Dub

First movie that I've been to since my sleeve surgery was two weeks ago. My son and I went to see Star Wars......he loaded down on popcorn & soda. I was perfectly happy with a ginormous bottle of Water. The old cravings are no more. Thankfully.

I've gone back to GNC mega packs again. They have most everything I need and are always available. The particular mega pack I now use is called Men's Mega Joint. It has some additional stuff targeted at joint pain relief.

That's a crappy situation. I rely on coffee quite a bit as the low calories sometimes leave me with low energy. I'm wondering is it's attributed to something else entirely. You have a whole new way of eating now and don't have the same foods in your system to "buffer" against the effects of coffee. Maybe that is the reason for the immediate reaction. Not being funny, here......but at least you now have a sure fire laxative. That is not something I take lightly after a few months on the low-carb-lifestyle. I appreciate such things. I was in the grocery store yesterday and noticed they now have a decaf-regular blend....Maxwell House I believe it was. Maybe this will be less intense on your system.

I just chewed them up and chased with some water.

Howdy, Tamika. You're story sounds really familiar.......as in just like my younger sister's story and like my own. Little Sis was the smart one, though......she had bypass surgery when she was a year or two out of college and went from around 370 down to 140......had all the plastics done and became a new person. It was a transformation like nothing I've ever seen before or since. She then met a really cool guy who I respect and enjoy hanging with. They were married and have had a wonderful marriage and have two of the greatest kids you could ever imagine. Respectful, energetic and really well-rounded. Then.....there is me. 9 years older than her. Football from 6th grade through 12th. Weight lifting and wrestling team to support football......both knees wrecked and surgeries ended football dreams by September of my 12th grade year. College letters of interest ceased immediately. Figured out a way to get to college and somehow graduate.....and had way too much fun along the way. That fun didn't stop after marriage........and it translated over to more weight piling on every year. Still was very active in hunting, golf and fishing. Golf ended in 2011 when I ripped ankle-foot tendon and had to have it repaired. Hurt like a beast being way too heavy and healing after that surgery. A couple hernias from doing stupid stuff in the woods and weight room required a couple surgeries, too. Being heavy during the recovery hurt like crazy. I've lost and regained so much weight over the years that it's incalculable. A heap of it. Lost.....but always found. Battled this way for a long time. Weight and desire to still do all the stuff I enjoy took it's toll on my knees....but ultimately a herniated disc knocked me down for several weeks and I had lots of time to think and reflect. I decided then that doing the same things I'd always done would lead to the same results. I entered a local bariatric plan.....then transferred over to another local bariatric plan....a center of excellence. I was dead certain that I was going to have a bypass. I began all this in June 2015. My BMI was just shy of 60. My new surgeon said that a bypass was not a safe surgery for me in my current state then.....tall and heavy and had a ginormous umbilical hernia that had to be repaired during the surgery. You can see it really well in my profile pics. He was concerned with the repiping done by bypass....routing near the repaired hernia.....stretched due to my height......probability of hernia repair blowing out and involving the already taunt repiped plumbing.......bad juju. He was emphatic that I should have the sleeve. He also was persistent the the sleeve would allow me to continue taking the highly effective NSAID's that help with my knee arthritis. I caved in but was worried that I'd not loose the weight I wanted to lose. He was not yielding and said if I wanted bypass I needed to lose more weight. I'd lost 55 pounds by this point already and knew I was running out of gas......back wasn't healing and it be even harder to lose more in the state I was in. I'd already chosen to self fund the surgery and we agreed on the sleeve and set the date for just 3 weeks from that appointment. He did my upper endoscopy a week later and the next day I started my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. The surgery went really well and he said my sleeve was "textbook" and that my hernia repair was rock solid and should hold well into my old age timeframe. All music to my ears in the recovery room. The weight loss has been steady and it feels freaking great. Every day is a new opportunity to enjoy life and every aspect of it is better. I am very, very grateful for my sleeve and can see how it will be a tool for me to use for the rest of my life. My only regret is not doing so much sooner.......like my wise little sister did 15 years ago.

Well done !!!!!!

Losing on your own is great. Losing after the surgery is great. Losing is great. You have a tool to help you do that even better than ever, now. Getting satisfaction from food is an area to be mighty cautious of. I remember that 3 week period like it was yesterday......because it almost was. 3 months now and I can tell you with absolute certainty that it gets much easier to approach daily living....but the weight loss rate that you'll be getting in those first weeks is intoxicating and I'll occasionally go back to 3-5 days of liquids only in order to bust through any stall periods. Real food is coming your way soon. For now, heal up and focus on that early stage weight loss. There is no mystery to me why there is normally a stall at 3-5 weeks for folks......that time frame coincides with all of us transitioning off full liquids and we may be taking on more calories than needed. Hopefully you have a NUT that can help you cut down on experimentation and stay dialed in on weight loss and reaching your goals and not backsliding with foods/calories/macros that don't support this. It gets much easier in a very short time frame.......hang tough and stay strict for just a while longer. Heal up.

Awesome ! Well done, man.

My fitness pal is the easiest calorie/macro tracker I've used. Fitbit does a great job on the activity level and isn't bad on calories, either, now that my diet is more or less similar each day. Makes entering the data very quick.

Make no bones about it........the liquid diet is a solo endeavor. You'll not likely find anyone under your roof to champion that particular cause......unless they are insane. Insane is where we, the patients, find ourselves, though. The liquid diet is a rite of passage and medically necessary (as far as my knuckledragging self knows). Gut it out and stick with it. The weight loss will begin and you'll profit tremendously well before your surgery.....plus you are doing your part to better ensure a safer surgery. We've all been there and know it's no fun......but you'll be glad you were strict. As far as making your ripples and impacting those around you with better eating choices.......that will come soon......really soon....just a couple months and you'll be eating good foods and hopefully so will they. Stay strict. You've got this.

Once. It happened to me once. It was a couple weeks after I could have solid foods. Wasn't something I wanted to ever go through again so I began to measure and asses the quantity of what I eat....BEFORE....I eat it. I've found that once I get full.....it's too damn late and discomfort and possible pain is heading my way for the next 30 mins. So much easier to know that 5 bites is the limit and not find out AFTER 7 bites.

You are going to do great. No way in the world that those little gems will pick up on your new eating habits. You'll be able to sample a fairly large range of foods in no time......just smaller amounts than before. You'll be leaning out by the time it ever registers on them. Don't stress a thing and enjoy the process.

Good stuff. You are going to be up and at 'em really soon. Well done on getting past this point. Recover safely and enjoy the process.

I'm banking over being able to lose for a long, long time. My sleeve restriction is present and doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I see no reason why losing weight isn't something that can be done easier than before.....for life. The key with it....as with most any worthwhile goal in life....is to wrap your mind around it and go for it.

You are doing well to get this sorted out now.....beforehand. I'd had a couple open hernia surgeries in the years prior to me having my sleeve (another hernia repaired during at the same time). The first two open hernia repairs prepared me for what I may feel like coming home from the hospital after the sleeve-hernia surgery. Those prior recoveries did not find me getting comfortable at all laying flat on my back in bed. You are gong to want to be propped up comfortably for a few nights. Two weeks prior to my sleeve I bought myself a new recliner, replacing a wing back chair. Best decision ever. Comfort is had and I can't stress how great it was to come home and sit & sleep in that chair for my first 2 weeks post-op. Go for the recliner is my vote. I'm sure glad I did. Now that is mainly due to the hernia repair....as my sleeve never bothered me a bit.....and still doesn't.

Salaried here, too. I've banked up a ton of sick time. With the exception of 6 weeks for a herniated disc.....the only sick time I've used is for surgery recovery.....4 in the last 8 years. The 3 weeks I took off for my sleeve + abdominal hernia repair was no issue. They were shocked actually...as I had two coworkers who have had recent hernia repairs and were out of work for way longer. I'm stupid that way, I suppose. I could've used some more time to get acclimated to the new diet and new way of doing things.

Just under 3.5 months out from sleeve surgery. It took me longer than I wanted to get back into a routine. Also had a hernia repaired at the time of sleeve surgery.......hoping the doc gives me the go for weight training on my next visit, next week. Bought a fitbit prior to surgery and am trying to reach the point where I hit 10K per day.....every day.....work days and off days. Will be adding some weight training as doc and time permits. 10K everyday.....and with training 3 times per week is that I want to settle in on.

Round-ball ???? It's all good bro, it's all good.

Oh yeah.....the "lean back fast" folks......almost forgot about them. I'd like to reach over the seats and put 'em in headlocks or armbars. Awesome pic, right there. You've cured your need for any such device as a seat belt extension !!!!

Exactly. The last thing I worry about these days are my food costs. I keep a two boxes of the Quest bags of chips on hand at all times. Sometimes a bag of those chips (120 calories @ 20 grams of protein) with some picante sauce (10 calories) as a meal.....dinner after a long day at work. Their bars are great working lunches. Usually have my shake in the car on the way to work.

Eating out......it is a weird experience. It wouldn't be so bad if we could eat and drink simultaneously with our sleeves. I'd finish my dinner and sip coffee or tea afterwards as they continued to eat. Take today for instance....went out for lunch with my wife. I ordered a split lobster tail, broiled fish and a skewer of grilled shrimp with steamed broccoli & zucchini sides. She ordered a shrimp plate.....some heavily breaded, some extremely spicy (bang-bang style) and a skewer of the grilled version with a side of linguini and some type of tomato based sauce. She had the salad bar while we waited on our meal. The stuff that was on her salad was a meal unto itself. 20 mins of small talk while she ate the salad. food arrives and I eat 2/3 the lobster tail and share the rest.....3 of the grilled shrimp and a couple bites of fish while she eats her various shrimp styles with the linguini. I took an excruciating long time to eat but I was done, done and done while she kept at it.....then went back to her salad. Seemed like it took forever. What really prolonged the deal was the fact that she had just, this morning, been to the doctor for follow up on bloodwork taken for suspicious gal bladder issues, reflux, heartburn and etc. I'm fairly certain he told her to avoid soft drinks, fried food, spicy food and acidic food. So....her meal included all of the above and had the predictable results. Post meal coughing and discomfort that I saw coming from a mile away. I've got to find a way to enjoy going out for meals.....but right now it's not so much fun. I think I'll let her go out with her girlfriends for such meals and we'll just have our outings together at Starbucks and the like. I'll get a killer cup of java or two and she can have all the treat-eats she cares to order......or when can go somewhere that I can order a skinny margarita and relax while everyone else satisfies their carnivorous habits. We have eaten out and sat at the restaurant's bars and done just that and it was much more pleasant for me.....football or basketball on the bar televisions.....other folks around to interact with, etc. Wing joints with a bartender that will mix 'em like I request are my favorite spots so far. I've got to relax and be more patient. I'm not there yet. I'd rather grill up a feast at the house and let folks eat while I prep, cook and clean up. I don't feel like camping out at a seat at the table.

You nailed it there. You are going to hop on those flights and have zero trouble. Wouldn't surprise me if you don't do it quite often after that. I detest flying for several reasons....airports.....long tsa lines......etc. The biggest reason....is my big arse in those seats. Legroom likely isn't any better but the overall fit will have to be.

You can track your sleep with the ONE. It should've come with a wrist strap... unless they don't anymore..? And why not wear your fitbit ONE attached to the rim of your pants? Or attached to the inside of a pocket? This way you will be wearing it at all times. If you do a lot of walking at work, (which I think I remember you saying you do) then it would be interesting to see how much walking you do during your shift. Howdy there. Yup....it came with some type of nighttime strap. I'll have to see how it is triggered that you are sleeping. My fear is that if I take it off my keychain then I'd lose it in ten minutes. I'm a goof that way. It generally is in my pocket at work....getting 10K there. I'll check it once I get to my car after work.....grab my iPhone and walk laps in the large parking lot while I check messages, emails and make calls. Great way to wind down and it feels good to see that thing light up green at the 10k mark. Looks like fitbit has a new watch-type device coming out in March. Looks intriguing.

Agreed on the fun car comfort discoveries. I used to think my little midsize 4WD was too small. Now it feels much larger.....except the legroom is still marginal. I'm interested in finding out how all this translates over to airline seats.........