BlackBerryJuice

The type of pain you feel from your internal organs is more like menstrual cramps (dull ache) and often makes you feel nauseous or light-headed, as opposed to somatic pain from, say, your skin, that is very sharp and makes you wanna go "ow!" and jump away. You'll experience both post-surgery.

It's absurd even a while out of surgery. I went out to dinner with my fiance tonight. I had 2 sliders (with the top bun off) and a slice of pizza and was absolutely stuffed. He had 2 sliders, with all the bread, and 9 slices of pizza. It's quite unbelievable, really.

You can avoid ketosis and get carbs in by simply drinking juice instead of some of your water.

Did Week 4, Day 3 today - much better than 4:2. Did the whole thing as prescribed and made sure to pace myself this time - it seems that my downfall is running super-fast and then fizzling out 2 minutes later. 6:30 km/min pace, which is a 32:30 5K, so not bad. I want to get under 30 mins, as I've never been able to before.

I would've definitely done it earlier, had I had the money. I remember first considering WLS in like 2006 - I was looking at the lap band. Good thing I didn't get that band! LOL.

I'm more than 1.5 years out and no, I still can't eat a full meal anywhere. Even at restaurants that serve "normal" portions. So I doubt you will ever be able to eat what would be considered a full-sized meal.

Wow! You look so built now!

You can always slide some food down your sleeves when no one's looking! LOL

My boyfriend was out of the country for 2 weeks when I was having WLS. He kept telling me he was worried he wouldn't recognize me at the airport when I came to pick him up. It's like, how much weight do you think one can lose in 2 weeks? LOL men.

I did fairly well with week 4 day 1, but this morning I did day 2 and did awful. I don't know if it's because I'm not a morning person and don't usually work out in the AM or because I did it on an empty stomach or what. Oh well, at least I did something, I suppose!

What was your Hb before the surgery? Do you know if you lost a lot of blood during the operation itself? Just wondering since this could suggest (among other things) an internal bleed.

Hahaha, I know, I cringe every time I see that!

In my humble opinion, you don't need it. I was also briefly tempted by it, then realized it'd just fuel obsessive behaviours - which is something I've been working on curbing since my surgery.

I was also initially interested in the lap band. I was hoping to get it done here in Canada, but I would've had to fly halfway across the country and pay like 20 grand - and then find my own doc or nurse here to manage my fills. It was quite a turn-off for me. I called Dr. Aceves about the lap band, and his coordinator told me about the sleeve and said they weren't having a very good success rate with the band and the sleeve was a much better option. I mulled over it for a few days and decided it was the right choice for me. I'm very glad I had the sleeve! There were so many people having band-to-sleeve revisions in the hospital when I was there!

It's amazing when you realize how much your body literally got in the way of doing things! I always assumed I couldn't do certain yoga poses because I wasn't flexible enough....no, it was because my ass was getting in the way!

I agree with Foxbins, my appetite fluctuates from day to day. Some days I definitely overeat, other days I eat fine, and some days I eat less than I probably should. I dropped as low as 136, but I have a large frame, so that translated into as small as size 2 in some clothing, so I was actually kind of gaunt and bony yet with some fat and loose skin. I then found that maintaining 136 required a fair bit of effort - zero alcohol, zero desserts, that kind of thing - which to me wasn't worth it. I bounced back up to 140-142 and have been there consistently for like half a year now. I bounced all the way up to 145 at some point when I was out of town for 4 weeks and eating a lot of junk while exercising a lot less than I normally do - it required some focus to get back to my normal weight. So YES, you can still gain weight if you are consistently overeating and not active enough to compensate. I don't deprive myself or starve myself, I just make better choices, e.g. eggs for breakfast instead of a cinnamon bun at the coffee shop or blueberries for a snack instead of a protein bar. I actually just took some pix today in the same spot/clothes/lighting as a year ago, and while I've gained those 4-5 lbs from 136, I look better - I'm less "soft," my butt actually exists instead of just skin hanging down, and my stomach is actually leaner. My mom said I look much healthier now than when I was in the active weight loss phase.

Yay! I sent my before/after pictures to Nina, and she asked if they could feature them on Dr. Aceves' website. Pretty flattered - definitely an NSV!

So I got my Levi's in the mail today from Ebay and they fit great! I had measured myself according to the Levi's website guidelines and it said I was a "slight curve" - the flattest of their fits. I decided to go with my gut and ordered a "bold curve." Lo and behold, it fits like a glove!

Wow! Very impressive! Looks totally natural!

Awesome! 7 miles is a lot!

Don't buy goal clothes, you might not make it to that size, get past it, or just plain see changes in your body shape that may preclude these clothes from fitting properly. It's a big risk to take, and, as such, a waste of money.