minniekitty

Looking good Congrats! I've gotten a few compliments, but they're not pouring in quite yet lol. I can't wait until I get to that point

I miss soda and carbonated drinks too! Even though my doctor told me I could never have a carbonated drink for the rest of my life, I have had a couple sips here and there of my mom's Diet Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper. I may go back to drinking soda in the future, but definitely NOT 3-5 cans a day or with meals. I'll wait a few more months for my sleeve to finish healing. It's just something I miss, and I want to reserve it for something to drink sparingly.

I'm 2 months post-op and I tend to have really bad cravings late at night. Night-time snacking was my problem before surgery, too. I'm not hungry during the day unless I haven't eaten for awhile (and I can't eat that much anyway). Around my period I want lots of chocolate and starchy comfort food, but I'm trying to ignore those cravings. It's a common saying here that they do surgery on your stomach but not your brain! But overall, my hunger has decreased dramatically. I don't think about food or my next meal all day anymore. I still like food and tasty things, but it isn't a big part of my life now.

I seem to get more pimples post-op now, especially around my period. I've always had a few pimples here and there, but now they come with vengeance at that TOM. I guess it's all those crazy hormones :/

I was starting my period around the time of surgery, too. I luckily didn't start until the day after surgery, but I had emailed the coordinator the week before and she said it would be no problem. In fact, it's very common for patients to be on their period during surgery. She told me that I could simply wear a tampon or ask the nurses to provide a pad since we can't wear underwear in the operating room.

With a BMI of 29/30, I think your best bet is to look to Mexico and self-pay. There are some fantastic surgeons there (and I'm the patient of one of them). I'm pretty sure for the VSG the minimum BMI is 35 or 40 with most insurance companies here in the United States. I started with a relatively lower BMI of 38 (not that close to yours, though), and I'm also younger- 23 years old. I was sleeved 2 months ago and I've been very successful! Just look at the ticker on my signature Overall, it's a personal decision, and only you can know what's best for your body! Good luck with whatever path you choose

What an amazing transformation- You looked so sad in your before picture, and now in the after you're positively glowing! Your body is fantastic!

I'm losing around 3 lbs per week at a steady rate. I follow my doctor's guidelines of 600-800 calories per day (sometimes I've gone up to 900-1000) and 60-80 g of Protein per day. I try to watch my carbs, but I'm not really limiting them at around 40-60 g of carbs per day. I hate Protein drinks, so I get my protein from food like meat, cheese, and Greek yogurt. I haven't been exercising consistently, but I'm making a goal of doing cardio 3 times per week.

I broke into the 180's! The last time I was in the 180's was for a second 4 years ago before I gained back all the weight I lost, lol. I dropped another 3.3 lbs this week and am down to 187.8 lbs!!!! I have no doubt I'm going to make it to goal 9/9 - 200.2 9/17 - 198.6 (I broke the stall and into Onederland!) 9/24 - 196.8 10/2 - 193.3 10/6 - 192.1 10/7 - 191.1 10/15 - 187.8 SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Kala.................200.2...............187.8........185..............2.8

I'm not *officially* low carb, but I'd count the net carbs.

I had my first drink since surgery a couple days ago. It does hit you hard. A few sips of wine and I felt tipsy! I was a lightweight before surgery, and now it's a whole new level lightweightness! I had to stop and give the rest to my boyfriend. I didn't want to get drunk lol.

I'm 2 months post-op and I'm trying to get all my Protein from food. I'm having a difficult time reaching my protein level daily, but Protein shakes make me nauseous. I on average reach 40-60 g of protein per day now. I eat as much meat, cheese, and Greek yogurt as my sleeve allows without pushing the limit lol.

Way to go! You deserve another dancing banana :bananapowerslide: I have no doubt you'll make it to your next goals! You're doing great with your exercising- I could never picture myself running! You go, girl

I loved salads pre-op. I tried eating the Panera Chopped chicken Cobb salad (lettuce, eggs, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, bleu cheese) about 2 weeks ago and I threw it all up. I didn't hurl or feel nauseous- my sleeve just pushed it all out at once. It was strange, to say the least. I was around 6 weeks post-op when that happened. I'll be avoiding salads for awhile...

As far as I know, I don't have PCOS or an insulin resistance. My family does have a history of diabetes, though, so limiting/watching my carbs may not be a bad idea. I also need to get my protein from food because Protein Shakes are nasty to me. I can sometimes plug my nose and take it, but mostly I just avoid them. I do know that with lower carb I tend to be less hungry and more satisfied with my meals. Before my surgery, I did 9 days of Atkins to shrink my liver and I ate significantly less (1200-1600 calories per day) than I used to eat. I wasn't even trying to limit my calories, either. Of course, my limited food options may have factored into that. meat, cheese, and Greek yogurt. I just hope if I stick with low carb, I won't get bored with my diet.

Awesome! You lost a whole 20 inches off your waist- impressive achievement! (That's how mens' sizes work, right? lol)

WTG! That is an amazing loss!

I've lost 4 inches in my chest, but my breasts still fill my C cup. I'm OK with losing inches on the strap size! I think I'd be content with shrinking to a B cup, but not any smaller. I've never been that well endowed. Besides, plenty of skinny women are B cups

I'm curious to see all the different arguments on this. I'm on the fence about limiting my carbs. I obviously don't want to eat white and starchy carbs, but I'm unsure how to factor in fruits and vegetables. It would be nice to get most of my nutrients from food and not supplements. Of course, I also want to lose weight.

Before surgery, I would comfort eat all the time. I ate to distract, numb, and make myself happy. I guess on some level I was aware of it before surgery, but it didn't really hit me until I couldn't eat anymore. My binge eating wasn't that bad, but eating did make me happy. The first month was torture for me post-op. I dealt with some depression as I mourned food. I cried several times because I could only take liquids and I hated it. I knew about the post-op diet, but the reality of how hard it would be didn't hit me until I had to actually do it. Now I'm 2 months post-op and I feel a million times better. The liquid diet and the post-op depression was difficult for me. I still miss eating to comfort myself, but I am trying to find other things to make myself happy. I haven't been in therapy for over a year, but I would like to go back in case I relapse. I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

Clothes shopping was one of my motivators too. I'm getting to be a bit too old for the trendy stores I could never shop at- Hollister, Aeropostal, Abercrombie, etc... But, it would be nice to fit into department store clothes in the misses section. Sometimes Lane Bryant has a nice selection, but overall plus sized clothing is matrony and frumpy. I shared clothes with my mom as a teenager! It would be great to be able to dress fashionably and look hot doing it! I now wear XL's and can *barely* fit into L's in the misses section of department stores No luck on pants, yet. I still wear sizes 16-18 pants.

I'm down another 2.2 lbs! I'm so glad I've gotten out of the dreaded 3 week stall and am losing weight at a steady pace now 9/9 - 200.2 9/17 - 198.6 (I broke the stall and into Onederland!) 9/24 - 196.8 10/2 - 193.3 10/6 - 192.1 10/7 - 191.1 I'm not weighing myself at regular intervals- I need to get into that habit! I just weigh myself whenever I'm curious about my weight. SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Kala.................200.2...............191.1........185.............6.1

80 lbs in 4 1/2 months!?! You are working that sleeve

Congrats! You look amazing You have the same goal weight as me- you really inspire me!

Congrats on your amazing transformation! I must admit, I'm a little green with envy that you reached your goal so quickly. I can only hope to be as successful