madambones

We went kayaking yesterday and it was awesome!!! I can fit into a lifejacket and it is loose. It's great. My bathing suit is loose mainly up in the chest area. I am going to need to get a new one. I feel awesome.

Tuna, does now not agree with me post surgery :0(... Part Skim ricotta, a dash of spaghetti sauce and mozarella cheese , put it in the oven for 15 min. I tastes like lasagna !!!! Ricotta w a little splenda is also good for a sweet treat.

Cream of Wheat, and Malt-o Meal. Someone here mentioned adding cottage cheese to spaghetti sauce and warming them up (not too much) and that is quite filling! I've also added cottage cheese to my tomato soup.

Me too! Tomorrow at 7:30 AM. Might have trouble sleeping tonight! :-D

Today I have enough energy to hang out with family and friends outside all day long. I am now able to eat a little bit of cottage cheese, a little bit of yogurt, plenty of Water and even a small sliver of cheeseburger patty. I'm down a total of 25 lbs today (including that which i lost during the pre op diet).
I can actually say that I feel pretty good about my decision to get surgery.
Cynthia

I've been debating posting this for a while. Screw it, just do it right? Well I made a list of very personal reasons I needed/wanted to have VSG back when I was considering having surgery last year. I figure I'm not alone when it comes to some of these and figured I would share to perhaps help someone else who is struggling with their decision. Some of these are shallow, some are not.
My top reasons:
1. Overall Health
2. PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome, have it due to weight)
3. Difficulty conceiving (due to weight)
4. Confidence (non existent)
5. Discrimination (at work, etc etc.)
Other reasons in no particular order:
Clothes! ( I hate LB and other +size stores and how they force you to buy multiple pieces and the sky high prices)
Limited clothing options
Theme parks (I once had to get off of a ride because i didn’t fit)
Air planes (asking for an seat belt extender, close to having to buy 2 seats)
Chairs (you know the ones, where you sit in it and almost get stuck)
sleep (could tell my sleep quality was declining, the only comfortable position was on my stomach, possible sleep apnea)
Messed up cycles
Skin (having bad acne in adulthood due to hormones being out of whack because of weight)
hair (in unwanted places)
Asthma (developed late in life probably due to weight)
Job positions (not going for them because i didn’t want to be in the spotlight)
Joints (started creaking and hurting more and more, stairs hurt)
Public places (just being uncomfortable in my own skin in public)
Booths at restaurants (sometimes i just couldn’t fit)
Intimate times with hubby (positions were limited due to my weight)
Cramped bathrooms (forget about trying to use an airplane bathroom)
Boats (no romantic boat rides with hubby, my side would be in the Water, while his is in the air)
Zip lining (not possible)
Horseback riding ( i used to love riding but no longer could due to weight)
Swimming ( i loved this too but too embarrassed to do so anymore)
Beaches (this would require me to wear a swim suit..again too embarrassed)
Dancing (hard to be graceful at that weight)
Traveling (that would require more uncomfortable airplane rides, forget about long flights cause i wouldn’t be able to use the cramped bathrooms)
Tanning (Too embarrassed to do it)
Jewelry (those cute ankle bracelets? yea they don’t fit. cute rings don’t fit either)
Laser tag/paint ball (made a huge slow moving target)
Go karts (don’t fit, and over weight limit)
Tubing (yea that would be a sight to see..)
Excursions (those fun cruise excursions? yea can’t do those cause they have weight limits i exceed)
Travel trailers ( want to go on a cross country trip in one? yea cramped bathroom again)
Back seats ( cant climb into back seats when carpooling, feel the resentment of others who have to get back there)
Job (its been proven overweight people make less, and I get this too)
Uncomfortable jokes (you know the ones told without thinking that poke fun of weight? or the ones on TV and you're the only fat one in the room)
Water parks ( what’s the point, i wouldn’t be caught dead in a swim suit around that many people)
Bowling (yea i look like an idiot trying to do this without falling over)
Crossing my legs ( ha I wish)
Team outings (limiited to what we can do because of me)
Being happy (lets face it, not being able to do so many things at my age when i'm supposed to be having the time of my life was depressing)
Feeling hopeless/helpless (watching the biggest loser knowing that I would never be able to do that and was doomed to be overweight forever)
So there it is. Of course this isn't all reasons, but the ones I could think of at the time.
I can say without a doubt, though its been hard, I couldn't be happier now that I've had the surgery and am almost half way to my goal. Some of the reasons I posted above are no longer an issue (ie. no more airplane seat belt extender!)
I know that without the surgery I would never have gotten to where I am now. This has given me a new lease on life and I plan to take full advantage of it. Good luck to all on their journey, no matter what stage you may be at!

I enjoy almost all of my Vitamins. Here is what I take:
2 Daily Gummies (from CVS)
2 Vitafusion Calcium (sugar coated gummy vitamins) Yummy!
1 Oderless Fish Oil (1200 mg) - This is not chewable and it is about as the big as the fish it comes from. This is the only one I don't like.
1 Vitamin D Chewable Gel (from Metagenics-Bariatric Advantage) (10,000 IU)
1 sublingual B-12 (from Natures Bounty) (2500 mcg)

Most of these you can find at your local pharmacy or drug store. I couldn't find the high dosage of Vitamin D and B-12 at the store so I bought them on eBay.
Hope this helps!!

Thanks, everyone. Your honest comments are so helpful. Feeling better about things today. I find that the more I talk about it openly with people, the less worried I am. You folks are great!!! <3

Yep. Totally normal. I was convinced at one point that i wouldn't live through it! I had NOOOO medical evidence to back this up. I'm very healthy other than needing to lose 200 lbs. I was on a TOTAL emotional roller coaster before surgery. All the same thoughts you describe. I even thought I should give it one more good try without surgery! HAHAHAHAHA....yaaaa, right. Even if I lost ALLL the weight on my own....I'd gain it right back without surgery. I've proven that to my self over, and over and over and over and OOOOVER!!!! Haven't you??? If you've come to this point, then I'm sure you have. You'll be ok, and you won't regret the surgery. (A lot of people get "buyer's remorse right after surgery, but just mentally prepare for that and you won't.) Some of these emotions you just have to go through. I think it's all normal.

Love the vanilla Bean Torte and Latte Cappuccino flavors in my morning coffee! I make a 16 oz. coffee/protein drink every morning - sometimes iced, sometimes hot and it definitely helps keep the weight off and my Protein intake up.
~Cheri

Hi! I'm one week post-op today amd feeling great! I am tired and hungry though! Actually I am starving! I have resorted to licking ranch doritos! :/ I cant stand the protein shakes (which I started today) and the thought of broth makes me itch! lol I am on clear liquids plus 3 shakes per day for 3 more weeks! I want to eat my arm at this point. Trying to take it one day at a time.

Me too! I'm just hungry so I'm really praying I'm not as hungry after I'm sleeved. I just fixed my kids dinner and my head is POUNDING! I'm thinking I'll be pretty happy to finally get knocked out for a few hours on Wednesday morning!

You are going to do great!!!! Don't be scared. I know that sounds easy to say but try to stay calm. You are going to be experiencing something truly amazing in your life. Just get through this and you will see!

Hi everyone! Here I am 5 days post op. what a great forum, am so glad I found it! Anyone here just have the procedure? If there are any questions I'm willing to share my info...just not sure where to start

I definitely understand where you're coming from. I'm a big guy and not so manly in the chest area. Everyone I have told about my intention to get WLS has been a downer (except one coworker who has already had WLS). I've been told its the easy way out, that all I need is diet and exercise, etc etc.
While I understand where they are coming from, none of them have been morbidly obese (losing those extra 10 pounds isn't anything compared to losing ten times that much). So, all I do is nod and continue doing what my nutritionist tells me to do. I follow my diet and exercise routine (about 99%) and ignore what anyone else thinks.
This is a personal decision for me, just as it is for you. We are making the decision to be healthy. Some people may not see eye to eye with us on how we get it done, but they have not lived in our bodies or lived our life.
So stay strong. This forum is great for support and there are a thousand and one posts that keep me motivated to stay on track. So just try to stay positive. If you need support, this forum is there. Don't let anyone else tell you how to live your life, that right belongs to you and you alone.
Don't get discouraged, just brush it off.