Miss Mac

If you get the Syntrax sample pack, mix the grapefruit one with Crystal Light Lemonade and it will taste like Fresca.

Fans of the Beverly Hillbillies will remember Granny's cure for the common cold. Put a mustard poultice on your chest, take a hearty swig of Granny's rheumatiz medicine (homemade corn liquor moonshine, stay in bed, drink plenty of fluids, and in two weeks, you will feel as good as new!

I am at 4 weeks now. I can measure 1/3 cup of my Protein item and 2 tablespoons of something else, and I seem to never finish the last bite.

The doc has me on stool softeners twice a day, plus I drink 2 oz of prune juice at bedtime. Also read the thread about sugar free gummy bears.

A lot of us on here are short shorties, and 100 pounds makes us almost as big around as we are tall. If you need to lose "only" 100 pounds, that is still like walking around with a pony for a belt! I have quit fretting about the hair loss that is coming. If it gets too bad, I will just get a wig to wear when I go out and about. I decided to get it cut pretty short, and then embrace the gray when it grows back in. As for food issues, I am getting over it. I just had to quit watching the Food Network. Many people dread the Psych appointments, but they serve their purpose in exposing the issues that fuel our eating habits. You deserve to be healthy and happy. I am not the only one here who has lost 25-50 pounds several times. We just can't keep it off. There is no disgrace in asking for help.

April, I had a three level fusion in my neck last Valentine's Day 2013. I was scheduled for a three level lumbar/sacral repair (because of the sciatica), in late October, but an unexpected case of ischemic colitis interfered and took priority. The neurologist came to see me in the hospital, since I had been admitted to the neurology wing first. He said he thought it might be o k to proceed with the sleeve gastrectomy since it was already scheduled for December, in hopes that the weight loss itself would be enough to put things off for a while. I am soooo glad we put the spine surgery off. I am feeling so much better already, Good luck with your recovery.

I lost the first 25 pounds in my face, shoulders and chest. My tummy is just now starting to go down. I have had one closet flushing, and will have another about ten more pounds from now. Thursday, I put on a pair of loafers I had not worn since Halloween, and they were so loose I could hardly wear them. My winter coat is too big now. My bras which were too tight to wear this summer are too loose to wear now. Plus, the scale is going down.

Pre-op and post-op I have lost 37 pounds, another 63 to go. So far, my knees are a LOT better. They both have replacements, but I still have range of motion and nerve damage pain, which has subsided quite a bit. I had bad femoral nerve pain which is gone since my belly doesn't lay on the nerve line now. I was due in early December for a spinal epidural for sciatica, but have not had to make the appointment yet. I take Hydrocodone for arthritis and hip pain, but have not had to take any since October. I am walking easier and with better posture since my belly is not pulling me over so much. So far, color me happy. I am just now a month post-op on January 23, and am pleased with the health benefits that I am seeing already.

Finger in the Peanut Butter jar.........me too. I felt like I was really getting away with something naughty, then I found peanut butter in a program provided smoothie recipe.

So long as your incision doesn't look inflamed or infected, the tenderness is normal. I am about 4 weeks out now, and mine are nicely closed up and just ever so slightly itching a little itty bit, not bad. As for the tummy grumbling, mine sounded like a dinosaur fight! It is much better now.

You know what? I wish I could have lost weight without the surgery, but I was getting older and bigger by the minute. There is no disgrace in asking for help. Everyone here on the forum had to do it. Congratulations that you are happier and healthier. Good job!

Dr. Chand's team is awesome. Congratulations that you got your date. I wish you good luck and good health. let me know how your surgery goes.

You will reach a point of no return. For me, it was at the end of October when I was hospitalized for 8 days with ischemic colitis, which had my Primary Physician concerned that he was going to lose me. I knew then and there that I have so many complications from my weight that there was no doubt and no turning back. Either the sleeve is going to work or it's not, and I had to take that risk. Got my sleeve on 12/23/2013, and am down 27 pounds pre-op and 16 post op in 3 1/2 weeks. Recovery has not been bad. I did not have the shoulder gas and nausea at all. Wishing you good luck and good health.

I am from the ...clean your plate because of all the starving children in Biafra ...generation. It IS hard for all of us here to just let it go. It's even hard to not eat the last bite of something just to prove I can do it. My boyfriend and I have separate shelves in the fridge, now, so that I can find my necessary bits of food easily. And I do store some of my leftovers in baby food jars. My container of refried Beans has been in there five days, and I still have half of it left.

This info is from an article on the Spark People website, about what things weigh. When I lose my 100 pounds, that will be like losing the pony I am wearing for a belt. What Things Weigh - Something To Think About - July 11, 2010 from NUMD97 Spark People Things that weigh one pound: 1. A package of butter (with four sticks) 2. A football 3. A package of bacon 4. A box of brown sugar 5. Three medium-sized bananas 6. A guinea pig (not everything listed is edible) 7. A salami 8. A shoe Things that weigh two pounds: 1. A pineapple 2. A rack of baby back ribs (hopefully, this list doesn't lead people to temptation) 3. A Malayan Flying Fox (I like this one) Things that weight three pounds: 1. World's smallest cat, Mr. Peebles (I like this one, too, even if not good enough to eat) 2. A human brain 3. A two-slice toaster (that'll get you thinking) 4. A steam Iron (not to be outdone by the two-slice toaster, I imagine) 5. A box of wine 6. A can of Crisco shortening Things that weigh five pounds: 1. Mr. coffee 12-cup Coffee Maker 2. A bag of sugar (we knew this) 3. A two-liter bottle of soda (now this should give you pause - it did me) Things that weigh ten pounds: 1. A large bag of potatoes 2. A six-foot aluminum step ladder (now that's a lot to swallow!) 3. An adult Maltese dog Things that weigh fifteen pounds (and here it gets really interesting): 1. A 19-inch flat screen TV (now tell me that didn't give you pause? Imagine carrying that around all day.) 2. A bowling ball 3. 2,000 paint balls 4. Medium bag of dog food Things that weigh twenty pounds: 1. A car tire (whoa! Now I know what they mean by carrying an extra tire around your middle.) 2. A karaoke machine (oo la la! That is really something!) Things that weigh twenty-five pounds: 1. An average two-year old toddler Beyond 25 pounds it starts to get really interesting: 30 pounds is equal to the amount of cheese an average American eats in a year 33 pounds is equal to a cinder block (imagine building a house, and then thinking of what you weigh in cinder blocks - it's daunting) 36 pounds is equal to a mid-size microwave 40 pounds equals a 5-gallon bottle of Water or an average human leg 44 pounds equals an elephant's heart 50 pounds equals a small bale of hay 55 pounds equals a 5,000 BTU air conditioner 60 pounds equals a male elephant's reproductive organ 66 pounds equals the fats and oils an average American eats in a year 70 pounds equals an Irish Setter 77 pounds equals a gold brick 90 pounds equals a newborn calf 100 pounds equals a two-month old horse (so that's what they mean by "I could eat a horse!" Never again!) 111 pounds equals the red meat an average American eats in one year 118 pounds equals the entire Encyclopedia Britannica 120 pounds equals the amount of trash you throw away in a month on average 130 pounds equals a newborn baby giraffe 138 pounds equals the amount of potatoes an average American eats in a year 140 pounds equals the amount of refined sugar an average American eats in a year 150 pounds equals the complete Oxford English Dictionary Now after reading this, tell me this doesn't give you some pause. For one, the weight you have been carrying around for so long and for another, how much your weight loss equals in terms of common objects.

Musiclover, just tell them you are channeling Janis Joplin tonight!

I agree with NMJG. I have been yo-yo dieting since 1978 and have lost the same 30 pounds probably twice a year. I gave up...I am 62 already and could barely walk because my spine did not want to carry the weight anymore. Sleeved 12/23/2013 and glad of it.

Most foods have not bothered me, but the first time I ate steamed cauliflower I was quite uncomfortable for about three hours.

I wouldn't rely on it totally, and it's not allowed on some people's programs, but I did have some my first week. I am at 3 1/2 weeks and was approved today for Phase IV already.

Ucjes, I posted a friend request on myfitnesspal so that I can look at your activity. I just came from my first post-op follow-up at 3 1/2 weeks. My nutritionist advised me to cut the shakes back from 3 a day, to one a day after strength training or exercise. She also told me to start getting most of my Protein from actual food and that too much whey protein can slow down weight loss. On a different note, I got permission to try out the Phase IV regular food part of the diet, so we stopped by WENDY'S for lunch and I got chili with cheese and ate 1/3 cup and it stayed down and did not fight back. OH YEAH!!!!

Back when I was yo-yo dieting, I had a successful 50 pound loss with the Atkins Diet. My mean old rotten ex-husband told me "Every time you lose weight you get jowls." Man, what an idiot. Now (9 years later)that I have my three week old sleeve, I am looking forward to kinder comments from family and friends about how good I look in skinny jeans!

Ditto with the others....at 3 weeks out, I have learned the art of planning, measuring, and leaving the last bite. It is getting easier, and I know that I am hungry more from weakness than from a gnawing, angry tummy. If I keep my protein up, it's not so hard to be satisfied.

When you can move and breathe comfortably and feel better than you have in years, that would be a good place to consider.

Care Credit bad...Credit Union good. I got burned by Care Credit for a dental bill a few years ago. I am still hiding from them.

If you heat they whey protein much over 130 degrees, it will clump up. A chef's thermometer comes in handy. I find that the protein powders mix up best in cold liquid. If I want something hot, I get the liquid to temp first. To the side, I blend the protein in a little cold water to make a smooth paste, then add it to the warmer beverage.