SunnyCox

Mine is SunnyCox. I just started using MFP this week. There is an official MFP thread: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/22264-official-my-fitness-pal-friend-add-thread/page__st__400__hl__+mfp%20+official#entry357883

Yes, and it happens faster and easier than it did pre-op!

I dump two scoops of Protein powder into my coffee or use ready mixed Muscle Milk as creamer. It starts my day off right. I make a lot of the recipes from this site: http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/p/favorite-recipes.html She has great ideas for increasing protein. When I was eating a lot of sliced deli meat, I found that experimenting with different types of meat really helped. I would wrap a piece of salami around a piece of ham made a big difference.

I struggled with the decision too. Post op, it is easier to know that you made the right decision without any doubts. Here is something I posted a few days ago about still being able to Celebrate food: You'll still have food. It is never going to go away. Within a week post-op, I was sad about cooking spaghetti for my family. I kept thinking that I would never be able to eat a big plate of spaghetti again. Then, it hit me. I will be able to eat spaghetti again. I'll have a child's size portion one day, and I'll be satisfied like I was never satisfied before. I won't be eating two huge helpings, four pieces of garlic bread and two cokes in one setting. I feel good about what I eat. I am not gorging myself on huge restaurant portions. It is kind of nice being the person at the table that eats the petite portion. I like to secretly think that the other women are jealous of me because I eat so little (because I used to feel a twinge of jealousy that all my thin cousins would eat half as much as I did at a meal!) I no longer feel as though I am wasting food when I can't eat an entire portion. I don't have the desire to finish off every last little bit. I also don't need dessert. My tastes are already changing. I'm not stopping for fast food. I'm searching out fresher, tastier foods that I didn't appreciate as much pre-op. I have become a food explorer. I've been trying new fruits and vegetables from the frou frou grocery store with all the fancy food! I'm cooking Thai food at my house - something that I've never done before. I want to play with spices and fresh herbs. Don't be afraid, a whole new food adventure is coming! How will your friends feel about your restrictions? My friends don't even notice. I have told very few people about my surgery. I've had a few people mention that I wasn't eating very much, but when I said that it was all I needed right now. There really wasn't any one who pushed me on the issue. When I go out to eat with my friends, I can always find something on the menu that fits my new lifestyle. This may be a little harder while you are on the liquid phase, but you can order a good Soup and just eat the broth. Those around you won't notice. I stayed with Soups when I was on soft foods. Once I got to solid food, there were no issues. There is something for you at every meal to eat out. On the other hand, if you complain about your portion or your meal constantly, I am sure that your friends will notice. Sounds like you have a lot of signs. You just need to embrace those signs, and realize that being anxious is part of the process. Come here for support from people who have made it through that part of the journey.

Hi Rachel! This forum helped me make the decision to have surgery. Best decision I ever made. To answer your question about the weight staying off - it is up to you. You'll have to learn to change your eating habits. The sleeve is a tool to help you make the diet changes that you've been unable to do before the sleeve. My hunger is reduced, so it is so much easier to eat healthy food. You'll have to make those choices. Portion control becomes easier, but eventually you'll be able to eat most if not all the things you ate pre-surgery. You'll need to chose not to graze all day nor have tons of sugar filled drinks. While it takes some work, I find it to be so much easier to do the things I knew I should have been doing pre-surgery.

There are 22 community centers spread throughout Tarrant County. The family membership is $40/year. Many of the community centers have a small gym. In the two that I frequent, it is mostly older people. They don't let kids on the equipment. I don't like most gyms because of all the buff / skinny people, but these gyms are so small, they attract people of all sizes. I feel very comfortable there. Before surgery, I was trying to walk in Fort Worth, and I couldn't make it very far. I was a little disappointed with how little I could do. In June, we went to Ireland where the weather was in the 70s every day. I could walk for miles. It made me realize that I needed to get out of the heat (at least for now), so I could establish a good routine. I put some shoes in my car and go to the gym in my work clothes immediately after work. It has worked well for me for the last two months. They even have some free yoga classes during the week. They also have other classes that you can pay ~30$/month.

I was sleeved by Dr. Kelly as well. I get my Rx from my PCP. I simply told him that I had surgery in Mexico, and the surgeon told me to take it for 6 months post op. He wrote me out a six month Rx. I figured I would readdress the situation at my six month check up.

I mix almond milk with a scoop of chocolate protein powder. It's great.

Think about putting gas in your car. You burn the gas in order to fuel your car. Fat is basically fuel or stored energy. You burn fat to meet the metabolic demands of your body. There are a complex set of metabolic reactions which convert fat into energy to fuel your muscles and other processes which causes your fat cells to shrink. This conversion also generates heat which helps to maintain your body temperature. (Your car gets hot when your run it, and burning a log is just a conversion of energy as well). The conversion also generates waste products (water and carbon dioxide) which are excreted through your urine, sweat and lungs (exhalation). For a more complex, scientific answer that may bore you, but I find it to be very fascinating, I'll try to type up a brief explanation.

Some people can tell they are in ketosis based on a taste in their mouth or breath or the smell of their urine. There is a test for it. You can buy ketosis test strips or ketone test strips from a drug store or probably even from Wal-Mart. You dip the stick in your urine. They are not expensive (50 strips for ~$10). You can test your urine once a day preferably the first time you go to the bathroom in the morning.

Who does that? Pretty much all of us. It happens, and it is much better to learn to put yourself back on track now than have this issues after surgery. You've beat yourself up. Think of how you will better prepare yourself the next time the cravings start, but most importantly learn from your mistake and forgive yourself. Four days before surgery, I was at PF Changs eating another 'last supper,' because my doc told me that the most important part of my pre-op diet was the three days before surgery where I was restricted to Clear Liquids.

That is amazing. I think it would definitely motivate and help keep a lot of people on track to have those benefits!

Having blurry vision isn't unusual for 2-3 weeks after surgery. It may be caused by Fluid / electrolyte shifts or often from the meds given to you while you were in the hospital. A scolopine patch (which often reduces nausea after anesthesia) is notorious for causing blurred vision, but there are other meds which have the same effect. I would mention it to your surgeon and PCP. IMPORTANT: If your blurry vision is accompanied by a severe headache, vision loss or any kind of neurologic defect (think stroke - weakness, numbness, tingling, slurred speech, you should probably seek emergency medical care.

Watching what you eat probably brought you to the level you need to maintain your weight. While slightly disappointing, not gaining is the first steps to success for many people.

Are you still on clear liquids? I got a real bump in energy when I started drinking shakes.

My worst time was immediately after surgery. I believe my pain was from gas. It felt unbearable, but the floor doctor would not give me pain meds even though the surgeon told me he wrote them PRN (as needed). I think I got one shot of morphine the entire night. I talked to my surgeon about this afterwards, and his assistant told me that the floor doctor was notorious for with holding pain meds. I wish I had known that in advance. My stomach was tender or painful to the touch. The pain was deeper, and there was nothing I could do to get comfortable. When I walked, I was nauseous, and I heaved a few times (which wasn't uncomfortable in my stomach area). This lead me to believe my pain was gas related. At the end of the first day, I rolled over to sleep on my side and stomach and then would start over on my back. The movement seemed to help relieve the pain. When I woke up the next morning, it had pretty much subsided. Haven't had any real pain since. I can honestly say it was the easiest surgery I have been through. I did take pain meds at night for the next few days, but not so much for pain. It was mostly to help me be incredibly comfortable and drowsy so that I slept like a rock.

I can eat a lot more watermelon than I can other foods. It is something that I really enjoy, so I make a small meal out of it on occasion. If I had to pick a slider food, I'm glad it is watermelon and not ice cream. I've never felt guilty.

I agree with Barrett's esophagus. It is common in people with GERD and isn't specific for WLS patients.

If you are only spotting, I think it would be doubtful that you a bladder infection or a yeast infection. Plenty of people have odd cycles right after surgery. Your hormones go through a major flux. I spotted within days after surgery and again about two weeks later. What meds did you take to counteract the yeast infection? Was it an oral Rx? If so, it is probably even less likely you have a yeast infection. Yeast infections often cause itching/burning/soreness in your vaginal area. You will often have a vaginal discharge as well. Did you have a bladder catheter during surgery? If yes, it is more likely you have a bladder infection. If no, it is doubtful that you have one with all the antibiotics you were given during surgery. Bladder infections tend to make you go to the bathroom more often or an urge to go but little comes out, and you often feel a burning sensation when urinating. Your urine may be cloudy.

What I found to be really good was mixing my Muscle Milk ready made shakes into coffee. I mix them half and half instead of using creamer. I usually add a pack or two of sweetener.

I was at 247.6 this morning. So I broke a stall of just over two weeks and am down 4.4lbs in two days. I'm going to stick with liquids for a few more days. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

He probably got his ego hurt a little. He expects you to tell him about your health and important life events, and you didn't. He's been telling you that you need to quit, and then you did it because 'another' doctor told you that you needed to in order to have surgery. He'll get over it. If he doesn't, there are plenty of PCPs.

Ask the surgeon's office to make some calls for you or pick a new doctor who is more likely to have openings.

Ask her, "what is the right way?" Then when she talks about diet and exercise, you can explain how you still need to do all of things. She will probably never understand.

I brew coffee, and I pour in half a ready made Muscle Milk Cookies 'N Cream shake and some sweetner. I usually drink two cups in the morning to give me a full 20g of protein before my first meal.