ziggypbang

Everyone's doctor's recommendation are so different! I could only eat purees at four weeks per my plan, but I believe that if you are eating the proper small quantity nd chewing very well, you are probably going to do beautifully.

You go treat yourself to something memorable! Jewelry, maybe? A full spa day? Something nearly as awesome as YOU! Thanks for the inspiration!

Amazing achievement! Excellent the way our efforts are paying off! I would be completely shocked if your doc wanted you to consider any meds at this point for blood sugar control, but as a medical professional myself, I would definitely consider calling your doc's office and let your doc's nurse know what great progress you've made. I'm certain they'll want to celebrate with you, but if they want to get one last a1c or other test, it will only confirm everything you already believe to be true. Personally, tho, I believe you have rid yourself of one nasty disease!! Congratulations!!

You look awesome! Wow, do your eyes stand out now! Congratulations! The pre op you looks like she might be your cousin, maybe!

I brought a comfy fleece sweatshirt and workout pants that I wore the whole time. I spent a ton of time pacing the halls, and not being able to wear a proper bra would have driven me CRAZY if I didn't have the sweatshirt to cover up! Same with the sweatpants when I was out roaming. I also brought my deodorant, some face wipes and a tube of lipstick. And yes, I used it all, if only not to screen my visitors! :-)

Funny topic but so appropriate! I look the same in the mirror, too MOST of the time. But the other day at work I was trying on glasses in the optical when I got a glimpse of Thinner Me. Ah, one of those trick mirrors designed to make me feel good about myself and get me to buy eyeglasses, I thought! So I pulled two of my co-workers into the mirror image and, strangely enough, only MY image was a tricky, thinner image while theirs were perfectly accurate! Body dysmorphia, you say? So glad I've got a name for one more game my mind likes to play on me!

I think you hit all the right nails on theIR heads! The beautiful thing about goals is that they are meant to be achieved, and then a new goal set. I am watching my reps, weights and endurance go up at the gym and getting a HUGE kick out of my strength increasing. Sounds like a 5k is in you future, which is an awesome goal. You are wise to recognize that the scale only tells part of the story. Best wishes on your new, radical commitment to your health!

I found that I had very strong salt cravings that mimicked hunger when I was drinking only. I actually put a Pretzel Crisp in my mouth, chewed it up and spit it out at one point! Then, I bought some Better than Boullion in beef flavor, and started making mugs of very warm Soup with it, and added some unflavored Protein powder to it. It had microscopic bit of meat in it that really helped my psychologically, as well as helped with the salt cravings. Once I went to purees and I started having laughing cow cheese, everything got better. Liquids just don't fill you up very well. Solids rock!

So funny this topic showed up today! I just saw a girlfriend I hadn't seen since before surgery, and the first thing she said was "Where're your boobs?" I am down to a DD from a DDD cup, but she made me unzip my sweater to prove they hadn't disappeared completely!

WOW! I'm praying to have the same results minus the hernia. So happy for you! Yeah LindafromFlorida! I had the same experience. Didn't really care for the flavor of the pain med and didn't ever really take it, so I drove at 3 days. The surgeon's main concern is that you don't drive under the influence of narcotic medication. On day 5 I drove myself to the gym, and one day 8 went back to work 1/2 time. My advice it to prepare for a little longer, tho, and then just rejoice if you bounce back quickly.

Dude, you're sweating the small stuff!! There is definitely variations in what works for folks, and you'll find what works for you given a little time. Here are a few of my thoughts: 1) my b12 is tiny but delicious and the way it melts under my tongue is funny. I'd take it daily willingly if I needed it! 2) I love my lemon flavored chewable Os-Cal calcium, which include some Vit D. I keep them at work and home. I consider them a mini-dessert after I eat! The chewable multi-Vitamins sucked for me the first 3 months - they did taste wierd - but now I've gone back to the non-chewable variety and it's all good! I take them with Breakfast (OK, an Atkins Cafe Caramel shake I call breakfast) and dinner. Just a habit. 3) Straws I could probably handle now but they don't really tempt me much. It's not like I'm really drinking stuff at restaurants although I do eat restaurant food very happily. If you love leftovers and doggie-bags like I do, you will LOVE the way you can make one great restaurant meal last for four days! 4) I drink decaf every single day. There is a bit of regular coffee in my breakfast Atkin shake though, too. I add instant decaf to my evening vanilla shake, with a bit of SF caramel syrup. I also can drink decaf Americanos (my fave) at Starbucks again now. They tasted wierd for a few months but that's over now and I'm back to loving them. 5) Hummous is great - I dont eat often but it's fine. And you can use whole eggs, yes. I eat Beans a lot, too - especially lentils and refried beans. You don't have to eat the proper Proteins 100% of the time. I eat some type of meat at least once a day, though. It's just so protein-dense it works well. 6) Getting all your liquids in is almost impossible early in the process. I am lucky to get to 48 oz at nearly 4 months out. I try, but there's only so much you can drink when you're drinking slowly. My office mate is 1 year out and still not to 64 oz. 7) I do 3 meals a day, but my office-mate friend is a grazer. It just works for her. Of course she's kind of battling anorexia these days, but it definitely hasn't made her fat!! 8) I wish I could say fatty food made me sick. They just don't. Nothing does, really. I have chosen to take one day a week to eat treats during two meals, lunch & dinner, and I've had no problems. My office mate eats no sweets, but lots of fatty foods (she regularly orders massaman curry for lunch!) but she nibbles at everything, like a person born thin! 9)I ate a candy bar today - very small, 115 calories, and it was great. some people find that they can't eat just one treat, or that they will overreat and not stop. If it comes to that for me, I won't have treats. Or, I'll just save them for the last day before my cycle starts, when everything looks extra tasty! This will be a HUGE learning experience, but a very, very good one! Best to you!

5 days for treadmill. Began light leg and arm weights after 2 weeks. Don't be shocked at how little weight training it takes to make you need little rests. Full weights at 1 month. Now I'm blowing my old numbers out of the water.

Ice is great! Colder is better I think! You might try mixing the shake with water or milk if you find it too sweet. Maybe heat it up and add a little spice like cinnamon, allspice, or an anise drop, my personal fave.just don't bring it to boil. If you buy some vanilla shakes, you can add sugar free coffee syrups to customize, like hazelnut or peppermint. I add decaf coffee to mine, with a bit of caramel syrup. I havent yet found a vanilla or chocolate ready to drink that I truly love right out of the box. Consider also ordering a Nectar sampler pack. The Syntax Nectar flavors are my favorite. Not shake like at all. More like fruit drinks. Good luck!

The nectar sampler pack is AWESOME!!! I love the Pink Grapefruit, Fuzzy Navel & Lemon Tea varieties. If you call Syntrax directly at 1-866-333-7403, the price is lower than at Bariatricpantry. When you find out which ones you like, you might consider buying them at allstarhealth.com. The prices here are the best, especially if you order three, which then gets free shipping. I would like to try their Cappucino mix also - I've heard great things. I have drunk a Nectar shake absolutely every day since my surgery. Sometimes I even blend flavors together. I love Cafe Caramel Atkins Ready-to-Drink shakes. The are very filling because they have fat in them, too. I only drink one per day, for breakfast, but it keeps me going until lunchtime. Wal-Mart has six-packs of these for $5.78 around Indianapolis where I live. I also make one shake per day in my shaker-cup. I add 100% Gold vanilla Protein powder to decaf instant coffee, a a fendw teaspoons of butterscotch SF pudding mix. (I've just ordered some Walden Farms caramel syrup to try instead of the pudding mix, though). I heat this shake in the microwave after it's blended, and drink it in the evenings. You'll hear this from lots of folks, but DON'T invest in much protein pre-surgery. Your tastes are apt to change. I only drank the Atkins Mocha Latte shakes pre-op, but I couldn't stand them post-op and still can't stand anything chocolate flavored. Best!

If me continuing to overeat and stay at unhealthy weight could have helped one single starving child, I would agree that it would be a horrible choice for me to get healthy. But the fact that starving children exist in this world just doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I needed to make a radical commitment to MY health. The two facts couldn't be any less related. My husband and I send money to Haiti every month, because my husband was born and raised there so we understand the desperate need. We know that hungry people are fed regularly because of our support. We supported individuals there before my surgery, and we continue to support them. But my very slender husband who grew up in abject poverty with one or maybe two meals per day, has also been 100% supportive of me in my journey. The thoughts that you are struggling with have never crossed his mind. Don't let them plague yours.

Awesome! Your patience finally paid off! Sometimes it's a little rough, even in a great community like this, to see how everyone's numbers seem to be dropping like rocks, when I feel like every pound is so hard fought and won. But just wait til you see us in six more months!!

I would be THRILLED with your stomach! Put it out there, baby, it's a thing of beauty!

BlueSea71, I continued my research on this topic and found that there is another type of well-absorbed Iron that is non-constipating called Iron Carbonyl. Interestingly, the Indiana Blood Centers used to send this to me because I got rejected so regularly as a blood donor due to low iron. I found a bottle in my cabinet - not yet expired - and when I read about it online it seems you can often find it at the drugstore. It's by Sundown Naturals and it's called "Perfect Iron." Non-chewable. I also found that there is a type of Iron Carbonyl available from Vitalady.com that combines the carbonyl with Vitamin C - great if absorption is an issue, which is true for me. I also read that it shouldn't be taken within 2 hours of Calcium, which is tough since I take Calcium 3 times per day now (as I'm guessing you will, too). Best to you!

I'm SO sorry to hear about how much pain you've gone through with your knees! No, my pain was just enough to keep me uncomfortable when I walked down stairs, with occasional flare-ups that had me walking with a limp. But never to the point of TKR. I must have some cartilege left to work with, I guess. Blessings on you!

Had a dream 2 nights ago where I was obsessing about going to a shop that sold dozens of flavors of popcorn, and trying them all. It was as if Pre-Op Me was having the dream. I woke up sweating.

I was only calm on the outside! I know everyone is very different, but I didn't experience significant pain after the first 36 hours. At the hospital, whenever I began to feel pain, I just pushed the little button and the nice nurse would come juice me up! Then I be practically comatose for the next 2 hours. Then, I'd get up and elk for 20 minutes or so, which wasn't painful at all, then come back to my room. Strangely, my worst pain was my back, from lying in that hospital bed. My back has been a problem for 4 years, and it's so much better now! I went to the gym 5 days after surgery, and walked on the treadmill for 30 min. 7 days after surgery, I went back to work. I worked half days during my first week back. I think that was a good choice, since I'm on my feet most of the day. Best wishes! By summer you will feel like a new person!

How odd! I left the hospital on full liquids, but my good friend went home on clear only. I feel my surgeon is quit liberal, too. He doesn't make me take chewable vitamins anymore, and my pre-op diet was regular food, not liquids only. Your friend's diet is pretty unusual!

See ProudGrammy's post above again! Smart lady! I think if we are feeling good and making solid choices about food and activity, we are LEAPS and BOUNDS ahead of where we were pre-op! Isn't it great not to have the nagging burden of the fridge calling, like a monkey on my back? Just the absence of acute, obsessive cravings in an incredible mental release. The scale only tells about one portion of our victory. I don't get on it every day for that reason. My mind and my loose clothing are telling me the truth.

I was so crushed by the saltiness of their chicken broth that the thought of a fake cheese sauce just about bowled me over! Glad there are folks out there who confirmed my suspicions!

Absoluately love the Atkins Cafe Caramel RTD shakes for Breakfast. Reminds me of a trip to Starbucks. Interestingly, I didn't like the Cafe Caramel flavor before surgery - I only liked the Mocha Latte Shakes. Now I hate them, and everything that has the least chocolate-y flavor makes me queasy. I ordered a sampler pack of Syntrax nectar pre-surgery. I really like the fruit flavored drinks better than the chocolate/vanillas or any combination thereof. I have consistently enjoyed the Grapefruit, Fuzzy Naval & Lemon Tea flavors of Syntrax, and still drink at least one per day. My third shake of the day I use the powdered vanilla from Optimum Nutrition: 100% gold in the vanilla ice cream flavor, BUT I add a rounded teaspoon of instant coffee (decaf of course) plus a teaspoon of half & half, and some sugar free butterscoth pudding mix - maybe a couple tablespoons. I heat it up in the microwave and enjoy another Starbucks-like experience in the evening. One caveat - found immediately after surgery that coffee really turned me off. Before I started eating "real" foods, I made beef broth in the evenings with Better than Bouillon, and added some unflavored Protein powder to it. The protein made it taste just a little bit like beef stroganoff, plus I found I really craved salty stuff before I could start eating real food again. Best advice I've seen: just don't invest too much before surgery. Even during the first few month after, your tastes will continue to change. I remember trying a "Crystal Sky" version of Syntrax Nectar post-op, thinking it was great, and buying a whole tub. Now I can't stand it. So wierd.