JoiaRox

Reminds me of the "hot or not" website that was around back in my college days!

I'm just over 3 weeks out, but I can't wait to be back on normal foods! I'm hoping to achieve the same portion control and satisfaction!! So far, so good!

While vitamins are imperative to the process, watch out for Bariatric Advantage! I was taking them regularly beginning 3 or 4 days post-op, then suddenly couldn't tolerate them about 12 days out - literally vomited within moments of chewing them. Upon googlin' the issue, it seems that many have been unable to tolerate them. No idea why I was fine with them, nor what caused the switch, but I've made the switch to Opurity chewables and am fine now!

That CPAP will be gone in no time!

Happened on Day 6 for me...and it was painful! Once I got that out, though, I was in the "bowels are more loose now" mode...lol! Talk about TMI!

Absolutely! The only caveat is that protein powder can't be used in anything that you're heating up to over 140 degrees - the protein will start to curdle (yuck!).

I think everyone is anxious pre-op! Even though you don't have a date yet, you're certainly in the loading gate, so to speak! Even having been a LapBand patient (got it removed, thank god, in March), I was still nervous and having second thoughts about my getting my sleeve. Will WLS work this time? Will I go through the same complications and drama I went through with the band (it was severely slipped for over 2 years)? Woke up from surgery on June 7th and, having had a textbook and speedy recovery, all is well now! Just wish I had chosen this surgery in the first place! I'm planning for continued success!

Any kind of pillow/stuffed animal will work, really, as long as you can hold it firmly against your tummy - people use it to "secure" themselves, especially while being driven home. With an hour drive from my hospital, I bought a fuzzy pink, square throw pillow to use...and really only used it to lay my head on in the hospital. I felt pretty!!

Mmm...butter flavored protein would ROCK! I should add - I use a lot of PB2 (powdered peanut butter) in my protein shakes, especially with either my vanilla or protein flavors! Not only does the flavor give an extra kick, but I get an additional 5g of protein!

I used standard chicken/beef broth in addition to my Unjury powder - no problems keeping any of it down. Immediately pre-op, you really can't take in THAT much liquid at a time. Spacing a cup of broth over an hour, especially if you're also getting your water in, won't cause any swelling issues...at least, it never did for me!

I've been on this stage for a week - granted, everyone's NUT has different recommendations, but here are my common foods: Fat-free refried beans (w/melted cheese or Laughing Cow wedges) Any soup that sounds yummy - blended up in my magic bullet (loaded baked potato - YUM!) Greek yogurt Mashed potatoes (again, add some Laughing Cow wedges - extra protein & flavor!) Protein shakes (although I'm more creative with them now - google some recipes!) Turkey Chili (either blended or not - if not, I chew any chewable pieces up really well first!) Scrambled eggs - small bites, go slow! My NUT and doctor said, essentially, I can eat anything that doesn't require chewing (although I have to chew my eggs...but they said those were okay!). I was also told that I should try one food at a time to see how my body reacts - tuna canned in water, for instance, is "allowed" on my list of puree foods, but I'm too scared to try it quite yet. I was reminded at my follow up earlier this week to just go slow, introduce foods one at a time, and remember that you are NOT healed yet! I do drink coffee with creamer and unsweetened iced tea...oh, and plenty of water! Caffeine has never been a "no no" for me, but I'm not allowed to try carbonated drinks until I'm 30 days post-op. Hope that helps! If nothing else, you could get a Quarter Pounder w/Cheese and throw it in a blender!!

I've since tried Chobani's flavored Greek yogurts and LOVE them! I don't even want to eat regular yogurt anymore because they can't compare with the protein content of Greek!

Yikes! unjury protein powders have been my secret! That and Chobani Greek yogurt!

Love the chicken soup powder in cream of chicken soup! Yum!

Interesting...I was getting all of my protein in (70g/day minimum) by Day 5 post-op...and was on liquids for 2 weeks.

I'll explain it a million times if it means that WLS (and, specifically, the sleeve) can be understood as a TOOL to help me in my lifelong journey for health and wellness. "Your stomach is the size of a football. Mine's the size of a banana..." I've been lucky not to encounter negativity (to my face anyway)...perhaps it's the former teacher in me? I'm not ashamed of who I am, how big I am (or not), the tool I chose to utilize, etc. Negativity is usually bred from ignorance - ain't no one got time for that.

Absolutely. I mentioned to my doctor at my follow up appointment on Day 6 post-op that I had consumed 24oz of water on my way to his office from my home (roughly 1 hour drive time) - he didn't bat an eye and congratulated me on a speedy recovery!

If you're thirsty, you're thirsty. It may be awhile before you can meet the daily fluid AND protein requirements - just keep listening to your body and "feeding" it what it needs. You're only 12 days out - it will get easier!

This, too, shall pass. I know it seems rough - but you'll get there! You'll soon Celebrate the pounds coming off, the ability to drink to your heart's content, and the ability to eat just a few bites of REAL food and feel full. Keep your eye on the prize!

While I can't speak to the same circumstances, I'm also going through somewhat of an awkward move. When my boyfriend and I moved into this house last August, we signed a 2-year lease. I was confident in my employer and we had decided to "settle" into this area. Lo and behold, I was laid off right before Thanksgiving with a Dec. 31 end date. I spent time looking for new work and, thankfully, was re-employed at the end of January...but in a different state. Granted, the Washington, D.C. area has many states nearby - I thought I could commute the 38 miles to my new office in Maryland (I'm in Virginia now), but the traffic of this area is making me spend 3-4 hours a day on the road (for a total round trip mileage of only 76 miles!!). I got to the point, immediately pre-op, where I just couldn't keep spending my life commuting and asked the property manager for my place if we could break the lease. We were allowed to break the lease, but (a) I'm losing my entire deposit ($1,650) to "re-listing fees," ( I have to pay rent on this house until someone else takes over and ( I have to pay utilities here until someone else takes over - this is all in the effort not to cost the property owner a dime because of our inability to complete the lease. I had my surgery on June 7 and have been stressing about the "what if" since then. Luckily, we found and were approved for a home in Maryland last weekend, but we won't sign the lease until July 7. We were hoping to get out of this house in mid-July to allow the owner time to clean the house properly for a new tenant, but our new home won't be ready until August 1 (I'm hoping that when we sign the lease on July 7, we can negotiate a few days earlier - even if we have to clean our new home ourselves). Of course, our current property manager just e-mailed yesterday and said someone has been approved to move in to our current home (yay!)...and how soon can we be out?! Ugh. The cost of staying in a hotel and putting our things in storage is not cost effective. I told him we planned to leave July 31, as our new home wouldn't be ready to move into until August 1. I told him we *could* be out earlier if it was absolutely necessary, but told him that would not be ideal. His reply e-mail? "It is what it is." I'm completely stressed about the transition - I'd love to get out earlier so that they can clean, paint and have someone move in by August 1 - wouldn't cost me a dime more in rent, utilities, etc. (I'd still lose my deposit - although I'm curious to see THAT bill because my boyfriend was the one who did all the house showing - we haven't seen the property managers). Every day into August that someone does NOT move in will cost me more money. And, of course, it could be that the people who were approved don't want to wait that long to move in, so they may say "screw it" and then we're right back to where we started in showing the house and looking for a new tenant to take over the rent and utilities. I'm hoping all of the timing will be settled up after we sign our new lease on July 7, but it SUCKS not being able to make my moving plans, budget plans, etc. In the meantime, I know my surgery bills from June 7 will start rolling in after insurance processes and pays their parts, so I'm trying to make this move and lease breaking be as CHEAP as possible so that I have money leftover to start working on hospital bills. Perhaps that's why my scale has stalled for awhile? Damn you stress. As I see it, I agree with what you wrote - the fact that my weight hasn't gone UP is a victory. I know things will eventually settle, we'll both be happily in our new homes, and some new stressor in life will appear. We'll continue to fight for our health, regardless. I remind myself to keep choosing the right foods (Protein, fluids) - the weight WILL come off.

I work in Rockville! I'll be moving to Germantown on August 1 - the commute from Woodbridge, VA is gruesome!