Thinside

Oddly, my right wrist. I have this weird habit of encircling my right wrist with my left hand. When I'm heavy, I can't get my finger and thumb to touch. When I would lose a few pounds, I could -- barely-- get them to touch and that always felt fabulous. Now, I can touch my finger and thumb with a lot of overlap -- all the time! Yeah! I've also lost about 3 inches in my stomach.

Thanks everyone! You all have actually shed a lot of light on the subject. Things I never really thought of before. I do have to admit that for the first few weeks after surgery I was really focused on me. Getting me better, learning this new lifestyle.
I think (I can only assume) her biggest problem is that I am not going to be her weekend drinking buddy. My hubby and I go out to her house every weekend and have some beer, grill some tasty food and sit around the bonfire. I have completely changed in the past 6 weeks. I don't drink, can't eat those fatty burgers and brats and am so FREEZING lol. She may be mourning the loss of that. But that doesn't mean I haven't been a friend to her. I still go out to her house for bonfires. I bring my Water bottle and food that I can eat. Maybe it is that I am her "fat friend" and she is nervous that when I lose the weight people won't notice her as much. Who knows.
What I do know is that she sent me a text last night saying she needed "a break" from our friendship. I just responded with "ok" At this point I think I have lost my friend. But when I think about all of the negative things she has said and done over the past few months I really am "ok" with her taking her break. I am an AWESOME friend and honestly, it's her loss I'm glad my surgery make us both losers.. at least mine improves my life
PS. 200lbs today.. karma wanted me to wait one more day to hit ONEderland, hahaha

I think it really depends on the person... Some people are more nosy than others. In my case eating out wasn't an option because I was very early on and my diet plan didn't give me many options, not to say almost any.
You are right though, in the restaurant everyone is pretty much busy with their own meal. But once they invite you to their place, they usually pay more attention and it's harder to hide.

I may be delusional, but I've eaten out a few times and no one seems to notice. I eat slowly, say I'm doing low carb (true!) so I skip the bread and potatoes, order fish, and take some home. For example, tonight we went out for Greek food. I had most of piece of saganaki, a tbsp. of hummus (no pita) and ordered a shrimp appetizer dish. Ate two shrimp, brought the rest home. Everyone was so busy eating and talking no one noticed what I ate.

It's on the ingredient list. Right after the Protein blend, which is the first ingredient. If it says "soluble corn fiber", you've got the new formula.

@@Thinside it's good that you're experimenting to find what you like. It's really hard to find a good one that meets all the requirements (not too high in calories, low sugar, high Protein, not to mention taste.)

What brand are you using? I've been looking and looking for a good chocolate Protein powder that tastes good in coffee. The unjury just clumps and clumps -- it's gross drinking something with lumps in it! Another brand I had (I think it was Isopure) wasn't chocolatey enough.

I add mocha flavored Protein Drink to black coffee.< /p>

I wished I had thought of @@LipstickLady myself!
I also like @@feedyoureye just because it is so unusual
The names I DON'T like are the ones along the theme of "FatUselessPig" - okay, nobody has that name, but there are some very derogatory screen names. I find myself really believing that finding some degree of acceptance/self love, regardless of your size/looks/weight is really important.

My insurance (through work) doesn't cover it, so I signed up for my husband's for a year. (Added cost of premiums about $3000). They became my secondary insurance, and they paid for my surgery. I will drop that insurance, and will pay for my one-year follow up myself. Still saved 1000s of dollars though.

I was sleeved August 5. Transitioned to "regular" foods yesterday. I'm a little nervous about introducing fruits and veggies, but really want to try (I miss them!) Especially salad! I'm going slow, reintroducing one "new" food at a time.
Okay, what follows is TMI, so skip it if you're squeamish!
Yesterday, I had my first bad digestive experience since the first week after surgery (I had a lot of nausea and Constipation for the first 6 days, then nausea and diarrhea for a few days after that. Since then, I have stabilized.) Anyway, yesterday I ate some peanuts, which I chewed really, really well. A couple of hours later I had urgent diarrhea. Thank goodness I was at home! So, no more nuts for a while. (I LOVE nuts, and for a vegetarian like me they've been a great source of Protein over the years. Waahhhh!)
I also have a weird pain right under my left ribs -- much higher up and several inches to the left of my biggest incision -- It feels like I'm bruised inside, and this didn't start until 3 weeks in. Anybody else have this?

There are some cute and creative user names on this site. What is your favorite? (NOTE: This is NOT asking who is your favorite person! Just a name you like, admire, find amusing, think is creative, etc.)
I vote for Sleevy Wonder. Wish I had thought of that one myself!

I made a GREAT smoothie today!
1/2 cup Fairlife 2% (7 gm Protein, 3 carbs, 60 cal)
1/2 cup fresh berries (mostly blueberries, with a few strawberries and raspberries (1 gm Protein, 10 carbs, 40 calories)
1/2 packet of powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury strawberry Sorbet (10 gm protein, 2 carbs, 50 cal)
Ice
Blended it well, and it was frothy, slightly thick, fresh tasting, no aftertaste, and delicious. Took about 35 minutes to drink it.
Totals: 18 grams protein, 15 grams carbs, 150 calories. You could make it lower cal. with 1% or skim milk, but I buy the 2% for my coffee.

I'm just over 6 weeks out, and I'm kind of worried about how much I can eat. I see people on here who are 3+ months out who can only eat 500-600 calories. I am eating around 700-900 calories a day, but I could easily eat 1200 - 1300 calories if I wanted! I'm talking 1200 of high quality, protein-rich foods, not junk or sliders. I'm not overly hungry, but I also never feel that super restricted feeling people talk about. I read about people who can't eat more than 2 oz or never want to eat anything, and I wish that was me!
I can take full gulps of liquid -- not HUGE gulps, but a lot more than sips. I can eat 5.3 oz container of yogurt, or a veggie hot dog, or 3-4 oz of tuna in 10-15 minutes without feeling at all sick or restricted. I eat as slowly as I can, but the few times I've forgotten and have eaten too fast I've had no ill effects. I have not found a single food that disagrees with my sleeve so far, and I've never thrown up. (Not eating any bread, Pasta, rice, though, so I can't say how those would feel.) The only food that causes a super restricted feeling is salmon.
I never drink with meals, never eat bread, starches, etc. I'm following the guidelines. I'm losing slowly but surely. But I am so worried that if I don't have much restriction now, I will go back to my old, bad eating habits in a few months, after the restriction gets even less!
Does anyone else have this situation? Does anyone have any advice?

I'm in the same boat and I'm also 6 weeks out. I started eating slower and waiting a minute in between bites and this helped me get fuller faster. I also pre-measure my meals and only allow myself to eat about 4 oz at a time.
This is a typical day for me:
B: 3 turkey sausage links or Protein Shake
S: string cheese
L: 4 oz of lunch meat and cheese or 4 oz of chicken with a veggie
S: Cottage cheese or Protein shake
D: 4 oz of chicken or fish and veggie
I also drink 60-80 oz of Water in between.

I made a GREAT smoothie today!
1/2 cup Fairlife 2% (7 gm Protein, 3 carbs, 60 cal)
1/2 cup fresh berries (mostly blueberries, with a few strawberries and raspberries (1 gm Protein, 10 carbs, 40 calories)
1/2 packet of powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury strawberry Sorbet (10 gm protein, 2 carbs, 50 cal)
Ice
Blended it well, and it was frothy, slightly thick, fresh tasting, no aftertaste, and delicious. Took about 35 minutes to drink it.
Totals: 18 grams protein, 15 grams carbs, 150 calories. You could make it lower cal. with 1% or skim milk, but I buy the 2% for my coffee.

There you go, ladies and gents. That's how it's done. @@Daisee68 has demonstrated that it is possible to be kind and thoughtful while disagreeing with a post. Snark, accusations of malfeasance, name-calling, and rudeness are not necessary to express a difference in opinion.

Just be careful what you quote as fact here as some don't do the research and will just eat/drink what someone says. We have a responsibility to be accurate as well as supportive.

You are always entitled to your opinion but when you posted your "shake", include the macros up front.
I personally did find this rude. I don't see what the OP "quoted as fact." The post was simply a recipe that the OP finds tasty and useful. It's one thing to say "it's not for me," but another to say the OP is being inaccurate or irresponsible in posting it.
I also find the oft-repeated demand to prove one's credentials by posting stats a bit offensive. It's not a contest or a caste system, with higher stat people on top and lower stat people on the bottom. To me, "requests" for stats, usually after some kind of confrontation, read more like "prove you're worthy of sharing" than "hey, how are you doing?" Just my two cents.

Just be careful what you quote as fact here as some don't do the research and will just eat/drink what someone says. We have a responsibility to be accurate as well as supportive.

You are always entitled to your opinion but when you posted your "shake", include the macros up front.
I personally did find this rude. I don't see what the OP "quoted as fact." The post was simply a recipe that the OP finds tasty and useful. It's one thing to say "it's not for me," but another to say the OP is being inaccurate or irresponsible in posting it.
I also find the oft-repeated demand to prove one's credentials by posting stats a bit offensive. It's not a contest or a caste system, with higher stat people on top and lower stat people on the bottom. To me, "requests" for stats, usually after some kind of confrontation, read more like "prove you're worthy of sharing" than "hey, how are you doing?" Just my two cents.

Sparkpeople. It's free, it tracks every nutrient I need to track (ply many more), I can enter recipes, and users have entered almost every prepared food out there. Super easy. I've used it for many years. Plus, there's a forum, a recipe function, articles, and a place for a blog if you want one. It also links to fitbit.
I really like it and although there are newer ones, I see no reason to change.

I have told one person and one person only: My husband. I love my family, but they tend to be know-it-alls and busy bodies, and I just don't want to deal with having to defend my decision or my eating choices for the rest of my life. The people at work are also great folks, but very gossipy and close-knit, with lots of the skinny women constantly advising everyone else on food choices (while nibbling on cake and chocolate all day themselves).
This is my body, my health, and my business. As @@gobeit notes, it is a medical decision, and I feel no qualms at all in keeping my medical history private.
I was worried, too, about eating at work, but so far no one has noticed a thing. I've said I'm dieting and watching my carbs, both of which are true. I eat cottage cheese, V-8, Soups, tuna in packets with low-fat dressing. We have had a couple of meetings where boxed lunches were ordered. I didn't eat the bread. Said I was doing low carbs (which is true!) which everyone understands, and it was no big deal at all.
I am getting my emotional support from my husband and other support on this website. I rely on my doctor's office for medical advice, but check here daily to see what other people's experience is. I've found this tremendously reassuring and helpful.
So, do whatever is best for YOU, but do give it serious thought. Once you've told a few people, the choice of keeping your medical history private is no longer yours.

I completely agree with @jess9395. There is more than one way to "skin a cat". Your food plan should be catered to you individual makeup and lifestyle. I know some people who can eat soft boiled eggs on day 3. Why not? It's Protein and healthy fat. I am a vegetarian with severe food allergies. My eating plan is very different than most of the folks on these forums. Because my diet is plant based my carb intake is higher than most. Guess what? I have been able to lose steadily with no problems. In short cookie cutter treatments don't work because we are individuals, not clones. You should be having ongoing conversations with the medical team you chose to care for your unique needs.

Everyone walks a different road when it comes to why they gained weight, why they have kept it on and why they are choosing to loose it.
I didn't understand why I kept putting it back on before surgery. Everyone was frustrated. I was frustraged. It was serving a purpose though. food served a purpose. I hid from the world successfully.
I'm not saying everyone wants to hide from the world. It was just my reason. When I understood why I kept the weight and the pain of keeping it was MORE than the pain of letting it go (getting back into the world).... I had the surgery. Beat decision ever.
Am I perfect at food and Water? Far from it. I've had small cheats and days I don't get enough of the good stuff.
BUT IT'S A PROCESS. I know that. I'm leaning as I go about why I eat, why I cheat, why I sabotage and why I strive to do better. The emotional roller coaster that comes with surgery really isn't talked about enough
What I know for sure personally is that I cannot judge anyone for their choices. I spent too many years unhealthy and am still learning. I do great things now and really strive to do my best, but I couldn't do that until I was ready. Those people you point out... obviously aren't ready. They may think they are... but clearly not. It's not for us to judge, but to support healthier choices and be there for them when they are really ready to try.
Sorry this is long. I think that we often forget these things

My doctor told me the story of the patient who gained weight after the sleeve...was eating 1/2 a cheescake and 3 milkshakes everyday starting at week 2

Umm, pureed cupcake? BRILLIANT! Hahaha, that never even crossed my mind to try, but it did make me laugh.