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Were you taking any meds for it prior to surgery that you've not resumed taking ? How is you mobility been these last two weeks? Joints can sometimes get stiff and painful if they aren't used as much.

Atkins would be the last bar I'd want due to all the sugar alcohol. It screws my system up badly. Maybe you'll have better results. Quest Bars are hands down the best I've ever tried. Very high in Protein, low in sugar, high in Fiber and the flavor is killer. Most all of the Protein powder when mixed with ice Water seems to work out great for me. There is a wide, wide range of excellent low-carb protein powder available.

The local one here ran a $9.99 / month deal but it was either 12 or 24 months contract. They run the same specials at Gold's, too.

As far as calcium goes I hand seriously vouch for these: https://www1.bariatricadvantage.com/catalog/us-en/2/Calcium The flavor of each of the Chewy Bites 500's are outstanding. I never would have heard of them but our NUT brought samples in for us to try. Everyone in the class seemed to prefer these to the chalky tasting alternatives. Great product. I actually look forward to taking my calcium.

Howdy, Dave. That's great news. Glad everything is going well for you. Looking forward to seeing your future posts.

Why can you not live without them ?

Congrats on your surgery. My surgeon kept it simple and gave me my rundown until I see him again. Different bariatric centers have different plans. Different surgeons within the same plan sometimes have different plans. I would contact the surgeon that did your surgery and get instruction from them and only them. I hope your pain is easing up as well as the dreaded nausea.

I'm day 5 post op. Haven't started the official workouts yet. I'm still in the germaphobe stage and want these 9 new holes to heal up before I touch anything in the gym. I've been walking around the house....in the driveway......up & down stairs a couple times a day. Hernia still bothering me when standing up, but no complaints. When I do begin the gym work it will initially be limited to walking inclines on the treadmill. After a couple months I'll add the elliptical machine (depending on how knees and back are doing). Hopefully at month 5-6 I'll add weight training, too. I will not be doing free weights, but using plate loaded machines. I have a bad shoulder and other issues and want the restricted range of motion that the machines offer. Looking forward to the changes. I doubt I'll be in beach-shape by this Summer, but I will enjoy some long walks down the beach with a shirt on. I'm really looking forward to the weight coming off and the joints feeling better and better.

Awesome. You were in the best of care at Duke. That is well worth any delay and aggravation with having to change over. If I still lived in NC there is no doubt that I would have pursued going to Duke for my surgery. The place is unbelievable in every way. Top Notch. Sounds like you are doing very well and there is no reason for you to not continue along this path toward you goal. Great job.

I think I made my surgeon feel good when he came to my room for follow-up visits the day off and day after surgery. I was having such minimal pain from the sleeve that I had to question him on it. He pulled my crazy looking hospital gown up (no dude should have to wear one of these contraptions) and showed me my gut and the 9 fresh holes in it. "Yes.....I did, in fact perform your sleeve surgery", he said with a smile. I'm on day 5 now and it's easy to get my 3 shakes down along with several 24 oz glasses of ice Water. I've reached the hydration point where my urine is almost clear. I plan on staying this hydrated, too. I did get a full feeling today. I was having a Protein shake that is thicker than the other brands I use. I must have been too swift on a couple back to back swallows and it was like, "Whoooooaaaahhhhhh boy......slow down." Felt cold in my esophagus. What are in your min-meals 4 days after surgery ?

We all gripe about the pre-op diet but honestly it's a healthy move. The Protein is a good healthy amount. The low carbs get us into ketosis. The focus on uping our Water intake help to flush out toxins and get us nicely hydrated for surgery. The other benefit is that if we didn't have this pre-op diet, many of us would be stuffing our gullets at Golden Corral and other places with garbage we don't need to have. I know I would have, at least. Best wishes @@mlp1435 , You are getting mighty close to game day.

Excellent ! How did it go ????

This is great news. I'll be logging some frequent flier miles !!!!

Thank, Boss. Very relieved and glad to be here. I'm going to push hard and make the very best of this opportunity. No excuses, no BS and no slacking off.

I need to get some new gym clothes. Shirts, long gym pants, shorts, etc. Casual Male has a nearby store, but the prices are insane. Was hoping to find a more affordable online source.

Well......you've thought it through and made your decision. You seem to be committed to the process and have a great support staff. I think you'll be successful and want have to dance around saying the word "obese" ever again. You'll kick butt and feel twenty years younger by your next birthday, I'll bet.

Yes ma'am. He can still lose weight just like people do all the time. Eat healthy, stay active, stay hydrated and get proper sleep. Hopefully he'll make what ever adjustments he needs to once the band comes out. No more junk food, etc. Maybe you could motivate him by going to the gym together. You'll get him plugged into a healthier lifestyle, at least. It sure is easier when you have common health goals. You've got a great attitude about this and hopefully he'll appreciated that and listen to your concerns.

Did your doctor specify why you needed to slow down ? That would be critical information. If there is no safety reasons and you like what you are doing, then why stop? You may be losing quicker than they expected due to your high activity level in the gym. It's great to hear that you are enjoying your new self so well. If the juice (sugar water) is your only vice.....well.....so be it. It's not like you are drinking it daily. I'll bet your NUT would get off your case, though, if you did like the folks above suggested and just took in fruit vs juice. Fun times.

Dude.....you have kicked ass. Outstanding results. Thank you for posting your experience. That is some serious inspiration, right there. What an amazing story......you went from sneaking fast food to crossfit. How freaking cool is that !!! I wonder what that opinionated loudmouth coworker has to say now.

Mine is whatever size my surgeon chose to use. I trusted him to do his job and did not ask for stupid customizations.

That is really awesome. Swimming is tremendous in terms of what it does for your body without damaging joints. You couldn't pick a better form of exercise. Outstanding. I wish there was an aqua center near my house. My local gym has been toying with the idea. They have the real estate to add one. I've got my fingers crossed........ Proud of you. Swimming is perfect.

Well......you just slid into home plate and scored a grand slam homer !!!! You have arrived. You've been going full bore ahead and now comes a tricky part......getting dialed in on maintenance. You have truly kicked ass and changed your life. Now it's time to slow the descent and hover. I suspect that will involve a lot of trial and error....getting dialed in. It is inspiring to see someone achieve what you have achieved. Seeing you stabilize and stay there will be really impressive, too. Amazing progress. Looking forward to seeing your strategy and future success.

Well......turns out that my need for big&tall gym clothes has gone away. I was able to have my surgery several months sooner than I anticipated when I started this thread. I'm very fortunate with this. My current gear is sufficient to see me through until I drop off a few sizes and back into regular sized gear. The Under Armour pants are cut long enough to meet the "tall" demand. Looking forward to the months ahead. A couple weeks before surgery I went into Casual Male XL to get some cargo pants. When I was leaving the salesperson tried to get me to sign up for all sorts of future rewards stuff. I kindly thanked them but declined. I didn't go into details with them, but that may very well have been my last time walking into that store. Very cool feeling.

I'm still in my first week post-op and have found this is the most unpleasant aspect of the surgery thus far. I'm fortunate that I don't have to take many meds, just 4. They are all tablets. I simply chew them up and swallow down with some Water. The taste is horrible, but some sips of water and then brushing my teeth right after knocks out the bad taste. Is it fun ? Heck no ! Is it a big deal ? Nope, not if I don't dwell on it and delay. Just chomp 'em up and wash 'em down. A few seconds of yuck that is over with really soon. Again, I realize that I'm lucky by only having four pills and lucky they are tablets. Were they caplets, then I'd dismantle them and get the powder out. I'd actually considering going to a local compounding pharmacy and see if they could do liquid emulsions on my pills, however, the "chomp 'n swallow" method is working just fine. I'm still in my first week post-op and have found this is the most unpleasant aspect of the surgery thus far. I'm fortunate that I don't have to take many meds, just 4. They are all tablets. I simply chew them up and swallow down with some water. The taste is horrible, but some sips of water and then brushing my teeth right after knocks out the bad taste. Is it fun ? Heck no ! Is it a big deal ? Nope, not if I don't dwell on it and delay. Just chomp 'em up and wash 'em down. A few seconds of yuck that is over with really soon. Again, I realize that I'm lucky by only having four pills and lucky they are tablets. Were they caplets, then I'd dismantle them and get the powder out. I'd actually considering going to a local compounding pharmacy and see if they could do liquid emulsions on my pills, however, the "chomp 'n swallow" method is working just fine.