Mike4132

Congratulations on both your surgery and your courage!

Sorry my post above didn't come out right. I meant to mention "ilikecake2much" as winning the unofficial best name on the forum contest!

@@ilikecake2much

I haven't seen these before. Has anyone used them? They seem inexpensive and one a day would be nice versus the 3 per day brand I'm using now. Anyone have feedback on the Procare brand?

This is my favorite guilt free snack that is loaded with protein. Mix 1 package of sugar free chocolate pudding (or any flavor) with 2 cups Fairlife milk (it has double the protein of regular milk) until smooth. Then add 5 scoops of Unjury plain protein powder and mix again. Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze. Each pop has about 13 grams of protein And they taste better than a fudgsicle in my opinion. I use these Popsicle molds that I bought on Amazon and the recipe is perfect for 6 servings. Sunsella Mighty Pops - Silicone Popsicle Molds - 6 Pack

I could feel something was missing the first few weeks but now everything feels normal. Immediately after surgery I could feel my entire stomach shift if I rolled on my right side while lying in bed. It was weird and uncomfortable so I usually stuffed a pillow there for support. I dont notice anything at all now and feel perfectly normal. I sometimes forget I even have a sleeve......until I start eating.

People I work with know about my surgery and now that I'm down 75 lbs I'm getting them same type of comments. (Don't lose too much weight.......you should stay right where you are now, etc.) I'm still considered "obese" by all the height/weight charts and I've still got fat on me so I'm pressing on. Not that I really have a choice, the weight just keeps coming off! It's weird how people behave when they see a change in someone. It's got to be related to seeing a difference in a short period of time because no one is going around telling other long term thin people these things. I'm going with Kcos626's advice and giving them the finger from here on out.

I'm 4 months out and still love the sugar free Popsicles! Congrats on your surgery and weight loss!

"The Emotional First Aid Kit" is a good read prior to surgery and it goes beyond the physical aspects that most books dwell on. The mental stuff is the hardest part and honestly even that isn't really that tough.

I was out a month but probably could have gone back a week or two earlier if it was necessary. It feels weird at first, but not really in a painful way. The pain meds were more than enough to take the edge off and only needed those for the first week. The wake up in recovery is about the only painful part but that is very brief. Hunger is sometimes an issue but it's a different and much more manageable hunger than before. I find that the further out I get the less physically hungry I feel although my head often wants to eat. When I do eat it's almost a dissapointment since my head is expecting more but my sleeve is full fast. (I also eat way to fast so that probably doesn't help) Overall, it's great and weight melts off pretty easily. I'd do it again for sure. Be sure to read up and prepare for the mental aspects of it. Being prepared helps when your head starts messing with you, and it probably will.

We are close to the same starting weight, height,surgery dates, and goal weight. I'll race you to 200....

32-34

The band and the sleeve are both restrictive surgeries versus malabsorptive. I wonder if you rheumatologist is confusing the sleeve with the bypass since bypass is both restrictive and malabsorptive. I've read about alot of complications with the band lately so I'd definitely recommend doing as much research as possible before making a decision. Lots of people have had it without issues also though. Personally, I'm very happy with the sleeve but I have nothing to compare it to!

I ate a plate of nachos......in a dream last night. Woke up feeling paranoid and guilty as hell, convinced I gained weight overnight just by dreaming about junk food. There was nothing on my nightstand other than the sugar free Popsicle wrapper that was there when I fell asleep so there was no evidence of sleep walking but I still had to race to the scale to make sure. And I was down a pound.....Take THAT vicious subconscious!!! Anyone else ever have bad food dreams? My head games seem to have moved to a new level.....

Yep, and I'm 4 months out and 75 lbs down. Every time I hit a momentary stall I wonder if this is where it ends......and then a week later it starts dropping again. It's a head game for sure.

I say Friend! I eat crawfish and all other seafood with no problems. While in the puréed stage take it very slow and be careful of food that is too dry. (Some fish bothered me at first but only because it was dry.) Some have different interpretations of what puréed means but my Nutritionist was ok with eating chicken/fish as long as it was moist and chewed to baby food consistency before swallowing.

Sounds good and should be ok. I've heard boiled cabbage leaves make a good substitute for noodles in lasagne when in the later stages. Haven't tried it yet though.

Every once in a while I eat a bite or two of thin crust, but I mainly eat the toppings if I have pizza. (Ham and pineapple since it's not greasy.) I haven't tried gluten free crust yet so let me know how it sits for you if you do try it.

I'm eating more "paleo'ish" than before but still enjoy some dairy and sugar free stuff. I've cut out most carbs and starches and am probably closer to an Atkins style of eating. (Which in all reality is very similar to paleo at the later stages of his diet.)

I'm a little less than 4 months out and mine are starting to change but it's not drastic. I still like beef but now it has to be a lean cut or it just doesn't sound good to me. (e.g. A small filet mignon tastes great but a ribeye makes me gag.) I can say with certainty though that ever since surgery I haven't wanted anything greasy or sugary. My sweet tooth used to be a real problem but now I don't need or want anything more than fruit to satisfy it. The thought of greasy fried food doesn't appeal to me at all now and even though I'll eat an occasional chicken wing it doesn't sit well in my stomach and I don't crave them. (I can only eat 3-4 max anyway instead of the 10-15 I used to eat.) I think what makes it easy post surgery is the fact that food just isn't as appealing at all anymore. I Still get hungry and still want something that tastes good but when you are full after just a few bites no matter what you crave you get physically full fast and it's soo much easier to control yourself. (Especially when you get to solid food stages) As weird as it may sound, if you are like me, after a couple months you will find that food can almost be a disappointment no matter what you eat. This feeling of disappointment seems to increase the further out I get but I just equate it my brain not yet being synchronized with my new stomach.

I think everyone just has cabin fever from the long winter. There's a lot of grumpiness and conflicts taking place lately, not just on this forum but on others as well from what I'm seeing. It's either that or there is just something in the air these days.......

I forgot to add that Green Chili is the best flavor IMO.

Here is a great low carb/no sugar addd jerky: route66beefjerky.com I order from them all the time. Shipping takes a while but it's cheap for what you get. With no sugar added it's a very dry jerky so a 1 lb bag is ALOT and it will last you quite awhile.

The protein shakes will make the liquid phase tolerable. Don't worry, surgery will come and go before you know it and you will be on your way to a new life. We have all been there and from what I've seen very few ever regret it. (I certainly don't!)