WillowsKnot

I have had chicken strips when out and it was the only thing I could eat. Peeled off breading and I could eat one strip before being full. It sat ok, but not great. I could tell it had more fat in it and I did not feel as good as when I eat right. Here was my disaster experience with impulse over intelligence....saw fried mushrooms on menu and just had to try them. One bite and it tasted bad and came back up. That was enough for me to stay clear of fried foods. Never again. I guess the "activity" served its purpose!!! LOL

I was also sleeved on April 16. I am down 48 pounds. You are two pounds more than I am and I don't get periods. Had parts removed back in 2003. I also seem to have lots of stalls. There is nothing consistent about this for me either. I have yet to buy new clothes of any kind. I already owned a smaller bra and some smaller undies all of which I can wear. My legs and arms are smaller, but I don't feel as though I am losing much in my belly. I think for me, this might be the last thing to go. I am not an Apple shape either. My weight has always been pretty much all over. Hang in there, we are losing and better a bit slow for our bodies health. Hey, I have had very little hair loss, so that is a bonus!!!

Way to go. You have done an awesome job. Can't wait until I can join you at that goal.

Sorry about the double post. Stupid phone!!!!

Del txt of double post to help shorten list.

Ok, so here is the thing...dehydration will make you sick to your stomach and run down. If you are playing softball and sweating that much, you are right. You are in trouble. I am not sure about what your nut has to say, BUT if it were me, I would add in some low fat cheese sticks, some sugar free popsicles, and some watermelon. Even when you don't feel like you can drink, the sf popsicles will give you fluids. Start drinking some low calorie gatorade. I think it will also make you feel better. It did wonders for me and was easier to get down than plain water. It is very low in calories. You might also get the pedialite pops and freeze them. I do know what you mean about food just not being very appealing. I feel the same way. Don't be afraid to pull from your early food list like soups as well. I also make ground turkey with taco seasoning. Then I just portion it out add a bit of shredded cheese. A dab of salsa and bingo. One very flavor packed meal. Get yourself a small cooler. I got one at Walmart that has a hard plastic insert, but is soft sided. Pack your chicken, egg or tuna salad in it, some cheese sticks, and a low calorie gatorade or a Powerade Zero (less than 1g of carbs). Then dump in some ice. Take that to the game. When you are on the bench waiting to bat, eat a few bits. Next inning, drink some gatorade or powerade. You are no longer like the others that can chug away, so you need to do what is right for you. Have fun, but take better care of yourself or you won't get to enjoy anything. Hugs and take care.

I am a long way from onelander, BUT... I have to admit yesterday was the first day I got up, got dressed and really felt like I had lost weight. I mean, I just felt thinner. I am sitting at 285 and I know for those of you that are way less, you probably think...REALLY????? At 285!!!! But.... I came from a high weight of 368, so I really do feel thinner now. My arms hang closer to my sides. I can feel my lower leg bones, my collar bones, etc. My summer clothes are starting to hang on me, but I really don't want to buy clothes until winter. A new bra, that I think I will just have to break down and go buy maybe this weekend. I can officially say, I am no longer a DD. Well, that is my victory for this week. I actually feel thinner....better....happy....in control of my food. Wow, those have all been a long time in coming. Cheers everyone and here is to a fab rest of the week and a wonderful weekend!

I have not had any. I can only eat 2 to 3 pieces of popcorn and baked lays ably 3 chips. I guess if I had to claim one it would be watermelon. I can eat about a cup, but then I am truly full. Oh, and I can eat two french fries. That is it and I never want any more. I have only had them twice when I was so hungry and had nothing else around. Got a meal for my daughter, had two fries to word off the hungry feeling. I then went home and ate a healthy meal.

Hey, not to worry. I am now 48 and my one daughter is 14. I have plenty of energy to keep up with her and to be honest, I am not the oldest mom when it comes to the kids in her class. It is not so strange to be an older mom. When she was 5, I adopted a 14 year old. So now I have a 14 year old and a 22 year old in college. Add to that the fact that she is Guatemalan and do we get stared at!!!! I am also a single mom. You will do fine. I know you have to wait but I am sending lots of pregnancy wishes to you to hang on to until it is time. I hope you love being a mom as much as I do. All my best to you.

Sugar free popsicles, cream soup, cottage cheese all work for me when my sleeve is having a hard day. Oh also Mexican fresh cheese. Hang in there.

For me, I am learning true moderation. I don't want the words never, can't, etc. as part of my life. I want to learn how to just eat one cookie and be happy. I also know that this won't ever be the case unless it is only eaten as food and not to soothe any emotions. Will this come to pass? I don't know. I am a work in progress, but work on things I truly am. I don't ever want to regain my loss and I still have a long way to go. Oh, I also have a love/hate relationship with attention. It makes me feel uncomfortable. Like I am not worthy of it. Yes, yes... More to work on.

They are right. Get that protein in and the low sugar G2 really helped me feel better. I take vitamins in the morning and when I get home from work. On top of that I take a sublingual B12 with folic acid. It really helps. I was up walking after surgery, but I was not winning any marathons either!!! It gets better. Hang in there.

Yup, I no longer am smothered by my boobs. Down 78 pounds since I had my first pre-op visit. Down 41 since April 9. Surgery was so worth it. Best of luck to all of you. See you on the losers bench!!!

Yup, I no longer am smothered by my boobs. Down 78 pounds since I had my first pre-op visit. Down 41 since April 9. Surgery was so worth it. Best of luck to all of you. See you on the losers bench!!!

Oh, and at one sitting, I can eat maybe 3 oz. That is it. Yesterday I had 3 oz. of tuna and some came back up. It was too much

Yup, that is what my surgical report said. A French 54. I struggle to eat between 600 and 700 calories a day. And fluids I am doing exceptional if I can take in 32 oz. a day and that includes protein drinks. This is why I am shocked and amazed when I read what others are able to eat and drink and say they have a 32 or 34.

I was sleeved April 16 and I still can not eat hamus, refried beans, beef, any beans other than green beans, no lentils either. They are all too heavy. Chicken is fine if it is dark meat, white meat I can't do. All this and I was sleeved with a 54!!! At your stage fish and cheese were good. I love and do really well with Mexican fresh cheese and cottage cheese. Yogurt and cream soups. Creamy chicken is a total go to food for me. It does get better and I remember feeling like you do now. Hang in there. Hugs.

Boy this is so true about going the the pool. I am not really in that boat yet as I have so much to lose, but there is a guy who walks the lazy river when I am there doing the same at the gym and I tell you, he has enough excess skin for another whole person. I am not sure if he is done losing or not. I feel proud of him for the loss and I feel for him on the extra skin issue.

My surgeon does do sleeve to GB, but I think you have received some really good advice so far on this. I think the “get back to basics” approach is really where it is at. I know that just because I had this surgery does not mean that all of my issues with food (my relationship with food) has magically changed by removing part of my stomach. I still struggle with issues. It is hard, it is work, it stinks!... but it is my reality. I know that I will have to work at this the rest of my life. Food for me is like a drink to an alcoholic. Some folks can have "just one cookie". I CAN'T!!! I have to be very careful. The hard part for those of us that struggle with food issues like this is that we can't live without food, where as with other addictions, you can live without those items and still survive. I think this makes food addition the hardest of all addictions to wage war on. We must eat. We can't just quit cold turkey. I feel for you and I am sending you some positive vibes to help you get back on track. When you feel like you want something sweet, have a SF popsicle. When you need something salty, try putting some salt on some fresh watermelon. Yes, I know it is an increase in salt, but some of us have low sodium, and crave salt, so this has worked to settle down that salt craving by a more healthy means. These two things really save me from going off the rails. They are my life line!!! No joke. You can do this. We will support you. Go take a walk when the chips call your name even if it is just around your house. Find a new hobby, something to do with your hands that will occupy your mind. That is me. I have to be active mind and body, or my mind thinks of food. TV watching is the worse time for me, so I watch very little of it any more. I wish you the very best. I totally understand even though my sleeve is fairly new. Old habits are very hard to break.

I had no constipation or issues before the VSG, but man, if I don't take the ol' MOM on a daily basis, ain't nothing moving. Ugh. Of course, prior to surgery I downed a lot of veggies and oatmeal, etc. all things that I can't eat yet, so I am sure this has had a huge effect on my system. I can't wait for this issue to resolve its self. I was able to find the mint chewable tablets of MOM which go down so much better than all that liquid. I mean, really, 4 tablespoons is the normal dose!!! I just could not choak all of that down. It was nasty. If you get the chewables, take note that you have to chew 8 of them to get a single dose, but still, I would rather do that than down that liquid.

So, I went camping and boating this holiday weekend. It was HOT out. I did a lot more drinking of water than I did eating. I did make sure to take in at least 2 30g. protein drinks a day. I had some cheese to snack on and I cooked dinner every night and ate some of that. I noticed that when I went to lay down to sleep my heart would flutter. I have had palpitations before and they are usually kind of hard feeling, like I really know I am having them. This was different. This felt like a light flutter. I still did the cough thing to help get it back in rythem, but has any one else experienced this since having their sleeve? I am wondering if I just did way too much in the heat, way too soon. I was sleeved April 16, 2012. Today I am back at work and after I ate lunch, I felt yucky. I ate it (tuna mashed with mayo, light ranch and a sprinkle of cheese on top). I have had this a lot before and it never bothered me. In truth, I have felt kind of yucky all day. I did email the nurse, but would love to hear from anyone else who might have gone through this or is going through this. It is like I am feeling worse, not better. I still can't eat very much food either. I cooked some salmon that was very tender and good. I got down about 4 bites or about 4 tsps. and that was it and I felt full. I know eating less if part of the plan, but I, in no way am getting in enough calories. It is a constant struggle.

So, I am back from my echo this morning and it has been read and posted (I work at a hospital). So, here is the report (and I have not yet talked to my Dr. about the findings). I have trivial aortic regurgitation, mild tricuspid regurgitation and no hemodynamically significant valve disease. So, basically, nothing wrong on the echo as the first two are extremely common in most of the population. It also shows the thickness of the valves and heart walls and they are all at a 1 - which is normal, so that is good to know. I also got the holter monitor put on and I wear that for the next 48 hours and see if it shows anything. I am starting to think that all of this is really food and hydration related. I have not had the problem at night for the past several evenings, BUT, then I have had a Protein type of snack before bed (a cheese stick, a Protein Drink, a tablespoon of cottage cheese, one of these or something similar). That has seemed to really help me feel ok at night and also not wake up feeling shaky. I think my blood sugar is just bottoming out too much. Since I have gone to drinking the Gatorade low calorie instead of Water, I feel much better as well. So, I will post what the report has to say about the heart monitor I am wearing when that is posted to my chart and we will go from there.

Fanny, I can tolerate chicken as long as it is dark meat (more moist). I can also do ground turkey. I have not tried pork yet and beef is way too hard on my sleeve. I do ok with tuna and salmon as well. My "menu" has become very borning, but when I try other things, they just don't sit well and then I don't want to eat at all. I find myself sticking to what I know will be ok. I did mashed potatos the 2nd and 3rd week after surgery and they were fine. Now, I can't stand them and they don't sit well at all. Cottage cheese, cream cheese and Mexican queso fresco all sit well. Yogurt, yuck. I used to love it, but now, it makes me feel yucky. Funny and interesting how much our tastes change with having the sleeve.

Yes, I tried them...baked Lays. They came back up on me. When I chew them they turn into potato powder and it was sort of gummy. I think I reacted as if it was bread in there. Not good. I can eat and have had, three regular chips. Tasted good only sat so so. I just still am not doing well on anything that is dry and the least bit hard to digest. Any other mid April sleevers still struggling with food?

I just got back from seeing my doctor. He did an EKG and it was abnormal. Turns out, your heart should beat between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Mine only beats 50 beats per minute. My blood work looked good. Potassium, sodium, magnesium, white cells, red cells, iron, etc. all in great shape. Although my white cells are only 4.5. The range is 4.5 to 11, so I am on the low end of this one. The rest are all middle of the road. So he gave me a referral to the heart clinic, ordered an echo and a Holter (the devise you wear for 24 hours so that they can do monitoring). I go back to see him in two months, or sooner if I need to. He also wants me to bring my food logs with me to my next appointment. He was a bit miffed at the bariatric nurse and their department for not following up on this and turning it over to him. He is happy to help me, but thought I should get better treatment from that team. He is going to give them a call and have a talk with them. I have to agree with him. So, I will wait for cardiology to give me a ring today or tomorrow and then we will go from there. Once I learn something else on this subject, I'll post it here for those following this thread.