Holly5.3

For me, it's breaking the "speed eating" habbit. I'm going to get a minute timer (sand hourglass) to help me slow down for crying out loud!! Even though I don't feel the same hunger I used to Pre sleeve, for some reason I feel the need to shovel my little baby spoonfuls of food into my mouth. I'm chewing well or still mashing my food up a little so I can get more down but it's the taking my time that I really need to work on. Anyone have some tips? Even when I put my spoon down, I pick it right up. I forget to slow down until it's too late and I eat one spoonful too many-then I can't even finish my tiny meal at all!

I was sleeved on Oct 11-and I guess my expectations of how much weight I would lose was a bit higher...I'm thrilled with what I've lost but as I've become more active, my cals. are still at 600/day (30 grams carbs max) I though I'ld lose more weekly. Funny thing made me appreciate my loss (since sleeve only)-28 pounds. My husband gets us a fresh turkey every year for Thanksgiving. I told him not to get a huge one, they take too long to roast and it's hard to make soup-bones don't fit in my stock pot! Anyway, Thanksgiving morning I try to get the turkey from extra fridge and couldn't get it out. My husband gets it out and I realize how big it is and start to get mad at my husband. He said all the turkeys were over 20 pounds. Our turkey was 28 pounds. He said, that's about how much weight you've lost since surgery. I pop on the scale and sure enough, exactly 28 pounds! I laughed-I could barely lift and carry the turkey 10 feet yet that amount of weight was on my poor little(littler, I should say!) body! So, my tip is...lift the amount of weight you've lost somehow, a turkey, weights, anything to put it in perspective so you can actually feel the poundage-it's an amazing wake up call!

I am 6 weeks post-op and feel like all you guys! Eating isn't orgasmic like it once was, which is a good thing, except that's yet another thing to get used to! I miss my water straight without Crystal lite, etc. Salads are now my fantasy foods! I probably won't be able to eat even a tiny one for another 3 months-I cannot tolerate most veggies I've tried. I could be depressed over it, but I've got bigger problems in my life so my food and weight issues are insignificant to me right now. I'm just glad that I feel terrific, except for tiring easy and needing 12 hours of sleep (including a nap) every day. The weight is coming off, a little slower now, but it's coming off! Just think of where you'll be in a year from now-we will all be close to, if not at goal-it will have been worth every sacrifice to me to weigh in the 100's again. I can't wait!!

Ten/eleven-twelvers: How's everyone doing now that it's been 6 weeks? I'm down 28 pounds post-op and 23 Pre-op : 51 total-yaaa! Food-wise, I am still trying things verrry slowly! I can't tolerate much protein when eaten alone-needs to have something soft with it (mashed potoato or applesauce) I can eat almost one large egg when I add a small amount of soft cheese like laughing cow light Swiss, otherwise I feel like its stuck. Still no beef, pork, pasta, bread, crackers or salad. I can't wait to have a salad but I don't feel ready yet. I'm careful with veggies - my stomach is sensitive to fiber and acid-no tomato. It really is a learning process every day, every meal, actually! Getting in the protein, vitamins and water is work enough, but seeing the scale move down-even only a half pound (hey, it's Thanksgiving weekend...and I cooked and baked my giblets off...to lose and not gain was probably a first in my lifetime!) Now on to the Christmas challenge!

Mini goals work for me! Helps me to have realistic goals. Here goes: Start weight 8/12-278 DOS 10/11/12-255.5 Today 11/23/12-227.5 Christmas goal: 207 

You are so pretty! What an inspiration, thanks for posting before and after picks. Makes the eating like a toddler (5 weeks post-op) and everything else we go through worth it! Congrats!

Tameeka-wow!!!! You are fabulous! Sooo happy for you, girlfriend! You look stunning and years younger! Best wishes for the best holiday season ever!

It sounds like you're doing great! I was worried about sleeve size too-your sleeve is swollen (almost shut) after the surgery, only liquids can trickle down. It gets better little by llittke. I am 6 weeks post-op Thursday and I can eat an 8 oz yogurt or pudding, but only a few teaspoons of chicken or tuna-it's denser. Sit back and enjoy the pounds melting off! You've drastically reduced your fats, sugars abd calories so your body can burn the fat-it's a wonderful thing! I miss chewing crunchy foods the most, but I am down over 50 pounds since Pre-op diet in August, sooooo I can stand "missing the crunch!" good luck!

I am sure, like me and a lot of others, you could lose weight without your sleeve -but it's the lifetime of keeping the weight off that's been my challenge! Example - Feb. 2010 I joined Jenny Craig at 272 pounds. By December, I lost almost 70 pounds. A coworker had WLS also in Feb. 2010. She lost a little more than me by Dec. -say, 90 pounds. (Meanwhile I was working out 5x a week and spending an average of $350 a month on Jenny). A year and a half later - I weighed 278 and she lost over 150 pounds and is a tiny little woman now! I was so embarrassed and ashamed to yet again put the weight back on that I worked so hard to lose! First I plateaued on Jenny-normal, then I had a bunion pressing into a nerve so I had surgery last Feb. Once I stopped working out and eating too many cals/carbs again, I was a gonner! So, I called the Bariatric center my coworker (and several others) had and here I am. Did I expect it to be as hard as it is? No way! Is it a walk in the park? No! Will I lose the 100+ pounds once and for all-yes! Will it take hard work-yes, anything worth getting does! I am keep positive images of what I'm going to look and feel like when I make my goal in my mind and know that what a difference a year makes..2013 will be a great year!!

I love how you love your daughter so much to share about her here! What a dad! Like so many have stated above it comes down to tracking food in and exercise out! I can see from being newly sleeved that besides my emotional hunger-needing to be over-full, my body needs a lot less calories than I was giving it! All my prior 'diets' worked, for a while, as long as my calories were very restricted. Whether it was portion control (Jenny Craig, WW) or exercising to burn off excess cals. as soon as I stopped-I gained! I hope for her sake and from seeing what you and your wife have gone through with obesity that she gets a grip on her 30 pounds before it's 40 than 50! I never would have dreamed as a young girl that so much if my adult life wound be consumed with weight loss! I wish I "got it" in my teens when the yo-yo-ing started! Good luck to your 2 pounds to goal-fabulous!!

My dr. allowed me to take anti-anxiety meds up to surgery (1/2 10 mg.Xanax) and after (tiny pill). Was sent home with Percocette for pain. I could swallow but I couldn't sleep so by day 3 went off Perc. and took extra-strength rapid release gell caps and Tylenol PM for night time. That helped pain more than prescribed meds for me and really helped my discomfort! I also had hiatal hernia repaired which caused more discomfort than my sleeve!

My diet recommends 20-30% of daily calories come from carbs-or max of 20 grams/day at 600 calories. I track on MFP so I can see some days I'm fine but others I'm over. When I have 2 protein shakes a day as 2 meals and a few dairy items, I'm good. Once I increase food and decrease shakes, the % goes up.

I am 5 weeks out and I can honestly say, it was -IS-the hardest thing I've ever done in my life! I haven't had life-threatening complications like some others have, but everyone's revovery and weight loss is different. Before my surgery, I don't think I expected any pain after reading posts about people shopping etc. just days after surgery. When I had pain and difficulty (nothing unusual) I was scared thinking that something was wrong. As I heal and can eat a little more than the week before, I still feel a liitle bit of "what the heck have I done to myself?" but I no longer snore-sleep apnea is going away, I was Pre-diabetic-Now I'm not; and I had one of 3 hernias (that I didn't know I even had!) repaired, and I've lost 49 pounds since August. Every day I weigh the pros and cons and every day there are mire "pros"! I feel a weird "hunger" but can go a long time without eating (eventhough I shouldn't!), but I can. Before surgery I was so obsessed with food I barely went an hour without eating something -was always starving! Just be educated on pros and cons and how they could affect your life. Good luck!

I like that strategy! I'm only 5 weeks out and can barely eat 1/4 cup of food, so I'm a little nervous about Thanksgiving dinner. I'm cooking -I just don't want to over do it-I'm just starting to learn how to eat tiny bites, slowly so I don't get over full and feel gross. I can't wait til next year!

I know it's a little disappointing when you think someone woukd say something about your loss and then doesn't! I have a few people in my life who I'm very close to and they know my weight struggles and that I had surgery, but I know they will never compliment me-they are vert vain and self-abserved - I know they love me and are happy for me, but they also feel threatened by my success. It shows. Sometimes saying nothing says more than saying something... does that make sense? Also, acquaintances may nit say anything in case they say the wrong thing. Once I told a woman I knew socially only that she looked great-list some wright! She told me she was on chemotherapy fir breast cancer and was pretty I'll. OMG I wanted to hide! So, I think sometimes people want to say something but may fear there's another reason for the weight loss so they decide not to.

Wow! That's fantastic! I just posted my current size is a baggy Layne Bryant jeans, I started in a tight 22 in August. My dream is to be smaller than a 10-good work, girlfriend! You did it!

Highest weight (Aug. 2012)- 278 DOS Oct. 11, 2012. - 255.5 5 weeks post-op Nov. 15 - 229.5 Total loss 48.5 lbs. Start size - tight 20/22 skirt/pant, 22 jeans, 18/20 dress, 2XL tops Today - loose 18/20 dress, 20 jeans are baggy, but not quite an 18 jeans. 1XL tops fit a little snug. Shrinking every day weather I see the scale move or not! I'm so excited to hopefully meet my Christmas goal weight if 207 (my recent lowest). Total goal wright is 138 - I am 5'5".

I'm just starting my full diet and need something quick for lunch-these look perfect! I'm going to try some this weekend. I'm thinking a wonton cupcake with a little turkey and Thanksgiving diner sides (potato, veggie, cranberry, etc.) could be awesome for leftovers after turkey day next week!

I was sleeved 10/11/12 and my BC/BS covered all but $1000 and I only had to pay $500 of that (plus co-pays). My dr. said it was a 2 night hospital stay, but insurance spproval letter stated only one. My surgery was at 9:30 am, by 7 pm that night, my dr. came by-said I looked wonderful and would go home the next day. I hadn't had my leak test yet, so I was surprised! My test was fine and I was released by 3:00 the day after surgery. The ride home was awful, but to sleep in my bed with my family there was comforting. At my 1st post-op visit, I asked how he knew I could go home early and he said he does so many surgeries he can tell by how thepatient is doing right away after recovery. (I was watching tv, reading a magazine when he came by. When you feel too sick to read or watch tv-it's a good indication you need more time. Good luck!

5 weeks for me and my taste buds are still confused! I don't know what to eat anymore. If I like it, I risk overeating, or it tastes hideous and I can't eat it at all (oatmeal, pastina) plus foods my sleeve isn't ready for, like tomato sauces, just won't digest. I'm left with such few options, even on no restrictions, my menu leaves much to be desired! I'm still waiting to be able to drink plain water again-I love water and miss drinking it without additives!