notmeanymore

Just the one incision in the belly button and no drain. At least thats what my spider incision was like. My surgeon told me I was a candidate just because of my height, Im 5'4. BMI wasnt a factor in his recommendation.

It sure IS working for you! Congratulations and keep up the GREAT work

Im only 4 1/2 months out and the only side effect that I have is heartburn. I never had it prior to surgery but now I have it but I take a PPI (Prevacid 30mg) every morning and its not an issue. Its only an issue if I forget to take it. Other than that, every single other thing has been positive.

Oh boy. San Diego is beautiful. Good luck in TJ!

Have fun on your vacation! Where you going if you dont mind me asking?

I think its individual to what your tummy can handle. Ive heard that some have issues with the lettuce and it 'cleaned them out' if you know what I mean so I was excited to try some cause who cant use a good 'cleaning out' post op right? So I ate salad and nothing happened, I just had a salad. It sat fine with me, didnt bother my tummy at all. I would say just experiment when you doctor permits salads and stay close to a bathroom just in case things dont sit well

I used to sweat all the time too. In bed, getting ready, walking around my office, anywhere and now Im always asking my hubby to turn up the heat and I steal the blankets from him. At first we thought maybe I was sick but then the light bulb went off and we were like 'ohhhhhhhhhhhh, its cause of the weight loss'. Now Im chilly all the time (live in the Chicago area) and no more night sweats, no more sweating while getting ready in the morning, but I do sweat like a beast in hot yoga!

Agree! Im officially addicted. Its also been helping me steadily drop pounds so thats another great benefit. Im up to 4 classes a week including weekends. Ive never slept better and Ive never felt better. It kicks my ass but I love it. I feel so proud of myself every time I finish a class.

The people that told me I didnt need it were either big like me or bigger or they were jealous that I was getting a second chance. Luckily for me, my husband comes to all my doctor visits and tells them how happy he is for me (for us) that Im healthier now. He likes to poke the jealous bears

Im 5'4 also and was told that 140 would be a great goal weight by my surgeon. He knows better than any of my friends I would think.

I am also about 4 1/2 months and started losing lots of hair a couple of weeks ago. I tried to deny it but even my husband noticed, only because he cleans the drains and we have white tile in our bathroom and I have dark red hair. He went online and found an article saying to make sure I was getting enough iron, zinc and biotin. The article pretty much said that its inevitable and that it should stop around the 6 month mark. I dont know if have another month and a half of hair left. I started with very thick hair so hopefully that will help it not be as noticable. Good luck and hang in there.

Im 4 months post op and take very intense hot yoga classes and have no problem at all staying hydrated. To be clear, hot yoga is intense bikram yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees. I sweat buckets and dont have any problem taking big sips of water. I only needed to sip sip sip when I was healing in the beginning. I drink just like I did pre-op now. I was worried about the same thing.

I just recently started adding a touch of cinnamon and a packet of Splenda to my cottage cheese. Tastes like rice pudding to me. Yum.

I too have BCBS of Illinois and my approval took 2 weeks to the day.

I usually say that I just eat less and cut out carbs. But for the one super nosey gossip lady at work, I leaned over and whispered in her ear "lots and lots of sex". She stopped asking and it made me smile

Sometimes Ill walk by my husband and catch him staring and Im like "what? is my zipper open?" and he'll say that he can REALLY notice that Ive lost weight. Plus he likes that Ive been wearing more form fitting clothes. He's sweet like that

Thanks guys

I typically do not toot the horn but today I received 2 very nice compliments. 1. A lady that I work with that I dont interact with on a regular basis stopped me in the hall to say that she had to do a double take because of how much weight Ive lost. She almost didnt recognize me. That was pretty cool. 2. The other was the woman that works at a gas station I frequent said "OMG youve lost a TON of weight". I told her it was 62 pounds and still going strong. She high fived me and told me "you go girl". She said it was a dramatic difference in my face. I took everything she said as a compliment but had she said it at the wrong time of the month if you get my drift, I might have gotten offended lol. Ive had other minor VSGs but 2 on a payday Friday? Woot woot!! Ill post pictures soon but part of me is still afraid of the camera Have a great weekend everyone.

You are such a rock star Fiddleman!!! Thats awesome! Really happy for you. Youve worked so hard and push yourself daily, you truly ARE an inspiration.

Insert obnoxious and totally offensive wolf whistle here You look awesome!

I would say around 3 months I felt like I got this thing down. Cold liquids bothered me for the first 3 months and now they dont. Although it is a strange sensation feeling the cold liquids go into the tummy and filling it up. Ive not experienced any foods that I couldnt tolerate but then I havent tried every food that I used to eat either. Ive not thrown up once and only felt nauseous for a few days after surgery but nothing like the first day. Ive had food get stuck once, it was painful, it sucked, I wont do it again. I just took too large of a bite. I get full very very fast, only a couple ounces and Im done. If I push it, I get the hiccupps and thats my warning system. I can drink just as much and as fast as I used to so hydrating is not an issue at all. Good luck with everything.

Im a little over 4 months out and I can only eat a 2 - 3 ounces of food at a time. So if the food is more dense, I can only take in around 2 ounces. Like wings, I can only eat 2. If its fish, I can eat half of a filet because its less dense. Ive gone out for sushi and can only eat 3 little pieces. Thats the only time I wish I could overeat because I LOVE sushi So I just eat my 3 pieces very very slowly. But I have to say that like TES, my restriction does vary occasionally.

I never eat the shell either. I buy the frozen steam fresh bags then microwave them and sprinkle a little sea salt and bam, yummy protein snack. I have also bought an edamame salad from the grocery store but I actually like the steam fresh ones better.

Just stop snacking. LOL. I know its easier said than done. I used to be a big snacker too pre-surgery but post surgery I judge everything I put in my mouth on a scale of 'is it sleeve worthy or not'. If it doesnt have protein or fruit or vegetable, it typically does not go in my mouth. When Im 'hormonal' and only chocolate will save someones life, my hubby makes me chocolate covered strawberries. That way I get a little chocolate and lots of fruit. Its a compromise. After all I went thru to get sleeved and how active Ive become and how much weight Ive lost so far, there is no way in heck Im going back to my old ways. I refuse to fail. Love yourself and kick those snacks to the curb!!

Im so excited for you Fiddleman. My co-worker is a Cross Fit guy and he's FIT! He loves hot yoga too but got away from going. The wife was missing him lol. I have always told him that one day I want to be a Cross Fit B*tch! Those ladies are hot! But then Ive never seen an overweight yoga instructor either. Its just about doing what you enjoy and choosing to be challenged if thats what you want.