Nancy Rivers

Wow! That is awesome weight loss! You are looking fantastic! Congrats!

I was told to not put anything on my incisions at all. For the itching, my surgeon told me I could take a benedryl. You could "lightly rub" over the incisions - that won't open them up and it will give some relief (I did that). Supposedly they are healed in about 6 weeks, but mine will be longer than that because the internal stitching is not dissolving and my body is slowly pushing the thread out. However, all are healed over on the outside and I should be cleared to start exercising and going in the pool in 2 weeks when I go back for my checkup.

bariatricfusion.com - The owner, Marc, flew from his NY practice to Cincinnati, OH to give my support group some samples and information about their products. That's how I got the sample. They also have a Facebook page if you're interested.

Congratulations on everything!

In the 5 weeks that I've been sleeved, I've only lost 20 pounds. That's 4 pounds a week weight loss which is pretty darn good in my opinion. Of course, I would love for it to come off faster, but it will come off when it comes off.

Personally, I like eggs, so I've been having those. However, there's nothing saying that you have to have breakfast foods for breakfast. You can have anything that you would have for your other meals. Many times I will have leftovers from the day before for breakfast. My foods include chicken, tuna, fish, ground beef, etc. I'm on soft foods, so these are not "whole" foods as it were - but chopped up and mixed with low fat Miracle Whip or with a "pasta" sauce, etc. I've had meatloaf and had the leftovers for breakfast.

I've never had many friends. Only one or two "close" friends through the years who have gone out of my life. The last close friend that I have/had started parting ways with me a few months before I had the surgery - so if she ultimately does move out of my life, it won't be because of this surgery.

I was told to stop 30 min before and after. But I usually take a sip or 2 before eating.

I may be wrong about this, but typically when a person has a reaction to earrings or jewelry it's because of the nickel content of the items. The staples are surgical quality Titanium staples. Highly unlikely to have a reaction to them. I know I have a reaction to some jewelry because of the nickel content and I have had no problem with the staples in the 5 weeks I have had them.

Congratulations!

I have never cared what others think about me nor do I make judgements about other people based on their looks. Call me a cold-hearted b**** but that's just who I am. I've had people judge me based on my looks - thinking I can't do things and I have proven them wrong time and again (like my college professors thinking I couldn't do field biology which required a LOT of walking in different environments and terrains but they allowed me in the class anyway because it was a requirement - both told me after they were shocked that I could keep up with them). Granted, it's obvious that I'm heavy, but most people have never guessed how heavy I really was because of the way I carry my weight. I happened to be rather happy with myself the way I was despite being morbidly obese. But, that's why I don't judge others based on their looks.

It's been a while since I've checked in, but have been keeping up with it. With about 2.5 weeks left of this challenge, I am 5.2 pounds from my goal weight for the challenge. Hopefully it keeps coming off and I don't enter another stall.

I only had the one sample - I haven't ordered it yet. I haven't drank milk by itself, but I eat cottage cheese all the the time and it doesn't affect me.

The Bariatric Fusion powder has 27 g of protein, 7 g of Carbs (5g of fiber and <1 g of sugar), 0 g of fat. The milk had 8 g of protein, 12 g of carb (sugar was all 12 g) and 2.5 g of fat. So the carbs came from the milk, but wasn't outrageously high (although it is higher than my dietician recommended of 10g).

I know there have been other posts about this, but I just don't see them at the moment. Tonight I had a Protein shake for dinner. It was from Bariatric fusion - I had gotten a sample of the Mint chocolate Ice Cream flavor and mixed it with some 1% milk since I happen to have 8 ounces of that on hand. It was very yummy and gave me 35 g of protein in one pop. It took me a little longer than normal to finish it because I found I was getting full faster than I normally do. Normally, I mix a scoop of powder with 8 ounces of Water and can still get it down pretty easy. I figured because I mixed it with milk the reason it was taking me longer. Anyway, after I finished it I became really tired and ended up laying on my couch with the TV on and the next thing I knew it was 3 hours later because I fell asleep! I haven't experienced that before. What might be the cause of that? I haven't had that much of a Bariatric Fusion protein mix before (I have had some samples - about 3 ounces worth at a support group meeting - different flavors and did not have this reaction). I really liked the Bariatric Fusion Protein Powder and was thinking that I would order some of that if I liked it. Now I'm not so sure if this was a reaction to that specific powder...

Yup, it's normal. Focus on getting your liquids in first - don't worry about Protein yet. Movement will help the pain as it is from the gas they used to pump you up. When the pain went to my left shoulder - I started "exercising" my left shoulder by rotating it, lifting it, etc and it took care of the pain.

Congratulations! That's a great achievement!

Thanks everyone. I've been able to get all fluids and all protein in since day 5. With the exception of the restriction from the smaller stomach, I honestly don't feel like I have had a surgery. I've been very lucky. It also makes me a bit nervous though. It makes me wonder if there's going to be a huge setback or something in the future.

Stalls are normal - I had gained 4 pounds and held that for a week before starting to lose again. However, you need to stick to the plan developed by your surgeon/dietician. There are reasons why they tell you to eat the way they do. You also need to be walking daily. If it's too hot out, simply walk in place in front of the TV while your favorite show is on. It's not quite the same as walking from point a to point b, but it is exercise. As long as you are doing what the surgeon and dietician tell you, this will work and you will lose the weight.

Yup, I still need at least 1 Protein drink a day to meet the goal - but usually just one. I'm currently doing mushies, but I focus on mushed protein first (in other words, no mashed potatoes for me - although I did have some scalloped potatoes - the cheese in them gave a protein count of like 6 g for 1/2 cup - so I didn't feel so bad about those). I usually have chicken salad or tuna salad at least 2 times a day, an egg (egg beater), a chicken sausage, etc. I've even made the ricotta bake a few times and meatloaf a couple of times. The meatloaf, I don't use any breadcrumbs - so there's very few carbs in it. Greek yogurt is a staple as well. You can also use some unflavored Protein powder and sprinkle it on your food - or mix it in. I mixed in a scoop of unflavored

Congratulations!

That's fantastic! Congrats on the loss!

Congrats! You look great!

5 weeks ago today I had my surgery. As of this morning, I have lost 22 pounds since that day. That has included a 4 pound re-gain about a week and half ago that stayed with me for a whole week. I have lost that 4 pounds plus another 3 pounds in the last 4 days. I have not taken any medication for my diabetes since the surgery and my fasting glucose numbers are below 120. I am moving around easier and don't loose my breath like I used to. My size 28W pants are becoming looser and I'll soon be wearing smaller sizes that I went out and bought from the local thrift stores. In just under 2 weeks, I'll be going back to my surgeon for a followup and I am hoping that he clears me to start utilizing the healthplex membership that was included with my surgery price and that he will clear me for normal foods. It has not been easy - but I know I have had it easier than many. I still struggle with head hunger - although it's not as bad as I thought it would be. The biggest struggle I think has been learning to eat slowly and sip my Water instead of gulping it. I still have difficulty with those things, but it is getting easier to remember. I have started "training" for 2 separate 3-mile walks that I will be doing in the last half of September and mid-October. That is something I have never done before, so I hope I can complete them - that's why I've started training. I need to get my endurance up.

It takes time to work up to the protein requirements. I was told to aim for at least 60g of protein a day and I was one of the really lucky ones - I achieved it in 5 days. I used Nectar protein powder and pureed chicken/tuna to achieve it. But as I said, it takes time - just focus on getting your liquids in - the protein will follow.