Zoey716

It's easiest to do on the web, not via the app. On the web, go to the My Home tab, then the Goals sub-tab, then the green Change Goals rectangular button, switch the radio button from the default "Guided" to "Custom", then click the green "Continue" button, then you will get the screen that allows you to change all of your percentages, calorie intake, etc.

Please don't buy cookies!!! If you don't buy them you won't eat them!

Well.. knock it off or you will. Harsh, but true

So about 9 months ago I found myself looking to my local hospital's surgical weight loss center for some help as I had reached my highest weight ever 315. I was moderately familiar with Bariatric surgery as my brother had a gastric bypass performed about three years ago. I wanted more information because I knew there were options but I wasn't sure what was right for me. So I attended a surgical weight loss seminar at Reading Health System located in Reading, Pa. There I learned more about the Gastric Bypass and also the Lap Band, but more importantly I heard, for the first time about the Gastric Sleeve Surgery. The minute I learned about it I felt like it was the right procedure for me. Then, before I knew it my visit to the seminar to just "check it out" turned into my first official meeting which began the chain of events leading up to my procedure.
From there, the SWL (surgical weight loss) team evaluated my insurance, scheduled me for a consultation visit & set up the appointments necessary to access my blood work and over-all physical condition, aside from visual obesity (one does not qualify for a SWL procedure based on that alone) I had a thorough physical with a great deal of blood work completed, I was currently under care for sleep apnea and my blood pressure had been slowly rising into the pre hyper-tension zone.
Before I knew it my insurance was accepted, my psychological evaluation was scheduled, my nutrition classes had begun and I had been given an approximate date for surgery. It was now actually happening and all I could think was, "what if" - "how can" - "what about after." It all seemed surreal as I wondered what life would be like after permanently altering one of my organs.
My surgery was a week away and it was time for the "liquid Diet!!!" The thought of full liquids for 4+ days was terrifying and I couldn't imagine how I was going to make it. Well, I did & it wasn't so bad at all after the third day. Not to mention, what I learned about not taking this part seriously made it seem like a small price to pay. The liquid diet, I'm told shrinks the size of your liver and this was very important to give the doctor room to "work." Say no more, help the doctor to help me.... I'm in!!
The day of surgery came and it was simple, show up, check in, lay down and get rolled to the operating room. Just a few hours later I was in the recovery room. I elected to have the robotic daVinci procedure performed by Doctor Stephan Meyers of Reading Health System. I did not need a long time after the operation (maybe an hour) to wake up and take a few laps around the hospital floor of my wing. There was a bit of shoulder pain and gas pains as I recall, but easily controlled with IV pain relievers.
I went home in 48 hours and pretty much hung out in bed for another 48 hours, getting up to walk as often as I could till I felt better. Three days later I accompanied my 10 year old daughter to the annual father daughter dance, we took some pictures and I felt fine at the dance. I stood and sat for most of the time, but we did squeeze in a couple slow dances together.
I followed the directions of the doctors office and their website. I walked more and more and within a few weeks even began to jog very lightly. As I began to tolerate regular food again I was CERTAIN to eat just enough visually to become satiated. It's been three months now & I now eat more slowly, I separate my eating and drinking (this is a must) & I keep as active as possible by parking farther & taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator whenever at all possible.
I have also actually increased my level of exercise by desire, I've been walking/jogging 3-4 times per week, riding my bike 10 plus miles once per week and just this month I began swimming. We are a boating family and I am fortunate to be able to use our local lake for my first few long distance swims. Just this Sunday I swam 1.2 miles on Blue Marsh lake.
I would do this surgery again if I had it to do all over - I consider myself lucky that the actual procedure was a success physically & I feel like I've been given a second chance to do it right and appreciate the opportunity to be ACTIVE!!
I do not, at this time, feel hunger - in place of hunger I feel emptiness inside and I eat what makes sense to fuel my body. I take all of my suggested Vitamins and chewable Calcium too. We (big people) got too large for a reason and if you are looking at having one of these procedures so you can keep eating poorly, but less of a quantity, then I suggest not wasting your time - if you get the opportunity to choose and undergo a procedure that's best for you I implore you to make it count on every level and WORK hard to follow the directions you'll be given. Most importantly get ACTIVE!!! My BP is now normal, my sleep apnea is gone and I have lost over 60 lbs. I eat approximately 1 cup of food about 5 times a day. I am very careful of what I eat because I can only eat such a small amount. My caloric intake is currently only about 1100 per day so it is imperative that I get the right amounts of Protein, potassium, Iron, and other vitamins to remain healthy.
Because of this I use "My Fitness Pal" and "Pacer" for tracking food intake my daily steps taken. My Fitness Pal tracks the nutrient content of the food I eat which is essential to make sure your eating properly. I also use Strava for walking, jogging, cycling and swimming tracking. All of my activities sync with My Fitness Pal, so I am sure to know my nutrition intake and the app tells me how much to increase on days where I am more active than others.
All in all, I'd say my operation was a success and it's up to me individually to make it last forever. I ended up in the position I was in, three months ago, because of the choices I made, now I have the physical help to make better choices. I wish anyone taking this journey Godspeed & may you find it deep within to stay the course !

Thank you. I feel better than I have in a very long time.

Sounds like you had a fantastic time on our cruise!! A well deserved cruise after all of your hard work! I'll be on a cruise for my 1 year surgiversary next April! I was a bit concerned about the food/buffets too but am sure that I will be mindful but still enjoy myself.
Congrats again on your continued success! BTW - you look FANTASTIC in your picture!

Yeah!!! Congratulations on getting into those 16's! But don't get too comfy - you'll be shrinking out of those before you know it too! You are doing wonderfully and you look SO happy in your picture! Wishing you all the best! Keep up the great work!

I will be 16 weeks post op on Wednesday 7/30. I began this journey in a size 22. I went this weekend to shop for jeans...Holy moly............................CAN YOU SAY SIZE 16????? I am so excited and overcome with joy. This has been a journey of ups and downs. It is the absolute craziest ride I've EVER been on. It is becoming more and more worth the "bad" parts everyday.

I celebrated my 10th month surgiversary 7/24 while I was on a cruise to the Bahamas. I was nervous about the "all you can eat" aspect of my cruise, and it was a non-issue for me! I have always hated buffets because of the temptation to over over-eat or shame . It turns out that I loved the buffet because I could literally take a bite of something and then be done with it. I enjoyed many different tasty meats, salads and the occasional treats. No weight loss or gain. I used the gym to my full advantage and thoroughly enjoyed my trip.

Sounds like you had a fantastic time on our cruise!! A well deserved cruise after all of your hard work! I'll be on a cruise for my 1 year surgiversary next April! I was a bit concerned about the food/buffets too but am sure that I will be mindful but still enjoy myself.
Congrats again on your continued success! BTW - you look FANTASTIC in your picture!

Gorgeous!! Hope you had a wonderful date night with your hubby!!

BLASPHEMER!!!!!!!!!!!! All true believers know that GRAPE is the only flavor that satisfies!!!
But..... now that I think about it, orange is the color of the sun and the sun supplies the energy to give the Earth life... so without frozen orange pops, the Earth might wither and die. EAT MORE ORANGE, EAT MORE ORANGE, EAT MORE ORANGE, EAT MORE ORANGE!!!

Protein shots are not great for you, and they taste disgusting. My two favorites were the EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control shakes (I got mine at Target) or Chocolite from netrition.com. Neither of them are too sweet, at least not to me.
The other option is to buy an unflavored Protein powder, like Isopure, that you can mix with pretty much anything like tea, Soup, put it in jell-o or puddings, etc. I do not recommend the flavor of a lot of the 'protein waters' floating around. They're also pretty sweet. If you don't want something too sweet, try mixing the unflavored Protein Powder with diet cranberry juice or some other low sugar juice, milk, or pretty much anything else.

haha no real secret, I just make sure to work out everyday and eat and drink lots of Protein aha, the usual

holy crap....As one that has had every difficulty in the book except dying..And I came close to that you don't want any complications hun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your sleeve is raw inside. It cannot handle any real food at this time. Not only is it swollen and raw but the staples are at risk of being torn free.
There are so many posts on here that can give you guidelines on what to do and what not to do right now in this part of your journey.

Count me in!!
Starting weight: 223lb.
Goal for labor day: 198lbs.

You look fantastic and better yet - you look SO Happy!! Congratulation on having great success!

How to stand out as a Canadian ... Add a u to labor / labour..... My cover is blown

I was sleeved July 1, 2013 by Doctor Rayford Kruger at Tobey Hospital in Massachusetts. Here's my official before/after pic, with my stats for both the day of my surgery, and my one year surgiversary. It's mindblowing to me that not only am I NEVER again going to shop in the Plus Size section of any store, but I will willingly step in front of a camera, while wearing a bathing suit. Who is this person?!
I have absolutely NO regrets and consider this surgery to have been a total success. For the first time in decades, I'm proud of the way I look and how hard I fought to achieve it, with my sleeve's help. Happy Independence Day, indeed!!

I am just past 8 weeks since surgery and am down about 43lbs! So excited! My pants all hang off of me now, and my co-workers all comment on how much i've lost so far. Still have a ways to go, but am so proud of myself for making this decision. I am also SO proud of everyone else here! BRAVO to everyone!

I am just past 8 weeks since surgery and am down about 43lbs! So excited! My pants all hang off of me now, and my co-workers all comment on how much i've lost so far. Still have a ways to go, but am so proud of myself for making this decision. I am also SO proud of everyone else here! BRAVO to everyone!

I always weigh myself once a week not that I'm being obsessive about my weight loss journey but I feel it is important as you get to and pass your goal that you stay in focus with your progress. I never thought I would lose almost 200 pounds. Starting at 387 and now weighing 200 is in my opinion a miracle. I am forever thankful to my wife and healthcare professionals for their support in my weight loss success. I wonder just how far this weight loss journey will continue. But I am super glad I lost it and feel so well.
Mark, Edmond Oklahoma

I am pre op, I love this site
Not everything pertains to me... But if I can offer a 'good luck!' 'Keep ur head up!'
I know at some point I will need that support. I found people to be so sincere on here. I have my last NUT tomorrow morning and it get submitted to insurance.
Reading what others have gone thru doesn't mean that I am going to go thru it, but just incase i do....I'm
Prepared for it!
I love the support here. But I wish that person the best of luck, and hope they find the support they are looking for!!

Life is extremely frustrating Pre-Op and immediately Post-Op. Every single Dr. on earth is also only human and they are going to use their personal life experiences on what they feel works best for their own patients, and it might not even be similar to another Dr - or there might be some variations and similarities to how they feel. Such as I'm sure every surgeon will tell you to Drink Your Water. Things like that.
The only REAL advice for which you should follow exactly is the one your surgeon has provided you. Otherwise listening to opinions of others on the internet will get you down and you might even get sick. You certainly don't want that, but I also want to point out everyone chiming in is only doing so out of a good place, they don't want to see anyone hurt themselves.
If you need a break for a little while take one, I know I do that sometimes. But I have to tell you that getting all the support you can get will far more benefit you than not.
Good luck!