filodough

Wow!!!! 100 pounds in five months. Do the happy dance chicca! (plus it counts as Cardio) Congratulations. you should be VERY, VERY, VERY proud of yourself.

I have darker skin, so I don't know if I will be of help. I had surgery a little over two weeks ago, and I have the five incisions. Two of them are still healing and have the 'gauzy sticky' stuff over them, but the other three are healing really well. Once all five have healed, I plan on using a scar- healer (like mederma, but probably not mederma itself), and palmers moisturizer which is skin firming and heals scars quicker (it is labelled for after-pregnancy and weight loss).

I got my period 2nd week after surgery, on time, but not the typical 'amounts'.

Hey Lan2K. Just an update- I left my psyc a message today to follow up on the Remeron side effects. I was reading online ona few boards that say the side effects subside after 3 weeks. I just want to confirm with him that that is the case. as for the sleepiness, it is challenging waking up early in the morning. Today I woke up at 10 a.m. Once I was awake, I was not groggy or tired, but it took some effort waking up. I was never a morning person, but this is a bit challenging. I am hoping that this wears off soon.

For all you lightweights who have lost the weight- has the skin sagging been a big problem? Are there any preventative measures you took?

I am also only two weeks in, but I also think it might be the carbs in the saltines. From what I have been reading most people maximize the honeymood period by reducing the carbs and upping the protein. I am still on mushies but my plan is to try and get the 70-80 grams of protein everyday, and keep my carbs to under 35 grams (my nuts instructions), and sugar to a maximum of 15 grams a day.

I got switched to Remeron (Mirtazipine) after not having a lot of luck with Prozac. So far it is working OK. I am taking 15 mg. The only challenge has been that my cravings for sugar are over the top, and I can fall asleep at the drop of a button. (and sleep for really long time) My understanding is that the 30 mg dosage makes these side effects fade away. I don't understand how, but I read it at a different forum. I have only recently been diagnosed with depression, and have only recently started taking medication, so I am not sure how I am meant to feel if I am at my 100% best. I certainly feel better, but the sleepiness is not something I look forward to having forever.

I tried Eggface's recipe for a Ricotta/Parmesan/Mozzarella bake with sauce that you can have during the mushies. I made only 1/4 of the serving, and still did not finish it. It was delish!!! Then I painstakingly put each ingredient in myfitnesspal log. (It was 5 ingredients- so not too bad). I love her website, but I wish she would include nutritional info. p.s Midwestern Girl- the CRAB sounds delish!!

I feel the same thing too. Although it is not gruesome pain, there is definately some discomfort. looking forward to getting people's thoughts on this.

Adding 'Loser' to the list of folks getting surgery today. Sending good vibes to all of you :thumbup:

After hearing all the traumatic experiences that other members of the VSG forum have had with their gall bladders- I feel really horrid for using the condition as my back-up story. I really need to put thought into how I can embrace my truth and be able to tell people about my surgery without lying.

Tiffykins, I am sooooo sorry to hear about the complications. I hope that you will be out of pain soon. I will say a special prayer for you :thumbup: (and I am so glad your husband will be around)

That sounds really yummy. Will try that when I get off my mushies stage. p.s. don't you love crock pots.

So my BMI is now 29.8 which puts me in the overweight and not obese category. Yeay for me. In other news 1. I ate runny eggs (well, less than half an egg), and it was soooo darn yummy! 2. I love sugar free popsicles 3. Goodbye 180's. 4. I am trying to figure out what to do on my birthday- since 'a nice restaurant' might be a waste. (Will be my first week of a full menu- so I think a 1/4 cup of food will be weird if I go to a fancy restaurant)

We decided that the financing process was getting really brutal, and gave up on the house. We are going to have to love the one we are in (LOL!) And do some renovating instead. As much as I wanted to new house- more space, I feel a little relieved from making a decision to let it go. The universe must have been sending us a message since we were hitting so many walls. And now I need to start figuring out some more coping strategies for other stressful times like this.

Lauramomof3- I had forgotten about the 'nothing to drink' part. That is going to be a toughie. Deedee, I really hope it gets easier to dine out and not explain. More than that, I really hope that I start enjoying the company and everything else while dining and not only focus on the food. Esp. since that has always been 'my thing'.

TIffykins- arrrgghh... what a bummer. I will say a prayer for you, and hope you find relief from the gall stones.

I confess that I have been weighing every day. I know everyone says don't do that, but I am on week 2, and it is tough to stay away. The scale has not moved every single day and it can be a little discouraging. As the weeks go by, I think I will eventually move to only weighing myself once a week.

Coco, Dr Alvarez will give you some pain meds to take with you on your way home. I carried some liquid Tylenol but did not need it. Used the Supradol (pain meds) instead, and they worked great. Good luck everyone, and keep us updated.

Last Sunday was my first meal outside home. After getting Pedicures, my friend and I went to Whole Foods for dinner. I had some tomato basil soup. It was delish, but I made it through very little of it. It was yummy even then. Today I had a closing with a client. They were so happy about their house, and wanted to treat me to dinner. And since I am also reputed as a foodie, they asked for my suggestion on where to go. I had to think FAST!!! Did not want to out myself, and tell them about my surgery (even though they have also become friends in the process of finding them a home)- but I am on full liquids. After some quick thinking, I suggested a Vietnamese place for Pho. I ordered a kiddie pho (yes, I swear even without surgery it is a huge serving), and I drank the broth mostly. I did put in a little bit of sriracha sauce and the tamarind sauce. It was so good. But no beef and no noodles or chunks of Thai Basil. It was still really good, and really filling, and now I just have to learn how to dine without being ENGULFED in the food. I did however use my back-up excuse, and told them I was on a strict diet for my gall bladder. They went for it, and wished me luck. I felt a little bit bad, but I just don't want to have to go through explanations as to why I had surgery- so the Gallbladder story is my story, and I am sticking to it! First victory. p.s. Its TOM- so I did venture back to the 180s for a second (180.2 on Thursday), but today I went back to 178.8 on Friday. Maybe I can hit the 160s before my birthday, in two weeks- might be a toughie :001_tt2:

Ahhhh..... I thought I was the only person who was initially worried about this. I did have two flights to get home totaling 7 hours. I asked my surgeon about it especially since I was really tired, and did not know how much walking I was going to do. He said that I had been getting some kind of anti-coagulant through my IV. He advised me to try and get up and walk to them bathroom at least once on the flight (which I needed to especially with the liquid that I was sipping). I hope this was helpful.

I had a difficult time ordering it on Amazon. It is a little bit tough to find. My therapist actually recommended the book. I will let you know once I get mind, and read it.

I am only two weeks in, but might I suggest high-calorie foods that are good for you like nuts. They are fairly convenient (no prep), high calories, protein, but good calories and fats.

Another vote for myfitnesspal. I used all the rest before, this one is so much easier, and has an iPhone App as well if you do get one.

I did myfitness pal track today, and these were my numbers. Protein Bullet- 180 cals Muscle Milk light- 100 cals healthy choice lentil Soup (liquidated and sieved)- 300 cals 2 Jello free puddings- 120 cals Total 700 Calories. Is this a lot for the full liquid stage. I had the same can of soup a few times today (just kept getting hungry all day). Am I only meant to have exactly 3 meals? What are your thoughts?