JamieLynn77

guess it keeps those bad carbs at bay.

i stall before my cycle and then after i tend to drop a lot. like anywhere from 3-6 pounds. but has anyone noticed that when your cycle comes around...your pouch is more forgiving? I mean, it just seems like i can eat more without the full feeling and the vomiting. its wild. and then right before my cycle is over, my tummy returns to normal. anyone else experience this?

indeed, the mind is a powerful thing. whats wierd is that now that i am post op, i STILL have wierd cravings. things i never liked before, i am picking up at the store. and things that i LOVED before, i have no interest in. Things just taste different for me, and with the want of making good diet choices...its all very exciting. i am finding so many things that are good and good for me. but i still get the wierd 'head hunger' and when i go to satisfy it, i am totally disgusted. its crazy!!

I was allowed SF popsicles, jello and all the broth i could eat, crystal light, and unsweetened tea. And for the week i thought i was gonna go nuts. I ate broth 6 and 7 times a day. devoured jello and was still hungry. But after the first week, it started getting easier. I agree with the keeping busy cause if i wasnt thinking about it, i was golden. it was when i had down time, i went crazy. I also took a lot of naps. seemed to help out. i know its hard, and as if the pre op liquid diet was hard, i thought for sure then post op would be miserable. but no....i came out of surgery and havent been hungry since. sounds crazy. but i haven't gotten that 'chew my arm off' feeling since right before surgery. I love it, and it was well worth those 2 weeks. hang in there!!!

my nutritionist has told me that there will be things that i will eat, and that will not agree with me. and that i should wait, and come back to it in a week or two. they want me to try new things, but just not all at one time lol. so i kinda pace myself and try something new every couple of days or so. i still find that anything with a skin doesn't work very well. i'm even having trouble with some fruits upsetting my tummy. especially the high acid fruits like pineapple. so i still keep things pretty light. i'm very cautious. i hate the feeling of being sick and how miserable you are after doing so. they also said that most people have a hard time with chicken. but i dont seem to. and its very high in protein so it seems to be my go to food when i am trying to fit all my protein in for the day. i have found packaged lunch meat, that is chicken, that works great as an on the go snack.

congrats! i just moved to the regular sizes myself and it is a wonderful feeling. Its a little intimidating at times, but oh how much $$ i save lol. Its so hard to believe. and the confidence that comes with it is amazing!

you can eat cottage cheese already? lol holy moly...they made me wait 4 weeks. sounds to me like maybe too fast or not chewing thoroughly. if i dont chew good then it revisits me, and that is my hardest habit to break. i would try small small bites and chew slowly and i have heard to wait 2-3 minutes between bites if that helps. but i get the hiccups too now, when i am full. that is my new alarm for a full tummy. i get the hiccups, and i leave the table and dont eat anything else.

sleepless---I have lost 62 between pre and post op. all together on my own and with the surgery about 108-110. I feel awesome! It is something i do not regret doing at all!

i try for 50-60 a day in Protein. I know i need more but I am still struggling to get it all in, and so i rely still on a Protein Drink now and then. i wish i could remember the carb count on my protein drink, but that sounds kinda high to me....hmmm..... and lastly, my gas pain only lasted about a week or so, but i had gas x strips by my bed and used them as needed and it wasnt too horrible bad. good luck to you and glad you are here!! woot woot!

the smell of food post op really got to me, oddly enough. which kinda stunk cuz i had to feed my 9 year old. but it got better over the course of a few weeks. but i am with lara...i cant sit at the table. when i am full i HAVE to get up and leave. for a handful of reasons...i used to eat and eat even after i was full and i dont want to start that habit again. if i DO eat too much i get sick and i hate that. and so, to avoid it, i get up and do something else. It is getting easier, it just takes time to adjust to all these new habits we are making Oh, and i LOVE to cook too, and i have more fun now, trying new recipes that are healtier. sparkpeople.com has a great query for different recipes for different diets. its awesome!! and delish!!

yeah, i can be quite the bread addict lol. its just a whole new world out here lol...always an adventure in eating.

I tested ++ for h pylori too and my surgery went off without a hitch. and OMG the horse pills lol....YUCK! and that pesky metal taste drove me nuts!!! But just a small obstacle to get where i wanted to be. Keep on that yogurt kelly lol...and hang in there...

I am with the others...you should definitely check your insurance. obesityhelp.com is a good source of info as far as working insurance companies. i had a nigh bmi and very few if any co morbidities. but my insurance paid. so definitely check it out. as far as your family and telling you to diet...no one knows until they have been there. My family told me that too. I can take weight off sure thing, but i am a champion at putting it right back on. I needed this tool to help me out. and my surgeon has a great support team that guides me to making good decisions. I am happy with my choice. I waited 4 years to do this. investigating everything. I knew i did NOT want a RNY, and lap band scared me so i did nothing. then a friend of mine told me about the sleeve. I looked into it...found this site...and talked to some ppl, and knew it was what i wanted. I am very happy with my decision to do this. Not only because of the weight loss, but because of the smarter choices i make, the better i feel, and knowing i am gonna be around a lot longer for my son. Its a tough choice, but well worth it, i feel. good luck to you and if you need to talk it up, drop a line. :-)

thank you! and good luck to you on your adventure do you have a surgeon, or are you just kinda scoping things out first?

pickles were intense for me. I am 4 months out and they still are. I think its the skin. But they upset my tummy bad. i know it sounds nuts, but if i peel it, its not SO bad...but i LOVE pickles. and i miss them so lol. I am just now eating hot dogs, and i find that i can only do 1/3 to 1/2 of a dog. i know about the cravings lol...they can be hard to resist at times lol. I had my first dog about a week ago and it was like heaven. Crazy what we miss...lol. and its weird cuz sometimes, just a bite is all i need to get the fix on whatever i am cravin so bad.

My weight loss was really slow and still kind of is. i think a portion of it, is that we are all different. I would get frustrated in the beginning cuz some of the people on here were losing at a tremendous rate, and i was kinda poking along. I am back on proteins again to give myself another boost. I know that I need to keep track of my eating too, it will help you to do that. Congrats on your surgery, and good luck to you. hang in there! its all well worth it! And we all just move at our own pace. :-)

I am 4 months out, and I was told by my doc, not to do anything that engaged my core, for at least 2 months. I just got permission to do crunches and ab work. I would almost say that weights would fall into that catagory. Running may be different. I have never been a runner, so i am not sure. but i was on the move almost right after i came home. i think that contributed to my speedy recovery. I was always up and moving.maybe not always doing anything strenuous, but i was moving none the less. so I would just get with your doc. Lord knows from talking to different people on here, each surgeon is different lol, Now tho, I do all my old routine and have no worries. :-)

I cant believe that i am about 4 months out now and have lost about 40 pounds since surgery. seems slow to me but the change is unreal. from my absolute highest weight of 318, on my own, with pre op diet and surgery too, i am down a total of 108 pounds. holy cow! it took me forever to see the change...i guess looking at myself everyday makes it harder? i dunno. it wasnt until i went to buy new capris that the change was real. i started at a 24 and am now in a 16. there are days when i get frustrated with my sleeve, but it is the best thing that i have ever done for me and my family. i am more energetic and happy. I just wanted to say thanks to those who went before me, when i came to this site to read up about what i was getting into....you all helped influence this choice and have been very supportive. no regrets...just one day at a time. :-) now i just wish this cold weather would go away again so i could enjoy these new clothes lol!

@ coops-you too! almost a year out! thats great. is it really different now than what it was when you were at 4 months like i am?

its defintely exciting!! especially all the new shopping lol! Good luck to you on your journey as well!

i think you have all the same fears that a lot of us did. i know that i cried right up until i was put under. i was scared i wasnt coming home. but i did and you will too. i think its a level of trust in your surgeon. he wouldnt be doing this surgery on you if he didnt believe that you were going to be okay. and also you gotta weigh the pros and cons. what if you dont have the surgery..will you eventually get diabetes, or high cholesterol...or something? this is a wonderful tool to help us change our lifestyle and become healthier people. I am only 4 months out, but i have ZERO regrets. i get frustrated yes, but the change i have seen is worth it. I do eat fruit by the way :-) actually bananas were on my phase 2 diet, when i went to softies. i could mash bananas and eat them. i was so excited lol. my pre op was torture. i was so addicted to food and i did 2 weeks liquid dieting and omg. lol...i wanted to chew my arm off at first, but as time passed, it got easier. and its wierd tho, but after surgery, i had no hunger. but was always thirsty. and even now...i dont get that ravenous feeling like i did. so its a huge help. and you learn to eat different. you are more aware of the labels on food...and you want to make better choices so you can put this sleeve to the test. i do sugar free everything...i try...in my house. koolaid, chocolate syrup, splenda, carnation instant breakfast is sugar free. and its for my family too. and it is working so far, I think you will be a great success. stick around here, these ppl are wonderful and were an instrument in my decision as well. Good luck to you and drop a line anytime if you wanna talk!

The first few days were pretty intense for me. I coulda threw mustard on my arm and just chewed away haha. My protein shakes were very high in protein, the body fortress from wal mart is great! and i had a rescue bag with me that had sugar free gum, candy, and crystal light packs. anytime i felt the munchies creeping up, i dove into that and it worked. after a while, it got way better. i ate broth like mad. but it was all worth it. Good luck to you!!

I had horrible willpower. I could exercise and lose weight and go right back up again as soon as i even slacked a little bit. I just needed a little help to get me on the right track so i looked into the sleeve. My doc made me make some diet changes before my surgery, like cutting out soda. which now...i could care less about. The surgery has really made a difference. I still get those cravings...and i do give in. but only a bite or 2. cuz if you do try to eat more than you are supposed to, you are uncomfortable, you vomit, and there is just a subtle fear for me, that i may hurt myself. I am only 8 weeks out today, but i can tell a huge difference in myself. the foods that i choose by choice now. The way i look at labels and i know that not only am i doing this for myself, but i am making good choices for my family and we are all going to be healthier. I have lost 50 pounds...since i started this journey, and even tho i know i mess up from time to time, i am still a loser. I do stall...but i can get myself going again. looking in the mirror only makes me wanna be better. I am a firm believer in this surgery and i think we are only as successful as we want to be. I hope the best for you....good luck and I hope this helped. There are lots of great people here with all kinds of experiences. welcome and we look forward to hearing more from you!!!!!