Lissa

You are looking great!!

I have a cup that I make Water with Mio in daily and it has a straw that I use. I eat pretty much whatever I want, just smaller portions as others have said. I have had alcohol a few times, keep a case of diet caffeine free soda here and have one a couple of times a week, and, in general, eat regular food for my meals. If I'm going to the gym early in the day, then I'll have a Protein bar for Breakfast. If not, then I have an egg and a piece of sausage for breakfast. I don't feel like I'm "on a diet". This is just my new reality and I like it. Being down 100 pounds and looking better in my clothes helps a lot, too! I also just bought myself a Keurig (part of my Century Club gift to myself) and I've been enjoying my decaf coffee and tea from it.

I still love the taste of spicy food, but Rex (my sleeve) is just now allowing me to eat anything remotely spicy without complaining about it loudly.

I get the starvation mode warning every single day. It also tells me my calories are set way too low, but I don't care. I check my protein by going to "home" and "daily". As long as I'm over 70g of protein, I don't worry about the other stats.

Yay! You're rocking that sleeve! Great job!

This is the toughest part of the journey, IMO. After you're back on solids, it will all seem like a dream and like it wasn't that big a deal, but it's huge when you're going through it. For the need to chew, I suggest ice or SF popsicles (let it melt in your mouth after chewing). Also, if your doc hasn't got you on an acid reducer, ask him or her about it. It really helps with the head hunger. My first mushie was refried Beans and they were AMAZING! Two bites and I was done, but they tasted wonderful! Good luck! I know it's tought, but it will be worth it.

Boots, That's how we all have to start. Keep taking those baby steps until you're ready for the next level! BTW, my 30 minutes of cardio a day elicited the best comment I've ever heard from a doctor. He said my new EKG (as opposed to one a year ago) was "sexy as he$*)! I've improved my cardiac functioning and breathing enough that he says my effective age is a year younger than my actual age... and TEN YEARS younger than my EKG and breathing tests showed this time last year. Woo Hooo.

I tend to concentrate more on time than calories. I don't know if that's right or not, but I'm required to do at least 30 minutes of cardio per day to stay off a prescription drug. That may influence my mindset.

I want this with a 13 at the top (for 13 o'clock, representing that it's finally time for ME) and instead of the clock numbers, I want the final 3 digit number of my weight loss scattered in there...

I love NSV's, especially ones that really reaffirm why we made this decision! Congrats to you for rocking your sleeve AND your clothes!

My only comment is good luck! I know nothing about which works best to cure a stricture, but I definitely feel for you!

I love Mio drops! My preferences are the Strawberry Watermelon and the Orange Tangerine. Yummy!

I had two clots sitting in mine when they removed it. Don't stress (easy to say), as that's the worst thing you can do at this point. Take your coumadin/warfarin, and walk when they say you can walk. good luck!!

You do not have to eat the calories you burn.

I'm noticing who posted on this thread... we all have dirty, dirty minds!

LOL, Niki, he's got lots of volunteers here on VST apparently! Dang that post-op libido spike!!

I swear I saw this as "Has anyone has sex...."! I don't know anything about that doctor, but the search button in the upper right hand corner may help you find threads that mention him, if there are any.

I use a cornstarch based powder on areas that chafe. I also try to make sure that anything touching my skin is cotton, socks, undies, etc., especially when I'm working out and know I'll be sweating.

That is awesome!! Congrats! You're really rocking that sleeve!

Unfortunately, we sometimes do learn things the hard way. The only up side to that is that we learn them permanently that way! Hope you're feeling better soon!

You're getting there!

I had to wait 3 months after my clot to have surgery. You'll probably take warfarin/coumadin for that entire 3 months and have to give yourself lovenox injections pre-op and post-op. Ask your surgeon about whether you'll need an IVC filter placed before the sleeve surgery to reduce the risk of clots going into your heart and lungs. I'm so sorry you have a clot, but there are medical procedures to protect you from this. If you have questions, feel free to PM me. Hopefully, your clot won't send any little buddies out to visit your lungs like mine did! Good luck!! Keep us posted please!

those look yummy! I just posted how to make refried beans in another thread. Yeah!!

I was self-pay, so no insurance hoops to jump through. If I hadn't had the option to self-pay, I'd probably be in a box right now. I had no choice, it was take off the weight or die. That conversation with my doctor was also my ah-ha moment when I knew that I had to do something, and it had to be something big!

Newfoundlove is right, you don't have to start with dry. I use dried Beans because I like them better than canned. If you're going to make beans in the crockpot from dried, here is how: Wash and sort your dried beans to make sure there is no dirt or rocks in the beans. Place the beans in the crock pot with onion, seasoning to your taste EXCEPT SALT, salt and/or tomato will keep your beans from getting soft. I always add a frozen chicken breast or other piece of meat at this point, then I add Water. I do it on a 3:1 ratio of water to beans. Turn the crockpot on medium, put the lid on and then leave it alone. When I'm doing this, I am usually leaving home by 7:30 in the morning and coming back sometime around 5 or 6 pm, so the beans cook undisturbed all day. By the time I get home, everything is soft and yummy. If I want to add salt or tomato, I do it when I get home. Refried beans are easy, too. Do pinto beans as shown above, leaving out the meat. Let them cook until the beans are soft, then drain the water from them. It helps if you have a cast Iron skillet, but you can do this in a regular pot as well. Melt a little lard/shortening (about 1 tablespoon) in the pan, then add the soft pinto beans to the pan. Immediately start crushing the beans with the back of a fork or a potato masher. You don't need high heat, but you may need a little more moisture, water or chicken broth is fine. I add it a tablespoon at a time. It might take 5 minutes total to create refried beans from precooked dried beans, not a long process. I add onion powder/onions, garlic, black pepper to mine. If your sleeve handles spicy well, you can add chili powder, jalapenos, or any other hot seasoning you like. I used to love hot sauce or salsa mixed into my refried beans.