terry1118

For thirty five years my license has said '110 lbs'. No one ever told me to change it. No one ever noticed that I weighed more than double that. I don't think I'll ever see 110 again, but I'm hoping that if anyone ever does notice the weight on my license they'll look at me and think "maybe...". :-)

You're right, it is an addiction. I'm glad I stopped and I'm saving money. I was a sugar and carb addict, too. And alcoholism runs in my family. 5 out of 7 in my family are or were alcoholics and substance abusers - three of them are dead (two died in their twenties). That is one very big reason why I am following my team's rules about no alcohol for one year. I have always had to be super careful to limit my alcohol. I've seen what it can do. Sorry for my mini rant. :-)

I am officially, comfortably in a size 16!!!! And this morning I dropped to 168 after being stuck around 172 for two whole weeks! Happy, happy, happy! :-)

I have NO IDEA! :-) I was chewing a piece of steak and without even thinking I swallowed before it was chewed really well. As soon as I swallowed and realized what I had done my heart practically stopped and I thought 'this is NOT going to be good'! I resigned myself to an evening of pain and nausea and waited... and waited... and waited... and nothing! I dodged a bullet! Even so, I won't do that again! :-)

Also at this early stage you may have trouble getting enough nutrients for both you and a developing baby. I'm almost four months post-op and can barely eat what I need for myself. And early pregnancy morning sickness can make it much harder to eat. Definitely talk to your doc for the best time to start trying. You will want the best possible outcome for yourself and your baby. :-)

A couple pieces of grilled sirloin tips and steamed broccoli. I was Leary of the steak but no problems. I find it strange that tuna, chicken, and lately even tilapia will back up on me, yet steak is fine. Weird...

Initially I thought I wasn't losing as fast as others, and it was true - some people seemed to lose a lot faster, but some were like me. There are many different factors in how quickly and how much each person loses. I stopped comparing myself to others. Then I stopped worrying about the numbers and started celebrating the milestones - actual things that made me happy. Things like dropping a size, fitting into something that used to be too tight then a few weeks later needing to get rid of it because it was too big, realizing my back pain was gone, finding that I had energy at the end of the work day, going to the beach for a swim on a hot day (I hadn't done that in years), I stopped snoring (this made hubby happy too), going to a cookout and having fun, and so many other things! I still have more to lose but everything in my closet fits! It stops fitting when it gets too big, not too small. I am happy. I couldn't have done it on my own (I tried for years). I am living my life and I don't dread my future anymore! I know if I continue to eat right and keep up the lifestyle changes I've made I will someday be where I need to be, and I can stay there. Right now I'm just enjoying the journey!

I was told no coffee and only decaf tea. It's a diuretic and is irritating to the healing pouch. So I quit my coffee two months before surgery and something amazing happened - I started sleeping through the night! I have had trouble sleeping for 27 YEARS. I may never drink it again. :-)

I have BCBS of RI. They required a documented failed weight loss. I did Optifast four years ago and BCBS paid the biweekly doctor visits and labs so it was an undisputed fail. After completing all my requirements I was approved in three days. :-)

Today was dress down day at work. I actually FIT into sz 16 jeans! Super-awesome!!!!!! I feel good!

Today at work we ordered out for lunch. I got shrimp cocktail from the appetizer menu and a side of squash, all for $6. I could only eat half so I'm finishing it off for dinner. :-)

I take One Multivitamin chewable - twice daily Three calcium citrate chewables - three daily One B12 sublingual - one daily Two Vitamin D liquigels - once daily I tend to be D deficient - I get sun poisoning so I avoid the sun - so the strength I take varies from 1000 to 5000. I would listen to my WLS team over my regular doctor for bariatric-related advice. They are the experts in that particular field.

For me it starts after I eat something that my pouch doesn't like. It starts as almost a fizzy gassy feeling that grows increasingly stronger and more unpleasant. My nutritionist explained it like this: If you eat something too dry, eat too fast, or don't chew properly the food can back up to the entrance of the pouch or even into the esophagus. Your body starts to produce bubbly saliva in response. The foamy stuff can build up until you feel it in the back of your throat. Have you ever eaten the candy called "Pop Rocks"? The bubbling is almost like that feeling but way worse. Usually when I vomit, it is just foamy saliva, not food. Only on a couple occasions have I actually vomited actual food.

My only experience with them was the awesome cheesecake. My daughter worked for one of their affiliates and used to get a 50% discount so we had a variety every holiday (the pumpkin is amazing!). She doesn't work for that company anymore. That's probably a GOOD thing! I'm on vacation in a week. Maybe I'll go there for lunch one day and try something healthy. Portion size won't matter - my hubby could handle anything I don't finish. :-)

I've had a decrease in aches and pains in general. Before I was practically living on Aleve for chronic back pain, knee pain, foot pain, shoulder pain, and headaches. Since I could only take Acetaminophen for the rest of my life I was very concerned about pain management. Within two months the question was not 'What to take for pain?' The question was 'What pain?' :-)

Thank you everyone. I think one of the things I was fearful of is someday being able to eat the same things as I did before surgery. I don't want to do that. I WANT there to be consequences to poor food choices for the rest of my life. But I don't want those consequences to prevent me from getting the nutrients I need from food because I can't eat it or keep it down.

I was curious about this too. You would think you could, but brown rice takes twice as long as white rice to cook. Has anyone tried it?

My team recommends chewables for life so vitamins are never an issue. My daily capsule of doxycycline is a different story. I have to drink a lot and stay upright (standing) for at least a half hour or it becomes a painful problem.