1Day1Life4Now

Great gift for a well deserved weight loss journey. You do indeed deserve it. Love the color of your car and I know you are going to look awesome driving that around. Congratulations.

I also have sleep apnea and have had it for quite awhile. I'm on my 3rd CPAP machine and I have to tell you ....I've never gotten used to it. I am quite anxious when it comes to having anything around my head and face and though I know there is forced air pressure, I feel like I am being suffocated. I never found a mask that was comfortable, and believe me, I've tried dozens of them!! The nasal pillows are by far the best or at least easiest to tolerate. All of my doctors stress how dangerous the Sleep Apnea is.. not to mention that it causes weight gain and could slow down you weight loss after surgery. I do try to use it but I have to say I am not 100% compliant and I remove it many times in my sleep in the middle of the night. I can only relate my experience, I don't know how to make it easier for you...all I can say is try it. A friend of mine was hesitant about using a cpap until his doctor showed him the video of him sleeping. He flipped and flopped all night like a beached croaker. It made a believer out of him and now he is sold on his CPAP. Maybe it just takes getting used to. Good luck.

Yes I did. I was thinking it was menopause and maybe it is but it could just be the recovery from surgery and getting the anesthesia out of our systems. Whewwww, who ever said this was taking the easy route doesn't have a clue.

I've had that problem for years. I have changed to Protonics, which was prescribed by my doctor. It seems to do the trick for me. Maybe you can get your doctor to prescribe it for you.

Hi, I understand the confusion but you need to make this decision for yourself. Maybe you should have this discussion with your doctor and then it will be more clear what is medically best for you. I chose the sleeve for myself for all of the same reasons that were given by LumpySpacePrincess. I just needed something to help me eat less so I could lose the weight. I didn't want to have to take Vitamins for the rest of my life and worry about malabsorption issues, and I didn't want to deal with "gassiness". I have had no dumping as does happen with the rny. I know the Sleeve is permanent but I wasn't looking for a diet... I was looking for a change in life style so I could have a permanent healthy life. I suppose everyone has their own reasons for choosing which surgery they have but if you do your research and make the comparisons you will find the one that works best for your life style and for your issues. I wish you much luck.

Thanks everyone. I sure get an education on this site. I've learned soooo much.

The first couple of weeks you will be eating soups and other liquids. The purees starting at week 3 can be most anything. I pureed chicken and tuna and added a little sour cream and a little light mayo for chicken salad and tuna salad. I cooked a roast in the crock pot and pureed that in the food processor as well but not till week 4 or 5. I wouldn't waste a lot of time pureeing a lot of food since it will only be for a week or two. You can use grits, oatmeal or scrambled eggs as a meal too. I just altered the food I cooked for my family. If they wanted hamburgers I would just cook some loose ground beef and have that with a little bit of mashed potatoes. It was tasty and went down very well. You have to plan your meals but don't over think things, its easier than you think.

Hmmm, I've heard of trolls under the bridge and troll dolls but what is a troll on this forum? Color me under-informed.

Lordy Lordy, I hope I don't lose shoe sizes... I wear a 7 1/2 wide. I don't mind losing width but I don't want to lose length. My feet already look too small for my body. I have noticed all the shoes I have now are loser and I'm good with that.

Color me guilty because I had the egg drop soup both pre and post-op. It saved me because that chicken broth in a can had no taste and I was not motivated to eat it.

my2bys9799, I alternate between the Premier Protein Shakes and the Atkins shakes. The Premier has 30 grams of protein and the Atkins only has 15 grams. Both come in Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry. I also use the Unjury in smoothies I make at home. I purchased the Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies Book and it provides a lot of good meal ideas and also provides quite a few recipes. My surgeon's office gave me a book regarding the meal plan but that was not given to me until I went through the nutritional counseling two weeks before surgery. Yours will probably do the same. You have to find things you will eat/drink and your tastes will change. I know a lot of people on this site use the Isopure drinks. They are very high in protein but I can't stand the taste of them. I just don't want to spend money on things I don't like and I will not force myself to drink something that tastes bad to me. You might enjoy the taste so you might want to try one sometime. I am on full foods now but I still drink the shakes to insure that I get all my protein in each day. I'm still struggling with the 64 ounces of water but I do try. Anything I can help you with, just let me know. You can private message me anytime. You are going to love this sleeve so much more than the band. Its going to change your life and you are definitely going to lose weight. You will want to kick yourself in the behind for waiting so long. ha ha. Janet

Get off of those scales. Weighing everyday will drive you nuts and cause you stress. Your weight can and will fluctuate every day. Weigh once a week and don't stress over it. Our bodies are not a solid blob with a stationary weight, we are made up of a mixture of fluids, tissues, cells and other things that are constantly moving and regenerating. We hold fluid...we release fluid. That's just part of being a human. You will lose weight as long as you follow the plan so focus on eating and drinking correctly and enjoy the weight loss, don't make it a daily stressful event. You will gain a pound or two from time to time and it is perfectly normal so don't worry about it. Try to enjoy the release from food addiction.

Are you on the Post-op diet or the Pre-op diet? Pre-op seems difficult because you don't have anything to suppress your appetite. All I can say is that you have to be mentally strong and keep focused on your goal. To have surgery you need to stay on the diet they have given you so your liver will shrink. The added bonus will be that you will lose some weight prior to surgery and you will just be that much closer to goal after surgery. SF jello and SF popsicles seemed to help me a lot both pre-op and post-op so you might want to try adding those and maybe it will get your mind off of eating and satisfy a few hunger pangs. Good luck.

Okay, now you guys have me crying. I wish my mom was still here on earth as I know she would give me this same kind of support. I have not shared my WLS with any family members other than hubby and daughter because of the ignorant comments I know I would get. I think it is wonderful that Mamabear has done all of this research and spends time reading the boards. She is an INFORMED and supportive family member. Wish they could all be that way. I am so thankful that Alex created these boards...we owe him a lot. I am thankful for all of the members here and for their willingness to be so open and real, I've learned a lot and the support from strangers is amazing. Feeling so blessed today.

Hi Booniedog, I am so glad everything turned out so well for you. Sounds like you traveled around the world to get your sleeve. Congratulations and hope you continue to do well. Hope to see you post on the boards more often. Life only gets better after this.

I was told to walk as much as possible and then at 4 weeks I could add the treadmill and stationary bike only. At 6 weeks I could add light hand weights and slowly add other exercises. Right now I exercise twice a day. In the morning I walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes and the stationary bike for 10 or 15 and then do the same in the afternoon. I can't tell you how much of a difference this has made for me. I do this 5 days per week but I think I will add something extra on the weekends. What ever you choose to do....keep at it and keep moving, it's the secret weapon.

RJ and PdxMan said it all. Can't get any better than that.

Hi My2bys9799, Its good to have you here. Congratulations on your acceptance for surgery. I don't have any personal experience with the band but I am 7 weeks post-op from Sleeve surgery and I am just as excited about it now as I was in the waiting period before hand. It is an amazing tool. I am losing weight but I exercise 5 days a week and I stick to my eating plan. In all of the posters I have seen on this board I think I've only read one time where a poster said they weren't losing weight with the sleeve. I honestly don't see how but that is what they posted. Unlike your band, the sleeve is a permanent change to your anatomy and you will need to alter your eating habits for life. If you are willing to do that, this is definitely going to work for you and you will be so pleased with your progress. The first 2 to 3 weeks are not really too much fun but its worth it and in the over all scheme of things, what is 2 or 3 weeks? After all if it will give you a healthy weight for the rest of your life it is a small price to pay. You will be successful at this and you will have lots of support here so come often and post much.

Gall bladder issues can present themselves in many ways. Yes, pain is one of them, and sometimes nausea. I had a couple of gall bladder attacks but mine were before I ever had surgery. You need to go to the doctor and make sure. You ate a lot of food that was not on your diet and that could very well have brought on the attack but its eating fatty foods that causes gall stones and when they are in your gall bladder they can cause a lot of pain and sometimes you don't even know they are there. Don't take any chances, get to a clinic and let a doctor examine you.

Yayy, congratulations. It's so wonderful to see progress and reward after all that hard work. Keep it up and you will soon be at goal.

I had a 3 week stall and then I upped my food intake just a little and started my exercise program. I exercise twice a day for 25 minutes. Walking on treadmill and stationary bike. Since I started this....the weight has been falling off at about 5 pounds per week. But...more than the weight loss...my body is morphing. Even during the stall my body was changing. So, life after surgery isn't just all about the numbers...muscle tone, shape and other benefits have to be considered.

ROFL, men are always afraid they will be accused of saying the wrong thing....which they usually so. Ask a friend whom you trust to give you feedback. flat butt or not....getting out of the mom jeans is huge victory. congratulations.

dsteimen, thank you for all of your posts. The purpose of this site is to inform and I think that is what you did. I have talked to 2 other people that had similar complaints. Good luck to you.

All of my Premier Shakes have been fine. Of course I drink them up so fast they don't have time to go bad. I like the Premier because they have 30 grams of protein but if I was going for taste it would be Atkins Shakes, hands down. They taste like a rich vanilla milkshake, especially when really cold. I find its best to change it up and not stick to the same thing since that tends to cause food bordem. Also you can make your own shakes and add what ever flavors you want.

I painted a 3 foot high wooden Easter Egg as a hanging ornament for my front door. It turned out pretty good, if I say so myself. So, I posted a photo of it on face book with me holding it. Holy cow, I got so many comments but they weren't about the door ornament, they were all about me. I've lost 35 pounds but people were acting like I had lost 80 lbs or something. All the comments were so positive and I had no idea anyone would really even notice. I felt like a rock star with all of the comments. LOL I am loving this sleeve and I am so motivated to stay on this diet and do what I am supposed to do in order to lose the weight. I am so excited.