Lissa

You're already doing it. Measuring your food is a good idea until you can do it by eye. Your full signal will come back, although it may take a while. Good luck!!

Great news!! Good luck on your pre-op diet!! If you look up Paola, she lost over 80 pounds pre-op and has been losing like a champ since being sleeved. Her posts may have some insight that will help you as you prepare!

Glad you posted a picture! It's nice to put faces with "names".

LMAO Fluffy!!! I keep hearing about that endorphin high, but boy is it MAJOR when it hits you!! I drove myself last night, hard! I was sweating within seconds of getting on the elliptical and kept sweating all the way through my bike ride. I slept well last night, too!

A lot of us find that our hunger sensation is triggered when we eat junk carbs. I think it's because those carbs slide right through our system and leave us not feeling full. Sugar is one of those things that sets me off. If I eat something sweet, my body then thinks I should keep eating sweets and I crave them. If I can leave the sweets alone (or use protein bars as a substitute for them), then I don't even think about sweets for days at a time.

A 2 pound gain is nothing. You could be retaining fluid because of TOM or just because. Especially when you're being weighed with clothes on, it's tough to get an accurate weight. Maybe you have on heavier clothing or jewelry. I don't really worry about what the scale says at the doctor's office, except for my WLS surgeon because he has a fancy dancy scale that measures body fat, too. I like my pulmonologist's scale, though. His always weighs me a couple of pounds less than I really weigh! LOL

I've been seeing a therapist for my food-related issues since the start of this journey. We talk about other things, but she's really been a huge help with dealing with all of the emotions surrounding food and weight loss and, let's face it, vanity. I think it's the best thing I've ever done for myself and I suggest that most WLS patients could use a few sessions to help get our heads straight for this journey!

I was drinking decaf coffee almost immediately after surgery and I still drink decaf regularly. I haven't had "regular" coffee more than a very few times since surgery and I really don't miss it. I had a major diet coke addiction pre-op and the caffeine withdrawal was horrid, so I'd prefer not to repeat that process. Caffeine is a diuretic and we need all the hydration we can get, which is another reason to avoid the caffeine.

TY! I can't believe I finally got that endorphin high I keep hearing about!!

Hit the gym tonight for cardio and did 10 minutes on the elliptical, which is HUGE for me. Jumped off the elliptical and did 20 on the bike. When I got done, I felt HIGH from all the endorphins. Almost better than sex!!! LOL

Anna, As soon as you can start doing some weights for your legs, do so. I started on the exercise bike for my legs and today I got complimented on the muscles in my legs. I'm deliberately working to strengthen my thigh muscles now and the work is paying off. The bike made a huge difference in those leg muscles for me, though. I've had a dislocated knee 3 times, so I'm pretty careful about what I do as far as leg exercises.

Yeah, baby!!! that's awesome and amazing and INCREDIBLE!! Enjoy it!!!

I still love GnR!!!

Just keep moving. My clots pre-op were from inactivity. Try to get in 30 minutes of movement per day, with at least two or three minutes of moving around per hour. I took a 3,000 mile driving trip in October after surgery in August. My doctor recommended that I get out of the car at least every hour and walk around. No clots.

BTW, am I the only one hearing Guns and Roses every time I see this thread title?

Your sleeve may not be ready for pureed food. Drop back a level and try again tomorrow. Everyone heals at a different rate, but you will heal and be able to eat purees and solid foods soon!

BKMama, I have been very diligent about letting him know about anything unusual, so we're both pretty confident that I will continue to be diligent about that. I'm not off his patient list yet, so I'll still be seen at least every 3 months. He does a thorough assessment of me at every visit (wish my guy would be as thorough as my doctor, lol) and with my activity level, the doc is confident that I will not have another clot anyway. My last clot was caused by a combination of pneumonia and inactivity. With 2 cardio workouts a day, we both think that won't be an issue.

Good luck! I hope that helps you!

Do what you like about it. I would stand on the roof and shout it out if I could climb up there!

Yes, it's very normal to have these doubts. But, they will clear up very quickly once you're back on solid foods. Just take deep breaths and hold on. It will get better in a hurry!

Nope, Spatters. I stopped Coumadin on April 10 because it has to be out of my system a month for the blood test to assess my clot risk. The test shows that my risk is still high, but I refused the coumadin therapy because it can cause bleeding issues. Since I'm much more active now and I've lost almost 100 pounds, my doctor was fine with my refusal. He actually suggested that I might want to refuse the coumadin and for what reasons.

Take a picture of your face and compare it to a pre-op face picture. I first saw the loss in my face and neck. Also, take your measurements now so that you have something to compare later.

Some of you know that I have a DVT (blood clot) and two pulmonary embolisms before surgery because of pneumonia. You might remember that I've been on coumadin since last June because of those clots. I had an appt with my pulmonary doctor yesterday and he told me that I could refuse to continue taking the coumadin. He couldn't NOT prescribe it because my test results still say I'm high on clot factor, but with my weight loss and activity level, he wouldn't argue with me if I refused the medicine, so I refused it. As a precautionary measure, he ordered an ultrasound of my legs, the site of the blood clot before. I had that ultrasound today and my legs are not only clot free, the tech couldn't even tell where the clot had been!! She also complimented me on the amount of muscle in my thighs, although that muscle made it harder for her to do the ultrasound. I'm a happy and HEALTHY girl today!! I think I can predict that I will outlive the death sentence the doctors handed me last year! THAT is worth a happy dance all on it's own!!!

Welcome to VST, Tammie!! Good luck on your upcoming surgeries!!

You're doing great! I'm STILL looking forward to getting in a 12 and wondering if I'll even be able to go smaller. Dont' let your aunt's success sabotage your success. YOU are awesome!!!