minaleigh

Congrats! You're doing so well! And she probably does mean Protein. It's the priority when it comes to food. shakes help too, though!

Thanks for the responses guys! I think I am going to try the adding 30 seconds every time thing. I've always had it on the lowest resistance, but I didn't think to stop using the arm lever things. I just know that whenever I get off, my legs feel like jelly! Definitely shouldn't do it right before work.

I told everyone at my support group meeting (the ones that had the sleeve) about this wonderful forum.

For the love of all that is holy, do NOT eat too fast! This is the main cause for why I have vomited. It's easier when I'm alone than socially eating, surprisingly enough. Some people have an easier time when eating with friends or family because they're engaged in conversation, but I find myself eating faster because I don't focus and pay attention. I went out to a buffet for the first time last week. I fell into an old habit of always grabbing a roll with my meal. That was basically a $6 roll as I couldn't eat anything else, lol. I am definitely a carb-fiend. Some people can drink with or right after their meal. I was told by my doctor to not drink 30 minutes before and after a meal. I pretty much drink up to the meal, but I do have to wait afterwards. It just hurts too much to drink and I can almost feel like my stomach is literally expanding after drinking too soon. Also, I loved apples before surgery. Now they make my stomach gurgle and cause discomfort. I haven't tried eating them peeled, but having the skin on them makes my stomach fight me.

"It's been one week since you looked at me..." Sorry, couldn't resist. Congrats on being sleeved, and being down 35 pounds total!

I used mine for the very first time a few days ago and I had my surgery in November. I was taking my dad out for his birthday and he wanted to go to a buffet. I just showed the cashier my card and she gave me the kid's price, which was half the cost. I've eaten out a number of times since surgery, but usually I order an appetizer and eat some later. If I go out with my mom, we share a meal because she had the bypass 30+ years ago so she can't eat a lot either. I've never ordered off the kids menu because they usually don't have the best things to choose from. And Enerfina, my surgeon gave me mine right before my surgery. He hands them out to all his patients. I'm sure if you ask yours, he/she can give you some sort of card or note.

You'll do better next time! I went out to eat the other day and started feeling a weird pain in my chest. Apparently I was sipping my Water through a straw for at least 15 minutes before I realized it. Oops. Some people here still use straws and they have no problems with them. I can't seem to do the same, though.

For the completed patient profile, does every detail have to be filled out? For instance, I don't remember when my first doctor appointment was or what the exact cost of my surgery, so I didn't put it down. Will it still count?

Apples don't necessarily hurt my stomach, but they sure do give me the gurgles. My university's cafeteria is seriously lacking so the only thing I can really buy for lunch without feeling guilty is an apple. I can't really peel it so I just eat it as is. I've been given strange looks because of how loud apples make my stomach sound.

I made the mistake of drinking too quickly after eating once at work. I ate some deli meat while on break and about 15 minutes later I took several large drinks of water (I have to talk a lot at work so I get thirsty easily). I ended up having to run to the bathroom to throw up. I was about 6 weeks post-op and am now 5 months. I do take a couple sips of water throughout my meal, especially if it's spicy/hot or it feels like something is caught.

It took me a while to drop one size. I pretty much skipped over 20s in under a month though. I'm currently about 5 months post-op and down from a 24 to a 16 (according to Old Navy ). I buy shirts from Goodwill or clearance from Wal-Mart and my mom and aunt give me old pairs of their pants that are too big for them. I can't wait until I'm finally smaller than my mom! My mom also gave me some of her old bras because I've gone from a 42DD to a 38C (I'm guessing, because I measured it myself). I need to go get a proper bra fitting done and buy at least two pairs of nice, underwire bras because the ones my mom gave me are just plain and don't really lift up the girls. I'm thinking I'll just buy a size where it's somewhat tight at the loosest band hooks so that way I can keep tightening it as I lose weight.

I never had to do a sleep study pre-op (my doctor didn't require it because of my age) but for some reason I've always wanted to do some sort of one. But that's mainly because it'd be cool if they mapped out my brain patterns/activity while I slept because I have the craziest dreams, lol.

I was actually just thinking about this sort of thing earlier! I was wearing an old shirt that is now baggy on me. I looked at an old picture of me wearing the same shirt and it... uhh... showed my rolls in a not-so nice way. I just sat there thinking, "why did I ever think I looked good in that? Was I in that much denial that I couldn't see how big I have gotten? Did anyone tell me I was getting so big, or did I just not listen?" On Friday, my friends and I did a photo shoot and I was looking at the pictures yesterday and even though I've lost almost 80 pounds total, I *still* look pretty big. It was a wake-up call because I've been feeling pretty skinny lately (yes, even at 212ish pounds and still in the obese bmi range ) and to see the truth in those pictures... ugh. My arms and thighs are huge and my second chin still isn't completely gone! It's disconcerting sometimes, but it's good to knock to some sense into myself.

There was a 4-part special on... TLC I think called My 600 Pound Life. It followed 4 people through 7 years after their gastric bypass and what they went through. I'll admit I cried a couple of times. Even though you're not as heavy as they were, I recommend watching it.

Non-scale victory.

A lot of people in my support group have a cookbook by Chef Dave. I don't know the exact name but if you google his name along with bariatric, I'm sure you can find it. He apparently had one of the surgeries and each of his books has his picture on it and you can see his transformation! His books cater to those who've had bariatric surgery.

Did you do a lot of chest exercises? I know after using weights, my breasts are sore. Is losing weight a factor as well? Not sure how it would be, but it could I happen, I suppose.

Hello, fellow 22 year old! I had my surgery last November. Welcome to the forums! Your surgery is also on my uncle's birthday. Are you excited?

I've also been feeling like I get full a lot quicker lately, but I'm almost 5 months out. Maybe it is because of our periods, because it's only happened to me during that time. Theory?

Hello VST. First off, I have to admit to not being a very good sleever food-wise this week. I've been getting enough fluids in, working out, etc, just didn't eat as well as I should the past few days. That being said, it seems my body does NOT like it when I low-carb it. I've had two mini-stalls the past six weeks, bouncing back between the same two to three pounds for a few weeks. Well, in the past week, after not really paying attention to how much carbs I put in, I've lost four pounds! I've noticed when I'm really strict with myself and drink at least one protein shake a day, my body just doesn't respond. I also feel very lightheaded and weak if I low-carb it. Now, this isn't to say I'm going to stuff my face with whatever, it just feels like my body doesn't appreciate it when I follow the usually recommended Atkins diet (and yes, I'm calling it a diet) most sleevers adhere to. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the replies guys! Glad I'm not alone when it comes to my opinion on carbs. It's funny you say that globetrotter. I was talking about how I couldn't stop with the carbs, and it so happens that my TOM started the day after I posted that! We must be similar in that regard. I did find this http://www.geneva-health.com/sciencehealth/lowcarb.html so that probably explains why people like us get crabby if we try to low-carb it. I've known for a while that carbs are a mood enhancer and can make most people feel better.

I've gone down at least a size. My size 10 shoes keep falling off! I had a lot of cute ones, too. Upside is, now that I'm at a more reasonable size (and maybe down even more? Please?), I can find even cuter shoes since shoe manufacturer's don't realize that women's feet come in all shapes and sizes. I mean, even Jackie Kennedy wore a size 10! That's gotta count for something! My mom had the bypass 30 years ago and she went down two shoe sizes.

I had complications as well, and I would do it again.