kimby1029

Hey there - went to doc on the 26th - exactly 3 months after my surgery and was down 75 pounds. So grateful. Some days are easier than others, but all in all it has been a pretty good ride. Glad you are doing so well! Keep it up!!! Kim

Glad to have you here and that you are doing so well. Welcome to the losers' bench!

Agree with Kranky... I do the grape and do mix it with the Powerade zero grape and keep it as cold as possible. Kim

So glad for you and Dave! I know this will be a long road still, but what great news that the surgery will be able to take care of the tumor successfully. I continue to keep you in prayer as you care for your beloved Dave, and Dave in prayer that he may be strengthened daily as he travels this journey. Bless you both! Kim

Larger incision will be a lot more tender for some folks. Do you have sutures? Any weeping from incision sites? To put your mind at ease, you can certainly call your surgeon's office. Hang in there.

You can also get these at costco and Sam's too. They are about 18.98/box of the shakes. I do drink them daily. Since I was self pay, I never looked into seeing if they could be covered. Yay for all of you that get them covered!

Congratulations. My surgery was the end of May and I am humming along nicely. Welcome!

To answer your question about what you should do, honestly... RELAX! The thing is this process will take some time. I am on target to be at 75 pounds by the end of the month, which is 3 months after my surgery date. I was sternly told today by one of my docs to NOT set specific goals as our bodies are just not wired that way. I too set a specific goal for the end of October, but if I do not get there, then what? I will still have done well. I am not meaning to patronize you, but you can't really control every aspect. Watch carbs, exercise, drink water and take vitamins as directed. It will happen. Hang in there. Your surgery was in June - if you are dropping about 15 pounds a month you are doing great!

I definitely spend less eating out - I travel a great deal for my job and when I eat out, get soup or a small sandwich, which is 2 meals for me. I also eat things that are inexpensive like a side order of pinto beans as a meal, so that has definitely gone down. I do spend on protein drinks; however I only have to buy for myself. I do not keep junk foods in my house, and do not consume anything carbonated or any item with caffeine, so that probably helps. I try for higher quality which may cost more, but it lasts lots longer since I eat far less.

Docs are different. I was on the foods you mentioned after week 2. I have seen some folks on what I call 'mushies' after a few days. Just follow your doctor's advice and you will do fine!

Typically sleevers and those with RNY are told to use an alternative method of birth control. pills are not effective for birth control for us due to changes to the stomach. Hope all is well with you. If you are not pregnant and do not want to be, would recommend you contact your bariatric clinic and ask for their advice on a better method of contraception for you. Best of luck.

Hello all - I would also offer a suggestion to WLS Warrior or anyone else who finds themselves in a similar circumstance. The Latter Day Saints have food pantries that non-members are welcome to shop at as well. They always have staples like dried Beans - a good Protein, vegetables, dried non-fat milk that is good for shakes, and other non-perishable items like vegetables, and fruit. I am certainly not suggesting this is the only option, but many are not aware that the LDS church has this available to non-members. It is a safe option with healthy foods available. If you look for the Storehouse or google LDS food pantries, this will come up. Also the prices are very reasonable and you can order things too. Just a thought. I am happy about your after school venture and am happy that your income is increasing too! Thank you for raising this topic too, because I know people do not give thought to socio-economic status and food choices like they should. Best wishes to you!

If I may make a few comments here - 1) Congratulations to you for deciding to undergo WLS to become healthier! 2) It may seem strange, but if you do have any patients who ask you, and you are able to share your experience with them matter of factly and calmly, you may be able to alleviate some fears that your patients may have regarding WLS versus other methods of weight loss. 3) I don't think everyone has to know your personal business, but should someone (patient or co-worker) ask, and they are coming from a sincere place, you could be a great advocate/confidante for them as they go on their own journeys toward better health and wellness. 4) People around me know and have been very supportive. I have a medical background (nursing) but no longer work in the field due to having SLE and not being able to be around folks with communicable diseases safely. So now I'm an auditor - strange, but it works. 5) The nurse practitioner who is in charge of managing the bariatric clinic where I attend my support groups is himself a patient and is 7 years post surgery. It is helpful to be able to ask questions, especially regarding medical issues. I am not in anyway stating that you should go about spouting your personal business, but in my experience you may have the unique position of becoming a greater ally to the patients you serve. Just my .02 Kim

The St David's Hospital in Austin, TX north does this. They have a wonderful fashion show each year. Every month at the support meeting they have different vitamin and calcium samples to try and bottled water or un-sweetened tea. The main dietitian and chef at this hospital is a WLS patient and even does cooking classes for the groups for little to no cost. I did not have my surgery there, but do attend the monthly group meetings as I find them helpful. There is the opportunity to break down into small groups by surgery type too to discuss progress and challenges.

Hello Candidate - So glad you have come through so wonderfully! Best of luck as you continue on!

First questions would be are you getting in all of your protein and water each day? How do you feel? What does your nutritionist say? Are you exercising too?

I agree with RJ. It gets easier and honestly by day 4 your hunger drops off tremendously. You got this. One drink at a time.

I'm wondering if it is due to the protein. Maybe you are dropping a little protein in your urine.

Wow! You are doing great! Come on and join us on the bench!

I accidentally swallowed a pill and wasn't supposed to for 6 weeks. That sucker hurt too! I was only a little over a week out when I did it...

Hi there - Congratulations both of you on your upcoming surgeries. Mine was on May 26, 2015, so I am still pretty new to this. I found that having some broth, and Jello and sugar free popsicles helped me when I got home. Warm felt better than cold at first for some reason. Make sure you have a supply of whatever Vitamins and Calcium supplements you will need per your docs. I had some Protein shakes for when I went to all liquid versus clear. I like the Jay Robb and also the

Glad to hear it went well.

Dear newbeginning...So sorry for your problems. Maybe you can talk to your doc about some better options. Hang in there! Hugs to you.

Welcome Matt! I chose the sleeve despite having more than 200 pounds to lose because I already have some malabsorptive issues. The RNY may assist you more as it does have the additional component of not allowing you to absorb some of the food you have eaten. I do appreciate not feeling hunger with the sleeve. Best of luck to you! Kim

I saw your post before lunch and had to go step away so I could ponder it a bit. I was not the complete sugar addict as you have described, it was all carbohydrates for me. Makes sense, right? What do these break down to become? SUGAR! That being said, I do like savory things a great deal. I do tend to keep my carbohydrates pretty low each day. Generally do not go above 55 grams of them for a day. I had my sleeve done on May 26. If I want a sweet taste, I have done a piece of sugar free hard candy. This has also helped keep the horrible taste out of my mouth. I do not drink coffee or tea so that probably helps and all carbonated drinks have been out of my diet for a pretty long while. I have found that strangely, savory things do stem the cravings for sweet things. I am taking the tack to keep the carbs low and keep on trucking toward goal. Have a long way to go. Was down 50.5 pounds between May 14 and July 1, so something is going ok for me. Best of luck to you!