JamieLogical

I can't run outside in the cold. I get a horrible cough for the rest of the day whenever I try. My lungs HATE the cold air! That's why I don't schedule any races until April at the earliest. Even in April, it's sometimes only in the upper 30's or low 40's in the early mornings. Why are races always at ungodly hours like 7:00 am?

Next month? Where do you live that running in February isn't horrible?

Yeah, I may not have been having a dedicated exercise time, but I certainly did plenty of physical activity. I didn't gain any weight at all, even through the Holidays. So I must have at least been burning off all the calories I was eating!

Ugh, sorry to hear about what happened with your husband, but it sounds like you really are better off in every way. Congrats on your loss so far and good luck with your continued loss and your training for your full marathon!

Awesome to hear! Thank you for checking in and letting us know you're still going strong!

I am so happy for you. You have clearly come a LONG way and it sounds like every aspect of your life has changed for the better. Good for you!

Typically people stall out or even gain weight when they first begin exercising. But, ultimately, you will lose much more weight over time and, more importantly, more FAT and less muscle over time. Here's a great article that explains why you will initially see a stall or a gain when beginning a new exercise regimen: http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan

The science is still out on that one. The general medical consensus seems to be that, yes you CAN stretch your sleeve, but never back to anywhere near its original size. So it is still there, offering restriction. The trouble some people run into is eating "around" their sleeve by doing things like eating and drinking at the same time, drinking their calories, eating "slider" foods, or grazing throughout the day so their sleeve never has a chance to become completely full.

What food phase are you in? That might help us figure out some good suggestions for you. At 30 days I was on soft foods still.

Every surgeon has a different plan, so you won't know for sure what to expect until you find out more about your specific program. The purpose of the pre-op liquid diet is to shrink your liver, which sits on top of your stomach. Shrinking your liver makes it safer and easier to move out of the way to preform the surgery. My pre-op diet was 15 days and consisted of 3 protein shakes and one green salad with calorie-free dressing per day.

Welcome! Sorry your first post went over poorly. We usually are a great bunch of people overall. It sounds liek the others were right and that your first post just came across as "shady" because you were new to the forums. I hope you get settled in and find the support and advice you need. Also, since you are already sleeved, feel free to answer some of the questions from the newbies who are just beginning their journey. They have lots of questions and answers from people who have been through it go a long way to helping them out.

It depends on what it is. If it's something kind of liquidy, like chili, I could eat 6-7oz. probably. If it's something really dense, like chicken breast, I can do maybe 4oz.? I'm 16 months post-op.

Hey, I,m 36. Probably too old to be shopping from the juniors section, but I don't care!

Forgot to mention that's the belt my husband usually wears with his jeans. I totally stole it from him after he'd already left for work this morning.

The day I was sleeved there was another woman, her fiance, and her cousin all having surgery the same day. I stayed in touch with her a while post-op and it seemed to be going well. The really nice thing about doing it together is you won't have to worry about preparing separate meals!

I would say at least once per hour, more if the drink carts and traffic allow it. Another good tip for on the plane home is to order both apple juice and Water from the flight attendant and mix them together, since straight juice will likely be too much to handle that soon post-op. Oh! And definitely ask strangers for help with your bags. Strangers are way nicer than we give them credit for! I've been to Mexico for surgery twice and both times, strangers were more than willing to help me get my bags into the overhead compartment or off the baggage claim conveyor.

Kind of hard to embrace the stall when it's been about 3 weeks and I'm only 5 weeks post op. That's pretty normal. Almost everyone experiences a stall a few weeks post-op. I HIGHLY recommend just staying off the scale and only weighing about once a week. Focus on the things you CAN control, like your Protein and Water intake and your activity level. The scale is gonna do its own thing and it's best to just ignore it as much as possible. You aren't going to be the ONE scientific anomaly that does everything right and doesn't lose a pound after 2 weeks post-op.

But I bought 10 tickets on my lunch break, so I am pretty sure I am going to win....

I didn't hate my body nearly as much as Luana did on that show either. However, I didn't have nearly as much loose skin as her, so it's hard to say how I would have felt in her shoes. I do know that I am SUPER happy with the results of my plastics, though! It has been 4.5 years since I had plastics and I am still incredibly grateful and enjoying the results every single day!

I've tracked my food the past three days out of curiosity and I've come in at about 70 grams of NET carbs each day. But none of those days have I eaten chips or ice cream or cookies, which I do occasionally indulge in.

@@lauraellen80 Ultimately everyone is going to have to figure out what works for them long term. Guidelines from surgeons and nutritionists are all well and good, but only YOU have to live the rest of your life. I do think establishing a good foundation early on by sticking to the guidelines is critical for success, but over time we all have to find our own way. Sounds like what you are doing is working for YOU and that's all the matters!

Go back to the basics. Protein first. Get your water in. Move around as much as your knee will let you. Try to eat on a schedule rather than eating when you are "hungry". If you are prioritizing protein and eat 5-6 times a day on a schedule, there shouldn't be much opportunity for hunger.

First of all, you can't drink diet pop AT ALL with the sleeve, much less while eating, so what makes you think sleeve is the solution for you. You might have the exact same problem once you are sleeved if you are unable to change your habits. Secondly, have you considered surgery in Mexico? There are some much more affordable options there. You should check out the BariatricPal Mexico & Self-Pay forums: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/486-mexico-self-pay-gastric-sleeve-surgery/

Haha! You really ARE feeling lucky, aren't you?

Awesome! How long have you been maintaining? I am at 4 months maintaining and I have to say, being able to successfully maintain month after month is more exciting to me than actually losing the weight!