4ALongerLife

Prior to my surgery, I never liked meatballs. But I found some at Costco, made by Aidell's that I really enjoy (fyi)... they are chicken teriyaki meatballs. I might have to try this recipe tho! Thanks for posting it.

I totally agree with dorrie robles. People are so self consumed nowadays. Oh but one thing I differ on suggesting from dorrie's comment... do NOT wear headphones. Next post will be about you singing "I'm sexy and I know it" and something hilarious that happened from having your mp3 on! he he (kidding) Good for you girl... don't let anyone stop you from your goals!

GIRL! Get ready.... those skirts are going to be too big! This IS a huge change. And yes, all that you are feeling is totally normal. CONGRATS to you!

You will lose hair. I hate it, it drives me nuts but I had enough not to care if I lose it. IDK what I'd honestly do if I was already struggling with the amount of hair that I had. That is a hard one for women especially. However, I do encourage you to go speak to a stylist and see what your options are. I am caucasian and I have seen a couple of friends who have wigs that look great. Where to get them? IDK but I can ask. Let me know if you want me to ask around. IDK if Nioxin helps. Another friend of mine has thinning hair and had the surgery, she just styles her hair in a way that it's not too noticeable. There ARE options (wigs, weaves, IDK what else) but I have to tell you, I would rather being skinnier and less hair, but in honesty I do think that no matter how much Protein, no matter the Biotin, you are going to lose it. I just can't say how much either. That's a hard one.... good luck to you!

I am 3 months (4 next week) and my dr. has had surgery. I had my last visit with him a couple of weeks ago and he said jerky is fine. His nutritional plan for me doesn't include steak or red meat until after 6 months, but he did green light the jerky. (no IDK why on the difference, but I go with what he says).

OMG I LOVE EMILY BITES. The lasagna ones are to die for and so are the cheeseburger bites. I haven't made others.... YET. Thanks for posting this!

Oh and don't you dare stop bloggin! I did b/c no one reads them and I just am boring. You -my sleeve sister- are certainly not boring! And I read whenever I can!

OMG were you in YMCA? (what was that volunteer organization that they have in high school? they sent us off to camp once a year to do our volunteer stuff and we always sang that song... among several others ... but dammit yes it's still stuck in my head!) Girl you are too funny. How can this husband NOT love you? And yes, one day you will get the plastic surgery and use compression devices in the meantime. Obsess on losing and being as healthy as possible, researching plastic surgeons and saving up. You rock mama.... and I love your blogs. TY for sharing.

rofl!

Instead of my own long, wordy response, I am taking the short road out and totally agreeing with Lissa's very well written comment above. I hope you have the strength and will power to do what is right for you, for the reasons that you believe in. Best of luck to you, always.

I am a contractor and have a really crappy policy thru my contracting agency (although I otherwise love the company); however, I called around to several insurances, trying to find a better policy if possible. Blue Cross Blue Shield, automatically with sleeve will deny you. Many of the other companies are the same way OR after 5 years post sleeve (Cigna) will they give you the option to buy a plan from them. The same is true for RnY, I asked. Do your homework first and make sure that you can find insurance pls. Because many US insurance companies, the underwriters will deny you once that history is filled out. I decided to stay on the crappy plan. Since it's a group plan, I upped the coverage to the one with higher premiums (very high but I think that's what's going on in the States healthcare system right now). I don't have to fill out a health history since I'm on the group plan and "don't ask, don't tell" is my policy going forward. In relation to "pre-existing condition" it sometimes depends on how they write your medical records. I was a self pay sleever and I got pneumonia after surgery, then a leak as my body rejected one staple and the tummy opened, spilling contents for a few weeks. It was found as I kept spiking temperatures and suddenly had a terrible pain in my side and shallow breathing. The body is wonderfully created - my body tried to protect itself by taking the leaked contents and isolating them elsewhere to protect the rest of me. The area? My diaphragm. Remember I had pneumonia? Can you say painful? Sorry I digress.... the point was my pneumonia was coded from the ER visit as "aspiration pneumonia"... there is no way to prove it was a complication of surgery and the dr's notes were written with that in mind. Same ended to be true of the other hospitalization. But I did voice my concern from the get go regarding my records and the ICD 9 codes that they utilized.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule

Lemme check my phone (MFP appl).... I did 51 mins today on the helliptical (plus 60 mins Water aerobics and then 15 mins water jogging). Yesterday I did the stair murderer for 46 mins (then zumba for 60 minutes, well if you could call it that lol). IDK what's gotten into me, but I made a goal to try three classes this week and I am incorporating them into my schedule. Now hip hop tomorrow, body pump, or zumba (laughable how uncoordinated I am, but man and I sore in my trunk). And Jazzmin, that's amazing! Awesome burn!

How much is the nioxin shampoo may i ask? I have hair coming out alllll over the house

It's totally worth the roller coaster ride. But yes, it's a bit of up and down with emotions for a while. Just repeat this mantra: "this too shall pass"... and I'll pray for you!

I LOVED the Cytosport RTD "whey isolate" drinks. They are a clear liquid, 32g of protein in 16 oz with little else in it. It's a black wrapped clear bottle with white writing. I like tropical and tangerine. I swear they should pay me for always saying this. But those drinks are really good. It's 130 calories.

OMG jhansen those are BOTH perfect. I do the stink master/murderer every other day then the helliptical on the alternate days. Yep, that'll work lol thanks!

OMG I just tried a class last night, yes my first and I didn't know I was this uncoordinated either. It went by so fast, IDK if they are all like this, but jeesh louise it was a CHALLENGE! Girl at least you are trying and that's the main thing. Forget anyone that thinks anything less of you - at least you are OFF OF THE COUCH! Additionally, I couldn't do 5 mins at first on the "helliptical" lol... but this morning I did 50 some odd minutes. Start slow and work a couple of minutes up every couple of weeks (i.e. 5 mins this week, next week 7.. etc). All it takes is the decision to JUST DO IT. You've made the hardest part happen - just stick to it and in time, you'll surprise yourself. Best of luck! Oh and can you come up for a name for the stair master? That mug kills me and I've got a date with the stinker tomorrow morning.

Someone noticed what I had for dinner on MFP diary the other nite, so thought I'd post this for anyone that might want it. Mini Meatloaves 1 Tbsp olive oil 3 c. chopped yellow onions 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme leaves 2 tsp Kosher salt 1 tsp freshly ground pepper 3 Tbsp Worchestshire sauce 1/3 c. cannes chicken stock or broth 1 Tbsp tomato paste 2 1/2 lbs. ground chuck or ground turkey (I used ground turkey) 1/2 c. plain, dry bread crumbs 2 extra large eggs, beaten 1/2 c. ketchup Preheat the oven to 350. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, salt, thyme, pepper and cook over medium - low heat, stirring occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worchestshire sauce, chicken broth and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the meat, onion mixture, bread crumbs and eggs. Mix lightly with a fork. Do not mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11 oz) portions and shape each into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about 1 Tbsp of ketchup on each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 mins until internal temp is 155-160. Serve hot. Made this once (so far) and it was good. There is no way a sleever can eat a whole one. I suggest one of two ways to change this - either prep the way the recipe calls or split the mini meatloaves into even smaller versions. I could eat a half of what the recipe calls for. Per MFP recipe configuration a half of one meatloaf equals the following (yours might be different based on the products you use, please beware this is what MFP configured based on the products that I used): 156 calories fat: 3.1 g chol 81 mg sodium 612/6 mg carbs 12.8 g Fiber .8 g sugars 6.9 g Protein 19.1 g I'm not sure where I got this recipe, but here are some of the sites that I have been using lately: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Christi_Kitty?month=201206 http://www.skinnytaste.com/

I'm sorry, I was wrong.... it won't stretch out your tummy. Here's from the book: "Carbonation will give you more gas. Even if you let a carbonated beverage sit until it's flat, when you drink it, the heat of your body will release more carbonation, and the gas will come out one way or another. (Your pouch does not expand because of carbonation; this was a theory, but it's never been proven.)" From WLS for Dummies I still discourage you to do it because every choice of what goes into your mouth, should be for better health with a smaller tummy, but pardon me for my being wrong in my previous post.

A big no-no. Unless you want to moan helplessly in pain and perhaps cause yourself a leak. Carbonation will fill your tiny tummy. Even if you let the diet coke go flat, I've read in WLS for Dummies, the heat of your body will reignite the bubbles & further fill up your tiny tummy. It's an accident (to me) waiting to happen. Good luck to you.

At a minimum, PLEASE contact the state board. I hope you sue the crap out of this a-hol. I had complications and I had not just one wonderful dr. who followed up, but I had two (his partner). My dr's are worth their weight in gold because of the complications that they dealt with with me (as well as have acted on my behalf after discharge). I am so very sorry to read your experience. GET ANOTHER DR, a lawyer, and call the state board and see about filing a complaint about this "darling" dr. And pls do it FAST.

Do you have an egg timer? Use that to "ping" you to remind you to drink. I hate Water, but I'm loving fruit20 in peach and propel in berry. I put them in the freezer, using my egg timer to not leave them in there too long to be frozen. The egg timer helps me with that 30 mins before and after you eat not to drink rule. I do suggest using the medicine cups. I did that for the longest time and it helped reinforce to me the "sip sip sip" mentality. I carried one of those suckers around with me and didn't care who thought what. Try the cytosport whey isolate RTD Protein drinks. They are delish! Premier Protein drinks are great too. I loved vanilla (strawberry was too sweet). Oh and crystal light in cherry pomegrante rocks. Most of the other flavors, I'm like... meh. But cherry pom is good. I mix a big ol thermo lined cup that I got from the hospital (it's 28 oz) and do at least two to three a day. It took me a while to build up to this, but you can do it. Just remember, water helps you lose weight as well as keeps you hydrated. Good luck!

I agree - Mexico is the cheapest option. There are a bunch of ppl on this site that have had excellent results from surgeon's in Mexico. Good luck!

hey sleeve runt...i suggest the cytosport drinks that i posted on previously. they are a clear liquid.... and have protein. otherwise, it's chicken broth or such. you can also take protein powder and add it to sf jello.