Swampdoggie

@@GEAUX SAINTS Same here. I feel normal with the sleeve. The band was a bust for me. But I did get strong chest muscles from dry heaving so often.

Yea! I got a new bra too recently and its the bra I always dreamed of. The old gals look 10 years perkier I haven't shopped in a brick and mortar store for years. I figured if I could fit in it that was good enough and putting on makeup felt like decorating a gourd. Now that I've dropped some weight I find I do care about fit and color and makeup etc so i went out shopping last weekend. And it was a blast!. Enjoy your new attire!

I think roasted chicken thighs are moister than breasts and I have an easier time with them. As for other meat such as hamburger, I need a little low sugar ketchup (I'm like a five year old with my ketchup). I do a lot of sausages and those seem to be fine for me. I'm 11 weeks out.

I was banded in 2008. Was NOT successful. I love my sleeve. It feels much more "normal" to me. I feel much more normal with it. When I was banded, I was told it was expected to be permanent. Since then, research has documented that many people suffer issues with the band and require removal. There's more caution now about stating a projected lifetime for the product. As an aside, a bariatric surgeon I know told me that she had a number of band patients who now suffer from autoimmune problems. She wasn't certain whether it was causal or correlative. However, she feels her patients have been more successful with the sleeve over the longer term. All that said, I do know a number of people who have been successful with the band and who have not had issues. Personally, I had no medical problems with my band. I just could never figure out how to correctly work with it.

@@NoMoreFatGuy wow, sorry this is happening to you! I have my fingers crossed for you that all will go well.

@@Veronica Page I'm glad you're feeling better and the information you provided is helpful.

@@Magsqoti, super, good for you! I know it seems self evident, but feeling good feels pretty d@#n good, doesn't it? I can't wait to hit onederland too, but regardless, I just feel so much better, stronger, younger, confident-er, healthier, and even smarter, for no apparent reason really. I s'pose it has to do with confidence. Keep it up! (PS to my grammar conscious comrades, I know confident-er isn't a real word and shouldn't detract from my sense of smarterness)

I love to watch our collective scale go down. (or up, as you will) I think there should be a prize for the person who hits that mark, a MAJOR AWARD! Queen for a day! Permission to use red cursive fonts and spell however the mood strikes! And lots of exclamation marks!! How do you think our community should Celebrate our 3,000,000th pound lost?

I had eye drops and was glad I did. Everything on me was dry (and glad I had chapstick :> )

@@Veronica Page are you on any blood pressure meds? If so you may need an adjustment. The only other times this happened to me I was dehydrated. Are you giving yourself any downtime from your workouts? I know you hit it pretty hard.

You're doing it for you. Embrace it. You will succeed!

I'd like to join too - my first challenge. Will post CW and GW on the 13th. Thanks @@stephh

I had the same fears before surgery and for the first month after. I was banded and not very successful so I was really anxious that I'd be the anomaly and not lose with the sleeve either. And had been on every diet on the planet. However, this experience was different in 101 ways and I have no doubt now that I will be successful. I AM successful. So I have no doubt that you will be successful too.

Also, I don't exercise too much - I have an unrelated illness that precludes a lot of activity. BUT, I do "fast exercise", where I go like a house on fire for 30 seconds, then 2 minutes of slow, then 30sec/2min/30sec/2min for a total of 5 cycles, then walk for a bit. If I can do more I do, if I can't that day I don't worry about it.

Just wanted to post an alternate experience, though I'm still relatively "young" in this process. I could eat a lot of food early on - within 3 weeks I could easily eat 1000 cals - and that of healthy foods (who knows what damage I could have done with cookie dough!). The folks who could only eat 1/4 cup or 500 calories for months on end completely befuddled me. I felt like I was a total outlier. I am now about 11 weeks out and I get around 800-900 calories per day, though it would be very easy to eat more, I can tell you. I do Protein first. Lots of Water. Low carbs, less than 50, usually closer to 30, and then only with what comes with yogurt, veggies, nuts, etc. No bread, Pasta, rice, flour, sugar, etc. Strawberries are the only fruit I eat at present. I try not to eat processed foods and I do eat a lot of healthy fat - full fat yogurt, macadamia nuts, avocado, cream, butter, mayo, etc, which I know not everyone does. I had a stall early on, but I started losing pretty well after the first month, slowly but surely. For the past 3 weeks though I've been losing like crazy and I can't figure out what the difference is. In any case, like one of the posters said, I think there's some trial and error involved, but I'm in general agreement that carbs make me hungrier and I try to stay away from most of them, esp simple ones.

@@Babbs I'm with you. 25th Anniversary last December and I tell my kids the same thing - find someone you think is hilarious and thinks the same of you.

@@Aprilhoffman78 Wow!

Sleeved on 1/19 and lost 30 lbs since surgery. So from my perspective you're doing great! I'm with the other posters - my loss is kind of staccato - lose then stall, lose then stall. I've been in a lose for about 2 weeks (yee hah!). I'm preparing myself for patience in the stall that will surely come next (boo).

@@wannaBthinsoon I thought that was a funny interjection into a pretty comical discussion.

Well how fabulous is that! I'm one of those people hoping that in 577 days I'll be admiring my a$$ in the mirror and giving encouragement to the newbies on site. Thanks for staying involved and inspiring us! Congratulations on fighting the good fight, girl!

A thong no less! Well good for you. There's nothing like feeling great in your own skin.

@@AvaFern wondering how your butt is coming along

I thought the 10000 steps recommendation came from the surgeon general?

@@lauren8486 Thanks!

@@Cleo's Mom I like the taste of the thighs better too.