joatsaint

Hey, kyrickchick64, Thanks for the link.

Surprisingly, Brussel sprouts do not give me gas anymore. I had two bowels of them yesterday.... no AROMA today. :-P @JustWatchMe sounds good to me Enjoy @@joatsaint hey dude aren't you the one that commented about loving brussel sprouts, but having all that gas?? call me and tell/warn me when you are about to eat them toot, toot, toot kathy

Just completed, C25K - Wk - 06 - Day 02, 04-22-2015 Sometimes It's All About The Grind One more workout down. Only 7 more workouts left to complete the C25K program. [sharedmedia=videos:videos:38]

To get through my bouts of head hunger, I try to access what type of head hunger I'm experiencing. Am I hungry because I'm bored? Low energy? Do I want to eat out of habit? Have I eaten high glycemic carbs in the past few hours that spiked my blood sugar and now it's crashing? Or is Frankensleeve truly empty and hungry? This just lets me track where the hunger is originating and hopefully I can avoid head hunger in the future. I'm trying to train my brain to think Protein (not carbs) when I have head hunger. If I can't find anything to distract me or the hunger is just overwhelming, I eat pure protein - no carbs at all, not even artificial sweeteners. Once I'm full, if I still want carbs, then I allow myself a few bites - 5 to 7 teaspoons. Normally I can't eat that many tsps, and I'm satisfied. Hope this helps.

I guess you could call me "lucky"? Frankensleeve was so intolerant of food for the 1st month that I virtually ate nothing. The 1st 2 weeks, I ate maybe a tablespoon of food per day, drank lots of Crystal Light, and ate sugar free popsicles. Starting week 3, I ate less than 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup per day. And by the end of the month, I was eating 1/2 cup of food per meal (4 or 5 meals/day) - and continued to eat that amount per meal till the 6 month mark. Then things eased up and I was able to eat more kinds of food, but not much more volume.

My general guideline is 75% Protein, 25% carbs - no matter how many calories I'm eating. During my 1st 6 months post-op, I was shooting for 1000 calories or less per day. I was eating so little that every bite had to count and have as much nutrition in it as possible. I stuck with lean protein sources like ground turkey hamburger and chicken. For carbs, most of them came from vegetables - cauliflower, broccoli, yellow squash, black Beans, lentils. I stayed completely away from foods that contained carbs that can be quickly converted to sugar - fruits, processed foods like Pasta, rice and Peanut Butter, breads, candy, sugary drinks...

I had a slow recovery, and it was about 6 months before I felt comfortable taking a normal swallow. For that 1st month post-op, every tiny swallow caused Frankensleeve to gurgle and growl. It was very difficult training myself to not drink during meals, or only sip enough to wet my tongue. Now it's just a habit.

I had to sleep propped up in bed, I rolled up a comforter like a big log and slept propped up. I was able to sleep on my back like that for the 1st 2 weeks, then things started getting better. But it was a month before I could comfortable sleep on either side - I kept feeling a pulling sensation when laying on my side.

My favorite thing since WLS is Brussel sprouts, I can't get enough of them. I buy 1lb frozen bags, put them in my microwave steamer for 12 minutes. Top with a 1tblsp of butter and salt. BOOM! BABY! Or if you're an Emerald fan - BAM!!! :-P

I didn't get any bumps or itching, but I do have 5 or 6 finger tip size red splotches on my chest and neck. They appeared sometime in the 1st year post-op. They aren't painful or itchy, but they won't go away either.

Week 6 Workout 1 is done. I really thought it would be easier than it was. I guess I got too cocky after running 20 minutes non-stop. :-P

I've seen good reviews of a Water called "Hint" which has no artificial sweeteners and has 0 calories. It's sold at Kroger stores, I've not tried it since I'm happy with Crystal Light Lemonade. What is Hint? Hint main web page

Don't forget, in 2 months, you'll be able to drink much more and more often than you can now. And as I lost weight, I didn't have as much insulation to keep me hot. Losing a few inches here and there really does make a difference in how hot you feel. :-P

I've never had problems with my joints, but all the mystery pains I used to get pre-op have disappeared. I used to unexpectedly get firey pains in my feet and the sides of my knees, so painful I'd have to use crutches. They just came out of nowhere and would last for weeks. I think it was some kind of nerve pain. After the 1st year post-op and losing 130lbs, they just went away.

I didn't change my career as a result of WLS. But WLS was part of my overall goal to get a better job in the same field. I hated the place I was working, I knew I was at a dead end and the only way to grow was to find a better job. But, at 375lbs, I felt trapped at my workplace - who was going to hire such a morbidly obese person, who couldn't even get up off the floor without a chair for assistance? So I used my frustration with my career as fuel for my weight loss. It helped me commit to the surgery and kept me committed to exercise and diet post-surgery. Every time I felt like quitting, I'd ask myself if I wanted to still be where I was in a years time. And the answer was always "No!"

I didn't bring anything but my CPAP machine to the hospital. But I wish I had brought my pillow. If you bring a pillow, be sure to cover it with a bright case - to make it easy to spot and pack when you leave. I was driving after 7 days. And was back at work on day 11. Things were pretty much back to normal, except I wasn't eating thousands of calories a day anymore! :-P So you should be able to attend a movie pretty soon after surgery, but I wouldn't want to go, I would have been tempted to eat popcorn. As far as crafting goes, I wouldn't want to be refinishing a table or wood working, but anything that can be done sitting, should be easy to take on.

I don't know about the difference in pain levels, but I was off for 10 days. I have a desk job, so the transition back to work was not a difficult one. But I do know that I wouldn't have wanted to lift anything heavy for that 1st month. I wore the elastic stomach support under my clothes every day that 1st month, just for extra insurance. I wanted to be very very careful and give myself time to heal.

My taste buds changed after surgery. I think it was caused by having to stay away from processed foods for a month! :-P My taste buds were detoxed and I didn't like fast food or most processed foods anymore. Now I enjoy the flavors of vegetables and fruits, AND dislike most hamburgers and fast foods from places like McDonalds. Home cooked burgers taste sooooo much better than ones from a restaurant. I count it as an unexpected benefit from WLS.

Sorry, but the free download is over. I just checked the link and the price is back.

You are right, I was still pretty fatigued when I made that post. A complete lap around my block is actually 1/2 mile.

Thanks jess, I really thought a sub 10 min mile was the norm. I never gave it a second thought. I've never researched the average jogger's speed and really felt like I was going at a snails pace. My only goal was to finish the 20 minutes, up until today, I've never tried to measure distance. Wow! A 10 minute mile is AMAZING! Took me like a year to get to that speed!

Week 5 Day 3 complete! I really am surprised that I was actually able to run non-stop for 20 minutes. This time, I ran completely around my block, instead of just on the part in front of my house. I know that 1 block is 1/4 mile and I did 4 complete laps in 20 minutes. So not only did I complete the 20 minute jog, I know the distance was 2 miles as well. *** Does Happy Dance *** I'm still living with my old pre-op mindset that KNEW I couldn't run more than a few feet before hyperventilating. Maybe when I cross the finish line of my 1st official 5K, I'll believe that I CAN do it. :-)

Free for a limited time, the 2 Kindle book set of the 5:2 diet plan, plus recipes and a 2nd cook book filled with Pressure Cooker recipes. I haven't read either yet, wanted to post this ASAP, before it goes away. :-P 5:2 Diet Box Set: 25 Amazing and Easy to Prepare 5:2 Diet Recipes and Appetizing Pressure Cooker Meal Recipes for You and Your Family (5:2 Diet Box Set, ... for beginners, pressure cooker recipes) [Kindle Edition] http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W848JEU/?tag=slickdeals&ascsubtag=755ac7c128d44e5882cb1bf5baa74e48

I don't think I went to the bathroom for the 1st week following surgery. I wasn't eating anything substantial and I hadn't eaten since the night before surgery. If you're like me, then your system is used to handling thousands of calories a day and there's plenty of room in your intestines. Since I wasn't taking in anything but liquids for days and days, there just wasn't anything to come out the other end. :-P

Chicken was the toughest meat for me to readjust to, beef comes in a close second. Turkey hamburger was the easiest meat to add back into my diet. To this day, beef fills me up very quickly and sticks with me the longest.