veteranwoman

I could never stand any of the powders and wasted alot of money on them and they all got tossed or given away. I drink Lean Body on the Go - Walmart sells it but it's actually cheaper and more convenient to buy online from Bodybuilder.com even with the shipping charges. I sub to their sales and newsletters so I get coupons and sale alerts so I can stock up

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/lab/leanbodyonthego.html?mcid=GGL_US_Products-Products_Labrada_Lean_Body_On_The_Go_RTD%C2'> I keep all flavors on hand in my pantry at all times then transfer a weeks worth of different flavors to the fridge on Sundays for the following week. Have them all but the Bananas and Cream is my favorite.

I'm wondering if some of these outrageous post such as I ate a steak three weeks out are real or are they just attention seekers? You got a forum here for support mixed with people struggling with weight, self esteem, possible lonely and it opens the flood gates for attention seekers... One thing is clear it seems everyone is told to stay away from steak til the stomach has healed significantly.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them"

Einstein

Oh no this gal was dead serious. Then the one I really fell off my chair on was the gal that was like a month out and wanted to know if it was ok that she drank a bottle of wine a nite. Um REALLY? It's not ok to drink a damn bottle of wine without having the surgery. For christs sake. But again she got loads of sympathy. UGH!

All of the above advice is really good, but it is also important to avoid anyone who can't (for whatever reason) support you. There will always be someone to tell you your not eating enough, or that you look tired, or that you have lost too much weight. Just smile and move on. These people aren't the ones that can't clip their own toe nails. They maybe even have good intentions, but if anything makes you question your decision or your goals, you don't need them right now. Good luck and keep us posted.

Oh I hear ya on that one - I heard it all after my sleeve. In spite of some of my really close friends warning certain people to shut up and back up the others kept it up every time we were out in public. It finally got to the point that I totally lost it and blew up at one particular woman and told her to mind her own weight problems and stay away from me. lol It makes me self conscious when I am out enjoying my friends and a few people made constant remarks to the point I didn't want to go out anymore around them. Once I blew up everyone shut up. I had to tell an old friend from back on a visit once to back off too - I said look yes I only ate a half of a sandwich but what you don't see is that I eat that 8 times a day - I am FINE - she understood finally. I have my class reunion coming up and am kinda dreading it for that reason. Same thing when I went to my first reunion after I got sober - close friends were following me around to make sure i didn't drink lol One of my best friends is 100 pounds and 5'1" so once I reminder her (with a laugh of course) that I could whup her she stopped bugging me

I think from my standpoint people want to hear from real people who had it done. Have most doctors or nutritionists had this done? Probably not so how would they know the pain level etc? I get questions privately all the time on real life experiences.

@@Sophie74656 - I'm glad you have a great support team. I didn't. The people in Mexico did supply me with the basics, but I did learn a great deal more here. And some people like to get validation. And then there are those poor souls who want to find a loophole to get back into their bad habits. But you do raise a bigger point, it really is up to each of us to verify what we reading. 78.6% of statistics presented online are made up on the spot, so caveat emptor.

Exactly! There was one woman in particular on another forum site that said basically (no kidding, ya can't make this sh** up I swear to god) "Oh I am 3 weeks out on the sleeve and I ate a steak last night and after 4 bites I had stabbing pains in my stomach and then I threw up and then I waited for 15 minutes and ate the rest of the steak and potatoes and I threw up again the, sleeve isn't working this is ridiculous" (paraphrasing but this is the gist of what she had done and said and THEN said the sleeve didn't work!) She got a ton of sympathy and oh my god I am so sorry that doesn't sound very good or oh my god so sorry just get back on track tomorrow. When I read it I said wait what???? Are you KIDDING ME HERE? 3 weeks ago and you ate until you threw up and had major stabbing pains and you're blaming the sleeve for "not working"? GIVE ME A BREAK! Out of about 50 replies I was the only one that saw a problem with it and I got bashed for being honest. lol Jesus.

...and I tried it once after quitting ( before surgery and the bubbles about killed me) and that was before surgery... my 13 yr old son quit drinking it with me still can't because of the bubbles hurting his stomach the other two of my sons( 11 and 16) quit with me for the surgery for a yr and drink it again now and are fine with it... no issues with the bubbles...Just be careful... I was before surgery curled into that ball of pain after taking 3 sips of a soda and that was before surgery.... the thought of drinking it now... I can't fathom... eggs had me curled in a ball after surgery and until about a month or so ago I couldn't eat them. Before surgery I was a smoker... after the smell made me gag.... for about 3 months.... Then A traumatic thing happened and that's what I ran to I don't eat more due to smoking and the docs did not seemed all that concerned that I was smoking again.

Wait, whuuuuuttttt?? Another smoker condemning diet soda?

Smoking won't undo the sleeve, pop will.

Undo? What the heck are you talking about? UNDO?

This "debate" was about soda and it's impact on the sleeve. Ok so maybe not UNDO but not help is that better? Jesus Christ go have a cookie the carbs might make you feel less bit**y and defensive.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!! So I question your use of the word UNDO (which is absolutely ludicrous, so my question was valid), YOU call me "bitchy" yet **I** need a cookie?

MMMM'Kaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy.....

SNORT.

>@@LipstickLady

You're definitely in my Top 4..

Top 5 at worst...

No I told you to eat a cookie due to your multiple and constant barrage and cumulative posts to anyone that dares to disagree with you. Sheesh still going strong here lol Too funny

...and I tried it once after quitting ( before surgery and the bubbles about killed me) and that was before surgery... my 13 yr old son quit drinking it with me still can't because of the bubbles hurting his stomach the other two of my sons( 11 and 16) quit with me for the surgery for a yr and drink it again now and are fine with it... no issues with the bubbles...Just be careful... I was before surgery curled into that ball of pain after taking 3 sips of a soda and that was before surgery.... the thought of drinking it now... I can't fathom... eggs had me curled in a ball after surgery and until about a month or so ago I couldn't eat them. Before surgery I was a smoker... after the smell made me gag.... for about 3 months.... Then A traumatic thing happened and that's what I ran to I don't eat more due to smoking and the docs did not seemed all that concerned that I was smoking again.

Wait, whuuuuuttttt?? Another smoker condemning diet soda?

Smoking won't undo the sleeve, pop will.

Undo? What the heck are you talking about? UNDO?

This "debate" was about soda and it's impact on the sleeve. Ok so maybe not UNDO but not help is that better? Jesus Christ go have a cookie the carbs might make you feel less bit**y and defensive.

Cancer stick? Judgmental much? Smoking won't keep the weight off. Hateful people like you are why I rarely visit these forums. You're clueless.

I'm clueless about what? That there's a correlation between smoking and cancer? Are you going to deny that, or are you just being obtuse?

And the good Dr Weiner did say that people who smoke do keep their weight off better than those who don't. Look it up.

Oh, and I smoked for 25 years and quit to have the surgery. I'm now over 2 years smoke free. I'm not an anti smoking Nazi by any means, but I'm also not a hypocrite.

Sigh... then don't smoke. I don't smoke either but damn why so hateful and defensive? This isn't ABOUT cancer - it was about the things that impact the sleeve success.

Great job! I'm really trying to work on preparing my food for the week. I just run out of dinner ideas and resort to my chicken and tuna salads. Thank you for the egg idea in the muffin pan!!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Go check out www.emilybites.com and she has some great ideas for "cupcake" meals of all kinds.

http://www.obesitycoverage.com/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-sleeve/gastric-sleeve-will-my-stomach-stretch It does grow larger as your body naturally changes do look it up call the surgeons.... its not as large as original... but it does naturally grow a bit larger from all the research going from the four ounce size to six to ten is fairly common.... it's been studied. It is out there to be found.

I found that too but might as well not post the studies as it seems people don't want to see these types of truths. That article is wayyyyy too logical. Interesting that the article you posted states to not limit sweets but rather the volume. I'm sure that will be argued with as well.

@@ladyinsouth

Are you for real? You're preaching to everyone the danger of diet soda and you smoke?

Your argument is invalid.

I'd keep my weight off for 4 years too if I could smoke a cancer stick everytime I felt like eating instead.

Cancer stick? Judgmental much? Smoking won't keep the weight off. Hateful people like you are why I rarely visit these forums. You're clueless.

...and I tried it once after quitting ( before surgery and the bubbles about killed me) and that was before surgery... my 13 yr old son quit drinking it with me still can't because of the bubbles hurting his stomach the other two of my sons( 11 and 16) quit with me for the surgery for a yr and drink it again now and are fine with it... no issues with the bubbles...Just be careful... I was before surgery curled into that ball of pain after taking 3 sips of a soda and that was before surgery.... the thought of drinking it now... I can't fathom... eggs had me curled in a ball after surgery and until about a month or so ago I couldn't eat them. Before surgery I was a smoker... after the smell made me gag.... for about 3 months.... Then A traumatic thing happened and that's what I ran to I don't eat more due to smoking and the docs did not seemed all that concerned that I was smoking again.

Wait, whuuuuuttttt?? Another smoker condemning diet soda?

Smoking won't undo the sleeve, pop will.

I rarely come out here anymore but oh my god. Self righteous people who either just had the surgeries or have yet to have them crack me up. You are hating for eating cake and pizza & that is just uniformed opinions. I'm years past my surgery & as they stated moderation is everything. Y'all act like people who eat cake or pizza for example do so all the time & huge portions of it.. Y'all have heard that there are healthy recipes to make those foods right? Just skimming through the replies here it looks like the person that started the thread did so looking for acceptance to be able to drink pop after surgery and wasn't and God forbid anyone dare show otherwise. Seems like y'all need to get out and walk and get some fresh air rather than spending hours behind the monitor LOL I'm sure I'll come back in another 6 weeks and see the same people going off on how their way is the right way and everyone else who has had success with this liefstyle change is just full of it.

I have my 40th class reunion this summer back home. I went back for a wedding of a classmate and someone I had known since we were 5 years old and a few classmates were also there so some know of my weight loss but some haven't seen me since the last reunion when I was 80 pounds heavier.

Update tiiiime! So here's my scar line! Things to remember...I'm only 9 days post op. I'm still super swollen. Oh, and while we're on the swelling hell topic here's a tiny bit of information they don't tell you....your crotch is swell to!!! I'm serious like swollen and gross looking, it's freaky!! I'm not being gross I'm just being honest. Things like that can really freak a girl out! I was like "ummm oh ,no, nope that's not my crotch what is that!!!" Then I looked it up and yep normal. It goes away and comes back blah blah blah. So there's that. Also a lot of those lines are from my compression outfit. They aren't part of my stomach. My BB is red and aggravated right now because the stitches just got pulled out yesterday so I will get a better close up when it's not so scary looking. I love the scar. It's low and it's pretty even from side to side and curves downward on the ends and not up like a lot I've seen. I'm excited for this thing to heal so I can start the "scar therapy" part. Right now it has to be left alone to completely heal up. Overall I'm thrilled and look forward to the next day since it keeps changing for the better. FYI I don't normally pose like that my daughter just thought it was funny so we used it! Sexxxxxay scar picture first thing in the morning! Who doesn't want one??!

Be prepared though - I had mine done in Jan 2015 and I still don't have any feeling in the lower abdomen. Its' still numb. I keep joking to my doctor that I should use it to my advantage and get a full tattoo there since it won't hurt

If another person tells me I don't need to lose anymore weight... How can I still be almost 300 pounds and NOT look like I need to lose more weight?????????????? People and their perceptions.

"How much more weight are you going to lose???"

"You're going to disappear" (FAT chance of that happening)

"I don't think you need to lose anymore weight. You look great!"

Thanks for your concern. It's nice and all, but I'm not done.

RANT OVER....

I got that a lot. I think that people are just used to us at our larger selves and can't adapt to the losses. My body my choice on what I want to weigh and where I feel my best at. After I lost my weight I had a ton of friends say that I was never fat... but I pulled out old pictures and showed them the then vs now and they were like oh well damn we never noticed. My favorite is "damn eat a cheeseburger" to which I finally told someone if one more person told me to eat a cheeseburger I was going to go buy a large bag and BEAT them all with it.

The other thing that drives me nuts is when I am out with friends for dinner or whatever and someone just has to make a comment about how little I eat and they keep encouraging me to eat more. I usually just say look I'm fine ok. Last year I totally lost it though and I finally yelled at a friend to BACK OFF. The table was stunned into silence and I said look yes you see me eating only this tiny little bit but you don't see that I eat this amount 8 times a day. I ended a long standing friendship with a gal that was constantly making comments out in public in front of a ton of people and asked her why in the hell was she so obsessed with my weight? Mind her own weight. I nearly told her that I must be doing something right because her own husband had # 1 been hitting on me and # 2 had called me to ask for my surgeons name so he could get HER to do it

I'm not sure when making the personal decision to not tell the world all of your personal business became a "half truth" or "lie by omission" but if that's the case, I have a few scenerios/questions for those of you who think that way.

By that logic:

If someone asks me how me and husband are the day after a huge fight (or a night of great sex), is it my duty to tell them all the details or is my standard answer of "Great!" or "Fine!" now a lie?

If someone asks me why I look tired, do I have to tell them that my husband snored and farted all night/was extremely frisky/kept getting up to pee and woke me up a gazillion times or am I lying?

I am just getting over a horrible tummy bug. When people ask me if I'm feeling better, should I go ahead and tell them that I am terribly afraid that I am going to poop in my pants at any minute because my stomach still feels off? If I don't, I am TOTALLY lying by omission.

Well meaning friends often ask how my kids are doing in school. Should I tell them that my oldest is in the top ten in her class, got into a top rated university, has received an a$$ load of scholarships but that her ex-boyfriend is being a real bast@rd and making her personal life a little miserable? I mean, that's the truth.

People often ask me my ethnicity because I am olive complected in the bible belt. I tell them Mexican and Italian, but I leave out the drop of German and Acatec Indian. Pin a big red L on my chest!

Must I tell people that I am on the rag/pissed at my kids/need a glass of wine/really have no desire to talk to them/in a hurry when they ask me how I am doing? Manners be damned! I don't want to be a liar.

Do I love your skirt? Why yes, I do! But now I have to tell you that it's beautiful but looks like **** on you because I don't want to omit any info.

Why am I smiling? I just crop dusted some nasty faced woman an aisle over. TRUTH!!

I could go on forever ...

Keeping my personal business PERSONAL doesn't make ME a liar just because you choose to share YOUR personal business.

I had my sleeve done in June of 2012 and if people made a comment on how much weight I had lost I told them I had the sleeve. Some close friends knew and honestly if I sat there and took a compliment on it I would feel dishonest if I let anyone think I did this without the help of the surgery. I didn't care who knew and actually my saying I had the surgery helped 5 friends of mine make the same decision to also have it done since mine was. If someone didn't agree with my decision then f*** em

I know this is an older thread but personally I would try and find a Veterans organization in your area and donate them to their homeless programs. We do a HUGE jeans program here every year and collect jeans all year long. But I am suret hey need other types of clothing also. Here's a link to the Las Vegas Stand Down group. http://www.usvetsinc.org/information-center/calendar/events/2016-las-vegas-stand-down/

I know 5 people with the band and every last one of them are still obese - the issue with the band in my mind at least was

the constant upkeep and refilling of it.

Hello Everyone,

I am new to the forum. I have been stalking post off and on for about a year or so. I have finally decided to do the surgery. I am looking to loose 60-80 lbs. I am 211 at 5'4.5". I would like to get down to 135-145. The last time I weighed 155, I was a size 4-6 due to a muscular build. I am trying to get lower this time not for size but for health. I have a health problem that effects my feet and joints. The less I weigh, the more mobility I will have. This is a big part of what led me to take the plunge. I will be a self payer in Mexico. Growing up I was a few hours from the border so I would go over for dental work, etc. Speak a great deal of Spanish. My question is about returning to work. I work only two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30-3:20 p.m. Originally, I was going to have the surgery in May as I have about three weeks off. However, I was thinking that I might schedule it for a Friday in April as I don't have to go to work until Tuesday. This way I could get started sooner. I have a trip scheduled to France in August and their will be lots of walking. I figure an extra month may give me the advantage of a few extra pounds come August when I will be on my feet for hours at a time. What do you guys think? Bite the bullet and do it in April; or be patient and hold out until May? I would really appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

I own my own business so a little different but I was up working on my laptop after waking up. My surgery was a Thursday morning and I flew back to Phx from San Diego on Saturday afternoon and drove myself home from the airport. Was back in a clients office on Tuesday as I normally would have been. Yeah I was tired but I don't have the luxury of paid time off.

Hi everyone,

I am booked for my surgery for the end of March and I am second guessing because I am LOW BMI (<35). My weight has never the less contributed to painful joints and difficulty starting an exercise program. I am also completely hopeless with "Diets" - as soon as I think of the word I gain 5 pounds.

Please tell me what you think - is this a worthwhile journey if you are low BMI???

I was a BMI of 30 (barely) and had it done in June 2012. My size 18 jeans were getting tight and nothing I did at the age of 54 made a dent in the loss. Started out at 172 and hit 98 pounds from June to January. The 98 pounds was way too thin so I upped my calorie intake and got to 105. I gained 10 last year when I got on some thyroid meds so I stopped those and the gain stopped. Sticking to 115 now and happy with that. I wear a 1 - 4 jean depending on the cut and brand.

I think if you going in to be re sleeved means you still have not learnt proper eating habits, revising surgeries are not always gonna work if you have not fixed up what's in your mind.

Do you know what she eats? I don't think she mentioned it actually. Any number of things could cause weight gain that has absolutely nothing to do with eating. I was put on thyroid medicine a year ago and started gaining - it was only 5 pounds but still it was in a short amount of time with absolutely no change in my normal healthy low carb eating

They won't let you leave on public transportation or even a medial van service if they're like all of my doctors.

But the risk is always there - it is major surgery and going under to sleep but ... rare.

As the title suggests, when I get over-full, I have the urge to sneeze...

Now, I'm pretty certain that it's NOT because the food has backed right up and is pressing against my sneeze button...

(All you non-doctors won't understand 'sneeze button' but trust me, it's an organ..)

I don't actually sneeze tho...

It's just that weird bit just like you're gonna sneeze...

Your eyes start to Water and get squinty and stuff...

Anyway, I'm not looking for advice or anything on how to fix it...

It doesn't happen very often and when it does, I'm fine with the feeling...

But it leads me to this question...

What kinda weird stuff does your body do now that it didn't do before??

Not necessarily food/eating related, but weird s**t nonetheless...

(Please, no graphic poo stories.. That's for another thread in another realm of the universe..)

Right, I'm out...

See ya!!!

Kinda (Jason)

I thought it was my allergies kicking back up and then I read about a year after my surgery that others do that too. I'll go into sneezing fits and deal with a runny nose. Irritating to say the least