NancyJerry

Gorgeous!

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.< /p>

So, I've been gone a while - a work trip had me pretty MIA, and work has been very busy since I got back as well.
1. The towe I use for the hot tub fits all the way around me and then some now YAY!
2. I can have the steering wheel all the way down when I'm driving and don't have to move it to get in and out of the car either
3. Clothing sizes have definitely changed
4. I sat in a booth at a restaurant after much anxiety, it was no problem - in fact, I had to scoot forward a bit in the booth to eat.
5. I got my wedding ring on and off my finger I had it cut off about a year and a half ago to have surgery for breast tumors and haven't even tried it on since. Its on now Now i have to get the cut in it fixed
I haven't been weighing myself - I pretty much forgot I have a scale. I have to start being more active - working out has not occurred like I have wanted it to - but that's going to change ASAP. While I was in texas for work, I walked everywhere but here, I haven't been doing as much and I NEED to.
I lost 10 lbs while i was off on my work trip for 3 weeks - not too bad

Wow! Your story is really something to look forward to. Sometimes it feels like these days are moving so slowly. I feel like one of my high school students that can't imagine life outside of school, away from the drama and growing up. For me, I can't imagine being one year post sleeve and at or near goal. Like you, I was size 16/18 when I had my surgery. I have lost about 27 pounds which I am very happy with, but I read so much about stalling and frustrations, and I'm so scared that this surgery , like all of those other things I've tried that have failed, is something that I will fail at too. Thank you for hope and inspiration. Congratulations to you!!!

My wait was very similar to ChaCha's. And I'm almost 3 weeks post, too. Yeah, looking back that seems to have flown a lot faster than waiting to get out of my soft-food phase
But now it seems like everything is a "I can't wait until....". I can't wait until I am in the 180's. I can't wait to have the strength and endurance to try jogging. I can't wait..., I can't wait...., I can't wait.....
I guess the bottom line is journal a lot so you can look back and appreciate the WHOLE journey!
Good luck to you and keep us posted!

Here are some things you might want to do to put time before your surgery to good use:
Go through all the clothes you have stashed in your house. Organize them by size. After surgery, you are going to be dropping weight fast, and will need to move out of your current clothes that fit into the smaller sized ones. You don't want to buy stuff needlessly if you have clothes that fit stashed somewhere.
Figure out a plan on what you are going to do with your fat clothes as you shrink out of them. GET RID OF THEM in some way. I donated mine to a thrift store that supports a women shelter, gave them to a group that puts women back into the workforce (my business suits) and gave them to friends/family that were the size I shrunk out of.
Look to see what you are going to need once you shrink into a certain size. For example, I have to had to have black dress pants and jeans in every size I went through. I had some gaps in my stash of skinnier clothes, because I had given stuff away.
Write yourself a long detailed letter as to why you want the surgery, how you feel being the way you are now (before surgery) and what you are willing to give up to be the person you want to be. Put the letter away, and as you hit bumps in the road during your sleeve journey, you can pull it out and read it.
Take before pictures - and don't be shy. Take some in your underwear or a swimsuit so you can compare your results as you start to shrink. No one else will have to see these (unless you are comfortable sharing).
Take before measurements. You will want to have accurate before statistics, so you can track your inches lost.
Get a copy of the book "The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients". Read it and start working through the material. It really helped me.
Do some soul-searching. Try to figure out what your relationship with food is, and has been the reason for your problems. Start planning how you will deal with the emotional triggers when numbing yourself with food is no longer an option for you. Read some books on emotional eating (if that's an issue with you). The surgeon operates on your stomach, not your brain - you have to work on that part. Everyone is different here. The earlier you get a handle on your issues and start working on them, the better.
Start working on your behaviors that you will have to practice after your sleeve. Stop drinking sodas and other carbonated beverages. Stop drinking when you eat. Start waiting 30 minutes after you eat to drink anything. Start drinking 64 ounces of calorie free liquid each day. Start reducing the junk food and carbs that you eat. Start reducing (or stop eating) sugar. The earlier you embrace these habits, the better for you.

The time will pass quickly. Good Luck!
Sharon

If the surgeon cannot be trusted with the preop diet then I surely would not allow them to cut me open and remove my stomach. If you do not understand the medical reasons why a doctor does something just be proactiv and ask. I am sure they have a good medical reason why they are doing what they do and if they do not then find a new doctor that you think has a good reason for the preop diet.

The diet is designed to shrink your liver for surgery. This is needed because the liver can get in the way during surgery. The diet is to prevent it from being nicked during the procedure and bleeding to occur. It is very important to follow the diet you are put on due to your BMI. It is not designed to torture anyone although it sounds like it. There are medical reasons for the diet.

As a teacher, I understand about the 15 minute lunch. I've taken to make sure my lunch is small enough to eat in that amount of time <slowly>. Then I carry around a Protein drink that I can sip on as I move about the room and teach. My surgeon explained that if we gulp air and build up gas in our new stomachs we will stretch them. And that is also why we aren't to drink out of straws anymore.
Good luck to you!

I've had good luck with my Weight Watchers scale. It was only about 30 bucks and it calculates BMI and H2O, too.

Hi Everyone,

I just want to make sure that you are drinking enough Water everyday. I know it is hard for you to get it all in, but you have to carry some water around with you all the time and just sip it. It is like having a job to make sure you get enough water in your body. Do the very best you can, it helps so much in your recovery.

Here are 8 simple things that you might enjoy reading about how water helps our bodies. By the time you are thirsty you are already starting to become dehydrated.

Keep up the good work and don't forget about drinking your water.

1.75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. this also applies to half the world population.

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, is the # 1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79% and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.


Hugs,
Suzanne

Nancy,
Wow, thanks so much for this valuable advice. It really helps A LOT. Like I said, I have to being learning all of these changes because I need to get started. I feel like time flies and August will be here before I know it. I have to do major renovations in my apartment before my daughter starts school next September plus I have to fit in the time to take her to her summer activities and have some fun with her. I really need the energy.
25 pounds is amazing! I will definitely read about Ketosis. Thanks so much for the tips.

Mari - congratulations on preparing for this journey! It is exciting. I can relate to not be nervous AT ALL before my surgery. I felt as excited as if I were preparing for a cruise. I wish I had found this forum before my surgery. This is so much love, support and fabulous information here. Soak it up and start as soon as you can. My pre-op diet was only 1 change (no sugar or carbs). Try it for a while. It may help you feel better through the summer and it won't be such as shock to your system when you need to give those up for a little while.
WELCOME!!

Oh, Mari! I could have almost written your post this time last year! Welcome to VST. Your doctors are right; this surgery IS life-changing! I went from barely able to walk from my car to my front door to (now) being able to ride 7 miles plus on the exercise bike in 30 minutes. But, I started out doing 5 and 10 minutes at a time. I'd literally walk up and down my hallway in my apartment right after surgery and now I can walk the length of the mall a couple of times without wanting to sit down every 10 feet.
You will be amazed at your increased energy level and at how quickly the weight comes off your body! Starting now to drink more Water and get in the 70 grams of Protein a day will put you ahead of the game for post-op recovery!
Good luck and here's hoping you're sleeved by my anniversary date, which is August 30!

Well the day is finally here - time to say goodbye to my 275# self! Surgery in just under 2 hours. Hoping for a quick and complication free surgery! Good luck to anyone else having surgery today!

You have gorgeous cheekbones and a great smile - that says it all. I can see a difference in your pictures - very inspirational. Keep up the good work!

Yea! You're an inspiration. Can't wait for my 1 month mark!

You look wonderful!! Great job and an amazing transformation!! I noticed one really important thing, though... In both pictures, the person with you adores you!!!

I keep looking at my wrists in total amazement that you can actually see the definition of bones! Same thing for my feet! I have ankle bones!!! Also, I have discovered that I have a butt bone! I was sitting in a chair last night (hard plastic one) and my butt started hurting..I thought maybe I was sitting on something so I stood up...nothing was there...then after sitting down for a bit more it started hurting again..then I realized..holy crap...my butt has less padding on it...SO HAPPY I DID THIS! (even if I get annoyed that the scale isn't moving at the rate I want it to)

I love this! I found my ankles and feet. I think I spent an entire weekend staring at them and admiring them. My poor sister and husband....I kept saying, "Do you see THESE ANKLES!!" LOL
Good for you - enjoy!

I look my hands a lot!! I had to stop buying the cute bracelets from Catherine's Plus Size.... they are too big!!! I just wish my other tummy would leave!!! I had 3... now it's 2!!!!

My take is that you have a lot of carbs and a lot of "filler" with little nutritional value. Lettuce is a waste when it comes to nutrients and you are eating it twice in a day. You might try substituting raw spinach or shredded zucchini for more nutrients. I think Dorrie is right about the bagel half, too--not too many nutrients and a lot of carbs. Maybe oatmeal, for soluble Fiber and whole grain? I don't know what a kid's Z bar is, but kid food usually has a lot of sugar to make it taste good. Have you tried Nature Valley Protein Chewy Bars? 10 gms of protein, 190 calories, and they taste good and fill you up. Have you thought of beef Jerky as a snack? a hard-boiled egg or 8-10 almonds? You are barely making your protein requirement in this example and I think you should try for more. I know I would be starving if I depended on two salads a day to fill me up. I see that you have a ways to go and there is nothing wrong with the occasional salad to mix things up but think "Protein first."

It has been one year since my surgery. This has been the best year of my life. when I started this I was 460 pounds. July of 2010 I was 450 when I went to the surgeons office for the first time. April 7, 2011 I was 410 pound the day of surgery. So I have lost 176 since surgery and 226 total. I have 54 pounds to go. things are slowing down and I went to my surgeon yesterday for my one year visit and he says this is normal. That I need to bump things up though with excercise and watching extra caerefully but he is very impressed with what I have done already. This forum has helped a great deal , and showed me the sleeve does work. I was suppose to get the DS surgery and when he went in I had very bad gaul stones stuck to my adominal wall and he needed to take care of that and was afraid of infestion so I got the sleeve instead. I was upset at first but got over it and joined this forum and saw that the sleeve does work. i am very happy now for the sleeve instead of the DS. Dr. G says that i could of had the rest of the surgery this year but he said that I was so successfull with the sleeve that I don't need it. I am determined to loose this last 54 more pounds but in the meantime I feel great. I am 50 years young and feel 20 again, I have been given my life back.

Oh I hope I will be freezing. I am having hot flashes now and let me tell you, I would rather put on a hoodie and try and strip down at work:-)