ANewBeginning15

Never mind...I see where that question has been answered.

I also got my approval on Friday after waiting a month! The secretary scheduled me before even talking to me because she knew I wanted to get this done as soon as possible, while I'm On summer break. I'm scheduled for the 19th. My liquid diet starts Thursday. I've had some last meals, eating some things I know I won't be able to eat again. Not binging, though, not enjoying as much as I'd expect.
Is there a June sleevers Forum?

I've had my moments of wanting to say screw it, but I managed to implant in my brain at the beginning of this that if I had been diagnosed with cancer, high blood pressure, or diabetes, I would have been even more limited in the meal choices I have, and these meals are really great, it was always a matter of how much I ate, I also have promised myself that if I treat myself to fast food it would be limited to maybe 2 or 3 times a year, and I hope I get sick from it soay learn my lesson ????

I at my Dr.'s office for my last visit before surgery and I cap happy I had to share as I am waiting fort surgeon,
I began this journey in March weighing in at 388,
Went on self diet, then started pre op diet and I weighed in 5 minutes ago at
349!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow bring it on
# I will beat this!#

Even though the pre-op liver shrinking included sweet shakes and bars, I am 6 weeks post-op and only occasionally feel a little pull towards cake, chocolate, pie, dessert. Mostly I can walk right past shop displays and can even watch those close-up food-porn shots on TV cooking shows without wanting to join in. A couple of spoonfuls of slightly sweet yogurt or maybe a couple of dried apple chips fix any desire for sweet food after dinner.
For snacking, lite milk is sweet enough and has the Protein to get rid of hunger pangs.
Four weeks post-op I was feeling over-confident because everything had gone smoothly, so I resumed my weekly trip to the farmers market and while I was there I bought a slice of quiche and ate half the filling. I thought it was only egg and milk or cream, and wouldn't be a problem. But I had eaten lunch only half an hour before. Whoa! The reaction was so extreme and awful - sweating, dizziness, needing to vomit, couldn't sit down, couldn't stand up, had difficulty catching my breath - for about 15 minutes that it put me right back on track. If that was dumping I never want to go there again!

I'm sorry, but I'm absolutely appalled that another medical professional would have the audacity to make such a disparaging remark to you. We all enjoy food that is how we ended up here, but that does not define how we will continue to live our lives.
I think nearly everyone in the days prior to pre-op enjoyed favorite sweets and savories that will no longer play a role in our daily diets. Everyone is different, but I had a big sweet tooth prior to my surgery. I'm close to 9 weeks out and I have no desire for sweets. I hope it stays that way.
Maybe she was trying to scare you into a harsher reality, but the way I read it sounds to me like she needs to go back and do her research.
Hang tough!

Why are you defining your success or failure based on a cupcake? You're human.
You may have a cupcake in the future (gasp). You may, or may not dump. Regardless, you will be fighting a battle to become (or remain) healthy. Don't worry about how to mark the score card, the only way you fail is if you give up.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. It sounds like acid reflux could be no problem, a big problem or somewhere in-between. However it is, I don't hear anyone saying they wish they didn't have the surgery because of it.

After a year of a pre-reqs and a battle with my insurance company and the painful slowness of my surgeon's office staff I FINALLY got my surgery date!!

July 1st 2015 - 2 days before my 40th birthday! I guess there will be no cake for me! LOL

Everyone goes through this phase. You have not failed. Stick to your nutrition plan, walk walk walk, sip sip sip, and the scale will start moving in the right direction again. I promise!

I only weighed myself once a week during the weight loss phase. Weight fluctuates so much from day to day that you will drive yourself nuts if you weigh daily while trying to lose weight. But now that I'm in maintenance, I do weigh every day. I want to be able to spot and deal with any problems as early as possible. I make sure I weigh in, wearing nothing, first thing in the morning before my first glass of Water every time.

What's weird for me is that sometimes I get kind of annoyed at my hubby when he thinks I look cute now. I know that's messed up in the head somehow, but he will say something about me being hot now and my thoughts go something like this.. "Oh, now you think I'm hot? Now I'm acceptable to you? What about before when I was all dolled up with a cute outfit on, hair and makeup done, and really needing your compliments?" I don't know what's wrong with me! Usually I enjoy the extra attention, but just once in awhile I have those thoughts. I probably need a counselor! haha! Other than that, I definitely really noticed on a recent vacation while at the beach and wearing sun dresses that I got lots of appreciative glances. But I also think I dress a little more feminine now too because the girly dresses and tank tops and stuff look cute again. Enjoy the new you!

I'm single and have been for almost 15 years. My daughter is going on 14 and the last person I was with was her dead beat father who has nothing to do with her. I guess that played a big part on why I let my weight get out of control. My mom seemed to think that I went into a depression because I just stopped caring about my appearance and I just felt unattractive.
When I'm around men I don't show any interest because I automatically assume that they wouldn't want to have anything to do with someone like me. I felt disgusted, and often thought that no man would ever want someone as big as me. I was a 342 lbs of hot mess. I'm down 34 lbs since surgery 7 weeks ago tomorrow, but obviously still have a long way to go. I miss having someone in my life.
My question is, how long did it take for you to be noticed by the opposite sex? Did anyone of you give yourselves makeovers? I know I still have a long ways before I can have the confidence in myself. I mean if I make eye contact with a man I automatically look away because I assume that's what he's gonna do. Any thoughts?

I understand how you feel. I have been big and I have been small and I know that when I'm heavy men want nothing to do with me and when I'm small they like me. I suppose I noticed that they began paying more attention to me when I was around 145-ish, but now that I'm 126 I haven't quite kicked the habit of assuming they think I'm a big fat fugly. Periodically I catch a guy checking me out and I feel almost yucked out, which is weird. The guy I'm seeing right now tells me all the time how tiny I am, how hot I am, how I'm the perfect litttle polly pocket size, and I honestly don't feel like that at all. I tend to think that the way we see ourselves contributes to how others see us as well. I felt way hotter when I was younger and around 135-140 because I had lots of confidence. Now I'm 31, about 10-15 pounds smaller than that and I feel like my thighs are too big, my butt is too flabby, and my neck and forehead have wrinkles. I fake confidence though and that seems to work, lol.
Oh, and in terms of makeovers...I had 3 massive plastic surgery procedures, so I'm going to call that my makeover, lol. I also tend to buy a lot of clothing because I am still tickled pink giddy that the XS shirts are almost too big on me. I have been on like a 4 month makeover at this point, haha.

Thank you so much for that because that's all I see from a lot of people is the stall that's why I'm not weighing myself and it is absolutely killing me deep down lol.

Welcome! These first few weeks/months post-op will require a lot of patience and adaptation. If you run into any snags, feel free to post here with specific questions, worries, accomplishments, or anything else you want to share. One thing I'll warn you about right now is the dreaded "week 3 stall". Since you are 5 days out, within the next two weeks or so, you probably will see a stall or major slow-down on the scale. It's very very common. Most people's bodies go into a kind of "self preservation" mode after the trauma of the surgery and the initial rapid weight loss. So if you see the scale stop moving for a week or two, DON'T PANIC. Keep following your nutrition plan and walking as much as possible and drinking all your Water and the scale will eventually start to move again.

@@myjourneyagain I'm actually doing really well. If I didn't still have pain I'd be doing great! I'm still trying to get a good routine of getting my fluids and Protein in but I'm just not hungry or thirsty at all ever so hopefully I'll do better with that in the coming weeks. Good luck to you!!

I'm a Teacher and my last day of work was May 26th and my surgery was the 27th! I had RNY and am glad I'll have all summer to recover but if I didn't have that option I'd probably schedule for Christmas break and take an additional 10 days either before or after that giving you a little over 3 weeks to recover. I think the people who say they are back to work after day 6 of surgery are those who work in an office setting that don't deal with people throughout the day. With the way I'm feeling I can't imagine returning back to school dealing with kids, parents and Teachers all day. I'm not sure what you teach I'm a Special Ed Resource Teacher so my days are a little more laid back but even still, I'd want as many days as possible....good luck!

I'm a teacher and was planning on having my rny last December. There was a delay and I'm now having it June 19th. I think Christmas break will be your best option. You want to give yourself as much time as possible to recover.

I was hoping to get the sleeve done during the summer, however, I couldn't count my pcp's documentation because I needed 6 consecutive months.... So now it's looking like October.
This is an issue as I'll probably have to wait until November or December until I have a decent break to help with recovery....
Any teachers with any advice, tips, etc?

I am not on the maintenance phase yet. But one of my go to quick meals on the road is Chick fil-A. They have a grilled nugget kids meal. You can get fresh fruit or no sugar added cinnamon applesauce as the side. I get the diet lemonade as the drink. I think you can get plain milk. I splurge and get the Chik fil-A dipping sauce. They have a few dipping flavors. It is the perfect size.
Sometimes I will just get the 8 piece grilled nuggets- entree only no sides. At this point the dogs normally get 2 of them. You can get the 12 piece and maybe get 2 meals out of it. You can also switch out the waffle fries for a side salad.
If you are in maintenance you may be able to splurge on the original fried version. It is available in the kids menu, as nuggets or strips. Their breading is relatively light compared to many other places and it is real white meat chicken no chopped and formed chicken parts so less fat in the meat part.
They have a good calculator
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Meal
I travel a lot for business so I sometimes stuck a bit more not being able to brown bag meals.

Planning ahead so I don't make trips to get take-out after a long day at work. I always have individual sized portions of my favorites ready for me at home in my freezer. Now that I'm at maintenance, I've branched out a bit and eat some carbs, but not many. I love Pioneer Woman and tweek many of her recipes by doubling up the Protein in them.

Beef and Black Bean Chili -
1 pound ground beef, 1 15-ounce can of black Beans, 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes, 1 envelope of McCormick chili seasoning. It's ready in 30-40 minutes and has both meat and plant Protein and lots of veggie Fiber. So delish. I eat it with a tablespoon or two of sour cream. Hard to beat. Lasts 4-6 days for lunch, depending on how hungry I am.
Tomato, Bacon, cheese Sandwich
Vine-ripened tomatoes in our part of the world are already amazing. Add a couple slices of crisp applewood bacon and 1 ounce of cheddar cheese with a little mayo and toast (yes, more toast ). It's wonderful!
Restaurant leftovers -- Mexican, chicken, fish, whatever!
Love my leftovers. I get half a meal from a single restaurant serving (used to be 1/3 of a meal). If you order well (veggies, lean meats) half a restaurant serving is seldom more than 300 calories.
Stir Fried chicken and Veggies
Just what it sounds like. Saute chicken strips with sliced garlic in coconut oil (doesn't take much at all). When the chicken's a little brown, add some good stir fry veggies like red, green, yellow peppers, Water chestnuts (for more crunch), celery, carrots (baby ones are nice), broccoli flowerets, shiitake mushrooms (canned), a few cilantro leaves, a little lime juice, red pepper flakes (not many), and just enough peanuts and Thai peanut sauce to give it that Thai flavor. You can find online so many variations on this theme. You could get a lot more exotic than this, but the above combo is pretty low cal. Serve it with or without brown rice, depending on whether you're in weight loss or weight maintenance mode.
Snacks - Fresh fruit in Season
A cup of in-season fruit makes a delicious snack. Fruits currently in season in my neck of the woods (and my grocery store) include cherries, strawberries, mangos, even melons. Every summer month offers new choices. Enjoy them now and, as much as possible, support your local farmers. Their produce tastes better, too.

Weight can definitely fluctuate a LOT from day to day. If you plan to weigh daily, make sure the conditions are as consistent as possible. I always weigh myself first thing in the morning, naked, after peeing. Even so, some days I'll be retaining some Water or be constipated or whatever and my weight will fluctuate from the previous day. The key is to watch for TRENDS, rather than worrying about the differences from day to day.

You're going to drive yourself crazy weighing every day. I would lose weight for 2 weeks after my cycle and then 2 weeks before, it stagnated. So I worked extra hard to get as much off as possible during my "favorable" weeks. Once weekly weigh-ins is what my doc advised.