emily_0192010

Fear not! Bacon is not too far away! You'll be able to have some before you know it! LOL. Unless you are watching your fat... bacon was actually one of the first foods I could tolerate! I eat it a couple times a week now

I enjoy milk I don't drink it every day but once in awhile I will!

NO. They make them for bariatric patients as well! They will be slightly tight, but that is how they are supposed to be!

Stress most certainly WILL hold back your weight loss!! I was in a very stressful situation for a few months and my weight loss plummeted. Since removing myself from that situation and being home... I've lost about 10 lbs in 3 weeks. I don't expect this to keep up, I just think my body physically relaxed enough to finally let go of the weight. The only thing that changed was the situation.

Well your happiness certainly shines through loud and clear!!!! It is awesome to read about how wonderful other sleevers are doing. My favorites are the posts like your's... the ones that are not about the numbers or the sizes (though, those rock too!). It's the ones about how we FEEL physically and emotionally and psychologically that make me truly smile and be so grateful to be able to know these people and experience it with them! Thanks for sharing! Keep up that amazing attitude!

Also, I just wanted to say that I only eat 600-800 calories a day. I would either have to eat the wrong things to up it (carbs, fast food, etc) or drink my calories... and I don't want to do either. I do eat on the higher side on the days I'm exercising though.

Well, you said it! Truly, stalls are completely normal and I dare say even an important part of this journey! I have gone through several myself. You're body needs this pause to catch up! The gain is just Water weight, I guarantee you! It is incredibly frustrating and emotionally it sucks!!! Instead of focusing on the numbers, take this time to monitor yourself in other ways. Make sure you are getting in your Protein and water and vitmains. Feel how your clothes are getting looser. Feel how you can walk further and faster and how you hold your head up a little higher every day. Look at pictures of where you were and see how far you've come already. Avoid the scale for a little while. You cannot let it get you down. This sleeve is NOT a diet. It is not going to fail you. You are taking care of it by following your diet and it will take care of you! It will move, just be patient. I bet as soon as you accept that you are in a stall and relax and stop worrying about it... the scale will move lol!

I did not have to wear them that long, but I had to in the hospital (2 nights). They also asked me to wear them "on and off" for a couple weeks after. So I would wear them around the house. They didn't bother me. I'm not sure why you need them for four weeks though. Better safe than sorry though. Maybe ask your doctor to explain why?

Welcome Good luck on your pre-req's. In the meantime I'll save you a spot on the loser's bench! As someone else said recently (I wish I could remember where/who exactly)... the loser's bench keeps on growing because the people keep on shrinking! Keep us updated please!

I am 8 months out. At this point I am capable of eating just about anything except bread... bread hits me like a rock with anything more than a tiny bite. But I don't mind since I really was never a huge bread eater (pasta was my kryptonite...) My daily foods include -chicken -pork -ground meat (hamburger or turkey or sausage) -eggs -plain greek yogurt (with flavored syrups or splenda to sweeten, normally add Protein as well) -cheese! -tuna -shrimp -lunch meat -protein shakes I cook these in a variety of ways, but grilling (on my counter top grill) is my favorite. It is quick and since I have lots of experience with it I have no trouble timing it so that the meat comes out tender every time. With the ground meat I either eat it out of a bowl with cheese on top or I make meatballs of some sort. As you can tell... I am definitely NOT a vegetarian! LOL I also am not all that creative with it. But I like simple food the best so I'm not missing anything!

I've just started to add in exercise as well and I was wondering this. I am between 600 and 800 as well... and that is with a Protein shake. Not sure how I could add much more right now, I still have a lot of restriction. So far I haven't had any issues being lightheaded or dizzy, etc. When I no I am going to exercise I drink half of my protein shake about 30 minutes before I go and then I sip it afterwards as well. So far it seems to be working Next time I talk to my surgeon I'm going to ask him for a more specific plan.

I was the exact same way!! I had a very difficult time with Protein until I was on mushies... protein shakes just wouldn't stay down and I was full after a few sips of anything! To get it down I sipped, sipped, sipped, just a little at a time. I would get in what I could and try again the next day. Great job on the Water and vitamins!

I just went to the store today to buy splenda so that I could make this... didn't realize I needed the gelatin lol! Oh well, i'll make it over the weekend! Thanks for sharing!

I don't know, but I kinda doubt it. That part is our responsibility, to make sure that we follow the diets and shrink our livers as much as possible. I think it depends on the surgeon. They won't know the true condition of you liver until they are in the operating room... this doesn't happen often then. As long as you are losing, your liver should be shrinking.

I didn't read all of the posts above so hopefully i'm repeating anything. I don't think it really matters. Every surgeon is different. Say you have two surgeons who both use the 32. One surgeon might make it a "tight" 32 where he staples as close to the bougie as he can, while the other uses it more as a guide. The size of your stomach also depends on YOU. If you are tall you're stomach is more likely to be longer... so you're sleeve will be a bit bigger. Also, the difference between them is literally millimeters. Someone posted a picture a long time ago that showed the size, and it was the difference between a pencil, a pen, and a thin highlighter or something like that. My surgeon used a 42. He explained though that he makes a "tight" 42 where he goes right up against the bougie and then he over-sews as well. I am 8 months out and I can eat 2-3 oz of Protein. I don't think it makes a significant when it comes to the amount you lose. Each person is individual. I highly suggest you go with your gut. Go with the surgeon that makes you feel the most safe and comfortable.

Just wanted to share... I DID wait until very recently (so my 7-8 months out) before stepping into a gym... it is NOT all that much easier!! I've lost strength for sure. My endurance is a bit better (on the treadmill) but not by much. I wish that I had started working out earlier because then maybe I would have maintained my muscle, instead of now where I am working to build it back up.

He/She won't be!!! They do this all the time! My surgery was at 4:30 and didn't finish until close to 7 (it was long, I know)... I actually asked my mom if he looked tired after (he talked to her in the waiting room) and she said "no, not at all".. .and this was a while later so she wouldn't have sugar coated it for me. You are going to be on the loser's bench soon!!! I"m so excited for you! (((hugs))) You are doing to do great!

I am 8 months out now and my weight loss has slowed down but definitely not stopped!! For me, the first 5 months were the easiest... months 6 and 7 I stalled for most of it... but now I'm dropping 1.5-3 a week... I doubt that will keep up for long but I am definitely still losing! My surgeon told me that most of his patients lose a hundred pounds the first year... i've lost 118 so I'm happy!

Congratulations!!! "ONEderland" for me was really "WONDERland" because it took me sooo long to finally accept that I was ACTUALLY under 200. I was like "okay, i'm 198, but tomorrow i'm going to be 220 again, its just a fluke" of course that was silly, but it was how I felt. Once I finally realized it was "real" I was fantabulously happy!

Congrats!!! I think those are the best type of NSV's because they show how our day-to-day lives change after the weight loss. It's the little things that we deal with that were so challenging before. Its wonderful to realize you accomplished something that you couldn't before. As for the shoes... my shoe size dropped! I lost in width and technically length. I don't think my feet are actually shorter, but rather I was wearing them too long before instead of going up in width. I think many people who have "wide" feet actually have double or triple wide feet, and instead of going through the process of getting fitted properly and trying on dozens of shoes in the "correct" size and none of them ever fitting... we just go up a size in length to make up the difference. At least that's what I think happened with me.

I didn't read through all of the other posts (just short on time) but I wanted to chime in that YES!! May I dare say that the pre-op diet is the HARDEST part of the entire journey??? You are pretty much eating like you would post-sleeve, without the sleeve to help you out! Try having some motivational things around to help you stick to it. Pictures/quotes/surgery date/reminders etc. The LAST thing you want to happen is they get you on the table and have to cancel the surgery because they found that your liver in too bad shape to operate around it. That is the whole point of the pre-op diet... to shrink the liver! They have to work under and around it to get to our stomachs and that is just about one of the only reasons a surgery will be started, but not completed. Good luck! I know it is difficult but tough it out. You will be firmly seated on the loser's bench before you know it!

I decided before my surgery that I was only going to buy pants from the same store until I was at or close to my goal weight... the point being to avoid the up and down that sometimes happen when you shop in different stores (14 in one, 16 in another, etc). That always killed me!! I already had size 24's and 20's from old navy, so that's what i stuck to. My highest: size 24 My current: size 4 I could wear the size 4's on a regular basis, but I don't have the money to buy them so I'm stll wearing my sixes. I have to dry them on hot now though!!

Thanks for sharing!! I am currently doing something similar, went through a few months with very little loss but now I'm dropping fairly quickly. It is a GREAT feeling, especially after you've gone through the "what if this is it" thinking...

Awesome!! My sister (6) has said that I am skinny, but is glad that I still have big boobs :wub: ... brutally honest for sure!

This happens to me occasionally, not really sure why though Sorry I can't offer any suggestions. I've already planned to ask my dr. at my next visit.