starzee78

Earlier this month (September 7th to be exact) I participated in my first 5k. Although I didn't run or jog, walking a 5k was a huge accomplishment for me. A year ago I would have never thought about participating in a 5k. Next month I'm doing two 5k's. I love my sleeve and the opportunities it has given me. I wish I would have made the decision to have surgery much sooner.

I think all of us here had those people in our lives that said "why not just do it on your own." I tell them, if I could do it on my own then why is it taking me 30 years to lose weight. I'm 34 now and I have been overweight all of my life. The reasons to do this surgery outweighed the reasons not to do this surgery. No one but me (and the people on this site) knows my struggle and the issues I've had to deal with. Also some people like to say that this is taking the easy way out. If they only knew what we have to do they wouldn't say that. This isn't easy. It's a tool to help with a lifestyle change. Don't worry about those people. Most of them have never struggled with their weight so it's easy for them to make remarks like that. You do what is right for you and only you. In the end it's your health.

I did pickle relish, but just a tiny bit. I didn't have any issues.

If you absolutely can't drink liquids then suck on ice cubes and popsicles. It's very important that you get liquids into your body so you won't get dehydrated. My first 2 weeks I set a timer on my phone and made sure I was drinking an ounce of liquid every 4 minutes.

My doctor put me off for 6 weeks. I probably could have gone back after one week.

I had this as well. I was given antibiotics 3 weeks before my surgery date that I had to take for the duration of 2 weeks. It appears to be common so don't worry. It didn't affect my surgery date. Good luck on your journey.

I'm now addicted to clothes and online shopping. I've been trying to curtail my addiction though.

I have a question for you sleevers out there. How do you keep track of your fluid intake? I was sleeved May 23rd and since then I keep a notepad and pen with me at all times. I tally every ounce of fluid that I have. Anyone else do this? Anyone have any other ways that they keep track?

Yes I include my protein drinks. I actually write down everything I put into my mouth.

I just had this problem and had the worst experience of my life. I had to resort to milk of magnesium and it still was a struggle. Since my "breakthrough" bowel movement 2 days ago I have been adding fiber to all my liquids. Any other suggestions. I don't want this to happen again.

Today was my first post-op appointment. I had my staples removed and I discussed with the nutritionist and the nurse what I have been doing since surgery (i.e. fluids, exercise, protein, vitamins). The staple removal didn't hurt at all and I wasn't expecting it to because I've had staples removed before. So far I'm averaging about 55 ounces of fluid and 70 grams of protein a day. The nutritionist told me to work on increasing my fluid intake and that my protein is good. Tomorrow I can start on puree/soft foods. I can eat cottage cheese, non-fat refried beans, tuna, etc. If anyone has any ideas/tips about the food during this stage please let me know. Height: 5'6" Starting weight: 296 Surgery weight: 281 Current weight: 270 (13 days after surgery) Goal weight: 200 (maybe 180)

Yes @ Rox, feel free to use them. I actually borrowed a few from someone else. It's kind of hard thinking about what you would like to do once you get smaller.

Prior to surgery I made a list of my non scale victories (NSV) on my iPhone but somehow erased them. So I decided to make a new list. I'll be adding to this as I come up with new ones. Buy clothes from a non-plus size store Purchase bra/panty from Victoria Secret Get a makeover Take boudior photos for my honey Maybe wear a pair of heels Ride a roller coaster Walk/run in a marathon Not be considered obese Not be afraid to wear a bathing suit Fit comfortably in a booth at a restaurant Own and ride a bike (especially long distance) Go zip-lining Always use the stairs Go cart racing Dance in public Sit at a regular desk (in school) Finish my degree Go to law school Volunteer work Plant a garden/landscape yard Attend Zumba regularly Incorporate clean eating in my new lifestyle Stand on my feet longer than 30 minutes

I'm one week out from being sleeved and the first couple of days were hard. I was meeting my protein goal but not meeting my fluid goal. I was only able to get in about 35 ounces. What I'm doing now is setting my timer on my phone for every 4 or 5 minutes. When the timer goes off I take a sip. I figured that this averages 1 ounce per 15 minutes. It also helps that the nurse gave me a bunch of little 1 ounce cups to take home after surgery.

I'm sorry for those of you that are having a tough time. One thing I remember that the psychologist told me is that a person going through this process will have a lot of emotions as I'm sure many of you were told the same thing. It's almost as if you are going through a divorce, you have divorced food. You have broken up with all the comfort food you are used to and now just left with liquids. Just like your mate taking everything and leaving only the clothes on your back. It's going to hurt at first but eventually it gets better. I think what makes it hard is that after being sleeved you can't do anything but sit at home and keep track of your fluid intake. That's boring and with boredom comes our wanting to eat. The thing that helps me with this process is journaling. I know it sounds super cheesy but I write down exactly how I feel. I was sleeved exactly one week ago. On my 4th day out from surgery I was upset because here I was trying to get in as much liquid as possible when all I really wanted was a bite of real food even if it was a vegetable or fruit. So on that day I have an angry journal entry. After writing my feelings down I did feel better. Did it take away my want for food, no but I recognized why I was angry and sad. It's like talking to someone. It may not solve the actual problem but afterwards you feel better.