CelticHarpist

I happen to like EAS AdvantEDGE Drink EAS® in French Vanilla which I can mix with sugar free syrups or puddings to change the taste a little. I like it chilled like it is. Normally I am not a vanilla fan but this pleases me. A lot of people like their chocolate and dark chocolate. (EAS = 17 grm protein) I don't mind Adkins dark chocolate fudge drink either. EAS is very reasonable in price at Walmart. Can get similar packs at Safeway often costing $3 more per item. Haven't priced them at King Soopers but know they sell them, too. I just tried Premier chocolate the other day. Tasted okay but I liked the EAS better. It has 30 grams protein. It's available at costco and Sam's club. I'm not a member of either.

Wow! thanks for sharing. I'm looking up those recipes. (Got my first HgA1c back yesterday after sleeved 2 months and the A1C covers 3 months - mine was 5.7! and 5.6 is normal. My doc was impressed).

Hey Julie, I just got back my first HgA1C since surgery. It was 5.7 (and only had surgery 2 months prior to it and the test rates the last three months). 5.6 is NORMAL - non-diabetic. My primary doc was impressed!

It is sooooo worth it in the end, so be patient. I had trouble with the pre 3 month weight loss program my insurance required. The PA was not nice, was shaming and critical. One session I told him he had never told me a certain thing and he lambasted me saying the other three ladies in the group that day would tell me differently - I reminded him I had never been with this set of ladies before as they had stuck me with a different group each time I came. He always made me cry. They kept mixing up appts and times. I came for an hour visit at the assigned time to find out they had moved me to a 3-hr group from an individual hour appt. The group wasn't to start for another over 30 minutes later, and they hadn't notified me about the appt changing to three hours either. I had to work following the scheduled hour appt. It was a mess each time I went. I kept telling myself it's only three months, only three months like a mantra and I would never have to see these people again.Whew! thanks for letting me vent, too. Soon it will be all done, with some followup appts, but after surgery it is really about YOU, your program and you using this wonderful tool of VSG well. Don't let the turkeys get you down.

Nice pics! I totally want to be like you in two more months (I'll be off to a trip to Florida then - think swim). You look awesome. I like your photo layout designs, too.

Lol, after reading tons of posts here I think I finally figured out what NUT meant - nutritionist? maybe Dietician? All this time I thought it meant your surgeon but I couldn't figure out how that came to be nut. Duh. My doctor surgeon has me taking a sublingual Vitamin B12, a multi-B, a multi chewable vitamin (I do Centrum), calcium with D3 (love the chewable lemon Bariatric Advantage ones). I haven't seen the dietician yet but will in two weeks. She may add something more, not sure. They gave me a sheet I took into the pharmacies and scouted what I needed as I am not to do gels or capsules, but chewables or pills and no time-release.

So glad you are having this opportunity and build in one for post, too! I am planning a working trip to Florida in November and am just starting to let it in that I might actually look pretty good while I am there. New place, new people who will only know my new self. I also will make sure I have a pool to work-out in and an exercise room to continue my journey! Happiness is from within, but there are paradises to travel to. Enjoy! Bring photos to share!

Hehe, poisonous hissing queens...... Wow, from size 26 to size 18! Amazing. Just think you are able now to buy clothes in regular shops at large and XL size, right? You don't have to go to the Big Girls shops if you don't want to. Isn't that AMAZING!?!?! You've done it girl. Strut it. Let us be your supports and cheering section. Anyone for a pompom?

quoting from above: "unfortuanately many candy stores have now had to lay off people or have totally gone out of business" Thought that was soooo cute! I also have wondered about cheese sauce from the bariatric diet foods companies. I think they might taste great on cauliflower or broccoli. I actually tried the health food store Annie's whole wheat Pasta shells mac and cheese, and added more cheese to it. I didn't eat much as I'm not eating much, and it lasted 5 meals as an adjunct (and fed my dogs, too). I can eat whole wheat bread (I take off crusts) but found I didn't really enjoy the pasta all that much so that one try quenched my interest. My dietician encourages me to have some special snack every other day. If I want something, it would be a weight watchers dark chocolate singlestick raspberry ice cream pop, or a ww wildberry ice cream stick. They satisfy me for any interest in something sweet. I only seem to crave Protein. I am seeing more and more that when I feel hungry, I am actually thirsty or haven't been drinking my liquids like I should. Reminder to get another drink! hehe

Oh, yum. And look at all that protein. This is a gotta try. Thanks for posting!

WooHoo! soooo pretty, and the dress, too. You totally rock. I am sooo glad I got my sleeve, too, and have my niece's wedding late spring early summer 2013. Can't wait to see how I look in a new dress then. (BIG SMILE)

Nice post as it is almost your one year anniversary. I hope I can say similar things when I get to mine next June. You are an inspiration. Congrats!

Mine healed fine. If you are having issues with healing prior to surgery from other abrasions or cuts with your healing then I would suggest telling your surgeon ahead of time. I have never had trouble with wound-healing, and I didn't post surgery either. The nice thing is pre-surgery I was on a diabetic medication that cost $500-600 every three months or close to $200 monthly. I emerged from surgery with my blood-sugars under control daily. Mostly I run 102-105 blood sugars every day since surgery (lowest 92-94, highest 115-117). I am off any medications. Now that I am starting more exercise, I will monitor for low blood sugars! Hoping things go well for you.

Congrats on your compliments and your success! I remember going on a plane trip and having to ask for a seatbelt extender. When I travel again, I will feel like you - able to buckle up with room to spare.

This looks good. I will try it out this week. I might try it using Cream of Wheat or wheatina another time, too.

Hey, congrats! Glad you were perseverant. Good luck on your procedure.

I really like the SF Torani syrups and the SF Monin ones. Oikos is a great yogurt. I like Voskos, too. And a Stonybrook greek organic one. I'll have to look for Fage as I have never noticed that before and sometimes I go to Walmart. Maybe the availability is different in different areas of the country.

I was expecting the worst and actually had a fairly easy recovery. I was back to work in two weeks and a few days. I had a little pain the first day after surgery as I would make myself wait to use the morphine machine they attached, so finally they gave up thinking I would actually use that and put me on percocet pills instead. No pain after that. On the third day, I didn't need anything for pain without pills. I had some discomfort only in the bellybutton incision for a couple of weeks following. If I had known about belly bands available post surgery from medical supply houses or walgreens I would have bought one presurgery to use post because holding the belly area or placing a pillow against it helped. My odd feeling after surgery came from the gases they used to blow up or extend the belly during surgery. I had none of the gas pain the medical professionals predicted to me. The odd feeling was that my waist had been distended and might never come back. I found it does return though - whew. I would do this again in a heart beat, and I was very apprehensive presurgery. Good luck to you!

I am 2 months out and I burp with every "meal". Lots of quiet little burps. Sometimes it is less if I eat even slower. Sometimes I don't wan to eat THAT slowly though. I have wondered the same thing.

I actually think of myself as when I was thinner, so seeing pics of me at my fullest weight or even now can feel discordant to me. I think I am going to feel "more myself" again when I lose weight. I know this isn't everyone's experience but I think it may be where I am headed. The hardest part for me may be the loose skin and flaps or folds when I lose weight, as that I didn't have before when thinner. It will remind me though of my journey. I hope that by hiding it under clothes until I can afford to do something about it, doesn't undermine my newer regained self esteem.

I've only been nauseous a few times and today is one. Sigh. Mainly they have happened when the food I ate was too dry (over-microwaved) and that wa in my 5th week, or when I ate too fast. Yours sounds like pre-food though. <br> Nothing sounds good today to me. I may drink my proteins today. Hope yours doesn't last long.

Congrats! Sounds like you feel great. You are losing a bit faster than I am, I think. (Sleeved June 11). As the Japanese say: Gambatte! Go for it!

Wow, I am soooo impressed. You look terrific. More power to ya. I love Devils Tower (or the great bear lodge). Nice to see the pics.

lol I love this discussion - soda as gateway drugs, and diet coke addictions. I do miss my diet coke. It's still worth it without any, and going okay for me. They are having me drink some coffee each day now starting last week, telling me it helps lessen constipation (seems to work).

I agree to trust your doctor. My doc had me do the pre-op diet for 10 days. I followed it faithfully as he said the operation goes easier with the liver having shrunk some of the fat out of it. The pre-op diet helps your liver metabolize some of its fat stores so it shrinks. The liver is large and covers the stomach in a floppy way. The shrinkage helps the surgeon reach the stomach without nicking it. The surgeon needs to concentrate on the stomach as it tends to twist or turn slightly making the removal its own challenge. The surgeon doesn't need to try and keep the liver out of the way while he is concentrating on all that, or partially worrying about nicking the liver.