JerseyCityGal

I felt very weak for about 10 days after surgery and then I felt pretty good.
I was so excited and grateful about having had the surgery that everything else was inconsequential once the room stopped spinning, lol. I have been so damn happy since I was sleeved it isn't funny.

With any surgery comes risks.
As far as your father's comments about you two having the same genes and having the same complications .... well, he is way off base. Your DNA can make you more predisposed to certain risks. For instance, if both you and your mother shared the version A or G of gene ANKK1 marker rs1800497 on chromosome 11, you would both be 1.67 times more likely to experience post-operative nausea and vomiting within 6 hours after surgery if it appears at both copies, i.e. AA or GG.
While you would have inherited half your DNA from your mother, but the mix is random. Your siblings do not get the exact same 50% you did (except an identical twin). You also get half from your father. You would need to inherit both copies, one from each of your parents to get the small elevated risk of post-operative risk of vomiting I described above. And just because you vomited doesn't mean you have this. You could have just vomited. And you can have both copies and never, ever vomit after anesthesia.
If genetics were the way your father described, we would all be exactly alike, inside and out. It's nothing like that. While it is true that certain conditions are inherited (as are traits such as eye color), and genetic disorders are a very real thing, there is simply no such thing as having complications because you are someone's daughter.
He's not giving you misinformation because he doesn't love you. He's doing it because he is afraid and doesn't know any better.
You live in your body; not your mother and not your father. Only you can know in your heart if you can pull off the lifestyle changes that are necessary. If you can, go for it.

You know what - they are happy and excited for you. This leads to them sometimes being a little bit inappropriate.
A couple of weeks ago I walked into a restaurant I hadn't been in since before being sleeved this summer. The owner greeted me with a really loud "OH MY GOD! WHERE'S THE REST OF YOU???" I swear half the place turned around. I started laughing and told him "She's in the car." "HOW MUCH WEIGHT HAVE YOU LOST????" "Close to 100 lbs." (ok, so it's 91 lbs but everyone was looking, lol) Then he did the whole "You look fantastic" etc thing. You would have thought he won something.
A couple of people stopped by my table on their way out and did the who congrats thing and asked me how I did it. I was honest. I was very private about my surgery in general, but the way I look at it - I'm now an Ambassador for the Gastric Sleeve when it comes up. I gave them a quick synopsis of what the sleeve does and does not do for you, and how it has allowed me to get my eating under control. Maybe those people are going to tell a friend who needs the surgery how she met this lady who had the surgery or be supportive instead of negative when someone they know is considering the surgery.
I didn't give a flying fig about anyone's approval or opinion before I got the surgery so I only told people on a need to know basis (closest relative, closest friend, next door neighbor in case of emergency, single most trusted co-worker in case something happened to me at work), but I'm not ashamed to let people know what it did for me in the hopes that it will allow them to be open to supporting someone in their life or to not be afraid to make this choice for their own life.

With any surgery comes risks.
As far as your father's comments about you two having the same genes and having the same complications .... well, he is way off base. Your DNA can make you more predisposed to certain risks. For instance, if both you and your mother shared the version A or G of gene ANKK1 marker rs1800497 on chromosome 11, you would both be 1.67 times more likely to experience post-operative nausea and vomiting within 6 hours after surgery if it appears at both copies, i.e. AA or GG.
While you would have inherited half your DNA from your mother, but the mix is random. Your siblings do not get the exact same 50% you did (except an identical twin). You also get half from your father. You would need to inherit both copies, one from each of your parents to get the small elevated risk of post-operative risk of vomiting I described above. And just because you vomited doesn't mean you have this. You could have just vomited. And you can have both copies and never, ever vomit after anesthesia.
If genetics were the way your father described, we would all be exactly alike, inside and out. It's nothing like that. While it is true that certain conditions are inherited (as are traits such as eye color), and genetic disorders are a very real thing, there is simply no such thing as having complications because you are someone's daughter.
He's not giving you misinformation because he doesn't love you. He's doing it because he is afraid and doesn't know any better.
You live in your body; not your mother and not your father. Only you can know in your heart if you can pull off the lifestyle changes that are necessary. If you can, go for it.

I hit my surgeon's goal for me at 6 months out and I plan on hitting my personal goal at 1 year out.
I know me, and that means logging and measuring are things I will need to do every day for the rest of my life. I function better that way. Freestyle just does not work for me.

You know what - they are happy and excited for you. This leads to them sometimes being a little bit inappropriate.
A couple of weeks ago I walked into a restaurant I hadn't been in since before being sleeved this summer. The owner greeted me with a really loud "OH MY GOD! WHERE'S THE REST OF YOU???" I swear half the place turned around. I started laughing and told him "She's in the car." "HOW MUCH WEIGHT HAVE YOU LOST????" "Close to 100 lbs." (ok, so it's 91 lbs but everyone was looking, lol) Then he did the whole "You look fantastic" etc thing. You would have thought he won something.
A couple of people stopped by my table on their way out and did the who congrats thing and asked me how I did it. I was honest. I was very private about my surgery in general, but the way I look at it - I'm now an Ambassador for the Gastric Sleeve when it comes up. I gave them a quick synopsis of what the sleeve does and does not do for you, and how it has allowed me to get my eating under control. Maybe those people are going to tell a friend who needs the surgery how she met this lady who had the surgery or be supportive instead of negative when someone they know is considering the surgery.
I didn't give a flying fig about anyone's approval or opinion before I got the surgery so I only told people on a need to know basis (closest relative, closest friend, next door neighbor in case of emergency, single most trusted co-worker in case something happened to me at work), but I'm not ashamed to let people know what it did for me in the hopes that it will allow them to be open to supporting someone in their life or to not be afraid to make this choice for their own life.

8 months out. I like to order a drink when I go out, but I can only handle several sips.
I wasn't a big drinker pre-surgery, but my alcohol tolerance has lessened post-surgery.

I keep my carbs at 50 or less on most days.
You can eat a lot of fruit and veggies and still be low carb. You just have to make good choices. An entire eggplant (about 1 lb) has about 10 carbs and 110 calories.

You are doing the right thing. The first couple of months are the best. You melt like a snowman in July.

You are doing the right thing. The first couple of months are the best. You melt like a snowman in July.

Hi,
Maybe you don't realize this, but you posted the exact same thing 6 times. You can delete the others.
Start by reading all posts in all the forums. People discuss what their challenges are on a daily basis.
If you are determined and follow the plan you will succeed.

You are doing the right thing. The first couple of months are the best. You melt like a snowman in July.

I hit my surgeon's goal for me at 6 months out and I plan on hitting my personal goal at 1 year out.
I know me, and that means logging and measuring are things I will need to do every day for the rest of my life. I function better that way. Freestyle just does not work for me.

I hit my surgeon's goal for me at 6 months out and I plan on hitting my personal goal at 1 year out.
I know me, and that means logging and measuring are things I will need to do every day for the rest of my life. I function better that way. Freestyle just does not work for me.

With any surgery comes risks.
As far as your father's comments about you two having the same genes and having the same complications .... well, he is way off base. Your DNA can make you more predisposed to certain risks. For instance, if both you and your mother shared the version A or G of gene ANKK1 marker rs1800497 on chromosome 11, you would both be 1.67 times more likely to experience post-operative nausea and vomiting within 6 hours after surgery if it appears at both copies, i.e. AA or GG.
While you would have inherited half your DNA from your mother, but the mix is random. Your siblings do not get the exact same 50% you did (except an identical twin). You also get half from your father. You would need to inherit both copies, one from each of your parents to get the small elevated risk of post-operative risk of vomiting I described above. And just because you vomited doesn't mean you have this. You could have just vomited. And you can have both copies and never, ever vomit after anesthesia.
If genetics were the way your father described, we would all be exactly alike, inside and out. It's nothing like that. While it is true that certain conditions are inherited (as are traits such as eye color), and genetic disorders are a very real thing, there is simply no such thing as having complications because you are someone's daughter.
He's not giving you misinformation because he doesn't love you. He's doing it because he is afraid and doesn't know any better.
You live in your body; not your mother and not your father. Only you can know in your heart if you can pull off the lifestyle changes that are necessary. If you can, go for it.

Until your mindset has changed to,"I'm getting this done for me and come what may, I will not regret it."...I recommend that you: Learn more about the disease obesity, Learn more about the surgery, and most importantly Learn more about yourself...
I've seen too many mentally unprepared people on this site who express regret at the first issue that arises...

You know what - they are happy and excited for you. This leads to them sometimes being a little bit inappropriate.
A couple of weeks ago I walked into a restaurant I hadn't been in since before being sleeved this summer. The owner greeted me with a really loud "OH MY GOD! WHERE'S THE REST OF YOU???" I swear half the place turned around. I started laughing and told him "She's in the car." "HOW MUCH WEIGHT HAVE YOU LOST????" "Close to 100 lbs." (ok, so it's 91 lbs but everyone was looking, lol) Then he did the whole "You look fantastic" etc thing. You would have thought he won something.
A couple of people stopped by my table on their way out and did the who congrats thing and asked me how I did it. I was honest. I was very private about my surgery in general, but the way I look at it - I'm now an Ambassador for the Gastric Sleeve when it comes up. I gave them a quick synopsis of what the sleeve does and does not do for you, and how it has allowed me to get my eating under control. Maybe those people are going to tell a friend who needs the surgery how she met this lady who had the surgery or be supportive instead of negative when someone they know is considering the surgery.
I didn't give a flying fig about anyone's approval or opinion before I got the surgery so I only told people on a need to know basis (closest relative, closest friend, next door neighbor in case of emergency, single most trusted co-worker in case something happened to me at work), but I'm not ashamed to let people know what it did for me in the hopes that it will allow them to be open to supporting someone in their life or to not be afraid to make this choice for their own life.

Natrol makes a strawberry chewable/dissolving Biotin. I'm like a 5 year old when it comes to Vitamins and pills. I want fruit flavors and dinosaur shapes if at all possible, lol.
I go out to eat all the time. It's not a problem. I have a stomach the size of toddler. Does that stop toddlers from going out to eat? Nooooooo. They are everywhere you look. Are they all worked up because they can't eat a mountain of food? Nooooooo. None of them are feeling deprived. They're happy. You will be too.
I get 3 full meals from an entree, a little less if I share with my pets when I get home. No one gives a damn if you clean your plate or not. It's all about the fun, going to a nice place and having good food. You can make good food choices from any menu. I very rarely drank before surgery and I found my alcohol tolerance has lessened, but every once in a while I will order a drink before dinner and have a few sips because I want to. Four or five sips of wine or a Cosmo while waiting for the food doesn't affect the food volume for me.
I don't make an issue over what or how much or what I am eating and no one really notices. Of course my weight loss is really noticeable, but I have been talking about things like "the gym" and "watching what I eat" in general so the comments I do get are encouraging and playful in nature.

Not getting Protein in for two weeks won't kill you.
I lived on strained Amy's no-chicken noodle Soup, vegetarian vegetable broth with a dash of A-1 sauce for flavor and Water with cranberry juice added for the first week. The second week I added Amy's Tomato Bisque, hummus and guacamole - just a teaspoon here and there. By the third week I was eating really soft foods and even though it wasn't in my surgeon's official plan, he was ok with it. I got to skip pureed with his blessing. He made it really clear what I could and could not do, what was myth and what was fact as far as stretching and staples went, and I was fine.

My surgeon told me that my job for the first two weeks was just to keep myself hydrated with Clear liquids. She said not to worry about Protein during those two weeks. Your body can go something like 21 days before becoming malnourished. However, you can quickly become dehydrated within a few days.

Not sure who's yelling at who. Those who get their knickers in a knot ... yawn. Skip what you don't like and carry on.
Anyway, back to the topic ...
I, too, was in NOLA last week. Good times.
I am addicted to My Fitness Pal. But even MFP doesn't have calories for a few dishes I sampled last week in amazing restaurants (!!!). So for the first time in 5-1/2 months I couldn't fill out MFP meals on a couple of days.
However, I did pretty much what @@CowgirlJane and others suggested -- I ate Protein first, ate very small amounts of luscious amounts of things I knew I could never find on MFP, and did not overdrink. And I even had a beignet and cafe' au lait at Cafe du Monde. BTW, a Cafe du Monde beignet actually is listed in MFP. I think it's only 175 calories.
Oh ... and this morning (Monday morning) when I did my weekly weigh-in I had lost 1.8 pounds last week. Huzzah!
I also did a LOT of walking all over town, including Audubon Park. That's the great thing about active vacations -- you can get a lot of exercise in. And just because it's there doesn't mean you have to eat it. Or overeat it.
No sure the above means I'm a self-righteous dieting Nazi or someone who sinned with beignets.
LOL!

I weigh myself every single morning and log it in. It helps keep me on track.
Too many people are afraid of their scale. They aren't afraid of looking at their speedometer to see how fast they are going or their gas gauge to see how much fuel they have left, but the thought of a scale gets them all upset. It's just a tool that tells you where you are at. It relays a factual piece of information. That's all. It doesn't shoot death rays.

This happens to be true.
Your body expends energy/calories when it warms the ice Water up to body temperature in order to digest it.

I'll get real with you too ... and believe me, I'm being realistic, not mean.
PCOS makes it much harder to lose weight, but not impossible. I lost 70 lbs at one point through diet and exercise. It can be done. I went through early menopause so my symptoms are pretty much nonexistent now, but women with PCOS can lose weight. It's harder and slower than the average person, but I did it and I didn't have superpowers. Don't use PCOS as your catch-all excuse. Lots of women with PCOS have the surgery.
I've been a vegetarian for 30+ years and I have to tell you, as far as weight loss and real nutrition, your diet is crap. Bagel with butter? Skipping a meal? Chickpeas (btw, I love them) have 45 carbs in a cup and close to 300 calories. 1/4 cup of feta is loaded with sodium. A cup of quinoa has 39 carbs. Where's the Protein? You think you are eating a lot healthier than you are.
You're not in "great health". You're 5' 4" and almost 300 lbs. You are a morbidly obese woman who is used to walking. Not having a heart attack at this very moment doesn't mean you are in "great health". What you are is someone whose body hasn't started showing the signs of breaking down yet. The key phrase is started showing. It's breaking down. You can walk? Great. We're SUPPOSED to be able to walk without effort. You're not getting the Gold Star of Health because you can still walk and you don't have obesity hypoventilation syndrome ... yet.
I weighed 268 and was 52 when I decided to look into surgery, and I could actually sprint, touch my toes, run up the subway stairs, walk for miles, you name it. I also had a family history of people dying in their 40's and 50's, and if they made it to 60, it wasn't for long. I really didn't want to die. That was the tipping point for me. I was in my genetic "dead zone". I was 53 when I had the surgery, and I'm 54 now. I'm confident I'll live to see 74.
Have you seen any 5' 4" 300 lb women in their 70's and 80's walking around? No. Do you know why that is? It's because there are aren't any. They are all dead.
If you aren't ready for surgery or just plain don't want it, there is nothing wrong with that. It's not for everyone. If you want making it up the stairs to your house to be your personal best, go for it (and I'm not being sarcastic). Sometimes people are happy with the way things are and don't adapt well to change. I had this sort-of uncle who lived in his mother's basement his entire adult life. He had a pool table, a full bar, a dart board, state of the art (for the 1960's) stereo, color tv (a big deal back then), fridge, some type of velour sofa and a bed. The only time he would leave was to buy beer and Slim Jims. He was truly happy. His whole life was spent in that basement. He loved being down there until the day he died.
I personally am so grateful for my surgery. Every day I wake up and think about what I was this time last year. I ate clean before, but now proper nutrition is a priority. So is exercise and making the best possible choices for me at all times. What I put in my mouth, what I do with my time, what I will accept from myself. My personal standards for myself and my goals are a thousand times higher and it really shows.
Is there something you are afraid of? There are some downsides (like sagging skin), but it's small potatoes compared to all the health and personal benefits. I don't pray to not die in my sleep every night before I go to bed any more. I'm not jonesing for Bagels any more. I get excited about working out. When stuff happens, I have to deal with it instead of eat. The happy switch has been turned on for me. I wish I had done this years ago.

This happens to be true.
Your body expends energy/calories when it warms the ice Water up to body temperature in order to digest it.