butterfly23

Thanks @@NoMoBand and @@Soapandcandlequeen! I am hoping others may add to this list as I am working hard to focus on the positives and can always use more ideas. Best of luck to you!

Congratulations! Remember this feeling during your next stall, as your focus and committment got you here once, it will continue to support your loss.

HydroFlask (even in 90 degree weather keeps ice all day) and iphone (my fitnesspal, tracking water and other daily goals, my bariatricpal, inspirational quotes etc)

I am almost 3 months post surgery and a vegetarian. Breakfast is a Protein drink or protein smoothie then a greek yougurt for snack. lunch is string cheese, 1 oz almonds and some fake meat (tempeh or seitan usually). Snack is 1/4 apple with nut butter and dinner is tofu or refried Beans or eggs with veggies. Lots of Water and some G2 = 800-1000 calories and at least 80 grams of protein. Once or twice a week I have a protein bar instead of lunch when busy at work. If other vegetarians have ideas for easy protein, please share.

My BMI was over 60 at my highest, down almost 75 lbs now (half before surgery, half afterwards) and I am about 10 weeks out. The mantras on here about Water, Protein and exercise are true for me thus far! Thanks for this topic, it is encouraging and inspiring to hear about others' experiences.

Congratulations on your success and thanks for sharing your lessons learned!

Thank you for this topic, I too have been having hot flashes (I am a little more than 2 months post op) and have been wondering if and how they are related....and thanks @@AvaFern for your observation, I will pay more attention to see if related to eating, although in general I do not consume much sugar. I was optimistially hoping it was my high level of fat burning...

Thanks for sharing! I was wondering if others with a butterfly had rationale similar to mine. Hope you fly like the beautiful butterly you are. I chose a butterfly because (forgive my overgeneralization) most caterpillars eat and eat for their whole lives until they are ready to go into their chrysalis or cocoon. After their metamorphasis, they come out as a butterfly. I have spent my life eating and eating - eating to deal with my childhood trauma, eating to soothe, eating to Celebrate. About 5 weeks ago now I decided I have eaten enough, had VSG and went into my chrysalis. I spent the last three weeks after surgery re-learning to take care of myself with Water, Vitamins and Protein and journaling to try and heal the past that led me to eat so much. Now, I am re-engaging in life with my new skills and tools. While I have a long journey ahead of me and much more weight to lose, for the first time in my life I feel more like a butterfly than a caterpillar. Thank you to everyone on this site for your sharing and wisdom - it has been and will continue to be very helpful.

All "greek" yogurts are not the same. True greek yogurt is extensively strained to get the whey out which then leads to thicker, more condensed yogurt with more Protein.... Yoplait (and others) are not true greek yogurt as they use additives and fillers to thicken the yogurt, so if you are concerned about getting true additive-free yogurt, check the label for things like guar gum and pectin, carrageenan, sodium citrate, potassium sorbate, corn starch. I know this doesn't matter to everyone, but it did to me when I learned so thought I would share. I personally eat Fage, which as no fillers, additives etc added. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/07/19/156997600/high-tech-shortcut-to-greek-yogurt-leaves-purists-fuming

Thank you for all the support and kind words! I'm ready to fly!

I have noticed that many use a butterfly as an avatar on this site. I chose a butterfly because (forgive my overgeneralization) most caterpillars eat and eat for their whole lives until they are ready to go into their chrysalis or cocoon. After their metamorphasis, they come out as a butterfly. I have spent my life eating and eating - eating to deal with my childhood trauma, eating to soothe, eating to Celebrate. Almost a month ago now I decided I have eaten enough, had VSG and went into my chrysalis. I spent the last three weeks since getting home from the hospital re-learning to take care of myself with Water, Vitamins and Protein and journaling to try and heal the past that led me to eat so much. Now, I am getting ready to head back to work and to re-engage in life with my new skills and tools. While I have a long journey ahead of me and much more weight to lose, for the first time in my life I feel more like a butterfly than a caterpillar. Thank you to everyone on this site for your sharing and wisdom - it has been and will continue to be very helpful.

I am on soft foods too and have been handling them well, overall. Finding some high Protein recipes, like the ricotta bake, has been helpful as I am vegetarian and struggling a bit with protein. Trying to get these habits into place before going back to the chaos that is my job...how about you all? Back at work yet?

I am two weeks post-op and getting into processed foods, so I need to watch my carbs for the first time in a while...how many grams of carbs are people trying to stay under for maximum loss? I am doing fine getting my liquids and Protein in, but worry I am going over in carbs (60 g yesterday). I am struggling between really wanting to be low carb for fat burning but also wanting fruit and being tired of the artificial sweetners. If you are willing to share, please do. Thanks!

I have been using herbal teas to flavor my water and have found some great flavors (peach, passion fruit, hibiscus, blueberry etc). No caffeine, no calories and natural. Steep a couple bags and then dilute with water. It is not sweet, but very refreshing and has helped me drink more water, especially iced - I highly recommend trying as there as so many different flavors.

Congrats on your sleeve and journey! My husband is a massage therapist, so I have learned a bit over the years in helping him buy equipment. There is the weight limit on the table and then some have a "working weight" which means the weight of the client plus weight of the massage therapist exerting pressure. Many tables have a 500 lb working pressure. But GOOD tables, those that are used daily usually can take much more - for example, Earthlite tables are very well made and usually have working weight over 2000lbs. Most likely you will be fine on most tables as long as they are not of the cheap variety. I got a massage when I was about 400lbs at a salon no problem, but if you are worried you can always ask.

Hard to believe it has almost been two weeks since surgery for some of us! While recovery was a bit harder than I expected, I am now feeling much better and adjusting to my new diet. Congrats @@tifperez41515 on your significant loss! I am much slower, but trying to be patient. @@jacobsmom - how are you doing?

I am on Kaiser and just had surgery 4.15.15, although it seems like each region is different. My only wait after finishing classes was for those ahead of me to get scheduled - about 9 months overall from orientation to surgery. Good luck!

I am so thankful for this site and everyone sharing their experiences and wisdom - I feel much more prepared for my surgery next week. I just decided to not "hide" my weight from my profile anymore despite my fear of being stigmaized (I already had one person comment on my BMI on this site) because I am ready for this surgery, this change and I do not have the energy to worry about judgement from others anymore. Plus, I was inspired by a few of you who are honest about your weight in your profile. I am seeking others who have 200 lbs or more to lose and are willing to share how your journey has been and anything you've learned. I am happy for anyone who is ready to make this huge life shift, but I've only seen a handful of posts from people, like myself, who have so far to go on the scale. I am taking it day by day and trying to heal the things that led to my overeating and obesity while learning these new skills to take care of myself and eat healthfully. What is working for you?

@@sbarbiegirl yay! Thanks for sharing the pics and the inspiration...Everyone who has responded to this thread has been so positive, thank you! I can't belive I get sleeved the day after tomorrow, and I feel ready thanks to everyone on this site.

I am getting my sleeve through Kaiser and they require a 4 week liquid diet (optifast) and I started this morning. I really appreciate all the wisdom experienced sleevers share as I know it will get better in a few days. I am trying to remember that every pound I lose before surgery is one less pound I have to lose afterwards! Thanks for reading - any suggestions on how to best get through 4 weeks is appreicated!

Thank you for all the wonderful posts and feedback - you are my inspiration!! I really appreciate that several of you noted emotional eating and the importance of addressing it. I am currently going through a workbook on emotional eating and while difficult, is helping me deal with some of the root causes of my past overeating (yay, I can say past after almost 3 weeks on this liquid diet!). Thanks again everyone. I am tired of being ashamed of my weight and ready to be proud of my changes and you all are helping me do that.

I also have surgery scheduled for the 15th...can you believe a week from today at this time we will be done? After almost a year of hoops to jump through, I am ready! Excited, scared, but ready. How has your pre-op diet been going?

Thanks for your post snickysnack. Part of our work is acknowledging our struggles to see if there is anything behind them that needs attention, healing, letting go, whatever your process is. Please do not be so hard on yourself, find a balance between compassion and accountability. There are all those times you did not buy or eat a donut too. It is more important to figure out why you did it. If you were famished, find healthy Protein bars or other snack to carry so you aren't making decisions from such hunger. If it was more emotional, look into the role food has played for you. If it was rebellion, find othe healthy ways to take risks...only you can find your path. I am having my surgery next week, so many on here have so much more wisdom to offer than I, but from my experience thus far committing to WLS is about letting go and having forgiveness (for myself and others) so that I can let go of this weight forever - and let go of whatever the weight was doing for me. Best of luck to you on your journey and be kind to yourself - it is a tough one and you are doing it!

Wow, congrats!! You must be in shock but I'm thrilled for you it is happening so fast! I am also schedued for April 15th, although for me it has been a long year to get here. Hope the pre-op is going well for you thus far, cannot believe a week from tomorrow is our big day.

I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts, thank you for honesty! I am one week into my 4 week Optifast required pre-op....doesn't seem like many others have 4 week?! It does get better, but still hard. Not sure if it helps others, but I keep telling myself that this surgery is my choice and it will be more successful the better I can do (I ate handful of peanuts once and a pickle once - not bad in my book). The more I remind myself this pre-op is by choice, the less I feel upset about the pre-op diet as I can take ownership instead of feeling like I'm forced to do it. Don't get me wrong, I'm cranky at times but this shift in thinking (and going to bed early like others mention) has really helped.