NMJG

You can often ask for a dish to be steamed and the sauce on the side. I often get chicken and vegs that way. My other favorite is "Happy Family." It has a variety of meats and vegs in a light sauce. Very healthy and tasty. I skip the rice. I have Chinese about 3 times a month.

Bump. Anyone have ideas?

Wow, you are so organized, I'm impressed. You are off to a great start.

Hoping someone has some insight on this. Today I ended up in the ER for extreme stomach pain and vomiting. It was like an 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. I was sipping a Swiss Miss Diet cocoa and bam! Was completely incapacitated. At the ER they ran blood tests and did CT. My heart rate was too low (46) but that is because my blood pressure meds need to be adjusted again, no doubt, and that wouldn't cause this kind of stomach pain. The CT showed inflammation but nothing concrete. They gave me zofran, which stopped the vomiting and helped with the pain a lot, which made me think that maybe the vomiting caused cramping which is now much more painful with a sleeve. The other odd thing is last Sunday I was drinking cold Water rather quickly and suddenly vomited it all back up. This is really weird since I am 5 1/2 months out. There is flu going around. Maybe I have a stomach bug and it hits sleevers differently than presurgery? I called my bariatric surgeon's office, and other than the CT scan they had no other advice more than liquids for today and tomorrow and see if it gets better. Anyone ever have anything like this? Do stomach cramps, flu, and other tummy issues cause pain after the sleeve?

Sorry, I think this is really bad journalism. It is filled with misinformation and outright errors. I'm surprised NBC would even publish it. I am not saying that fast food is good for you (although some of it really isn't bad at all), I'm just saying I don't think this is quality writing and it isn't helpful.

Hi Scooter, We are both August sleevers. I've slowed way down, barely a pound a week loss now and I'm under 1000 calories a day. i exercise every day. I am on weight training to build strength up, so I guess that is affecting it, too. My doctor said % of excess weight lost is a big determinant of continued loss. So, the closer you are to goal, the slower it goes. If I remember right, I think 60% excess weight lost at 6 months is average. I've lost 57 lbs. out of 86 excess weight. That's 66% at six months. I'm *almost* at BMI below 25, which is "normal." I really want to get these last pounds off tho. I'm considering maintaining on my weight training instead of progressing to see if I can get back to serious fat loss. Frustrating.

What a great thread. Started out size 20 and XXL. Now am size 10 and Small.

Sabrina, this is a very personal decision. For me, WLS is like marriage - if you have any doubts, just wait. You can always do it later. There is truth in that diets result in weight gain 95% of the time and the weight does not stay off. You can research that. However, you are the only one who knows your body and your ability to keep weight off. Personally, it kept coming back and the older I get the harder it is to lose it. WLS was the right decision for me. Good luck however you choose.

Nancy, I'm sorry to hear it. Good luck on your future endeavors with this. Perhaps there is only information missing. Can you call the insurance company and ask them specifically what is missing?

Your body is under a lot of stress. Pain will also raise blood pressure. However, I would keep an eye on it after you are released to make sure it goes back down.

Wow, at my best I only lost 2 lbs a week and now that I am nearing 6 months out and am weight training, I'm barely losing 1 lb a week on the scale. Stop comparing, like the others said. You are doing really really well! Everyone is different.

Jane, I'm not single, but you are such a cool lady, I had to comment. And I love your new profile pic. I wouldn't bring it up unless it was getting into the very long term committed stage with someone. You aren't that obese person any longer and people who have not been obese just won't get it. It's not a topic you can throw out lightly and there will inevitably be conversation around it that could be very weird. I'd wait until you know that person is going to be around a long time. Just IMHO. If you were always thin and just got a boob job, would you tell every guy you dated? I think not

Every body is different. Lots of people stall frequently. It's feast or famine so to speak. I am now weighing once every three weeks with my trainer. Too frustrating to weigh even weekly right now.

You are so ambitious Good for you! I started walking 30 minutes a day a week or so after surgery. After a month I upped it to 60 minutes a day. At 4 1/2 months I started strength training with weights and a trainer. I don't know if this is typical or not, it's just what I ended up doing.

Thanks everyone, makes me feel better. Guess I'll just wait it out. I've heard about the Toppick, so I'll have a back up plan if the top gets too thin. I doubt it will get bad enough for a wig, but who knows. When I lost a ton of weight 10+ years ago I lost a lot of hair, too, but no one noticed but me back then.

Well, despite getting in all my Protein, I've got major hair loss. I do have thick hair so it is not as noticeable (yet) but I've lost half my hair at least. I'm thinking of cutting it short. What did you guys do for haircuts when your hair fell out? Should I leave it shoulder length and let the new hair just grow in and keep layers? Do a pixie cut?

Those mini eggs are crack, I agree. And the Cadbury filled chocolate eggs. They are out waaay too early in my opinion. We aren't even past Valentine's! I need to stay away myself. I'm an addict. For many months after surgery I didn't crave candy at all, but now I like it just fine LOL. At least I can't eat much. Must. Stay. Away.

You'll be fine, you can do more than you think you can. We had to do all sorts of home health stuff when my son had cancer. I bet there are some videos on Youtube that will show you, too, if you want to watch some today. Good luck on your recovery. I don't envy you, dear, you have a hard road the next two weeks. Come here for cheering up!

yay for you! let us know how it goes! We are cheering you on!

brrr, it's chilly out alright. I take a long hot shower. If I can, I drive an hour away to the hot springs in Truth or Consequences, NM. A nice soak in 107 degree Water will warm me right up! A nice cup of tea is probably my more common way to warm up though.

Greek yogurt fixed savory style is my new fave, like cucumber and dill. I've also been trying out a bunch of new thick yogurts like Icelandic and German - available at Whole Foods and other higher end markets. They all have high Protein like Greek. Just watch the sugars, like Alex says.

I've got some new Snacks. Saffron Road Falafel flavored chickpeas. Yum! I have around 3/4 of an ounce for a snack. My new favorite in the afternoon. Simply Protein chips Dry roasted edamame (I used to have Crunchamame brand but switched to Wasabi flavored from World Market - much better) Swiss Miss diet hot cocoa (25 calories a pack - less calories than the sugar free Swiss Miss) it's really good with an extra shot of sugar free Torani chocolate or mint or orange or caramel or hazelnut or other flavor. You can up the protein with 4 oz. of hot skim milk added to it, too. I like this in cold weather. Low carb quesadilla: I use a Carb Chopper low carb tortilla with an ounce of shredded cheese, maybe some salsa or jalapeno. Low carb pizza: I use a low carb tortilla or flatbread, add a smear of Pasta sauce, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, an ounce of shredded mozzarella, and some sliced mushroom or pepperoni. Split it with a friend if it is too big. Tzatziki dip with veggies. I get the tzatziki from Trader Joe's but you can make it from greek yogurt very easily. I dip with veggie stix. Hummus dip with veggies. I get the individual packs from costco. I can only eat half a pack at a time so I save the other half for tomorrow's snack. Mini antipasto plate: a couple of roasted peppers, a thin slice of cheese, a thin slice of salami or deli meat, a couple of olives. Deviled eggs. I'm buying the pre-made hard boiled eggs at Costco now for convenience. I pop out the yolk and mash in a touch of greek yogurt and some Worcestershire sauce and then pile the mush back into the whites. I also buy pre-made deviled eggs at Whole Foods on occasion.

My doctor did require us to be caffeine free and I found it very helpful. If you research it, you will find that caffeine both increases acid and your appetite. It helped me to be caffeine free when I was losing most of my weight and I recommend it. At almost 6 months I have the occasional caffeine drink a couple of times a week, but generally stick with decaf. I used to drink 2 cups of coffee every morning. Now I drink a lot of herbal tea and sometimes diet hot cocoa (swiss miss). One good thing, if I really need a caffeine boost, 1 cup of real coffee works great now.

NUT is a good idea, but the OP may not have a NUT. I suggest you go online to Myfitnesspal.com and start a free account. You can set up your calories and play with the percentages of fats/protein/carbs and it will tell you how many grams it comes to.

Casserole of frozen Italian style meatballs, julienned zucchini and yellow squash (I used a Zeiss peeler - makes it like spaghetti noodles, or you can use spaghetti squash), sliced mushrooms, can of chopped tomatoes, pasta sauce (look for a low carb type), with shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. I can eat 3 meatballs (about 3 oz) and some of the vegs. Easy.