charlenemb

@@Elode
congratulations on the newsletter.
My pet peeve is people that now want to be friends. When before weight loss they would not give me the time of day. Maybe this is my inner fat girl with a chip on my shoulder.

I was concerned how I would be able to handle my first vacation after being sleeved. Just got back yesterday and I have to say it was a success. We do enjoy eating out on vacation and we still did eat out a lot, but I was very careful with my choices. I ate chicken but when I got bored with that, I had spare ribs (could only eat two); smoked turkey; steak; and grilled shrimp - all in very small portions. I ordered the smallest portions I could (sometimes ordering off the appetizer menu). I listened to my stomach and stopped as soon as I felt that restriction. I did walk at least four miles everyday on the beach. We were also with my sister and her husband and she had a harder time with what I was eating. She kept saying she felt bad for me because I couldn't eat much, but I kept telling her don't feel bad for me because I don't feel bad and I do feel good about myself.
The truth is I did miss eating all the usual vacation type foods a bit - ice cream, alcohol, chocolate, Italian food etc. but I am down 40 pounds and as they say - nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. But I only missed the foods for the moment, once that passed, I felt good about my choices.
It also felt good that I was able to wear clothes on my vacation that I hadn't fit into in years. I still felt self-conscious in a bathing suit, but that is my insecurity.
I hope that once I am down to my goal weight (40 pounds to go) I will be able to occasionally enjoy some treats.
For now I feel good, I am thrilled with my progress and am looking forward to many more vacations with my newer slimmer body!
Thanks for all your support!

I'm with you Elode! Strut your stuff girl! Don't you just feel "free" now? You can wear whatever you want to wear. Not saying you couldn't before, but now do it with confidence.

My recovery was a breeze. I was feeling so good, I went back to work on day 4! It's been two weeks and I'm still going strong. Tomorrow I check in with my surgeon and the nutritionist. Totally looking forward to explore soft foods and get to chewing soon.
Happy that I'm in good company. Keep up the great work!!

Ever since my sleeve (July 27), I can't get enough spice. Doc says the spice is fine so long as I don't have any issues.

I have a feeling this is going to be an unpopular thing to say but, it sounds like you have an extra 200 pounds of unwanted fathead to get rid of. Nobody needs that or deserves it and you are going to need a cheerleader in your life to help you with this!

When people show you who they are, believe them.
~Maya Angelou~

Once insults are hurled at you they can't be taken back. Life is too short to live with a person that degrades you.

It's most likely the hormones being released into your body from your shrinking fat stores. Talk to your surgeon and see if they have a recommendation. I wouldn't recommend smoking anything since smoking impairs your body's ability to heal. Just try to stay away from any anger triggers. This too shall pass.
Susan

I have a friend at work who know all about my surgery. We made a pact that she will share with me when we go out so I don't have to order a full meal and she doesn't eat so much, win win.

From the male side its a totally different life. im ashamed a bit to admit i used to last about 4 minutes and the fat pad around my a..area was hiding quite a bit. now im horny as a porcupine on steroids three times as...endowed and average 20 to 25 minutes per . From the male side of things, its a whole diferent ball game..pun not intended.

So far it's better .... I think having the extra weight on ... suppressed my desire ... but now ... I feel like I can move around better and not be so embarrassed to wanna try new things ....
I'm very blessed in that I have a husband who doesn't care about the weight and I could swing from the ceiling and it would be ok with him!

@@MissLiss
Sorry to have not been clear. Its not mandatory that your body be in Ketosis, but the point is that WLS post-op diet is essential a high octane version of Atkins >>> High Protein / Low Carb / Low Sugar.
So, if you check daily and your body is in Ketosis, you are in 'fat burning mode', and should be losing weight.
For me, its great to have a daily measure using the Ketostix and verify that my body is burning fat. I also use an app (LoseIT!) to track all food that I consume and can make sure my carb count and caloric intake is appropriate.
Lastly, my other point is about stalls. Some folks may experience stalls (seems to be more prevalent for females) and may not realize that while they are keeping calories in check, they may not be aware of the carb load they are eating. Or, reducing carbs further may get past the stall.
Best of luck with your journey!
-RC-

@VSGAnn214
Always love your posts but this one is great. So sensible and well-thought out, plus I appreciate your approach that addresses your personal idiosyncrasies and goals. I think we all should worry less about a "cookie-cutter" approach and, while listening to our professional guides, do what makes sense for our own body and weight loss. Good one!

here goes:
1- you just had major surgery
2- you had most of your stomach removed
3- the nerves have been cut so you cannot depend on a full feeling
4- you should be measuring your foods and don't ingest more than you are allowed
5- the healing process affects how much you can consume and it WILL get better
6- hunger can be in your head
7- hunger can be thirst
8- refer to your plan and hang in there
You can do this, the beginning is tough cos you are also recovering from surgery but you can do this!! You will be glad you did!

I drink mine, reViva Calcium from costco. It tastes delicious.

Ever since my sleeve, I have craved spicy foods. I started putting chili sauce in my chicken broth at week 2. My doc was ok so long as I tolerated it. It's strange how are taste buds change. I was never one fore much spice in the past but now I swear I could eat Siracha with a spoon!

Okay I want to start by saying I in no way am ungrateful for my surgery or recovery. I feel so lucky and blessed to have been able to have it and my insurance cover it. I had sleeve surgery 3 weeks ago and I was prepared for the worst. I kept reading how people were miserable for the first few weeks and that they at one point or another regretted it.
My journey is completely the opposite. I went into surgery not really even nervous. I kinda looked at it as any other kind of surgery and that I needed it to get done so I can move forward with my life. I was up walking the halls with no problems about 5 hours after my surgery and left the hospital 24 hours later. I took 2-3 days of my pain meds before not needing those anymore. I never felt sick, or like I had an alien in me, absolutely nothing! As for eating I don't really miss it very much. salad I do but I know I can have that in a few weeks. The only thing I can honestly say that has been rough is getting in my Water everyday.
I had a great surgeon and I know without a doubt that is a huge part of why I'm doing so well. The center I went to does the most sleeves in the country. But sometimes I feel like did they really take out my stomach? Did they forget it or not make it small enough? Is something terrible going to happen to me in the future cause this has been too easy. I know it's strange that I'm complaining about doing too good but it's like almost scary how amazing I am doing and feel. I'm down 32 lbs also from pre-op which also feels great. Everyone around me keeps telling me how surprised they are about how well I'm doing. My mother who had lap-band also commented on how she didn't feel as good as I do until like 6 months after her surgery. I am very thankful I am doing so well but it's kinda one of those things where you think to yourself if it seems to good to be true it probably is. I know everyone's journey is different and I sympathize for the ones who do have a harder road then me so I feel somewhat guilty for not feeling like this is hard. I have a long road ahead and I'm sure there will be plenty of rough Patches but so far I can't believe where I am.
Can anyone relate to this at all?

I would give my right boob to lose a cup size im a freaking G

I had some pretty spicy homemade tortilla Soup broth yesterday (post op day 4) and I was completely okay! I don't know if the liquid vs real food thing makes a difference though