Tiffykins

That's so cool ! ! !

I didn't have to go on Prilosec until I got to full liquids/mushies. The acid started, and it was pretty rough. It didn't come up my throat or anything, but it definitely caused discomfort and a lot more gassy feelings in my tummy. I'm still taking my Prilosec once daily. I have one more 90 day refill left, and I guess I could start tapering off. But, I have this "I'm feeling so good, I'm doing so great" mentality that I don't want any setbacks.

Hi, Maddie, and first off welcome to VST. I think a lot of can relate to your story, and I'll be the first to tell you that the sleeve is a fabulous tool. To maybe help with some of your concerns: 1) I didn't have lactose intolerance issues. I'm not a milk drinker, but could/can eat yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products without issue. 2) I lost quite a bit of my hair. It started around 3.5 months post-op and last exactly 3 months. I already have new growth all over my head that is 2-3inches long. I did/do not take a supplement such as Biotin, but I did use Folicure extra care shampoo every other day. Nothing will stop it, but you can do things to help rev up the regrowth. 3) I only had one serious bout of constipation. I had eaten a lot of cheese one day, and didn't get in enough Water. That's an epic fail in the bowel movement department. 4) I was cleared for alcohol around 3.5-4 months out. I enjoy having a glass of wine here and there without any problems. I haven't tried mixed drinks just because nothing appeals to me. I like Riesling or German wines. I had 3 glasses of wine over a 5 hour time period on NYE with dinner thrown in. The first glass hit me pretty hard, but within 20 minutes I felt just a little buzzed. I had 2 more glasses at a local bar, and felt fine and didn't have a hangover. I hope this helps some. Keep us posted on your progress, and if you have any other questions or concerns feel free to post away.

Marci, glad to hear you home safely. Keep on walking, and sipping. Rest when you need to, and take care of yourself.

I get a lot of questions about "what do you eat?" Instead of trying to explain portion size, or what exactly I eat, I figure pictures work a little better. Tonight's menu: T-Bone (approx. 1 inch thick after grilling over charcoal) steak with A1 thick & hearty sauce (I ate all but 2 bites of the steak) Green Giant Veggie Medley (new potatoes, snap peas I don't eat the shells, and red peppers) Steamed with herb sauce (I only ate 2 of the smaller potatoes pictured). As you can see, even at 7 months out, I still off a salad plate. I feel 100% satisfied. The steak was cooked about medium, and I was able to chew it normally. It took me about 35 minutes to eat tonight.

Milk is considered a full liquid by most surgeon's post-op diet recommendations that I've seen around here. Mixed with Water is considered a clear liquid.

I was supposed to taper off this month, BUT since I haven't met with my surgeon yet, I'm waiting it out. Plus, I enjoy spicy food, and have had breakthrough heartburn a couple of times in the last month.

You know Chancie, those barriers are helluva things to get rid of. . . I didn't realize that even though my husband is the love of my life, and I never thought I hid anything from him. I, now realize, that I was holding back on a lot of stuff because of how fat I was, and was so afraid of being hurt. I've always been a bit "stuck up". It's a defense mechanism to keep people at "arm's length", to protect myself from people hurting my feelings, or feel like they can walk all over me because I was fat. John recently told me that I'm much more "pleasant". He explained, I'm more "breezy", and not as assertive. I guess that wall I had up has come down a bit. I still won't take someone's crap, but at least I let people a bit closer than I did before.

I've been 100% open with my experiences, and haven't had any negative comments except from my family. My mom told me it was "wreckless", my brother told me to just deal with the pain that my band caused me, and so forth. Unfortunately, people are idiots when they are uneducated (read ignorant) about WLS, and the struggles of obesity. Most of the time when I hear other people who get these comments, it's from people who have zero knowledge on being obese, and the daily struggles, or years of diets we've endured. I have found a lot of support by sharing my experience, and even 2 of my friends are now considering VSG because of my results/success. I only tell people who need to know, or say something about my weight loss. Then, I'm an open book. I've had nothing but positive comments and encouragement. I know how difficult it is when someone else exposes your personal business. I would have a serious conversation with your friend, and ask that she respect your privacy and not share your personal life with perfect strangers (if you havne't already). Plus, some people are just a$$es, and want to make a scene, or have ill intentions. Don't take it to heart, and just know you are doing this for you, and your life. Not hers, and not for anyone else.

Someone chat it up with us tonight ! ! !

Yeah, I'll be in chat in about 40 minutes. Project Runway is on. . .

Thank you. . . I counted it out as 9 bites, and I think the A1 helps make it easier to go down. It's a bad habit I picked up with the band. My meat has to be moist, and John said, that I grilled the steak just a bit more than medium rare. So, it was super tender, and pretty mushy. A couple of bites, and it had the consistency of tuna salad with mayo. Maybe that's why I could eat so much tonight? I probably could have eaten the other potatoes, but I got a twinge, and am not willing to push any limits. I'm having a glass of wine tonight in celebration of the new season Project Runway ! ! ! I definitely got in plenty of calories today. Stayed at around 58 carbs, so I'm content with intake today. I need to check the carb count on wine since I've never plugged into myfitnesspal to check it. I may be over on my carbs for today, but I'm content. I had my 6 month labs pulled today including cholesterol, full thyroid panel, folic acid/b12, vit d, vit d3. . . Should have all the results by Monday. I'm stoked to see my results.

YAY YAY I'm so glad to hear all went well. Update when you can, and like Linda said, sip, walk, repeat. . .

I can get in between 950-1000 per day with just 3 meals. If I snacked on "healthy" stuff, or supplemented with Protein drinks a couple times a day, it really isn't difficult to hit higher calories. On Fitday.com, for me to maintain my current weight, with my workout regimen, they recommend that I consume no less than 2250 calories per day. I almost fell over laughing.

I no longer feel like I'm dieting. I was super strict with my carb/calorie intake the first 4 months, but that is because I wanted to maximize the "honeymoon" phase. Now that I am at goal, I eat anything and everything I want just in moderation. The sleeve keeps me accountable, and over the last 7 months I've been able to make the "better" choice. I still indulge with a miniature Snickers here and there. This is just my opinion, but consuming 2000-3000 "healthy" calories a day is not going to get you to goal even with the sleeve. Unfortunately, until you get to your goal weight, you'll have to use the sleeve as a tool, and do most of the hard labor.

First off many congrats on your loss thus far ! ! ! I went from a 40-42D/DD to a 36C. I lost all roundness, and volume. I call them my "deflated" fun bags at this point. Some women just don't lose their boobs. I lost lots of inches around, and lots of back fat. I'm definitely getting new ones after baby in a couple of years. Enjoy yours while they last, maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones ! ! !

YAY YAY so very happy to hear you are doing well, and on your way to a healthier life. Take care of yourself, sip, walk and repeat LOL. Hope your appointment on Monday goes well.

Hi Margo and welcome to VST. For my band surgery, I had the consult, and had my nut, psych and labs done within 7 days. My approval came just a few days later. With my sleeve revision, I saw the surgeon. He ordered another psych eval (my husband was deployed, and they wanted to make sure I could handle surgery with him gone), and then I had some other extensive blood work done due to an undiagnosed clotting issue. Anyways, I had approval, and surgery within a month or so for my revision.

I take a multi-Vitamin twice day that gives me 200% of the DV of iron so I don't have to supplement that one. I don't know the rules on iron supplements with/without food or what stage to start those. But, I did take calcium and multi-vitamin on my mushy stage.

Your stomach is healing, and that's why they recommend 2oz every 15 minutes. 1/2 cup is 4 ounces of liquid, so if you do 2oz every 15 minutes over an 8 hour time frame you should be able to get in 64oz of water/liquids. It took me awhile to get in 64oz of liquid as well. If it hurts when you drink, you may want to take smaller sips over that 15 minute time period. Your sleeve is healing, the staple line is healing, it's not technically stretching they are concerned about at this time, it's stressing the staple line and causing a leak or irritation.

I promise it gets so much better. I remember thinking the same thing early out. I was like " this is NOT normal person portions ", but now, I can eat a variety of food. I am glad to hear that your recovery is going well. Remember this part is just temporary, the rewards last a lifetime. In due time, you'll be able to eat all of those items you listed. I promise :thumbup1:

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Thought I would open the chat window for a bit tonight if anyone is interested.