Christinamo7

I would not make my first try in public. I plan to try wine at the holidays, so my *first* sip of wine will be sometime in November when it is just me and the hubs. if that goes well then I will feel more comfortable to have a small glass at Thanksgiving or some such event.

I have a dog to go walking with me...... I live in a suburban area and it's usually walking before work or after work which depending on the time of year can be dark thirty. but then, I like to go out walking after midnight......... when I have the opportunity to do so. I've never seen bear here where I live now, but back where I came up at yes, often. but they just want to be left alone, so I quietly go about my way. it's never been a problem. I've never shot a pistol - just rifles. but if you are trained and it makes you feel safer, then why not? better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

I never use the fridge, I have an ice pack I put in my lunch box, but I usually do have foods for reheating. some I put in a ceramic ramekin that I heat on a cup warmer. so - you're probably not interested in my lunch selections. sometimes for snack I take half a cup of low fat cottage cheese and some sort of fruit (a few apple slices - or some cherries - or part of a pear - or some blueberries - a small peach) sometimes I take half an ounce of roasted almonds and a few dried cherries.

I had bought some opurity chewables for right after - but once they were gone I take a once a day women's Vitamin from garden of life.

I had an open hysterectomy about 6 months before the sleeve. the sleeve is easy compared to that. recovery much shorter. hardest part is the important liquid diet afterwards. it's a toss up which surgery is my favorite though, as both were life changing in good ways.

I applied when I was approved - ask your bariatric team, they process this paperwork all the time.

the brain uses glucose. your heart and other necessary organs are Protein and need you to be eating at least your minimum amount of protein.

@@nakole73 one of my favorite foods that I could have after one month is a "big mac salad" so, a wee amount of chopped lettuce a wee amount of ground beef cooked with salt pepper and garlic (I do a mix of ground sirloin and ground turkey breast, but you could do just ground beef) some shredded cheddar 1 pickle slice chopped one green onion chopped and a couple of drops of thousand island dressing a few sesame seeds totally scratches the cheeseburger itch! sometimes now I have a small regular cheeseburger without the bun. life will be more normal in a couple of months, I promise. then some of those regrets fade as your benefits increase.

no cheating here. any modifications to my teams plan in the first weeks came through conversation with doctor or NUT. not taking any chances on my healing stomach! I felt I was ready for soft foods a bit early and doctor decided that yes, my post op swelling had likely gone down enough to allow it. moved me forward a few days. then, because I don't eat fish they allowed me to try slow cooker chicken - and I did fine with it. but, not cheating - I talked to my team before going ahead, even though I was fairly confident I was ready. it's major surgery inside there! after I was judged to be healed and cleared for any food I have had a chocolate chip cookie, a cinnamon roll and a small ice cream. not on a regular basis, but I have had those foods once or twice. 90% of the time if I want a sweet it is fruit or a sugar free fruit popsicle. probably more like 95% of the time.

just eat them SLOWLY. it might take a couple of bites to find out if they sit well or not.

I'd just buy a size down and two sizes down if you see great sales. by the time you get below that, there will be new sales.

interesting article. I have been concerned about a guy in my local group who had surgery and has lost his weight but works out a LOT. he works nights and all the time he and his wife (who also had surgery) are posting about biking and other activities. the other day I asked him if he sleeps and he said he had only slept 2 hours that day. I think that's a problem. but everyone in the group holds him up as some kind of example for how we should be doing. I love to walk. I love to hike and swimming is my absolute favorite. I really enjoy unwinding with yoga type stretching - which has been so beneficial for sciatic nerve pain. but I don't ever want to feel like I *have* to exercise -

I do not know - but I will say that for some years I do a spring course with milk thistle, and in the autumn for liver support.

thanks for this article! this is the approach my bariatric team uses too. and as a person who had the surgery to combat diabetes I have to admit, fruit scared me. I had given up most fruit as a diabetic because I could not control my blood sugar if I had anything beyond berries. I almost cry now when I "indulge" in a piece of fruit and my blood sugar remains normal. (a few apple slices and reduced fat string cheese is my morning snack right at this moment!) at 6 months my A1c is 5.4. it almost feels like a miracle to me.

I wonder how her appetite would be affected by the sleeve as the condition worsens? my father in law died of parkinsons last year and honestly the last 8 years or so he was increasingly malnourished despite our best attempts because of swallowing issues and just not wanting food. I can't see a doctor approving this kind of surgery unless the Parkinson's was very early.

I have been drinking Water, coffee and Vitamin water zero. only two of the latter per day. but my B Vitamins are high so I have to give up the vitamin water....... boo ! I am going to have to figure out making my own lemonaid with stevia or something. Good warning not to try the diet soda!

a pouch is quite different than the part of the stomach left after the sleeve. they remove most of the stretchy part of the stomach when they make the sleeve.

are there any other people here who just love to get lost in a good book? What are you reading this summer? my best loves are historic fiction and biographies, but I also like books that make me laugh - and I think my summer reading list will focus on the latter, especially when I go on vacation.

I wear a pair of Clark's mary janes for work. look good with a skirt or pants and have no heel. Jjill's wherever line has sometimes a line skirts or gored skirts - and come in women's sizes and are very comfortable. they can be pricey - so I watch for sales. Don't know if there is a store near you where you could feel them and get an idea if you like them. they wash and wear very well.

the good thing is that you will likely be successful with the sleeve. if it does not get you where you want to be perhaps you will be low enough to revise to the bypass if needed. I think that's how the sleeve began.

you can't stretch your sleeve drinking liquids. I don't personally think you can stretch it much anyway, as the stretchy part is what is gone. food is more likely to squeeze out the top than anything else if you try to overeat. as the surgical swelling goes down you will be able to drink more and more until finally you are able to drink like a normal person again. as to the other, I had all sorts of various pains like you describe in the period after surgery. if it is worrysome, feel free to call your practice.

I don't know that I would consider anyone who tries a failure. but I have a cousin who lost a lot of weight post RNY, most of her excess weight and has put it back on. However, she struggles with a lot of physical pain due to other medical conditions and is on a lot of medication that influences her food choices. what did she have to loose? and who knows where she would have been without the surgery? maybe a couple of hundred pounds heavier than she is now. so I just don't know. my heart hurts for her and anyone else who has a less of a result than they needed, no matter what the reason.

it's really not too big of a deal anymore. at 6 months out my meals look pretty normal except I pass on the potato/pasta/rice/dessert part. no one else really pays any attention to how much or what I am eating. I have the meat, and any veg and enjoy the company. it takes me as long to eat that as it takes others to eat their larger amount. even though it is a small portion, there are a lot of people out there who do not eat a whole awful lot at a time. if anyone were to comment I would probably just say "thank you, I've got exactly what I wanted - I'm happy with my meal" if they said it's not much, are you ok, I would just say yes, I'm perfectly happy with my meal.