Maddie

One week out is way too soon to try course veggies and salsa. You have to give your new tummy time to heal and to prevent leaks. It is very important to follow the guidelines your surgeon gave you. Be careful and don't push. The liquids and mushies will be over before you know it.

My granddaughter walked up and hugged me around the waist, and said "Nana, look, my arms go all the way around you now"! It was a first and it felt so good that a 6 yr old would even notice the change. I smiled all day long.

Check you out! You look great. I am very happy for you.

Tiff, thanks so much for this post. It's so easy to get distracted from the real progress we are making day to day. This reminder really helped me, so again, thanks!

You are such a lovely woman to start with, but now you look stunning. I'm so very happy for you.

WOW, you look great. Keep up the good work.

Angie, you look fantastic. You will get to goal, just hang in there.

Great ideas Dave. Sounds like good advice for you Lisa.

I wish I had an answer for you. :thumbup: I'm glad you got your blood work done and are seeing the doc soon. Wishing you the best.

I feel pretty doggone good! I am off all of my blood pressure meds, I'm off my CPAP and hubby says I never snore anymore. So, I sleep better and wake up more rested. I am getting back into shape for the first time in years as losing the weight has eased the pain in my back due to 4 herniated discs. I ride my bike a mile 3 times a week, walk and swim. But, the best part of all...I can play with my grandkids again on the floor and in the pool. How much better could it get? Thanks for asking.

OMG, your tummy looks so good. Hubbie took pics of min cuz it looked so bad! LOL It would scare people away.

You may want to consider cutting the carbs. In one day you had, bread, crackers, fruit twice, oatmeal, either a tortilla or Pasta. That's a lot of carbs!

I didn't have a drain, but i did have to give myself Heparin shots twice a day for 30 days.

Tiff, those are precious!

Have you been taking a blood thinner since surgery?

I have always been camera shy due to my weight, but I know the before and afters of others really inspired me. Thank you so much.

Discussed my 3 month blood work with my doc and my total cholesterol was 243 before surgery, now it's 208, which is only 8 pts above normal.

thank you Miss Lili, I appreciate that.

WOW, you are really doing great. Keep up the good work.

Carrie, I have read all of your threads. Everything I am about to say is meant in the kindest way. Seriously, at this point it doesn't matter if you wanted the surgery or not. Your focus need to be on: - getting healthy - finding a way to deal with your emotions so you can deal with day to day life - making sure your home is a safe and loving environment You need to do these things for you but, most importantly for your children. Best of luck.

Like Daisey said, during rapid weight loss, if you don't take in enough protein, you will lose muscle instead of fat. Not to mention your chance for hair loss goes up.

I use Stevia and I like it. The stomach needs time to heal before adding fruits and veggies. When I got to mushies, I cooked easily digested veggies to death, lol. Refried Beans are very high in Protein and go down easily. Also easy on the tummy were, eggplant and zucchini (peeled). Just remember that 75% of each meal should be protein. Be careful with fruit juices as many are highly acidic and hard on your stomach. Silk has unsweetened almond milk which is really good.

Good question. I wish I had asked it, LOL. Rapid weight loss can cause gallstones. I wish I had know that there was a medication that helps prevent them. I wasn't on that medication and I developed gallstones, had gallbladder attacks and had my gallbladder removed 7 weeks after my sleeve. I knew, but didn't fully understand that you can't compare your progress with others. It's hard not to do, but everyone heals at different rates, lose at different rates, etc. But, if you you work your sleeve, you sleeve will work for you! Focus on yourself and you will do fine. I wish I had ordered samples of chewable Vitamins and Protein powders instead of buying them without trying. I wasted a lot of money. The best thing you can do is read all you can and educate yourself. Continue to ask questions so that you are well prepared for all possibilities. Oh, and welcome!

Leaks aren't common that far out but not unheard of. Your stomach is located in the area you describe, are you having an other symptoms? Is it soon after meals or after you take medications? Ulcers can cause stabbing pains (I speak from experience). Is it when you move a certain way...it's a little late for it, but could be adhesions. It could be several things, but if it persists, you should really consult your surgeon or go to the ER. I hope it goes away and that you feel better soon. Best of luck.