Catracks

Butta..your forbidden fruit is Peanut Butter..mine is those cursed sesame sticks ..fried, salt, nutty goodness..can't go within 15 feet of them or I'll scarf down the whole bag!!!

I could eat a whole bag of the spicy ones mixed with peanuts.

You are a veteran.

OMG! I can't believe you said that!!! LMAO! Funny as hell though.

When the assistant starting taking "before" pictures, I actually started crying. I have spent my whole life not liking my body and being embarrassed. Now, even with the weight loss, the saggy skin bothers me a lot, so it was really hard. But to tell the truth, the surgeon made me feel more comfortable than I thought I would be! But be prepared, I wasn't even allowed to wear my underwear!! I got to stand in all my buck-naked glory!!

Pictures? Oh crap!

My goal is for the towels to fit around me without a huge gap lol

Oh yeah! That was an NSV for me as well as my daughter hugging me with room to spare. I can also reach that itchy spot on back and this is TMI, but I think you will all understand - not being able to adequately wipe oneself. Now I can make by body do pretzel movements a Yogi would be proud of.

I was also at a weight where rental horses would not carry me. My friend's Morgan mare I rode could carry me, but she's a tank. I didn't used to be able to mount without a mounting block, but now I can swing myself up on the tallest horse from the ground and I'm 5'1"!

Then there is the fact that I can run up mountain trails - even at 10,000 ft.

Plus, someone said, "How ya doin' Slim" to me yesterday.

You folks have so much to look forward to and I'm happy for all of you to get this chance.

"I'll never be a two. I'm very short and my doctor harps on how I should really weigh in the one-teens and I think he needs to stop doing drugs."

LMAO. This is my surgeon. I think I would look sick at that weight. I'm not 18 and too skinny just doesn't look good on a mature woman.

I have taken into account what you have said Cheri, about how things get better. I think no matter how much better is gets, the panni will have to go as it hangs over the c-section scar. Heck, the nerve endings are still sort of muted there. I might get lucky and feel a little less pain.

Thing is, I have found that i have no hips and my waist is small so my pants tend to slip down because they are really too big for my waist and hips, but the panni forces me into that size.

Renea - I will be happy to come in on Monday and say that I've lost 100. Of course, that is with the pre-op diet that he never counts, but I DO!

Sweets - I never really though about how I will have to stand naked in front of that surgeon! Isn't that weird? I'm not even comfortable looking at myself unclothed in a mirror! Oh boy!

Being able to fit into amusement park rides and being able to slide effortlessly into a booth.

there are folks even on this board who when I mentioned that I count out almonds and weigh, measure and log my food told me that I was too consumed by it all and why don't I just eyeball things. I told them that it takes maybe 5 minutes to log the food and 20 minutes to prepare and pack my food and Snacks for the next workday. I told them: "What's the big deal about less than half and hour out of my life to make sure I'm on track?"

I wasn't ready to hear anything until I finally had that "Straw that broke the camel's back" moment. Then I started asking REAL questions for REAL and not just complaining.

Other than band to sleeve revisions, I would say that it would be like removing your ovaries to prevent cancer before it happens. I see it becoming a trendy thing like those tube feeding diets. There are too many anorexics out there or wanna bees who would love this.

If I got all this extra skin removed, I would be at goal - although I can only get the panniculectomy through my insurance. I just cannot afford anything else.

If I made my goal, I'm wondering if I would be too thin. I've already noticed that the last 20 pounds left me with much more skin - especially on the thighs. This is TMI, but when I sit on the pot I really notice it all hanging over. I'm in great shape and would wear a size 4 or smaller without that apron. I've also been stalled for a couple months. I'm just wondering if this is where I should be.

With all my co-morbidities, I'd be close to dead by now. There are no lifespan studies because sleeves for weightloss haven't been around long enough.

I ate it 3 months out. Really, stay away from the movie theater popcorn. They add artificial transfats, chemicals and tons of salt to make it smell so people will buy it. Same with microwave popcorn. The chemicals in it are horrendous and opeople working in those plants are developing weird cancers.

I pop mine over the stove in a small amount of olive oil. Coconut works well too. Huge bags of unpopped corn are available in supermarkets for $1-$2 a bag. I eat a LOT of it and it lasts me a month or two.

Yes, I sneak it into the theater. I take it hiking too. It's a great snack.< /p>

It is good discipline, but I have badgered my daughter so much about fast food, that she doesn't partake very often - may be once or twice a month. When she says she is headed that way I can usually entice her to stay and have a home cooked meal instead. More work for me, but better for her. My husband i no problem. He has always HATED that crap. Says it tastes like chemicals and salt laden sawdust with a side of plastic.

I posted the ingredients for just the bun on another thread and most of it was non-food items. Yeah, once in a while is not going to kill you, but why subject yourself to it? To each his own - different strokes and all that.

I was borderline and received an RX for potassiumfor the BP just pre-op. I was also RXed Metaformin for the diabetes just a week prior to surgery. I do not recommend this, but I do not like meds and never took them. I wanted to wait and see what the surgery would do.

All the problems resolved.

I still have high cholesterol, but it's more to do with heredity than diet. I refuse to take statins and it drives my PCP nuts. I hear they do more damage than good. I have also been reading that high cholesterol is not necessarily bad depending on other factors.

A year will be here before you know it and I wouldn't have you miss out on all the good things this year will bring.

Milkshake??!!! The In n' Out chocolate shake has 600 calories. I eat less that 800 a day. Bunches of sugar, virtually no Protein. I wouldn't do it, but that's me.

I was DXed just prior to surgery too and mine went down to normal almost immediately too. So did the blood sugar (my 2 week labs) and sleep apnea.

BP is now 120/70

What about mini cheeseburgers? Can we eat the bread? Or is bread difficult to chew. I a m still new but haven't had a cheese burger but would love to do a mini burger

You will get a lot of opinions on this, but I am in favor of leaving the bread behind, especially if it's a white flour bun. If you are not very far out, you need that room for Protein, Bread also makes some people feel really bad. White bread balls up and swells in my sleeve. It's nutritionally devoid so I would skip it. Later on down the line, try a toasted (bread is easier to digest when toasted) whole grain variety with a lot of protein in it, but use on one slice. It will be enough. Some just use lettuce wraps. It's up to you what you think is best for your weight loss.

I love Eggface's site, but bought her recommended brand of Protein and HATED it... Different strokes, I guess... I am sick of Protein Shakes and have to gag them down... I try to get as much protein as I can from food...

She uses two that I know of. The Max Protein from SEI Pharmaceuticals is the one I use. I love the stuff and use it to bake with as well as in shakes and protein ice cream. The other she uses is Click and I haven't tried it yet.

What I truly hated was the unflavored Isopure I bought. Talk about gag.

you cant think about food the same way after surgery...............food is fuel, a necessary nutrient for healing, weightloss and maintainance....

Go with a turkey or chicken burger and lowfat cheese........no bread! Change your thought process on food! Think of how to make your favorite stuff BETTER, less fat and calories....its kind of fun!

Good Luck.

Nope, I'm still a total foodie and I still love to cook and eat. I just eat less and better. You are spot on with me about how fun it is to engineer healthy meals.

I too Had unbearable Gas Pain in my upper left Chest and Shoulder. But Pain threshhold is something different for everyone. I am very High Pain tolerant. What helped me the most was I got moving right out of recovery! The Patient next to me was in so much pain she just slept and that seems like it just made her pain worse she had to stay an extra day. I was walking everytime I woke up I got out of bed and walked some more. It was not easy but it really did lessen the pain. It will get better. And as you begin the rest of your Journey and loss the weight and get healthier and gain more energy you will be happy with yor decision!!! Just take the time you need it will get better.

This is the key - to get yourself moving. The only thing that really bothered me was walking around with that horrid catheter. It was necessary though. i had to get out of that hospital. There was a patient down the hall that had RNY and she was dry heaving and screaming all night. Damn I HATE hospitals.

Would a homemade open face turkey burger be better than a fast food burger.

Probably. I never did like ground turkey, but I should try it again. I just like to grill turkey breast in a cast Iron pan and add wrap it around some cheese and get it all melty. Good with avocado too. I usually skip the bread, but one slice of some multi grain thing would be too bad. Hmmmm, onions and the aforementioned Greek yogurt, garlic and oregano sauce?

Yep, I will try ground turkey again. I'd probably need to herb or spice it up though.

How good is a bit of coconut oil in a stir fry!!

Heavenly! It doesn't take much either.

Eggface rocks. I keep trying to steer the newbees over to her site. I starting reading her blog pre-op. She's the one that made me realize that I could still be a foodie and lose the weight. I got the Hamilton Beach soft serve maker. All last summer I made multiple varieties of the Protein ice cream. It really works and it is ever GOOD!

She is of the super strict crowd. She doesn't even eat crackers and uses cucumber slices in lieu of. No Pasta either. She shreds or slices zucchini. She even makes protein muffins, protein donuts and is a wiz with leftovers. She even has a cheeseburger meatloaf recipe in keeping with the topic.

Every time I see a post about people hating Protein Shakes, I want to force them to make hers. I actually look forward to them and still drink them.

BTW, The Hamilton Beach one was about $30. It comes in retro colors too.

Screw it. You folks convinced me.....a cheeseburger is ok to eat. Here is the one I made tonight. Complete with 2 stuffed jalapeños instead of french fries. Yum.

Sadly....no secret sauce.

That what I'm talking about. Do it at home and you can make a healthier, tastier version. Mmmm, BACON. Bacon wrapped shrimp is really good too!

You will laugh at me, but Eggface has a bunch of sauces that combine plain Greek yogurt with things. A sauce with garlic and oregano for a Greek burger maybe? Avocado with Greek yogurt? It adds even more Protein and helps moisten the burger for those who have slight trouble with hamburger.

You can mix the yogurt with ketchup or chili sauce for that "secret sauce" look

Me, me! I'm overweight!

I call mine a modified Paleo diet. I eat quite a lot of dairy a some grains although I hold to small amounts of whole grains and things like quinoa which is very basic. I also use only animal fats, coconut and olive oil.

I like the idea though, but I cannot give up cheese, yogurt and the occasional potato.. I think this might be a better place to start. The Wiki article is somewhat ... unfriendly to it.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-diet-research/#axzz2IZLr6EpF