Sadlers1999

I absentmindedly had a few swigs of my son's soda when we were eating out in January. I didn't have enough to make me feel sick, but as soon as I had done it, I felt a difference in my sleeve. I talked about it with my NUT and what she said is that even if the gas doesn't make you uncomfortable, it is stretching out your stomach. So, proceed with caution.

The nurse who did my pre-op EKG had the sleeve done and was talking about her experience with me. She was 18 months out and still NOT at goal, but she was working at it....eating right and exercising. She didn't regret anything even though she was still not at goal. At the time, I was hoping that her experience was ATYPICAL and that I would be at goal by 18 months. Of course, now I am 2 1/2 months out and I am only down 30 lbs since the surgery (50 overall). So, maybe that will be my fate, too. I just hope that I can stay positive and stay "on the wagon" (not overeating and continuing to exercise). Currently, I am grateful for the weight that I have lost because I really was at a place where I was feeling like I would NEVER lose weight again....so sick of "diets" and exercising without seeing any significant results. Compared to before surgery, the 30 lbs off in less than 3 months seems like a gift.

I started using them within the past three weeks and I don't notice any problem (from introducing more air into my stomach). I wouldn't drink from a straw all the time, though. But once a day or less than once a day hasn't been a problem.

Congrats! Where are you in our fair state?

Well, you look great in your photo (side by side comparison). I have been working out for 90 minutes 5x a week and it doesn't seem to move the needle on the scale any faster. We just have to hang in there. YOu do look really great in your most recent profile picture, though.

re: doctor's goals or lack of...It's just another thing to drive us crazy. Those of us getting goals are made crazy by trying to figure out how to achieve. Those of us without goals feel "left behind." I don't think I could go on less than 600 calories at this point, so I guess I am thankful (for the moment) not to have a doctor telling me to do that. So, sleeved on 12/17 and I think I am thirty down post surgery (fifty overall). As has been stated by so many others, it seems like there is a group who loses weight more quickly and I am not part of it. And, as my PCP was telling me, maybe we shouldn't stress about other's big losses because she thinks more of us lose at my rate, we just don't post about it, because the loss seems so "moderate." What I have to remember is that it took me SIX months to lose the first 20 pounds before surgery and I have lost 30 pounds in about 2 1/2 months post surgery. So, even if my rate of loss is "modest" for VSG, it still beats the hell out of no surgery and trying to lose weight.

You made me smile...Yes, there are a lot of lean people in Colorado! We are still the "leanest" of the 50 states, but what is scary is that even Colorado has gotten fatter over the years. I had a few people tell me that they couldn't understand WHY I would need bariatric surgery (that I was too small) and I was 100 lbs overweight! If you are in downtown Denver, it must be a lot easier to get "every day" walking in. When I worked and lived in NYC, I walked a lot more just because you don't use a car.

Sublingual means that you are supposed to put it under your tongue. It gets into your bloodstream faster. They are little, tiny pills. Although my NUT now has me on both a sublingual B-12 and B50, which is definitely NOT sublingual.

FYI: King Soopers has PB2 (in the peanut butter aisle) on sale for 60 cents off with your King Sooper's club card. I don't know if it is cheaper to buy it over the Internet (probably in bulk), but I was excited to see it at a grocery store AND on sale. It was $3.99 for the 6.5 oz. size (which is like a small peanut butter jar).

Blue Eyes - I agree with Megeen. You need to let your body heal first and then get back on the exercise track. It won't do you any good to be worn out now, because you may leave yourself open to another virus.

Read about PB2 on this site first and then heard great things about it at an In person support group. It's powdered peanuts where the oil has been removed. You mix it with water to create the peanut butter. Most people add it to things like shakes. There are two types: straight-up peanut and peanut-chocolate. It was about $1.00 off with the King Soopers club card.

I guess if there is a bright side to the last slew of posts, it shows that there are different strategies for different people. Even if the surgery is the same, our bodies are different and respond differently to how we fuel ourselves.

DanaInNewORleans - I find it hard to eat any protein, too. I mean, I do it, but it is unpleasant. Maybe you saw that I posted about throwing up yesterday (for the first time since surgery - did not throw up at all before this) on edamame. I had eaten it before and in the same quantity, but it just didn't sit right and I was so sick. My stomach wasn't satisfied until all of it was purged. I do find that shrimp and fish are easier to tolerate than even soft eggs. But, protein shakes still are a must if I want to hit 60-70 g of protein a day. I can't fathom eating more protein than that with all the timing restrictions re: drinking water, etc. I have little kids, so I will confess, I sometimes eat some dry cheerios or gold fish. Not a significant amount, but I agree that they go down a lot easier than the protein, which I also agree, is NOT good. re: Weight Watchers - the overall approach is good for a person who has 30 lbs to lose and/or someone who eats like crap (period). However, I think a lot of the processed foods that they glorify are dangerous (low calorie, high fiber). Also, I think I stretched my stomach out to a bigger size by eating HUGE, HUGE salads all the time. Then, if I didn't eat salad, I still had the same big stomach wanting to be filled. In any case, I am a believer in less-processed food. Do you know that they feed MSG to lab rats to make them artificially fatter??