SKCUNNINGHAM

If you have the energy to exercise 2X per day, I say go for it. If you are doing serious weight lifting, you need to give your body a break, are you lifting to that extent? If not - enjoy and watch the pounds / inches disappear!

Tiffykins - this is great info - thanks for providing it.

Congrats on getiing through the withdrawal and recovery from opiates! That class of drugs is such a blessing and a curse. Been there, done that (pre-sleeve - recovering from shingles in the eye.) Didn't realize it played heck with weight loss - good to know! Best of luck to you on the rest of your sleee journey.

You will be shedding a lot of fat quickly, and some vitamins (the fat soluble ones) are going to be dumped into your bloodstream. Interesting doc you have! I would certainly follow his guidelines.

That would be an interesting thread - what are the trophies/ mementos we want to keep from our old selves to remind us of how far we've come? I will look and see if there is one on the forum allready. I agree - bronze it and put it in a shadowbox!

I had no nauseau or vomiting after surgery. I did have a really dry mouth and those little glycering sponges on a stick they let you have to wipe out your mouth were a godsend. I would take some of the mouth spray I saw recommended on a post for the same reason. I spent one nite in the hospital then went home to recover. Learning what I could and couldn't cofortably and what hurt took a day or two. It also took me a few days to shake off the effects of the anasthesia (normal reaction for me every time I have had surgery). I took many naps as the drugs worked out of my system. Getting up and down from laying flat or being in the recliner was a learned skill. Other than that - no problems. Good luck!

I had no nauseau or vomiting after surgery. I did have a really dry mouth and those little glycering sponges on a stick they let you have to wipe out your mouth were a godsend. I would take some of the mouth spray I saw recommended on a post for the same reason. I spent one nite in the hospital then went home to recover. Learning what I could and couldn't cofortably and what hurt took a day or two. It also took me a few days to shake off the effects of the anasthesia (normal reaction for me every time I have had surgery). I took many naps as the drugs worked out of my system. Getting up and down from laying flat or being in the recliner was a learned skill. Other than that - no problems. Good luck!

The one that tasted the least nasty to me is ISOPURE PLUS. Comes in 8 oz. bottles, has 15 grams of protein per bottle - no carbs. Flavors are a grape frost and a fruit punch. Both are lightly flavored - not super strong. I ordered mine from Amazon (a case of each) and had it shipped to my door.

I am a shoe addict. I Have recently bought some shoes, and found I had to switch from an 8 1/2 to an 8. And, the 8 1/2's I wore a lot at my heaviest, I walk right out of now. Wonder if I will end up a 7 1/2 again?

Tiffy - you are beautiful! Enjoy your preganancy - you can get back to your pre-pregnancy size after Tatum is here. Once she goes through the roll,crawl and toddle stages, she will move straight into running - and you will have a new type of exercise program to get/keep the weight off. I am so happy your pregnancy is going well. Sharon

I use my MB for my morning Protein shakes - don't have any problem with it or the shakes at all. I use it for a few other things, too. Didn't pay the full price - found mine somewhere discounted (Garden Ridge, maybe). Have other blender and food processor - but this is the one I reach for.

I'm 5'4". I would like to be 135 pounds, dressed, on the doctor's scales. This will give me a "normal" range BMI and probably be in the 8-10 size range in clothes. If I can't maintain that without living at the gym, I might raise it a little. I think I will know my goal once I get to it. Also, I want to build some muscle, so I am not going to be as hung up on a number as my clothes size and measurements.

I certainly don't have 5 years - I have 5 1/2 months. For those people that gain their weight back after a time period - I don't think it is the fault of the sleeve. The sleeve is not a magic bullet and it doesn't come with a guarantee. I think the old phrase "eternal viligance is the price of freedom" is applicable to the sleeve. For the rest of my life, I will have to watch what I eat, exercise, and abide by sensible rules to get the best results wtih the sleeved stomach I have. I have a life long abusive relationship with food - the sleeve provides me the best tool to get my body into better shape. The "head issues" which caused the unhealthy behaviors need to be addressed for me to maintain a healthy size life-long. If I am successfull in addressing them, I will stay skinny/normal the rest of my life. If not, I am a clever enough person to figure a way to cheat my sleeve and gain the weight back. The sleeve is a tool to help me do that, and is helping me get healthy enough to have "a rest of my life" to be concerned about. I don't regret having my surgery one minute - I think it is the best choice for me. Good luck in your decision, and in your sleeve-journey - if this is the way you choose to go.

When my wait lost hits the "'pause button" - I try to not weigh myself for a few days. Instead, I use my measuring tape to check my progress. Or, I will try on clothes that maybe were a little tight - to see if they are looser. It seems my body can either lose pounds or inches, but not both at once. Also, when I am on pause, I am extra diligent about keeping my food diary. I record every morsel that goes into my mouth - the calories, and grams of Protein carb and fat. It is my way of ensuring I am not eating more of something than I target myself to for a day. And, I get out the food scale and the measuring cup -recalibrate my eyeball as to just what 3 ounces of chicken looks like, or 1/2 cup of something. This program will work for you if you use the sleeve like you are supposed to. Drink your fluids. Eat a meaured amount of protein, spread throughout the day. Do not drink when you eat or right after you eat. Watch your amount of carbs you take in - I only eat veggies and some fruit - I stay away from the complex carbs (rice/pasta/bread). Eat protein first, then veggies. I totally avoid junk calories and sugar. Good luck.

Benefiber and Miralax. I use benefiber every day, Miralax about every other day. Both can go in protein smoothie or in water. And, i drink a minimum of 64 ounces of fluid a day. I am not on the schedule I was before my sleeve, but I am going regularly and am losing weight

My hormones went nuts after my sleeve from all the stored estrogen dumping into my bloodstream - but I was "fixed" 20 years ago, so didn't have a period to worry with. Is your OB/GYN familar with WLS patients? You might give his/her nursde a call and get an opinion.

Wow - you are in amazing shape! You legs may feel like jello, but they did you proud!

What a rush you must have felt! Way to go, hottie!

That's what I thought, but I hope someone might have found something. I would rather have a face that looked like a cotton shirt left in the dryer overnite, than to have a wrinkle free face for people to comment on when they passed by my casket. Kind of morbid comment - but I am reacting to a friend from highschool (a year younger than me) that passed away yesterday.

I am five months past surgery, and am happy to be 79 pounds lighter. The first place I always lose is my face. Now, when I smile - not only do I have crows feet going up from the corners of my eyes, I have a set of parallel wrinkles (think of small pleats) going down from the corners of my eyes over the tops of the "apples" of my cheeks. I realize more wrinkles are inevitable as I lose weight in my face. And, I still have 40 pounds to lose, so more will be showing up. My question is, is there any skin care product that really help with this?That could significantly improve the elasticity? I currently use Oil of Olay and Estee Lauder products, and am pleased with the way my skin feels.I only wish it wasn't so lose and wrinkly. In the grand scheme of things, this is a nit - but I thought someone on the site might have a good idea. Thanks Sharon

In the research I did, it stated that surgeons that have done fewer than 100 sleeves have a higher complication / mortality rate than surgeons who have done more than 100. If your surgeon doesn't have 100 sleeves under his belt, go to another surgeon for your sleeve. Also, if the hospital hasn't done 150 sleeves, their complication / mortality rates are higher. So check out your target hospital's track record, too. I chose the sleeve because it was a much simpler surgery and had as good of results as the bypass. I didn't want my insides replumbed. I didn't want the longterm side effects of the bypass. And I travel for my work, and I thought it would be easier to travel with a small sleeved stomach than to travel living with a bypass.

I made myself sick eating too much raw celery chopped into chicken salad. Severe cramps for >12 hours! Now I do what Tiffykins says - limit my raw celery intake. If it is cooked (chicken soup or with beef) I have no problems.

GREAT TO SEE YOU ARE DOING WELL! If you like that, you might also want to try Campbells bean and bacon Soup. I mix it with half of the allotted Water, and just before serving, put 2 T of shredded cheese on my serving. This ups the Protein content and the shredded cheese just makes it taste wonderful. You can get 3 servings (at least) out of the can.

Five months ago, Dr. Nick did my surgery at Forest Park in Dallas. I had no problems after surgery and went home after one night. I have lost 79 pounds so far - dropping from 24W's to "regular" 14's. I've lost 8 1/2 inches from by bust and waist, and 9 1/2 inches from by hips. I can wear my wedding rings again - in fact I am the size I was when I got married. I need to get the wedding dress out of storage and see if it still fits - I have my doubts - the sand in the hourglass may weigh the same - but it isnt' distributed like it used to be. I have had a wonderful time reaquainting myself with clothes I haven't seen in years. The thrift store closest to me (benefits battered women) has benefited from a lot of my clothes. Also, my business suits have gone to a charity that gets underpriveledged woman back into the work force - they needed plus size business attire and I didn't want to keep it in my house! I am doing Zumba now, and have bought myself a nice elliptical machine. I feel much better now than I did before - off of 3/4 of my BP medicine, all of my cholesterol medication, Prozac, advil for my joints, and the damn CPAP machine. I am only taking Vitamins, Iron, Calcium, acid meds, RHT, and Biotin for hair loss. Can't wait to see what the next 5 months will bring!

I agree with the topic of this thread - people really do carry weight differently. I have always "weighed more than I looked like". At the start I weighed 253. I wore 24W clothes and 3X tops were loose - but 2X's were snug. Now that I have lost 79 pounds ( I weigh ~174 on dr's scales), I am wearing a 14. I am broad shouldered, have a dough boy spare tire, small hips and a flat ass. I think people think I weigh less because I am broader in my shoulders than my hips. And there is no way I will every wear size 4 anythings - my skeleton would probably never fit into that size.