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Welcome! Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

When I went in for my psych eval, the doctor (male, eastern-European) said to me, "why would you want to do that to yourself -- you're a tall, beautiful woman!" It was pretty funny. I weighed 258, had out of control diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. I was facing losing my feet in a few years if I didn't get my diabetes under control. Once I told him that, he began to agree with me.

Well, that just turned me off of Chinese food forever! Thanks. I am post-op, but the next time I think I want Chinese food, I'll think of your blog.

I am so sorry for you. My hospital experience was so completely different. Very organized and professional -- and caring -- staff. So many people, doctors, nurses, dietitians in and out of my room, it was like Grand Central. They had the whole process down. I was sleeved at St Joseph Hospital in Chicago. Highly recommend.

I use 0% fat , plain Greek yogurt with sugar-free preserves and Splenda. If there is a Whole Foods near you, they have a sugar-free Wild Blueberry flavor that is my favorite. Preserves are cooked fruit so you shouldn't have a problem with those. Also, you can make a cheesecake yogurt. Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, Splenda, cinnamon, vanilla extract. All to taste. Stoneyfield Farms makes a plain, non-fat Greek yogurt in 4 oz containers. They are in a four pack. Make sure you get plain, not vanilla that has sugar in it. 4 oz is about all I can eat at one time.

I really love it when people go on and on and on about how good I look NOW! All I can think is "wow, I must have been truly hideous before!" But I keep that to myself and just say thank you. Then change the subject.

I chose the sleeve because I wanted to spend my life educating the uninformed who ask, "did you have a lapband or bypass?" That's all that anyone has heard of. Seriously though, the sleeve offered me the best weight loss without the complications of the other options. Best decision I ever made!

Sure, I felt that way. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about sleeve surgery. There are lots of books on Amazon written by other sleevers. By the time of my surgery, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. Best decision I ever made. Nearly 3 months out, 47 lbs lost, co-morbidities resolved, and I feel fabulous! Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

I had similar issues early on. Do you have an acid reducer? I found that a lot of my "hunger" and stomach noise was actually stomach acid. If your dr. didn't give you anything, Pepcid makes a chewable version. Also, drinking too soon before and after eating can wash the food out sooner, and make you hungrier. Set your phone alarm for 30 min after eating and wait until it goes off. No sipping! You will find the thirst passes.

May I just say WOW!

You do realize that sleeve surgery doesn't actually remove any weight (except the 2 lbs or so that your stomach weighs). It's a TOOL to HELP YOU lose weight. It's still up to you to lose the weight. You do that by 1) eating less, and 2) moving more. YOU are doing the work. Don't be embarrassed, or hang your head if someone doesn't get that. Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

I used to sneak a few sips, but I now find that I feel more full longer if I don't have a drink until at least 30 minutes after I eat. The feeling of "I need something to drink NOW" passes after 5-10 minutes. I set my phone alarm for 30 minutes, and by the time it goes off I find the thirst has passed. Sometimes I forget to drink even after the alarm had gone off. Try it!

Interesting thread. I am a computer consultant living in Chicago. I travel around the country setting up Human Resources systems. Sleeved 5/5/13. Down 47 lbs today, and I have my life back!

I got permission from my surgeon to take Advil for a shoulder problem. Advil made my hungry, like for a couple days. Totally not worth it. I did find arthritis-strength Tylenol that seems to help. I take that when I ache. There is another thread on this site about Celebrex. I guess some people take prescription Celebrex. I used to take it years ago, but it killed my stomach. It was great though -- I woke up every morning and nothing ached! I think there are still heart risks though, so caution advised.

If I bring home something that starts "talking" to me (you know, the "eat me, eat me" chant), in the trash it goes. Yeah, it's annoying to spend the money, but better dumping it in the trash than using my body as a trash can, right? I have read a number of books by other WLS patients. Helps me stay focused on what I am doing -- and why. There are a number of good books on Amazon. You might like a book entitled "Beyond the Refrigerator," or "it Ain't Over Until the Thin Lady Sings." Both by sleevers. Another good book is "Hungry" by Allen Zadoff. He's not a WLS patient, but he has an interesting perspective on compulsive eating. Hope this helps. If you have the opportunity, therapy is still a good idea. Or join a support group. Good luck!

I'm with Ms. AntiBand; I ate everything I wanted before my surgery -- except sugar and caffeine, which I had given up years ago and didn't want to get addicted again. Then I went on 2.5 weeks of liquid diet. I shrunk my liver so much even my surgeon was impressed. No complications at all from the surgery. Now, if you can give up sugar and caffeine now, you will make the pre- op diet easier. Withdrawal from food is hard enough without the withdrawal from sugar and caffeine at the same time. Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

Find another psychologist. I'm gonna take some liberties here and guess that most of we sleevers are stress eaters (and sad eaters, and happy eaters, and bored eaters -- you name it!). Stress eating doesn't get any better by continuing to eat, oh and stressing over the eating!

Is it physical hunger, as in stomach growling? If yes, maybe it's acid. Do you have an acid reducer? If no, Pepcid makes a chewable that you can use. I had this problem my first 6 weeks after surgery -- especially at night. Turns out it was acid. Now when I think I'm hungry, it's actually that I am thirsty. A drink sometimes helps. I am 12 weeks out, and I don't get those hunger pangs anymore. I get tired or weak and then I think, "oh, I must need to eat." That's a small miracle for me. The other thing is head hunger. I have that when I am working (not thrilled with my job right now). For that, you might want to consider a therapist. I am about to start seeing someone if the head hunger doesn't stop bugging me.

Bariatric Advantage for me. Chewables are great! Also get Fish Oil -- it will help slow down hair loss. I use a gel pack ( orange-flavored) called Coromega. Avail at GNC.

I have been DVRing "What Not to Wear" and watching it at night. You could have applied for the show, but they have filmed the last shows which by the way start this Friday. If you can get past the comedic bits, they do offer good advice about how to dress modern for your body type. Also, Nordstrom's sales people love to help. Just find one who cares, tell her your story and they will be happy to advise you. Trust me, I shop there a lot and have seen them fully dress people who have trouble on their own. They don't work on commission, but there is some kind of bonus/recognition for them, so I think they care more than sales people in other stores. Have fun! Clothes shopping is my favorite thing (well, next to my shoe addiction).

Hi, I was sleeved 5/15/2013. Height 5'11", SW 258, CW 211. Down 47 lbs. Sizes have changed from 18/20 and 2X tops, to size 14 tops, and now size 12 pants! Never thought I would be below a size 14 ever (I'm built like a linebacker). And I have 30 lbs to go! What a ride!

My fat used to be solid too. Now it really jiggles. And, sorry can't resist, it makes me giggle! I think that maybe the internal, dangerous fat around my organs is fading away -- maybe that's why my jiggly fat is a good thing. Now when it's all gone, that will be heaven!

Are you working with an insurance coordinator at your surgeon's office? They should be able to help you.