal with their medical problems. I'm not that familiar with the band but from what I've read on here, the weight loss is slower than with the other surgeries so you can compare the bands with the VSG or the By-Pass. The surgery is a tool to assist patients with their diets, it's not a miracle cure and it won't work unless you stick to the diet and we all know that not everybody sticks to the diet. So, you can't look at that particular Bariatric Office to see if the surgery is successful. This forum is awesome and you can see by the posts people make, that they are getting out of the surgery exactly what they put into it. Some people have better results than others, it's just one of those things. Another thing, are you having the lap band? If not then you should be directing your questions more towards the people that have the surgery you plan on getting. I had the sleeve on Feb. 10th, I've lost 46 pounds and I feel its the best thing I've ever done for myself. Good luck.

oh yes, the smaller I get, the smarter and more capable I appear.

We all started out as Newbies so you won't be one for long. I think most of us love food and the process of eating. It's an addiction, although a socially acceptable one so it makes it harder to stop it. You will learn a lot in the nutrition classes but it takes awhile to put it into practice. Because food is the addiction, the habit, the comforter, the friend, the feel good medicine, and it will take awhile for your brain to work around all these issues. That's one reason the pre diet is so important and so helpful. Once you have had the surgery, it will limit the amount of food you can eat but you are the one who will pick which foods you choose to eat. If you make poor choices, it will affect your ability to lose weight. Get in the habit now of making good choices, like drinking Water or calorie free drinks, high Protein, low carbs, no bread, rice, Pasta or sugar. Old patterns are hard to break, even with surgery, so you have to get your mind on board with this. Surgery is the easy part, the diet is the hard part. You will find lots of support here so we hope you will visit often. Good luck.

riisey, just keep on keeping on. We all have stalls and I seem to have a lot of them. I quit worrying about the scale because I know my body is making a lot of changes that the scales don't show. I stepped on the scale this morning and lo and behold...I'd lost 5 pounds. I hadn't lost anything for a month before that. Your body is making all kinds of changes and you are losing inches that you can't see right now. The sleeve will work and you will become thinner so don't focus so strongly on that scale right now. Follow the plan and you will be winner by being a loser. Good luck to you.

I've probably had 11 or 12 surgeries in my adult life and I can say they were all different as far as pain is concerned. I would say that as a general rule I have a high pain tolerance but when you have been sliced open and body parts moved and shifted, you have no idea what kind of pain that can cause another person. People hurt differently, heal differently, and feel differently. Their reality is their reality so who are we to judge? I do feel pushing yourself through the pain and doing more sooner is far preferable to waiting till the pain subsides. Another thing to consider is that everyone's fitness level is different prior to their surgeries and those with diabetes and other illnesses heal more slowly. There are so many variables when it comes to pain and healing.

Maybe @@Alex Brecher can help you with this.

Delaying surgery does not change the grief nor the fact that your father-in-law has passed. Keep your surgery date as you and your hubby need to focus on being healthy so your life can be extended in a healthy and fit fashion. Good luck and sorry for your loss.

As everyone else has said gasX strips and walk walk walk. you have to get it up and moving before you feel any relief. Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

Snowbunny, I can chat. just send me a msg.

I had a headache for the first 5 days. The doctor said it was from the anesthesia. Haven't had one since. The gas could have come back form possibly not moving around a lot? I know its hard to walk and move with an excruciating headache. The first couple of weeks is tough anyway, give it some time. You will do great.

Its different for everyone. For me, two beans is probably normal. I eat about a 1/3 to 1/2 of a fork full when I eat. I've heard some people use baby spoons but I don't like calling attention to myself and that surely would. When I take my lunch to work, I use the plastic spoons and forks and they are just the right size. You could use a salad fork at home and it would help you to take smaller bites but just because you use normal size utensils doesn't mean you have to take large bites. Its an individual process.

My hubby has gotten On-the-job training. He cooks a lot of our suppers and he sees what I can eat and what I can't and he's learning. The main problem is that he is a plate cleaner.... he eats everything on his plate and then cleans mine up too. He was raised to never leave anything on his plate so he doesn't know how to quit eating until its all gone. Why do parents do that to their kids??? Anyway, my hubby is seeing the weight loss and he's good with the eating plan and the results. When we go out to eat, we usually share a plate since I only eat a few bites so it saves us money.

Hi Beth, It's great to have you on the Mississippi forum and so happy that you and your hubby are doing this together. Great support and understanding all built in. You'll be able to get fit and healthy together. I had thought about using University but they were kind of slow getting their program up and running so I went with Central Surgical Associates so I could get the process moving more quickly. I hope you do well and you both have a quick and easy recovery. I'm 3 months out and I feel great. Best decision I ever made.

Yeah, Recycled is right. You just put food in blender and puree' away. I would just put in my tuna or chicken, hardboiled egg, mayo and a slice of green apple and puree. Put it in a couple of containers and take to work for lunch etc. Don't waste too much time trying to figure out puree recipes... you will only be eating them a week or so. Good luck.

Hi CM, Congratulations on your upcoming sleeve date. I have had knee, foot and leg problems for quite awhile and thought I was going to have to have both my knees replaced. My doctor told me they weren't quite bad enough yet but that losing weight would help me. He was right. I've lost about 46 pounds so far and my knees are not hurting. And I'm not taking any pain medication either. My feet are so much better too... though they sometimes still hurt if I've been on my feet too long. My legs don't throb like they used to... its unbelievable that just that small weight loss has made that much difference but it actually has. I will be 59 in July and I feel like the sleeve has given me a second chance to enjoy life pain free. I wish you much luck.

They submitted my insurance and I had an answer 1 week later. My surgery was scheduled for 2 weeks after that. Time frames will vary for everyone. It all depends on how busy your surgeon is and how many opening they have and if you've done all of your preliminary tests. It was a mad rush for me during those last two weeks which I'm thankful for because it kept my mind occupied and away from thinking about surgery. It seems like it was so long ago but it's only been 3 months. I hope you don't have to wait too long... this is a wonderful life style.

I can't imagine a better NSV. congratulations.

Took me about 7 or 8 weeks but everyone is different and it depends on how difficult it was for the surgeon to work on your stomach. I like to think mine is still swollen but I think its all those layers of fat still sitting there.