Terry H.

Hi Nyxa, I experienced some memory problems. Examining my diet I saw that I was low on folate. I added a supplement of folic acid and now my memory seems to be about the same as it was before I got the sleeve. Gum.. well I see most people say that gum is verboten. I don't ever swallow gum and I chew it from time to time. It *should* go through since we have a normal small stomach but I'd now want to risk it if I were someone that swallowed gum. Okra... I had some this weekend. Your mileage may vary but I could eat pickled veggies at about 2 or 3 months out but only a couple of bites.

I agree with the Mio approach. I'm really loving the lemon flavor. Note that carbonation is what makes sparkling water sparkle... Mio, Crystal light, propel - all work for me.

Out of curiosity, do you drink Crystal Light? I saw a post from someone that said their doctor said that CL had a compound that helped reduce the incidents of gall stones. And, before I forget that is a BUMMER!

I totally get this. A few years ago, I was in a store looking for a gift. A sales person walked up to me and said "we don't have anything that will fit you here". I was hoping that I could go into that store and look around and then not buy anything as revenge. Unfortunatly they are out of business so I'll just have to live with the fantasy

No hair loss here that I can tell. If anything, it seems darker but less greasy. I have to use hair gel to keep it from being all over the place. :tongue2: Maybe this is because I don't perspire as much as I used to. I couldn't say why I didn't lose hair but I do keep up with my vites and Protein. In the beginning I shot for 60g of protein building up to over 70g now (usually more). Calories between 600 and 800 since a few weeks out. At first, I had to focus on fluids and sipping and that made it harder to hit my options without Protein shakes. My Surgeons office asked me to stop drinking them regularly at about a month out. So since then, I've been able to hit my goals with just a little bit of label reading and planning.

Thank you all for your kind words. We inspire each other.

What a difference a year can make. I've lost 164 pounds. I think it is fair to say I've lost a full adult. Almost 40% of my total body weight. When I started the journey I was frustrated and hopeless. The very idea of surgery was unnatural and I was sure I couldn't live with the restrictions. I've thought about WLS over the years and all of them seemed so drastic and some just seemed flawed. I became interested in the DS surgery but after attending a seminar and doing research, I decided the sleeve addressed the vast majority of the issues I had with WLS. I just couldn't keep up the diet cycle any longer and I decided to take the leap. It was well worth it. Here are a few contrasts before and now: Before: children would point me out to their parents in public. Now: still very overweight (no longer super morbid though) and I feel like I fit in. Before Car seat all the way back, belly rubbed hard on steering wheel, needed extender to be comfortable, worried that the airbag could be fatal if it deployed, belly pushed legs apart and my knee would be shoved into the car door. Now: comfortable with lots of room between me and the steering wheel. I keep moving the seat further forward and it is better every trip. Before: I actually got stuck in a pool that didn't have steps (didn't realize it until I was in the water). I couldn't get through the ladder without help. Now: I have the energy to do an hour of deep Water aerobics and easily climb the ladder out of the pool. Before: 62 tight pants, 4-5x shirts, big and tall store only, buy whatever I could find. Now: 44 pants, large shirts, shop in most stores and have huge options for what to buy. Before: Had to ask for tables at restaurants. Many times had to ask my fellow diners to move to a table if I didn't get there first. Now: Sit where I want. Before: Couldn't make it through grocery shopping without back problems and running out of energy. Walking was limited to a few blocks at the most. Always overheating. Now: No back problems (tailbone hurts when sitting too long but that is a good trade), walking distances are not an issue, always feel cool and enjoy the outdoors so much more. Before: Never felt I could get close to my wife during intimate times - my belly was always in the way. Now: Oh yeah, so much better and we are so much closer all the time. Its like a rediscovery. Both parties are much happier. I can't wait until I reach goal. I have so much more I want to do and I feel it is within my grasp. The people here gave me so much confidence that I could succeed and I thank you all for your support.

Originally from Iola in South East Kansas.

Kczar, try them this way: Microwave 3 oz. Spread a laughing cow light habanaro cheese wedge on .25 a joseph's oat and flax lavosh. Put the strips on the cheese. Add some salsa. Taco deluxe! Could also add some greek yogurt and/or greens wouldn't hurt it either. I've also used low fat cheddar. Frankly haven't found a way to eat them that I don't enjoy.

I have tried the carmelized onion swiss ones. I have them on a quarter of a Joseph's oat and flax lavosh (25 calories) to get my bread fix. Much better stovetop than microwave but passable either way. Another Sam's club find - the John Soule beef and chicken fajita strips. Very high protein and microwave up great!

Oh ya Whooz... I did the same. I am over six months out and STILL have soup that will never be eaten. My advice is to take it easy on what to buy for post op. I liked unjury chicken soup flavored protein and their chocolate as well. Regular old chicken broth also went down pretty well at first. Lots of sugar free popsicles. I'm not sure where you are located, but here in the greater Richmond VA area, Food Lion has the best popsicles in a bag on the bottom shelf. Cheap and tasty and the lowest in cals/carbs.

I was required to pay my deductible max up front ($400). My coverage was 50% after the deductible up to a max of $10K. Self-pay was $14,500 so I figured I was set and would pay about $7 or$8K. But no - the charges agreed upon by the hospital and my insurance exceeded $20K by quite a lot. So I ended up paying about $11-12K out of pocket - yes, nearly as much as if I didn't have any insurance. That was after the hospital gave us a discount for prompt payment. So here is my lesson learned. Make each provider in the chain estimate how much the charge will be prior to surgery and don't make any general assumptions. Don't rely on the surgeon's office either as they don't know what every provider (hospital, anesthesia, etc..) will charge and have agreed upon with the insurance company. I would have paid every cent I did to get the surgery btw, but I just wasn't prepared for the size of the check I had to write.

SleeveinSD, I used Walton Farms calorie free bbq sauce. They have a bunch of no calorie sauces that range from not bad to yucky. This is one of the good ones (in my opinion). Terry

Thanks to everyone that responded to my post. It is great to get that boost!

My six month surgiversary was yesterday and I’m feeling great. I’m losing at a pretty consistent 14 lb a month rate right now and I think that is terrific. I don’t lose every day – in fact I often go up a pound or two and stall out for a few days and then lose for the next few. Here is a roundup of my NSVs since I started losing weight pre-surgery last June: Now wear large t-shirts and polos down from 3-4x before 2x dress shirt as opposed to 5x before Pants size 46 down from a tight 62 before Walking has become very easy and I’m not intimidated by distance any longer One night I jogged to my car (parked in the far end of the lot) in the rain I’m doing deep Water aerobics 2x a week and regular water aerobics 1-2x a week Every physical aspect of my life is so much better and I have a tremendous boost in energy So far, I’ve not had any issues with food worth mentioning. I’m finding it pretty easy to stick to the 600-800 daily calorie intake with 60-80g Protein and 30g net carbs or less. This site and others have proven to be very valuable to me because when I get the urge to splurge I look for something to inspire my inner chef and stay on track. My diet is as varied as fish tacos with low carb lavosh to slow cooked bbq pork with a no calorie bbq sauce. My restriction is very good and I only eat 2-4 oz of protein depending on the density. I’m working to add more fruits and veggies to my diet now but protein is first and the king of my plate. When eating at home, my wife and I make our own meals about 75% of the time. Prior to surgery I would have found this unacceptable. I think that was a symptom of my obsession with food. Now I see it as we both get what we want. When we do share a dish it fits my meal plan and she has lost about 20 pounds too. She also exercises with me very often. This has benefited us both. Going out to eat with my wife and/or friends has been fun too. I’ve learned to order whatever I want – and I want food that fits my plan. I don’t worry about wasting food. I order by taste so that I don’t feel deprived. Sometimes just an appetizer. Sometimes a full entrée with left overs. Sometimes a shared app and entrée. Taking food home is an option and because I ordered food I liked, I often have the leftovers for 2-3 meals. Most of my fears before surgery have not been realized. I’m pretty comfortable with myself right now. I get impatient and want to lose faster but then I consult my logs and see how far I’ve come and that really helps. I’m now preparing myself for the possibility of plastic surgery at the end of my journey. I wish everyone as much success as I’ve had so far.