WillowsKnot

Another hotter than heck day here in Missouri, but I have a lot to Celebrate. I have entered the 270's. I am so excited. I still can only eat very small amounts or I feel yucky. My free fluids have increased to a being able to get down a full 20 oz. bottle of low calorie Gatorade. Plain Water still does not sit very well in my sleeve. I used to LOVE Water, but now, not so much. Several times I have gone back to eating Soups and really soft foods. I can handle some new things that I could not before like I ate some really chopped up coleslaw salad. Man, did that taste good. I could not eat much, about 3 tablespoons in all and it took me a good 1/2 hour, but it was so nice to crunch into any type of salad. I was thrilled. As long as I stick to really well chewed, not dry foods, I seem to do ok. I have to admit though, I am a bit scared to advance my food much beyond what I know already works. I just don't want to feel sick.
Congrats to all of our losses. Keep cool everyone.

Everyone is doing so well. I think we should all be proud of how far we have come. I am down an even 50 since my last pre-op weigh in on April 9 (sleeved 4/16). Since my highest weight, I am down 91. I could not be happier. Ok, so here is a kind of "uh, what the heck" question for you all. We all know we are not supposed to drink when we eat. Something that was really hard for me to change because I think I always drank more than I actually ate at any one meal!!! But, I will say the one time I took a small sip because my throat was so dry, it hurt, so I get why we should not. However, (oh, come on, you knew there was going to be a "however" ): Why is it that I can eat Progresso Light chicken Noodle and Veg. Soup and not have that same pain. I mean come on, essentially I am eating and drinking at the same time. There is a lot of Fluid in that soup. I am past the pureed stage, and although I chew, chew, chew, it is not ground up like a blender would do. So...essentially, I am eating and drinking at the same time. It sits really well in my sleeve. Soup is still a go to food for me. Fills me up, low on calories, sits well, it is a win, win. I just got to thinking about this "issue" of food and drink together when I was eating my lunch today. Any theories?
Here is hoping you all have wonderful Monday's. Jimmy... nice to see you checking in. Hope everything is going smoothly for you at this point. Take care all.

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

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.

There are many reasons you may feel "hungry".
You might have excess acid production. The acid can causing a "hunger" sensation, and as it moves further up the esophagus, will then lead to true heart burn and pain. If this is the case, using an acid reducer, or proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Prilosec (Omeprazole) can be VERY useful. I take a 20 mg Omeprazole tablet 2 x per day and it keeps things nicely under control for me.
As well, the most likely culprit for hunger is "head hunger". This is where your brain is telling you that you want/need/crave something that your stomach and body will not end up agreeing with. And it's usually in much larger quantities that we can handle now that our stomachs are so tiny.
Your brain, and mouth, are used to ingesting much larger quantities (as we did in the past....that's how we got here.......no portion control!). Now, when you put just a few bitefuls of food on your plate, it makes your brain scream "WTF....you can't live on that.....come on, pile it up baby". That leads to overeating our stomach capacity, pain, nausea, etc.
It takes months to learn what your real capacity is. I'm only a 5 weeks out and I've bought too much food nearly every week, and had to throw things out. I was putting too much on my plate (I thought I could handle 4 oz...and barely made it through 2 oz!).
My new favourite weapon is my digital scale. I weigh EVERYTHING and keep my total meal at about 3 oz. Not only does this prevent me from overeating and feeling just horrible afterwards (pain, nausea, etc.), but I can accurately enter everything into my food log (I use MyFitnessPal) and monitor exactly how many grams of Protein, carbs, fat, etc. I am consuming.
Get yourself a scale and starting weighing everything. You'll quickly learn to "eyeball" the right quantities for yourself.
You don't mention how far out you are post-op. In the first few months, your capacity is constantly changing. In the first month, the swelling is still going down (and therefore your capacity is increasing). In the next few months, you're learning what foods you tolerate well and how much, and which give you problems. It's shifting landscape and you have to learn to "roll with the punches" for a while.
It does get easier!

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!

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.

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!!!

Well the surgeon's nurse was no help, so I sent an email to my PC. That was last week. His nurse called me today. He just read my email. He is seeing me tomorrow and wants me to stop by the lab before for blood work. It has gotten better, but I am glad I get to see him tomorrow. I'll post what happens.

Well, I have reached my second goal. This morning I was 289.6. So, I am now in the 280's. Yippie!! I also cleaned out my closet this weekend. I donated 3 garbage bags of clothes that I will never wear again. I also found a pair of size 24 shorts and I fit in them!! Ok, so the waist was a bit snug, but still, I could zip them and I could breath. LOL I will however wait another 5 to 10 pounds before I wear them though so that they are truly comfortable. I was wearing a size 32/34, so this was a major vitory for me. Now I am so glad that I saved all my clothes that were too small for me. They are now coming in very handy as I don't have many funds for new or even used clothes from the thrift shop. So, all in all, it was a good week and weekend this past week. Oh, I also found some low calorie Gator Aide that is lower in sugar than the regular stuff. It has been much easier to get down than plain Water and sat well in my sleeve as well. Heart flutters are much better too. I think my electrolytes/potassium where off. I did email my doctor though, so still getting it checked out.
Looking forward to another wonderful week with my sleeve. Best wishes to you all.

I agree! Hmm...maybe we have the same NUT? I tried to like her, I really did. I thought maybe my dislike stemmed from her being crazy skinny, but I think it's the baby voice she uses when she talks to our group. Like we are 3 year olds and have to be taught to keep our hands out of the cookie jar. And the best way to teach us is using a very slow, baby bear voice. Makes me want to stuff her in my purse (she'd fit!) and hide her somewhere.

Well, I have reached my second goal. This morning I was 289.6. So, I am now in the 280's. Yippie!! I also cleaned out my closet this weekend. I donated 3 garbage bags of clothes that I will never wear again. I also found a pair of size 24 shorts and I fit in them!! Ok, so the waist was a bit snug, but still, I could zip them and I could breath. LOL I will however wait another 5 to 10 pounds before I wear them though so that they are truly comfortable. I was wearing a size 32/34, so this was a major vitory for me. Now I am so glad that I saved all my clothes that were too small for me. They are now coming in very handy as I don't have many funds for new or even used clothes from the thrift shop. So, all in all, it was a good week and weekend this past week. Oh, I also found some low calorie Gator Aide that is lower in sugar than the regular stuff. It has been much easier to get down than plain Water and sat well in my sleeve as well. Heart flutters are much better too. I think my electrolytes/potassium where off. I did email my doctor though, so still getting it checked out.
Looking forward to another wonderful week with my sleeve. Best wishes to you all.

I also experienced this at my Dr's office. I was like what the heck, at home I am X and here I am Y. Made me feel really bad. I keep my home weight as my official weight since I weigh more often there and at the same time of day, etc.

So I emailed my nurse coordinator and she said the yellow watery BM is not that unusual. She said it has a lot to do with the fat being released and coming out. She said at times you can even see it floating like a scum on the top of the Water. I'll take her word for it. I have to flush often to keep the smell down.
I think I will take some Probiotics though.
Karen

Yippie. I am finally off 299. This morning, 296. 280 here I come. And my NSV... Sitting in our conference room chairs at work and not having them dig into my leggs. It is a good day.
Karen

Yippie. I am finally off 299. This morning, 296. 280 here I come. And my NSV... Sitting in our conference room chairs at work and not having them dig into my leggs. It is a good day.
Karen

Yippie. I am finally off 299. This morning, 296. 280 here I come. And my NSV... Sitting in our conference room chairs at work and not having them dig into my leggs. It is a good day.
Karen

I did it. I am 299.5 this morning!!!! I made it to the 200's. I can't believe it. I don't even recall the last time the scale was under the 300's. So glad I made this decision. It was so right for me.
Now if we can just know that Jimmy is ok, I would truly have a reason to Celebrate. This is the bad part of our close April group. How far away we are all. I am pretty sure that if we lived close, we would all be there in person for him. Hang in there Jimmy. We are still pulling for your recovery. Hugs via the cyber network.

I did it. I am 299.5 this morning!!!! I made it to the 200's. I can't believe it. I don't even recall the last time the scale was under the 300's. So glad I made this decision. It was so right for me.
Now if we can just know that Jimmy is ok, I would truly have a reason to Celebrate. This is the bad part of our close April group. How far away we are all. I am pretty sure that if we lived close, we would all be there in person for him. Hang in there Jimmy. We are still pulling for your recovery. Hugs via the cyber network.

I did it. I am 299.5 this morning!!!! I made it to the 200's. I can't believe it. I don't even recall the last time the scale was under the 300's. So glad I made this decision. It was so right for me.
Now if we can just know that Jimmy is ok, I would truly have a reason to Celebrate. This is the bad part of our close April group. How far away we are all. I am pretty sure that if we lived close, we would all be there in person for him. Hang in there Jimmy. We are still pulling for your recovery. Hugs via the cyber network.

I did it. I am 299.5 this morning!!!! I made it to the 200's. I can't believe it. I don't even recall the last time the scale was under the 300's. So glad I made this decision. It was so right for me.
Now if we can just know that Jimmy is ok, I would truly have a reason to Celebrate. This is the bad part of our close April group. How far away we are all. I am pretty sure that if we lived close, we would all be there in person for him. Hang in there Jimmy. We are still pulling for your recovery. Hugs via the cyber network.

I did it. I am 299.5 this morning!!!! I made it to the 200's. I can't believe it. I don't even recall the last time the scale was under the 300's. So glad I made this decision. It was so right for me.
Now if we can just know that Jimmy is ok, I would truly have a reason to Celebrate. This is the bad part of our close April group. How far away we are all. I am pretty sure that if we lived close, we would all be there in person for him. Hang in there Jimmy. We are still pulling for your recovery. Hugs via the cyber network.

Well I finally broke through my 304, 302, 304 pattern. This morning I am 300.4. Yippee. I am so happy. 200's here I come. Once I hit them, I will weigh less than I have in 14 years when I was pregnant and I had to keep taking steroid shots to help develop my girls lungs. I knew she was going to be born early.
I feel almost giddy. I am so glad I had this surgery. Seems like when I add in fruit to my diet, I start to go down. Guess I will keep up the apple sauce and melon.
Happy Saturday everyone!!!

I did it. I am 299.5 this morning!!!! I made it to the 200's. I can't believe it. I don't even recall the last time the scale was under the 300's. So glad I made this decision. It was so right for me.
Now if we can just know that Jimmy is ok, I would truly have a reason to Celebrate. This is the bad part of our close April group. How far away we are all. I am pretty sure that if we lived close, we would all be there in person for him. Hang in there Jimmy. We are still pulling for your recovery. Hugs via the cyber network.