ShoppGirl

Found another product that is really awesome. It’s called a running belt by HAWEEL, but I got it for walking. It’s like a Fanny pack but it’s flat and has three pockets. The middle one holds you phone and the one on the left zips opens at the top and the bottom and has a mesh pocket sewn into it that drops out so you can put a bottled water in there. It has an adjustable band so it I’ll work for many sizes (although I only have maybe 4 or 5 inches to spare with it loose enough to not bug my incisions and my waist is currently 45” so I’m thinking it goes up to 50” but will go down to our goal weights). It has another pocket for like a key and some cash and it’s water resistant plus it has a reflective strip across the front for if you get stuck out when it’s dark (doesn’t go across the back though so if you plan to be out in the dark I would get a sash or vest or whatever that’s reflective). Anyways it’s only $16!! There are others on AMAZON that only fit a certain size, won’t fit a water, don’t have the reflective strip and they are like $40 which we would need a new one every couple of months. I am so thrilled with this thing. Ooh and it also has a spot where your headphones can come out if you use corded ones. This is exactly what I needed to walk all around the neighborhood. The mesh bag also has a little strap to better secure the water so it doesn’t shake if you wanted to use it to jog or run. Just thought I’d pass it along. https://a.co/d/74c2Yps

Okay for anyone who is interested that skinny scampi was amazing. I just made the sauce for my snow crab legs but if you like shrimp I bet it would be good with “zoodles.” According to my book shrimp is not the best choice for super early out and small shrimp is usually better tolorate when you do try it. But bookmark this recipe if you want for future reference. Takes 15 minutes and It’s makes a pretty small batch. If you were putting it over any kind of noodles you may want to add more broth. For what I wanted it was more than enough though. I went ahead and took my crab out of the shells and spooned a few tablespoons of it over my 1/4 cup of snow crab and had it with a 1/4 cup of mashed cauliflower and it is absolutely divine. I’m still working on it. As my first soft meal I’m taking it super slow just to make sure everything goes down okay. Anyways, here is the recipe if anyone is interested. https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/15-minute-skinny-shrimp-scampi-recipe/

Well my book says one thing, the papers the hospital say something else and then the support group meetings say a third thing so that’s equally as frustrating as too little information I’m guessing. Glad to hear about your losing and I can’t wait to see where we all are in 6 months either. I’m sure it will be here sooner than we think. I can’t believe it’s almost a month for me already. I think we all should commit to checking in at least like once a month after we are all healed and busy just to post an update and see how everyone else is doing. I know that I plan to stay active on here because it really helps to keep me motivated.

That’s awesome that you got some cleaning done. I said I was going to clean my bathrooms and kitchen yesterday but hubby was home and kept me distracted. I probably should do that today. The energy is kinda crazy for me because I wake up so wide eyed and ready to go but then I get tuckered out just as easily. I guess it’s probably the exercise giving us the endorphins but the low calories still limits it a bit. Either way, I’ll take it if I’m at least getting the exercise in and still dropping weight. Sorry to hear about the bathroom issues. I really think once we get to where we can regularly get In a bit of fiber In our diets that will balance out. I know that we are not alone though because they even have a tracker for bowel movements in the Baritastic app. I laughed at first but now I’m actually using it.

I never did start to actually use them after my sleeve so congrats on making a plan this early out but they do sell adjustable weights if you end up needing more. It’s quite a bit more compact than having to store all the different sizes. I can’t recall the brand name but I found mine on Amazon. They aren’t quite as cheap as a big set so if you have the room for weights then these may not make sense but if storage is an issue they have a few brands that make them now and some are cheaper than others. Also keep in mind that the price may be for one. Mine was at least. Good Luck finding your weight training groove.

My best advice is to be prepared to put yourself first for around a month. It didn’t take that long for the pain to get better but it does take a little while to get your stamina back and get into a groove with all the vitamins, protein and water and then each of the stages are a little adjustment. Take your time and allow your body the rest that it needs and prioritize yourself and your recovery for the time you need. The good news is that you should also see a pretty big drop on the scale as in your measurements. Which leads to my second suggestion which is to take photos and measurements as well as recording your weight beginning preop. They will help keep you motivated later down The road when the scale stalls. The third thing I would suggest is to check out an App that allows you to record your progress. The Baritastic App lets you record everything from food and water to vitamins, exercise, measurements, weight, and even your bowel movements which will become something that you think about more than ever post surgery haha 😆 and it is fairly easy to figure out. I wish I had started before my preop or my surgery. Also, make sure that you have whatever stool softeners, laxatives or soluble fiber your team suggests on hand and begin whatever preventative measures they set for you immediately post op. When you are in the hospital don’t hesitate to tell them if you are in pain. And Walk ALOT. Especially if you are in pain. It doesn’t matter how fast you go, it’s just the movement. I promise you that passing gas is your biggest goal in terms of relieving pain and the walking helps with that.

Okay so tonight was night two of my walking exercise and I got only two minutes down the road and it started to rain. I turned around and made it just before it poured. Well I’m the past that would’ve been a perfect excuse for me to not do it and a couple more things like that and it never would have become a habit but not tonight. I stayed in my clothes and kept checking outside until It slowed to a sprinkle again and went and did my other 25 minutes.

Okay so I feel like I’m the only one posting this weekend but I have to update that I am so proud of myself again. I started my walk for the second night and got like two minutes down the road and it started sprinkling but the rain was picking up and the sky was really dark so I turned around and asked my husband who is the weatherman amongst us and he said yep it’s going to pour. Well my friend who was walking “with me” is in another city so it’s nice where she is and she decided to walk anyways. I said I will talk to you while you walk and see what the weather does here. Well it rained for like 30 minutes then slowed to a sprinkle and I went back out and did my other 25 minutes. I had the perfect excuse to not do it and I waited and did it anyways because I know that it’s not going to become a habit if I’m missing days this soon. I did want to do a little more than 30 minutes tonight but my friend was already home from her one hour and it was muggy after the rain so I didn’t increase the time but still. I did my 30 minutes which I said was going to be my minimum. In the past that rain probably would’ve totally derailed me because I was looking for any excuse to not do it. Anyways, I also wanted to say for people a little behind me that it’ doesn’t make a lot of sense to buy new clothes right away. At least not ones that are real fitted. I bought some new track pants and tried them on and they fit great but they don’t have a very elastic waist so when I wore them and tried sitting down to play cards they were pressing in on my abdomen quite a bit which I assume is not a very good thing right now even above or below the incisions. And I threw the tags out so I can’t return it I would because by the time all that is healed I probably will need a smaller size again. My husband said you know I forgot but I’m pretty sure you did the exact same time with the sleeve. Just something to keep in mind for the first size drop. And one last thing, I know a few people have mentioned the Baritastic app but I just realized that it has a place to send you reminders for your vitamins too. It’s sent via notification. Just thought that may help someone.

Hey everyone, it’s me again. I woke up early this morning feeling pretty good and refreshed. I think I’m still proud of myself for doing my walk last night. I told my husband that I was proud and I know that it’s not really that big of a deal but it feels huge to me and he reminded me that after my sleeve I never exercised so it is a big deal. When he would mention it I would just tell him what my surgeon said that it’s really a pretty small part of weight loss. I left out the part where he said that it is still important for physical and mental health though. So I guess the fact that I am less that a month out this time and trying a different approach already is a pretty good thing. I went to do my grocery pickup this morning and got my supplies for my first week of soft foods which I get to start tomorrow 🎉 I ordered a lot more that I need for sure. The guy just kept adding bags to the trunk and my fridge has never been so full. I got out my book that my Dr gave me and it doesn’t mention a portion size for soft foods. The handout the hospital gave me says 1/2 to 3/4 cup though so I guess I will stick to 1/2 cup to start and make sure that’s okay. I just took a little nap since I woke up early and plan to walk again tonight. I have been scouring the Internet for a solution to my shorts riding up. The best thing I can find is to put a boning in the seam so I think I may order some and give that a try. I guess I have to drag out my sewing machine and relearn how to thread it and all that so I’m not sure how long I will procrastinate before I do it. I did order a pair of inexpensive yoga shorts to wear in the mean time and good news is when I measured my waist and hips to get the right size I realized that I have lost two inches in both. My only concern I have now is that one incision that’s dented in still. Everyone says that they think It will be fine but i just don’t know I think it’s going to stay like that honestly and worry that when I lost and it’s extra skin it’s going to look even worse. I guess no one but my husband will ever see it but I really wish it would just flatten out I hope everyone else is having a wonderful holiday weekend and feeling better and better each day. I know that I am.

You are actually further out than me. I am only 3.5 weeks out now but I found a really good vitamin for SADI/DS. My surgeon was quite impressed with it. It’s Pro Care Health SADI/DS Multi with 60mg iron. I also take Calcium Citrate. I had sleeve previously and I love the Bariatric Advantage Calcium Chews. I am still needing Chewable so I am on another one that tastes pretty gross for now. Anyways, their fruit flavors taste like Starbursts and the caramel is like a chewy Worthers Original. There is a post in the DS area that i started titled “SADI is so Lonely” that I started when I couldn’t find anyone else who had the surgery. There are a few people there who have had the SADI.

@Onemealplan I just want to thank you again for that site. So many of the recipes sound really good. And to unlock the recipes that aren’t available to be a member it’s not astronomical. Cheaper than the dieticians I have seen that didn’t give me anything in terms of food ideas beyond the purée stage.

Another good tip on that site is to season two pieces of meat differently and cook them together so the leftovers will be different. Thought that was a pretty good tip too. Honestly not sure why I never thought of it.

Good point. Didn’t think of that.

Tonight was my first exercise. I just walked around the neighborhood for 30 minutes but it’s a start.

Got my new Walking Shoes today and they are really cute and Super comfy. I’m pretty excited that I did my first big walk tonight. I was a little nervous about how I’m going to look all sweaty and gross walking around the neighborhood but I’ve decided that’s something I’m just going to have to get past somehow and I did it. This is for me not anyone else. I only went 30 minutes and it wasn’t super fast. According to my watch it was 1.26 miles but so far I’m not hurting!! I haven’t walked around the neighborhood in so many years so this is a pretty huge thing for me. When I had my sleeve I did the treadmill and that got boring so it didn’t stick. I’m hoping that this is something that I will keep up and maybe it can lead to biking or something else eventually.

That is actually a super good idea and way to try out different brands of shoes since you can’t really wear new ones much and still be able to return them. We coukd pick up a couple of pairs at a thrift and wear them for a day and see if they are really good before committing to an expensive pair. I love to go thrifting. I have my new HOKAs for now but I will try some of these other brands if I come across them now. Maybe I will find some I like even better.

Okay here an update on the HOKA shoes post 30 minute or 1.26 mile walk according to my Apple Watch. (My first one in a very long time so don’t judge). I absolutely love them. Never in my life have I owned a shoe that right out of the box did not give me blisters somewhere and my feet don’t hurt at all. I’m starting to think that others are right and everyone’s feet are very unique because I’m loving these for sure. Thinking I may even ask for another pair for everyday for Christmas that are a little less flashy than these. 😉

No I appreciated your helping me rein myself in. 😂 I think I’m just so excited to be moving to Soft food I want to try everything like now. .

The nutrition coach on that site that @Onemealplan just posted said that she coaches her patients to take two bites of their protein for every one bite of whatever else. I thought that’s kinda a good idea to get into the habit of for when we aren’t at home and can’t easily measure.

Man they are good. They give you some of the recipes but taunt you with others. A couple I clicked opened, then two said I have to join to get access to that recipe. Cool site though. I may even end up joining.

Got my HOKA shoes today. Pretty fast shipping from the manufacturer site. They shipped the next day and arrived two days later. They look just like they did in the picture and they fit perfectly. I have walked around the house for like an hour and so far they are really comfy. LOTS of padding on the bottom compared to my everyday Sketchers. Almost put a Spring into my step. Guess I won’t really know for absolute certain until I wear them for an actual walk but so far so good. 😊

This isn’t really a rant or a rave. More just a topic that I am curious to hear others thoughts on. I had my psyc eval this morning and it got me to thinking….a lot. On one hand I was extremely irritated that I feel like we are being discriminated agains to have to do a psyc eval to begin with while on the other hand I question whether a one time appointment is enough and we should be required to do more. First let me say that when I say that it should be required for us to do anything I do not believe that insurance companies should be the ones dictating ANY of this. I think that doctors should be making medial decisions, period. With that being said they are involved so should they be allowed to require a psyc eval for one surgery and not another? Not ANY others as far as I know. I mean all the hoops that are required for weight loss surgery, I haven’t done anything like this for any other surgery It really feels like discrimination. How is it that in this day and age they are still getting away with it.? On the other hand are they on to something and is the evaluation really enough? For those of us who have been through it all would you have benefitted from ongoing therapy to deal with all the life changes and some professional help to change the disordered eating behaviors that most of us have to some degree? Should this be a requirement? Or perhaps they should just have to educate us about therapy and provide access to it for those who choose it. Or instead of the evaluation beforehand require one visit post surgery just so we could see what therapy is like and we can decide if it worth it. Maybe the surgeons should be required to have a therapist on staff that can handled their patient load. Should the doctors step up and require more of their patients than the insurance company does (if they believe it’s beneficial)? Is that even allowed? or should all of this be the patients decision? Just something to think about

Is it the speed or the size of your bites? I take smaller bites now anyways because I had the sleeve already but i do have to work on the speed again this time. Some people say for bite slze that a baby spoon helps. For speed if you have a clock with a second hand try sitting by that and just “chew” your food until that Second hand reaches the 12 before you swallow. It’s one of the hardest parts for many people, honestly. It will become more natural after a while though. My bites got a little bigger and speed a little faster over time. But even at 3.5 years later it was nothing like it used to be.

This site is pretty cool. Doesn’t have my surgery yet but that’s not entirely surprising. Thanks.

Okay so maybe I’m just the last to know and if so ignore me but SPANX makes clothes!! My friend just sent me a Facebook post of some denim pants they make that look like they will be so perfect even as we get closer to goal to sorta hold in any excess skin.