tjmom

1- Going for a walk with my husband.
2- For my large stomach to be gone so all the pulling on my back will lesson so i may get off some of my pain medication .
3- to be able to spend "quality" time with my 7 grandkids, going to their sports functions .... My grandson plays high school football - his school is old and doesn't have wheelchair accessibility to the stands...so i have not seen him play...he will be a senior in the fall and i want to watch him play...
4- when my grandkids marry, i want to walk down the center aisle instead of being pushed in the wheelchair...
5- go back to our honeymoon spot. We have been married 5 years, i was already in the wheelchair, so i did not get to go on the beach or in the Water...we were on Maui .... My husband is very outgoing so no problem for him, he went scuba diving, snorkleing and walking....i want to play in the ocean with my husband..
6- share the shower and/or bathtub..(save water...lol)
7. yard work- mowing and weeding
8- live longer ... smile more often ... feel good about myself ! there are so many, but i better stop for now...

Kat1.... little over 2 weeks and doing fine....start 14 days of "mechanical soft & mushy" foods....yay! Adding shrimp....yum ! had my 2 week phone appointment with the NUT today.... she gave me a high five and happy dance for my efforts ... Told her how i am taking :
1can chili
1 can refried Beans
1/4 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
Mix all together, place 1/3 cup into freezer containers and freeze.... When ready to eat one, just heat up in microwave to melt cheese....
That way i don't have to eat the same thing for 5-6 days in a row....nothing goes to waste...and i don't get tired of eating the same food over and over...
I do this each time i open a can of something or make a pot of something or get a roasted chicken .... Freeze my portions .....
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
~tjmom

Lissa .... I couldn't agree more....
Yea for the scale moving again
OMG yea for going down 3 sizes
Your postings are very motivational & inspiring !
keep up the good work....

spartysmu ... Thank you, i will try to be patient ....

It seems strange and weird to me....I hope if jimmy is out there.....he is doing well and feeling better....if this has been someone's idea of a joke, i am not laughing ....

Prayers to you! Healing ((((hugs)))) sent your way!

@marimar ...... I second that! Happy Mothers Day to all my new friends/acquaintances here on VST ....

@marimar ...... I second that! Happy Mothers Day to all my new friends/acquaintances here on VST ....

Hi Judy7120 .... welcome and good luck to your husband.... This is a fantastic group, they have answered so many questions for me.... Again, welcome !!

I go up and down with my capacity as my time of the month nears, too. I swear that darn sleeve relaxes when I have PMS!!
Look - half a sandwich and a hard boiled egg is NOTHING compared to what you would have eaten a year ago. I'm going to say something you might not like but I really want to help you. I think you're scared that you don't have the self control to eat "normally" and that you want the sleeve to do it all for you. On one hand, you're in luck. That sleeve might expand enough to fit a whole sandwich (sans crust, of course) but it's not going to fit a whole pizza or a value meal from McDonald's again. It's unlikely you're going to expand much at all from this point onward.
Part of this process is learning to eat normally. We need to view food as vital, as nourishing and as energy instead of as a source of comfort or something to feel guilty about. Around 18 months out I noticed an increased capacity (FINALLY!) and did the same thing - I freaked a little bit. But what was I freaked about? I was finally able to eat TWO eggs scrambled with cheese instead of only one. Big whoop!
You are not losing control. You are in control. There will come a point when you need to eat more in order to maintain your energy and your goal weight. Slowly learning how to do it without scaring yourself, losing control or seeing a gain on the scale is an important part of the process. This is what nobody talks about when they talk about surgery! Dealing with the mental aspect of the surgery is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Your stomach didn't make you overweight - something in your head did. Figure it out. Limiting yourself too severely because you're afraid eating will cause a gain is an eating disorder just as surely as overeating in the past was a disorder.
If you aren't already, track your calories. Sometimes I get a lot of comfort from seeing numbers in the same ballpark each day and knowing that I'm eating the right amount of food even when I feel like I'm overdoing things.
Good luck,
~Cheri

Hi Kat , welcome....i just turned 59 on April 24th and sleeved 1 week ago today on May 2nd.... I too wish i would have done this years ago.... No regrets at all!!!
****************
Day 7 ------- today was my 7-day post-op doctor appointment...
328 - highest weight - (Nov 2011 - began the process for WLS - started high Protein diet while doing all the insurance required appointments)
294 - day of surgery
278 - 7 days post-op
(drum roll please)
-16 lbs ..... OMG ..... i am so shocked..... I know i will NOT continue loosing at this rate, but i am so excited!!! Total weight loss from day 1 is 50 pounds!!!
Things I think about:
1- 50 pounds that my arthritic knees, hips and back no longer have to support! (they are happy with me)
2- My blood sugar is under control, so no more diabetic medicine... (i was on metformin, glyberyde (sp) and Byetta shots)... my doctor told me he would hold off putting me on insulin shots, until we checked my numbers after surgery) **** numbers normal! ****
3- I am NOT hungry. I use the clock to tell me when to add fuel to my body....i am ""Eating to live" no longer, "Living to eat"
hope you all had a super fantastic day,
g'nite
Sandy/tjmom

Wow...i am so impressed... surgery was Wed May 2 ... home on Thursday May 3...today Friday May 4 and on Protein liquids...
pain is tolerable! stomach is swollen and bruised but was expecting worse so happy about this stage...
Protein shake went down easy today...sipped slowly (8 oz took 1 hour to finish) but no complications...
Very tired, so resting lots....but i have to remember i have arthritis and it is very painful, so walking not easy but doing the best i can.
I feel so much better each time i get out of bed, so excited about the progress in only 3 days....
thank you all for listening !
tjmom/Sandy

My surgery is May 2.... i am so excited, anxious, happy, scared and thankful.....i have been in a wheelchair for almost a year because of my weight... I have had 2 back surgeries and the stomach weight makes it impossible to walk... My goal is "to walk again"!!! good luck everyone!

@New_Hope and NannieG .... Thank you for your kind words.....
Had my pre-op Nutrition and Doctor appointments today....this time next week, surgery will be over !! I am so excited ....
It's hard to believe the time has arrived.....made the decision to have WLS Nov 2011... so its been a 6 month process that felt like years...
This site has answered so many questions for me...instilled questions to ask physician .... and made me feel so safe with the decision i made.... THANK YOU ALL!!!!

@New_Hope and NannieG .... Thank you for your kind words.....
Had my pre-op Nutrition and Doctor appointments today....this time next week, surgery will be over !! I am so excited ....
It's hard to believe the time has arrived.....made the decision to have WLS Nov 2011... so its been a 6 month process that felt like years...
This site has answered so many questions for me...instilled questions to ask physician .... and made me feel so safe with the decision i made.... THANK YOU ALL!!!!

Hi everyone...i got the call that insurance approved the sleeve (previously only had contract for by-pass) so they scheduled me...
Surgery date May 2.... 6:30 am check in.... Happy Dance... !!!!!!

Hi everyone...i got the call that insurance approved the sleeve (previously only had contract for by-pass) so they scheduled me...
Surgery date May 2.... 6:30 am check in.... Happy Dance... !!!!!!

@kwikwits - your posts brought tears to my eyes...you touched my soul...thank you for posting!
March 8th all my paperwork was faxed to the insurance company for the negotiations to begin on a contract for the sleeve. There is a contract for the bypass but that is not the direction i wanted to take... I was beginning to get frustrated that it is taking so long...
I am 58 and in a wheelchair because of back pain due to my heavy belly pulling against it. I had 2 back surgeries when i was in my 30's due to an accident ... So my back is not very strong...
My goal, is to walk! Pure and simple, i want to walk again. I started using the wheelchair about 1 year ago..i want out! i want to stand tall and go for a walk with my husband...of course i want my other issues to be resolved too, but walking is my top priority... Someday any/all of my 7 grandchildren will get married and i want to walk down the center aisle to be seated...not pushed in a wheelchair.
Your posting has given me the encouragement to stay focused... Stay positive ...
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Sandy

I am 7 months out. A normal day for me looks like this:
B ~ 1/4 cup egg beaters, sliced mushroom, Tomato, 1/2 oz shredded cheddar cheese (scrambled together)
L ~ 2-3 oz lunchmeat or chicken (or other protein), sliced veggies like cucumber or tomato, 1 oz reduced-fat cheese or a wedge of laughing cow light swiss (sometimes with a few multi-seed crackers)
D ~ 2-3 oz Protein of some sort (chicken, meatballs, beef, etc.); small salad with balsamic viniagrette; small serving of carbs (1/3 of a baked potato with light sour cream, small serving of Pasta, etc.)
Snacks ~ sometimes a small portion of buffalo chicken dip with 3-4 tortilla chips; veggies; cheese/crackers
Today I had a hangover and went to Denny's with the husband - I had a slice of ham, an egg over medium, and about half of 1 pancake. YUM. I was stuffed but it was SO good!! I generally don't "crave" carbs unless I have a hangover (and that's not very frequent) so I typically do pretty well with fairly low-carb dieting. This isn't necessarily because I feel I lose faster with less carbs, but I just find there's not room for carbs once I get my Protein and veggies in.
I feel like I eat a fairly normal diet and my portions aren't so small anymore that people look at me weird. Early out I would bring my tiny little servings of food in my itty bitty tupperware and the girls at work would crack up, but now nobody bats an eye.