LindaS

Congrats!

I'm not at 7 weeks yet, but my diet plan says absolutely no corn for a year.

You take the amount you've lost and divide by the amount you need to lose. It gives you a decimal number. Move the decimal two spots to the right and that is the percentage. For instance, I've lost 30 pounds. I want to lose 115 pounds. 30/115=.2608 or 26 percent.

My surgery was August 9. I started teaching August 23. I just finished my second week back, and I was tired when I came home. I still am. I hadn't had any energy problems before that. It's just an adjustment. I am also making sure that I opt to walk whenever possible and being tired may be because of that as well. Linda

I'm 4 weeks out, and I'm eating between 400 to 600 calories. I usually get between 50 and 60 grams of protein in. I'm still on a mostly liquid diet.

Congrats! I hope you get over the fatigue too!

Going into my surgery, I was told I'd have two weeks of clear (with protein) liquids and then 6 weeks of full liquids before progressing to mushies. The day I was being discharged, my NUT told me the doctors had changed their minds, and I'd need to be on the clear (with protein) liquids for 8 weeks before progressing to full liquids. I was not happy and decided to pretend I didn't remember hearing her. I did do the two weeks of clear with Protein and then moved myself to full liquids, which was my plan and in my notebook. I have my one-month meeting with the NUT this next week. I'm not sure how that will go. I have eaten some mushy stuff like cottage cheese or sugar-free pudding. I'm still losing weight. I haven't had any nausea or vomiting. It's been a month since my surgery.

This summer, there were several moments where I couldn't do something because of my weight. I didn't fit, or I was winded doing mild things. I couldn't even do things I had done a year before. I had managed to maintain my weight for a while, but this summer it seemed to spiral out of control again. I'd done diet pills, and they didn't work anymore. I was feeling ugly, and it was impacting my moods. For a long time, my husband has teased me about my "granny shirts" that I wear to work. This summer I finally explained to him about the limited options in my size. I started talking to him more about my weight and my worries. I thought of all the painful things in the last couple of years and realized, I needed a more permanent change. I am thrilled with the results, and it has been a month since my surgery.

I also started the day before my surgery, and I've been doing it every two weeks. My one month surgiversary is tomorrow. I've lost 16 inches so far.

Heather, I feel your pain! I'm the mom of four, and in 2006, I was leaving the house at 7 a.m. and getting home around 10 p.m. most days. I was in college, working, and had all of the kid activities. It was when I gained a lot of weight. My masters degree was worth it in the end, but it has made me hesitant to go back for my Phd.

Sara, I'm so glad to hear everything is going well. I am so proud of you! I hope you continue to recover quickly.

I teach at a university, and our classes start August 29 as well. I was sleeved August 9 to give me time to recover a bit before starting fall classes. Faculty week started this week (a week of meetings), and I did OK, but I didn't log my Fluid intake as well as I did previously because I was doing other things (and I have an app on my phone). I did get my needed nutrients, but I can see where it is something I will have to really pay attention to. As a teacher, I'd be concerned about the time you are going to miss when you get sleeved. You will miss classes very early in the semester when things are being taught that you will need to know the rest of the semester. It depends on the timing of your surgery, but I would have missed a full week of classes, and it can be almost impossible for a student to recover from that. You may want to contact your professors and ask about their absence policy. You don't have to explain what you are having done. It is enough to state you are having a surgery that will require you to miss up to a week of classes. They may allow you to make things up or not. That way you can find out before the deadline. Also, if for any reason, you have complications or are having problems, you will be missing more classes. Whatever you decide, good luck!

I made the appointment for my additional consultation. It is in September.

I love the outlet malls in Birch Run! I'm glad you found so many great deals in regular sizes.

I have decided not to go back to coffee. I think the creamer was one of the factors in me gaining weight in the first place, and I don't want to do that again. I thought about buying decaf, so I could have some. I then decided not to bother. Even before the surgery, too much coffee would mess up my belly. I don't want to risk it now.

I've lost 22 pounds since I began this journey. My surgery was just over a week ago. I didn't expect changes quickly. But, I am seeing my face in the mirror again. The second chin is gone. My jawline and cheekbones are showing again. It's my thin face again! My husband and kids have all commented on it. Although this morning, my husband said he was hoping this didn't mean I was going to get wrinkly in my face as I continue to lose. I don't care. I have my own face back. I'm loving it. I also did a quick measurement of my worst area -- hips/thighs/butt. I did the measurement with clothes on and compared it to my original, which was done in my underwear. Even with jeans, I had lost more than an inch in that area. Loving my sleeve!

Kimberlina, I so relate to your comments about going to Cedar Point and being able to ride any ride. My family tends to go there at least once a year, and I was so upset I couldn't ride the Millenium Force although I had been able to the year before. It was one of the big reasons I decided to finally go through with my surgery. It is also why my ticker is of a rollercoaster. Good luck on your surgery! We can do this! Go August All Stars!

I teach college English, so I didn't have to miss any work. I had my surgery last Tuesday, and classes don't start until Aug. 29. I am a bit concerned about what my students will think about my weight-loss during the semester, but they are mostly freshmen so might not notice. I have been working on a committee this summer, and I did tell my co-workers. I felt I had to since we had been working together from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with working lunches, and my lunch menu changed so drastically.

The other day, I grabbed my wineglass and a sugar-free popsicle. A glass of wine with dinner had been normal for me before surgery. It felt good to use my wineglass again, so my recommendation is to find nonalcoholic versions to fill it with. Have you tried that juice that comes in a wine bottle? It is great for those special occasions when you want to pop a cork.

I'm going to go for it. Thanks everyone for the great input!

Raine, I wish I had thought of that come back at the time!

I have teenagers, and my youngest daughter weighs 115 pounds. I keep telling her I'm trying to lose her.

As I was taking my vitamins today, I realized I was doing something that might help that I didn't even know I did! I hold onto the vitamin and nibble at it a little at a time. This might help you, but it does make it take longer to eat your vitamins.

I know a frequent question here is what to bring to the hospital, and I have a suggestion that I hadn't read before: loose fitting yoga pants. The first night after surgery, I was up and walking around wearing a hospital gown with a second gown draped over my backside like a cape. I was too groggy to care if anything was viewable, but the nurse with me made sure I was covered. The next day, I wanted to be a bit more discrete. The yoga pants were great because I didn't have to worry about revealing my backside when walking around. It also meant that I didn't have to show so much of my lower front side when nurses and doctors were checking on my incision sites. They were loose enough to accommodate all of the poking and prodding yet they kept my bum covered. They were also comfy for the car ride home.

I've been writing about my struggles with weight and growing up with an overweight father and how to teach my kids to be healthy in their food choices since 2006. Even with all of that, I wasn't sure if I was going to make my decision to have weight-loss surgery public (on the internet). I still have not said anything about it on facebook and don't plan to there. I have written about it on my blog. I decided to tell people. With all of the writing I have done about my weight issues, I felt I needed to. It has been mostly good. It has given people who need help (like my sister) a chance to ask questions and maybe rethink things. I've noticed some people immediately question it. One woman immediately named 3 people she knew who had had WLS and "looked unhealthy" now. I didn't even try to suggest that they looked unhealthy when they were overweight too. I wasn't familiar with who they were, so I wasn't sure if she considered them "unhealthy" because they were "too skinny" or because of other issues. I did tell my family, and my family pretty much wasted no time telling others. My oldest daughter found out her new friend had WLS. I'm not worried about gossips. I've never been one to hide what I was thinking or feeling. People will find something to gossip about regardless. If you don't give them a reason for your weight loss, they will fill in the blanks themselves. I don't think not telling will prevent gossip, but I know telling isn't right for everyone. I applaud those of you who are braving it out and going through all of this without support of close friends and family. It makes me even happier that forums like this exist to support all of us.