Lander

Go ahead and punch me. I'm in Wisconsin. Not British, smart mouth. You assumed because that was my degree that my nationality. At least I made my correction with good humor.

Exercise. It's an important part of the program and something we can't start to put into our routine too soon.

Yes

Most surgeons don't allow alcohol for at least a year. A few will say six month. None would permit it so soon as two weeks. Your stomach won't even be healed inside yet.

Violation of forum rules

That's a terrific loss. Congrats. Makes the remaining few sound easy. You'll be there in no time.

What a great day! I don't get them often because my loss has been slow. I'm literally losing at the exact same rate I was before the surgery. 3 months out and 36 lbs. BUT 1. Today I finally hit Onederland. Yay! 2. I hit my halfway mark. 70 Lbs. gone, 70 lbs. to go.Yay! 3. Went to get my hair cut short today because it has started to fall out and when I walked in the hairdresser didn't recognize me because of the weight loss. Yay! When you're not sure if it shows yet, that's a nice thing to hear. I'm stoked.

It depends on what your social circles are. I don't have any close girlfriends where i live now that I would confide in. My husband is my best friend. People here in Wisconsin are more of a "friendly acquaintance" status, but the circle also includes a lot of nasty gossips who look for reasons to be snarky about each other. I don't give any personal information to these people. I have no problem telling my good friends back home in Canada who are supportive. Relationships have a lot to do with who you are willing to share your information with.

My doctor put me on the pre-op diet 3 months before surgery ( not a liquid) so I was already steadily losing and people could see that I was eating less and I attended dinners so they knew I wasn't eating the bread and potatoes. My weight loss is therefore not a surprise or a big reason for discussion with anyone. I didn't have a huge drop after surgery and loss has been fairly slow since - in other words I could have just stayed on the pre- op and done as well - so there is no big question of a sudden drop. Nobody else is watching my scale to know how much I'm losing.

I agree with Ms. Antiband. Not every surgery in my life is everyone else's business, nor should it be. I didn't even tell my husband when I had a tuballigation. (Okay, so I didn't like him and was going to leave him). But still, I just don't feel the need to disclose every detail of my life just to satisfy other's curiosity. I would happily share with someone else who was considering the surgery, but for public fodder, no.

Didn't I tell you it would be in the zippered pocket of a purse? Didn't I? Okay, I'm finished with I told you so. I'm just happy to know I'm not the only one who did that. Glad you found it.

I was allowed to take the smaller ones after 3 weeks. The big ones - like the fish oil - I had to wait longer. Before you go cutting things up check online to make sure its okay. With a lot of drugs it changes the effectiveness. I know you can't do it on time release drugs.

Twice I've lost my passport. The first time I called the consulate here and made an appointment to get a replacement so I could go back to Canada. Then my husband came home from work and I told him that I had looked everywhere but that I wanted him to look as though I hadn't. He did and there it was in my purse - in the zippered section that I don't normally use where I had put it for safety so it wouldn't get lost. The second time, I lost the passport, the birth certificate, the green card, the driver's license. Discovered they were missing at Christmas. Where did I find them? Several months later found them in the zippered section of my summer purse where I put them for safety on my last trip across the border - after I"d paid the $500 for a replacement green card which of course was non--refundable. So my suggestion to you is get out every purse you own and go through the zippered pockets.

There are plenty of other ways to get Protein than throiugh shakes. My NUT stopped my shakes after the second week and insisted I get it through natural food, Eat cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, chicken, fish, tuna, greek yogurt.

That was the absolutely most interesting spelling of Worcestershire sauce I have ever seen. You get points for that one. Your recipe also sounds quite good. I'm going to try it. Thanks. ( And please don't mind the tease. I'm a writer with a degree in British history so such a mistake just jumps out and hits me in the nose.)

Happy Birthday. A button front is a great NSV. You look great by the way,

I know I've looked at some of my posts and thought, Wow that sounds snippy, though it wasn't intended that way, I think sometimes when people ask for advice and we get into, Well MY surgeon says... It can sound like we think ours is right and all the rest must be wrong. ( We feel that way don't we? LOL)

I have had bowel problems for years, sometimes only going once a month. I can tell what I found that finally worked like a charm and kept me regular like a normal person. I started taking a few tablespoons of mineral oil each night at bedtime. It makes for smooth, easy movements. The oil has no taste and is very inexpensive. I can buy it at the Dollar General. It works better than any laxative I've ever taken, and I've taken them all. Adjust the amount you take according to your needs. Since surgery I only need 1 tbs. I used to take 3.

I lost 21 the first month and only 7 the second. I hit a stall on the third week and it lasted 4 weeks. I completely agree with what the others said. You really shouldn't compare. If you set your expectations too high and then don't meet that it can be depressing. Just let your body work at it's own pace.

Are you using baby cutlery? If you use the same spoon for your yogurt that a baby uses to eat pablum you'll be surprised at how small the bite is and how soon that amount seems enough to you. I also got baby forks. Makes a big difference.

My surgeon and his surgical partner did equal time at the informational seminar and answered questions there. I was very comfortable with him from that. I didn't see him again until 2 days before surgery, but his staff took very good care of me in the meantime and made sure I knew what was going on every step on the way. I didn't feel a need to have him holding my hand, but then I"m from Canada and we often don't meet the surgeon until minutes before we go into the OR, so it's not a big deal to me.

As for bougies, they are right. He has no idea until he gets inside you what size he is going to use. It all depends on the size of your esophageal opening and pyloric valve. He has to fit it to those. Dr. Alvarez does a good youtube video explaining this. It's worth it for you to go do a search on it.

When I looked over your pro/con list, I think your pro's were far more long term in thinking and reason and substance. Really consider which of these things matter the most to you.

I think 7 weeks out is plenty soon enough to be worried about Protein. You are losing weight alright, and if you're not taking in enough Protein I guarantee you're burning muscle for fuel. Muscle that will be terribly difficult to rebuild on limited calories. I know all nuts are different, but basic nutritional knowledge states that you need protein....especially in a calorie deficient state.

Even though she doesn't have me counting, I'm still getting about 50 a day, and she does insist on exercise so I don't lose muscle. I'm doing all right.

Really nice. It really shows a difference on you. Well done.

When I was two weeks I hit a stall and it didn't move again until I was almost 7 weeks and I'm only taking in 300 calories a day. But while I was on the stall I went down 2 sizes. So it all works out somehow. I do know how you feel. I wondered what was the point of having the surgery. And it was so hard being happy for others when they come on to share their successes and you feel like it's never going to happen for you. But it will. Just give it some time.

My NUT only allows me to drink half a box (5 oz.) a day, which is my Breakfast. She prefers me to get my Proteins from other sources - yogurt, meats, etc. I am 7 weeks out and she says it's still too soon for me to worry about getting a certain number of grams per day. This is still the golden phase of losing. At 3 months I'll start counting. Other NUT's are different.

I'm not allowed any carbs for the first six months. But after that I can add them. The thing is, although I have always loved popcorn, why do I want to add it back? It's one of the reasons I needed the surgery in the first place. I added so much weight eating popcorn every night before bed. It's an addictive food and it's empty calories, and as mentioned above, many find it's a slider. You went through a lot to get your sleeve. Don't go back to old habits. Use your tool wisely.

After surgery we are supposed to have a huge release of hormones through our body that definitely affects these things so you may notice some difference. I definitely did. I hadn't had a period for six months prior to surgery - starting into menopause and within a month of surgery there is was again. I was not thrilled.

You bet it counts. They don't stretch that much. Good for you. You totally rock!