jenlen

Soo, coffee doesn't count towards our liquids 0_o. Crap . I have been known to eat the bag of potato chips that comes with a soup ordered from Panera, and occasionally an order of small fries, veggie and cheese pizza and a few spoons of frozen yogurt have found their way past my lips as well. Smh!

I was scared to take any pills too as my doc told me not to. I know some folks seem to do alright with small pills right after surgery. Hope you find some relief. It will get better soon.

I totally understand. I always heard that taking tums as a regular habit makes the acid worsen. However for the first 2-3 weeks while healing I found them to be a life saver. Can also go with liquid Prilosec ( sp?)

You real should make a recipe book! Sounds delish and your side comments are very entertaining .

Tums, chewable, 5 at a time when needed (per my doc)

A big bottle of chewable tums, adult liquid Tylenol and lots of chicken broth.

I swim laps at the YMCA 4-5 days a week for about 40 mins each time. When I started I could only do 6-7 laps, now I get 15-17 laps in each time. Also I go to a Water aerobics class once a week and have started trying a couple cardio machines too. My goal is to walk at least 20 mins every day in addition to swimming but have not yet gotten that started. What types of exercise are you all doing? Any suggestions for kick starting weightloss? I've been in a stall for the past 6 weeks and could use some suggestions.

Yes, I had mine with Dr. Hawver too on 5/21/13. How is it going for you?

Congratulations! You have done so well and are looking great. I also had my surgery on 5/21. I am soooo close to the 50 lb down milestone that I can almost taste it. I can't wait to kiss this first 50 goodbye and start working on the next. You are inspirational, keep it up.

My dad is doing remarkable. He has lost 55 lbs since his surgery on 7/17/13. I had a two month head start on him and have lost 47 pounds to date. He, however started off at a heavier weight than me. He was 360 at his highest and I was 300 at my highest. Also men seem to have this wonderful capability to just simply lose weight faster than us ladies. . I know that he is extremely happy with Dr Morales and I did attend his preop counseling with the dietitians and learned far more there than I did with the program that I had used.

Ofallon, il here too . I had my surgery on 5/21/13. You don't happen to use the OFallon YMCA? It would be so great to have a workout buddy. PM me if interested.

My dad had his at DePaul in July. He had dr morales. It is a very good program and he has gotten excellent care there. Maybe we will see you at the support meetings. Best of luck to you.

Congratulations! Have you decided which doc you will be going with?

I have to agree with the others regarding the sudden drop in weight that comes along with it. I always dread weighing in right after I have indulged my hormonal cravings and am stunned each time it resulted in a 3-4 pound loss. Weird right? But I still wouldn't recommend cheating all month long expecting to drop weight like that all the time.

I am 3 months out and the monthly cravings hit me like a bear! Luckily when I do fall off the wagon it only takes a couple bites and I am finished ( for at least an hour or two) but this is where you have to learn to deal with head hunger stuff. So far I have not mastered this yet but am making progress. Hang in there and do your best to make better choices, but do not berate yourself if you do occasionally fall.

Ok, so I experienced 2 minor victories today and am kinda happy about them. 1. Got on the scale and realized I now weigh less ( by 4.5 lbs) than my hubby . Grant it he is 8 inches taller than me but none the less, I no longer out weigh him. 2. Today I went shopping at the MALL! Walked all corridors ( minus the food court) on both floors without having to knock anyone down trying to sit at a bench . (Coming from the girl who only a few short months ago could barely walk into a grocery store from the parking lot, then had to cling to the cart for dear life just to make it around the small market). P.s. it has been over 4 years since I have even attempted to shop at the mall. My hubby said I was weaving all over the walk way as I kept turning my head this way and that to take in all of the sights.

I could not drink more than 2 ozs of Protein Drink every few hours for the first couple months. Everything you do now will be dramatically changed post op. my post op instructions said to have 8 oz of protein drink in one sitting. I tried to force that in slowly and was really hurting after 4 oz. I asked my doc and she was surprised that my instructions printed 8 oz and said they would change it. You may be tempted to follow a plan but the key is to take everything in very slowly and stop immediately upon feeling any type of fullness.

Hi, I'm on the Illinois side of STL too. I originally started my journey with st Alexis a few years ago with dr Falwell. I had to go private pay and decided to go with Mercy in Washington, Mo ( about 10 k cheaper) I just wanted to say hi to my fellow saint loisians . We do seem to be few.

Hmm, that is interesting. I didn't think about it possibly having a cumulative effect throughout the day. If I do decide to give it a careful try I will make sure to look out for that. Ty

I think I like your doctor. I can understand if when using a straw you just gulp it down quickly then it may be an issue. I have mastered the art of small, slow sips throughout the day and just can't see how the mechanics of using the straw to take small slow sips changes the act of swallowing in any way. Ty for the input.

Well, if it made more sense than swallowing air, then I wish you could jog your memory . Otherwise I am feeling super tempted to have my iced tea in luxury.

Anyone have a reasonable explanation why we are not to drink from straws? I love my iced tea with lots of ice and am so tired of having ice crash down on my nose when I drink. Initially when I asked my NUT she stated it was to keep us from swallowing air. Well I experimented and took a sip from a straw. The tea sat in my mouth just as it does when drinking from a glass and I swallowed without taking in air. Just does not add up to me. Sometimes I think they just make crap up to see if we are capable of following the rules. Anyone have a better explanation?