lizonaplane

Yah, Boston is expensive and Newbury St is ridiculous. I try not to shop downtown, but if you don't have a car you might be limited to that, since the T doesn't go very far outside the city and Cambridge. I live in the suburbs. You could check the Somerville area maybe?

It's 9:30. Just go to bed!

I just took some too small clothes to the women's shelter... and then started on this journey and started to lose weight! I will have to see what we have in Boston area by way of consignment.

I hope he told you what shakes he wants you to drink. Hard to find ones without sucralose.

Yeah, these are all great suggestions but I don't feel comfortable in dresses or leggings or belts. I guess I can just buy one or two pairs of pants and do the laundry more frequently. It doesn't matter if my shirts are too big unless I'm on the road for work and I can worry about that in a few months. Donating clothes isn't really a great fix as most donated casual clothes end up in the trash, and that's what I wear. Dressed for Success is really for business wear, and I don't wear suits.

I have a few shirts that I might get altered, but almost everything I own is a knit because I used to travel every week, so it's not stuff that can be altered easily. On the plus side, knits tend to look okay when they're a bit baggy. I know enough about fabric to know what does/doesn't alter well, even though I'm not the best at sewing. That is a good suggestion though, thank you.

Thread Up is an online thrift store, but my guess is that if you don't know what looks good on you, it would be better to try things on at a store first before buying something "unusual".

Was it your surgery center or someone else who said no shakes with sucralose? And did they recommend a different sweetener? And did they tell you why sucralose was bad? Sucralose is just Splenda. We were just told it has to be less than 10g of sugar. I just checked the NINE different brands of protein powders and shakes I have and only one has no sucralose (Isopure - sweetened only with stevia).

I was wondering about them too. Too bad. What was wrong with them?

@HealthyLifeStyle I'm sorry I was so harsh yesterday. I didn't realize how irritable I was from lack of sleep. I agree with everything @BigSue said, but I could have been nicer in my response, like she was.

Original Poster

Yes, and OP should go to a restaurant where servers are making bank, not Red Robin, if she wants a fine dining experience.

I am sorry you had this experience, but right now there is a serious shortage of people willing to work for the poverty wages that restaurants pay. Usually restaurants pay just over $2 an hour (yes, less than minimum wage) because they figure people will make up the difference in tips. So, be very kind to your servers and tip more than 20% especially when you have a special order. My semi-ex-boyfriend and I went to Red Robin last weekend and we had to wait for a table even though the place was empty because they only had two servers. When we sat down, realized the server was brand new, and it was a bit painful, but we just tried to be patient. Despite many mistakes, I tipped over 20%. Don't complain if the server brings you a water you don't want - just don't drink it. That's just rude; she was clearly doing her job as it was described to her in her employee manual. It doesn't hurt you to have the water sitting on the table undrunk. Maybe try a more expensive place or someplace that's not a chain if you want personalized service. Red Robin is a low-end burger joint.

I'm still waiting to schedule mine. They are so backed up due to covid. I'm hoping they will call me next week to schedule in July or August. Congrats!

I was told no caffeine but I can have skim milk and splenda in my coffee

I don't normally watch TV with commercials because I only have Netflix and Hulu at home, but I was at a hotel recently and I flipped on the TV to a cooking show and I realized the cooking wasn't making me hungry but the commercials were. It was all for junk food but the way they film the junk food is so obscene!

I'm glad you found something that's working.

I like the Starburst Strawberry packets that look like crystal light. They sell them at Walgreens and Walmart. There are skittles flavored ones and lots of other flavors, too. Also, you can make herbal hot tea, or pour it over ice for herbal iced tea and it's decaf if it's herbal tea. I like Gold Peak Diet Iced Tea. It tastes just like sweet tea, but I think it has caffeine, so probably not for right around surgery. Body Armor Lyte is okay, and it has about 20 calories for a 20 oz bottle I think. I have HINT (0 calories), but I don't love it. It's expensive, too. You can also squeeze lemon or lime into water or put some cucumber slices or mint leaves into cold water. I had to give up a 5 a day diet soda habit, and the flavor packets have been really great. I hope you find something you like!

I wouldn't order off the kids menu -it's usually junk food that isn't good for your new stomach, too much carbs. Try ordering chili, or lean protein with a side of veggies once you're on "real" food. You can take the leftovers home for a few more meals. I know people here order salmon, chicken, lean cuts of beef, turkey burgers with no bun, etc.

Yes, I eat when I am bored too... If I don't have plans on the weekends I often end up napping a lot or listening to podcasts on days like today when it's too hot to go outside. I will also call people to chat (like my mom or best friend), or go mall walking, use the treadmill, come on this website, plan a healthy meal to cook, clean up/put things away, etc.

I would be very careful with smoothie king. I think their smoothies usually have lots of sugar and juice, both of which are not good for weight loss. Also, make sure the chicken strips don't have breading/aren't fried. And many people look a bit "drawn" after they lose a lot of weight but you'll see from people on this board that their weight tends to settle over time. Make sure that the nutrients you're getting are from real food rather than commercial smoothies or you check to make sure there are no sugars or fruit juices in the smoothies.

It's not uncommon for a stall to last 1-2 weeks. No reason to go back to purees. That doesn't make you lose weight faster. It just aids the healing tummy by giving it softer, easier to digest food that doesn't hurt the healing staple line etc. Just make sure you're eating what you're supposed to be eating according to your surgery center's instructions. Usually high protein, low carb, veggies, and stopping when you're satisfied, not full. No grazing.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Lithium is particularly dangerous because it has such a narrow therapeutic window. Most psych meds don't need to be adjusted so acutely due to weight (there are a few). But I'm sure if you lose like half your body weight some will need to be adjusted. People should keep in touch with their psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist to get levels checked where appropriate and to keep abreast of symptoms.

You should definitely check in with your surgery center to make sure they know your concerns and see if you're on track. You may not lose a ton of weight right away, you didn't put on the weight overnight and it won't come off overnight. You need to be honest with your surgery center about what you're eating to make sure it's on your plan. Also, it sounds like you would benefit from some therapy, as you said, this surgery doesn't fix everything. And many people are still hungry after surgery - sometimes it's head hunger, sometimes it's "true" hunger, sometimes it's thirst, sometimes it's GERD. It's important to talk to your surgery team.

I haven't been to the surgery center yet because all my appointments are virtual due to covid. But I travel a lot and work in different offices that get mostly "leftover" furniture. I am often uncomfortable in the chairs and of course on planes. I can't wait to be smaller so that's no longer an issue. I'm already noticing a difference, and I am only down 36 lbs and haven't had surgery yet.