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I got it used on amazon for little of nothing. I like having it for reference. I think I got it for 99 cents and then a few dollars shipping. To me, it was worth it, I was so excited about the surgery, I wanted to read anything and everything I could get my hands on. Much of it was stuff I had read elsewhere, but It was something I could "hold" and highlight. It's up to you.....for $4, I wasn't out much.

Hi Greeneyes! I will be 11 months out on the 10th of this month. I can eat more now than I could even just two months ago, but still not a lot at one time. Three times a day I can eat more than a half cup, but less than two thirds. It all depends on what it is. I snack off and on all day to get in the 1200 calories that I need to maintain. Are you at goal and in the maintenence stage? I was on steroids the week before Easter, a 7 day prescription to break a migraine cycle....some people say they are ravenously hungry, they did not affect me that way, but I had the munchies, OMG. I wanted to graze, then Easter. I took the last pill Easter day!!! I am currently about 12 lbs under goal, before the pills I was 15.5 lbs under goal. I am certain it has been sweets, although I don't eat much at a time, I have grazed. I know I can lose it, last week I lost back down to 135.5, two lbs from where I'd been, then the weekend hit, we were running around all weekend and eating out. I always keep a food log except on the weekends if we are eating out, so I am back up a couple of lbs. I know I'll go up and down, but the obsessive part of me worries. I'm below goal, but I still worry about stretching my tummy and putting on too much. I like having a 'big' pad!! I'm glad you posted this!!

I have a size 32 and the nurse said the doctor left me with a 3 oz tummy.

You are glowing, seriously....and what a pretty Easter dress!

You look fantabulous! Kudos to you!!!!!

Hi Apple Saucy! I would have to look again, but I don't think the broc cheese soup is toooo bad at Panera Bread, especially if you thin it out. I have gotten it before since reaching goal. I didn't eat the entire bowl at one sitting, but I remember looking up the nut. values ahead of time. I just looked at the nut. values at some "protein" drinks at a place like Orange Julius - you should look if you haven't. The sugar content is outrageous and that is not good for us....not in our losing (honeymoon) stage and not when we are maintaining either....maybe a couple of sips if someone else is having one, but it's probably one of those things we should steer clear of. That is just my humble opinion. I usually take something with me to snack on. I also will stop at Star Bucks, grab coffee and always leave there with a glass of ice Water, SB has 'the best' water, they have a double filtration system!!! Special K crackers is something my dietitian recomended, they even have a tiny bit of Fiber. I only eat up to nine or ten at a time, early on not that many. Also, peanuts are a good choice if you can eat nuts at your stage. Not too many, unsalted are best for us. Protein there too. Almonds is what I prefer. If you get stuck at a food court, what I'd have is the small McDonald's burger with or without cheese....NO BUN. Good protein, very little guilt. Of course no fries. At first I could only eat half, at this stage I can eat the entire patty. I hope this helps! Good luck, don't beat yourself up.....start from now!!!

There is a Protein Water by Kellogs called Special K2O. Different flavors; it's a powder that you mix with water. 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of Fiber.

I don't care for the Greek yogurt either, too tangy for me. Although in casserolesas sour cream, it is fine. I had to play with it to 'sweeten' it up. sugar free jelly'and Stivia or Sweet 'N Low help a lot!! You are so welcome. I just had my cottagecheese for breakfast, at this point I can eat a half cup, so that is 13 grams rightoff the bat!!! Yay! Since the beginning, I start the day and end the day with a cupof milk. I really, really did not want to lose my hair and haven't, so "mission accomplished". LoL I also take Biotin. I don't know if it helps, but the nurse at thedoctors office suggested it and I know it can't hurt! If I think of anything else, I'llsure send it your way. I like fish, I know you said you don't. I do NOT like fishy fish.I love Cod.....grilled. I put it in Olive Oil, with the crushed garlic (find it at Wal Martin a jar) use a TB or a little more. Sea Salt and ground pepper. Marinate it for a littlewhile if you have time, if not, just spoon the mixture over it....then grill. We like charcoalbut gas is fine too........this is oh-so-good. Fish is 'soft' and easy to eat, full of Protein.If you want/need to snack....get the low fat/skim mozzarella cheese sticks, even eat morecottage cheese or get some deli sliced lunch meat. Have a great day!!!Stacy

Hi Maddie, A three week stall is a long time. I know you're frustrated! You're just now six weeks out, so you are starting on 'everything'. Carbs can bring you to a halt fast depending on what you are eating. To kick start a plateau, I'd always up my Protein and Water, do a little exercise and it worked like a charm every time. Protein for me was normally 60 - 65 and I'd go to 70 - 80. My calories when I was where you are were between 500 and 650 per day...and I did good to get that much in. During my losing period I averaged 675 per day. I had great restriction, I still do. I call cottage cheese, the Breakfast of champions, I love it. 1% of course. Eggs; steamed shrimp (i keep a bag on hand for lunch), tuna, I measure 2 TB of lite mayo for a can; whatever meat you want at night; stay away from bread, rice, Pasta, all sweets, nothing until you reach goal; chips; if it's in a bag or a box....chances are, you shouldn't have it!!! The exception, Special K Crackers, a few with tuna rather than bread are ok - recommended by my dietitian. They even have a little Fiber. I have two glasses of skim milk per day. I get liquid and 16 grams of protein, killing two birds with one stone, so to speak!! Greek yogurt, the plain, has TONS of protein in it, add Stivia or some other artificial sweetener to it, or sugar free jelly....a little fruit, be creative, just nothing you shouldn't. Great source of protein. I hope these suggestions help!!! Three weeks is a long time, you can overcome this, I promise you!!! Good luck, this tool works, just work with it!!! Also, I still weight and measure EVERYTHING....and keep an on line food log, it's good to know exactly how much you are eating and to keep track of your protein and calories!!! Just a suggestion!!

One more thing........had my husband not gotten on board, I'd have told him, "support would be appreciated, permission is NOT required". 'Nuff said.

Hi Camellia - welcome to our little corner of the world!! I don't know what to tell you. My husband was at first apprehensive because I was perfectly healthy. No problems at all and he didn't understand why I would risk that. I call it 'preventive maintenence insurance' - and yes, vanity comes into it a little. Once he saw I was serious and saw all the reserach I'd done and I explained it step by step, he was on board and was my cheerleader. I was predestined to be fat....my dad's sisters are all overweight....275 - 350 lbs. I fought to maintain at 225'ish. I'd dieted for 30 years, lost and gained on every diet around. Taken diet pills....all the things many of us have tried. I love my sleeve. My BMI was 36, low really. I wanted to lose 55 - 60 lbs. I underestimated what I could do with this tool. I have lost 90 - 93 lbs. I go up and down a few lbs. I feel great, I have a blast shopping for the first time in my life. I had an easy time, it's been disgustingly easy for me. I totally followed the doctor's plan. I had ups and downs, but that's normal. I never had a moment of buyer's remorse. I'm 51, and 5' 6". Tell him sex will rock......like he won't believe....your self esteem with soar!!! You will be shocked at how your life will change! It will take a while for your head to catch up to what your surgeon does to your tummy! Good luck....just make him understand that you are doing this for you, and his support means the world to you. Tell him you want to be around and be healthy for him for many years to come.

OMG - your husband is sabotaging you! Even if he is thin and hasn't gone through any weight related issues, he should respect your request and "work" with you. I would throw away donuts every single time (I am serious as a heart attack) he brought them into the house. Every donut. None would stay. I have NO problem tossing food in the trash or down the disposal. If it isn't here, it isn't a temptation. He will get the message or not.....either way they're gone. If he gets mad about it, he can get happy in the same pants he got mad in. I would ask him if he likes you sick, if he's trying to kill you.

My guess is she IS feeling very threatened by you having this surgery. You need to do this for you and hopefully she will follow suit when she sees how it changes your life. Is she scared of having surgery herself? It will so make a difference in your health and in your life in general. You will not believe it. Good luck!

Leeblewb - I love the Special K Crackers - in fact, they were recommended by my dietitian at the surgeon's office. At this point, I'm at goal and 10 months out, eat double what you do, maybe only eight, but I don't eat bread at home normally, so I love to eat the crackers with my tuna! It's great!! Every one loses at a different pace, and every lb lost is a lb gone forever if we work it right!!! I reached my surgeon's goal in just under five months. That was 78 lbs gone, but 23 lbs of that was pre-op. That means that the remaining 55 lbs I lost in the next not quite five months. Avereraged out, that is 11 lbs per month. Not a sprint by any means, but nice and steady I think. There were times when I thought....will this 1 or 2 lbs ever leave for good....I'd go up and down with it for a few days and some times a week, then I'd wake up one morning, and they'd be gone, some times taking a 3rd one with them. Go figure. Anyway, I look back now....and OMG - I've lost a lot, I'm below goal, but 55 lbs in five months without taking pills or doing some crazy fad diet. This is a breeze!!! I cannot complain!!!

At ten days out I was instructed by my surgeon, "NOTHING that won't go through a straw". At that point I could sip an eighth of a cup of broth or strained 98% fat free soup that was thinned with skim milk and strained....period. I was stuffed. Whoever said 'eat under the sleeve' is right. At ten months out and five months since reaching goal, I still weigh and measure my food...and log it all on line. I NEED 1100 - 1200 calories per day and it's a struggle to get them in. I averaged 675 per day during my losing stage, but it took a three months to get close to that!

OMG - I don't know what I'm thinking, not paying attention I guess. You're in NE Texas, not NW!!! We lived in Henderson for 20 yrs before we left the Lone Star State....I bet you know where that is.....well, maybe not, it's a little town, not far from Tyler, Longview....just a hop, skip and a jump from Kilgore! We are hoping to sell soon, we've been 'on the market' for almost 11 months. People are not clamoring to move to central Wisconsin. Go figure! LoL Our fingers and toes are crossed!!! Thanks for the encouragement. I am sure I prayed for patience at some point when the girls were young, and NOW I'm being taught and tested!!! I hope you've had a nice day......take care, it was great hearing from you!!!! Keep in touch if you think of it and have time!

Hi Jovigrl - Congrats on your weightloss, you're doing great!!!! Welcome to the TX page! I was glad to run across it. Like my screen name says, I'm a Native Texan! We are currently in Wisconsin, but our house is for sale and we'll be headed home as soon as it sells. The company my husband works for has an office in Las Colinas, thank goodness, they are letting in relocate, it isn't a transfer. (due to our aging parents) How are the wild fires in your area? Are they close? We lived for a short time in Mineral Wells (Palo Pinto County) right after we got married. I cannot believe how bad this is. They said on the news a little while ago that the area burned is about the size of Rhode Island! Yikes!! Anyway......have a great day and again, "good for you". I hope you get back to Ft. Worth, one of our favorite places!!!

I took a sip of the Isopure and dumped it down the sink! Way to Protein tasty for me! I got a free sample from Forest Park - they sent us home with free samples of everything, thank goodness!

It's blue raspberry....not bad and you can order it on line too. Once in a while it will be on sale, but on line you can only get a case of it, not individual bullets.

Kelly - I have heard of people watering them down a little too. I tried it but then discovered if I'd hold my breath then rinse my mouth out it really wasn't bad....seriously! Sounds like a kid taking medicine, doesn't it?? LoL At 3.5, that is not a lot at all, I just wanted to get it out of the way! If you think about 3.5 in a baby bottle, it's nothing! A little over an ounce, 3x's a day! It wasn't any worse than the yucky liquid Tylenol the week after surgery!!!!

Blue Raspberry bullets from GNC are 'ok' and have 42 or 43 grams of Protein. Very 'strong' in flavor, but are only 3.5 oz. I would sip a little in the morning, a little at noon and finish it off later in the day. Hold my breath and it wasn't a big deal. Rinse my mouth out if it was bad, seriously, I tried a LOT of stuff before surgery and returned a LOT of stuff to GNC, thank goodness they take stuff back. It all grossed me out!!! I got a sample of this from Forest Park Medical Center when I was discharged.....3.5 oz - I was sold!! LoL I tried the grape one time, but it was very, very strong. The Blue Raspberry was the least offensive to me....even my husband thought it was ok.

Besides being successful with this surgery, I had TWO goals - not throwing up and not losing my hair. I've accomplished all three!! Yay! I started taking Biotin 5000 mcg (Wal Mart, fairly cheap) a few months before surgery, and I'm still taking it. I started getting in between 60 - 80 grams of Protein in at two weeks post-op. I guess it was around month two that I quit supplements and was able to get all my protein in with food!! I've been very lucky, but I really, really didn't want to lose my hair!!!!!!!!!! Go get Biotin today...and start it!

Hey Razn4 - Love, love Mississippi!!! Actually we love the south.....we cannot wait to get back home. We'll be moving back to Texas as soon as our house sells!!! I'm glad you are going to a Center of Excellence, my family doctor stressed to me how important that was! I did some research, since I really had no idea what it meant, and found out that it's a big deal!! Anyway....I DID consider lapband, but I have two friends that have had it, one friend had to have it removed within 6 weeks, she was having terrible problems with it. (it IS a foreign object in your body) and my other friend never reached goal and has since started gaining some weight back. People tend not to be as successful with the band....not to mention you have so much to do afterwards, the fills and all. This friend is thinking about getting a revision to the sleeve. Personally I LIKED the idea of having approx. 85% of my stomach removed.....doesn't that sound barbaric??!!! LoL I do not have any food issued/addictions.....the forced portion control is exactly what I needed. Recovery time for me was easy as pie. I didn't have any problems, but I am sure it because I did have a low BMI and zero health issues. I think those of us that start out healthy recover quickly! I went to Dallas for surgery and had to stay in Texas for two weeks for my one week and two week check up. The first week we were at my folk's house and the second week we rented a beach house in Galveston. What a great way to recover, huh??!!! We walked on the beach, hung out at star bucks, took short walks on the sea wall. Recovery isn't bad, i took a short nap every afternoon. I did not over do, but I was not at all bed ridden. How old are your kids? Do you have friends or family around that can run them around if need be? You can drive as soon as you are not taking pain meds. (get a heating pad, it's better than any pain medication!) I only took pain medication AT NIGHT for the first week and only because it was uncomfortable to turn over from one side to the other. I cannot sleep on my back. I used a heating pad during the day when I was sitting around. The first week I'd walk around the house and even got out to go to Wal Mart once, just a short trip....but after week one I felt like getting out and about, we were glad to be in Galveston. I never got depressed and I have never, EVER had one minute of "buyers remorse" that you hear about. I've never regretted my decision!!! I've lost 93 lbs, which is 30 lbs more than I started out thinking I would lose. I thought, "I'll be happy if I lose 60 lbs" - talk about underestimating how wonderful this surgery is, and what we can do with it!!!! My goal was this: Don't throw up and don't lose my hair! Yes, I'm from the south and we girls do have our priorities!! I accomplished both!! Go to Wal Mart and get Biotin NOW and start taking it, 5000 mcg, 1 per day!!!! I'm ten months out and I have been taking this since before surgery and have gotten 60 - 80 grams of Protein per day in since about week two. I know you're nervous.....but I am certain you will never go to your surgeon and tell him you wish you had your tummy back!!!

I'm already "there" but this is such an exciting thread, I hope y'all don't mind if I post!!! "My favorite things" (as Oprah would say) during this journey we've all chosen to take are these: Shopping, shopping, shopping!!! Going down a size is so stinkin' exciting! I just bought jeans in a size 4, a FOUR again yesterday, this is the third time, but every single time it makes me smile inside!! Never, ever did I dare dream this was possible. NEVER! One day I woke up and I had a collar bone, that was probably my first NSV. I would say other than when I slipped into my first pair of size 6 jeans, this was the single most exciting thing. A collar bone, who knew I really had one!!!???? Now I have shoulder bones and hip bones. It's really amazing to me!!! Someone saying I'm 'thin', 'small', 'little' or 'skinny'. The first few times, you'll want to look around to make sure they are really talking about you.....then you'll want to giggle!!! These are a few of my favorite things! I'm sooooo glad I didn't have anything "re-routed" and so glad I didn't get "banded" - I almost got the lapband, I considered it. Luckily I'm obsessive about research, and decided against it. I love my sleeve, forced portion control, it's just what I needed!!

I love this!!! I call it "preventive maintenence" - now I'll add insurance to the end of that!!!!!!!!!! Mine was $12,500. All in all, I think it's a great investment; think of all the meds, deductables and co-pays that we probably have avoided. I had no health issues, not one. Now my low cholesterol is even lower, and my normal blood pressure is even lower! I'd much rather spend $$ on cute clothes!!!