VSGandMe2011 (DisneyMomma)

I do not drink carbonated drinks at ALL...I tried a sip awhile back and it HURT going down! And it didn't taste good. I do eat fried okra and friend squash every once in a while and I haven't had a problem with it!

Oh, yeah!! I'm right with you!! I definitely enjoy food WAY more now.....pre-op I just ate to eat! ;o)

Thank you both SO much! I really appreciate the encouragement AND the recipe! I'm SO making that soup!! YUMMMMMMM!!!! ;o)

Hi, Brandi! Did you try the 5 day pouch test? I'm on day 1 today....trying to detox those carbs!! GL!

Ok...I'm almost 7 months post-op and I've had a HARD time resisting carbs over the last few weeks (and my lack of weight loss reflects it!!)...SO, I'm doing the 5 day pouch test as a carb reset. I figure I'd just share here as well as on my YT channel. I looked around here for personal experience from other sleevers doing the 5 day pouch test and didn't really find anything...so here I am! Day 1 - 1:37pm - I'm half way through my day and doing REALLY well! I'm not feeling deprived or starving. I feel really good! I've had a Protein shake and a blended cup of Soup and 24 oz of Water so far! I have a volleyball game tonight and then we'll all head to McD's afterward...I'll be bringing my strawberry Protein Shake and pretending it's a strawberry shake! ;o) Day 2 - 11:24pm - I'm at the end of day 2 and I've done it!! Only liquids for 2 days!! I feel really good and, when I weighed in this morning, I'd lost 3 lbs in ONE day! WOW! Can't wait to see what the scale says tomorrow! I'm definitely ready for some soft foods tomorrow! Day 3 & 4 - 2:22pm (day 4) - Day 3 went well! I ate soft Proteins, scrambled eggs, tuna and pepperoni (deli sliced) I did have one tiny slip and ate a small handful of fritos, but I'm not gonna sweat it! I haven't had sugar in 3 1/2 days!! That is AMAZING! Before this "diet" I had gotten into the bad habit of eating trail mix that had m&m's in it....So, I'm letting the trail mix go for a long time! LOL! I started out at 229lbs on Monday morning and today (day 4) I weighed 224.8lbs! YAY! I'm on ground meats today and tomorrow is firm protein! Talk to y'all later! ;o)

I'm doing the 5 day pouch test right now! Day 1 today! I felt like I was out of control with carbs and just needed to push the "reset" button! I'd highly recommend it! GL!!

You are welcome!! 6 lbs is awesome!!! I'm 6 months post-op and I still use it pretty much everyday! (I love my iced coffee protein drink!!) GL!!

None!! I didn't work out at all! Actually I didn't start really exercising until I was 3 months post-op and then I started doing the c25k.

I get my protein powder from the Vitamin Shoppe. My dr wanted me on a low carb diet, so that's why I wasn't allowed sugar or starchy veggies. Here's the link to the video!

I have a smaller weekly divider (am & pm) that allows me to pop out one day's worth of meds and carry them with me! So handy! I got it at CVS!

Whatever protein shake you decide on needs to have NO sugar....The weight will come of VERY slowly if at all with all the sugar in regular slimfast. I use Nectar by Syntrax (chocolate mousse, or french vanilla) both delicious and you can mix it with chilled coffee and milk and a little SF syrup for a YUMMY iced coffee protein drink!! (I did a youtube video about how I make this!) My pre-op diet was 3-4 protein shakes a day with 5oz of protein for dinner and as many veggies (no starch!) as I wanted with dinner. I did that for 2 weeks and lost 16.6 lbs!! You can do it!! <3

WooHoo!!!! That's amazing!!!!

Thanks for the support!! I'm glad to say that my uterus did not kill me, although it tried it's best! LOL! We're hoping to have one more baby, but I'll definitely keep the ablation in mind after DH gets snipped!! Thanks a bunch!!

Ok, this is my 3rd period since my surgery March 8, 2011. The first one was 3 months ago, the second 6 weeks ago and I'm currently in the middle of the period from HE**!! Anyone else experienced this? The cramps are ungodly and I'm running through a tampon an hour. Lord help me! I haven't had regular cycles since BEFORE I was married 13 years ago and they were NOTHING like this. If my next one is like this one, I'll mention it to my ob/gyn at my next visit.

I struggled with whether to do RNY or the sleeve...on one hand rerouting my intestines scared the living daylights out of me, but so did failing again after surgery.....eventually I decided that the sleeve was the best choice for me and that I'd have to be responsible for my success or failure with ANY wls. I won't lie and say I haven't wondered if RNY would have been better at times when my weight loss has sleemed slow....but then I enjoy a couple bites of wedding cake or bread at a restaurant and KNOW I made the right choice for me! I look back at 6 months post-op at the 69lbs I've lost and know that I did all the work to lose it....it didn't happen because of malabsorption...it happened because I've made good choices over and over and over!! GL on your journey!!

I did a vlog on this last week, but thought I'd throw it out here too! I'm half way to goal (lost 69.4 with 59.8 to go) and I'm feeling really exposed without my fat! I explained it to my hubby like this..."Imagine I'm a football player and I'm running out on the field without my helmet...that's how I feel. Like I'm going to get crushed by those really big guys and have nothing to protect myself with!" I know that it's just mental...that my fat never actually protected me, but my heart felt safe behind my wall of fat and now....it's disappearing really quickly and I feel very exposed. I'm working through getting those negative thoughts out of my mind and off "repeat" and replacing them with truth! It's hard, but I'm doing it! Anyone else feel this way?

I guess I'm kind of an atypical wls patient....I was VERY thin my whole life until I got married at the age of 21, by the time I was pg with my first baby at the age of 23 I was 200lbs and it just kept climbing. I weighed 140lbs on my wedding day (May 30, 1998) and weighed 299.2lbs at my first dr's appt (January 2011). I have LONGED to feel like I did as a teenager...healthy and light! The final straws were going to Disney World for our third time and being MISERABLE at "the happiest place on earth"....I didn't fit in the plane seat either. Also, we'd been trying to conceive our third child for 5 years.....fertility meds, dr's visits, ultrasounds...more meds....I just couldn't do it to my body anymore. Every attempt packed on 10 extra lbs. So, we're giving it another year and if pregnancy doesn't occur naturally, we're going to continue being happy with our 2 girls! (but I'm hoping for one more baby and my healthiest pregnancy yet!!) I'm down to 229lbs at 6 months post-op and am LOVING my sleeve! Best gift I ever gave myself and my family!!

HUGS, Robin! ExitMelanie says "Your race, Your pace"! It took me about 4 months to figure out that I HAVE to count carbs (no matter what Dr. Nick's office says!)....35 net carbs a day on average and I lose weight like a champ! But that's what works for me, and it took some experimentation to figure that out. Look at this as a journey to what's gonna work for you for the rest of your life.....gone are the crazy fad diets and failures! This WILL work, it just might take a little time to figure out YOUR path. As for the stress....leave the laundry behind and go for a run/walk/bike ride....we used to eat to relieve stress, now we move to relieve it! Also, take a step back and look at the BIG picture (not the daily scale picture!)....when have you ever lost 20.5 lbs in under 2 months? That is AMAZING!!!! YOU ARE DOING THIS, Robin!!! Hang in there, hon!!! ~Dana (VSGandMe2011)

WooHoo!! Congrats!!!

I used to be a thin person and I cannot remember what I thought about!! Granted that was over 12 years ago, but still!! I just passed my half way point and was just thinking about this very thing.....I have no idea what I'll focus on after I get to goal! Maybe my running will become more of a focal point? I'm planning on running the Princess Half Marathon at Disney World in February 2013.....then eventually the full marathon. Some days I wonder if I'll really make it to goal and others I'm worried about what I'll do when I do!! LOL! This journey is SUCH a mental trip!!! ;o)

Thank y'all so much! It's so nice to know that I'm not alone. I'm trying out saying to myself every time I look in a mirror, "You are thin and you are beautiful!" I figure if I told myself for years, "You are fat and you are ugly" and I ended up believing it, then if I keep saying the opposite to myself eventually I will believe it too! I am refusing to be miserable and unhappy with myself as I work my way to goal like I was at 299 lbs. That is NOT going to happen! I love this quote by Patsy Clairmont - "My will is stronger than my emotions." SO TRUE! Hugs, Fellow Sleevers!!! ~Dana

OMGosh, Lynda!! I put all the clothes from the washer into the dryer the other day and thought..."I KNOW I washed my jeans, but I only saw DH's jeans!" I pulled everything out and went through it...my jeans are almost the same size as his! YAY! LOL...but I DON'T see it!!! CrAzY!!!

I'm 24 weeks out and have lost 66 lbs, but I still see myself as a super obese person!! My brain just can't seem to catch up! Here's a pic taken at dinner Wednesday evening (8/24/11) but I see myself like this!! (I'm on the far left)......Anyone know when this will start to change???

Thank, y'all!! I ran a 5k this morning in under an hour and I'm just enjoying EVERYTHING in my life SO much more now!! I cannot wait to get to goal!!! (and for the first time I know I will and I will stay there!!)