Lissa

HUGE NSV!! Congrats!!

I did them. Not a big deal. They do leave bruises, though.

Your sugar may very well be low. I agree with Dooter; this is a great time to call your doctor to rule out problems.

testing

I love the quote. Isn't that what we're all doing here? Experimenting with our own lives?

Linda, I feel everything you're saying. I could have almost written your post, but I'm working really hard on the mental part of this. I've lost 3 pants sizes, but less than 10 pounds in the last three months. I did finally lose a couple of pounds this month, but it feels like I've been busting my butt to do it. I just keep chanting to myself that "muscle weighs more than fat". I've been working out, eating (mostly) right and pushing the Water. What is helping is keeping my tush OFF the scale. If I can just concentrate on the positives like smaller sizes and more muscle, the negative of the scale not moving doesn't bother me so much. Good luck!

Each nut has a different plan, but, in general, the following applies: During the liquid stages, if you're allowed to have shakes, they count toward your liquid requirements. During the mushie stage, they may not count toward your liquid requirements, meaning that you may have to wait 30 minutes after drinking a Protein shake to drink Water. I mixed protein powder with milk, but I discovered that I was lactose intolerant after surgery. I also couldn't stand the sweet flavors, so I did lots of broth. Once I was on mushies, I used eggs and other soft foods to meet my protein goals. I've only recently started using protein powder again. I use it most often in my decaf coffee instead of creamer...and I like it. You can mix protein powder with anything you like. There are several brands of unflavored powder out there..that doesn't mean they are tasteless, but they don't have the sweet flavor to them. unjury makes a chicken flavored powder that several people like. I haven't tried it yet.

My late mother in law had a sleeve long before I met her son, probably 15 years or so earlier. She lived quite well with her sleeve and had no complications from the surgery itself. I don't think she was very compliant with the water or protein requirements she had, but that was related to the several bouts of cancer she had, not the surgery. She was always a tiny woman anyway, so for her to meet the goals was a struggle and she had several rounds of chemo. But her stomasleeve itself didn't give her any problems. That was one of the factors when I was deciding on which surgery to have.

Let them roll off your back, honey! You're doing fantastic and they are SO jealous of you they can't stand it!!! Just keep doing what you know you're supposed to do!

I was so far behind today that I didn't even turn on my coffee maker! I do add protein powder to my decaf coffee usually. I now have an emergency supply of protein bars and a partial can of Click in the car for days like today. Here's hoping I don't have to use it anytime soon!

I work for myself, and sometimes that means really long days. This morning I headed out thinking I'd eat my Protein bar from my purse for Breakfast. Whoops, no Protein Bar. I was crazy busy and stopped for Water a couple of times, but didn't find anything at either stop that I felt okay with eating. At 2pm, I had some family crap come up (you know how it goes) that left me pretty upset and food went out of my head totally. By 5:30, I was home and I was a blubbering, ready to keel over and die, practically suicidal, mess. It wasn't until 7pm that I realized I hadn't eaten all day. By then, I could barely manage half a piece of chicken. However, once it kicked in, I started feeling like ME again. Moral of the story: ALWAYS stick to your schedule and eat. I discovered today that, although I don't feel hunger, I am totally insane when I don't fuel my body. Shame on me for letting it happen. I have re-stocked my protein bar supply in my purse.

I ate at Olive Garden a few days ago for lunch. I had about half a cup of salad, mainly the tomato, olives, pepper and onion with a little bit of lettuce, then I ate part of my chicken and a couple of bites of the mashed potato. I brought the rest of the entree home and had it for lunch the next day. Even with eating that, I still was under my calorie "goal" for the day. The carbs also gave me energy for my workout, so that was a bonus. I don't miss eating the huge amounts of food I could consume pre-surgery, and I find that the quickest way for me to make myself miserable mentally is to deny myself something that I am really craving. If I want something specific, I'll have a few bites and move on with my life. So, I guess the answer for me is that, No, I don't miss eating. I do find myself making better choices simply because I'm concentrating on my Protein and Water goals, but most of my cravings these days revolve around meat and veggies. Those are in my plan!

I have eaten oranges recently, but I can't eat more than half an orange at a time. The acid doesn't bother me now, thank goodness. It really bothered me for the first few months if I tried to drink orange juice.

Sally, I suggest that you sign up for My Fitness Pal. I'm on there as Lissa912 and I keep my food diary open to my friends to see. I'm a good bit further out than you, but you're welcome to look through there and see what I eat daily. I think that's a better indicator than just posting a daily menu, although I will give you and example of mine here. Wake up: Mini Babybel Light cheese (I can't take Vitamins on an empty sleeve) Breakfast: Either a Premier Protein bar or 1 egg with 1 sausage Lunch: Protein and veggie (usually leftovers) Dinner: stir fry made from a small steak, chicken breast or shrimp, with a few bites of veggies Snack: If I'm hungry I'll have fruit or a skinny cow ice cream. I've been trying to make it fruit now. Around half an hour before I work out, I'll have a banana or a mini thin Peanut Butter sandwich. This is a new add-on for me, but otherwise I dont have the energy to finish my half hour on the bike.

Honestly?! I don't see a fat girl... I don't even see "former fat girl". That picture shows a strong, healthy woman who is thrilled with her life and has just enoug zany in her to wear a tutu to run a princess-themed race. I LOVE IT!!! I don't think that your stomach looks bad in that picture at all. You look amazing!!!

Awesome!! It's people like you that inspire me to keep going! You prove that it is possible to reach our dreams!!

UGH!! Paying taxes stinks!

Nannie, I don't think it was me. I just wanted to block the poster so I could actually see posts from people who were hear for real reasons!

Nannie, why are you scared? You missed the fun earlier. Someone decided to spam the board on every forum...and now those posts have magically disappeared. YOU are not the problem!

WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Awesome numbers already!!

chandi, lots of people go through the same thought process you're having right now. It's normal. I think it's the mind's way of accepting our new lifestyle. Take your Rx acid reducer and the pepcid. Some of them take a few days to kick in. When I was pregnant (a lifetime ago), I had horrible heartburn that didn't respond to anything. I took a tiny bit of baking soda (arm and hammer like the box in your fridge) and mixed it with a couple of ounces of Water. Maybe 1/4 teaspoon to 2 ounces of water, hold nose drink as quickly as you can manage. That will kill the heartburn temporarily. It's high sodium, so don't do it a lot, but my heartburn during pregnancy kept me from getting to sleep. I'll add the disclaimer now, I'm not a doctor and I don't play one here. I'm just passing along something that worked for me in a pinch years ago. I haven't heard anything saying that a tiny bit of baking soda will hurt you or your sleeve.

I have what I call "hungry days". On those days I'm especially careful to log everything I eat, but I eat what I like as long as I meet my goals. I recently met up with someone who had surgery the day after our meet-up. I let her scroll through My Fitness Pal app and she laughed when she saw that I had a canolli one day. I'm not recommending that as regular food, but I wanted it and it was delicious...and I probably won't eat another for a year! Even on that day, I was under my calorie goal and I made sure I exercised and did my cardio.

Love your post, even if it is "only" your thought process. You are very well-written and articulate. I don't do as well on internet forums, although I can write formally when it is necessary. I would definitely consider taking a bit more time than you think you will need. No one is irreplaceable, and the boss' will appreciate you more for having time to miss you. Good luck on your journey!!

Our doctors give us specific guidelines to help protect our new sleeves. I would not progress to the next stage without talking to the doctor first. You definitely do not want to cause a leak in your healing sleeve, or make it work so hard that it causes you pain trying to digest something that your sleeve is not ready to handle. Of course, various surgeons have varying diet plans for post op patients. I just tried to do what MY surgeon and nut recommended.

That's terrific! Congrats on the weight loss! I know you're thrilled to pieces!!