lsereno

I'm 56. I was sleeved two years ago and I've been at goal (BMI of 21.8) for 14 months. Lynda

Hi all, Do what you have to do to get through it - it does grow back. At two years out, mine is finally thick all the way to the ends again. The combination of radically reduced calories and anesthisa does a number on just about everyone's hair. My hairdresser looked like he was going to cry every time he saw me for a few months. Lynda

Glad to hear it!

Exercise helps me when my heart is broken. Especially just a walk outside. I am thinking of you Laura-Ven and Aussie Lady. Lynda

I live where it's colder in summer and I like a hot chocolate after dinner. Early out I made a mocha using Starbucks Via Decaf instant coffee, chocolate Protein powder and soy milk. You might try letting the coke go flat and then drinking some if you are really missing it. I got my sweet fix on with greek yogurt sweetened with splenda and the Protein Drinks. My fav was French vanilla. Also like the Lipton Diet Green Tea with Citrus. Lynda

Jenny Beth, I hope you are feeling better soon. There was another poster earlier this year who had the same thing. She hated the stent! But she did eventually get better and I hope you do too and soon! Lynda

Tastic, hope you did better today! Here's my day so far: Breakfast: 2 oz turkey lunch meat, then about an hour later 1/4 cup oatmeal cooked with 1/2 cup Water and 3 chopped strawberries for two minutes, then added 1/2 cup soy milk and some Splenda, Yum! Lunch: 2 oz. cooked ground beef (started with 2.5 oz raw), cooked with a couple of frozen green Beans and about 1/3 cup frozen fire roasted peppers and onions from Trader Joes and 1/3 cup Minute Rice Whole Grain Medley (http://www.minuterice.com/en-us/products/234/Multi-GrainMedley.aspx) Afternoon snack: 1/2 small mango Dinner: chicken Habenero Sausage (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Benetino-s-Bistro-Sensations-Sausage-Chicken-Habanero-W-Monterey-Jack-Cheese-Meat-12-oz/10403147), 1/3 ear of corn on the cob, salad of 1/8 of a small cucumber, 1/2 very small avocado, 1 green onion and a few baby lettuce leaves with 1 T. light ranch dressing Snack later: Too full to care right now, but maybe watermelon? Or if I'm hungry, greek yogurt with blueberries

Low fat lunch meat Tuna in foil pack Beef jerky Fruit Raw veggies with greek yogurt dip (I mix mine with the powdered ranch dressing or a laughing cow light blue cheese wedge) whole grain crackers Protein drink

Here's the post from Susan re TDEE: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/23110-weight-gained-since-having-gastric-sleeve-surgery/page__st__420__hl__+susan%20+tdee#entry789451

I don't have before numbers for most of the Vitamins. My cholesterol was high pre-op and I had to take meds for it, but it is normal now without meds. My blood pressure was high and I took three pills for it. After a few months post-op it dropped so much they took me off all meds, but is slowly crept back up and I take two meds again now. Lynda

Focus on fun, not food. If you will be gone a long time, take a premixed Protein Drink in a can in case you get hungry and they don't have any foods that will work for you. If you do eat food, eat just a tiny bit at a time. Have fun and enjoy dancing at your new smaller size! Lynda

For crackers, I ate saltines at first. After my stomach healed more, I switched to Special K crackers and other whole grain crackers. Lynda

Well I can't make mine look nice, but you get the idea.

OK Here's mine. I didn't see a Protein test, but they did say mine is good, so they tested it somehow. Also didn't see the Iron (TIBC) test. Test 1 year 2 year Glucose 82 81 Creatinine .62 .48 Sodium 146 142 Calcium 9.99 9.3 Cholesteral 223 215 HDL 73 77 LDL 131 129 Trigycycer 76 64 Iron Serum 93 103 B12 >1000 >1000

Toss it towards the back of your mouth and swallow quick. Drink a sip of something else right after. Lynda

Soy Latte, greek yogurt with berries and splenda, light cheese sticks, babybel light cheese, low fat turkey lunch meat, tuna with light mayo, Anderson Split Pea Soup, Turkey chili. Lynda

I am not an exercise lover. Not now, not ever. But I do get up and walk with friends as often as 4 days per week. I have to exercise first thing in the morning. I simply won't do it later. And I'm planning to also start taking a morning exercise class with a buddy. I have a good friend that does exercise class in the evening, but I just won't do it. I buy exercise clothes at Target since I got in non-extended sizes, and I bought at Walmart when I still wore woman's sizes. Target has cute stuff in XL through XS I have worked my way down to S now. I'll never be an XS again. Too tall and too old. Lynda

Congrats! You look beautiful! Lynda

Well, I gotta say the question really is, did anyone NOT have constipation? I think everyone suffers with this issue sometime or another during the first year. In addition to what others have said, I used colace stool softener. I am very regular and when things are going well I go every morning. So I got very proactive. If I missed going one morning, I took the colace that evening and kept taking it till things started moving again. Lynda

Mrjgetssleeved, You've got some great advice and sounds like you are on your way! Only think I have to add is that I try to stick to whole grains when eating starches, they keep me full longer. Lynda

Two years out at goal for 14 months Drinks day (no more than two per week - 1 x this week), May 24 Breakfast: Soy Latte, then about an hour later, 1 slice whole wheat toast with 2 oz ham and handful of cherries Lunch: 1 habenero chicken sausage, 1/3 cup baked potato with cheese sauce, 1/3 cup green beans with peppers and onions Late Afternoon: 2 lemondrop cocktails Dinner: 3 oz. milk poached halibut, 1/3 cup french fries, 4 asparagus spears, 1/3 cup mache salad

Boy there are a lot and it is complicated get the results because some have more than one set of numbers. Mine are all in the normal range, except B Vitamins. My doctor cut the amount I am to take for those from daily to 3 times per week. Other vitamins remain the same. Here's my Vitamin regime: Kirkland Calclium Citrate with D: 3 - 2 times per day. Nature Made Super Vitamin B Complex: 1 - 3 times per week Spring Valley Vitamin B12 2500, sublingual: 1 - 2 times per week Kirkland Vitamin D3: 1per day Kirkland Multivitamin with minerals: 1 - two times per day (No Iron because I'm post menopause) I've copied the list of blood tests below. If there is one or two you'd like the results for, let me know. It would take a couple of hours to copy and paste in all the results. In addition, I will be having a bone density scan in the next few months. HEMOGLOBIN A1C GLUCOSE, RANDOM CREATININE, SERUM, WITH GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE POTASSIUM, SERUM SODIUM, SERUM BLOOD UREA NITROGEN, SERUM CARBON DIOXIDE, SERUM PHOSPHORUS Calcium, SERUM MAGNESIUM, SERUM Vitamin D, 25-HYDROXY PTH (PARATHYROID HORMONE) ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE AST (ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE), SERUM ALT (ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE), SERUM ALBUMIN, SERUM PREALBUMIN CBC (COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT) WITHOUT DIFFERENTIAL FERRITIN INR (INTERNATIONAL NORMALIZED RATIO) - PROTHROMBIN TIME, ON WHOLE BLOOD Vitamin A VITAMIN B12 FOLIC ACID, RED BLOOD CELL IRON, SERUM TRANSFERRIN FASTING LIPID PANEL

There are lots of us! Here's where we hang out on VST: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/35-fifties/ I'm two years post-op and have been at goal for 14 months. Lynda

For soft foods, I like Anderson Split Pea Soup. I also love Sleepy Time Tea with a little Splenda. So soothing! It's very normal to be down the weeks following surgery, even with lots of support. Your body is healing from a major surgery and hormones are raging. I saw one poster is cold. That's normal too. My heating bill was so high the first year. Here's a tip if you're cold: toss your blanket in the dryer for 5 minutes and then bundle up with it. Mmmh! Take this time to heal and be kind to yourself. You deserve it! Thinking of all you May Sleevers. May is my month too. Lynda