SKCUNNINGHAM

Here are some things you might want to do to put time before your surgery to good use: Go through all the clothes you have stashed in your house. Organize them by size. After surgery, you are going to be dropping weight fast, and will need to move out of your current clothes that fit into the smaller sized ones. You don't want to buy stuff needlessly if you have clothes that fit stashed somewhere. Figure out a plan on what you are going to do with your fat clothes as you shrink out of them. GET RID OF THEM in some way. I donated mine to a thrift store that supports a women shelter, gave them to a group that puts women back into the workforce (my business suits) and gave them to friends/family that were the size I shrunk out of. Look to see what you are going to need once you shrink into a certain size. For example, I have to had to have black dress pants and jeans in every size I went through. I had some gaps in my stash of skinnier clothes, because I had given stuff away. Write yourself a long detailed letter as to why you want the surgery, how you feel being the way you are now (before surgery) and what you are willing to give up to be the person you want to be. Put the letter away, and as you hit bumps in the road during your sleeve journey, you can pull it out and read it. Take before pictures - and don't be shy. Take some in your underwear or a swimsuit so you can compare your results as you start to shrink. No one else will have to see these (unless you are comfortable sharing). Take before measurements. You will want to have accurate before statistics, so you can track your inches lost. Get a copy of the book "The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients". Read it and start working through the material. It really helped me. Do some soul-searching. Try to figure out what your relationship with food is, and has been the reason for your problems. Start planning how you will deal with the emotional triggers when numbing yourself with food is no longer an option for you. Read some books on emotional eating (if that's an issue with you). The surgeon operates on your stomach, not your brain - you have to work on that part. Everyone is different here. The earlier you get a handle on your issues and start working on them, the better. Start working on your behaviors that you will have to practice after your sleeve. Stop drinking sodas and other carbonated beverages. Stop drinking when you eat. Start waiting 30 minutes after you eat to drink anything. Start drinking 64 ounces of calorie free liquid each day. Start reducing the junk food and carbs that you eat. Start reducing (or stop eating) sugar. The earlier you embrace these habits, the better for you. The time will pass quickly. Good Luck! Sharon

Rootman - I am proud of you - you have done wonderful work with the sleeve. I wish my cholesterol was as low as yours! I echo your thoughts about "why didn't I do this earlier?" What Vitamins / supplements do you routinely take? Sharon

I had a very thought provoking encounter yesterday. I went to get a new set of custom orthotics made yesterday (I have foot problems that pre-date my sleeve surgery). I mentioned to the tech I wanted to get a new pair, as my old ones were not fitting well because I had recently lost a bunch of weight. We got to talking about weight loss, and come to find out she was also a sleeve patient. Her surgery was around Thanksgiving of 2010. The first question she asked me was "Do you regret having the sleeve?" I said "Absolutely not, it's the best thing I ever did for myself." She got quiet and I asked her whether she regretted surgery. And, to my surprise, she said she did - she wished she hadn't done it. And, she said she hadn't lost all the weight she wanted to yet (she is about 30 pounds from goal). I don't know how much she had lost, or where she started from - she looked about a size 14 to me. As we were talking, and I was sharing all of my positive health benefits, she told me she had gotten off of all blood pressure medication, all cholesterol medication, all diabetes medication and gotten rid of her CPAP machine. To me, sounds like she should be pretty happy. I have the same results as her (except I wasn't diabetic) and I am ecstatic about it. I asked her why she was unhappy with the sleeve. She said she didn't like not being able to go to restaurants like she did before. She didn't like having to be so careful planning before she went somewhere (like a day at an amusement park) to make sure she could get her Protein in when she needed to. And, she is having some digestion problems with eating certain food (hamburger patties, for one) - although she doesn't routinely take any PPI's or acid medications. We got to talking about waking up at 2 or 3 am ravenously hungry if we didn't get enough protein in during the day. This has happened to me occasionally, and I now make sure to get enough protein in for dinner! Not a hard problem to overcome. Our experiences were so very similar - yet I am absolutely THRILLED and HAPPY with my sleeve and she is UNHAPPY and REGRETS her decision. I look for solutions to the bumps in the road I experience - she seems to just keep hitting the same bumps, and is unhappy and regretful. So, my take-away from this encounter is this. Your attitude towards what happens with your sleeve is critical to whether you view your experience as a success or not. Your attitude will determine whether you are a happy post-sleeve patient or an unhappy one. I also think have realistic expectations about goal weights and life after sleeve are important for people to understand. If you are unrealistic in your expectations, you can set yourself up for failure. I don't know if she goes to a support group (there are plenty here locally) and I don't know if she uses this forum. I think both types of support have been very helpful to me in helping me find solutions for the bumps in the road, and for having realistic expecations for this new life. I challenge all of us to view the glass half full. I think many of us got accustomed to viewing it half empty when we were obese. There are great resources on getting or keeping a positive attitude towards life. Lil Miss Diva here in Vertical Sleeve Talk is a great source for inspiration and for positive attitude.If she could bottle her attitude and sell it, she could be a millionaire! I recommend you read her posts to soak up some positivity about this sleeve journey we are all taking. Another source is Norman Vincent Peale - his "Power of Positive Thinking" was the first in a long line of attitude books - and Peale is the precursor to other motivational speakers like Tony Robbins. Both of them have wonderful writings on keeping things positive. Both Peal and Robbins were influenced by a book called As A Man Thinketh. It has a great message. It was written by James Allen in 1902 and is based on his meditations on Proverbs 23:7. "Your mind is like a garden, it will bring forth. If you cultivate it, it will produce good results, results that you want. If you let anything grow then your results will be the same as if you let your garden grow – you will get weeds." Didn't mean to make this so long and rambling. I am going to keep a positive attitude! I am going to keep looking at my glass as "half full". And, in the garden that is my mind, I will strive to "plant flowers" and "pull the weeds".

Your husband does sound adorable. What a "keeper"! I give him major points for already considering how to accomodate your restrictions post surgery. You may want to consider finding a counselor or some other professional to talk to. You are going to get LOTS of attention and comments as you lose weight and people will ask you. I think you have 100% right to not tell them anything you aren't comfortable saying. I also think you are living in a fantasy if you think by not telling people what you had done is going to stop you from being the center of attention about your amazing weight loss. If you talk to a professional, they can help you feel more comfortable when people pay attention to you. That would make this journey so much easier for you - and even enjoyable! Some people come up with a plausible lie to tell questioning friends. (Their right, if that's what they want.) That takes careful thought to come up with a situation that accounts for your new eating and drinking habits. And, it takes your husband telling the same story. I didn't want to go down this path. I wish you the best of success on your sleeve journey. Sharon

I agree with Coops and Foxbins. The sleeve is an amazing tool we have been provided. It will be there for you to "use to lose" at a year, 18 months or longer. As you get totally healed, your restriction may not be what it is in the first six months, but I still have good restriction at 15 months. To echo earlier posters, you have to be diligent in your food choices, pratice the good behaviors (Protein first, no drinking while or after eating) and regularly exercise. You should still be able to lose doing these things. People lose at different rates - but the higher you keep your personal metabolism, the faster you will lose. To keep your metabolism at its highest "setting", eat small portions throughout the day of quality protein and exercise regularly. Good Luck! Sharon

Blackberry juice, thanks for reformatting - what you posted was what it was SUPPOSED to look like! Sorry for the confusion. SuzComptime - I have made this with steel cut oats instead of rolled oats, but I like the texture better with the rolled oats - but both are good. Yes, no cooking is needed. Being in the yogurt in the fridge softens the oats enough that cooking with heat isn't needed. BTW, the Barleans fish oil product won some award for being the best new product of the year from some organization. It is truly tasty straight from the bottle. I have tried a couple of flavors, but the pina colada is my favorite. It is great in this dish or in any fruit smoothie you choose to make. I had used the traditional Barleans oil, but this is WAY BETTER.

Irene, thank you SO MUCH. I am giddy, I am so happy. Sharon

My surgeon has asked me to be in an ad for him! I was surprised and pleased. I have been interviewed by his ad agency, and the "shoot" will be later this month. I think it will be fun. There will be a video testimonial on his web site it may also be used in other ways. It surprised me because I am not some tiny size 4 person like some people get to at goal- I am happy with my size 10's and 12's. I am also not a "spring chicken" - I turned 55 last Christmas. I really would like to get rid of some jiggly saggy skin and would like my waist to be 2-3" smaller - but neither of those are happening before the end of the month! When everything is complete, I will post the link to the finished product. I am absolutely a believer in Dr. Nick (or I wouldn't have picked him). I am NOT becoming a "Paid Spokesperson" for him, or anything like that. I am doing this for him because I am thrilled with the changes I have made in my life since the sleeve. If I can help someone in their desision process to get WLS, that's great. So now the big question - what am I going to wear?

When I went for my 9 months check up, my cholesterol had risen to 233. It certainly wasn't from what I was eating, it is because of my heredity. So I read up on the things you could eat to help lower cholesterol - in contrast with getting back on statin drugs. I ate oatmeal every morning for 90 days, added flax seed and fish oil to my diet, and take cinamon and red rice yeast supplements every morning (pills). At the 12 month checkup, my cholesterol had dropped by 41 points to 192! The "good" cholesterol level had stayed the same, the deficit all came from the "bad" cholesterol. I was eating the Bariatric Choice high Protein oatmeal, fixed with Water in the microwave. Now that I am in maintenance mode and am eating more calories and carbs, I eat this oatmeal dish. I really like it. You can vary the recipe and add fruit to it before you eat it. This is not low calorie the way I make it - I can eat this and maintain my weight. If you aren't concerned about the cholesterol lowering effects, get rid of the flax seeds and lower the calorie and carb amount. This is also a painless way for me to get in my daily miralax and benefiber. And, if you want a fish oil suplement, the Barleans brand is by far the best. This stuff tastes so good, I can take it straight - but it adds a nice flavor to mix it in to the oatmeal. OVERNIGHT OATS 1/3 c rolled oats (not instant) 1 carton activia lite vanilla yogurt or 1/2 c greek vaniilla yogurt 2 T ground flax seeds 2 tsp benefiber Fiber powder 1 capful Miralax 2 tsp Barleans Omega Swirl Fish Oil (pina colada flavor) 1 small scoop Protein Powder (I use nectar brand vanilla) 1 tsp spenda brown sugar blend Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl that has a lid. Add yogurt and stir. If too dry, add a splash of fat free milk or almond milk. Cover the bowl and put in refridgerator. Leave there a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight. Enjoy! Calories Fat Carbs Fiber Protein Oats 100 2 18 4 3.3 yogurt 70 0 13 5 Flax seeds 90 6 5 4 3 Benefiber 15 4 3 Miralax Fish oil 45 3 4 Protein powder 36 9 sugar blend 20 4 TOTALS 376 11 48 11 20.3

Lissa, I am glad you are OK. I feel awful when I go over 4 hours without Protein. I can't imagine how bad it would be if it was all day. I keep emergency stuff in my purse, my desk at work and in my car. My emergency supplies include: a packets of nuts, individual packets of jerky, packets of white tuna and smoked salmon, baby bell cheese (if I have an ice pack or fridge available) and small cans of green Beans. I keep a knife, fork and spoon in both my car and my office. This way I can stop and have a quick protein meal, or eat some carbs if I want. The few times I have been caught totally without supplies I have driven though a drive in fast food place and ordered a hamburger patty (no bun) and eaten it, or stopped at a convenience store. I have also discovered most of the convenience stores will have something that will do (tuna, cheese, sliced turkey lunch meat). Some of them even keep a Protein Drink selection in the refrigerated case. Lissa, I'm glad you are feeling better.

I use the Calbee brand Snapea Crisps for dipping. I tend to use the romaine hearts for "taco" shells.

Amanda - I'm glad you had the same success I did getting a well fitting bra. I totally understand what you are saying about the bras fitting your breastbone. When I got mine that fitted right, I thought "wow, so THAT is how a bra is supposed to fit" Who knew? Nordstrom is a wonderful place to shop. I'm glad they grave you outstanding service.

A little background - my husband and business partners own a marina and resort here in east Texas. It is 175 acres, and we run around on the property on Kubota vehicles (like tiny pickups). I hadn't been around on the property much since before my surgery - last spring I didn't feel like it right after my surgery - and was really busy on the weekends (I had a full time job that kept me away from the property 12 hours a day). So this spring, things have changed work wise, and I have been running around with my husband over the property. One of our customers came up to us today and said to us "I'm going to tell your wife about this good looking woman you are running around with". I think he was kidding - but it made me feel great to be mistaken as "the other woman", and to be thought good looking enough and thin enough to be "the other woman". THis happen to anyone else after goal? Be mistaken for someone else totally?

Be proud of you inner nerd! Nerds and Geeks rule a lot of the world (think BIll Gates and those wizards from Facebook)and are responsible for all the good toys we take for granted (the wheel, fire, electricity, computers, etc). I am proud to be a geek - both professionally (engineer) and personally (love Star Trek, Lord of the RIngs, etc). Congratulations on breaking 300. The next 100 will be gone before you know it. Sharon

OK, I'll play. My best NSV's so far are: Having a pair of jeans fall off my body when I reached up on my tip toes into a tall cabinet. Thankfully, no one but me was in the kitchen. Fitting into my decadent bathtub and having my whole body fit underneath the water (no beached whale effect like before surgery). Getting my flexibility back to get up from the floor playing with the grandkids and in the bedroom playing with my sweetie Finding my bones and my muscles as the fat melted away and I started exercising (I have a small frame - who knew?) Looking great in size 10 and 12 petite clothes!

Mimmi - with your determination and committment to your improved health, I am sure you will be successful with your surgery. I think you are doing 100% the right thing by losing weight, changing behaviors, shedding baggage, and "GETTING YOUR HEAD RIGHT" before your surgery. There is a book I recommend - it is the "The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients" by Colleen M. Cook. It is available in hard copy or via Kindle. I took a six week class based on the book, and was so impressed with the insights I got from the program. Even though the book is more bypass and band specific with the examples, the habits apply to all types of WLS. Good luck with your journey. Feel free to message me if you ever want to ask me any questions. Sharon

Thinoneday, Forensichik, I certainly empathize with your pain right now. I am 55 years old and currently looking for a new career opportunity - took a settlement with my company 3 months ago with a "voluntary reduction in force". The labor market is rough for someone my age. I have come close to landing a great job 4 times - each going to the younger, cheaper candidate. At least my weight isn't an issue in this job search. It is so depressing, and I want to console myself with food. I usually stop myself, but it is HARD to do. Good luck dealing with all of your burdens and challenges. I will be thinking about you and sending you good thoughts. SHaron

One thing that happens to women after WLS is an increased level of estrogen in the bloodstream. This is caused by the estrogen that has been stored in our fat cells. As we lose weight rapidly and lose fat - those fat cells release the estrogen they have been storing into the blood stream. For me, I felt like I did in the worst of puberty - wild fluctuations of mood - happy, weepy, angry - and a wicked tounge in my mouth that I had to watch to keep from saying inappropriate things. This lasted about three months, then gradually abated. I didn't have to worry about a change in my fertility levels or a change in my menstrual cycle, since I am 55 and had a hysterectomy years ago - but younger women beware! This increased estrogen level can play heck with your cycles. I recommend being particularly diligent with your birth control during this phase of your weight loss. Sharon

I weigh on an analog, not digital scale - so mine isn't nearly as precise as yours, Cludgie. I count the victory when the desired weight shows up two days in a row.

It is possible to gain weight if you are eating a lot of slider foods, or if you are eating high fat, high sugar foods, or if you are eating foods too frequently throughout your waking hours. You need to record what you are eating in a day, and figure out how many calories, grams of Protein, carbs and fat you are eating. Go back to measuring and weighing your food for a few days.You know what you were eating (calories, protein, carbs, etc) when you were losing weight - so reduce your input back to the point you were when you were losing. Change up your exercise routine, or increase it. Review your habits around eating. Are you mindlessly snacking? Emotionally eating? Drinking and eating at the same time? It is easy as far out from surgery as you are to think " I can do anything I want and eat anything I want". Wrong idea! You still need to eat the same or fewer calories than you expend, or you will lose weight. Good Luck. As you can see from my signature below - "The easy part is over, now the hard part begins". Sharon

ISOPURE PLUS zero carbs was my "go to" Protein drink from my surgery date until now. I still keep them on hand. I really like the "lightness" of the flavors compared to so many of the others available. I drink the punch flavor and the grape frost. I ordered the 8 ounce bottles from Amazon. I live in the middle of nowhere, so that was the easiest way for me to get them. I use them now after a workout. It is an easy source of protein. Sharon

I have a variety of these types of garments. I love the camis that are supportive and hold in my jiggly torso. Soma (the lingerie store owned by Chico's) has great support panties and camis that are supportive but don't go over your bra area (so the girls are not squished). Ebay has a good variety of this type of product, cheaper than most other places. You can try a couple of different brands. I would recommend as you are losing to not spend a huge amount on them, as you are going to "shrink" out of them. Good Luck. Sharon

I am a one year post-surgery. In addition to getting support from this forum (which I love and have learned SO MUCH from) I attend a support group at the Baylor Hospital in Carrolton, TX. I know there is also a support group at the Baylor hospital in Plano, TX. Is there a Baylor hospital close to you? They probably have a support group there, and would welcome your attendance even if your surgery was done elsewhere. Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you want to ask any questions of me. Sharon

It could be gallbladder. My gallbladder, like the ones above, presented more as pain in my sternum area. When the pain comes, what food will you have just eaten? Fatty food? Did you just start introducing fattier foods back into your diet? When the pain comes, is it associated wtih lettuce or some fresh veggie? Is this a new thing added back to your diet? If your GB is in bad shape, it can reac to foods other than fat (mine did). Your doc will probably want to do a sonogram, an upper GI or an endoscopy. Those will determine what is going on in your digestive track. Good luck to you. Let us know what you find out. Sharon

Cludgie - I too have recently started attending a face to face support group. I have recommended this site to everyone I have met face to face. It is amazing how much knowledge about WLS I have gotten from my year plus on this forum. As much as I love this forum, it is nice to visit face to face with people at different points in the process.