MoreganK

Hello! Super awesome idea! My name is actually Dana, and I'm 35. I'm currently living with my boyfriend and best friend. We've known each other 15 years, and have been dating for nearly 3 (October). I have no kids, but I do have a furbaby. My little Shih Tzu, Jude who is 4 years old. I've had him since he was only 8 weeks old, and he is one of the bright spots in my day everyday. I have PCOS, and also had VSG in hopes of losing weight so that I could get my health under control, and have a baby in a couple of years. I'm a hoop dancer, and teacher. Yes, hula hoops! If you're curious what hoop dance is, just hit up youtube. It has been my hobby and passion for about 3 years now. I also love to shoot photography, make jewlery, and am just now getting in to yoga and meditation. I love seeing new places, though I'm not nearly as travelled as I'd like to be. I work currently as a Senior Administrative Assistant for a HR Outsourcing company, though I'm working now towards getting into my other love, housing! I am about to enroll in school to aquire my real estate licensing, and then attend school for home decor and staging certification. This is what I'd love to do.

Make a schedule and stick to it. I take one multi vit with Breakfast and one with dinner. I take my Calcium with lunch. My nutritionist has me outlined for 3 "bigger meals" and 1-2 Snacks. So, for breakfast I'll have a scrambled or hard boiled egg, and some fruit. Lunch can be a turkey wrap (1/2 a healthy wrap like from La Tortilla's brand), and dinner is 2-3 oz of chicken and a veggie. Snacks can be lots of things... today I brought to work with me chopped up tomatoes, mozzerlla cheese, tossed with basil and basalmic vinger, and then some cucumber slices, peeled and some hummus for dipping. I try to eat every 3 hours or so. And in between I've always got liquids in my hand, either Water or a Vitamin water zero or something. Maybe the hunger you're feelng is thirst? Congratulations on your 45 pounds!

I've started posting some of the clothes that are now too big (yes!) and am selling them cheap at garage sale prices on eBay. Please search for seller: pirategrrl77 If that doesn't work, let me know and I'll post a direct link. Let me know if you guys have any questions!

Biggest advice is chew your food really well, and eat slow! Eat with people who like to talk! LOL I don't know what you've already been eating, but my favorite soft foods included fat free re-fried Beans (pinto and black beans). You can top them with melted cheese, a dollup of smashed avocado and greek yogurt as a sour cream replacement. Other things, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, baby bel cheeses, laughing cow cheese, tuna, egg, or chicken salad. Just remember when trying new foods for the first time, go slow. I was scared when my doc gave me the all clear for solid foods. I went from pureed food, straight to... you can eat whatever. I was sorta overwhelmed and intimidated. My nutritionist convinced me to try eating fruits and veggies. And I'm 2 weeks going on my 3rd, and so far so good.

I had surgery on the 27th. At this far out, she should be totally healed. She may be feeling scar tissue pulling. My surgeon cleared me last week to workout, core exercises included, and said that if I feel pain when I move that it is most likely scar tissue being pulled. I'm glad she is going to make sure that it's nothing serious. Let us know!

I bought it at the Vitamin Shoppe. I tried the Orange and Fruit Punch flavors. They tasted alright, but sorta had a weird after flavor thing on my tounge that was... odd. So, I didn't finish the bottles off. I will say, that at first I felt they were a great break from shakes, but in the end preferred the shakes.

Woo hoo! You're looking fabulous!

I knew at my office, that there was no way it was going to be a secret, because I had to tell my manager (and she was part of why I had sleeve surgery, she had it done) and one of my co-workers. And I have another team I support, who my leave was going to affect, so they found out... and I knew it was pointless. So if someone in my office asks, I tell them. As far as outside the office, I have told a few friends, and of course my family. As far as distant people I know, or strangers... I just say I've been working hard at it. I do like the idea of telling people that its a doctor supervised calorie restricted diet and exercise... thats not a lie, thats the truth!

Lucky girl! I hope you get the job! Wooo.. Sephora perks! LOL Good Luck! Thats an awesome workout, I think I'll add it to my rotation!

My doctor told me to wait 6 months out to use a straw so, I've tried to stick with this rule. I did accidently drink from a straw after picking up a passion tea from Starbucks, and my boyfriend was quick to point it out. I went, "Oh, crap." I started drinking from the cup regular, and a few moments later got that familar air in the chest feeling, and after a burp felt fine again. So, I guess I'm going to be one of those folks that needs to wait a little longer. But, I sure do miss my straws!

Whoa! You look like a different person. Congratulations! You give me inspiration! I hope to be posting those kinds of before and afters.

You have my sympathies... I had an allergic reaction to the liquid stitch they used and had swollen red areas around my stitiches that felt like a hundred ant bites. I was crying it itched so bad. I called my doc, and he told me to put cortisone cream around the incision but not on it. That helped HUGE!

HOLY COW! I'm glad I stumbled on this! I thought there was something weird gouing on. I was taking the Orange flavored ones pre-op just fine, but post-op they make me feel naseuas for 10 minutes after taking them. I assumed I was already tired of the flavor, and switched to the tropical ones. So, far those haven't affected me yet, but man, I loathe those orange ones now. And I have a HUGE bottle of them at home. BLECK!

I really, really love your idea of the notebook! I just might have to steal this idea from you. I stay motivated simply by watching the scale move down, and the daily changes I see in how I feel, move, and that I've already been taken off all medication! Its liberating to not be taking blood pressure medication!! Right now, I'm in a stall. Stupid stall. I'm 3 pounds from the 50 pound mark. My NUT just changed up my eating, and I'm starting to kick the workouts in to the next gear, so hopefully that 50 pound mark happens this week!! I'm like you... I sneak on the scale mid-week sometimes, even though I declared my weight in day to be Saturdays. Heh. I stay in check though, if I don't lose, it doens't depress me like it would have pre-vsg. I know it'll move down again.

Hey! Pale and proud here! LOL I know I'm an odd ball in our society, but I think pale skin is beautiful. That and with my Irish genes I burn pretty bad, so I'm a moon flower and sun dodger. Don't let pale skin stop you from posting pictures if thats what you really want to do.

Oh honey, I totally get this post. It will get better!! Stick through all the hard stuff, and on the other side is a healthy life! I'm almost half way to my goal, and all I can think about is feeling comfortable in smaller clothes! Thats the first thing that has made me happiest, getting dressed in the morning is soooo much easier. I don't worry as much about whats showing or how it fits... it just fits. Hang in there!!

I totally think you should toot your own horn! It's totally been earned!!

I think its a different story for each of us. I know that when I look in the mirror, I see someone and right now she is not me. In my head, I'm already the "new" me. I also sometimes still struggle looking in that mirror to really SEE what I look like. i still see me at my starting weight, while, I'm 47 pounds lighter. Clothes fit, or are too big, but I still see old me in the mirror. So, my head and my eyes are not agreeing very well right now.

Congratulations to you! I'm just now 7 weeks out and hoping that eating keeps getting easier. Right now I dread it.

Oh, also he said that his other patient who had surgery same day as me was struggling with her weight loss because she was only taking in 600-700 calories. He was trying to convince her to take insee calories, and when she did, she started to loss again.

My surgeon wants me to eat 800-1000 calories during the weight loss gaze. He said at maintenance that will bump to 1200 calories.

I'm almost 7 weeks out from surgery now. I'm just now getting to a place mentally where I'm ok with the decision I made. Its not the easy way out for sure, but I think that at least for me personally, the benefits, in the end, will far away the things that frustrate me. I've lost almost 50 pounds. I'm already off my blood pressure medication, and I have PCOS (and it seems that my symptoms are lessening). I feel more energetic and can move better now that I'm exercising. When I wake up, I don't feel achey or hurt when I walk my dog in the AM. The things that frustrate me, really are the or were the mental challenges for the 6-7 weeks you don't really eat food. It gets old, and I was a little slow at healing because I pulled an internal stictch. I think in another month, I'm going to sound like all the rest of the people on this forum who say its the best thing they ever did. Only, I want to also be one of the people, who say its not magic, and you will have hard times, and you might struggle with things, but sometimes, when we face our fears and fight through the hard parts, good things await us. I didn't think I would mourn food, but I sorta did. I mourned the ease of going into the kitchen to cook dinner for me and my bf, instead he would have dinner (trying to hide it from for guilt of eating around me) and I'd have a Protein shake. After weeks of this, I did feel frustrated. Once I was on mushies, and now back on real food... this feeling is deminishing and I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. Its a big decison, and I encourage you to take all the time in the world to make your decision. If you have any questions about anything that I can answer, totally willing to give you an honest none glittery answer.

Yup. I think this sometimes too. My doctor told me thats a good sign, it means you're healed up. I was worried my sleeeve was too big, or broken or something. LOL But, nope, it just means we're healing and adjusting.

Finally getting over my regrets and frustration. I still have some moments of was this the right decision, but those are few and far between now. I'm pretty sure that I won't even think that way in another month or so at all. Mostly, I'm extatic that I've lost nearly 50 pounds already (I'm 6 weeks out from surgery, and that weight loss includes 12 pounds pre-op). In 6 more pounds I'm to my half way mark! I saw the first picture of me taken post op just last week, and I was just floored. And then I saw 2 headshots, and didn't cringe! It was the coolest feeling to not be embarassed by a picture of me. All the clothes in my closet fit me now, and some of them are getting really baggy. Though, I seem to be losing everywhere but my waist. My jeans that didn't fit before, fit me now in the waist, and are crazy baggy everywhere else. I really want to reach my goal of 113 pounds lost by the end of the year. Now that I'm able to start moving without any pain and am past on the ridiculous llttle hurdles my journey has thrown at me so far, I feel like I can finally start concentrating on using this tool the way its meant to be used. Slowly I'm intorducing solid foods back into my life, and being ridiculously stubborn about what I put in my mouth. I'm being so stubborn that I've only slightly strayed away from the mushies and soft foods I was eating just last week. I really want an oppurtunity to talk to my nutritionist so her and I can iron out whats ok and whats not. How fast to try certain foods, and such. I'm really good at nutrional things, but, since I'm skiddish yet to try raw veggies for carb replacements, I'm kinda lost. I also really need to go shopping, but am waiting for payday (sigh). I will say that the ability to eat meat however, has made getting my protein in WAY eaiser. Today's menu: Oatmeal with 2 tbsp of PB2 mixed in 2 meat/cheese roll ups (rotisserie chicken sliced thin & rolled with some low fat munster) Pimento Cheese & 3 whole wheat crackers (I really am not pleased with the crackers, but they're not too bad and won't stick around as a perment staple after I can get into raw veggies again) Dinner is yet to be decided, but probably a scrambled egg concotion (I have lots of scrambled egg recipes). Vitamins!!! I try to stay in the permeters my doctor laid out for me, minimum 60 grams protein, 800-1000 calories a day, and low carb/low fat. Low carb is not Atkins diet low carb for me. I eat right now roughly every 3 hours or so something little. I eat small and slow, and if I feel full I stop and wait a few minutes to see how I really feel before I continue eating. I track EVERYTHING with my fitness pal on my phone. I'm just now starting to exercise again, and it feel so great to move again! I hoop dance and just love how much easier it is feeling to move and dance in my hoop. I am going to start working on adding a morning yoga routine into my schedule, and then move forward from there with other physical activities. For now, I think I like working out at home and there are so many things you can do at home. I am however, craving a swimming pool ... that might drive me in the next couple of months to look for a gym.

Not sure if have Kroger's stores near you but I find them there and at HEB grocery stores.