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Well......I'm early into this but some of the NSV's are starting. *Having to use the clothes drier for all my clothes. *Going to a new set of holes on my belt every few days. *Knee pain improving greatly.

There are certain aspects about some fruits that do elevate them above the status of "sugary death". I will continue enjoying blueberries, for instance...certainly in small quantities. Fruit will pretty much be the only source of any type of sugar in my future maintenance diet. For now, though....I'm trying to burn off fat during the weight loss phase. If fruit is on hold for a while, then that's okay. I'm going after this weight loss aggressively and going to have some strict parameters to stay within for ongoing life. One of the things that appeals to me about a good strategy for maintenance diet is the theme of ALL THINGS IN MODERATION. Balance.

You are doing great !!!!! I can't stress enough the point that you are in the hardest part now.......and doing great. Today is Day 14. 23 pounds down since surgery and 79 pounds since I began the process in June. I'm doing great. I really feel good. There is really no more pain from the hernia repair and there never was any pain from the sleeve (not a bit). The wounds are healing great. I'm ready (mentally) to move on to regular food, but there is no hunger from my 3-shakes a day current diet. I've got another couple more weeks to go with the liquid diet. Then the pureed stage.....and onto the soft foods and beyond. I'm very, very comfortable with the foods I'll be eating from now on. I love grilling fish, chicken, steak and making chili and stews. Live is gonna be great and flavorful.....and I'm gonna get back into the same size I was in during my junior year of high school. Wearing the same sized Levi jeans. Life is good. I'm just doing some basic walking and stair use. Energy level is getting better....but it doesn't take much right now to wear me out. I'm used to dealing with long term knee pain and a back injury that was incurred in April. Today, as I type this....it is almost overwhelming how much better my body feels. I've not had any type of pain med in a few days, yet I'm not in pain. It is truly amazing. I am cleared to have coffee and it is has been wonderful. The Protein shakes all still taste great post-op....just as they did pre-op. Pre-op I was using a really thick mix as that seemed to sustain me longer.....I thinned them down post-op. I highly recommend the Pure Protein brand of pre-mixed Protein Shakes. The chocolate flavor was great and they are made really thick and hearty. They can be found at Walmart and Walmart's Neighborhood Market stores.

You are going through the hardest part now......grind it out and then it gets way easier once you've had surgery. Get a variety of Protein powder and pre-mixed Protein shakes. Having options is a good thing and will help you get through that boring part. Just grind out the days ahead.....stick to the plan and you'll be ready for surgery, recovery and the rest of your new life.

Absolutely gorgeous animal. I've always been a fan of the breed, but have always had smaller dogs. I'm hoping that may change as my new energy level will have me wanting to walk a dog every day.

In training now to become a lean sex olympian. Gonna throw my back out.

There are also all kinds of nuts available in 100 calorie packages. I'll have some of the in my desk drawer at work along with Quest bars. @@Djmohr measured amounts make a lot more sense because it sure is more cost efficient than the 100 calorie packs I'll buy for convenience. Maybe I'll buy them in larger quantities and spend a few minutes measuring them out into small ziplock baggies. Save$$$$$

Is there anything in particular that you are scared of ? Or is it just general fear ?

Did you have these problems prior to surgery ?

Your program nurse can dial it up to the pound for you. I'm unsure how it worked for everyone else, but when I began the process back in June.....once I weighed in on my initial first of 6 monthly diet sessions....that was the weight & bmi that counted for the whole deal. The nurse explained that I qualified in every way, shape and form because the current insurance criteria were to have a bmi over 40 or over 35 with comorbiities (mine were: high blood pressure & sleep apnea). She calculated how much I could lose prior to the surgery and still qualify.....it was a large amount. I only lost about 1/2 that weight. She said that even if I dipped below the 40 bmi or 35 w/ comorbiities during the next 6 months that they would be submitting my initial weights with the package and I would be fine. In other words, she encouraged me to lose as much as I could pre-op. I ultimately went over to another surgeon/program (which had the same structure) and did a self pay in order to cut months off the wait time. Please verify with your program's nurse/administrator and with your insurance plan's bariatric patient advocate. The other experienced folks will hopefully jump in with advice and experience, too. As funny as it sounded to folks......I had the same question. I new I could go into beast mode and lose a bunch of weight in a short period.....even though it seemed unlikely. Best wishes to you.

Are you coughing and sneezing ? Are there meds you take that keep you from coughing & sneezing ? Will your surgeon allow you to continue taking those meds in the hospital ? Also, is this going to be a typical condition for this time of year for you ? Will rescheduling a week even matter ? I'd get in touch with the surgeon this morning to verify and update them on your status. I was very grateful to have my surgery in mid-October as it's a time of year that I normally don't have allergies, pollen, molds and etc that exacerbate things. I did cary along a Flonase spray bottle with me to the hospital. I never needed it as my sinuses were very dry post-op from whatever they spray in there for surgery. They remained dry and open for a couple days, too. Grateful for that. Best wishes. Allergies suck !!!

Here is what I use for a typical batch of guacamole: 4 Haas avocados, cilantro, juice of 3 limes squeezed with pulp, 2 jalapeños (frenched & diced....no seeds or pith), 2 tomatoes, 1 sweet onion. Dice it all up and CAREFULLY add sea salt to taste. It can be ruined if overly salty.

Perfectly possible to change surgeons. You'll likely not receive credit for all your pre-work and have to repeat portions of it to satisfy the new surgeon's requirements (not simply satisfying insurance requirements.....great surgeons have high standards). If you feel like you aren't receiving the best care then by all means make the switch. It's not about swiftness to get the job done.......but having the procedure and aftercare performed by the best available.

Quest protein bars have huge amounts of protein in them.

You just had surgery. It takes a few days to get in the groove. It's all going to work out really well.

Sure have and I love 'em. They blend well with chocolate or vanilla protein powders, too. Excellent product. It's one of 4 that is on my NUT's approved list. I have mine as my first shake in the morning. Exceptional flavor. Both the regular and the mocha are great.

Damn right !!!!! Beast mode engaged....

Maybe it just takes living at the goal weight for a while.

It seems to be a fairly common trend in those first couple weeks. Make sure you don't forget to get your Protein in. It is understandable to jump on the scale frequently. I weigh every morning since surgery. 12 days & 18 pounds. It's a crazy ride.

I can remember those first few days this being the case with me, too. I guess it takes a little while to get all the surgery meds out of your system.....combined with the fact that your body is trying to heal and recover.

Yeah, man. I can see where it all changes in regard to grocery shopping. Shopping for me will consist of more frequent trips where I make a quick walk around the permitter of the store and hit the checkout. No more than 5 minutes.

Yesterday was my 11th day post-op. My wife was feeling down from hearing about a death in her family. I was on deck for ensuring everyone got fed. I went to Arbys and loaded up on the insanely delicious brisket sandwiches they bombard TV with on their ads. Everyone seemed happy. Grabbed some Cookies later from a local spot that makes the best. Took them home to my wife. Cheered her up a little. Took my son to a friends birthday party......picked him up at 10:00pm where he said they had pizza & cake yet he was miraculously hungry again. We went through the drive through at my favorite spot on Earth....BoJangles. He had a box of chicken sitting in his lap and couldn't stand it....1/2 way home he asked to eat. I laughed at him and said to dig in. He cut the overhead light on and destroyed that yardbird, biscuit and my favorite drink....a Diet Dew. Needless to say he wasn't done by the time we reached the house so I sat in the driveway with him and waited on him to finish. I am planning on cooking or grilling something for them for lunch today. My wife is one of those blessed folks who has always been the recommend weight on the height-weight chart....or close to it. Our son is a teenage carnivore. He's tall and overly lean. We keep him well fed....yet he's got the metabolism of three. I say all the above to simply say this: I am constantly seeing HD TV food commercials and have been surrounded by my prior favorite foods and held prisoner seated beside Teenage T-Rex as he enjoys them. It is no biggie. I'm still having Protein shakes as my only meals, 12 days post-op. I don't feel deprived or hungry. I"m not feeling like I'm missing out. I'm thrilled by the readings on the scale every morning. It feels better than any food could ever taste.

Man......there is no doubt that you are going to be a rock solid success. You've got a great perspective and super attitude.

I can only speak from my experiences. My doc said I could drive as soon as I was free and clear of the pain meds he prescribed. Honestly the only reason I even took the post-op pain med was due to soreness from an umbilical hernia repair done at the same time as the sleeve. I continue to have zero trouble from my sleeve surgery. That part was simply breeze. I drove to my first follow-up appointment on Day 6. I'd been going stir crazy in the house and it felt GREAT to get behind the wheel of my little Nissan truck. I distinctly remember thinking I should have driven sooner. You are going to have a few smallish incision sites in your abdomen that are going to take a while to heal. I'd be very careful not to be lugging around anything more than 5 lbs. Yesterday was Day 11 for me and I'd run by a local spot and picked up two gallons of their diet lemonade. I can't stress how heavy those two jugs felt as I carried them from my truck to the kitchen. Crazy scenario as I'm a fairly strong guy.....but have been weak with this dang hernia repair. If it wasn't for the hernia I'd already be back at work. You are going to do great.

I have been told in our seminar classes by a couple former patients of the center (who are at goal and living there) that being malnourished in terms of proper Protein and Vitamins will have mental effects on top of the physical impact. They said that getting back on track didn't take long and they felt better in mind, body and spirit. I've heard enough from these veterans and those on this site to not dabble with this, but to simply follow the plan and reap the rewards. It's so simple....at least from my perspective.