doxieville

Miralax is great to help you stay consistent, but you must make sure you drink plenty of fluids because the way it works is it sucks in fluids to work. If you don't have enough fluids, it will backfire on you. Be careful with the smooth tea, I've heard that it can cause cramping - which may be what drinking coffee might do. If I were you, I'd ask your surgeon if/when you can drink coffee. Everyone here has a different plan and since if something goes wrong with you, your surgeon is the one who will be treating you, not other people's surgeon. :-)

Great exercising!!! Kudos to you!! I think that most of us have decided that MFP's exercise data is a bit inaccurate. In fact, it gets me so aggravated that I don't even log my exercise!!

I keep seeing what I think is a Vitamix at Costco. I shy away from food displays becuase of samples (always have, not a sleeve issue) so I haven't gotten close enough to look. I am going there today for my cooked shrimp, maybe I'll stop and look at them. Vitamix's do look intriguing and i know that many people love them.

BTB, where do you get the chicken breast? You do cook it or buy already cooked? And then do you make an egg scramble w chicken & cheese? I think I'll try that. And how do you handle your long shifts? What type of foods do you take to work? I'm looking for foods that I have make ahead of time so i always have food ready to eat in the fridge. Thanks!

Where do you put the wonton wrapper? Sure sounds delish!

I've been mulling this over....I think one of the solutions is to develop a core group of people that will hold you accountable. Someone online who if you stop tracking will call you on it. Someone in your family/work/friend who if they see you eating too much will gently remind you what your goal is and that eating those extra Snacks won't help. Also someone from your medical team. It could be a monthly weigh-in at your PCP office. Or see a NUT. I still go to my NUT once a month. Let me tell you, it keeps me honest! I do have to pay out of pocket ($25) but it worth every penny. Your first step towards getting your life back on track was posting here. Good luck!

Welcome! I really hope that you do have this life changing surgery. It's not a walk in the park, but it will change your life. I have a whacked immune system and was so worried about this surgery. I found a compassionate surgeon and medical team who helped me each step of the way. 12 hours after the surgery I was taking my pills. My tummy was fine! I also have to give myself injections for my immune system (Enbrel) and I am happy to report that I am so much healthier now at only 4 months post-op that we are looking into diff options for me instead of Enbrel, which suppresses the immune system. I know this isn't the same as your situation, but the moral to my story is GO FOR IT!!! Just find a really capable surgeon. Good luck and I hope we hear good reports from you.

Maybe they are still on pain meds? I remember iggychic had some pretty wild posts when she was loopy from meds. :-).

Mine leak test was like that only about 3 weeks postop. The surgeon let me see the whole thing and explained it all to me, just like in this video. I was so impressed that I didn't care that the stuff tasted awful and i took 2 extra sips just so I could see it again. So when we overeat, our food gets backed up in the esophagus and that's why it hurts so much. Great video!

I DARED!! Only 'cause I know you though. (Don't anyone start a war here, please. BTB and I are just teasing each other.) I'd have no problems going vegan in my head because I really don't like meats, but I think my body chemistry would protest. I eat no red meats, no processed meats, barley eat chicken. I eat fish & dairy. I think I like my dairy too much to give it up. I've always eaten this way though, I'm just making healthier choices: ie steamed shrimp vs fried. Don't vegans gets their Protein from tofu, tempeh, Beans...? which is another issues because females shouldn't really eat lots of soy products. I'm not sure if that's the same with males. I'd be really fascinated to follow your diet should you decide to change to vegan.

Butter, I am going to have to respectfully disagree with you. :-). For some people like me, even too many low glycemic foods can stop me from losing. So I cannot eat all that I want of them even though they are healthy foods. Am i normal? No. Most people can eat unlimited low glycemic carbs. . I'm just one of the unlucky ones. My NUT is hoping once my body is done losing and stabilizes that I won't have such an issue with them. I'm hoping she's right.

I have to keep mine below 20. And try to eat at least one meal a day with 0 carbs. Good luck!

A twist to all the hair loss posts! :-) My hair is growing back. At 4 months postop my hair is still falling out at times but since i cut it short it's slowed down. Anyway, my scalp is itchy!!!! Is that the new growth? I don't have dandruff. The only other thing I can think of is I started to use hairspray to keep my new hairstyle in place. Any ideas? Thanks!

Thank you so much for the info! I washed my head w dandruff shampoo, didn't use hairspray today. I also just rubbed Vit E on my scalp. Just lightly. So far it feels good. And the Vit E will moisturize my hair too!! I live in TX and we haven't had to heat the house yet! Still using a/c. Thanks again for both of your great advice. I hope it works.

Like rubbing them in my scalp or taking them as a supplement?

Yes, that had been happening to me. I'm 4 months postop on Dec 21 (the day the world is supposed to end. ???? All my hard work will be for nothing!). Anyway, the first month I lost. The second & third month I lost about 5 pounds about a week after my TOM. I didn't gain any pre-TOM. Now it's supposed to start in 3 days. I losing my usual 1-1.5 pounds a week. But I bet next week my weight won't budge and then it will. What's weird is if this was Water weight we'd gain during our TOM and lose right after, or when it starts. Odd. I thought it was just me, so thanks for posting about it.

I'm at 4 months. I eat between 800-1000. But keep my carbs under 20. I lose 1.5-2 pounds a week, which I'm quite happy with. Let's see..... 8 med steamed shrimp 1 cup of creamy Soup 4oz salmon 1 White lasagna wonton cupcake 1 cheese stick & an Atkins peanut cluster bar Any of those keeps me full for about 3 hours. I haven't conquered chicken yet and I don't eat red meats. Last night I 'treated' myself to Pasta. 1/4 cup and I was stuffed. To the gills. I was SO uncomfortable. I suspect pasta is a food that goes down too quickly to be able to give me feedback, so I'm done with pasta for a long time. I hate the overstuffed feeling. Pasta was my absolute fav food so I'm kinda glad that sleevey didn't like it.

Congrats on the surgery and doing so well!!! It doesn't sound like you are eating too much and it's important that you keep up your fluids. Just be careful because you are still swollen. You can't hurt yourself with liquids, but if you progress to mushies quickly and overeat, you could possibly make yourself sick because a swollen sleeve can't give good feedback. It can't tell you 'i'm getting kinda full!!' .

Have you guys had monkey sex yet? Does the weight loss show on your body? If it does, you probably should tell him. If it doesn't....then my suggestion is to use your instinct. I think it depends on how the guy may/may not react. I will be very curious to see what others say about this. Good question! I think you are going to get passionate answers from both sides. Good luck! And remember to stay true to yourself, not what others push you to do. :-)

As someone who is a non-shopper, I have to say.....you ladies who like to shop should offer yourselves as a wardrobe consultant to WLS patients in your area. If I saw an ad for someone to help me shop at my doctors office, I'd probably call that person when I'm ready. Someone to help me buy cheap during the in between phases and to also help me figure out my style when I've lost all my weight. It might boggle your minds because you all love to shop, but people like me hate it. I have no idea what to wear now that I have a pancake ass!! I know I am not alone. And because you guys are WLS patients, you can show other saggy people the tricks, AND you won't be horrified when you see other saggy bodies. Just a thought....

Hi! So you had the revision so that you wouldn't regain the 75 pounds? Did I understand that correctly? That's smart! Anyway, because you are already at a lower weight, you will lose slower. That seems to be pretty normal. As we get closer to our goal weight, the pounds come off slower. Ex: I was 100 pounds overweight. I lost 50 in a few months. Now i've slowed down to a pound a week. I'm ok with that because i am not gaining! W/o my sleeve i would be gaining by now. What is your goal weight?

Hi, So I've lost 50 pounds and my belly is sagging. I'm 51 and have carried 2 children so there's no way to avoid the sag. I live in TX and sweat...and I'm developing a rash. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

Serenity- what kind of deodorant do you use? Mitchum seems to be too strong for me (got horrible pit burn from it) and Degree isn't enough for the pannus. So I use Degree for my pits & Mitchum for my belly. I'd really like to just use one brand. Thanks!!