Forsythia

Honestly they need to be telling people under 40 who are overweight/obese to be getting a health check up. Diabetes runs in my family. And so does obesity. I was diagnosed with type II Diabetes at the age of 32. I'm guessing that looking back, I had it for at least a good year before it was diagnosed. For me, I went that long because I was temping and did not have health insurance (I know that is not a thing in the UK).

Greek yogurt. It was awful pre-surgery. Even the fruity ones. Now, I like it and don't like regular yogurt as much.

Awesomesauce. Seems like there are a few of us creeping up on 100lbs gone!

My right knee hurts - but increased exercising is going to do that. And my bunion on my right foot seems to hurt more as I am much more active. I'll get an occasional zing shoot through it - again, increased activity. My collarbones don't hurt, but I find myself touching them a lot. Maybe you are just hyper aware of them as they become more visible? Lastly, if you ever had an injury, you might be bothered by weather. My knee doesn't like when it gets too humid and stormy. There might be a touch of arthritis in it.

I'm of the everything in moderation school of thought. I'm not opposed to it. And it is okay now that I am on an unrestricted diet. But I haven't had more than a couple of pieces here or there. I love it at the movies though. I've only been to the movies once post sleeve, but did not have any popcorn because we stopped and had lunch right before our show. My husband is the popcorn guy, so any that is in the house is usually eaten by Mr. Bottomless Pit.

Oh, I forgot about those. Those TRX straps are killer and work the stabilizers like crazy. I second Kate! If you have access to them with your trainer, maybe do some of that stuff! When I was using them I was over 300 lbs. I kept asking the trainer "ARE YOU SURE THESE ARE BOLTED TO THE STUDS?!" She used to just laugh. I was never able to pull them out of the wall despite my fears.

@jessiquoi I don't look pregnant but I have what looks like a muffin top because of a roll where my natural waist is. And the funny thing is that the left side and right side are lopsided. so the roll on the right side is much more sticky outtie than the left side. But high waisted pants are not a good look on me. I just need to get a shaper to smooth all that out.

I tend to lose from the top down. So I can be in a 14/16 from the boobs up and a 18/20 in something that covers my stomach. So stuff is baggy in the chest but looks okay over my tummy. Bizarre, really. I'm to the point where all the size 20 jeans I bought are slightly too big, but I'm not inclined to spend money on new jeans just yet. I will say that I was never so happy to be able to shop at Old Navy since they carry up to 20 in the stores. I am loath to go into a Lane Bryant now even though I still wear plus sizes. I just keep thinking in another couple of weeks or a month I will be in a 16.

I have crap balance. Like, I could get arrested for failing a sobriety test when sober bad. So I had this trainer who knew it and used to make me do all sorts of balance exercises. It was brutal and I hated her but I was better for it. But that doesn't mean I didn't cuss her out under my breath. You might also try doing something like pilates and yoga to work on those stabilizer muscles. They really might help you out.

Get yourself a kettlebell. Maybe 12 lbs to start You can start out with 30 seconds worth of Russian swings (you start in a wide stance, with the bell down between your legs). squat down and swing the bell up so that your arms are parallel to the floor. The bell should be at roughly boob level. Come back up to the beginning position and lower the bell down at the same time. Do as many as you can in that 30 seconds. You can do intervals of this. Maybe three intervals to start. Not only is there a cardio effect, the next day you will be so sore all over. The key is using your hips to swing the bell up, not your arms. You should really feel this in your major muscles of the lower body - quads, hams, glutes. If you feel it in your arms, you are using them to swing the bell and doing them incorrectly. (There are lots of tutorials on the innerwebz/youtube) You can also do squats and lunges, as well as push ups and crunches without a gym. You can do step ups onto a kitchen chair. Personally, I'm a lazy slug at home and cannot be arsed to do any actual working out there. I need to give someone (LA Fitness) my money each month in order to be motivated to work out. LOL!

I had my sleeve in May (on Cinco de Mayo, actually), at NW Memorial, with Dr. Hungness. I'm a sad Bears fan but a happy sleever. LOL!

When I had my endoscopy, they put me into what they call "conscious sedation" meaning you are awake the whole time, but you really remember nothing. I swear, they put the IV in me, had me turn onto my side and the next thing I remember was laying in the recovery room and humming a song. LOL. They gave me some animal crackers and a ginger ale and sent me home. I remember everything before that, and everything after, but that 40 minutes is forever gone! Then about a week late I got a letter in the mail with all the pictures of my throat and everything. It was fascinating, really. Since Northwestern Memorial is a teaching hospital, the nurses said that often they volunteer to have it done because it is such an easy procedure.

Did you have to see a psych pre-surgery? Call on that doc again. At my hospital they stressed that if we needed anything to not hesitate to make an appointment. Maybe make an appointment with him or her to go over your feelings. Maybe there is some stress that is causing you to eat more. Maybe they can offer some techniques to take your mind off your hunger. When I feel hungry I try to wait 30 minutes and drink some crystal light. If I am still hungry then I know I can have something in another 30 minutes. Often times the hunger goes away though. Mentally I know I am always going to have to deal with my grazing and emotional eating. I know I can graze and cheat the sleeve. I know I can get the sads because of a crap day at work at eat an entire chocolate bar. That's on me for the rest of my life. My base issues didn't disappear because my stomach did.

I recently bought a pair of pants at Macy's on the clearance rack for $16. They were a size 20. According to the website for the brand (Jones New York) the measurements for the waist is 40 inches. My waist is not 40 inches yet, It is above that. Yet, when I tried the pants on they fit just fine, are actually a bit loose. So the sizing is off. You really need to go to a store and try things on. It's a pain butt, you have to do it. I like to hit places like Ross or TJ Maxx (not sure if you have them overseas, but I am sure there is some kind of discount shop like that somewhere). Better to get a pair of pants for super cheap than to buy something nice you are only going to slide out of in a few weeks. Also, here in the US we love to vanity size the crap out of things. J Crew and New York & Company size generously and are a bit notorious for it. I have a friend who is a size 6 and has always been a 6. She went in there and tried on a 6 and was swimming in those pants. She said to me, I am absolutely not a size 4. But apparently people want vanity sizes. Which is why someone had to create a 00/XXS

I never had any requirements to crush pills. Been taking regular meds since I got home. I was on a chewable multi Vitamin initially, but have since gone to a pre-natal which is massive (not that I am pregnant, but it saves me from having to take two multis a day). I've been on the pre-natal since about one month post op and swallow that bad boy down fine. The rest of my pills (all vitamins) are more normal sized things.

Sure, why not? As long as you have a decent food processor.

I occasionally get an iced coffee skinny caramel with half and half. I don't have any caffeine restrictions on my plan. Honestly It's way more effective than any laxative out there. LOL.

I have frozen dinners for lunch. Lean cuisine, Atkins, Weight Watchers Smart Ones. A different one every day. They are approved on my plan and its cheaper for five in a week than one lunch out. I may not eat the entire thing, but the convenience is great. If you like lunch meats, why not do a roll up with a piece of ham and swiss or turkey and cheddar? They are super easy for when you are on the go. If you cook something for dinner like a roast chicken, make yourself your own TV dinner for the next day.

In my first couple weeks post sleeve, I got a sharp pain that told me enough was enough. That went away. I was on my own. Sometimes you push it and continue to eat and feel wretched afterwards. Just because you can eat more than one egg, doesn't mean you should. Are you eating slowly? If not, use a baby fork to slow yourself down. Weigh out 2 to 3 ounces of food for other items that aren't pre-portioned for you. You may not feel full. But the goal is not to eat until you are full. The goal is to eat until you are satisfied. Those are two different things. Take a step back and ask yourself if you feel hungry anymore after that one egg. Not if you are full. In the beginning it is really hard to separate the two things mentally.

@@kyrickchick64 Ah. If you are pre-op and allowed coffee, maybe you could do pumpkin spice coffee or creamer.

Don't forget lunges for your quads and hamstrings. Dead lifts are also great for that area where the thigh meets the butt. Don't be afraid to lift heavy once you get into weights. Also cardio to burn the fat over your muscles. I tend to lose top down but I have noticed a slimming in my thighs from lots of cardio. I try for about 60 minutes of it.

I had a two week stall two weeks after my surgery. It, for lack of a better thing to say, sucked ass. But I just kept plugging at things - following the plan, walking. Doing what needed to be done. Don't fret, these things happen. Also, I gain at least 5lbs every month due to period Water retention and basically write off the week after my period as fun with Fluid retention. So fear not. It's not going to be a straight line. it might be rolling hills with an overall downward trend.

Are you secretly a Chicagoan? I would say my routine in the weight room is pretty basic. I try to hit all the major muscle groups via squats, lunges, dead lifts, lat row, chest press and fly and biceps and triceps work. Then I do some abs on the ball and some planks and call it a day. That's my quick and dirty routine. I try to go as heavy as I can and then go home to my couch and cry. LOL!

I hated purees with the fire of 10,000 angry suns. Hated it. Everything was gross. Especially baby food. How do babies eat it, it's GROSS. Bland and gross. Thank goodness for me it was only a week. But it was the longest week of my 37 years. LOL.

I have coffee often. Once I was on general diet, coffee was not restricted. I usually take a scoop of unflavored or vanilla Protein powder and kill a couple birds with one stone - necessary nectar of the gods and 30 grams of protein in one fell swoop. LOL.