kdawgsmom

Stop eating at McDonalds. That food is very unhealthy. That is the way I got from a normal person into an obese and have surgery!
Stick to healthy food and you will see the difference later.

Major breakthrough this week: I no longer require a walking partner. I have a few good ones, but in the past when no one else was available I tended to skip that day. This is a pretty major walk around a lake and I benefit from it in so many ways. Twice this week I have gone alone (caveat, I do take my dog, who has to run to keep up with me) and it turns out I prefer it! I can go as fast as I want. I can do intermittent jogging to get my pulse up. I can stretch and stop/start/stop/start for an increase in cardio. I can think and let my mind wander rather than converse. The main thing is that before I was walking to benefit the other person -- that was my motivation -- and now I am doing it just for ME. Yippee!
I've worked out for many, many years (I'm going to be 54 this year). I have arthritis and have to move or I can't move at all, lol. I honestly thought I was a person who could not achieve the high of exercise but it turns out that I just wasn't working hard enough. For years I had a 45-minute workout but it turns out I need 60-70 minutes. I had to fake my way into liking exercise and now it's turning out to be the best part of my day.
To any one who isn't exercising yet but is considering it, I really recommend just walking a little further each day and a little faster each week. It's amazing how it adds up and what a difference it makes. I am not at my goal weight yet but I am fit and toned. I have no loose skin. And mentally, exercise cannot be beat.

Eight weeks out from my surgery. This is a picture of the last awards ceremony I went to for work in March and the one I went to today. That's down from a size 26 to an 18

4 Months 2 Days Post-Op - 93lbs

82 lbs down now, 9 months post op! ????

Feeling over the moon excited to step on the scale and for once in 10 years to be below 200!!!! I wanted to do a happy dance by myself in the bathroom!

I finally got brave enough to take photos after surgery. I had my 9 month appointment yesterday and the surgeon was very happy with my progress. I still have close to 30lbs to lose to hit my goal.

So I'm 18 months out, been below goal for 10 of them. Haven't really had any new NSVs worth mentioning....maintenance life is pretty boring. But this last weekend I had a huge one. Friends I haven't seen in 3 years came to visit and we went hiking in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Last time they were here I struggled to barely keep up on our short day hikes. They were always waiting for me in the steep parts, I was out of breath and my feet and ankles hurt constantly. I actually had to skip the last day because I was in so much pain I could barely walk across the parking lot.
Last weekend was totally different. I led the pack on every hike. I was waiting for them at the tops of the hills. We hiked 25+ miles in 2 1/2 days and I logged over 25,000 Fitbit steps each day. Over 200 "flights of stairs". My calves were a little sore on the 3rd day but that's it.
Oh yeah, and we saw black bears, grizzly bears, pronghorn, moose, elk, bison, snakes, marmots, and the wild flowers were sensational.

I had a hard time finding what people were eating day to day, so I created an instagram account and have pictures of the food, along with the nutritional information of everything I put in my mouth post-surgery. I hope this may help somebody, because it was exactly what I wanted but couldn't find.
https://instagram.com/sleevedin2015/

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.

Mind you, this information is for people with whole functioning stomachs. Not fresh surgical lines, staples, and a stomach reduced to the point where a small ulcer could be major.:
Put simply, alcohol irritates your digestive system. Drinking – even a little – makes your stomach produce more acid than usual, which can in turn cause gastritis (the inflammation of the stomach lining). This triggers tummy pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in heavy drinkers, even bleeding. On the less serious end of the scale, drinking can make it more difficult to digest food and absorb vital nutrients. That’s because alcohol reduces the amount of digestive enzymes which the pancreas produces to help us to break down the fats and carbohydrates we eat (1).
(1) NHS Choices website, Gastroesophageal reflux disease: introduction. The Information Standard member organisation. Last reviewed: 29/05/2014. Available at:http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Gastroesophageal-reflux-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx

I'm only 2 weeks post op, and have to say I haven't seen anybody being "judgmental", rather concerned would be how I would describe it. I'm still on liquids, and have been dying to advance my diet too soon, but thanks to the encouragement of veterans and others smarter than me, I haven't. I try to remember that this new tummy of mine will be either my best friend or worst enemy for life. How I treat it now will determine our "future". I would hate to sabotage my life with a lapse in judgement. Glad you didn't cause major damage, hope you will see this as a "close call".

Well if you "chew it really well" ...

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.

The problem is not that the person veered off course. We will all do that. The problem was the person consumed a dangerous amount of alcohol/food days after their surgery, which could have seriously danger that person's recovery, health, and life. Although im glad that person is fine, I do not want anyone reading this to think that person's actions are acceptable. Some people read this form to see how far they can push their surgery. Someone reading that this person consumed xyz and was fine means they can do the same and be fine.
Again what is done is done but I felt the need to respond out of concern to the future sleevers.

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.

I found them at Walmart & Kroger

I had surgery on 5/4. Can you do sugar free popsicles? They are my saving grace right now! I bite it and then let melt in my mouth.

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.

Hang in there you guys. I'm almost a year post-op but I remember feeling how you do..it will pass, and it will definitely be with it!

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.

What frightens me is someone reading and thinking...well..so and so was ok, so I'll be ok too......I just don't get it.