catwoman7

they only thing I've had so far are strictures - but that's an easy fix

I do high Protein, moderately low-carb (*not* ultra low-carb). Sort of like a South Beach thing. Or a Mediterranean diet without the bread, rice and Pasta.

from what I've heard/read, it usually starts falling out at 3 or 4 months out, but it can start as late as six months. I'm quickly approaching five months (with no loss so far) and am cautiously optimistic, but I won't rest easy until I hit the six-month mark.

I still go out to eat (not as much as before, but i still do). I now order a cup of soup or an appetizer, and I'm fine with that. Never thought I'd be satisfied with that, but I am....

For my multi, I just take Centrum Silver or the generic equivalent (two per day). CVS brand is about half the price of Centrum, and they seem to go on sale fairly often (BOGO)

it'll definitely slow down, so don't freak when it does..

you're bound to get a hundred different answers because people's tastes vary so much, but I personally like unjury and Syntrax products. You can get samples of both.

from what I can see on the boards, it can vary considerably depending on the surgeon.

it seems most people lose a lot the first month or two, then it slows down to about 2-3 lbs a week. And it slows down even more once you're a few months out.....

from what I've seen on this and other forums, surgeons seems to be across the board on this. Some allow it right away, some allow decaf only, some allow limited amounts of caffeine when you're further out from surgery. Both decaf and regular have acid, and caffeine has caffeine (duh!) to boot. Both can be hard on healing stomachs - and caffeine can be dehydrating. that said, I was allowed unlimited decaf at the three-month mark, and one cup of caffeinated per day at the six-month mark. You might want to check with your surgeon's office to see what they say.

I hit this particular NSV about a month ago, and I agree it was fabulous! My most exciting NSV yet!

I probably can, but I don't. I don't try to push the envelope at all. I'm in my 50's and have gained and lost hundreds of pounds over the course of my adult life. This is my last chance. I'll do whatever I can not to fail at this - especially given all the hassle and expense of surgery.

I just ate it with a spoon until I could eat solid food again. Now I eat it with baby carrots

60 lbs in three months is on the high side. From what I've picked up hanging out on these boards for awhile, it seems like a lot of people drop 15-25 lbs the first month, and then, like an earlier poster said, 10-15 lbs a month after that. So you're definitely in the normal range. You're further along than I was at that point.

I wasn't cleared to eat anything and everything until the three-month mark, but all surgeons are different. You aren't the first I've heard of who was cleared to eat solid food that early - although it doesn't seem to be common.

pre-surgery I craved fatty things like pizza and cheese-laden Mexican food. Now I tend to crave things I can actually eat. Chili comes to mind - I occasionally crave that.

p.s. serious complications are rare - and the anesthesiologist will be monitoring you the whole time so you won't wake up.

I felt the exact same way - but I have no regrets at all that I did it. it's become pretty much a routine surgery these days. There have been a lot of advances in knowledge and technique over the years. The mortality rate is super low - I was told 0.3% for bypass, even less for sleeve. That's about the same risk as having your gall bladder out - and much less than a hip replacement surgery. Once I came to the conclusion that continuing to weigh over 300 lbs was way more risky than having the surgery, I felt a lot more confident about it. I'm sure you'll do absolutely fine!!!

yes - the sleeve can often (but not always) make GERD worse.

mine had me give up carbonated drinks, gradually wean myself off caffeine so I'd be off of it completely before I had surgery, gradually increase my Protein and decrease my carbs, and practice chewing 30 times before swallowing. She also wanted me to practice not eating and drinking at the same time. I was already eating pretty healthy food (sounds like maybe you were as well), so she seemed to be focusing more on behavioral things to get me used to what I'd be doing post-surgery.

Unjury makes a chicken soup flavored one

yoga and water-based exercises usually aren't a problem for me because I actually like them. Strength-training I hate, but I look at it like I look at flossing my teeth - it's just an evil that has to be done. Period. Plus I keep reminding myself that I can get through all the machines in under a half hour - not so bad, right? I have also tried that trick others have mentioned - I've told myself on days that I *really* don't want to go that I only have to stay for 10 minutes. But I've always ended up staying for the whole time, so it does work......

at that point I ordered pureed soups.

I really didn't feel any pain at all - I was very surprised. I used almost no morphine at the hospital and whatever they sent me home with for pain sat there unopened. The only thing that really bothered me was sore abs. They were fine if I was lying down, but getting in and out of bed was really uncomfortable.

Breakfast time - multivitamin, Vitamin D. I mix a scoop of Upcal D (powdered calcium citrate) into my yogurt. mid-morning - drop two calcium citrate tablets into my Protein shake (they'll dissolve after awhile) dinner time - multivitamin, vitamin B complex. Have a calcium chew after dinner (my "dessert") before bed - Iron I have some 5000 IU B12 sublinguals and take one once a week (on Sundays). I actually haven't found it all that difficult (once I got the hang of it)