Bluesea71

The one thing I'll add to the list are those tiny dixie disposable paper cups. They are exactly 3oz and in the first month, handy to have so I wouldn't have to dirty up a bowl or plate every time I ate few small bites of cottage cheese or whatever I was eating!

Hi Monique! I'm about to go to sleep, but will send you a PM tomorrow. The first few weeks are the worst. I'm now 7 weeks out and besides a little restriction and scars on my tummy, I feel normal! You will get through this!

I'm now going on 7.5 weeks post op and all of my incision are healing up nicely. Getting very small, but one of the two still had something poking out. I was able to rub it just now and another stitch slid out.

Melodica - I'm sorry that you are having such a hard time. I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough to share your true feelings on this forum. First of all, I think you need to cut yourself some slack. You have had some normative life transitions (i.e.: moving, leaving your friends and support system) that you have had to deal with in addition to recovering from surgery. It's going to take some time to settle in. I agree, most bariatric programs don't do enough to prepare patients for the lifestyle changes being required of them post-surgery. I'm lucky that my program at Kaiser required me to attend a lot of classes pre-surgery and closely monitors us all post-surgery for at least the next three years. Regardless, I did a lot if excess research on my own. Investing in books and read people's online blogs about their surgery experience. I do feel I knew what I was getting into with this surgery. I had my eyes wide open and that's probably why I'm able to stay positive even when I'm having a bad day. Here's the thing, weight loss surgery isn't a cure- all. If you had depression before surgery, you will struggle with it post surgery. If you were an emotional eater pre-surgery, chances are you're still going to look for comfort through food post surgery. We are creatures of habit. It's normal to go back to old ways of coping. Pre-surgery I didn't plan meals and often ate on the go. Guess what? I still struggle with planning and slip into old patterns of behavior. I want to change though because doing the same thing over and her again expecting different results is the definition of insanity. I didn't like the person being reflected back to me in the mirror. My outside didn't accurately reflect back the smart, confident person I am in so many other areas of my life. I was ready for a change. This motivates me when I'm struggling. I also realize I'm human. I frequently cheat AND I've consistently lost weight every week, so I've learned that this surgery doesn't require us to be "perfect." Regarding food, there are plenty of websites online to help you navigate different things to eat. As someone has already mentioned in this thread, www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com is a good one that has tons of recipes to prepare ahead of time and store in the freezer. The old me ate mostly processed, fast food. I live a busy life running my own business and raising two kids. I struggle daily with not continuing old patterns of behavior that led me to be fat and unhealthy. Is it easy to make lifestyle changes? No. But I know if I continue down the path I was on, I will suffer medical complications from being obese that are far worse than the minor inconveniences I'm struggling with post-surgery. Specific books I have found helpful are "the big book on the gastric sleeve" by the BP founder, Alex Brecher. Another one recommended by the Psyc. Who did my evaluation is "the emotional first aid kit". Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Would you consider talking to a therapist who specializes in weight loss surgery?

Kaiser doesn't cover it. Or at least Northern California didn't.

6/6 check in: 199.8

What state do you live in? Many states (thanks to Obama care) are mandated to cover weight loss surgery. I'm assuming if this is the case though, blue cross would be aware of it.

Thanks for posting the checkin butterfly. I know it's a crazy time of year for me! First time all day I've had to breathe! 1) height / weight starting our wls programs: 236, 5' 7" 2) weight day of surgery: 226 3) weight seven week post op / pounds lost/gained: I weigh 199.8, 2 pounds lost this week, 36 pounds total 4) goal weight-140 5) your biggest success this week: Getting under 200 pounds! I also went to old navy on the way home to replace my favorite pair of dark wash diva jeans. New pair is a size 14! First time (in a long time) I stood in line to pay and didn't hide the size tag! 6) your biggest struggle this week: I've had a chronic UTI infection for 4 weeks now. On round 4 of a different antibiotic. The current one is wrecking havoc on my intestines. I'm sure not drinking enough Water isn't helping the situation. Seeing the urologist tomorrow....

Mysleeveid13 - are you referring to the recorded weight I show in my signature at the bottom of my posts? I don't think think there is a way to do it on the phone app. On the computer version, click on your name in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Click on "my settings" and on the left hand side you will see "signature" listed under profile settings. Click on "signature" and scroll down to the box where you can enter information and press save changes.

Yeeeeessssss!!!!!!!!!

Whether to tell or not is a personal one. The only people who know I had surgery is my parents and my honey. I'm glad I didn't tell anyone as I don't like to be the center of attention in anything. What I can tell you, is Weight loss surgery isn't on anyone's radar. I've been out to dinner with girlfriends, at work... Nothing. Recently people have noticed my weight loss and I just told them the truth - that I have made some drastic lifestyle changes. Specifically, no caffeine, carbonation, fast food, processed food, limited carbs and no liquid calories. 99.9% of the time the conversation then turns about THEIR struggles/successes with weight. The tricky part is your boss knows. Do you trust her to keep your information private? I went back to work 12 days after surgery, so my co-workers have seen my progress the last several weeks. At 2-3 pounds per week, it wasn't noticeable to them at first. It was really only after the last week or two that people started commenting. They think I had a hernia repaired the two weeks I was gone (which IS true!.) If I was in your shoes, I would simply acknowledge that you've lost some weight, laugh that you've had time to exercise with all of your time off and had more time to plan meals vs. eating on the run, etc. then say something like, "now being back at work, I hope to keep it up!" It's all the truth, right? It's up to you to set boundaries around how much you feel comfortable sharing with others in your life. We don't always have to be an open book. Sometimes it's more appropriate not to. Good luck!

I have thin hair to begin with and lately I've noticed my scalp showing more than usual. I tend to loose a lot of hair in the shower. I've consumed a minimum of 60 grams of Protein consistently since the day of surgery. A weight loss of 2-3 pounds per week (as I have been averaging) doesn't seem excessive enough to send my body into shock! I have been lax about taking my Vitamins, but made a vow to take them everyday from now on. Regardless, ordered the Nioxin cleanser, scalp therapy conditioner and Diamax thickening xyrafusion treatment on Amazon, which arrived today. I'll let you know if it makes any difference. I paid $40 for a liter each of shampoo/conditioner and $22 for the treatment. I got the 4 option for color-treated hair. It smells like menthol candy canes. Not my favorite, but much better than the option available from Redkin that my hairdresser carries.

SO CLOSE!

I'm with you. Post surgery I'm still not a big breakfast eater, so I like to have a stash of ready made protein drinks ready to go to drink in the car in the morning. At now 6 weeks out, I'm growing tired of the vanilla premiere protein i prefer. Now I take a sip to make room in the container and add a few splashes of sugar-free torani syrup to make different flavors. The cherry was delish! The premiere protein is 160 calories and 30 grams of protein. I liked the Isopure low-carb pre-made pre-surgery, but now I think it has a funky after taste and its only 17 grams of protein. Many people don't realize they are adding a lot of extra calories and carbs when they make their powered protein shakes in the blender with fruit, Milk and misc. ingredients. Before you know it, it could end up being a 500 calorie drink!

1) height / weight starting our wls programs: 5'7", 236 2) weight day of surgery: 226 3) weight six week post op / pounds lost/gained: Current weight is 201.8. 1.4 pounds lost this week, 34.8 overall. Hoping to get to onederland next week! 4) goal weight: 140 5) your biggest success this week: I exercised more this week than I have post surgery. As a result, my weight loss wasn't as high, but I feel tone and I can see muscle definition. I feel less like a pile of mush. 6) your biggest struggle this week: I need to put more energy into planning meals on the go. 7) What is your goal for next week: take my Vitamins every day, exercise more.

Can you have it? Sure. Should you have it? NO! Sugar free ice cream is still loaded with simple carbohydrates. It is empty calories that will slide right through your pouch. With that being said, if you can handle eating a spoonful or two on occasion, I don't see the harm. On the other hand, If it's a binge food, steal clear from the frozen foods isle!

If it doesn't easily slide out, don't pull it! It's probably best to just leave it alone anyway.

Count me in! Today's weight is 202. My mini goal is 190 by 4th of July

It really isn't that big. It's probably 1-1.5 mm or so. The part that was poking out was one of the tiny sides above the knot. I'm pretty certain these stitches desolve on their own. Problem is the part poking up was irritating the incision and it wouldn't heal around it

Thought I'd give an update. I could still feel the hard plastic stitch that I cut back a few weeks ago. All of my incisions are healing nicely except this one. Tonight I tried to grab it with my tweezers. Remember, I tried this a few weeks ago and it started to open up my wound so I stopped and just cut it back with sterilized nail clippers. This time, the stitch slid right out. I will attach a picture. Midway there is a knot in it. I'm now 5.5 weeks out.

In my pre surgery classes, they mentioned Kaiser would cover skin removal IF it had been well documented that you were experiencing rashes or discomfort (ie: skin being caught in zipper, etc). Keep in mind that skin removal is very different from a tummy tuck. Tummy tucks also include cutting the under muscle and tightening it as many people have weak muscles which add to the extended pouch.

My surgery was on April 16th. I was 226 at the time of surgery and the next day dropped 11.4 pounds. I'm convinced the part of the stomach they removed was huge! I've never lost that much again. The following week was under 2 pounds and the other weeks have been around 3 pounds. I haven't had a stall yet! Everyone's weekly weight loss will vary. The more excessive weight you have to loose, your weekly weight loss will be higher.

I've been getting a minimum of 60 grams of protein in since the first week of surgery. I am paranoid about losing my hair! I'm also midway through week 6 and have yet to have a stall and have been loosing about 3 pounds per week now. I think having consistently high protein levels has something to do with it. I aim for 80-90 grams now. It's easy to do by consuming two premiere protein shakes per day @ 30 grams each. I drink one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I can't take in that much protein in solid form. I'm growing a tad tired of the vanilla premiere shake, so I added a few shots of torani syrup to it last week. The cherry was delish!

I think raw veggies would be hard to digest, so waiting until our pouch is fully healed is wise. Not sure why it's advised to avoid fruit, except for the high carb count which may slow down weight loss. I have had a few bites of salad. I can only get a dew bites in and I'm done at this point. The issue with straws is the air you suck in before you get to the liquid. Pre surgery, you wouldn't notice it, but post surgery you might. I say might because I noticed air pain in the beginning when I tried (sorry, it's the rebel in me!) but now I don't notice it. If you don't notice any pain from air, not sure what the harm is. I don't use straws because I always end up drinking too fast when I do and it hurts. I don't know the reasoning behind gum. Anyone? Anyone?