JamieLogical

When I found my husband at the finish line, I hugged him and started sobbing uncontrollably. It was so emotional! I was proud, and exhausted, and in pain, so happy to see him... It was very overwhelming.

It will get so much better, but I know how scary they can look. It will take a couple of months for all the swelling to go down completely and it took a good two years for my scars to fade to the point where they are now (I'm 5 years out). But it's so worth it!

I finished my half marathon this morning! Not only did I survive, but I finished over a minute faster than I'd trained for. My goal was to finish in under three hours. My training pace would have me finishing in about 2:45, but I finished in 2:43:44, which is especially impressive when you factor in that it took me about three minutes just to get up to the start line once the horn blew, because it was so crammed with people and I didn't even have room to start running until I was a good 25 yards past the start line. So here's all the proof you've been waiting for: Right before the start... it was only 35 degrees out, so I wore the jacket until the last possible second, then handed it off to my husband. "Running" down the chute to the finish line. I was barely moving at this point.... Almost there.... I made it!!! Happy, despite being near death. Showing off my metal and the flowers my sister-in-law brought me. At lunch with my husband and some friends after I survived the race. Wearing my race shirt and showing off my metal again. Here's a link to a little video of the start and finish: http://www.bariatricpal.com/gallery/image/89502-half-marathon-video/

YAY! How did it go?

@@Ryan TN I made it and lived to tell the tale. Kind of sore all over, but no serious damage it seems. Even finished over a minute faster than I trained for!

Glad to hear all is well. Just sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk. It might be a rough couple of days. Just hang in there and you will feel better and better.

What specific symptoms of "hunger" are you having? If it's stomach gurgling and rumbling, that's likely acid. We're you prescribed a PPI? If you are seeing commercials for pizza or burgers and getting cravings, that's head hunger. It will take a while for your head to catch onto the fact that you aren't physically capable of eating those foods right now.

Some people do better with tea early on. You can also cut apple juice with Water, 50/50 mix. For good puree recipes, check out this site: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html I lived for the baked ricotta!

Yea, it really does/did suck! LOL. I am not opposed to trying another vanilla isolate whey but don't even know where to start because there are so many. costco just happened to be sampling a vanilla whey isolate yesterday and OMG it was sickeningly sweet. Ick. I bought Now Sports unflavored whey isolate and just added sugar-free syrups to flavor it.

While life post-WLS isn't a "diet", there are still guidelines you should stick to. Protein first being the most important. And of course limiting carbs, not eating and drinking at the same time, not drinking you calories, avoiding slider foods and not grazing.

Thanks guys! I feel great too, aside from being in absolute terror over running my first half marathon tomorrow!

Whey isolate is much higher quality Protein and better absorbed by the body. My nutritionist would only allow shakes with whey isolate. I actually liked the vanilla Body Fortress whey isolate. We actually bought the vanilla body fortress isolate a week ago and had to return it. I then read the reviews and saw all 1 stars and the people were complaining that the formula had been changed, that it was very good at one time and now it was terrible! Wish I had read the reviews before buying it! Oh the sucks. It has been a long time since I had it. I switched to Protein Bars once I was on solid foods because I was SO DONE with shakes by then!

Hope everything goes great! See you on the loser's bench!

If you are staying at the Mariott, there are fridges in the rooms, but they are pretty full of the mini-bar, for-purchase items. At least mine was. You might be able to request a room with an empty fridge? I don't know what type of sweetener is in the Popsicles at OCC or the hotel (they are different), but you could probably ask ahead of time about the OCC ones at least. All I know is the OCC ones were heaven! Honestly it will be a miracle if you can manage your Water and 1-2 popsicles, bites of Jello, or sips of broth a day those first two days. I think you are overthinking it. You don't need to stock up on a bunch of stuff. You won't really have to start worrying about Protein and more "food" until you are back home.

You Look Outstanding!!!!! What were/are your stats, please? You really look amazing! Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App All my stats are in my profile. I'm 5'6". My highest weight was 270. I was 260 when I started considering WLS. I was 236 day of surgery. I'm currently 159. Reached my goal of 165 right at my one year mark. Been maintaining below that for the past 8 months.

Whey isolate is much higher quality protein and better absorbed by the body. My nutritionist would only allow shakes with whey isolate. I actually liked the vanilla Body Fortress whey isolate.

I started my post-op Vitamins pre-op. I take: bariatric multi-Vitamin 2x daily Calcium citrate +D3 liquid b12 (as a spray) probiotic extra D3

Almost every single WLS patient has a stall somewhere around the 3 week mark. It's known as the "Dreaded Week 3 Stall" and can last anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Just focus on your program. Meet your protein and water goals. Take your vitamins. And move around as much as possible. Put the scale away for a while.

The sugar seems a bit high, but turkey jerky and cured meats in general can be a great snack. I relied heavily on turkey sticks (like beef sticks but made with turkey) in the early months post-op, once I was allowed solid foods.

It could be your body's reaction to ketosis, which is know to cause dry mouth. It could also be oral thrush. Check your tongue in the mirror and see if there is a white film on the back of it, toward your throat. I got oral thrush post-op from the liquid antibiotic I was on. Otherwise, you might just genuinely be thirsty. How many ounces of fluids are you getting in per day?

The few times that's happened to me it's been from eating dense protein too quickly or not chewing thoroughly enough. I, like you, just lay flat on the floor until it passes, but it is quite excruciating. I don't think mine is gas though. I think it's actually "stuck" food and until the blockage breaks down and passes through it is extremely painful. I haven't found any solution other than to wait it out.

It's normal to experience headaches as your body enters ketosis. It will go away, but you will likely continue to feel sluggish through the whole pre-op diet.

My FitBit isn't waterproof so I can't wear it while swimming. It doesn't seem to count cycling as steps, but it does count it as "activity minutes."

I was advised to do up to 60 minutes of "brisk walking" a day (not consecutive, but broken up throughout the day) immediately post-op until 60 days post-op. I was then cleared for more intense cardio and strength training.

It's different for everyone. My hair loss only lasted about a month and a half (from 3.5 months out to 5 months out) and then it started growing back immediately. Some people lose longer and more.... some people don't lose any. Take your vitamins, get your protein in, drink your water, and hope for the best!