Dragonsmate

guess I am weird but I love my CPAP My husband doesn't mind it because the machine is quiet and I don't snore to wake the dead. Having some trouble with my mask fit now that I have lost some weight but I don't miss those wicked ass morning headaches and feeling like crap in the middle of the afternoon I have an appointment with my sleep doc in July and I am hesitant to do that damn sleep study again to see if I need to continue using it--the study, to me, is worse than the machine so I will continue to use it as long as I can.

I actually took 5 weeks off. I work in a very large hospital on my feet, and I am a hospitalist PA so i wanted to give myself plenty of time to adjust to the dietary changes as well as work through the major fatigue before I went back to taking care of patients. I have read on various threads folks having surgery on Thursday, taking a long weekend and back at work at least half-duty less than a week after surgery all the way to post-ops taking as much time as I did. It all depends on your comfort level so make sure you talk it over with your surgeon-not to mention you will be on full liquids, trying to get in your Protein and fluids while healing. Best wishes <cheers>

also a big problem is mask fit. I had the respiratory therapist at my sleep doctor's office measure my nose and we went through the selections for styles and picked one that fit me comfortably. My issue now is weight loss in my face makes me have to adjust my straps every 2-3 weeks and now the cushion does not quit fit right. I use my fitbit at night to track my sleep and while it is not the most accurate, the difference between the nights I wear it and the nights I don't is amazing, not to mention the wicked headache in the morning after a night of not wearing it. Talk to your CPAP folks as Rome suggested and make sure the mask is a good fit for your face.

-breakfast is either an egg and a morningstar sausage (vegetarian) sausage patty, or chobani simply 100 vanilla yogurt with 1/4 c high Protein kashi Cereal (usually not able to finish the second selection). Have some P28 high protein bread but I have not tried it yet (14 grams/slice). -lunch is usually 2-3 ounces of grilled chicken, grilled fish, steak, or a small hamburger patty cooked on the GF grill. I try and add some veggies-wilted spinach is packed with nutrients in a small serving-or asparagus tips a couple times a week. -dinner is pretty much the same thing as lunch, or I have sliced chicken/turkey deli meat roll ups with a slice of sargento thin cheese. -snacks (try and get in 2 a day)-cottage cheese is a go-to for me (2% Breakstone in the 4 ounce cup), baby bel cheese, or half a small apple (peel included) with PB2. Guilty pleasure is pork rinds 1/2 an ounce <ducks> The only Protein Drink I can stomach is Chike's high protein coffee drink when I need the caffeine in the afternoon (I work swing shift into the evening hours) and I drink it only once or twice a week at work. The thought of eating a Protein Bar or a different shake makes me gag...my hat is off to you guys who can still tolerate them Calories average about 850-900. I am trying to increase my protein to 75-80 min with my increased exercise, and carbs, well, I try and keep it below 50, some days I do better than others but I am trying to keep a variety in my diet so I do not get bored. I drink crystal light, iced tea and coffee (no carbonated drinks at all-stopped about 4 months before surgery)...not enough fluids but I am working on that as well.

9 weeks out (Feb 10th) and 31 pounds down from day of surgery, 46 pounds total.

I did long-distance cycling years ago and it was exciting and a wonderful way to see the countryside-we have beautiful wildflowers in the spring (albeit, spring in Texas is quite short), and it was a great way for me to decompress and do some positive internal dialogue...not to mention the cute boys in shorts >.> I did the metric century ride (100 km) for the Hotter than Hell 100, several years ago, and I want to now do the big 100 mile ride.

Some of my items on my "healthy to-do list" -get back into long distance cycling -not feel as if I am the fattest chick in the room -be able to do some yoga poses that require bending at the waist -Enjoy laying around in my swimsuit -be able to keep up with my husband hiking, swiming, and camping...oh and did I mention cycling? -Play with the Kama Sutra instead of just read about it -paint my own toenails -shop in the non-plus size clothing sections -Snowboard again -plant my front yard without being out of breath -climbing more than 2 flights of stairs without feeling out of breath -oh, yeah, and start cycling again

At my 2 week post op appointment, hubby wanted to know if I had been cleared for "all" activity~LOL, doc said whatever I could tolerate and I said "hot damn" My doctor laughed so I know he was "hip" to the question Just take it easy, no swinging from chandeliers or monkey bars, and enjoy.

Tracking intake keeps me way more accountable than weighing ever did--I set it so my friends can look at my food diary but you can keep it private on MFP. Once you get into the habit, it will make all those little calories throughout the day really add up and you can get an honest picture of what you are eating. It is a tool just like the scale and just like our surgeries...we have years of bad habits to overcome and years of denial to face and that is daunting. One step at a time, one day at a time and never be afraid to dust yourself off and get back up on the horse-he isn't doing anything but waiting for you to get back on and ride

Stalls are frustrating and can be very demoralizing. I agree with taking a vacation from the scale for a while and get someone to do good measurements on you (try not to measure yourself). Focus on how you feel physically compared to when you started and remember stalls are the body's way of realigning/shifting/altering body composition. Just after 2 months my weight loss has slowed down significantly and I hit a low patch yesterday, so I understand the disappointment. Keep your head up, shoulders back and keep pushing. Make sure you are tracking your intake and push the fluids-this is one of the hardest for me, to be frank, I suck at my fluids. <hugs> and much luck hun. You CAN do this!

just curious but what is 30/30?

Use MFP and love it! Add me if you wish-Dragonslady67

That pretty much had been my state since I came home from surgery, however, after much tinkering, I discovered the nausea (for me) is a sign of dehydration. I now am in the habit of drinking a glass of water first thing when I get up in the morning and the sensation goes away. It has gotten better since I started back to work and was able to have my big glass of crystal light at my desk but I stick to the habit. Please understand prior to my sleeve, the thought of drinking water first thing in the morning made me nauseated, but now, it takes care of it.

Weighed 3-4 times a week for the first 2 weeks post-op then decided to weigh once a week. I can become...obsessed with the numbers I decided to change the frequency when I realized the obsession could get to a point that it overshadowed the overall feeling I have that I am doing well, the weight is coming off, and to get back to living in the present. I track my food on Myfitnesspal and that is developing into a very nice habit to keep me accountable.

sleeved 2/10/2014 Highest weight (at my first Bariatric Surgery appt): 284.1 Pre-surgery weight: 268 Current weight: 246.4 Only problems were nausea and one episode of dumping with, of all things, chicken broth-not fun. Surgery incisions healed well, my surgeon was very pleased at my 2 week post-op visit and I just finished a 1 week camping trip. As far as foods, I am on a soft diet right now and that consists of scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, tuna salad, bananas, and cream of wheat. I struggle to get my Protein in but track that and my Water on Myfitnesspal--now very religious about logging my intake. I see the nutritionist on Tuesday and I believe I will graduate to regular foods at that time. Exercise consists of walking but I am treating myself tomorrow, for my current weight loss, to a gym membership! I still fatigue easily but I have more good days than bad now. NSVs have been subtle. My clothes prior to surgery were tight. Like, really really tight. Now, they are loose and I can wear rings that previously, I could not...oh, and I was able to cross my legs the other night! Pretty damn happy about it thus far

my biggest fear was not losing weight, that the sleeve would fail to limit my intake...irrational I know, but fears can be that way.

same thing happened to me about a week out--it was after some chicken stock-it was clear but evidently, my GI tract was NOT happy...sadly, I didn't make it in time but I did learn a valuable lesson. Now I keep an "emergency kit" of sorts in my car in the event I eat something new at a restaurant-or if something at home hits me later...I am 3 weeks out but I keep that kit with me

Just checking in with you Cloud9--you ok?

My doc and I discussed goal weight and nothing was set in stone. He said to focus on eating the right things (obviously Protein first) and exercising. My surgery was 2/10 and so far, have lost 15 pounds since the day of surgery and I lost 10 pounds during the pre-op diet. While my weight loss has not been as significant as some, 25 pounds in 5 weeks for me is, well, it has never happened before. I set a goal of 139 and I am only 5'2" however I am blessed with genes that allow me to put on significant lean muscle with resistance training. I am treating myself to a gym membership right down the road from my house so I can really focus and track my actual activity. I also chose that weight because I have been there before and was comfortable at that weight. I think it just comes down to the individual and where the comfort zone lies for that person.

Madame, what a wonderful wonderful experience! Thank you for sharing-always love reading your posts-brilliant and bloody well deserved

I am a provider buy not YOUR provider, however, anytime someone is having black stools and blood in their emesis (vomit) I advise go to the ER. One of the main reasons is to check a CBC (complete blood count) and your vital signs (esp heart rate and blood pressure) because the amount of blood passed can be deceiving compared to what you actually see. Please consider it.

Zou, check out this website: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html The ricotta bake is amazing! Other things include refried beens mixed with enchilada sauce-but I just noticed ur entry about beans; I get some of the Soups from Panera or Jason's Deli and put them in my single-serve blender...have not tried egg salad or tuna salad in the blender yet but that and roasted cauliflower pureed Soup are on the list of things to try

Zou, you were sleeved about a week ahead of me so I have started pureed this week and what I can tell you is I also am finding it difficult to "feel" my stop point. I use a baby spoon and I have a very small bowl (my husband is a potter so he actually made this for me) that holds about 1/3 c of food. I am learning to be the burp whisperer (LOL) and take my time. This understanding will take time and practice. My NUT at this point wants me to eat 1 c of pureed divided into four 1/4 cup servings in addition to my shakes and I tell ya, I have not been able to do it yet. Because I started pureed this week, I am just enjoying the flavor of real food (albeit in almost liquid form) that it is easier for me to slow down. Guess I am just trying to echo what many have said in that we are still healing, nerves are still not sending all the signals they usually do, and we are dealing with a MUCH smaller organ with a tighter range for fill Hang in there chica, we got this.

the 1 cup is in addition to my protein shakes...clarification

my NUT wants me to try and get 1 cup of pureed in daily divided into 1/4 c servings--initially, I could only get 2-3 small spoonfuls down. I am on pureed for a week and then I think it is soft foods. She said if I wanted, this was the time to have some mashed potatoes but I declined, as I have essentially been off white carbs for 6 weeks. I usually eat refried Beans mixed with enchilada sauce and a bit of melted cheese, there is a ricotta bake recipe that is TODIEFOR...website is here: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html Good luck and check in with your nutritionist if you have concerns or questions-that is what they are there for good luck!