Lissa

So glad that you are home and doing much better now!! So sorry that you had that experience! (((Hugs))) and good luck from here on out!!

Pookey, I just want to know if it keeps perfect rhythm?? Seriously, I agree that some kind of compression garment is probably called for here. I'm gonna have the same problem, so please post what does and doesn't work for you.

You already sound like you're feeling better! Here's hoping that things will go better from here on out! Good luck!

Holly, Are you still on liquids/mushies? If so, you need to be getting some more Protein into yourself. My doc recommends 64 oz of Water and 70 g of protein a day. What you posted looks pretty low on the protein scale. I'm not sure what 2 stones 7 pounds equals in straight pounds (35 pounds?) but that's amazing for under 1 month if I have converted it properly! My only suggestion to you would be to add more protein, because your weight loss is amazing for 1 month!!!

I'll lay a lot of it on your period, but you're eating a good bit of carbs for only 3 weeks out. That could be contributing to the head hunger you're feeling. Are you tracking your intake on something like My Fitness Pal? I have days where I feel like I could eat and eat, too. Almost always I've had too many carbs (for me) that day. And, although I don't really track carbs, I find that a little is okay, but over 50 is not, for me.

jasleeve, Easy Mama!! You just got through one hurdle! I kwym about OJ, though. I love it. Too bad you aren't in FL, I'd share some of my favorite with you. It's bottled by Indian River Growers, but it's not sold outside of this area because it's not pasteurized or processed, so no preservatives in the juice. My aunt's ex-BF works for them and sometimes brings me by a bottle of the extra pulpy stuff they can't sell. I LOVE it! I need to call Wayne, now that I've posted this!

Try Mio drops in your Water. IMO the orange tangerine tastes just like sunkist. Lissa

I was walking from the minute I was sleeved, including from the recovery room bed to the hospital bed, although I skipped the bed and went to the chair instead! I've been walking ever since, even if I could only walk up and down my hallway at home before I got winded. Now, I can walk 2 or 3 miles on the treadmill without being too out of breath. My doc gave me permission for weights and other strenuous exercises beginning at 6 weeks out.

I predict that, in a few days, you'll be posting about how you can't eat much of anything. Dense protein fills me up SO much faster than mushies ever did! I ordered a steak for lunch today and even I was astounded at how little I could eat!!!

Well, I certainly hope I don't come across that way!! THIS is my support group, because my IRL one stinks. Actually, just the moderator of the IRL one stinks, the people in it are great!

My doc does a leak test on the table and then at the first post-op visit. The one post-op involved drinking blue contrast, waiting half an hour, then he pulled my drain because mine was clear. Lissa

I think a lot of eating meat after surgery involves getting past the hurdle that it might hurt. I make sure that I have some kind of sauce/moisture for meat and that I cut it into small bites and chew well. My sleeve (Rex) still won't tolerate anything remotely spicy, but I can now eat almost any meat without issues. As Meg said, there are many alternatives for Protein without eating meat. We have quite a few vegetarian sleevers around here. I love to check their group for new ideas. I personally eat a lot of cheese to help boost my protein intake, and I like a babybel in the morning before my Vitamins so that I don't get nauseous. SleevedMom, if you're getting nauseous from just putting the meat in your mouth, do YOU think it's a head issue or do you get sick once you chew up and swallow the meat? If it's a head issue, it may be time for a chat with your nutritionist or doctor about whether you're really ready for meat. It might even be a good idea to talk to a therapist about the meat issue. If it's a physical issue, for instance your tummy gets upset when you eat meat, you may just need to eat more vegetarian for a while. I've seen people who have continued with only protein bars/shakes long-term, and they do lose weight. IME, though, those people are the ones who never transition back to "normal" life. My late friend's sister in law is one of those and the sister in law ends up in the ER regularly because of malnutrition and dehydration. The sister in law says it's "too hard" to get in her Water and to eat normal food. Each time she goes in the hospital, they work on getting her into a routine where she's eating regular food and drinking water. She will comply long enough to get out of the hospital, then she's right back to only eating protein bars and drinking very little. Personally, I think the woman now has anorexia or something similar. It is really important to try to transition to getting your protein from food, but you may need some softer Proteins and some guidance from a nutritionist or therapist to get to that point. I think that is a very natural reaction since we've had such restricted diets before and after surgery. Add in that none of us want to damage our new sleeves and leaks are a terrifying complication, and it's a wonder that any of us ever manage to transition back to "regular" food after surgery! Good luck!! Please let us know how it goes.

No real tips, because it looks like you're doing things right. However, I wonder if you're not just at a weight where you spent a lot of time before? Also, are your clothes getting looser and are your measurements changing? I've been "stuck" for about 3 weeks, but I know I spent nearly 10 years at the weight I'm at right now, so I expected this plateau. I've been almost literally watching my body change in the last 3 weeks, though. I have lost 2 pants sizes, gained muscle in certain areas and even discovered a couple of bones that I had forgotten about! Just keep working your plan and the weight will come off. I think we're both out of the honeymoon period where it gets tougher to lose weight and we have to work harder...and it sounds like you are working hard!

I'm not going to say that your food choices are "bad", because they really aren't bad. They just may not be the best foods you could put in your sleeve. Peanut Butter is pretty high in Protein, so that's a good choice. Jelly, candy, crackers and mashed taters are all carby foods that might cause you to stall, so in that sense they are not good choices. HOWEVER, if YOU think those things will cause you to stumble, then you need to avoid or limit them. Have you tried refried Beans? They are very soft and go down easily in the mushy stages. You can add cheese to them to up the protein, and their flavor/texture is good for hiding some extra protein powder. How about some SF pudding or candy instead of the full sugar version? There is also a peanut butter powder that amazon sells which gives you the advantages of peanut butter (flavor, high protein) without the fat attached to the store bought versions. I agree that there are always choices and substitutes to make things healthier. I also think that an occasional treat isn't going to hurt you, but occasional means once a week or once a month, not daily. Do you have a therapist? If not, it may be time to find one. You say that you don't trust your own judgment on this issue, so you really should talk to a pro to help you develop that trust in your own ability to do this. ALL of us have food issues and need to deal with them. Having a little professional support will make it easier.

I'd love to do braces, but I'm already paying money back into savings and working on a couple other projects, so that will have to wait. Congrats to you for getting started on yours!

I take my B12 daily, too. My surgeon said I could decrease it to 3 times a week, but I feel more energetic when I take it daily. I can use all the energy I can get!

Refried Beans are usually made with lard. Rendered animal fat. . Missed the veg part earlier. Lissa

I would NOT start mushies early. Your stomach is still very swollen and it takes time for it to heal enough to move on to the next stage. You might not even feel pain because you are so recently post-op, but you could do damage. Since leaks are a HUGE problem, I would be very cautious about moving forward. I'm not sure about your area, but most Mexican restaurants here offer tortilla soup and the broth from that is yummy. It's also safe for us in the early stages as long as you don't eat the solids.

Woohoo!! That's WONDERFUL!! I know you're excited and happy dancing over there!

Wow! Debbie, You've had quite a time! I see that you are in North Carolina. Is that where you had your surgery? I advise printing out your post and forwarding it to the doctor and to the hospital. They should know that patients are being mistreated this way! Welcome to the loser's bench, even if you did get a rocky start! Stick around here and we'll all help as much as we can! Again, I'm SO sorry you had a bad experience with the hospital! ((Hugs))

Oh, I hope it's nothing, but better to check and be sure, IMO. Good luck!! ((Hugs))

Sometimes I marinate the chicken in the dressing, if I remember to take it out before I leave in the morning. Otherwise, I usually use italian dressing to cook the chicken, or I will boil the chicken with spices. I buy the bags of frozen chicken breasts because it's easier to take out just one and cook it.

Viola, If you have a Sav A Lot near you, they have some great deals on individual servings of fish. I paid about a dollar each for tilapia filets a couple of weeks ago. They are single-serving, so I can just put one in a pan with some lemon and italian dressing and they cook in minutes. Great when I'm hungry and have had a long day!

Oh, CLK, I think you need to post a thread about keeping kosher with the sleeve!! My best friend that recently passed was Jewish, although she did not keep kosher in a formal manner. We had quite a few discussions on what was required, though. I would be very interested in reading about how to manage keeping kosher on this journey!!

Congrats on your sleeve! Welcome to the loser's bench!!