lunabella007

I'm looking forward to vintage fashion (cause 50 years ago, sizes aren't what they are now). I'm looking forward to moving my body comfortably. I'm looking forward to taking belly dancing classes, and learning yoga, and to enjoy the way my body feels when it moves instead of being in pain.

I'm looking forward to not being harrassed and nagged by my mother anymore for being overweight. I'm looking forward to not being discriminated against in employment because of my size.

I'm looking forward to the private benefits of weight loss as they relate to my husband and our alone time. I'm looking forward to a shot at a low-risk pregnancy, and a good delivery (not an automatic c-section). I'm looking forward to being able to run around after my children one day, and having the energy to do everything I need and want to do in a day.

Basically, I'm looking forward to a better life!

If I'm careful, eating is more of a pleasure now than it was before surgery! Starting over again from the ground level, eating only the simplest, blandest foods has made eating diced peach a revelation! Focus on the tastes on your tongue, and dont lament the lack of quantity.

I feel like I'm no longer pressured to eat more than I care to eat just to clean my plate. I can be very selective about what foods I want, what tastes I want to experience, and a little goes a long way.

I'm not saying that everyone gets to that place, but I'm only 3 weeks post-op and I love the taste of my food more than I ever did. You just have to have a little more time to "learn your sleeve". You'll be back to loving your food again.

Focus on taste, not on quantity, and you'll be SO happy!

My surgeon said that most people will experience some Hair loss after surgery.

The reason a person might lose hair is that after you're sleeved, your body goes into a kind of "controlled starvation" mode. Your body starts to make decisions as to what it is going to prioritize. You want your body to focus on maintaining muscle mass and to focus on burning fat. Hair growth and maintenance isn't realy that high on your body's list of priorities when you're starving. Of course you don't feel like you're starving because your new stomach is so tiny, and that's the idea.

That said, I have experienced no hair loss yet at 3 weeks post-op. I take two multi-vitamins as directed, get plenty of Protein and Biotin, and avoid harsh Shampoo. You might consider looking into a cleansing conditioner to use the gentlest possible products on your hair.

I just had surgery on the 8th of June, and it's my tom now. I'm still losing weight but verrrry slowly. I used to put on about 10lbs a month and lose it the next week, so this is something new for me.

I work from home as well, and will probably be resuming daily operations next week (17 days post-op). I could have physically begun earlier this week, but family circumstances kept me from getting back to work.

Mine's MIA too, with no possibility of being pregnant. I'm just enjoying the vacation from periods for the time being! lol

... or else others will happily make themselves the biggest priority in your life.

So true. Someone else is my biggest priority right now, but this is a great reminder that I HAVE to put my foot down somewhere. It will be good for our family to try to have mealtimes set apart for something special!

I find myself craving meat all the time, now. Maybe it is because that's the staple of my diet these days, but I also crave green veggies.. and a few days ago I found myself standing at the sink eating beets cold, straight from the can! LOL at myself for that one . I know better than to eat like that. I try to make sure I treat meals like an event these days, including silverware and my new china saucers that are my plates. I guess we must be ever-vigilant to not transfer our old food addictions and habits to new foods.

But, I do crave meat, preferably a nice medium-rare steak!

I love that you make meals into an event! I haven't been able to do that in awhile due to having to care for my mother in law who is in at home hospice. Its a great reminder that its always a good idea to set meal time aside, rather than to grab a shake in a can and just get it down you! I'm going to try cooking more now--starting with some gourmet Soup recipes, and I'm going to put candles out too!

I'm glad that it seems like my carb/starch addiction is gone for good, and I think that the risk of transferring it to meat products is probably pretty low. I also crave chickpeas and hummus and cottage cheese, so I think it's more the Protein than the meat itself. I just found it odd that I've been craving meat because I never was much of a meat eater.

I shouldn't think so, but that's just a hunch. You'd think the insurance company would be thrilled that you're losing weight and have fewer co-morbidities. Anyway, didn't that new health law make it illegal to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions?

I go on my pureed diet tomorrow, having passed the full liquid phase with an A+! I was just talking with my husband today about how odd it is that I don't crave the things that I thought I'd be craving.

Maybe it's because of the massive amount of Protein I've been taking in lately? I never craved meat before! I don't want anything to do with bread anymore, or chips, or tortillas, or corn Snacks. What I want now is a little dark green salad with truffle dressing, and some pork loin or chicken.

Could the high Protein diet fuel a hunger for more protein? I used to be a carb/starch addict, but now there's just no temptation whatsoever!

I was given a shot of heparin in my leg once daily while in the hospital to help prevent clotting. They can keep you safe from clots if you don't already have them.

I go on purees tomorrow, but I ate five baked Beans today without any repercussions. I have, however, gotten uncomfortably full from Tomato bisque. Yikes! I hate that feeling! I get a sort of "warning cramp" before the full on tight esophagus, urgent swallowing phase. I listen to my warning cramps, generally, but when something is really tasty, sometimes I ignore it at my peril.

The good news is that you'll WANT to go swimming way before you actually can. You'll feel up to it probably after a week to a week and a half, but you shouldn't swim until after 3 weeks.

I was pretty much pain-free after four days. I felt fairly normal (but had to rest occasionally after bouts of sustained activity) at about 6-7 days after surgery. Now, at 13 days post-op I feel like nothiing happened at all!

Mine's was a 32--my GOD is that thin!

My surgeon cleared me for my small caplets of prozac the day after surgery. I decided I didn't want anything solid in my stomach, so I started opening the caplets into a medicine cup of juice or Water. Today, I couldn't stand it anymore and swallowed one whole. I had no trouble at all.

I still crush my tylenol and my acid reducer, just because they're bigger.

Trust your gut. If you think it's too big for your sleeve it probably is. Anything the size of an M&M or bigger is probably too big to swallow whole this early on.

I also had a Vietnamese pedicurist convinced I was pregnant, lol.

Sent from my iPad using VST

Honey, you and I should hang out! One time when my husband and I were traveling across Canada, we were trying to find a place to stay the night, but there were very few motels nearby, and the ones there were were filled up or the lobbies were closed. We went to a gas station to ask if we could use their phone to call a potential motel, and the gas station attendant handed me his phone.

When he came around my side of the counter, he turned the "closed" sign right away because, in his words, "This is an emergency, you remember what happened last time there was no room for them at the inn?"

He got on his moped, and led us to the nearest available motel--no joke. We got a room that night because of my 8-months-pregnant-looking belly. The first time I got asked "when are you due?" was when I was 14 lol

I never thought to use it to my advantage, but I wonder if it might also have gotten me a seat on a crowded bus

I don't know whether this is a big cultural difference or whether I am just interacting with people like you good folk. [. . .]

I never, ever feel discriminated against as an obese person. People generally treat me well.

Sent from my iPad using VST

A lot of Americans are of the "live and let live" school of thought, and there is a really large and growing (and vocal) fat acceptance community here. Thank goodness! But there are also people here who think it's their moral duty to nag and badger fat people and make their lives as miserable as possible so they'll be forced or shamed into changing their slovenly, stupid, and lazy ways.

I know a young man (pretty well) who cannot eat in a restaurant if a fat person is eating within his visual range. There is a lot of bigotry out there--this young man doesn't even realize he's being a bigot!

For many of us, though, it's the subtle insults we get on a daily basis. Once I popped into a middle-brow chain lingerie store, and a shop woman accosted me, asking "Are you looking for perfume, or are you shopping for somebody else?" As if they didn't have a single bra or panty that was worth my while to even look at!

By the way, I later found out that the store DID carry my bra size. I've never been back there since.

I know from experience that we (overweight people) are treated differently. And I can say that I actually purposefully put on 150+lbs so that I would be ignored!...how crazy ass backwards is that!?!

There was an element of that in my obesity as well, so I completely understand. Part of my nervousness about how people might respond to me (positively) might be related to that too.

Yes, it does suck. But this too will pass!

Hello!

My surgeon was Mark Pleatman of Bloomfield Hills, MI. I was self-pay, and the value is phenomenal. He has a no-surprises package for self-pay patients. The cost included the surgery, the anaesthesia, the hospital stay, two years of follow up appointments, and access to their nutrition program and support group with free lectures from time to time!

The staff there (I dealt with Rachel) was pleasant, competent, and the service was very human and personalized.

The hospital I stayed at was Doctor's Hospital of Michigan, and while it's in not-so-gorgeous Pontiac, the nurses there were STELLAR! When I turned on my light, the nurses were there in five minutes or so. They knew my name, they knew my story, and gave me hugs when I left the hospital--one even fetched me a glass vase with a ribbon around it for my roses! I got a lot of encouragement from these ladies!

The Pre-Op nurses did their best to calm me down, and they tried (pretty well!) to distract me while they were placing my IV.

No complaints, actually! I'm one week pre-op and have had no trouble whatsoever!

Congratulations! I can hear your excitement!

Let us know when you've got your date! YAY!!!

Wow! That's awful! In the beginning you had me with macaroni and cheese with chicken, but then you just made that thought fly from my mind as fast as speedy gonzales!

I'm so sorry you got so sick! You're a hilarious writer though!

Let's get some shirts made that say "FORMER FATTY SO F*** OFF".

Or is that too strong?

I'm feeling my oates today.

I LOVE that!

How do I not hold resentment? Because I know that is their problem not mine. I wouldn't benefit being negative over a situation I can't control. I can only control how I respond, and I choose to respond in no way. I simply say thank you, smile and move on.

Excellent take on this. I hope I get to that place myself, because I have no desire to bring myself down with negative emotions over people's reaction to me that I can't control!

What did ur grocery list look like for post op! I have 1 month to prepare

I bought for weeks 1-2:

- powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein powder (I use this for every meal)

- chewable bariatric Vitamins (I purchased these and the Protein at my surgeon's office)

- Calcium citrate + vit. D supplement chews to preserve my bones

-Tons of different low sodium broth options (chicken, beef, turkey, french onion, Tomato, etc.)

- Crystal light

- Diet tea

- Mio Water flavorers

- 4 bags of frozen fruit for smoothies (which I was told I could have 3-4 days post op. This will vary depending on how you're healing, and how your sleeve reacts to certain fruits. Mine hates pineapple.)

- Seedless watermelon to suck on (spit out the pulp). I love this, because it makes you feel human again, putting something "solid" in your mouth!

- Cottage cheese (for smoothies--it's really good and an ok source of protein)

- Ground Flax Seed with berries (for an additive to shakes and smoothies)

- PB2 (Peanut Butter Powder--just add Water for Peanut Butter with no fat! A fun addition to banana based smoothies. Also comes in chocolate peanut butter flavor, that tastes sort of like a reeses)

- Greek yogurt--an excellent buy. It tastes good, blends well in a shake, and has TONS of protein.

- Hot cereals like oatmeal and cream of wheat (served VERY thin)

- A variety of low calorie fruit juices to sip (I got 5 cal cranberry, and it's pretty tasty!)

- A non-caloric sweetener like Truvia or Splenda, if you like your tea sweet, or your smoothies a little sweeter

- Diet Jello cups

You'll be amazed at how far food can go when your tummy's only 2 oz! One single serving of Greek yogurt takes me 3 sittings to finish. I'm 1 week post op right now, so that won't last forever, but it's made me a real cheap date as far as the grocery bill is concerned!

My advice would be to not buy too much of the stuff you know you'll be only eating during the first two weeks. You'd hate to have stuff left over, when the sight of it turns your stomach (like pineapple!)