Kris

Hard rock/classic rock are not my thing. I am totally into pop/dance with a fast happy beat. Here's my current top 5:
Call Me Maybe (C. Jepsen)
Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5)
Domino (Jessie J.)
We Are Never Getting Back Together (T. Swift)
Get Outta My Way (K. Minogue)

I've had a sip or two of diet sodas over the past year and a half, but honestly, after you go a few months without drinking any, you will likely find the taste is nothing like what you remembered. Before my surgery I was a Diet Coke fiend, and would have 6-8 cans every day w/o fail. One day about six months after surgery I was on a flight and beverage service came around, and I decided to try Diet Coke. OMG it was horrendous! I swear it tasted like poison. I took one sip, almost gagged, thought something surely was wrong, and tried another sip -- ugh!!!! I couldn't finish it. I've tried Sprite Zero and Fresca, and those aren't quite as awful, but I just really hate carbonated drinks now. Crystal Light is my beverage of choice. I make up a pitcher, pour some in those double insulated tumblers with the plastic straws and carry it around with me everywhere I go.
Oh, and the great news is, if you are a soda-holic, you will be saving $$$ over time once you get sleeved. I used to spend at least $40 a month on diet soda. Now one container of Crystal Light lasts as long as a case of Diet Coke, and at 1/4 the cost. Seriously, I think I've saved at least $500 on soda expenses since I've been sleeved. (Another thing I love about my sleeve!)

Hard rock/classic rock are not my thing. I am totally into pop/dance with a fast happy beat. Here's my current top 5:
Call Me Maybe (C. Jepsen)
Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5)
Domino (Jessie J.)
We Are Never Getting Back Together (T. Swift)
Get Outta My Way (K. Minogue)

Ah, laxatives. Hadn't thought of that. Usually I don't have a problem in that area, though. I sure did the first several weeks after surgery, though! Glad that passes soon (sorry, no pun intended!).

OK my fellow slow losers, confession time! What tricks do you do to get the scale to show a number you like? Here's some of mine:
1. Use Saturdays as my official weigh in day, because I get to sleep in and always seem to weigh less on days I sleep in.
2. Move the scale around the floor multiple times to find the spot that gives me a low number (and memorize that spot!).
3. If I have a specific goal for a specific date, the day before my final weigh in I'll drink extra fluids and hope to flush out a few more oz.
4. Record my weight on my ticker when it goes down, but not up (my weight fluctuates a few oz to a lb or more depending on hormones and such).
What do you do? Always looking for good ideas, LOL!

Hey Alanah, I suggest you check with your patient coordinator; she is sure to know several places to go within a reasonable distance from where you'll be staying. I don't remember seeing a big grocery store near the hotel/hospital, but I didn't venture out very far, either.
Congrats on your upcoming surgery, btw!

Good tip! And a lot cheaper than StriVectin!

Try the exercise where you press your tongue to the roof of your mouth for 2 seconds then relax, then do it again 60x. You can do this while walking or just sitting at your desk at work. It addresses the muscle and tissue of that part of your neck. I have two aunts who are in their 70s and they do this exercise frequently. They do not look like 70 year old ladies. They are pretty fabulous looking.

I agree, I really need to track my food, and I do track my food, but it can be really hard to pinpoint the calories -- and like you mentioned, oh so easy to forget to track the little bites here and there. I like to cook a lot, and many recipes do not have any nutritional information. For example, on Sunday I made a pot of Taco Soup. It's a great slow carb meal (lean ground beef, chili Beans, tomatoes, a can of kernel corn, and spices). However, trying to figure out the calories per serving is a colossal pain. I would basically have to find out the calories of each ingredient, tally them together, and divide by the number of servings. Seriously, I do not have time for that! So I guesstimate. If I guesstimate on the high end, all is well, but if I'm wrong then I just added 2-3 extra days of dieting to lose one lb.
What I have cut out since getting back on track is all empty carbs (my weakness). No chips, crisps, crackers, pretzels, etc. I really developed a bad habit of eating baked Snacks and telling myself they're not so bad as fried ... NOT! They chew down to nothing, and it is truly astonishing and scary how many Trader Joe's baked O rings (snacky onion rings like Funyuns) one can consume without realizing. No Desserts, no chocolate, no candy. Really almost no sugar at all. No bread. I have had some Pasta but only a small amount (1/4 - 1/3 cup) to go with meat sauce (homemade, again hard to know the calorie count exactly) and I'm going to get rid of the Pasta.
Gosh I wish I had gotten serious about losing weight when the scale crept up 3 lbs. instead of 10. Now I have a couple months' slog to get back down to where I was ... and then a couple months beyond that to get to my ultimate goal.

I eat a lot of beef Jerky -- pretty much I have some every day; it's my go-to snack or meal stand-in when I don't have time to grab something else. We are fortunate to live near a good butcher shop that makes their own fresh jerky, and that's our standard, but sometimes we can't make it to the butcher and then I need to find a substitute. Most commercially packaged jerky is just nasty (I've tried almost all brands), so when I was in costco over the weekend and saw a new Kirkland Signature Extra Thick Cut Steak Strips jerky package, I decided to try it. It's fabulous -- made with nice chunks of top round steak and seasonings. It's moist and chewy and delish. And the price is great too -- $8.99 for a 12 oz package, which is several dollars less than Jack's Links or other comparable brands, and way tastier.
Nutrition info per one oz. serving:
Calories: 60
Calories from fat: 5
Total fat: .5g (no saturated or trans fats)
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 330 mg (yep, it's kind of salty)
Total Carbohydrate: 5g
Protein: 9g

Well, good news is I lost 1.4 lbs. this week but man it was HARD -- I was like, "woot?! ONLY 1.4 lbs. after all that deprivation? It should have at least been 2 lbs!" I hate fighting hunger. I get hungry like clockwork every 3 hours, and even trying tips like drinking Water or doing something to distract myself doesn't help much. I am so envious of sleevers who don't ever feel hungry ... that is so not me!

Hi all,
I saw this piece on yahoo! today and thought it was very interesting. Apparently sleeping on your left side helps reduce or eliminate nighttime acid reflux (as a right-side sleeper I guess I was never doing myself any favors!). Plus there's lots of other cool tips, like how to stop crying an an inopportune time, how to quickly get rid of brain freeze (I've had that a time or two sipping on Protein shakes made with ice), how to quickly stop hiccups, and a technique to reduce stress.
If you try any of these and they work (or don't work) please let us know!
http://health.yahoo.net/articles/healthcare/photos/human-bodys-talents

I didn't see an Easter Challenge topic started, so I thought I'd get it going. This year Easter is on March 31st, so we have just about 6 weeks until then. Set your weight loss goals here and keep us posted!
Starting Weight (day you started the challenge):
Goal Weight (weight you want to be on March 31st):
Lbs left to Goal:
I'll start...
Starting weight: 153
Goal weight: 145
Lbs. left to Goal: 8
Let's do this!!!!

I agree, I really need to track my food, and I do track my food, but it can be really hard to pinpoint the calories -- and like you mentioned, oh so easy to forget to track the little bites here and there. I like to cook a lot, and many recipes do not have any nutritional information. For example, on Sunday I made a pot of Taco Soup. It's a great slow carb meal (lean ground beef, chili Beans, tomatoes, a can of kernel corn, and spices). However, trying to figure out the calories per serving is a colossal pain. I would basically have to find out the calories of each ingredient, tally them together, and divide by the number of servings. Seriously, I do not have time for that! So I guesstimate. If I guesstimate on the high end, all is well, but if I'm wrong then I just added 2-3 extra days of dieting to lose one lb.
What I have cut out since getting back on track is all empty carbs (my weakness). No chips, crisps, crackers, pretzels, etc. I really developed a bad habit of eating baked Snacks and telling myself they're not so bad as fried ... NOT! They chew down to nothing, and it is truly astonishing and scary how many Trader Joe's baked O rings (snacky onion rings like Funyuns) one can consume without realizing. No Desserts, no chocolate, no candy. Really almost no sugar at all. No bread. I have had some Pasta but only a small amount (1/4 - 1/3 cup) to go with meat sauce (homemade, again hard to know the calorie count exactly) and I'm going to get rid of the Pasta.
Gosh I wish I had gotten serious about losing weight when the scale crept up 3 lbs. instead of 10. Now I have a couple months' slog to get back down to where I was ... and then a couple months beyond that to get to my ultimate goal.

It's funny that you mentioned additional calories and what it equates to over time. I JUST attended my first support group at Baylor Plano, this past Wednesday. We just moved to this area and I needed to find one closer to me. It was really good.....and the speaker was the doc (PhD doctor) that does the pre and post op counsiling for their WL patients. He was GREAT, a good speaker. He brought up this subject, except he used 100 calories. An additional 100 calories a day, 365 days is 36,500 calories. He said that will be 10 lbs a year. THAT is how I ended up at 238 lbs and attending my WLS seminar, 10 lbs at a time. I am sure it was about 10 lbs per year, maybe a little less, but you know what I mean!!! I vividly remember gaining from 170 to 180 and convinced myself it was 'no big deal', 180 isn't so bad. OMG, that is how it happens!!!! I am at goal, several lbs below my doctor's goal, but I'd like to drop 3 or 4 lbs "JUST BECAUSE". Mainly to make sure I can. I had to ADD a meal or a few Snacks to stop losing weight.....yes, seriously!!! I still have good restriction, but I eat out of habit. It's 'time' for a snack. I started a couple of days before the meeting, cutting out my morning snack, I want to 'test' and see what it takes to lose just a little. After the meeting, in my mind, if adding 100 calories a day does that, maybe cutting out my morning Graham Cracker w/peanut butter.....130 calories, will make a difference too. What do you think?
I know you can do it, we do have to be aware of everything we do. I log my food, but there are some things I do NOT even bother counting.....and they do add up, and CAN add up to 100 calories in a blink of an eye!!! I add a little 2% milk (although I DRINK skim) to my THREE cups of coffee. Not even enough to try and log.....BUT, it adds up. Also, when I scramble an egg, I put a little butter in the pan, a teaspoon at the most, but I do NOT log that either!!! Jeeeeeze....and we all know how food tasting when we're cooking can add up to a meal almost!!! I did stop doing that almost totally before surgery.
Sooooo, I am playing with changing up what I do, just a little. This morning, rather than two scrambled eggs, I had one egg and one egg white. One egg white is 17 calories, the egg is 70. I got my two eggs, less calories. Less Protein too, but still 3.6 grams for the egg white!
I'm rambling. If you have any other thoughts or suggestions, tell me. What changes are you going to have to make? What will you have to leave out to cut calories??!!!
Good luck!!

I didn't see an Easter Challenge topic started, so I thought I'd get it going. This year Easter is on March 31st, so we have just about 6 weeks until then. Set your weight loss goals here and keep us posted!
Starting Weight (day you started the challenge):
Goal Weight (weight you want to be on March 31st):
Lbs left to Goal:
I'll start...
Starting weight: 153
Goal weight: 145
Lbs. left to Goal: 8
Let's do this!!!!

I bottomed out around 142 lbs. (90% to goal) in spring 2012 (about 15 months after surgery), but didn't sustain it long, and I ended up stabilizing in the mid 140s for several months. However, since the summer I've gotten very careless with what/how much I eat, and stopped participating in support groups. Now, a bit over 2 years out from surgery, I'm bouncing around between 153 and 155.
Seriously, it is all too easy for me to eat at least 2,000 calories a day, which is several hundred above my maintenance caloric load (1,700 - 1,800). 300 extra calories a day X 30 days = 2.5 lb./month weight gain. I never thought of it that way, but it's just basic math. I learned how to eat around my sleeve, have been eating lots of crap, and am back to some nasty pre-surgery destructive eating behaviors. I feel scared, remorseful, and guilty. I must get some help with emotional eating issues, because clearly I haven't fully dealt with them.
I started a "slow carb" diet last week and lost a bit over 1 lb., which was disappointing considering I really stuck to it. Then I realized I was still eating at least 1,200 calories a day on that diet. Time to get more serious and get below 1,000 calories a day, until I'm back on track, and once I'm back to the low 140s I must stay vigilant about what I eat.
I'm going to take the positive view that this was a necessary (scary) wake up call for me to get back on track before things get further out of control.

I bottomed out around 142 lbs. (90% to goal) in spring 2012 (about 15 months after surgery), but didn't sustain it long, and I ended up stabilizing in the mid 140s for several months. However, since the summer I've gotten very careless with what/how much I eat, and stopped participating in support groups. Now, a bit over 2 years out from surgery, I'm bouncing around between 153 and 155.
Seriously, it is all too easy for me to eat at least 2,000 calories a day, which is several hundred above my maintenance caloric load (1,700 - 1,800). 300 extra calories a day X 30 days = 2.5 lb./month weight gain. I never thought of it that way, but it's just basic math. I learned how to eat around my sleeve, have been eating lots of crap, and am back to some nasty pre-surgery destructive eating behaviors. I feel scared, remorseful, and guilty. I must get some help with emotional eating issues, because clearly I haven't fully dealt with them.
I started a "slow carb" diet last week and lost a bit over 1 lb., which was disappointing considering I really stuck to it. Then I realized I was still eating at least 1,200 calories a day on that diet. Time to get more serious and get below 1,000 calories a day, until I'm back on track, and once I'm back to the low 140s I must stay vigilant about what I eat.
I'm going to take the positive view that this was a necessary (scary) wake up call for me to get back on track before things get further out of control.

Hi all,
Gosh, I remember joining VST a bit over 2 years ago, when I was seriously thinking of having surgery. At the time I weighed over 230 lbs., which when you're a little 5'1" woman, is a lot of excess weight (100 lbs. to be exact).
It's been an amazing 2 years since the wonderful Dr. Aceves performed my surgery and helped me get to a healthier and happier life.
I'll be honest, I've made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. I wasn't very strict with myself during the honeymoon phase after surgery, and as a result I didn't lose as much weight as I could have. Before I hit goal I started eating a lot of crap I never should have eaten and started grazing again. I stopped regularly checking in here and didn't take advantage of much-needed support. In the past year I've actually gained over 10 lbs., and am now working hard to get back towards goal. On the bright side, I'm still nearly 80 lbs. lighter than I was before surgery, and virtually all of my pre-op health issues have been successfully resolved.
Even though I've made mistakes, I'm focusing on the future and not the past. In a way, I feel like I'm starting all over again ... but this time the journey is going to be much shorter and easier!
I have before & after posted up on my blog if you'd care to look:
http://curvygirlwellness.blogspot.com/2013/02/some-before-after-pictures.html
Best,
Kris

Hi all,
Gosh, I remember joining VST a bit over 2 years ago, when I was seriously thinking of having surgery. At the time I weighed over 230 lbs., which when you're a little 5'1" woman, is a lot of excess weight (100 lbs. to be exact).
It's been an amazing 2 years since the wonderful Dr. Aceves performed my surgery and helped me get to a healthier and happier life.
I'll be honest, I've made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. I wasn't very strict with myself during the honeymoon phase after surgery, and as a result I didn't lose as much weight as I could have. Before I hit goal I started eating a lot of crap I never should have eaten and started grazing again. I stopped regularly checking in here and didn't take advantage of much-needed support. In the past year I've actually gained over 10 lbs., and am now working hard to get back towards goal. On the bright side, I'm still nearly 80 lbs. lighter than I was before surgery, and virtually all of my pre-op health issues have been successfully resolved.
Even though I've made mistakes, I'm focusing on the future and not the past. In a way, I feel like I'm starting all over again ... but this time the journey is going to be much shorter and easier!
I have before & after posted up on my blog if you'd care to look:
http://curvygirlwellness.blogspot.com/2013/02/some-before-after-pictures.html
Best,
Kris

As I was losing weight, I developed a neck wattle. Not super bad -- I mean, it's not flapping around or anything -- but it is definitely enough to make me self-conscious about my neck. I even got a consult with a plastic surgeon about a neck lift back in December. Basically the news wasn't encouraging; once the skin is loose, it's highly unlikely to tighten up much. Plastic surgery can definitely help, but the surgeon said at my age (mid 40s) it will probably only last about 15 years and then I'll want to do another procedure to tighten up again. Someday I may go through with the surgery (I've decided it's the third procedure on my PS wish list, after a breast lift and tummy tuck), but in the meantime I was kind of desperate to find ways to minimize the appearance of the loose skin.
My beloved costco sells StriVectin neck cream, and in November there was a coupon on it, so I decided to spend the $50 or so and see how it worked. It's been over two months and I finished the first jar (at costco there were 2 jars in the package), and I am now onto the second jar.
The cream is super thick, and a little goes a long way (it took about 2.5 months of daily use to go through a jar). I use it daily in the mornings. I do not use it at night, but I am sure it can't hurt to do so.
Verdict: I have seen some minor improvement on my neck, but I still have a wattle -- gobble gobble! Use this product daily and you will likely see some results, but not drastic improvement. If I continue to see improvement I'll buy some more, but if not I'll just stick with my Olay Regenerist cream and keep my moisturizing routine simple.
I just thought I'd share in case you're wondering whether this product would be worth the money.

Hi all,
Gosh, I remember joining VST a bit over 2 years ago, when I was seriously thinking of having surgery. At the time I weighed over 230 lbs., which when you're a little 5'1" woman, is a lot of excess weight (100 lbs. to be exact).
It's been an amazing 2 years since the wonderful Dr. Aceves performed my surgery and helped me get to a healthier and happier life.
I'll be honest, I've made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. I wasn't very strict with myself during the honeymoon phase after surgery, and as a result I didn't lose as much weight as I could have. Before I hit goal I started eating a lot of crap I never should have eaten and started grazing again. I stopped regularly checking in here and didn't take advantage of much-needed support. In the past year I've actually gained over 10 lbs., and am now working hard to get back towards goal. On the bright side, I'm still nearly 80 lbs. lighter than I was before surgery, and virtually all of my pre-op health issues have been successfully resolved.
Even though I've made mistakes, I'm focusing on the future and not the past. In a way, I feel like I'm starting all over again ... but this time the journey is going to be much shorter and easier!
I have before & after posted up on my blog if you'd care to look:
http://curvygirlwellness.blogspot.com/2013/02/some-before-after-pictures.html
Best,
Kris

As I was losing weight, I developed a neck wattle. Not super bad -- I mean, it's not flapping around or anything -- but it is definitely enough to make me self-conscious about my neck. I even got a consult with a plastic surgeon about a neck lift back in December. Basically the news wasn't encouraging; once the skin is loose, it's highly unlikely to tighten up much. Plastic surgery can definitely help, but the surgeon said at my age (mid 40s) it will probably only last about 15 years and then I'll want to do another procedure to tighten up again. Someday I may go through with the surgery (I've decided it's the third procedure on my PS wish list, after a breast lift and tummy tuck), but in the meantime I was kind of desperate to find ways to minimize the appearance of the loose skin.
My beloved costco sells StriVectin neck cream, and in November there was a coupon on it, so I decided to spend the $50 or so and see how it worked. It's been over two months and I finished the first jar (at costco there were 2 jars in the package), and I am now onto the second jar.
The cream is super thick, and a little goes a long way (it took about 2.5 months of daily use to go through a jar). I use it daily in the mornings. I do not use it at night, but I am sure it can't hurt to do so.
Verdict: I have seen some minor improvement on my neck, but I still have a wattle -- gobble gobble! Use this product daily and you will likely see some results, but not drastic improvement. If I continue to see improvement I'll buy some more, but if not I'll just stick with my Olay Regenerist cream and keep my moisturizing routine simple.
I just thought I'd share in case you're wondering whether this product would be worth the money.

Don't be afraid ladies! Getting the sleeve was truly the best thing I ever did for my health. I successfully lost 90 lbs. in a year, which I never could have done without the sleeve, and all my stats (blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar, etc.) are normal now. Before surgery I had high blood pressure, was borderline diabetic, and had sleep apnea -- all were resolved within a few months after surgery. I am 2 years out and admittedly have had some weight re-regain, but only because I have been eating anything and everything, and am still dealing with some emotional eating issues. I am getting back on track now and the sleeve is a powerful tool to help me eat fewer calories and lose weight quickly. Trust me, you WILL lose weight with your sleeve ... lots of weight, and it will not be hard compared to traditional diets.
By the end of this year, you will be much lighter and I guarantee you'll be glad you got the sleeve! Best to you in your weight loss journey!

I have to support everything that has been said by my fellow sleevers. Dr. Aceves and his team have the process so streamlined and efficient it is amazing. They are pros, and yet they are also very nice and caring. Last year my sister had a mastectomy in a "best in class" hospital in the US and her treatment was nothing near as good as what I experienced with Dr. Aceves and his team (I was with her through it all so saw first hand how US hospitals operate -- even though her surgeon was wonderful, the nurses were lacking, and they booted her out of the hospital the next day even though she was in a lot of pain). With Dr. Aceves you get 3 full days in the hospital and get excellent care the entire time. Plus, he's done more VSG procedures than many US bariatric surgeons, and for him to have the reputation he does with all those surgeries (and very, very rare complaints) I think is very indicative of his expertise. And I saved at least $5K by going to Dr. Aceves than if I had self-paid at my local Bariatric Center of Excellence. I was a bit worried about something going wrong in a foreign country and went with the best surgeon I could find in Mexico. And honestly, I know my husband would never have been on board with me having surgery with the lowest bidder, so to speak. The extra cost for Dr. Aceves was worth the peace of mind to me and my hubby.
If I had to have this surgery all over again, I would go with Dr. Aceves again in a heartbeat. The only other doctor I seriously considered for my surgery was Dr. Alvarez. I went with Dr. Aceves because I live closer to CA than TX, and am very glad I went with Dr. Aceves.
Best of luck to you in your journey!