liannatx

That is a great deal. They sent me home with 2 weeks of Ranitidine 150mg. I have been taking Omeprazole (generic prilosec) since then, and they both work comparably for me. I may buy some of those at HEB because it is much cheaper than even the generic Prilosec that I have been buying.

I lost 19 lbs the first month. It slowed way down after that for me.

I want in! CW 214 GW 204

214.5 Thanks!

Even if it is flat, I am wondering how a 12 oz beer could fit in my stomach!!! It would take me an hour to drink it, lol. Actually, I have drank since my surgery. I had a trip to Dallas a couple of weeks ago (at 3 mo post-op) and drank several glasses of wine. I had no complications from it, it didn't seem to affect me any differently, and I still lost 2 lbs that week. I made sure to get all my Protein in before we went out, because for me there is NO eating and liquids at the same time... there just isn't room, it would probably make me puke to eat pizza and try to drink a beer.

@Stevehud This is true! I still love mine, and don't want to lose them LOL! I have had them since I was in grade school, they are part of me... I agree with whoever said that if they have always been pretty big that you will lose less of them. Mine were large at a normal weight from normal breast tissue/fat, but kept getting bigger in proportion to my weight gain. When I lost to goal with the band they went back to my pre-gain size, but not as perky.

I had over a year leading up to my band removal that I used to research both options. I lurked on these boards and read as many posts as I could on both surgeries: what complications people were having, weight loss, nutritional needs, etc... For me, it was just tossup too. I ended up with Sleeve because I felt that the Bypass had bigger issues with malnutrition, due to the malabsorption aspect. Some actually choose the Bypass because of the malabsorption, because it leads to faster loss. It really boils down to personal choice and/or your doctors preference for you.

I will pray that you can get the sleeve too!

Prayers and luck sent your way! Once you get past that first month it is SO much easier to live with than the band was!

Are you taking an acid blocker? High acid can mimic hunger.

214.5 lbs. Slow but steady!

Elementary teacher here! I had surgery on a Monday and went back to work the next Monday. I was more tired than anything. I was sore, but no real pain. I think I actually felt better faster by getting back into my routine, and getting out of the house and moving around. Have you had any surgeries before? I have always bounced back really fast from them, so I pretty much expected to from this one.

I am band to sleeve. I am 3 and half months sleeved and losing medium-slow, but I did with the band too. I lost a nice chunk (19 lbs) the first month, and lost about 6 lbs on each of the next 2 months. I understand your frustration, I am not losing huge amounts fast either... but am happy as long as I am losing. Are you tracking your foods? It really helps to see how much protein/carbs/calories you are getting. If you are tracking, it might help to share your daily stats on those... and see if you can get some feedback on what you might be able to tweak to boost your loss. I find that I am losing pretty steadily on 800-900 calorie, 80+ g Protein, 40 or less g carbs.

I think it is the duration that makes it bad. I had a week of liquid pre-op, a week post-op, and then 2 weeks of full liquids. I thought it was horrible. 4 solid weeks of liquids is nothing like I remember from the band. I used to do a day or two of liquids after a fill... I don't remember that being bad.

Add flavorings. Torani sugar-free syrups. Extracts. For example, few drops of peppermint extract turns chocolate Protein into Mint Choclate Chip... Torani has amazing flavors. SlimFast is CRAP, it is way too high carb for the amount of protein.

Weigh your food! I found that 2 oz was just enough of most purees... some might be able to do more or less at first. 2 oz was my perfect amount, and I knew if I had that I would not be miserable! I started weighing because I log it, and then discovered it was great for not "guessing" portion sizes. I still weigh most stuff.

I picked up a nice one at Walmart for less than $20. It is great... set the plate/bowl on it, tare back to zero, and it will accurately weigh the food as you put it on the plate. I have never used a scale before this, so I was impressed, LOL.

I am another fan of the Lane Bryant Cacique bras. The underwire balconette has great support and a nice round shape.

You look great! Well done.

Glad it is working for you. My co-worker was taking it for migraines and it ended up giving her depression and anxiety attacks, it did have the side effect of weight loss for her though. I think she lost 7 lbs, but she is not overweight at all.

I am a revision. I have been able to drink any fluids very very easily since about 3-4 days post-op. That is no indication of restriction. You probably won't really feel true restriction until you are on softs or solids, because liquids go through pretty fast. While I can drink a bottle of Water pretty much "normal", I am just now (at 3 months) able to eat more than 2 oz of dense solids at a time... I have noticed this past week or two that I can eat about 2.5 oz of chicken or meat. I cant imagine why the restriction would be any less on a revision... that tiny tummy is still made just as tiny as a "virgin" tummy.

I already had a shaker bottle and a magic bullet and I have never needed/wanted anything else. Honestly, I don't even use the shaker, I use Syntrax Nectars and it mixes easily with a spoon. I tend to do what is easiest and least messy, and I just mix my Protein drinks in an insulated tumbler and then fill with ice. I did use the bullet during the puree phase.

I was allowed all of these: Cottage cheese. Refried Beans with cheese and salsa. Lemon pepper Tilapia. Blackened Tilapia. chicken salad (still a fave). Tuna salad. Ricotta cheese with Marinara. pureed cauliflower with ff cream cheese and bacon bits (mock baked potato). Soft scrambled egg. I can't think of anything else offhand, I only had purees for a week... and that phase just flew by for me after the liquid hell!

What are you eating, and how much? Are you on solids, and are you taking a PPI or acid reducer? Do you get all your fluids in? You will get some great feedback here with a little more information! I also tend to eat about every 3 hours. I have Breakfast, a snack around 9, lunch at noon, a snack around 3, and then dinner. (I can only eat about 2.5 ounces at a time though... my Snacks still aren't much different than a "meal"). I assume that will change as my capacity increases a little more. I notice that I starting to be able to eat a little more Protein at a meal now, and my snack tends to be smaller.... like a cheese stick. It is common to stall in the first month. Are your clothes fitting looser? Sometimes if you lose a nice amount with pre-op and liquids the body decides to stall the loss and take a break. Keep with it and the loss will resume.

I have never felt like a failure... I felt like the BAND failed me. Even more discouraging for me, I had made it to goal before my band slipped and started years of progressively worsening symptoms. You are not a failure... it is more that you are NOT giving up. The Sleeve is NOTHING like the band IMO. It is everything I had hoped the band would be... effective and permanent.