Ellie_Grace

You know how you before surgery that you have these goals set in your mind that are so important to meet after surgery. In relation to numbers mine were hitting 250 Check 225 Check 200 Check 175 CHECK As of today I met this goal too!! One more to go at 150 and then my final goal of 145. Wow I can't believe I am this far down and still dropping. Amazing!!!! Just wanted to share! 150 Nope 145 Nope Date of Surger 6/7/12 Surgery weight 261.4 Todays weight 175.2

I thought the gas would go away after a couple of week post-op. HAH!! Need I say more? I could start my own band with the numerous sounds escaping my body and going on in my stomach LOL Plus I also expected to have major stomach issues and complications but I have yet to have any, although a few of my friends have both had serious complications but doing fine now. I did not expect to be as dedicated as I have been, I was afraid I would fail and stop going to the gym. I have had a few breaks due to illness but overall I am still committed. I thought I would lose faster but once I accepted that it goes more slowly than I thought I am happy with my results and can't believe I am down as far as I am already.

They look good but are sure high in calories (240) for a snack item. I wonder how good they actually taste? I have never had a quest bar since I normally drink one shake and focus on protein from normal food the rest of the day. Thanks for posting, worth looking into for sure.

If it helps you at all I have done that a few times since surgery. I would go up and down the same 3 -5 pounds and then eventualy the scale started moving and I never saw those numbers again. Those stalls lasted anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks so don't get discouraged. I am not 5 1/2 out from surgery and down 86 pounds with only 30 more to go. It will happen for you too. Make sure you are eating enough calories of the right foods and enough protein, getting enough sleep, water and exercise and taking your vitamins. As long as you are doing that there is no way you will not lose this weight. If you go back on the boards you will find my post where I call myself a failure and everyone yelled at me. But here I am and it is going well and hitting numbers I was afraid I would never see again. Have faith in yourself and the process, you will be fine. Remember we gained this weight over a long period of time and to expect us to lose it overnight is not possible (although desireable) but in 5 or 6 months you will also look back and see the amazing amount of weight you will have lost and will be offering support to another new person. You got this!! Smile and keep moving and you will be fine!

My journey for approval took almost a year. I also could not even see my surgeon until all the prereg were completed which included the six month supervised diet and having to meet with the nut (group class style thank goodness) every month, a psych eval etc etc. After I completed all of that I had to make appt with surgeon and then they had to turn in for approval. Approval came back in a few weeks and then set the surgery date only to have them push it back a couple weeks because the doctor was going to be gone on vacation. But here I am 5 1/2 months out and that is all a thing of the past and I am over 2/3rds of the way down to meeting my goal of 145, so it will happen and someday you will not even remember that wait. Take this time to ask the nutritionist all the questions you see popping up on here and give us the answers LOL. Also do research on different foods and get her approval now, so at least you are not wasting your time with her. I never see a NUT now and only saw her once the day of release from the hospital. The nutritionist I saw before surgery was from a whole other service. Good luck it will all be over and then all the stress and worry from after surgery takes over and trust me it is much more intense!!

I have not heard anything about not being able to eat them. The sodium content might make you retain water but if eaten in moderation, no reason not to enjoy them. I love them too, one of the things I will eat on Thanksgiving.

I tried Muscle Milk a few times. Right after surgery it made me want to vomit, had to throw it out. Now I can drink it but I do not like it, It was ok before surgery when I tried it when I was prepping for the surgery and buying stuff. It is getting so I do not like the premier ones from Costco anymore, I just think drinking them so often (3 times a week) is doing that to me. I guess it might be important to mix up what drink I am having because they are starting to make me ill, very very weird.

At that stage probably no more than 1/2 a cup a meal. I now eat about 1 cup of food at a meal. My doctor emphasized this was the important part- protein is as important and then consider the calories

Here are my before and after pictures! Two of each- hoping you can tell the difference. LOL.

Welcome and you will find a lot of good support here and bit of craziness too, so don't be scared away LOL. At your stage don't expect to get in all the Protein, I did not start worrying about protein numbers (as it was not feasible and so why stress) until I was cleared for all foods about 6 weeks or so, if I remember the timing right. But at that point then I started using myfitnesspal and watching protein levels etc. Don't get me wrong by stage 3 I was eating my protein first and so was working on it, I just didn't count it out. But considering I was lucky to be eating 400-500 a day I know there was no way I was getting in my protein amounts. By 3 months I know for sure I was getting in over 75g of protein a day and have done so pretty much since. So give yourself time. BTW I found the costco premier shakes at 30g a shake are a great way to start your day, it is all I still eat for Breakfast. Either that or I make a shake with SILK light (4 oz) with frozen strawberries (2) and half of a banana with a scoop of unflavored

I had the problem with water too. The thing I found that helped was ice chips or slushies (sugar free of course) I bought them from 7-11 and from a local small place that sold sugar free ones. Also if I froze my water bottles and drank the water very veyr cold I did not have the same reaction. Doctor said it had something to do with now being more sensitive the chemicals in the water (even bottled water) and so the taste of it changes when it is cold I guess. Anyway it did not last forever and now I can drink water cold or room temperature (but do still filter it as I notice the off taste more) and I can drink it in gulps and do not need to sip sip sip anymore. Thank goodness!! Sure makes geting in my liquids much much easier. Although lately my chocolate protein shakes make me queasy, but I still drink them every morning, can not afford to give those up. LOL

Keep in mind my doctor said we I should be striving to eat around 1000 a day, so don't beat yourself up too much for eating what a whole 1000 calories. Come on... before surgery most people eat 1500 calories to lose weight and you are talking 1000. Make sure you are eating protein first and eating healthy and that amount of calories is totally within the limits most doctors want us to eat. I think we get so used to eat starvation numbers that we forget that 1000-1200 is an acceptable number, but in comparison to our new diets it seems so much, Actually that 1000 calories is more healthy and more sustainable than the 700-800 I eat daily and get yelled at for only eating. Just keep an eye on what you are eating and you will do fine. Also remember though a few treats once in awhile helps you sustain a healthy normal fulfilling life not one in which you feel deprived and unhappy. Stop beating yourself up and if you need to change a couple things do it, but be realistic and don't be so hard on yourself!!

I am so sorry!! What a stressful experience and so dissapointing for you. I guess the best thing is that your doctor is protecting your health and the healthier you are going into the surgery the better the surgery will turn out. Maybe that is why you have been so anxious? Sooooo... now to not get too discouraged and to keep yourself motivated! We are here for you and will help in anyway we can. I can not imagine your frustration but I know you can do this. I hope your doctor gave you a clear plan to follow. Well on a good side you can lose a few more pounds before surgery (right?) which will mean you will lose even more after surgery so YAY! What can we do to help? Keep being positive and this next month with go quickly (that is what they say anyway) especially with the holidays coming and being so busy getting ready for that.

Best of luck! You will do awesome and don't worry you will catch up on all that lost sleep today, I swear I mostly either was sleeping or walking for the first two days! Take the pain meds, walk ASAP and often, and take care of yourself, you deserve this. Welcome to the losing side- looking forward to following your weightloss journey!

My BMI at 29 no longer qualifies me as OBESE! I am just overweight... what an amazing feeling. Just being able to drop that label of obese is crazy and something I never thought I would accomplish before I had this surgery. Just wanted to share!

Absolutely! contact me in private and we can chat in there. You can even order whatever you want and have it sent to my address and then I can forward the boxes to you. That way you can choose what you want and only have to give me the funds for mailing, not sure the cost on that but we can figure that out I am sure.

We all go through this and way more often then we want. A good idea is to measure yourself all over and when you are not losing you might actually find that you are losing those inches instead. In some ways I now look forward to a week or two stall (ok not totally but I accept them) because I then see the inches drop which does not seem to happen as much when I am losing pounds. It is weird but it seems to work that way for me. I weigh and measure myself the same time every week and the progress over my past almost 5 months has been amazing, but I sure have felt many times that I this stall would never end and I would be the one to fail, but you know what? It did not last and I did not fail!! I am over 2/3rds of the way done at only 5 months out, can I say amazing??? I had a few stalls that lasted a few weeks each time and a few that lasted a week or two, so figure that out- even with all those stalls I am now over 80 pounds lighter and in sizes much smaller. Do not give up.... you will succeed if you just move and eat right following the proper protocols! Good luck! Patience, faith and hard work are the key!

I am odiemom101 There are many of us on that app already. When you add me and look at all my friends and all but a couple of them are from here, so you can add them to your list as well. Looking forward to seeing you all in there!! I love it, such a great group of supportive people in there.

Here is one healthy idea. (Of course don't eat the marshmallow) kids and adults should find it fun! Share your ideas for ways to make fun healthy treats for the holidays that we can enjoy too!

That's about what I eat at almost 5 months and I'm down 78 pounds with 38 left to go.

At least tomorrow you will not be hungry! Best of luck on your sugery and for a swift recovery!! Remember to get up and walk asap, it helps with gas pain and everything else. Walking is the key

beautiful! Great job on all of your hard work to get this far!

I had a jolly rancher candy stick. Look we can not totally deny ourselves we have to be careful how much and how often we allow ourselves a treat of course. I read the package and found the candy with the least calories and least sugar and allowed myself to have the one- guilt free! The difference today from last halloween is that I would have eaten tons more and not even thought about it. Today I ate one candy and a couple of candy corn and that was it and my craving was dealt with and I am all good. Do I do that everyday? NO! But we have to allow ourselves some treats once in awhile in order not to feel deprived and move one. Do I wish I was that person that never craved this stuff and could be totally happy all the time with fruit, cheese and soybeans to snack on (my normal snacks) YES, but I am not, so I need to own it and not let it own or control me. So I think I did good I had a little bit and did not feel deprived and enjoyed watching my family eat the caramel apples and cider I made for them yet did not eat. Enjoy life with control!

Everyday I take 3 stool softeners after I had two major issues with constipation that was so umbearably painful. I rarely get in enough Fiber and so daily taking the 3 pills (Dr. approved this) with everything else has become routine and it has done the trick. It does take time to get things regulated though and sometimes I add in a 4th or 5th if things feels off, but so far in general everything is moving along and that issue is being dealt with, But I feel your pain and it was horrible when I was going through that and dread it with a passion!! Good luck!

I was told to keep it below 10g a meal. That does seem to be the magic number for me and feeling sick, so try to stick to that. A yogurt with 13g made me sick but one with 9g was fine. So for now that is my rule. I honestly think each person is different when it comes to dumping, some people dump with 5g some are like 20g and some never dump. It is a trial and error thing, but even if you do not dump I think it would be good to set a limit just to keep those cravings in check. I have had a piece of candy (snack size) and bite of cake but not much else, but hate to totally feel denied which starts to feel draining on me and makes me a bit depressed so I give in once in a great while (I am almost 5 months out and had first sweet this month), but that is just me.