angie pang

Hi Kayargh,
You will be on shakes before your op- get 'Optifast' the choc and coffee flavour is the best, its cheaper at chemist warehouse!

HIT 50 POUNDS LOST TODAY!!!!!

I'm 20 kgs down too Angie Pang! Sleeved 2 July. It is coming off slowly but surely. I've had a couple of eating crappily days like my birthday weekend... But otherwise it is coming off SLOWLY but steadily...
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It's always been my weight. I trained twice a day 7 days a week with crossfit and running. I was eating paleo. I became very depressed after doing this for 18 months and no results. I have lost 10kg and it's been 8 days since my op. I'm finally loving who I am! I'm looking forward to the future!

Congratulations!

Hi, It has been 3 months (12 weeks) today since surgery. May 18th was my day!! I am 32 and 5 ft 3 in. My starting weight was 246. As of Today I have lost 41 pounds and am halfway to goal. I went from size 18 jeans to 14. This has been the best decision of my life!! I have had a few stalls but never lasting over a 2 weeks. I eat at least 70-90 grams of Protein each day. If I don't get enough protein I feel real hungry all day. I usually eat 600-800 calories each day. I have taken Vitamins and extra Biotin every day since surgery. But I still have had some Hair loss that started around 2 months. It is not noticeable and I think it may be slowing. My favorite protein supplement is Unjury. I don't eat red meat or pork anymore. If you have any questions that I didn't answer please ask! I will update again when I get closer to goal.

Tablets were hard initially. I had chewable Vitamins and also the nexium which i cut in half and was the hardest. Thankfully I did not need any pain killers for pain while I was recovering.
Random fact, since surgery I have barely taken pain killers for anything. Pre-surgery I had constant headaches, joint pain, sporting injuries, basically alot of generalised pain. Since surgery almost nothing, I think I have taken pain medication 3 times in 10 months, and one of those times was due to too much alcohol.

Congrats!!! Very encouraging wish you luck

And Mrs Macs meat pies....with sauce of course....
Kangaroo sausages....

Today is the big day. I thought I'd be freaking out but I am strangely serene. sleep was not a problem - I thought I'd be up all night worrying. See you on the other side, campers!

Congratulations! Well done, I love hearing all this!

Not sure if it's helpful, but I did a blog post recently about a trip to the grocery store. I bought 5 items and, mixed with some staples I have in my fridge/pantry, I can make a bunch of meals. http://gastricsleeve4me.blogspot.com/2012/07/eating-9-weeks.html
There's a video, and a link to my "solid food" stage page too - which has pretty much everything I eat, and is only like 13 items from the store...it's pretty much my go-to list. In simple terms it's cheese, meat (be it lunchmeat, ground turkey, frozen shrimp, rotisserie chicken, etc.), greek yogurt, refried Beans, and wonton wrappers.
Another crazy-simple and cheap way to go is to make "bites". You'll need eggs, whatever you want in your bites, and a mini muffin tin. 1-2 "bites" should be plenty. There's a BUNCH of recipes on the world according to eggface: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2009/10/party-time-confetti-bites.html. Make a pan and freeze.
Good luck.

So bizarre discussing BMs with a group of strangers - yay Internet!
I had diarrhea at the hospital and for the first couple of days home. Today (6 days post surgery) I had my first almost kinda sorta normal BM. I mean, I'm on liquids - I wouldn't expect it to be normal.
To the person who got ice cream at the hospital: I kind of hate you.

Yahhhh congratulations! That's wicked. You must feel unreal! Yah

Well I'm out 137 days and down 140lbs... Best decision I have ever made and I'm not taking anymore medication besides my Vitamins and B12 injection. I'm 36 yrs old married with 2 wonderful sons and I am feeling amazing!

Hi Kayargh,
You will be on shakes before your op- get 'Optifast' the choc and coffee flavour is the best, its cheaper at chemist warehouse!

I only had one bm and it was bad I'm ready to start my purée diet Already I had a bit of an egg it went down ok and some potatoes salad that's ok too Wensday can't come fast enough

Friday morning I awoke to a sharp pain in my left side. I thought I had to use the bathroom, so I did, but no relief. It continued to get worse, so I began to fear that I had developed a leak. My wife drove me to the hospital after dropping our kids at daycare, and I thought for sure that I was going to be in a world of hurt from having a leak. They gave me a CT scan and there they saw the kidney stone.
This is my 7th kidney stone, and if you have never had one you should be thankful. They compare the pain to child birth, but I have heard from women who have had both that they prefered child birth. I am a man, which makes it worse because though we can take a punch or a tackle, when it comes to pain like that, we are wimps. Anyway the ER doc couldn't understand why I was smiling when she told me I had a kidne stone. I have never been so happy to hear that news. I just got out of the hospital a couple of hours ago, and have not yet passed the stone, but I am still counting my blessings that it was not a leak.

scaredoftheunknown
i've had diabetes for the past 20 years. I was on meds and insulin.
when i had the WLS, hospital took me off meds and insulin - told me to see PHP one week after surgery. PHP said to stay off meds till i have a new A1C.
My new number 5.2 -WOW.
no more med or insulin for me.
you may be clear of the diabetes meds too - wonderful feeling.
other health issues may diminish or go away completely i.e. my blood pressure meds. are now gone too
good luck
kathy

Hello all sleevers and pre-sleevers alike. It took me awhile before changing my avatar to a picture of myself but I decided long ago that I would post before and after pictures after one year out. So, here they are.
It has been one of the most incredible years of my life without a doubt. So much has changed, besides the weight. I truly hope that everyone finds their way on their own journey and keeps doing the right thing.
How did I get to goal? I kept doing the right thing.
I don't drink with meals unless I am calorie/carb loading for a race
I eat my Proteins first, then my veggies
I exercise
Sure, I cheat occasionally with a cookie or ice cream, but I do not go overboard. I take time between each bite and chew well. I stop eating AS SOON as I begin to have the *full* feeling.
Also, I do not do the low carb thing. Just the opposite, to be honest. A month post-op, I has such little energy that I talked to my NUT who suggested I increase my carbs. It worked wonders for me. It spurred me into exercise and running. As I expended more energy, I increased my carbs. I did this with veggies. Carrots, Beans ... the good kind, although I do have a fondness for crackers. (not so good)
IMO ... low carb = low energy = low exercise = (s)low weight loss
Increase the first, and you increase the rest
Thanks to all who have shared their hope, strength and encouragement.
MORE pictures in my Gallery

So, I finally broke down today and went shopping for some clothes. Specifically, I was looking for jeans, work pants, undies, and a couple of tops. I've floated through six different Goodwill stores, but hadn't found anything in an 18 I even wanted to try on, much less buy, even at discount prices. So, today I went to the Outlet Mall near my house.
I tried on several pairs of size 18 pants and jeans, but they all fit way too loose in the seat area, although they were comfortable at the waist. Finally, the saleslady suggested that I go down a size to 16s... and they fit. The waist is a hair tight, but they fit perfectly in the butt/thighs. That was the jeans! For work pants, she brought me a 16W and that fit perfectly as well!
So I totally skipped 18's!! Even better, I bought undies in a size 14. I bought 5 pairs because I know this size won't last long and the 14 is a perfect fit. I've always bought one size smaller than my pants in the brand I prefer (Cacique) and it was the right choice today as well!
So, from a 24/26 pre-op to a 16 today. I think I'll happy dance a little bit! Join in, please!!!