WorkinOnMe

Looks like you are getting all the snow we were supposed to. Mixed feelings on that .... on one hand I would like to try snowshoeing, but on the other hand I am not a fan of the cold! Hope it doesn't bury you too much.

I agree with the need to see someone to get it under control. I have exercise induced asthma, controlled with singulair, allergy meds, and a rescue inhaler. I am now off the nebulizer, but followed closely by my doctor. I take my allergy meds and singulair daily. I use the inhaler (with a chamber) 20 minutes before beginning any kind of exercise and then again after I am done (usually an hour or so later). It has really helped to adjust my meds.

@@CuriouslyAmazed Congrats & Best of luck on your journey. Best decision of my life (next to marrying my hubby, of course!)

@@omerbasa2807 Welcome! This is a wonderful group of compassionate, funny, and often brutally honest individuals. I love checking in here each day to see how others are doing and offer help if I can. Sounds like you are off to a great start ... Best of luck for continued success!!!

My fav comfort foods lately ... meat & spinach crustless quiche - hot out of the oven! meatloaf chili spaghetti squash w/ meatballs And for drinks ... anything with cinnamon!

My surgery was May 2105. Initially I told my immediate family, very close friends, and a couple people at work (like my boss who needed to give me time off & had Bypass 7 years ago). People started to notice the difference pre-op, but like you I was honest & told them I was making some lifestyle changes and better choices. I felt that it was none of their business and I didn't want to listen to their judgmental opinions. My family is very supportive & I knew they would have my back no matter what, so I figured I was good. After WLS was a completely different matter! What I found was that about 1 month post-op I had people asking me how I was doing it because they were genuinely interested in bettering themselves. I had become a inspiration to others ... a kind of "poster child" at my work and so many people began to support me in my goals. I started to talk more about my journey and now I have 2 others looking into it. I also have a group of 7-9 runners who found out I was walking 5K races and they now sign up with me & encourage me to finish each race. Even though I didn't intend to make my journey a public one, that's how it has turned out. Honestly, I don't think I would change a thing!

Sorry to hear this @@Sharon1964 I've been there ... more than once. What they should have done at the store was a Google backup before even touching your phone. I also export my contacts to my SD card just before any phone changes just in case. Then I delete them after. I know this doesn't help you now, but may be some help if you ever run into this in the future.

Good luck!

@@Nurse_Lenora Great job! I did something similar and started a modified stage 2 diet pre-op to help me get used to it. Then I moved to liquids 2 weeks pre-op. It was a big help psychologically. That said ... be careful & make sure your surgeon is aware of what you are doing. I had plenty to lose and the Doc was okay with it. My friend started the same thing and was told to STOP immediately or she would fall below the BMI for insurance approval. She was even told to skip the liquid diet 2 weeks pre-op (same doctor, same program). The biggest difference was that I weighed nearly 100lbs more than her pre-op. Just be careful.

@@Djmohr ... Pm me. I'd like to hear more about this whiskey! Current favorite is The Knot, but hard to get where we are.

We eat out frequently due to travel. Here is what I have learned ... 1. I always ask to order off the kids menu & explain I had abdominal surgery. Most places will check with a manager and some dont care at all. I have only had one place tell me no. 2. If I am really wanting something, I order it. I also ask for a take home box at the same time and put about 2/3 of the meal into the box immediately and enjoy the rest. 3. Soups & Apps are a good alternative. I usually order more hearty soups like chowder, chili, chicken tortilla, or cheddar broccoli soups. appetizers sometimes do the trick, but beware of hidden calories & carbs. Many apps come fried or drenched in sauces. I have asked for the sauce on the side & had no issues. Some of the fried foods I can peel off, but not always. Sliders are my favorite! I order 2, pull off the bread and have perfect size meat/chicken/turkey patties. 4. When all else fails, I eat off my husband's plate. If I can't decide or really don't feel like much, he will order a larger portion with an extra side of veggies and I will take a bit off his plate. I've done really well, and have not had any experiences whereby I couldn't eat ANYTHING. There is always something I can eat and we work around it.

Love your optimism & outlook Fatty! Everyone needs a cheerleader now and then ... good to know you are in my corner. Today my focus is on increasing my fluids & liquid Protein. Been sick the past few days and not yet back to solids (makes my tummy queasy still), but have had trouble getting in ANYTHING before now. Also bumping the walking back up after being so lethargic ... shooting for 8500 steps today. Have a great one everyone!!!

Came down with the bug yesterday & haven't been able to eat anything since lunch. Have had a bit to drink ... small sips now and then, but nothing near what I should be taking in. Tried a few bites of applesauce, but it didn't stay down long and stomach has been gurgling ever since. How do you all deal with something like this without worrying about protein & fluid intake?? Just let it run its course???

Honestly, I will probably walk most, if not all of it!! I just want to push myself a bit and see how far I get. There is a 5-mile race later in the year and would LOVE to be able to actually run it!!!

Okay, so I did my race yesterday and after only the first week of C25K I dropped another 3.5 minutes off my time compared to last race! This is my 7th 5K since August. I started just walking, then added in the treadmill to help increase my speed. When I use the treadmill I use a program that varies the incline so it is more like being outside. I also walk outside, but living in New Hampshire means this time of year is cold and snowy and wet! So, I mostly go to the gym. When I first started my finishing time was just over 50 minutes on a flat course in nice weather. Yesterday's race was 42:05 on a hilly course and it was windy and COLD. Can't wait to keep up the C25K and see how it goes. I am signing up for a virtual Leap Year Challenge this week .. 2k, 4k, 6k, 8k, and finishes on Leap Year with a 10k! Good luck! Can't wait to hear more about your progress!!!

184 today. Hey, a pound is a pound, right?!?!?

Just started C25K to help boost my endurance. I started 5Ks 1 1/2 months after my surgery and began by just walking. My goal was to FINISH! which I did. I kept improving my time until I am now at a point where I feel running is the only way to improve from here. So, I started C25K. So far I like it and I am seeing an improvement in my times. I haven't finished it all yet, but I have a race on Sunday so I will let you know how it goes.

Mine has a barcode button at the top right corner when I go to add in foods. All I have to do is scan the item and it automatically enters it if it is in their database.

Hooray for you! Not sure why the long stay, but hope all is well now. I would be ecstatic!!!

I use both MFP and a Fitbit and when I walk outside I also use MapMyWalk to compare the distance and timing with my Fitbit. MFP - love that I can scan foods to enter easily! However, don't like that it tells me I need 1200 calories to lose weight. (still at about 1000/day) Fitbit - love that it tracks for me all day long, like the challenges & connection with friends /family as this helps me stay motivated. Don't like that the wrist ones don't register correctly ... went back to my zip instead.

Let me know if you have any questions ... that is my program too and I am now one of the graduate speakers for the meetings. Dr. Gould is awesome & so is the staff. The nurses at Elliot were laughing at me because of all the laps I did around the floor at 1 & 2 am!

My sleeve & I have a pretty tight relationship. In 8 months I have learned how to eat and drink and my BFF has been happy. I can eat or drink pretty much what I want, within reason, and have been steady in the losing. Even though I can eat just about anything, I usually eat Soup for lunch, as I am a teacher... 23 minutes to slowly eat and coerce whatever it is into my sleeve AND still make it back to my classroom just doesn't happen. Being mostly liquid, Soups seems to be the most logical choice. Today I had cheddar broccoli soup. YUMMO! One of my favorites!!! I guess my sleeve had other ideas and picked today to be difficult. Although I have eaten it several times over the past few months, the soup just did not want to go down. UGH!!! Nothing worse than that "stuck" feeling, unless it is HOT and STUCK. Double UGH!!! I spent the first 10 minutes of my lunch trying to coach my food to move along. Thankfully my colleagues are used to me talking to myself and don't think I am delusional, because there I was walking in circles and begging and pleading. Finally, after what seemed like a miserable and interminable week made up of days before a vacation with excited and antsy students, my soup was granted access and went down. {SIGH!} Relief!!!!! PHEW ... not so interested in eating anymore though. Another 13 minutes left of lunch ... good a time as any to go for a walk, right? WRONG! That darned sleeve seems to have developed a mind of its own today, and is suddenly deciding to push the limits and experience new things. Granted, I went through this with two teenage children, but I never expected my new BFF to turn on me so suddenly! So, there I am, walking in the mostly empty hallway for about 2 1/2 minutes when suddenly I am ravaged by a sharp pain in my lower abdomen and some gawd awful sound from my stomach. I don't think anyone else heard, but then again I did garner a really weird look from a 6th grader, so who knows. Not me. I was too worried about what was taking place in my body to pay attention to anyone else. Luckily I was about 50 feet from the teacher's bathroom and felt that was the best place to be. I loosened my belt, a much needed fashion accessory of late unless I want to start a new trend and go pant-less. It didn't help much, but now it gave me a better view of the turmoil taking place in my belly. At first I was reminded of pregnancy when I thought it was so cute to see my stomach roll and shift. But then I remembered there's nothing cute about a stomach doing this when there is NO BABY INSIDE! Instead of gentle rolls my stomach was now lurching and jumping and making more noise than a 50-piece band ensemble. It was kind of like a horrific accident that you just know is going to end badly, but you cannot take your eyes away. I was horrified and at the same time fascinated by the movements, and tiny part of me was worried that I was an unknowing participant in the newest Alien movie ... waiting for the moment that ugly little creature popped its head out of my abdomen. Suddenly I belched, or what now passes as a belch, and passed gas as the same time. Oh Dear Lord!! What absolute incredible relief!!!!! I felt like sinking to the floor and crying. But alas, one more angry sound tore through the bathroom ... the bell rang signaling the end of my 23 minute lunch period. Time for class ... Moral of the story ... I *USED* to love cheddar broccoli soup. Things change as your body adjusts to your new BFF and foods you once didn't like you may now be able to eat. Things you couldn't tolerate, you may once day be able to. And, sadly, something you have eaten for the past few months may turn your body into a horror film extra and you can no longer eat it. I will try my soup again someday, but now that I know what could possible happen I just might wait until I am home alone to dig up the courage!

Fellow NH sleever here! Sleeved in May 2015 & have lost 125 lbs so far. My journey has been mostly enjoyable and pretty successful so far. Where are going for your sleeve? How are things going now? Best of luck!

I ate a LOT more "junk" than I should have, but I also pushed the fluids & exercise and in the end I weighed the exact same the week after New Year's Day as I did the week before Christmas. Not too bad for my first real holiday with my sleeve!