leanne1126

It is not silly. This is something that I worry about as well. I recently had a blockage and when they did the CT to determine what was going on, the surgeon told me that my stomach was the size of a normal persons since it had been accumulating with food and not passing through. Ever since then I've been petrified that I screwed it all up. I don't dump so I can't really speak to that aspect. I will be 6 months out on Nov 1st and see my doctor on the 3rd so I will definately be asking questions about the size of the pouch. I do believe however that the pouch size will increase a little as we're able to tolerate more foods but I don't think that its supposed to be as large as prior to surgery. Maybe others have some more concrete advice for us...

WTG!!! That is awesome!! Keep up the good work!!@@shelleylester

@GAWildKat Good point. IUD is not for everyone. I was on depo in the past and gained a lot of weight and was always cranky. The IUD works good for me and my body but everyone is different. I already have a child and dont plan on anymore so it was a good option for LT prevention. Although I will caution, I did have breakthru bleeding and weird cycles the first few months after my surgery. I'm 5 months out now and things are finally starting to settle down. I still do have some breakthru bleeding when I exercise. I was told that a lot of the irregular bleeding was because my body was burniing fat so quickly and releasing hormones.

I've had my Mirena for several years. The worst part is when they measure your uterus to make sure it will fit. Once that was done the actual insertion was not that bad. Definately worth it though!

@@nervous nana I wouldn't say that I've had slow weight loss. My surgery was 5/1/15 and I was 309, today I'm down to 233.I think that is pretty normal. I am an exercise guru though. I am going to 2-3 spin classes/week and 2-3 zumba and weight tranining classes/week as well. I'm not letting anything hold me back. My cycles are getting better than they were shortly after surgery. I was told it's the hormones being excreted as I'm losing and burning fat that screws everything up. Sucks to be a woman sometimes!! lol Good luck with everything!!!

@@toasty 1-15 oz can pure pumpkin 1/2 cup Splenda granulated sweetener 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves Dash Salt 2 large eggs 1 (12 oz) can light or fat free evaporated milk sugar free whipped cream for serving (optional) Preheat oven to 300 In large bowl mix pumpkin with sweetener, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Stir in evaporated milk and mix well. ***You could probably use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, ginger and cloves individually*** Pour the pumpkin mixture into a deep 9-inch glass pie plate (I sprayed with cooking spray first) and bake for 30-35 minutes until set but still a little wobbly in the center. (Mine had to bake for about 40-45) Allow to cool to room temperature. Service warm or cool then refrigerate. Cut into wedges and service with a little sugar free whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6, Protein 8.2g, Carbs 14.4g, Calories per portion 132, Fat 5.1g I got this from one of my cookbooks, Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook by Shasta Press

I made a crustless pumpkin pie this weekend and used Splenda and fat free evaporated milk. My family thought that it was good. Splenda also makes a brown sugar as well but I have yet to try it.....

I wonder the same thing and no one can really tell me! I've lost 70+ since surgery and 100 since I started my diet a year ago. I will be 5 months tomorrow.

Pills were a no go with my doc well

@@gpmed Good point I didn't even think about the pill aspect. I have an IUD so I wasn't too worried about the pills and absorption. Makes sense though but is also scary in the same regard. I would hate to see someone stuggle with an unexpectant pregnancy post op

You're not alone. I have had a Mirena IUD since 2012 and my periods had stopped. I had surgery May 1st and ever since then I have breakthru bleeding, periods that last a week and pop up whenever they feel like it. I have found that it's worse when I exercise so I need to be protected. I talked to my OBGYN and they said it's just the change in hormones due to the weight loss. I can feel your pain, it sucks!! I'm hoping that once my weight stabilizes, my menstural cycle will as well. Good luck!!

I just realized this yesterday....I work at a hospital and the employee parking is the furthest lot and it's down a hill. Daily I have to walk up the hill to get to the hospital and it just dawned on me yesterday that I am no longer winded or sweaty by the time I get into work. I am about 2 lbs away from hitting my 100lb mark since I started dieting last year around this time. Between that and the several spin and zumba classes each week I am feeling awesome!

We actually made sauce this weekend and I had it with spaghetti squash. The other suggestions sound yummy as well!

Oh I know @@red37 Ive just been in a funk. It helps to see the enthusiasm of others. I had a blockage last week and ended up in the hospital for a few days and then the scale is not really moving. Just need to get over the hump and my outlook usually is better! All of my weight progression selfies were on my cell phone that I lost at an amusement park a few weeks ago so that bums me out too. It was however nice to be able to ride the rides and fit in the seat! Darn upside down coasters though, that's how I lost my phone.

How awesome!! I need to do something like that just to have the comparison. Unfortunately I still hate the camera...

Wow, your profile practically mirrors mine! I'm glad to see you're doing so well. It is so life changing to see the drastic changes. Keep up the great work!!!

Awesome story and such a cute dress!! I absolutely love Old Navy. They were always one place you could get 'fat clothes' that didn't make you look old and frumpy, plus they carried long pants in plus sizes. I am however looking forward to shopping in other places as well! Keep up the great work and enjoy those dresses!!

Way to go!!! I'm at my halfway mark too! It just cant come fast enough but its nice to be on the flip side! !! Lol

Last week I was not chewing well enough and my food was stuck in my pouch. I couldn't keep anything down. I ended up back in the hospital to have endoscopy to get it cleared. Chicken was hanging out in there along with whatever I ate after that. Hard lesson to learn. Chew chew chew!!

I have found that the only "fast food" I can tolerate is Subway since you can control what you put on the salad. I tried the egg stuffing of a breakfast burrito at McDonalds once and it was a mistake. I'm not allowed pork yet so I tried to pick it out and eat the rest but I was vomitting. At McDonalds I would suggest the yogurt parfait, it's only $1!!, or oatmeal. I have had both and they go down and stay down!

I'm 4 months out and still am told by Md office no skins on apples. I had to wait until 3 months to even have the apples according to their office. The grape skins are much thinner and seem to chop up easily when chewing. I just make sure I chew extra long when eating fruit with skins. This summer I peeled the peaches just to be on the safe side...lol

My surgeon is very strict on coffee. She doesn't want me drinking regular or decaf. The other surgeons in their practice however are ok with decaf. I guess the caffeine in the regular puts you at risk for kidney stones. I will publicly admit that I do have a cup of decaf a few days a week with splenda and skim milk. It's also the time of the year when the good lattes, pumpkin, mint ect, will be emerging. I plan on trying one made with decaf and skim milk and see how it goes...lol

I am 4 months out and struggle with food portions quite a bit. Some days 1/2-1 cup is plenty but other days I am still hungry or 1/2 cup is way to much. I've found that it also depends on the food that I am eating. I am able to tolerate Soups, yogurts and fluids/shakes a lot better than other foods. They key is also eating slowly and allowing your brain to realize that you've eaten, feel full and satisfied. It's hard and I find that I have to pace myself still. It's easy to get back into the habit of eating quickly again. Definately a difficult habit to break. Oh and keep up the good work!!

WOW!!! You look great!! I was 4 months yesterday and I hope that I look half that good at 9 months!! Keep up the great work!!

Pop is a big no no according to my doc along w caffeine. Guess caffeine can cause kidney stones.