joatsaint

Thanks for the update. I at 9 weeks myself, but haven't lost as much as you. Could you list some of the things you do that you think help with such incredible weight loss? Diet, exercise, fighting with your husband? Men On Film say, "You deserve two snaps up in a "Z" formation - with sparkles!"

I felt the same way pre-surgery. I was gonna let them cut out 85% of my stomach????????!!!!!!!!! I even chickened out on my 1st attempt to see the bariatric doctor, but I couldn't see a better future without the surgery, so I pushed on through with the appointment the next month. After they do the leak test post-surgery, you should not bee concerned about leaks, unless you don't follow the post-op guidelines your doc will give you. I was told the at 6 weeks the stomach is fully healed. You will be instructed to take Multivitamins, Iron, Calcium and B12, but with the sleeve, you do not have the same chance of Vitamin deficiency from food malabsorpiton as with RNY - gastric bypass surgery. By 6 weeks, I was back to eating almost anything I wanted, just less of it. So, I am able to get most of my Vitamins from food - as long as I eat healthy. I strive for my meals to be 1/2 Protein, 1/4 vegetables, 1/4 starches. I take 1 multivitain and sublingual B12 in the mornings and 500 mg of calcium citrate in the evening. Nothing to it, if I miss a day, it's no big deal. Pre-op, I've gone as long as 5 days, eating nothing and drinking only coffee and Crystal Light, and experienced no side effects. It takes a while for a deficiency to happen.

Can I get an AMEN! For the longest time I was astounded when my thin friend would throw away food. I knew that any leftover food I had would get eaten sooner or later. But after the sleeve, I found myself throwing away a new pkg of Golden Oreos someone had given me. I had eaten 1 or 2 and knew I didn't want the rest. That was a really good feeling, tossing them in the trash after finding no one that would take them off my hands. The bad part was later, one of my co-workers found them in the trash and couldn't believe some threw a whole pkg away and took them. Since they were a gift, I was afraid it would get back to the gifter that I had thrown them away. Luckily, I wasn't found out.

I have been eating almost the same thing for every meal. Finely shredded chicken, taco mix, salsa, refried Beans and cheese. Here's the recipe: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/blog/2115/entry-5538-my-favorite-mexican-food/

I would stop drinking the Gatorade and tomato juice. I know that acid from tomato juice is can irritate the stomach. At 8 weeks, I still can't handle Gatorade, something to do with the sweeteners they use. I could only drink Crystal Light lemonade the 1st week, without stomach gas or painful grumblings. I was able to drink bottles of the the premixed EAS carb control chocolate I got at Wal-Mart. I really didn't eat anything else the 1st 7 days. I was in a lot of discomfort the whole time and didn't want anything to eat.

Congrats on having such a great journey. I'm hoping to report the same success when I reach my 8 month mark. Keep pimpin that sleeve!

I have found that bacon grease is the best liquid. And go ahead and toss in the bacon too!

Don't you mean "Oh shart!"

You can't trust them, especially the silent but deadly "one cheek sneak"!

Good to see we're all coming together as a team with a common enemy. Just remember, there is no "I" in team, but there is a "me". And once again, it's all about me. joatsaint - for the win!

Yep, I can see a big difference. But you're developing a bit of an accent.

That's good to know, cause when I become a zombie, I don't want to be a fat zombie! I'd hate to be sleeved and a zombie AND can't lose weight! But brains are a last resort - I can haz cheesburger?

And as we all know, glasses add 10 lbs, unless you wear those new ones with the helium filled frames. When I go into the doctor for post op weigh-ins, they ask me if I want to take my shoes off. I say no, but I do leave my cell phone in the car. That thing is heavy!

What she said! If the weight doesn't return in 2 days, I count it. A loss is a loss.

I would consider that a NSV!

I can always rely on you guys to make me feel soooooooooooooo much better about myself. And I don't count it because it's only temporary. I'll have another torpedo in the tube by the next day.

And she tried to eat my braaaaiiiinnnn!

If you have to tell them something, you can always just say your doctor is treating your for stomach problems and leave it at that. My aunt had gastric surgery for cancer, so there are lots of reasons for stomach surgery.

Is anyone as crazy as me? I jump on the scale pre and post poop to see the difference. It doesn't count on my "official" weight loss chart or anything. Or am I just being too OCD?

You for got the ZOMBIES! No thread is complete without a good zombie reference. And no thread is complete without a reference to: MAMA, TRAINS, TRUCKS, PRISON, AND GETTING’ DRUNK

I was back at work by week 2. I was tired and lethargic, but no pain or anything.

I believe you are just experiencing the post-op "Whoosh!" most people get when starting a low cal diet. I lost 10 lbs in the pre-op diet (7 days) and then another 11 in the week post-surgery. I'm sure things will slow down a little for you as you eat more food in the coming days.

I guess the only advice I can give is to tell you to try and figure out where your hunger is coming from. In my case, it wasn't emotional eating or stress eating. And it wasn't cravings for junk food or fast food. I was eating very big meals of healthy foods - baked chicken, pork loin, vegetables. I'd eat 2 or 3 times what a normal person eats. And I would get hungry about every 2 hours, no matter how much I had eaten at the last meal. It wasn't until I learned about the hormone ghrelin, that I realized where my hunger was coming from. With a smaller stomach, I produce less ghrelin and no longer have that nagging hunger sensation. If I were eating because of other issues, I would have to overcome them before the sleeve would have worked for me. So where does your hunger come from?

Oh, that's just wrong on so many levels! Your sick. I love that about you. :wub: P.S. Would a sudden rise in the zombie population count as an apocalypse?