NoExcuses

Hey ya'll. I'm in Raleigh!! I had my surgery at Rex on 3/26/12. Everything has gone very well and tomorrow I will be 9 weeks out. I'm down 35 pounds and feel pretty good! Back to the gym full throttle - which has been wonderful. Angellic - Dr. Bruce did my surgery, too. You will do great! He's awesome. If anyone is on myfitnesspal feel free to add me - I am outdoorchic74 In the beginning I didin't use it much since I wasn't really concerned about overdoing it on calories while on liquids or mushees, but now that I can eat anything I like to count my calories and be sure I am getting in enough Protein.

I had caffeinated tea about three weeks out and it messed up my sleeve for the entire day! At 6 weeks I tried drinking coffee (needed a pick me up after a late night) and it was ok. I now have a cup of coffee here and there without any issues. I guess at three weeks my stomach was not prepared for it, but after three more weeks of healing it did just fine.

Looking good, girl!! Keep up the great work!

I don't have any advice, but I have lots of SUPPORT to give you. Keep us posted. I will be sending good vibes your way, and praying for you! Don't forget about the power of positive thinking!!

Bariatric Fusion (3 chewables a day), B-12 droppper under the tongue, and a 5000mg of Biotin chewable. I've debated whether or not I need to take the calcium citrate b/c I drink milk and eat yogurt daily. Some days I have taken the Wellesse liquid Calcium + Vitamin D just b/c I have it.

Go get 'em! Good luck!

Kim, you may have reached the infamous 3 week stall. A lot of folks have experienced it. Take a deep breath and trust your scale will move soon. In the mean time, evaluate your progress so far: Are you getting in all your liquids? Are you getting the right amount of protein (60-80 grams depending on what your doctor recommends)? Are you eating enough? Sometimes you body may go into "starvation mode," especially if you are under 800 calories. Hope this helps! Hang in there. Stalls are a normal part of the process - I know that doesn't make it any less frustrating!!

1 week out I was on full liquids. If you are, too, I would suggest: SF pudding, SF jellow, nonfat yogurt, protein shakes, hummus. Good luck!

I just updated all MFP information after not being on there in a long time. If anyone wants to be my "friend" I am Outdoorchic74. Please add me so we can help motivate each other!

March 26, 2012 here! Been doing well. Started at 274 and this morning was 246.8. Yay! Been exercising - mostly walking but did a slow jog last night. My only complaint is my aching mid back. Trying to work on strengthening and stretching it!

For mushies, I lived on cottage cheese, pimento cheese, refried beans, black bean soup, applesauce, yogurt, broth based soups, pudding, even snuck in some canned chicken and tuna with lots of light mayo to moisten it a bit. Someone mentioned they liked corned beef hash in the can, so I tried it. It was pretty good. Kind of high in fat and sodium though. I bought one can, ate a bit of it, and gave the rest to my dog. He went nuts - he loved it!!!

I do ~ because the first ingredient on my RTD Premier shakes is water. For the shakes that I make on my own, I use 8 ounces of Almond milk and I count that in my total as well. The rest of what I get in is good ole' H2O, crystal light, and G2.

Probably not. If your knee hurts already I would not begin running on it. Running puts a lot of pressure on your joints. What might be best is to pick up your speed while walking first. Or better yet, if you are able - do some squats and lunges to build up your quadriceps, which will help protect your knee when you do start running. When beginning to run, it is alway a good idea to do an interval - such as walk four minutes, then jog one minute, and repeat. Good luck to you!

Congrats! That's awesome! I'm glad to hear the strength will return. That was one of my concerns, too. Prior to surgery (about 6 months before) I started working out pretty hard with weights and with a trainer. I wanted to get my body strong for the surgery. I was digging being able to lift and build muscle. One day some skinny chick at the gym saw me doing barbell skull crushers, and said, "whoah, you are my hero." My head swelled a bit. LOL. At any rate, I'm itching to get back to the gym and start lifting again. I'm only three weeks out so I have about 3 more weeks before my doctor will allow it.

Well, all right! Way to go, daddy!

Truvia taste a bit weird to me. Kind of a funky aftertaste. I don't think there is any difference in weightloss using either. The big difference is that Truvia is made from the Stevia plant. Neither one has any calories.

Listen to your heart ~ if you are not mentally ready, you should not undergo surgery. When folks decide to undergo VSG they are making a lifetime committment to follow the "rules" - small portions, protein first always, lots of liquids, etc. If you want to try to do it on your own, you should give it a try. I will tell you that for me it was the only way to go after years of losing, gaining, losing, gaining more I was ready to get off of the roller coaster. I am two weeks out and I have lost 21 lbs. The last time I lost 21 lbs. I was training for a half-marathon AND eating right AND it took me 15 weeks. Also, just to normalize for you I think a lot of us go through what you are going through - the mental anguish of deciding to actually go through with it. Even in the pre-op room with my IVs in I was ready to say get me outta here. They took a last minute pregnancy test in Pre-op and I was secretly hoping I would be pregnant so I wouldn't have to go through with it. LOL. Trust me, the anxiety you are feeling is very normal. Best of luck to you with whatever decision you make.

That's awesome! Way to go!

I had surgery on March 26. Everything has been going very well and I am down 21 lbs! The day I got home from the hospital I threw my scale out because I didn't want to become obsessed with it, so this was the first time I weighed myself since surgery. Woo hoo! After I got home I started trying on the 10 pairs of pants that are hanging in my closet that I have not worn in sooooo long. Happy to say a couple of them fit! Today I am wearing a pair of capris that I haven't worn for a couple of years, and am ok with showing some leg now!

Happy anniversary and congrats on doing so well!

I didn't have a drain. I'm not sure what determines who gets one and who doesn't.

Proton Pump Inhibitor, which is your prilosec or prevacid. Keep hanging in there. It will get better. Take it one day at a time.

Beef and broccoli? or chicken with Chinese veggies? I'd skip the rice, though. That might now set well at this point. Enjoy! I have a couple of weeks before solids . . . and I love Chinese, too!

Congratulations! Start preparing now by thinking about your pre-op diet, and begin a walking or exercise regime if you haven't already. Maybe start taste-testing some full and clear liquids to see what you might like. And keep reading the posts on this forum as they are very informative. Good luck!

Best wishes for a smooth recovery! Try to stay positive these first few days. You made a great decision!