Forsythia

I don't think I've turned into an asshole (well, not anymore than I usually am. LOL), but I did quit my job four months after my surgery. It made me miserable. So I put in two weeks notice and left - without another job lined up. I don't know that I would have done that if I had not had surgery. Typically I just suck it up and deal with things like that.

I was in the hospital two days. The catheter was in for most of the first day. the nurse (a hipster chick named Eunice with big glasses) removed it at night. It was kind of fascinating to realize I was peeing and not feeling it at all. LOL! After that I had to use a toilet like a normal person. But, I was able to clean up properly down there and put on underpants. I'm not into going commando. LOL!

Quest bars are delicious and nutrient wise are really quite fine. Some people feel they are too good and triggering because they totally taste like cookie dough or double chocolate brownies, but I like to throw one of these in my bag for a post workout Protein kick. They are high in Fiber though, so if you are not used to their fiber content prepare to be a bit gassy!

Can I just say that I know my program espouses low fat/fat free, but I do not count fat at all. AT ALL. You need a bit of fat for satiety. As a Type II diabetic my focus is trying to keep as low carb as possible (although now I'm oddly not sensitive to them anymore - and my A1C is 5.5%, which is totally normal. But I still focus on trying to keep under a certain amount of carbs per meal/snack). So having said that, I know if my Protein is high and carbs are low, fat is going to shake out somewhere in the middle. My personal take is that fat is not the enemy and does not cause weight gain like carbs do. Also, I don't want to start a debate or raise anyone's hackles or anything. But you can totally be really successful eating a moderate amount of fat in your diet.

I didn't like Greek yogurt at all until after my sleeve. Go figure. I like regular yogurt but rarely eat it anymore. Do you like cottage cheese? You can try that in lieu of yogurt. Still has a good amount of Protein. You can always add unflavored Protein powder to cream of mushroom or cream of chicken Soup. Just do not add it while it is super hot. It will congeal and curdle (I learned that the hard way). ICK!

Oh, that's a bummer. There isn't one in Chicago proper either, but I live near enough to suburbia to take a bus to Lincolnwood and hit the store there.

New York & Company has some talls in the stores. The Limited carries talls but I don't know if they carry them in the store or not since I do not have the statuesque frame you do.

I got so fed up with my crappy job in September. I quit it, with no job in the pipeline. I was absolutely miserable. Like, every day at 5:30 I would be sad because I knew the next day I would have to go back to that shitty hellhole. I've been temping since then. I think at 220 I'm getting more opportunities and hits than I did at 312.

I think maybe 3 months post op? I'm good with white wine and mixed drinks. I made a dinner a couple weeks ago with a red wine reduction and it immediately came back up. I think too many tannins in reds for me now. But I was never a red wine drinker anyhoo, so no terrible loss. Well except for that the dinner was delicious going down and it made me sad to regurgitate it back up. But I digress.

You could also, if you take it to go, take one of those stick blenders to it at home to make it all the same consistency.

Rather than take two multis, I take one pre-natal. They are Nature's Bounty.

The giant cup of Water they gave me in the hospital, it had a straw. I had to drink said cup of water with a straw, before I was released. I have literally been using a straw since day one. The water bottle I use daily has a straw in it. I don't have issues using one or not using one. For some people liquid goes down easier with one, for others, it's a hindrance. I honestly think this is one of those personal preference things and not a hard and fast rule that will make or break your progress. I've steadily lost weight, and my surgery was at a bariatric center of excellence, so I must be doing something correctly.

You might look into a classes if your gym offers them. Once a week I take a weight class at my gym - body works plus abs. It's a high rep, low/moderate weight class. I don't use anything heavier than 8 lbs and am sore for days because of the high reps (some of the men in the class use 10s or 12s or 15s). But at the same time, the instructor is really focusing on triceps/chest so we do a lot of push ups and I've seen a lot of strength gain in my triceps/chest because of that and one of my problem areas (triceps) have gotten tighter - and sleeves fit better now than they did a little while ago.

@@CowgirlJane Do you have a Macy's near you? You might like what they term "Impulse Contemporary", which is brands that skew older than Juniors but younger than some of the more traditional clothes. At the Flagship store here in Chicago it's great. I can slide right into that area at 37 and not feel like I'm trying too hard, but not feel like I'm dressing my mom's age. Some of the brands include Kenise, Rachel Roy, Jessica Simpson, Free People, and their house brands Maison Jules (a fave of mine) and Bar III.

I got this maidenform high waisted panty that goes up to my bra line (because my issue that bugs me is tummy roll/muffin top - even when pants fit loose I have the muffin roll). Anyhow - I got it from Target for $14. Super shaping. Really smoothes out the roll and it stays up. It was a struggle to get into that bad boy though. But shapewear isn't supposed to be easy to get into. If it is, you are buying it too big. I plan on getting another one just to have a couple to rotate. I also plan on getting one of the tank tops that allows you to wear your own bra under it for the same effect. Here is a link to the product: http://www.target.com/p/self-expressions-by-maidenform-women-s-body-con-high-waist-boyshort-assorted-colors/-/A-14654331#prodSlot=_3_5

I do what @@bikrchk does. A scoop of vanilla body fortress in my morning coffee. Gets me 30 grams without taking up too many calories. So today I had my coffee, a Greek yogurt as a snack and a weight watchers frozen meal with 18 grams of Protein for lunch. So I had my minimum of 60 grams in by lunch. dinner will add some more protein, I'm sure. Without that, I'm sure getting in 60 grams would be much harder.

The only thing that made me nauseated was the pain medications they put me on in the hospital. But I wasn't in any real pain so I didn't need the pain meds. Once I got home I did not have any issues with vomiting or nausea.

Strangely I've gone from a 44D to a 38DD. I've lost a lot of volume though. They are saggy and sad. They used to be fuller when I was a 44D!

I don't. I don't have a calcium deficiency though.

This is a thing? I don't have an appendix. But that was removed in 1983 when I was 6. My gall bladder is fine and still inside my body.

I live in a condo. We don't get trick or treaters. I also don't sweat having a piece of candy. My issue was never one piece of candy, it was mindless binge eating in front of the TV when bored or lonely.

As an avid and rabid exerciser I consume pretty close to 1200 calories most days. I was told by my nutritionist at a month out that I should be between 800 and 1200 calories a day. I find I lose more consistently when I am closer to that 1200 calories as opposed to the 800. Having said that, that is just me. My body. You need to experiment and find out what works for you. Your body. And fret not. Every time this happens where I stall I immediately panic and think my sleeve is not working. Then I lose weight and all is right with the world again. LOL.

I had no liquid diet at all. None. My two week pre-op diet was essentially Atkins phase one.

Do you have a psych you had to see as part of your program? If you do, you can see him or her for some sessions. It helps to bounce your fears/issues off of a trained professional. Also the psych visits were the one thing my insurance paid for in full preoperatively.

Funny. I had all the appointments but it didn't feel real until the very end. During the pre-op testing and after the surgery was on the books. Before that it was just theoretical.