tigerbelle

Sure. I could have gone back after the first week, but my employer authorized three weeks!

Hey all,
Been away for a while being very busy but I wanted to drop in and give some great news. For the first time since my sophomore year in high school I am below 300 lbs. Weight loss has slowed down but is still progressing. I am feeling great and am way more active than I have been in years. Pants size is down from a 56/58 to a 44! So, I am very happy and I hope to keep going. Still got some more weight to get rid of. Here are my numbers.
Sleeved
12/26/12
*420 lbs*

01/10/13
-40 lbs.
*380 lbs*
01/17/13
-8 lbs.
*372 lbs*

02/27/13
-22 lbs.
*350 lbs*
03/26/13
-15 lbs.
*335 lbs*
06/26/13
-37 lbs.
*298*
So, as of this point I am down 122 lbs.
I hope everyone is doing great in their journey.
GatorDave

mystigal, your diet plan is similar to mine--I am 7 weeks out though--although I think I am eating a little more than you with solid foods...for example I could probably have 3 slices of fajita meat (if they weren't especially thick slices) and more like a couple of tablespoons of refried Beans I can't get in as much liquids as you do...but you've already lost more than me, and I am three weeks ahead of you post-surgery...I just keep telling myself to stay with the plan and not get frustrated at how slowly I am losing
danbo, I have also many times here on the message board expressed frustration with the varying recommendations among surgeons and NUTs...at 7 weeks out, I have been trying to get most of my Protein from foods and just supplement as needed with the Protein shakes...well, when I touched base with my NUT a week or two ago, she told me the opposite; i.e., that I should be getting most of my protein from the shakes with very little coming from food...I for sure believe she would think I am eating too much food quantity wise, but I have been keeping track of my daily calorie count, and it is averaging about 600 to 700...I take all my Vitamins, too, but I am so tired all of the time I am fearful of cutting back too much on the calories..very frustrating

I just had my 2 week follow-up with my NUT today. She said the tiredness is totally normal and is typically the last thing to go. Hang in there!

a soft scrambled egg was the first thing I tried...no problems...it was like ambrosia to me! soft cheeses (cottage cheese if you like it)...yogurt...hummus...thicker soups....juicy chicken chewed well--even chicken salad

From 240 to 138 !!!

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Let me tell you as someone sleeved three years ago next month - not only no, but hell no.
Oh yes, it's so easy in the beginning not to eat. Your sleeve is puny. I hated food. I hated eating. I resented that I had to eat around the clock just to consume 400 calories and 60 grams of Protein. I got cocky, no lie. I was sure I was the one that was never going to have a problem because I didn't even want to eat and never felt hunger.
Fast forward to life after goal and in maintenance, a sleeve with double the capacity (still small, don't go freaking out on me) and any stressful life event. Guess what you want to do? EAT. It doesn't matter that I almost never feel hunger and that I'm not obsessed with food any longer. I still love it. I can still get out of control if I let myself. I still have to make good choices. I can easily, EASILY eat over 2,200 calories in a day if I don't think about what I'm eating and if I make poor choices.
It's come to my realization that you do not have to FEEL hungry to stuff your face. You can eat mindlessly, just because it's there. You can eat emotionally, just because you're sad. You get to maintenance, you're not eating on Atkins part two anymore and day by day that little evening treat can go from a few pretzels to a cookie to a few Cookies to a dang bowl of ice cream to a sundae with hot fudge and whipped cream.
I've seen people post about it over and over again here.
Do not deceive yourself. Will the sleeve make your journey easier? In some respects, yes. Those months when food is challenging are the perfect time to build new habits. Does the old you go away? Nope, not ever. Or at least not after three years, in my experience. My personal issues are still there. Whatever made me feel good about food before, whatever memories it evoked or whatever feelings I hid in an entire pan of brownies? Those things are still there, waiting to rear their ugly head. I've worked on a ton of my issues and I'm in a far better place, no denying. But these things do not go away just because we get smaller or learn to eat well for a year.
Maintenance is the real challenge.
If you haven't already read it, I enjoyed "Hungry" by Allen Zadoff. Believe it or not I did not even realize (or admit to myself) that I was an overeater until I read that book. I tell you what - going through the drive through and eating a meal in the car before going home to eat dinner with your family? That's a problem! But I was completely in denial until I read his struggle in print. He did not have surgery and isn't a surgery advocate, but his book did help me.
Good luck. If you opt for surgery, great. Just know that you'll be in for a challenge. Good news is that you're not alone. You can join the rest of us battling the same thing!
~Cheri

I almost didn't put myself out there, but I can only hope it helps put things in perspective.
I even dream about food.

Please don't take offense, but I am curious...why have you been trying to advance your diet? I know some plans seem overly conservative, but I have been too "scared" to go outside my NUT's recommendations

Please don't take offense, but I am curious...why have you been trying to advance your diet? I know some plans seem overly conservative, but I have been too "scared" to go outside my NUT's recommendations

2 months ago i was 50 pounds heavier! 2 months ago i was a different person! My sleeve has changed my life and i am so grateful that i made this decision! Zero cravings! Zero appetite! Drinking lots of Water and getting my Protein in! Training for a 5k and working on our adoption dossier! That is pretty much what i've been up too the last 2 months! Just wanted to give an update! :0)

I think beth, curvy, laura-ven, janice and others made some great posts...I can't add much to what they've already expressed...the things I see as consistently relevant are, first and foremost, the fact that we are changing/growing/morphing as persons continually--both physically and emotionally, and it's irrelevant and counterproductive to worry about whether who we are currently with or hope to be with would have loved us or been attracted to us in a previous iteration of ourselves...another thing is the idea about trusting your instincts and getting to know the person you are dating--you will be able to tell I think whether a person is of high character, moral, shallow, materialistic, etc. once you get to know them--based on what you discover about each other during the dating process, that is how you make your judgment about the type of person your partner is and not using what-ifs--life what if I were this or that or had this or didn't have this
to me it all comes down to a trust issue--something a lot of us (including me need to work on)...not only learning how or whom to trust..but also trusting in yourself...and for some of us who believe in a higher power, it is also trusting in that to guide you to the place and the person you need

wt myself today a few days from my official 1 month. I lost 12 pounds on my pre op and another 12 at my 2 week visit. I then didn't loose a thing for 10 days. Started loosing again another 5 pounds since sat. So overall in the past 6 weeks 29 pounds

good deal...like you, cream of chicken Soup was filling, went down well and also "comforted" me...I did like having my first bite of scrambled eggs at 3 weeks

a soft scrambled egg was the first thing I tried...no problems...it was like ambrosia to me! soft cheeses (cottage cheese if you like it)...yogurt...hummus...thicker soups....juicy chicken chewed well--even chicken salad

Yes it happened-at 4 weeks post op a1c is 5.2 with no meds cholesterol is 188(couldn't take medicine) and no blood pressure medicine:)

I thought the OP was speaking about small children. Yes being fat is unhealthy but looks wise there is nothing wrong with being fat. If I could live healthy to 100 being a big FAT beautiful woman I would. I wish people would tell their fat children (if they had them) that they are beautiful so there self esteem wouldn't be shattered if called fat as an adult by a 3 year old. I'm not invalidated anyone else's feelings ..I just think people need a thicker skin. The op was speaking about 5 year olds

have you tried using the PB2 (peanut butter powder) instead of regular Peanut Butter? I love adding this to Protein Shakes for extra flavor

patsy, are you talking about a large opening with a lot of blood/fluid? I am 6 weeks post-op and only my main, largest incision is not quite healed...it still is seeping a little blood/fluid but nothing that a regular thin bandage can't handle...in the past--not with this surgery--I have had some issues with slow healing and have seen a wound care specialist--perhaps your surgeon could refer you...just offering some suggestions

to address the few comments that alluded to the kids not having proper manners as regards to referring to people as "fat"...this is how I feel--I don't think it is a good idea or even healthy for parents to teach their kids that "fat" is a bad word or something bad to call someone...in fact, if they are taught that, then maybe they won't say the "f" word, but when they see someone who is fat, they will think there is something "bad" about that person...is that really a better attitude or lesson to teach your children?...heck, most of the time I call myself "fat" without mincing words, because at over 240 lbs., I certainly am fat...this is the thing, though--even if kids are taught that it isn't healthy to be fat, they should also be taught that human beings come in all shapes and sizes (as well as all colors and ages and religions and accents, etc.)...just because someone is different from what you are used to, that doesn't mean they are bad people or that you shouldn't respect them...*that* is the lesson I would want my kids to learn

Jessica, I don't think it is because my stomach won't tolerate it; it's just my NUT has a very strict plan when it comes to carbs and starches...per her plan, I cannot have bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, cereal--anything like that for at least 6 months, because she says it will slow or stop weight loss...it does sound sort of overly strict to me, especially based on other comments that have been posted here, but for now I am definitely trying to stay with the plan she gave me

even though a hard boiled egg is on your puree list, I don't think I would advise starting with that--my very first food at that phase was a scrambled egg (softly scrambled)...that went down well and later I added some melted cheese on top and eventually moved up to hard boiled eggs...I am not sure there is a "normal" around here...I have seen some people at the soft/mushy stage not be able to keep anything down but mashed potatoes or something similar...at first, I just had the scrambled eggs, soft cheeses, some thicker Soups that I was having at full liquids, mushy Beans like refried beans...and hummus (I love the taste)...and yogurt, too, as a snack mostly (Greek yogurt is best for protein)...many people loved cottage cheese at the soft/mushy stage and tolerated it well...try as I might, I just cannot develop a taste for cottage cheese...hope things get better for you as you progress

first of all...geaux tigers!
the only time I really miss drinking during meals is when I am in a restaurant--I guess because everyone else has a drink...at home I have already re-learned just in the six weeks I have been post-op

I don't think a kid has ever called me fat exactly--at least not to my face or where I could hear...I have had a kid ask me why my stomach is so big...also, I have had a child tell his mother tell his mother in a store--referring to me--"mommy, that lady has a big tummy"...it has never really bothered me, because I appreciate the natural honesty of young children, and these children I mention were young--both under age 5...I told both of those kids (including the one in the store whose mother was embarrassed and apologetic) that I had a big tummy because I ate too much food, which was basically true...now, when adults have made snide remarks that were definitely derogatory towards me--even if the word fat wasn't necessarily used--that angers me and disgusts me, because unlike children they aren't just naturally curious and honest...they are just ignorant and insensitive jerks