BonnieJuneE

At 4 weeks out I was only getting between 400-500 calories a day. Over the last 2 weeks I have been able to bump it up to between 500-650 Calories on a really good day. I just finished making a YouTube video talking about all of the thing I was doing weeks 1-6 including what I was eating/drinking. Hope This Helps

I just finished making a YouTube video talking about all of the thing I was doing weeks 1-6 including what I was eating/drinking. Hope This Helps

Aww Thank you so much for the kind words. So many others have been inspirations to me and hearing that I can do the same for people is wonderful. I actually just made my 3rd YouTube video and talked about mushies quite a bit. I had left out so many things in my first 2 videos and figured Id go more into detail about all that I was eating. I know EXACTLY what you mean about things sounding gross and trust me it will pass. I promise. Even though things sounded gross I had to just keep telling myself that I needed the nutrition and since it could be tolerated I had to eat. THanks again for the kind words and I hope my videos help. (Please leave any feedback or questions so I can answer them in my next video?)

It was a really hard decision to start doing the videos because I knew I was opening myself up to criticism. However I have found everyone to be so supportive going through this process so I'm hoping the positive feedback outweighs the negative in the long run. Im just hoping that I actually get some kind of response...Even if I don't I will continue to do them because I too want to be accountable and see the changes over time but some reassurance is always nice too.

Well... I decided to take the plunge and just go for it... I just finished recording and uploading my first EVER YouTube videos!! I decided not to get dolled up or even fix my hair for that matter... I figure I'd go for the "just rolled out of bed look"...So then they can only get better.. Right? In the future I want to be more structured and not jump around so much but hey... I gave it a shot! Hopefully people ask me questions on there (or here).. That will make it so much easier for me to know what to talk about for next time. Just figured I'd throw this out there and see if anyone is interested in watching or subscribing. Pleaseeee leave me feedback even if it is somewhat negative... I just want to help others and at this point dont really know how exactly to go about that with out rambling.. Check it Out?

It was great meeting you today. Keep up the great work! :-) There really is a huge difference!

Hey there Virginia! Congrats on your sleeve. I never experienced any gas pain in my stomach so I am not sure if trying to force a burp is a good idea or not...Maybe try the gas ex strips. I burped on occasion but never felt gas pain or pressure any where but under my shoulder blades. As for my first weeks home... they truly were uneventful. I had most of my energy back when I got home from the hospital 4 days post-op. I was told not to push it so I rested a lot but made sure to walk around as much as I possible could. Apparently I heal extremely quickly so I had no problem with internal swelling and could easily drink all my liquid from the time we got home. Even sleeping for me wasn't an issue as some describe. I slept on my side (carefully propped up sideways with pillows) the first night in my own bed. It felt good to fall asleep with a heating pad against my stomach. My abdomen was sore but not unbearably, so the pad was just soothing. About a week after we got home my energy level took a dive and I was napping through out the day. I attribute this to getting so few calories on my clear liquid stage. (200-300/ day) That went on for a few days till I could move to full liquids and get more calories. My energy level was back up and I started going on longer walks (more like long strolls..haha) about 2 weeks out. Since then things have kept improving. Still been taking it easy and following Dr's orders to not lift anything over 10#'s yet. (I get scolded by my fiancee when I try to help bring groceries upstairs still...haha) But other then that I am doing laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning all with no pain. I hope that your recovery is speedy like mine was and that you are feeling better (and less gassy ) soon. If you have any other specific questions feel free to ask.

Hey Tiff! Is there any specific reason that you have stayed on a chewable Vitamin other then personal preference? I was cleared to take pills and have been taking a regular vitamin whole since last week with no pain at all... Just wondering if I should be on a chewable for some other reason....??

We got one as a gift as well and I am loving it! I have never been an every day coffee drinker but enjoy it on occasion (didn't even have a coffee machine prior to this one.) I am only 5 weeks out and sticking to the decaf cups for now. There isn't as much variety in decaf but I know it's better for me as of right now. I've been brewing a cup, (brews at 150 degrees) adding a small amount of unsweetened soy milk, (this adds afew grams of Protein and brings the temp down to 130 so the

I was in your shoes just a few short weeks ago and the only advise I have to offer is hang in there!! It is well worth the wait to let your body heal and soon enough you will be chewing again. :-) That probably was not much help But It gets easier...I promise. :-) Oh and about being able to control yourself...just think... Pre sleeve you would have probably dumped the liquid diet and gone to binge... Now you have a tool that restricts your ability to gorge yourself yet allowes you to be satisfied with the small amount. Good luck on your journey over the next few weeks! Oh and Congratulations on getting things started off right for 2011!!

Thank you guys for the Kind words! I just took my 1 Month post op pictures (well 1 month and 3 days but it is going to be way easier to remember to do it on the 1st).... And OMGGGGG I cant believe the difference! I thought I saw the loss in my face but seeing the Pre-op pics next to the ones I just took is extremely telling. Maybe Ill feel comfortable posting them in a few months... haha Not so much just yet... lol

First off....HAPPPPPY NEW YEARRRR to all! As of today I am down 30lbs at 5 weeks out. Right now I am getting in all of my Fluid and hitting my 60-80g of Protein no problem... Recovery has been seemingly uneventful. Not once since surgery have I been physically hungry and the constant head hunger seems to be a thing of the past.. I know it may creep back in the future but for now I am amazed at how the constant nagging of "eat eat eat" is goneeee.(WoooHOOO) I am working on having more solid foods and can definitely feel the restriction more then I could on mushies. ITS WONDERFUL! haha Before surgery I though "There is no way I am going to be (mentally) satisfied with a 1/4-1/2 cup of food" but I have been completely physically and mentally satisfied with the small amount of food I am having... I am still measuring everything so I haven't gotten to an uncomfortably full point yet, however I can see how it could very easily happen with one or two more bites. The great part is...I dont even want those one or two bites more!! Pre-op I still had the fear of "What if I am the only one this doesn't work for...?!" but now I can not believe how great it feels to know that I CAN do this. This year is going to be a year of change in sooo many ways and to be able to start it off in the 200's feels better then I can put in words. Thank you all for Unknowingly helping my through this process and I look forward to seeing all of your successes this year as well.

I use the Myfitnesspal.com to log everything. Their app is great and syncs very quickly with anything u log on the actual site. There are quite a few apps that allow you to track everything u just have to decide which format u enjoy the most. I also use Brita's "Water Lite" app as an extremely easy way to track my water intake. It has a little round red number pop up (like when u get a text or missed call) that stays showing with the number of glasses u still need to drink. It's an excellent constant reminder if you are always looking at ur phone. :-) Find one or two that work for you and it will become second nature to tap it in ur phone really quick. :-)

SN.......................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.........Lbs to Goal Avilda.......................275.................187..............177..............10 BonnieJuneE..........325.................300..............275..............25 Cwalker....................250.................180..............170..............10 DJackson..................229.................229..............215...............14 Ibejjo........................249..................249.............229................20 Juliarh......................230..................230.............215..............15 Kimmes....................239..................222..............200..............22 Kgremmy.................225.................210..............199...............11 LeslieH.....................212..................212.............199...............13 LilMissDiva...............235..................235.............220...............15 Mommy2Girls...........275.................240..............228...............12 Moni luv...................190.................190..............178...............12 MRSKOUBIK.............317..................283.............267...............16 pattimomof3nj..........203.4..............167.1...........155...............12.1 Sailorgirl..................240.................220..............200...............20 Secret Surgery34......205.................179.............165...............14 Sleeve 4 me.............166.................166.............154................12 Yolanda240...............236.................203.............170..............33 Coops .......................238..................191 ...........177 ...............14 HollyW.......................259...................233............215................18 Good luck all! Excited to start 2011 the right way! :-) P.S.....Officially changed my SN from Bonbon... and will be keeping this name (BonnieJuneE) from here on out... :-)

Hey there Julie! I sat and watched all of your videos about 3 weeks ago (when I was 1 week post op and needing inspiration) and loved every one of them. I will be catching up on all of your new videos a little later today. Thank you so much for being so open and discussing even the minor things. Most people skip over so much and I truly enjoy how you talk about little details. There have been a few other people that I have followed on You tube but your videos are BY FAR my favorite. :-) Again I just want to say thank you and I look forward to catching up later today. ~Bonnie (I need a little inspiration again as I want to start my own Vlog but haven't gotten up the nerve to to it yet... haha)

Glad to hear you are doing so well! :-) keep up the good work!

Sorry for typos and autofixes that don't make sense...on iPhone and rarely proof read while responding. :-)

I totally get where you are coming from about being envious is thin people stuffing their faces and not gaining but I am very confused about something else you said.... If my fiancée (let alone his friends) sat infront of me eating crap that soon after my surgery I may have kicked him. But to then "joke" by saying "how is your dinner?!"...I think he would have had a protien shake dumped over his head and his friends would have gotten a swift kick out the door. If he isn't going to be supportive and make healthy changes with you (or at least not rub your face in it) then how are you going to be successful down the line? Do you expect to go right back to eating fast food and pizza? I doubt it...and he needs to understand that and want to support your changes..not mock them. I know you didn't ask for input on the boyfriend situation but I just couldn't imagine my fiancée being such any ass and putting up with it...and I hope you find the strength to let him know how it makes you feel when he does that. Be strong and make healthy changes for you! It won't work if you let him drag you down by having that stuff around all the time. :-/

Glad to hear u are doing well but I am extremely confused. What are your Dr's guidelines for what u are allowed to be eating? I know some Dr's are more lenient with the post op diet but im really shocked that u are having this kind of stuff 5 days out. Again, glad ur doing well but I'm super curious as to what your guidelines are? (Mine are 10 days clear liquid, 10 days full liquid, 10 days Mushies)

Please Read: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/11205-unjury-protein-powder/ There have also been days where I used the New Whey 42g Protein bullets + one unjury Drink. I was extremely confused about the protein as well but after much trial and error (and Protein powder in the trash) I settled on these and am completely satisfied. Hopefully this helps!

It is an extremely personal choice that you have to make whether to tell or not to tell. I have decided to stop worrying about it now and deal with it on a case by case basis as the questions start popping up. With judgmental family (other then the ones I told pre-op) I am going to tell them I had surgery and basically say that if they support me then we can discuss it further but if not then there is nothing else to talk about. And *try* to leave it at that. Most of my friends know and support me already... I was astonished that 99% of them were totally on board from the day that I first brought up wanting surgery. The people that I though would try to lecture me just said that they trusted my research and would stand behind anything I decided to to. Letting people in can be EXTREMELY difficult but once you do you will be amazed at how many people truly do support any decision you make. They are your friends for a reason. Family may be more difficult but we don't choose our family... we choose friends to be in our lives for a reason and this is a time where they can be very crucial in giving you the support you may need. Even though they dont know what they are talking about most times.. if they are willing to listen to your ups and downs it has a hugely positive impact. :-) As for coworkers or others that haven't see you in years... (but you really we never that close to to begin with) ... I think it is easier to just say something along the lines of "Ive just been watching my portion size and working hard in the gym" The only time I may go into more detail is if it is someone who is obese and is asking questions because they are truly lost and have tried everything like I had.... I wouldn't feel right keeping this a secret or hiding what could ultimantly help save their life like it did for me. Hope my opinion helps you in some way. Please dont be afraid to lean on friends for support. Remember *You chose to have them in your life for a reason.*

Grrrr this makes me so mad! Im so sorry you are going through this and I'm hurting for you lady! No matter what he is going through emotionally he should at least be concerned about your physical healing process and help you in what ever way possible. He can work through his own emotions just like you are going to have to in the coming weeks but right now is a time to focus on getting you home, comfortable, hydrated, and healing. No married man should be more concerned with his phone then with his wife's physical well being. (That would be a MAJOR red flag even if you didn't just have surgery IMO) Have you confronted him about being such a tool?!?! (Im using "tool" because I don't think I'm allowed to use the term I would really like to)

Oh and I just remembered to mention that with the unflavored you have to let it sit for a min or two arter u stir it in and then stir it a bunch more to get it smooth. At fist I was grossed out by the chuncks but realized that they mix in really smooth after waiting just a bit. :-)

I COMPLETELY agree. It has to be the best "chocolate" flavored Protein I've tried. It truly tricks my mind into thinking I'm drinking a cup of hot coco. All of its stats are perfect for us new Sleevers' too. The chicken Soup flavor is pretty good. It tastes like a creamy version of Cup of Noodle liquid. Now their vanilla flavor...not as impressed. I actually dumped my sample cup of that out... As long as you make sure the temperature isn't too high, all of these powders mix in EXTREMELY well compared to a lot of others I have tried. Also, I was having trouble with their Unflavored on Clear liquids...(is just wasn't tasting right in crystal light or anything clear for that matter) So I called their customer service and the lady emailed me a TON of recipes that included clear liquid ideas all the way through to solid foods. The recipes totally helped and now I'm using that daily as well. unjury HANDS DOWN wins my vote for most usable (tasty) product. I just wish there was a store front some where to buy it. :-)

Hi there fellow BonBon. Everything u listed sounds just fine. Im only a few days out but from reading for months now, and from what my dr told me, it sounds like you need to up your protien levels. Other then that the amount isn't shocking at all. Please talk to ur dr or a professional about making yourself throw up though. At only 4 months out (well at any time really) that may be doing some real damage to your tiny stomach. It also isn't helping you establish the healthy habits and life style that we must learn in order for this tool to work for us years down the line.