Mike4132

sugar free Popsicles. If I can't have 2-3 of them per day I get cranky. I really enjoy thin crust Hawaian pizza every once in awhile, but I mostly just eat the toppings off a slice or two with maybe a bite or two of crust.

I drink it in moderation due to he high carbs. Tastes great and a lot more protein than regular milk!

Try pressing a pillow against your stomach as you raise and lower yourself to take some of the strain on your abdomen. I also needed to roll on my side and then do most of the sitting up by pushing up with my arms. When you do it right you can feel a lot less "pull" on the incisions and in your stomach.

I just realized this morning that i have dropped under the "obese" range on the height and weight charts and am now only "overweight"! I never thought I'd be so happy to be considered overweight. ???? What an amazing thing a sleeve and 4 months can do!

Thanks! Hang in there, it's normal to have nerves before surgery. Try to remember that you made the decision when you were thinking straight and for the right reasons. In a few short months you will have a new life and you will have forgotten about all the nears, fear, and second guessing. The physical part is easy, the head part a little harder, but if you are prepared, it's not that tough either. I highly recommend this book which you can download. It really helped me be prepared mentally for the feelings and emotions that come about after surgery. When it's not a surprise, I've found that it's MUCH easier to cope. TheEmotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide To Life After Bariatric Surgery. Best of luck on your surgery! Let us know how you are doing.

Congratulations on both your surgery and your courage!

Sorry my post above didn't come out right. I meant to mention "ilikecake2much" as winning the unofficial best name on the forum contest!

@@ilikecake2much

This is my favorite guilt free snack that is loaded with protein. Mix 1 package of sugar free chocolate pudding (or any flavor) with 2 cups Fairlife milk (it has double the protein of regular milk) until smooth. Then add 5 scoops of Unjury plain protein powder and mix again. Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze. Each pop has about 13 grams of protein And they taste better than a fudgsicle in my opinion. I use these Popsicle molds that I bought on Amazon and the recipe is perfect for 6 servings. Sunsella Mighty Pops - Silicone Popsicle Molds - 6 Pack

I haven't seen these before. Has anyone used them? They seem inexpensive and one a day would be nice versus the 3 per day brand I'm using now. Anyone have feedback on the Procare brand?

I could feel something was missing the first few weeks but now everything feels normal. Immediately after surgery I could feel my entire stomach shift if I rolled on my right side while lying in bed. It was weird and uncomfortable so I usually stuffed a pillow there for support. I dont notice anything at all now and feel perfectly normal. I sometimes forget I even have a sleeve......until I start eating.

People I work with know about my surgery and now that I'm down 75 lbs I'm getting them same type of comments. (Don't lose too much weight.......you should stay right where you are now, etc.) I'm still considered "obese" by all the height/weight charts and I've still got fat on me so I'm pressing on. Not that I really have a choice, the weight just keeps coming off! It's weird how people behave when they see a change in someone. It's got to be related to seeing a difference in a short period of time because no one is going around telling other long term thin people these things. I'm going with Kcos626's advice and giving them the finger from here on out.

I ate a plate of nachos......in a dream last night. Woke up feeling paranoid and guilty as hell, convinced I gained weight overnight just by dreaming about junk food. There was nothing on my nightstand other than the sugar free Popsicle wrapper that was there when I fell asleep so there was no evidence of sleep walking but I still had to race to the scale to make sure. And I was down a pound.....Take THAT vicious subconscious!!! Anyone else ever have bad food dreams? My head games seem to have moved to a new level.....

I'm 4 months out and still love the sugar free Popsicles! Congrats on your surgery and weight loss!

"The Emotional First Aid Kit" is a good read prior to surgery and it goes beyond the physical aspects that most books dwell on. The mental stuff is the hardest part and honestly even that isn't really that tough.

I was out a month but probably could have gone back a week or two earlier if it was necessary. It feels weird at first, but not really in a painful way. The pain meds were more than enough to take the edge off and only needed those for the first week. The wake up in recovery is about the only painful part but that is very brief. Hunger is sometimes an issue but it's a different and much more manageable hunger than before. I find that the further out I get the less physically hungry I feel although my head often wants to eat. When I do eat it's almost a dissapointment since my head is expecting more but my sleeve is full fast. (I also eat way to fast so that probably doesn't help) Overall, it's great and weight melts off pretty easily. I'd do it again for sure. Be sure to read up and prepare for the mental aspects of it. Being prepared helps when your head starts messing with you, and it probably will.

We are close to the same starting weight, height,surgery dates, and goal weight. I'll race you to 200....

32-34

The band and the sleeve are both restrictive surgeries versus malabsorptive. I wonder if you rheumatologist is confusing the sleeve with the bypass since bypass is both restrictive and malabsorptive. I've read about alot of complications with the band lately so I'd definitely recommend doing as much research as possible before making a decision. Lots of people have had it without issues also though. Personally, I'm very happy with the sleeve but I have nothing to compare it to!

Yep, and I'm 4 months out and 75 lbs down. Every time I hit a momentary stall I wonder if this is where it ends......and then a week later it starts dropping again. It's a head game for sure.

I say Friend! I eat crawfish and all other seafood with no problems. While in the puréed stage take it very slow and be careful of food that is too dry. (Some fish bothered me at first but only because it was dry.) Some have different interpretations of what puréed means but my Nutritionist was ok with eating chicken/fish as long as it was moist and chewed to baby food consistency before swallowing.

Sounds good and should be ok. I've heard boiled cabbage leaves make a good substitute for noodles in lasagne when in the later stages. Haven't tried it yet though.