JamieLogical

any kind of seasoning is allowed as long as your stomach can tolerate it. I had no issues with spices almost immediately post-op. Others do experience some sensitivity, so make sure you go easy on the spices until you are sure they don't disagree with you. Also, I would advise against mashed potatoes. There's no protein in potatoes. You should instead eat things like cottage cheese, eggs, refried beans, and yogurt. Those are all high protein foods and getting in your protein as you are healing is critical.

I'm curious if, since the lead up to your surgery was so rushed, perhaps you weren't educated or fully informed about what you needed to do post-op nutritionally? It sounds like you started grazing early on, because you would only feel "full" for an hour at a time and grazing is definitely one way to eat around the restriction of the sleeve. What KINDS of things were you eating? That's just as important as how much you are eating. Were they high protein foods that should have helped you feel full longer or were they high carb/high sugar slider foods? Also, you describe always being hungry. Were you on any sort of acid blocker? It is very common for sleeve patients to produce excess stomach acid, which can mimic hunger.

Yes, abdominoplasty is the medical term for "tummy tuck". It's awesome that you are feeling so great! Did you also have muscle repair?

It's as @@jess9395 explained. Cup size is relative to band size. Do your really not know this as an adult woman? If your band size goes down but your boobs stay the same, then your cup size goes "up". If you hold a 36 DD up to a 34 DDD, the cup should be the same.

This is a tough one. I think that everyone should have the right to feel good in their skin. And I think that society as a whole should be more accepting and accommodating of all body types. But I agree that a line needs to be drawn when it comes to the medical side of the issue. I think it helps to put it in the frame of reference of any other medical disorder or disability. It's not acceptable for people in society to make fun of or look down on those with disabilities, but it's perfectly acceptable for doctors to try to TREAT those disabilities.

@@Bufflehead You weren't allowed solid foods until 6 months out?!?!

@@Adtrx3 I started to get some energy back once I was on solid foods and could get more calories in. I pushed hard to try to get above 800 calories a day ASAP. I also pushed hard to get up to 100 grams of protein a day. Had to use protein shakes, greek yogurt, string cheese, eggs, and meat (once I was allowed ground or shredded meat) to do that. It was a challenge for sure!

Yikes! I went back at 15 days and I was completely exhausted at the end of each day. I had a little stretch there where I was going to bed almost as soon as I got home from work. Glad to hear it's going a little easier for you!

Congrats! How are you feeling? How is your recovery coming along?

Day 1-3: Clear liquids (Water, broth, G2, Vitamin water, juice mixed with water) Day 4-10: Full liquids (Protein shakes, skim milk, non-fat drinkable yogurt) Day 10-17: Full liquids plus strained cream Soups Day 18-27: pureed stage (cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, tuna salad) Day 28-40: Soft foods (ground and chopped meat, Beans and lentils, canned or steamed veggies) Day 40: Solid foods 3 Months: Crunchy foods (nuts, seeds, fibrous veggies like celery)

Mac & Cheese? Not really the best choice at 9 weeks out. I do think things will get better for you. 9 weeks is still pretty early.

Oh yeah! Obviously waiting until after the half! I was thinking of aiming for September or October, since that will get me through the running season (I live in upstate NY so it gets cold early here). 6-8 weeks of recovery doesn't seem too bad as long as I time it right. Do you think you may revisit the idea of a thigh lift down the road or have you completely decided against it?

Congrats on your date. Do you you have to do a pre-op diet. If so, when does it start?

How are you feeling at 6 days out? The worst is probably over and you should be experiencing noticeable improvement daily at this point. Hope you are doing well with your protein, sipping, and walking!

I am considering an inner and outer thigh lift. I would prefer that the inner thigh lift only be done with a horizontal incision in the groin crease, as I do not want the vertical scar. For the outer thigh lift, I am hoping the incision can be tied into my existing tummy tuck scar. I am a runner and I'm completing my first half marathon on April 24th. I am concerned about the amount of recovery time I will need before I can start running again. I am worried about the higher risk of incision reopening and infection associated with inner thigh lifts. And I am wondering if it is really worth it. I love the results of my tummy tuck and breast lift w/ implants and would definitely do those procedures all over again, but the thigh lift seems less necessary, more risky, and less likely to have significant results. For anyone who has had a thigh lift, do you feel it was worth it? What was your recovery like?

Congrats! The pre-op diet sucks pretty badly, but hang in there! These next few weeks will be trying, but when you come out the other side, it will be so worth it!

I hate hate hate surgeons who think you need to lose weight on some sort of time table. Everyone loses at different rates. I was a "slow loser" but all accounts and yet I still managed to reach my goal weight where I've been maintaining for over 5 months. Are you sticking to your program? Are you getting your Protein and Water in? Are you exercising regularly? Is the scale still trending downward? If the answer to all of those questions is "yes", then I am confident you will continue to lose more weight! PS: At 14 weeks I was down 32 pounds post-op. So pretty close to where you are loss-wise.

Good luck! I think you will do okay. I was able to get back into running sooner than I thought post-op. Once my calories were up into a decent range.

I liked the chocolate chip cookie dough quest bars best. Now that I do Combat Crunch bars, my favorite is Cinnamon Twist.

@@Gmantrek No. There was really no need. I didn't fly until 4 days post-op and I was doing pretty well at that point. I did ask other passengers to help me lift my bag into the overhead compartment and get it back down again, but that was really the only help I needed.

I just booked an aisle seat for my flights home and was sure to get up and walk a bit every half hour or so.

Yep, it's soluble corn Fiber that was causing me issues. Luckily, it doesn't seem to have the same adverse effect on everyone. If you do start experiencing some embarrassing gas situations in the next couple of days, then you'll know why. It actually took me a while to realize my Quest bars were the source of the problem.

Start with just 2 oz. at a time. Do you have a food scale?

It's usually not recommended for any adult to eat fewer than 1000 calories a day. Of course, the pre and post-op diets bring us below that amount temporarily, but it's not ideal or sustainable.

Make sure you do get up and walk around frequently, even if it's only a little bit at a time.