xenophile

Oh, cool. I've always wanted to go to the Crime Museum!

My experience with "sliming" is when I eat something--even a bite--that Sleevie doesn't like. It's like a really intense, sudden nauseous feeling. But then it goes away (unless I try to eat the same thing again.) Others' experiences are probably different. I think what you're describing is more of a "back-up" where food is "stuck" in the esophagus--there's just not room enough in your stomach for what you're trying to put in there. When I was at 2.5 weeks I could only handle a couple of tablespoons of really mushy stuff (applesauce, hummus, etc.) every 30-45 minutes. That was a frustrating stage; I felt really weak. But I started feeling a lot better at week 4 or so, once the stomach swelling went down and I could eat 1-2 ounces of food without discomfort (depending what it is).

Ditto on the "process of elimination" method. I have no problem with eggs, but I can't do most veggies yet (even in very small quantities). A few days ago I tried some tuna salad with a little bit of raw diced onion and carrot slivers. Sleevie was NOT amused.

Congrats--you're doing great! I've also had problem with getting enough Water. Seems like that's hard for a lot of us. I've just found a good solution for me, which might work for you, too. I bought a 64-ounce water bottle on Amazon (I think it was $8, made by Blue Wave), and I take it with me to work, school, and gym. It's a great visual reminder of how much I have left to go, and it's super convenient.

I'm sorry to hear that, happy. I don't think you should be embarrassed, though. If you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing, then that's all you can do! (not sure if that's logical, but you know what I mean) I hope your doc and nut are supportive, not negative. And I just know you'll start seeing the scale move in the right direction again soon!

I'm not much of a cook, but this was super-easy and yummy... Ingredients: 1/4 piece of Flatout flat bread (I used Italian herb) -- pita would probably also work well 1 egg 2 slices of Swiss cheese 1/4 avocado salt & pepper to taste 1. cook the egg over well, preferably in a non-stick pan so you don't need oil 2. dice the avocado -- I made ~ 6 large chunks, but smaller would work, too 3. on the flat bread, place 2 slices of cheese (side by side), diced avocado, and salt & pepper 4. Put the cooked egg on one side of the flat bread, then fold over other side of the bread to make a sandwich 5. lightly toast the sandwich on both sides in the same non-stick pan -- until the cheese has melted enough to hold it together 6. enjoy (probably for 2 meals)! UPDATE on 2/8/12: I just made this sandwich again, but I added some cooked spinach with the egg. I also used provolone cheese instead of swiss this time around. It was even better! UPDATE on 2/12/12: I made another variation today, this time with a couple of slices of smoked salmon. Also very good.

I think I'm un-stalled! Yay (and knock on wood)! 3 pounds down as of this evening. I hope everyone else is seeing the scale move for them, too.

Cool. I'll be starting on Feb. 13th. I'll let you know how it goes!

Hey bubbly. I had planned to start the program this week, but my body wasn't having it. I've been doing 20 min on a stationary bike this week, which feels ok. I'm planning to keep cycling for another week, then start the C25K program on 2/13. My three C25K days will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with a yoga or Wii Fit day on Saturday or Sunday. When were you thinking of starting?

Dr. Kelly did my surgery back in December. As I've said elsewhere, I thought that he and the nursing staff were very good. ALM was, in my experience, not good. First, their driver was really disorganized--his sister ended up picking me up from the airport, taking me to her house, then finally after 2 hours, taking me to the hotel in TJ, all because he couldn't get across the border into the US. Then he got his brother to take me back to the US afterward. Very unprofessional. I also thought that their new "patient advocate" was a complete joke--she barely spent 5 minutes with me the entire time I was there. The two times that I called her from the hotel with questions, she rushed to get me off the phone. Then there was the "nutritionist." She delivered her prepared speech with poor English, was obnoxiously patronizing, and the post-op diet she gave me was VERY wrong--I double-checked it with Dr. Kelly, and he said I should totally disregard it and use the one he gave me. So, all that is just to say that I had a great experience w/ Dr. Kelly, a bad one with ALM. Of course, everyone's experience is different, and I don't claim that Dr. Kelly is perfect. Just my $0.02.

Yay, you're my first VST friend! :first:

Hey, happy. You and I were sleeved on the same day, and I'm also going on 3 weeks with basically no scale movement--I've been losing and regaining the same pound every few days! It's really frustrating, even with the opportunity to read about other people's experiences at this stage. I just went to the gym for the first time today and rode a stationary bike for 15 minutes, which exhausted me. I had planned to start my Couch to 5K program this week, but I'm going to have to work up to jogging. I will say that I have more energy now that I'm eating solid foods again. The weakness I had in weeks 1-3 was awful. So, all of that is just to say...things are getting better since surgery. It's just a slow train we're riding! Best of luck to you. I'm confident that we'll both see great results!

Hi, 2bfit. I had this issue right after my surgery--I drove back from San Diego to DC. It was quite the adventure! There are a couple of chains that seem to have consistently better choices: Love's and Pilot. There's another one--Flying J, I think?--but they weren't really common along the route I took. Pilot and Love's usually have Protein drinks in stock, including Bolthouse Farms, which is one of the few commercial drinks I can stomach. A lot of times they also have cheese sticks, boiled eggs, and yogurt of some kind. One of the chains (I don't remember which) usually has a Subway restaurant attached. They have a couple of Soup options. When I was driving they had a broccoli and cheese soup that made Sleevie very, very happy. Then there's the grocery store option. You could stock up on those tuna salad kits or similar pre-packaged meals--if you don't mind them, that is. Hope that helps. Good luck, and enjoy your trip!

That's awesome, cludgie! I look forward to hearing about your progress! Today will be my Day 1...hopefully my knees won't punish me too harshly, lol.

KellyL--thanks for those suggestions! I'll definitely put a crock pot on my list of gadgets to buy. PdxMan--great reminder! I had forgotten about that issue once I got through the crazy "hot flashes" stage of weeks 2 & 3.