MoreThanJustaPrettyFace

Syntrax Nectar brand protein powder. They have a ton of fruity flavors, and a "natural" line that uses Stevia instead of splenda. They mix with water and taste amazing. Natural orange is my favorite.

i have a lot of flab on my belly too, but i've discovered that if i lay down and feel around with three fingers, i can find it.

I just started week 1 this morning... my dr told me three weeks. i found that wearing a compression tank top helps hold my belly in place, since i have a big tummy. no puling or anything at all

I'm 17 days post op, and I have no pain. My pain stopped completely on day 9, port pain included.

This is an awesome topic. Firstly, a lot of women enjoy "book porn." We enjoy thinking about sexual situations while being able to picture the people the way we want to picture them, without having society's idea of a beautiful woman shoved down our throats *chuckle*. Secondly. Not all women "hide their inner freaks." I am incredibly open about all aspects of sexuality and sexual behavior. It just depends on what circle of people you associate with, and how open your friends are comfortable with being. With that said, not many ladies would enjoy you being overtly sexual immediately after meeting them. It comes across as overly aggressive and makes us wonder about the quality of woman you prefer (not many "classy" chicks would be okay with this behavior). All in all, a lot of women have no problem being sexual AS SOON AS WE ARE COMFORTABLE with you. Trust is a huge part too.

I got baby utensils and that greatly helps with the size of my bites. :-) you should try it.

I'm officially 9 days post-op right now. As of today, I feel like I'm back to 100%. All of the internal pulling and tugging I felt is gone, no pain with bending or stretching, etc. YAY! Anyway, my surgeon said that I should wait until three weeks out to start at the gym. I'm assuming that includes C25K. How far out were you guys when you started? I was kind of hoping to start Monday, but that would put me at 2 weeks. Also, week 1 of C25K wouldn't be a HUGE strain on my body as I've always been very active prior to surgery (thanks to my retriever pup). Not sure if that makes a difference. AAAANNNDD first NSV: putting on this "sexy coat" that used to cut off the circulation in my arms... and it FITS! Down 30 pounds as of today!

Yeah, I had that pain too, when getting up or getting into a laying position. It was completely gone at day 7. Also adding that I agree ^^ supporting the belly with pillows (or a heating pad) significantly helps with that feeling. It'll be gone soon though! Good luck!

My nurse gave me a Capri Sun (has a straw) right after my first walk after surgery. Haha

Hi, Dr. Fitzpatrick! You're gonna be doing my very first fill on April 28th!

My surgeon said he's not a fan of us pureeing food. He said go with heavier soups, etc. B-52, pizza has been haunting me so constantly that I seriously considered trying to make a liquid-ish pizza concoction. Haha. I just have to keep telling myself: ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL SOLIDS, THEN TORTILLA PIZZA, HERE I COME!

I have been "eating clean" doing the paleo diet for about 6 months now. I did it for longer a couple years ago and lost 45 pounds easily. Although I do have a Protein drink in the morning, I drink nothing other than Water (usually 120+ ounces a day). I found a Protein powder that uses Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners. I, also, am not a fan of Splenda or anything like that. I will never buy something that is "diet" or "sugar free" because I'd rather consume actual sugar (and the calories) rather than chemically altered substances. All in all, eating clean makes a huge difference. I find myself sleeping better, feeling better, and just all around feeling good about the things I'm putting into my body. Good decision, and stick with it! It's totally worth it.

I took before pictures also. Mine were just a few weeks ago... I can't wait until I'm at goal and can look back to compare.

I get this too. I had to get a shot of muscle relaxer the day after surgery because it got so bad. But try sipping on hot water or tea when it happens. That is the only thing that helps me now.

I feel pretty good today. What kind of work do you do? I'd say no to a physical job, but office stuff would be okay today. I go back to class on Monday and I have to do a lot of running back and forth across campus in a 5 minute time slot, so we'lll see how that goes.

After 4 long months of waiting since scheduling my surgery, it finally happened! I went to Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana at the Obesity Control Center. When I was first thinking about doing this, I started by researching surgeons, and decided on Dr. Ortiz. I couldn't be any happier with my decision. The hospital was gorgeous, the hotel was wonderful, and going to Mexico was almost like a mini-vacation. Surgery was Tuesday morning. My boyfriend and I flew in Monday night. OCC picked us up at the hospital and drove us to the hotel. They picked up us at 530am Tuesday morning and brought us to the hospital. Pre-ops, nutritionist meeting, and everything else was done. Dr. Ortiz came in to talk to me before surgery and was surprised with how much information I already knew (THANKS, LAPBANDTALK!). After that, antibiotics, antiacids, and pain meds were put into my IV. I was brought into the OR and the anesthesiologist got down to business. The next thing I remember is telling my surgeon how handsome he is and how easy it is to see his face first thing after waking up. Haha! My boyfriend said I turned the flirt up big time. I was up walking about 30 minutes after getting back to my room. Let me tell you how much it helps! OH MAN! Everyone says that it helps, but I really had no idea how significant it would be until I did it. It was hard getting out of bed though. Scary, kind of. You can feel the internal sutures tugging and pulling. It's NOT fun. But that pain is nothing compared to the gas pain that comes if you don't walk. I was released back to the hotel a couple hours later. The next day, my boyfriend and I walked to the local Walmart just to get out. It was so strange being in a Mexican Walmart. They sell motorcycles!! So strange! We stopped at the GNC in the mall and picked up some Isopure. It had 40g of Protein and counts as a clear liquid, so that greatly helped with the growling tummy. That's another thing. I was under the impression that my stomach wouldn't be hungry after surgery due to swelling. Not the case with me. My stomach started growling the night of surgery. And THAT IS PAINFUL! It would get this hot, uncomfortable feeling for about 30 seconds, and then growl. The growl was almost like, a relief from that pain. Lol. Anyhow. The protein in the isopure massively helped with the growling. We flew home Thursday night. Arrived back in Portland around 1am. It wasn't too bad of a flight until we were getting close to Oregon. Turbulence was crazy and the bouncing around didn't feel too great. I was given 4 sublingual pain pills after surgery, and I had saved three of them. I took one the afternoon before the flight, and took another around 10pm during the flight. Anyhow. Today is Saturday, day 5 after surgery. I was on Clear liquids for at least 3 days post-op (up to 7), then full liquids for 21. Each day gets better. The first few were the worst, and today is exponentially better. The pulling and tugging is slight now, and liquid Tylenol fixes anything. My heating pad has become my best friend. If you don't have one, GET ONE!!! I slept better last night than I have in a while. I was finally able to (CAREFULLY) get into position on my belly and sleep that way. I've always been a side/belly sleeper. I've found that if you keep the heating pad or pillow tight on your tummy, it holds everything in place and makes moving easier. Thank God for my tummy sleep last night though. I feel rested finally. Another note, my incisions are BEAUTIFUL. I have 5, and they are all in the same general area. Dr. Ortiz did internal sutures, and glued everything closed. I have absolutely no bruising and no swelling on the incisions. It might be because I am taking dissolvable Arnica Montana tablets (natural, homeopathic) for bruising pre and post op. They also help with pain. That's all! Sorry for the paragraph. Just thought I'd share my experience and some pointers for the pre-opers.

True, but I wanted my surgery done with this surgeon specifically. And I have a place in my city that will do my fills, so I won't have to be flying all the time. Although I'm from San Diego so I'm there a few times a year anyway.

I paid $4,999, which included one night in a hotel, transportation to and from the airport/hospital, and chicken broth and Water.

Hi, all. So, my surgery day is Tuesday and I'm going to see Dr. Ortiz in Mexico. That means my happy butt is going to be hopping on a plane. It just occurred to me that I'm not sure how to go about getting Protein powder (I have the big two lb tubs) onto the plane. I can't rely on Tijuana having some for purchase once I get there. Haha. Is it only liquids that are regulated by TSA or would powder be too? I was thinking that I would just separate single servings into little bags, but is that allowed?

I just googled it and found what TSA said. Powders aren't banned. It's all about liquids.

It's gonna have to be in a carry on because I'm not checking any bags.

Yeah, the pre-op diet definitely sucks. Day 12 here. I just discovered Torani SF syrups.... Not really a fan of sugar free things, as I believe that artificial sweeteners aren't a good idea, but my nutritionist said I need to limit sugar pre-op. So. Torani makes a ton of different flavors of the SF syrup. I got salted carmel, chocolate chip cookie dough, coconut, red raspberry, and vanilla bean. As far as Protein powder goes, I have orange, vanilla, chocolate, and chicken soup. So there are quite a few variations of yumminess I can make. The salted carmel syrup in the chocolate Protein Powder tastes like a candy bar. But I definitely get sick of sweet stuff, so the chicken soup powder is a good way to mix it up a little bit. Good luck!! Just keep the finish line in mind and you'll get through it.

I hope that skin elasticity test holds some truth for me after surgery! Because my skin seems pretty springy. I do have some pretty big arms though. But like other people have said, I'd definitely rather have some loose skin than have a bunch of fat. Being healthy is more important than being a sexpot to me.

Have you tried PB2? It's a powdered peanut butter (powdered peanuts) that you can dip things into or mix in drinks for the peanut butter taste. It's delicious.