LuckyT

I am so glad you liked it - it feels good to have contributed something to you as I have learned a lot from you and some of the others who post here frequently If you have a Staples store near you in their dollar bins they have some great little containers that I stocked up on for the facial mix I make (coconut oil & rose oil) and then I have branched out and used pint size Mason jars for mixture for body (coconut oil, rose and lavender oil). The canning jars can be found at most grocery stores for reasonable price. Next time I make a batch up I am going to use some of my Wen oils - have you tried Wen products for your hair? They are 100% natural and make your hair so soft. I am a bit of a shopping fiend & QVC is much too tempting - anyway they have some great deals on Wen right now. I've been reading about Hair loss from the weight loss & am hoping my regular use for past 2 years will help mitigate that as I began using it when I was put on blood thinners for blood clots in 2010 - hair loss began then and stopped with use of Wen.

I am only 5 1/2 weeks out and have a 1/2 a cup most mornings. I mix Protein powder in just so I don't feel as guilty! LOL Hasn't seemed to hurt me; I do try to follow the advise I've seen on these boards which is to view it as a treat and not count it towards Water intake. New tummy is still pretty tight so by 1/2 a cup I am full

1964 here! I truly understand your concerns as I shared them. My "I want to live" moment came in 2009 when I survived a pulmonary embolism. I got lap band surgery a year later because I was scared of gastric bypass but then the lap band made me pretty much bulimic and I never lost more than 40lbs with the darn thing. I am a month out from sleeve surgery (lap band was removed last April) and I so totally think this surgery is going to give me that life that I decided I wanted to have when I nearly died. In a month I have lost 30lbs and I feel so good in comparison to how I felt before. I can't tell you that it is the answer for you but I can tell you it is well worth considering. I finally feel in control of my body, my hunger and my emotions - I love my sleeved tummy

don't be discouraged - you are doing all the right things & this will give you results. Check out gamegirl's post titled "you may be more successful than you think' for a different perspective on how much you have accomplished and where you are in your journey to better health and hopeful a baby Good luck and know that you are in good company in this forum.

Hi Vblount,

Just wondering how you are doing? I read your post and felt some kinship as I had a lap band removal then was sleeved a few months later. My sleeve surgery was 10/22/13 so we are pretty close in surgical dates.

Hello, I am in Oroville - about 70 miles north of Sacramento. I was sleeved 10/22/13 - everything is going good, I am down 29 pounds from highest weight & 22 down since surgery date.

I'd be happy to have a buddy to chat with as we start on a new path to health

^{At Target of all places! They have a "naturals" section in one of their make up aisle,s like where Burt's Bees products are displayed, and they had a box of six natural oils, one being rose oil, for under $20. I've tried some of the other oils in the package and do like them but the rose is my favorite}

Hi gamergirl

What I read to do (and how I do use it since then) is to slather the oil on right after I get out of the shower (after towel drying body) then I let it absorb into my skin as I put on deodorant, make-up (I use a very small amount of oil on face in AM - save larger dose for nighttime routine) and any other portion of getting ready leaving getting dressed to last. I have had a few occasions when I was in a hurry and dressed directly after applying the oil - it didn't stain my clothes but I didn't feel as moisturized either so I think the cotton probably absorbed some of the oil. I started out using the coconut oil straight out of the container but found a recipe on Pintrest for making my own body butter with coconut oil for the base a few months back. So now I use a mixture of coconut oil and rose oil that I whip into a creamy butter-like substance with my kitchen mixer. It smells wonderful and the rose oil is good for softening lines and shrinking pores. My facial skin is really super clear - prior to this regimen I had adult acne flare ups and some ruddiness to my complexion.

Hi Kellybelly_rny,

I purchase my coconut oil at costco - they have organic coconut oil in large containers & since I use it for cooking and for my beauty routine it is a much more cost effective to buy it that way. If you've never used it I would recommend Trader Joe's as they have a small jar at a reasonable cost & it is pretty similar to the brand costco sells. If you pintrest at all you can search for my board titled "Nuts About Coconut" there are lots of links on it with information about why coconut oil is so good and how it can be used for many things.

I use organic coconut oil. There is a lot of documentation and books about coconut oil that will give you all the reasons why it is so beneficial but the proof to me is in how beautiful my skin has become since I began using it a year ago. My surgery scars are already becoming faint (I put it on them twice a day - surgery was 3 weeks ago)and the scars I had from lap band then the removal of said lap band (in March)are barely visible. My cousin had sleeve surgery 9 months ago and is down almost 100lbs; she has been using the coconut oil also and her skin does seem to be shrinking along with her. Not bad for a 52 year old sun worshipper

Hi Pattie1966. I am only 3 weeks out so I can't give you a success story yet (well other than I have lost 26 pounds!!! I just over 3 weeks - not that I am bragging - it is just to fabulous not to share) but I wanted to thank you for your post as I find it hugely motivational.

Congratulations, you are doing fantastic! If you haven't already checked them out there are two recent topics in this forum that are really helpful in putting weight loss into perspective; one is "You may be more successful than you think" posted by gamergirl and other has to do with what they call the three week stall. I am 3 weeks out and had that moment today (Thursday has been designated my "official" weekly weigh-in ) where the scale went down by just one pound not the 7, 8 or 9 pounds I have gotten used to. I have found the two referenced topics to really have helped me not have the old "I hate my body" moment I would have had a little over a month ago.

Thank you L-in-NJ. I wish you a speedy recovery & am open for brain picking about surgery and/or recovery Where in Jersey are you located? I grew up in Browns Mills NJ and still have friends in the area.

Hello Congratulations on your surgery date! Excitement is definitely a better a better emotion to start the adventure with. An adventure it certainly is as each day I have small NSV's (non scale victory). Easier to move, clothes loosing up, etc. I am 3 weeks out from surgery and had similar questions asked by it seemed like everyone that I knew as the surgery date got closer. My typical response was "no, I've researched it thoroughly and I am confident this is what I need to do". Once people saw that I was confident about it they backed off a little. I go back to work next week and am expecting a deluge of "how much have you lost?" LOL - much better question given all that effort put forth to make it happen.

I'm going to go broke buying ..... pretty, soft pajamas, exercise outfits, lounging outfits, panties in every color and bras with underwire! Gotta get some lift in the girls

LOL! What a great and funny perspective! Congratulations on your commitment to the sleeve

Not bad at all for a kid in grad school! Good to know he is not only able to cook but does it in a healthy way. The thing I like about that cookbook in particular is that the recipes are pretty basic so once you try them as intended it is easy to tweak them to your own taste. I am a cookbook addict though and have several other pressure cooker cookbooks............ I am excited to try some of your recipes out as I really enjoy cooking. My brother often joins us for dinner as he says it is like going to a restaurant.

Thank you gamergirl I made split pea Soup in the pressure cooker tonight - it was so yummy to taste the ham in it. I have been missing meat! LOL I have another week of purees then onto soft food but when I am back to solids I will try out some of your recipes. If you are a cookbook fiend like I am one of my favorite pressure cooker books is "Slow food Fast" by Bob Warden. Split pea recipe is in it but I modify by using only fresh food not some of the canned or processed food he suggests. Plus I added carrots and celery - missing veggies too

Thanks for the recipe inspiration I love my pressure cooker & look forward to learning to make healthier meals in the future in it. I am only 2 1/2 weeks out from my sleeve surgery so not cooking too much yet. I checked out your blog and really enjoyed it. Love the recipes and tips I found there.

I forgot to mention I am 2 weeks and 3 days out so we are almost surgery twins LOL Getting the fluids in is definitely one of my bigger struggles.

Wow! Congratulations, you look beautiful & happy. Thank you for the inspiration.

I love Sobe Life Water - zero calories and they come in 20 ounce bottles so 2 a day plus tea and plain water helps me reach my water goals. costco has a 12 pack at reasonable price.

_{I have been told it is normal after surgery as your body diverts energy to healing. I had lap band surgery in 2010 and didn't even out my body temperature for about a year. Am 2 1/2 weeks out with sleeve revision and have moments of feeling frozen It does get better, especially once you can move and gain energy after healing.}

Don't give up! This happened to me too and once my surgeon did the peer to peer I was approved. Have faith

You can do it!!! I thought & felt the same thing but am now two weeks out of surgery. Try drinking warm drinks like "hot cocoa' made from chocolate Protein Powder or put unflavored Protein in warm chicken broth. Trick to good consistency is make a sludge out of powder first with room temp Water then add your warm liquids in. I found warm drinks made me feel much more happy .