deedee

I love your attitude! I am constantly asked/told how happy my husband must be with the "new" me. Umm...I never know quite how to respond especially when they phrase it as a question. You seem to be doing well both physically and mentally. I wish you continued success!

Glad to read it went well! Congratulations!!!

Mine used a 32.

My surgeon requires 60 grams of protein per day (I think). I went home on full liquids, so that is the day I started trying to get them down. I never did very well with them, but finally found a couple I could tolerate. As soon as I was on soft/mushy foods, I tried to get my protein in through food. At times I would add them back in for like a week, but just never really liked them much. I'd much rather use food for my protein.

The first surgeon I met with, was sure I had gallbladder issues based on my answers to his questions and sent me for an ultrasound. It turns out I did have gallbladder disease and that was the explanation for the sharp pains I would feel. From what I've read, being obese increases the risk of developing gallstones. My insurance approved me to have the gallbladder surgery and I was planning on having it at the same time as my wls, but once I went on an Atkin's style diet AND cut out a lot of fat from my diet, I no longer felt pain. I guess rapid weight loss also releases excess estrogen into our bodies and leads many people to have problems with gallstones after surgery. My current surgeon told me it used to be the norm to remove the gallbladder during wls, just because of this. Well, in the end (after weighing the pro's and con's) I decided to hold off on the gallbladder surgery until I had pain. I'm so glad I did wait, because he ended up having to repair a hernia before he did my surgery and I'm not sure my husband would have survived me being under anesthesia for three surgeries at once:-) One month I thought I was having attacks and was sure I'd have to schedule surgery, but I didn't.

JageK, I think you are on the right track. I was in weekly therapy through all of my pre-op journey until about 6 weeks post op. After that it became pretty spotty (with my new job) until I just couldn't go any longer. But it was so helpful and I believe would still help me. This past Saturday I went back to Jenny Craig...I have a lifetime membership. As I mentioned, I've been struggling a bit with the wrong food choices (simple carbs). Part of my problem has been that I now have a bigger appetite. For the first 4.5 months or so I was okay using easy Protein snack food (cheese, Jerky, yogurt, lunch meat) as my entire meal. Now that I eat more, I found that I started adding crackers, chips, Cookies, etc. to fill up the rest of my meal. My excuse (I know it's just an excuse) is that I drive 80 miles roundtrip to work and around 30-35 miles roundtrip to exercise. This leaves me needing more convenient food and Jenny Craig fits the bill for now. It has less sodium than many supermarket frozen meals and I really like the taste of a lot of the food. So anyway, I'm going in every two weeks (that's my plan) to pick up some food. Eventually I'll need to add in a more healthy natural diet, but right now my focus is on the exercise and making the best food choices as possible even if it is frozen foods. That's part of the reason I was thinking I might try the 5 day pouch test, but I need to wait until I don't have as much to focus on with my exercise. Again, good luck! I just wanted to share a little more about my struggles/plans. Hope it helps!

I LOVE my Kindle. I got it the first Christmas it came out and to be honest it wasn't love at first sight (was a gift). I am a pretty avid reader and have 5 bookcases of my favorite books, so it was hard to switch formats. Now I'm on my second one (another gift), and really enjoy the convenience. I also have the Wii Fit and constantly have the good intention of consistently using it, but after a few days, just can't seem to keep it going...but that's just me.

I want to wish you luck with the rest of your pre-op stuff. I have no info. on your surgeon, but I believe I've read of someone else on here who used him. If you click on my blog, you can read my journey thus far.

Congratulations! You are getting so close. I wish you all the luck on these last days!

SIX :thumbup: I went back to the little boutique in my town and found a skirt I wanted to buy before Christmas was on clearance for 60% off. BUT they only had a size 12, 6, and 2. The 12 was a little lose before so I took it and the 6 to the fitting room. I tried on the 12 and it was lose, but not too much so I figured the 6 wouldn't fit at all. Yet it did!!! It's pretty tight, but I could definitely wear it tomorrow (my new rule for buying something). Excuse the clutter and face/hair...it's been one of those days.

CONGRATULATIONS Tiff!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy for all of your success!

From memory (which might not be accurate) I enjoyed my time. It was summer and I walked the boardwalk each day. At home I spent sooooo much time reading through my wls cookbooks and planning menus. I also planned a vacation I took a few weeks post-op. I convinced my husband to drive me to a salon and had my hair done, a manicure, and pedicure (according to him, I still owe him for this torture). I pretty much decided on one thing to plan each day and one thing to do. I also was very low on energy, unlike many others report, and enjoyed reading myself to sleep for an afternoon nap (I probably purchased 1 book every other day on my kindle). Good luck! Pretty soon you'll be back to your normal, busy life:-)

One thing I really love about this tool is that it still there when we need it. From everything I've read, I'd say you might want to try getting back to basics. Lots of people recommend the 5 Day Pouch Test (Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test). They sell a manual at that site, but also have the basic menu written out. I've been considering doing it to try to cut down on so many "bad" carbs I've incorporated back into my diet. The only other thing I'd suggest is what I feel has kept me losing (even with poor eating at times)...exercise. I know it's hard, but if you can find something you enjoy, it makes it so much easier. My friend just started ice skating lessons this week (not my cup of tea) and said she felt like she got the best workout. Do you have a pretty good parks and rec. or YMCA? You can usually find a variety of classes. I'm sure others will post shortly with good advice. Good luck! Keep us posted.

I couldn't have done it. That early out I still needed a lot of rest, but we are all different.

Congratulations on getting closer. I was also obsessed (and still am to an extent) with the vsg. Each doctor is different when it comes to pre-op diets, mine takes it case by case weighing bmi, surgery choice, age, nutritionist recommendation (I think??). Good luck!

CONGRATULATIONS! I decided to count my pre-op and post-op weight loss all together and it just made it easier to give people in real life number updates (somedays I wish I had a ticker across my chest just so I wouldn't have to repeat my numbers;-). Great job on your exercise, I think adding that in and making it routine has really helped me along my journey. I understand about the clothing, it did get rather aggravating, but the best part was when I finally fit into the snug size I was able to get rid of my bigger clothes FOR GOOD! I'm still holding onto a couple of 14's and all of my 12's because I just can't convince myself that this is real. I wish you luck on continued success!!!

Laura, That is an EXCELLENT weight loss. I also want to let you know that around 3 or 4 months post-op I started living a more normal life with small amounts of ice cream and all. My weight loss definitely slowed down, but I still managed to lose. Just hang in there and if you're anything like me, you'll start to feel more normal each month.

As others mentioned, I have no regrets, but there were some things I don't think I was completely prepared for. One thing was the frustration I felt over the first three months when I wanted to have a couple more bites and couldn't...it sounds ridiculous, but I actually would get so upset at times. Another thing, again pretty ridiculous, is my handling other people's reactions. Whether they knew (remember) I've had surgery or not, I found people want to go on and on about the "new me." This made me very uncomfortable on many occasions, but like the frustration over the small amounts of food, I got through it. I guess I just wanted to point out that although I have NO REGRETS about getting the surgery and wouldn't change it for anything, there have been little moments of frustration, sadness, awkwardness, etc. Good luck on your research and I hope you come to a decision that best meets your physical and emotional needs.

I wish you luck and remember this is one of the hardest parts of your journey!

I will keep our wonderful military in my prayers as well as you. I know my words are not much, but you are a very strong and fantastic woman...I wish you the best through all of this.

Congratulations Carolyn!!! Chancie, we all have bad weeks...this probably would have been a gain week for me as well (based on my eating), but I really upped it with the exercise...I've been doing 1.5-3 hours per day trying to learn these routines for my audition. Linda, you are right...it has to come off eventually, but I know how frustrating it can be. Hopefully your Water intake and movement will shake things up and get that scale moving again. Mary, I track my weight on my ticker and just look at where I was last Monday compared to this week. Good luck on your journey to onederland!

That is so awesome!!! Congratulations!

Even with my poor snacking during the last week, I still managed to lose 2 pounds. This morning i weighed 150 pounds. I also had a great NSV just yesterday...I bought a size 6 skirt that actually fit!

Welcome to VST! You will be sleeved in less than an hour. Can't wait to read about your experience when you feel up to it.

Welcome Marie to VST! That is exactly how many of us feel before this surgery. Congratulations on your upcoming date. Good luck with your journey!