PamInWA

I paid ~19k in Seattle

I could eat way more cottage cheese than chicken breast, for sure!

I suddenly LOVE cottage cheese and I thought it was revolting before. Fruit cake, though... wow.

Hi, I guess I'm losing a bit more slowly than you guys but I'm OK with my progress - I'm down 60 pounds and from a tight sz 24 to 18/20. I've lost this much with weight watchers before (though not this fast!) but once I hit onederland, it's gonna be a whole new ballgame!

I haven't been on here for a while so hope everyone is doing well post-op (or pre-op). Just an update - I was sleeved 8/31 and I'm down 60 pounds as of today. Really I have about 75 to go but I'll be thrilled if I lose another 60. I've doing good on eating and vitamins, trying really hard on water, and not doing enough exercise but my energy seems good. I'm losing a little hair but I'm not bald yet! I'm happy with where I am so far but feel impatient when I see stories from people who have reached their goal. But I know I can do it too - just need to avoid sliding back into old high-carb habits. Happy holidays!

So my NUT said it would be OK to try a glass of wine, and I did that a couple of weeks ago when we went to a fancy restaurant with some friends. I had one glass before dinner and felt nothing out of the ordinary. Yay, I can drink wine again, I thought. But I went to dinner with my husband tonight and had a glass of wine on a virtually empty stomach. OMG, I am spinning and feeling like I had several glasses! So beware, those of you who like a glass of wine now and again - you will be a very cheap date if you do it on an empty stomach! ????

I had Dr Harris at PSSC too on 8/31/15. Self-pay but totally worth it - a great experience. I'm in University Place (Tacoma).

I am 2 months out and it sort of saddens me that I no longer enjoy coffee like I used to. Maybe I'll get there again? If I didn't have my Starbucks venti nonfat caramel latte every morning, it was very unsettling - it was just part of the morning that I loved and looked forward to (plus occasional afternoon visits as well). I quit coffee during my pre-op diet (better to have withdrawal headaches pre-op than post-op) but I was off it for so long that when I was cleared for caffeine again, it had lost its appeal somewhat. I am saving a LOT of $ not going to Starbucks every day anymore but I do still go once or twice a week. Now I get a tall skinny mocha (nonfat & sugar free) with 1 scoop of their protein powder. 110 cals and 11 protein. Also, I like to drink coffee WITH breakfast but we can't do that anymore. So it's a "con" for me, but of course an extremely minor one compared to the much more significant "pros"!

I like to sleep fully on my side and not just propped up (though that helps), but it was a good 3 weeks before that really felt comfortable for me. Guess everyone is different depending on where exactly their incisions are, etc.

The BA Orange calcium citrate chews taste like Starburst! My fave.

Try baby food prunes!

If you have a trader joes near you, go try their mahi mahi burgers (in the frozen section) - delish!

My hair stylist recommended Viviscal (with doctor approval)... has anyone tried it? A client of hers who had chemo and lost her hair had amazing regrowth results with Viviscal. I'm going to look into it.

I grew beets in my garden this summer and I just pulled up the last of them and roasted them with olive oil, a sprig of rosemary, and a tiny bit of orange zest. Wrap it all up in foil and put in the oven for an hour. I'm the only one in my house who will eat beets so I'm getting pretty sick of them. I have a ton in my freezer so I'll probably take a break for a little while and then pull them out in the winter!

I'm an 8/31 gal - I am doing fine, increased my calories last week from around 800, attempting to hit 1200 but I usually only make it to 1100. I eat Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, cashews, pulled pork, chicken salad, fish, deli lunch meat, cottage cheese, some protein bars... as long as I don't eat too fast, things are going down pretty well. Struggling on water but making a valiant effort. It's going to be a while before this feels "normal".

I took Celebrate in strawberry pineapple flavor - I did fine with them the first week but by the second week they started giving me awful reflux, and then they started making me gag. I was just cleared to take capsules so I switched to Bariatric Advantage.

Good luck - You will do great!

I got my first comment today at 3-wks post op from a co-worker who sits right next to me. I'm down 30 lbs since pre-op so it's not too noticeable to others yet, but just that one comment was very encouraging. Can't wait to see what the next 30 lbs looks and feels like!

Get chewable vitamins! I had a whole list from the surgery center of which meds are OK to crush or open capsules and which are not (e.g., time release, etc). I am almost 3 weeks out and am allowed to swallow my omeprozole capsule now, but not vitamins for another couple of weeks. But you need your vitamins so do ask for chewables (I take Celebrate).

I went back this past week after two weeks off (surgery 8/31). I have a stressful but sedentary office job and a huge commute. I did just fine all week but by today I was wiped out and left a couple hours early. I actually worked from home 3 days the second week.

I love gum - I chew sugar free gum at work in the afternoon when I get a sweet tooth. I didn't chew gum during my low carb pre-op diet because each piece has 1 carb! I'm almost 3 weeks post op now and this week I started chewing gum again - no issues!

I graduated to soft foods today, and had some turkey meatloaf for dinner - I had no issues, though I chewed it to death just in case. I'm pretty excited to get to have some more normal foods without blending! How is everyone else doing with eating? I'm down 27lbs including pre-op... not too shabby for a month.

I tried the unjury unflavored in water with crystal light - yuck! But I hear it is good in something more savory, like soup, chili, etc. where you would be less likely to notice its slight flavor. Haven't tried that yet.

I hate all protein drinks too, except premier - the chocolate is the best! I tried an "Oh Yeah" brand today... nope - ugh. Try premier if you haven't, and/or unjury chicken soup. Or eat lots of Greek yogurt. Good luck!

Oh wow, sorry you had to go through that disappointment. Good luck in finding a workable solution.