blissfulbeing

Yes! And I loved it! Though, ultimately, I will decide when I've lost enough - I thought it was a lovely compliment. ????

Ditto to what @@JamieLogical said. Much more energy at six weeks with full foods.

Yay! Congrats!

You look fantastic!!

????Yay for all of us!???? I actually had a moment today when I forgot I had had surgery. I was just sitting so comfortably that I forgot for a second. So cool! I am really looking forward to the next phase of starting to really see and feel the changes! I know it will probably be tough to figure out the food stuff at first, but I can do it! My doc does three weeks liquid then three weeks of puréed. Feels like a long time til I can try doing any sort of regular food, but I trust him and I'm going to do whatever he says. ????

What a great thread! I'm six days post-op (counting the day I had surgery as day 1). I had a horrible first three days. My second day was worse than the first. I begged to not have to try to drink anything. The doc said no problem. I think it might have even been kind of good to wait an extra day since I was being hydrated through my IV, but I'm not a doctor, so I can't say for sure. On day 3 I drank about 8 ounces of Water and apple juice. I just wanted to do whatever I had to do to get out of the hospital. Day 4, 5, and 6 have been so much better! I'm only up to 30-34 ounces of Fluid, but I'm working towards 40 for today. I also only just started Protein yesterday. Only got in about 10 grams. I feel so relieved when people say to focus on the hydration over the protein. I hope they're right!

Oh my gosh, Onward - your post about running with your puppy made my day! I could just feel your joy! It's been wonderful to have you as one of our front runners leading the way and sharing your journey. Your spirit is a true gift!

Tomorrow is the big day! I can't believe it is finally here! 10am tomorrow morning - I will be on my way on a whole new journey!

I'm eight days away from surgery and I can hardly wait!! I'm so ready!!

Thank you for all of the ideas.. You guys ROCK! Now I have lots of new things to try.. Let's hope for the best!

Fantastic!! You look so happy! Congratulations on all of your hard work - it's really paying off!

Thank you for this great thread! I just ordered a manual crockpot and sous vide! I feel much more hopeful about making meat that remains juicy and tender once I have these tools. I've heard that sous vides also make fantastic scrambled eggs. The sous vide I ordered was only $99 and you use it in a crockpot. It had great reviews and is much less expensive and more space saving then the $300-$400 machines. Great, great, great idea!! Thank you!

Remember to check in, everyone! Would be great to hear how you are all doing!

I completely relate to your story, Eli. And, yes, this site is an amazing resource full of incredibly kind, supportive, and wonderful people. My surgery is one month away and I've been working towards getting the surgery since March 2014. It's been a long road, but the time has helped me to get mentally prepared. I'm thrilled that my time is finally here. And yours is too! We have some super exciting changes ahead. Keep dropping in, getting good info from the forums, and keeping us posted on how you're doing. We're here to support one another!

Hi guys! SO HAPPY to hear that all of you are doing so well! Keep the posts coming - including the good, bad, and the ugly - let's be in this together! My surgery is one month away. I'm anxious and excited to get it done, but the extra time is giving me more time to get prepared. I've been having some serious freak outs lately. The most recent and probably biggest freak out came after hearing about two people who gained most, if not all, of their weight back after surgery. This scared the you know what out of me. You know why these stories are so scary for us.. Because we've already failed every single other time we've tried to lose weight. Gaining back at least some of the weight is a realistic fear. So I've been thinking about it a lot. Here's what I've realized. I will, for certain, lose weight and keep it off for at least a few years because I'm committed to working hard and making this surgery work for me. If I gain some of it back over the years, let's say 50% of it over 5-8 years, I will still be much lighter than I currently am. Also, without the surgery, I would probably be gaining over the next few years rather than losing, so by having the surgery, I believe that even if the worst happens and I end up gaining, I will still be less than I would have been - hopefully by a significant amount. I just had to work through all of this. Of course my commitment is to a life change, but I'm dealing with a 40 year old addiction and that still scares me. After the freak out subsided, I once again realized how grateful I am for this opportunity. This is going to help me change my life in such a positive and significant way. I know I will do the hard work because that's what I do - now, though, I will have a super tool to help support me with my efforts.

And for more reasons to celebrate.. I just got my surgery date!!! 2/10! ????

I love my FitBit. It communicates with my iPhone to track my steps walked, floors climbed and calories burned (based on my weight). It is a great motivator! I have the one that clips on, but if I could do it all over, I'd buy the one that's like a bracelet because you don't have to find anything to clip it onto. I think they run about $100. Last time I lost a substantial amount of weight, I was just using my FitBit and tracking my calories. I'm so excited to start using my FitBit again once I've had surgery - hopefully next month!

Mariah - you are so right: there are so many great things ahead for us! And a lot of hard work and maybe some tough times during recovery. But it will pay off!

Hi Mariah! I'm still waiting for the person who does the scheduling to call me. I'm hoping to have surgery by the end of January, but it might be sometime in February. I guess my surgeon is pretty booked up. Thanks for your comment - it's so nice to know I'm not the only one feeling this way. I am so nervous and excited about the surgery. I'm truly relieved that things will really start to change. I'm tired of hiding out in this cafe I've built. Tell me more about your journey! Are you booked in for surgery yet? What are your goals? CAVE! Not cafe!! ????

I don't really know exactly what they want, so I can't tell you. All I know is that I was just under a bmi of 40 and was denied due to that. I'm still waiting for an approval. Hang in there and just keep working through the process. I hope it all works out for you!

Cdenney123 - you are making my day with all this good info! THANK YOU SO MUCH! One last question..(I hope).. What did you do for the pre-op diet?

By the way, 40 pounds in just two months! That is incredible! Congratulations on all of your hard work!

One more question: was your surgery at Orange Coast where his office is? I had my nutrition classes at a hospital relatively near there, but it didn't seem as nice.

Yay for you awesome January "sleevers!" It's seems like such a monumental phase for all of you! ???? I Hope it all goes beautifully! I have very good feelings about good things happening in January.. I just hope I get approved so that I can join the January Wonder-Sleevers! ????

Thank you!!