jensjoy28

I am sorry that you didn't receive the support you were hoping for when sharing this with your mom...there can be so much complexity to the parent/child relationship and it is amazing to me how many parents continue to feel that is their role (or right) to have a say in what their adult children do in their lives (something I struggle with in my relationship with my Dad)...I am guessing that your Mom is a pretty dominant personality, and that you often choose to avoid the conversation to avoid the confrontation, but I would suggest that the "what to do next" might be to spend some time thinking about how her response made you feel and what ideally you would like from her to help you on this journey...and then engage her in a conversation about those two things.

I echo what others have said, a counselor/therapist would be an excellent idea. Perusing this forum is a good opportunity to see that you are not alone in the struggles you are having. Many will say that the mental part of this journey is harder than the physical...many of us struggle with obesity in part because we have come to use food to comfort us and/or anesthetize ourselves from feelings we are uncomfortable with. I also want to encourage you to try not to be too hard on yourself (something I recognize because I do that too)....from reading your post, I feel like that may be a tendency that you have, and that negative self-talk adds to your feelings of inadequacy...the journey will be bumpy, but promise yourself that you will be open to the experience and take things as the come.

I like the suggestion of just ordering one egg and just eat slowly ...restaurants do a la carte orders all they time. The other thing you could try is to make scrambled eggs at home and measure it, put it on a plate and see what 1/4 cup actually looks like on a plate...then tomorrow, when you get your plate arrange the portion to look like what you saw at home and eat from that. Also, here is a site that gives you some objects to compare to to eyeball portion size. http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrservings.html

I didn't have any issues post-op, but have had pleurisy 2x in my life, and you are right....super, super painful. If your pain meds aren't knocking the pain out, I would definitely suggest going to see your doc

With all of the positive, glowiness emanating from your post, you might need to borrow that rainbow unicorn Laura-Ven had posted to her profile a while back...but, seriously, excellent outlook and mindset, and a reminder for us all that you can keep your mind busy either making lists of things that are going well or that aren't going well...to me, the benefits of one over the other is clear!

It does depend so much on body type, where you lose weight and also on the style of the garment in question. I started at 310 and am 5'7"...but was a size 20...I'm now down to 245 and am pretty squarely a 16w...in some things that have a little stretch, I can be a 0x...I would guesstimate that I would be in a 14 (not Women's) in another 25-30 pounds. That said, I made a post on her the other day about a body-hugging dress that I just bought in a size 12 that I think is going to look pretty darn good in another 10 pounds, so there you go!

I was out shopping at HomeGoods today looking for some home decor and stumbled past this dress that I looked looked cute on the hanger...but they only had a size 12, but I thought "what the hell, try it on"...I thought it looked cute and I bought it...but now I'm thinking I might have been a little heady about the size and it might not be a keeper...asking for honest feedback :-)

I think there are many of us that had that same fear...it is understandable given the countless times we have "failed" in the past. You can do it...you will do it...and you will love it.

Glad the problem has been solved for this occasion...but, be prepared for it to crop up again on (many) different days in the coming weeks and months (especially true for those that choose to keep WLS private)

While I agree with this sentiment generally, I think it is interesting that you used it in response to that specific post...since LipstickLady's comments echoed mine, I will expound a bit on why I thought the OP could benefit from being open to adjusting her M.O. I think often times the "go along to get along" and "don't do anything that stands out" mentality is so engrained with people that they don't even realize the damage it can do...as has been said on this forum countless times, the sleeve is a tool, but equally important to long-term success is addressing the mental side of our relationship with food...and if we continue to ignore or avoid the uncomfortable feelings that we have that surround food, there is an excellent chance of staying on the merry-go-round that we have just taken surgical steps to get off of.

I don't have any specific suggestions about food options, but I wanted to (respectfully) challenge you a bit in your assertion that "you can't sit there and not eat"...why not? I think it would be am excellent opportunity to embrace a new way of thinking that allows the occasion to rank higher in importance than the venue. It is a special occasion celebrating your grandmother's birthday..enjoy the social aspect w/o the food...eat some of the food on your puréed plan before heading out and then just have some non-caloric drink at dinner. I promise that in a year's time, the memories you will have are of the special time with family and friends and not about what you did or did not eat at the meal. I, personally, went out for a number of meals in the first weeks post-op and didn't have a problem not eating along with everyone else...however, people in my life knew I had WLS...if you aren't "out" with this group about your recent surgery, then I say follow my suggestion above and if asked by anyone why you aren't eating say that you're stomach doesn't feel quite right, but you didn't want to miss the festivities, smile and raise a glass to the guest of honor. :-)

Measuring is key...my doc suggests measuring all you plan to eat (which for me is 1/2 cup at 3 mos out) instead of serving more and planning to stop when full...he believes it is advisable to stop eating before being full, and this has worked well for me. I think I've had one time where I finished my portion and decided to have a few more bites about 15 minutes later...and, guess what, that was the one time I got nauseous...so while my head said I could eat more my body was just fine.

Yes, it is Calvin Klein...I've seen some of the pics you've posted and can totally see this in your closet!! :-)

Thanks, all!!...considering that I am 40 pounds away from where I would expect to wear a size 12, I'll keep it and hope that in another month I'll rock it!

This is a favorite for me...good combo of sweet, heat and savory deliciousness. I don't use the cedar planks...and have used orange marmalade as sub for apricot with equal success. If you were concerned about the sugar in the preserves, you could buy a low-sugar preserve or use less than recipe calls for. http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/37215

I go up a pound or two

Reflux is so common amongst obese patients that if that alone was justification not to do VSG there would be a LOT more of us on the RNY forum... Here is an article that may be helpful in your follow-up conversation http://www.sages.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts-archive/laparoscopic-sleeve-gastrectomy-with-hiatal-hernia-repair-a-retrospective-case-series-and-review-or-literature/

I am 3 months out and I really don't get more 4 oz before feeling full...if you are concerned, I would suggest only serving yourself 4 oz then focus on eating s-l-o-w-l-y and see if you feel sated when you are done...

I have always struggled to get in the recommended 64 oz of fluids daily...I told my doc I am getting probably 40-48 oz on days I don't workout and he was totally fine with that (even said that is what he prob gets on a daily basis.) While I disagree with your assertion that Water intoxication would happen by consuming 80 oz of fluids throughout the day...and I also think we aren't always as good as we think we are at deciphering the messages our body sends us...I thought this article elucidated some of the points you were making about whether there is "hard science" to support the rule we've all come to know about how much liquids we should be getting a day. http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/wonders-of-water

Dear body- As I sit here just a little more than 48 hours from my surgery day, I am thinking about you...there have been so many times over the years when I looked upon you in disdain, and, body, I am sorry for that. It wasn't you...it was me. It was the emotional part of me that found food as a comfort for the times I was lonely, the times I was sad, the times I was rewarding myself for any number of things...the disdain I had was for me, not you. Truly, body, you deserve my praise and appreciation...I appreciate that over the last 15 years, as the numbers have crept up on the scale and now top 300 pounds, that you have taken it all in stride and not (yet) succumbed to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or any of the other weight-related issues that I know would have come had I not taken steps to have this surgery. I am sorry that I am choosing to remove a large portion of a perfectly good stomach in order to having a fighting chance of overcoming obesity, but I truly believe this is the best course for us. I'm sure you remember last year when I got the tattoo of the cover of The Giving Tree on my hip...and you know that one of the reasons that was special to me was that I viewed you as the tree, and me as the little boy...up to this point in my life, I have acted just like the little boy, taking from you without regard for what you needed...but I knew I needed to be better than the little boy in the story, and take better care of you so that you would be able to keep me strong for as long as possible. That starts Wednesday. Promise. I'm not saying I will be perfect, but I do promise to be emotionally "present" from here on out, and not automatically self-soothe with food.

I LOVE being able to wear some of the clothes that have been pushed to the back of my closet for many years...down just about 63 pounds this morning and feeling good wearing this dress to work today :-)

I say, yes to the slice of pizza and highly unlikely to the "full restaurant dinner"... But, I honestly have not felt deprived one iota...I've eaten out at restaurants and the significantly smaller portions I can consume is totally sufficient ...I have truly been able to have "just a taste" and be fine (the other day I had a bite...just one... of chocolate cake and was quite content.