lauraellen80

There is also the issue of "vanity sizing" at play here. Right now, I'm about 20-25 lbs heavier than I was in high school... but I am wearing the same pants size that I did then, 8. Now, I know that I'm bigger than I was then. Today's size 8 is a lot bigger than a size 8 was in 1995.

I just got a Garmin Vivosmart and am liking it so far. I went with it specifically because you can wear it in the Water. So far I've worn it for a deep water aerobics class, a few showers, and washing the dishes.

Good question--I wonder that, too. My understanding is that too much protein can cause kidney damage, but I don't have a sense of how much that is, and over what kind of time frame.

Ask your NUT--most of them don't allow the fruit juice popsicles because of the sugar (naturally-occurring though it may be). I didn't have trouble finding sugar-free popsicles in the grocery store, but I couldn't eat them because they had aspartame, which triggers migraines for me. I bought Luigi's brand sugar-free Italian ice, which comes in little cups. Maybe check and see if you can find some of those.

For this very reason, I waited to get on a scale until my first week follow-up appointment with my surgeon.

I find that since surgery, I have to be careful when I stand up from a crouched position, or I feel dizzy like I'm going to black out for a few seconds. But I've always had some trouble with that--I have the most sensitive vagus nerve in the world--it just seems amplified now. I would suggest giving your surgeon a call to see what they have to say. They may want to do some bloodwork to make sure your levels of Vitamins, Protein, etc. are all OK

Hey, we are nearly neighbors! I'm near Collegeville. I went to Einstein, also... I had Dr. Dallal.

I just talked to my dietitian. She said that I could go up to 1000 calories a day at this point, but that if my weight loss started to stall, to back it off to 900 and see what happens. She said I should still be keeping by carbs to 15-20 grams per meal, about 50 grams total per day.

I'm doing pretty well since surgery. I have been going to therapy regularly and am checking in every few months with one of the psychiatrists in the same practice to make sure my meds are where they should be as my body changes. I still struggle with perfectionism and "all-or-nothing" thinking, but I'm slowly working on it in therapy.

Oddly enough, I seem to have a higher tolerance for spicy foods now than I did before surgery. Go figure! Like the posters above, I reccomend starting slowly and seeing how you tolerate spice. Maybe dice up a little bit of pickled jalapeno (less spicy than fresh) and mix it in with some refried Beans.

Nope

Good luck! You'll do great! Good luck! You'll do great!

Okay, my mistake. Like I said, it was just the sense I got from your original post. As for the question of bringing up the topic of surgery with your friends--you don't have to if you don't want to. It's your health, your body, your business. If you have the sense that they are not going to be supportive, I'd say don't bother trying to change them. Just make sure you have some kind of support system--family, a support group at your surgeon's office, this forum, or maybe even a therapist. I have been somewhat selective in who I tell about my surgery, though I've found that most are supportive. As for bringing it up with your SO, I would collect as much research as possible for him to look at, and even have him come along to your appointment with the surgeon so he understands what it is and can even ask questions himself.

Hmm, if I were you, I'd really do a lot of research before jumping into weight loss surgery. For starters, your BMI is 30.1, which is just barely into the "obese" range, and well under the BMI of 40 that most insurances require (unless you have co-morbidities, which often lower the required BMI to 35). I'm not sure how many surgeons will operate on someone with your BMI--I'm sure someone else can chime in on that. Now, from what you said in your post, as well as your username, it also seems like you are interested in the surgery from a purely aesthetic point of view--i.e., wanting to be "the pretty skinny(ish) woman" and to look good in a bikini next summer. The sleeve is a lifelong commitment. You will be required to overhaul your entire approach to food and drink, commit to taking the necessary Vitamins and supplements for life, etc. I'm not saying that you are looking for a quick fix, or that you wouldn't be committed, I'm just saying that because of how you worded things in your post, these are things I think you should be conscious of as you are thinking about the surgery. Most of us who've had the surgery came from a place where our health was the number one concern. Looking better is certainly a part of it, don't get me wrong, but not the primary consideration. Personally, I was spurred into action by worsening back pain, headaches, bladder problems, elevated blood sugar, and other health problems... as well as the sudden and untimely death of an aunt, who had been super morbidly obese for most of her adult life. Also--if you are bothered by having excess skin now, it will only get worse after more losing weight with the sleeve, and you would most likely end up wanting to have the plastic surgery anyway. Best of luck to you!

I take Effexor (75mg per day), and I was taking it before surgery. I was not immediately cleared for surgery by the psychologist. She wanted me to get started on regular therapy sessions to ensure that I had the needed support throughout the process. But I went back the following month, after beginning therapy, the psych talking to my therapist, and she cleared me then. The fact that I was on meds had no bearing on not getting cleared right away. It was more that I am super hard on myself, and the psych wanted to make sure that I was not going to be setting myself up for failure with too high of expectations of myself with surgery. P.S.--I did find that after surgery, I have to cut my Effexor in half and take it twice a day. Taking a whole pill at once makes me nauseated. Not as much now at 4.5 months out, but still enough to be uncomfortable.

Good choice!

Thank you, @akreese02--you're doing great, too!! I honestly did not expect the weight to come off so fast. I truly thought I'd be a slow loser. But I'll take it!

Aaaahhh, that happened to me recently. My mother-in-law is living with us and had toasted some cinnamon-raisin bread that she's picked up at an Amish market in Lancaster Co. I wanted to cry, it smelled so damn good! I ended up going upstairs where I couldn't smell it. Stay strong!

It seems like each surgeon has their own definition of "mushy" or "soft," but I'd stay away from anything with rice or Pasta, especially this early. Both can swell in your stomach and make you very uncomfortable.

Last night I threw together a "taco" casserole, and I'm having leftovers tonight. I just layered a can of refried beans, a pound of taco-seasoned ground turkey, a cup of taco sauce, and a cup of shredded colby-jack cheese in an 8 x 8 pan. Then I baked it at 375 for 25 minutes. Yum! My husband ate his wrapped in a low-carb tortilla.

You look great!

I'm 4.5 months out, and I can take normal drinks of Water. But I can't GULP a huge amount at once.

I try to reserve Protein bars for when I am going to be gone all day or for a weekend and don't know where or what I'll be eating. Just so that I have something in my bag in case the only thing around is Jimbo's Fried Stuff on a Stick Restaurant.

My husband and I went to the shore with friends when I was just starting my soft foods phase. I portioned out little containers with a 1/4 cup of refried beans and a sprinkle of cheese, took along yogurt, protein shakes, and stuff to make scrambled eggs. Everyone knew about my surgery, so it wasn't a big deal. And at that point, I didn't really want to eat much, so I wasn't in envy of what everyone else was eating... the exceptions being lusting over an amazing-looking Greek salad they made one night, and having a passing desire to eat a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

Glad to see this thread. I'm about 4.5 months out and about 15 lbs from goal. In the past week or so, I have been feeling like I need a bit more food. I have been at 800 calories max per day (per my surgeon and his staff), and I'm getting about 80 grams of protein. Last night after I had some Greek yogurt w/ some protein powder mixed in for a snack, I still felt like I needed something, so I ate a few almonds. It put me over the 800 calories... but I felt better. I need to talk to my NUT about where I should be calorie-wise at this stage. I don't want to sabotage my weight loss by eating too much, but I also don't want to mess up my metabolism by eating too little...