SKCUNNINGHAM

There is an entertaining thread in the MAN ROOM sub forum on this topic. I thought it was the only topic there for a long time - it seemed to always be the one last responded to. I think the responses range from a few days to a few weeks. Depends on how long you were in the hospital, any side effects - but primarily how soon you feel well enough for the fun and games. The only concern is you don't want to tear anything or pop stiches.

At my highest weight - I wore a 46D. Those bras were tight in the band (probably needed a bigger band size) and not too full in the cup. So I wasn't well endowed considering I was ~120 lbs overweight. Now that I have lost 89 pounds, I am wearing a 42B. The 42C's I have are too big in the cup. I have another ~30 pounds to lose, and I expect I will end up a 36 or 38 A or B. I'm hoping I don't go back to the double/A training bras of my early teens! And perky is not a valid descriptor - droopy is much more accurate. I am going to start doing a bunch of chest / upper body exercises, to build up the underlying musculature - but that will leave me with a toned torso with flat saggy boobs on the front. At that point I will evaluate my surgical options. But now I'm a size 14 with droopy boobies rather than a fat size 24!

You are gorgeous!

For the first six weeks I probably was getting around 300-400 calories and maybe 40 grams of protein. Then I started eating around 60 grams of protein and 500 calories. Between 5 and 6 months I started eating maybe 600 calories and maybe 65 -70 grams of protein. Now, post 6 months, I eat between 65-80 grams of protein and maybe 800 calories. Some weekend days I may go above the 80 / 800 mark. I do not want to go over 1000.

Wow! What a great compliment! I will have a hard time not hugging a person that ever asks me that question.

I take my measurements monthly - on the first of the month. I kind of make it a pampering kind of thing - take either a long hot shower or soak in a tub - get rid of the hair on my legs and underarms, cream my entire body - then mesure and record on my tracking spreadsheet. Once that is all done and I am dressed with makeup on - I take a picture for my records. Occasionally - if between measuring times - I notice some body part seems to have shrunk - I might take an interim measurement - but I don't record it.

You have a great attitude - your sense of humour will serve you well as you go through this sleeve journey. Try drinking as much fluids as possible - it helps stave off the hunger. Good Luck!

If you enjoy scallops and like to grill - try this recipe 1/2 pound paper-thin slices prosciutto 1 pounds medium scallops (about 40) Olive oil, for drizzling 1 lemons Sprigs of fresh rosemary Freshly ground pepper Directions Preheat grill to high. Halve 1 slice prosciutto lengthwise. Fold in half lengthwise, and wrap around sides of 1 scallop, overlapping prosciutto ends. Repeat with remaining prosciutto and scallops. Thread several scallops on each skewer. Drizzle scallops lightly with oil, squeeze lemon over skewers Strip rosemary fronds from sprigs. EIther crumble it in your hand or mash it in a mortar. Sprinkle rosemary and pepper over skewers of scallops. Grill scallops, turning once, until just opaque, about 3 minutes per side. 2.8 ouunces of scallops (approximately 3) with the prosicutto wrapped around them are: 88 calories 15 g of Protein 1.5 g of carbs 2.5 g of fat

Three things that cummulatively added up to the epiphany: 1) I had my internist tell me thta it wsn't a matter of IF I was going to have a heart attack but WHEN I would have one. 2) I was the same age as my father when he dropped dead of a massive heart attack. 3) Last September I was climbing up a steep hill in a park to go to a balloon festival with my two sisters and my 85 year old mom. My chest started hurting so badly, I thought I was going to die right there. I thought that would be an awful thing to die right in front of my mom. After I got back from the vacation with Mom and my sisters, I got serious about getting the weight off.

I take calcium in the morning with my multi-vitamin, B12, and D. I take iron in the evening with C (helps the iron absorb better) and another multi. I also take my PPI in the evening.

What a wonderful accomplishment! Congratulations!

Even if you have made a mistake (which I believe you haven't), staying in your house and worrying yourself sick isn't going to turn back time. You had the surgery, you are doing OK - now you need to focus on learning to live with it and to THRIVE and be healthy. If you need something to help you be less anxious for a little while, ask your doc. Read the threads on this forum - many people have very few side effects from the surgery and live wonderful healthy lives. I don't believe the surgery shortens our life - but it definately improves the quality. What is that saying - "it's not about how many breathes you take - it's about the moments that take your breath away." Now, I am going to live to retirement (most probably) and hopefully to watch my grandchildren grow up. I can take them to Disney World and not cramp their style by being so obese I couldn't go with them. In summary - try not to borrow trouble! Good luck!

I try to stay away from hard candies. The less I have sugary candy (whether real or fake) in the mouth, the better I do. My "treats" for the day are the two Calcium chews I take. I use the ones that are the consistency of caramels. They come in chocolate, caramel or vanilla flavors. SInce I'm not eating candies - these taste GREAT to me. Now, I do upon occasion use SF popsicles or SF fudgesicles (rarely) or SF pudding. If I didn't have access to those - I might not draw such a hard line on the candies. Good luck to you!

Absolutely not. I never wanted the bypass or the band. I still don't. The sleeve is right for me. I haven't had any buyers remorse since my surgery.

The reason womens' cycles change after WLS is the influx of extrogen into the bloodstream from the fat cells. As the fat cells shrink/release their stored fat - they release their stored estrogen. There are several posts that have women talking about changes in their cycle. The consensus it , it should calm down in a few months. I have had a hysterectomy - so I just suffered through a 2-3 month recurrence of puberty! Bummer! Good luck!

Papa - this is a great list. I have saved it so I can re-read it when I need a refresher. I think the 2nd mistake could be expanded to include the need to understand why you got into the situation where you needed WLS - what your inappropriate behaviors were (portion control, carb addiction, etc) and what your triggers were.etc. This may take going through conseling to find out and address them. If a person doesn't figure out what drove them to end up where they were before surgery, I think they are likely to end up there again in a few years. People who have significant weight gain never address the underlying issues. They figure out how to abuse their sleeve and meet those unmet needs. The sleeve to me is only one of the tools I am using to end up being a thinner, healthy person. Best of luck in getting to your goal, Papa Jack. You are doing outstanding!

How about weighing / measuring your portions - like you did at the beginning? Do this for a few days, focus on eating slowly, and see if it helps. If that doesn't work, you could try doing the 5 day "pouch test". There are posts here that refer to it, and I also found a reference for it on the internet. If you are interested, and can't find info on it, PM me. Good luck - hope you feel better / see results soon.

I missed my Labor Day Challenge by 9 pounds, primarily due to being in a cast and not being able to exercise for a month. I still will be in a cast for another week, but I accept the challenge anyway! SN........Starting Wt......Current.....Goal......Lbs to Goal SKCUNNINGHAM...253....166........150.......16

I didn't hit my Labor Day goal - missed it by 9 pounds . I have been in a cast on my ankle for the past four weeks - can't do my Zumba - and have been in a virtual stall this month. Drat the luck!

When I got rid of the blasted CPAP machine!

When you can fit into an airplane seat without the extender.

Great compliment! You have raised a very a gracious, intuitive young man.

This would be radical, but if you are going to need 2-4 weeks before you could resume your regular walk, get ahold of a boot cast for the ankle of your choice. (If you will see her and she will expect to see the boot on your foot ) Tell her you won't be doing your walk from 2-4 weeks, depending on when you get the boot of your ankle. You could tell her the boot is a result of your trip with your sister. Then, when you feel up to walking with her again, vioula! your ankle will be healed and the boot cast put away.

Jane - you look stupenous! Coops is right, your arms are fabulous - they look like you have lived in the gym for the year. The dress is great - but its the happiness shining out of your face that makes the picture wonderful. Show that to your surgeon, and you might be seeing your picture on his billboards! BTW, I too love to shop resale shops. Best deals around!

Makingbetterchoices - I don't know when you were sleeved or how much you've lost or your age, but your weight loss will affect your hormone levels. I am 54, had a hysterectomy, am on HRT, and my lone ovary is probably no longer producing much if any estrogen - but during the first six months after being sleeved, by hormones went nuts (see my post about PUBERTY HELL) due to the fat cells shedding their stored estrogen into the bloodstream. My body temperature fluctated during this time along with other lovely symptoms. The good news for me was, it abated after 2-3 months - now I'm just cold due to losing my insulating layer.