ShelterDog64

Those pancakes are on my list, too! I love her blog

One of my favorite things to eat is refried Beans, with some cheese on top. I thinned them with a little Water at first until I felt I could handle the density. Sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, mashed a bit with sour cream mixed in, are so good! Last night my son made 'ravioli' out of strips of zucchini wrapped around a ricotta cheese and egg mixture, topped with some low-sugar marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella. He baked it until the cheese melted and the zucchini was soft. It was fantastic! And if you haven't found theworldaccordingtoeggface.com , you need to go take a look. She has amazing low carb/high Protein recipes on her site, the ricotta bake was the first 'real' food I had post-op and it was unbelievably delicious. At 6 weeks out, I'm able to eat pretty much whatever I please, but soft foods are still nice as they aren't much of a challenge for my stomach. I still eat protein first, then veg and then maybe a bit of carbs. Tonight I had grilled chicken, kale and a tablespoon of quinoa.

I wish healthcare professionals did a better job of understanding the impact of their casually spoken words. We're SO vulnerable to them and they just SAY things. One of the dietitians in my clinic is just dour...she's not a happy, encouraging person, and when I go to see her, I never feel good about anything when I leave, even if I'm kicking butt! If it helps, I think a 40 lb loss is fantastic and I'd love to be saying that myself!

I came off my diuretic several weeks before surgery, and I really noticed the fluid accumulation...I think you're right on about it affecting your weight loss. Plus a bad period, plus the cough. Are you taking your Vitamins? Do you take B12? And Water? I hope you start feeling better and losing again!

Hi APanda911! I still miss taking a giant bite of something, barely chewing and swallowing it That sounds so gross, but there it is... Congrats on your NSV! I think mine is probably that all of my cardigans are loose in the arms now...I used to have to stretch them out so that they were comfortable, now I just slide my arm in and they're already loose! I live in the Seattle area, so cardigans are an everyday item

Checking in I feel like I am living a normal life at almost 6 weeks out! Been on a couple of overnight trips, hosted company for a long weekend, lived thru a 2 week kitchen remodel, eaten out at restaurants and friends homes many times, served on jury duty, helped a friend in need, and more. I have dropped a size almost 2. Feeling good. Have a good handle on eating routine. Have a Protein shake for Breakfast and mid afternoon . Real food for lunch and dinner. Can only eat about 1/3 cup. Drink liquids most of the day. Haven't had any issues with my sleeve and I am super grateful for that! This is how I feel...my life feels normal now! Eating isn't something I have to have a laser-like focus on, I know I can find something to eat wherever I go and I'm not worried about it like I was. And I'm FINALLY remembering to take my darned Water bottle everywhere! Glad to hear its going well, Suzzzzz!

Just got home from a much-needed 5 days at the shore...there is something about staring at ocean that really centers me. AND, I came home to a few more pounds gone, so YAY! My goal is to lose 50 lbs during the first 90 days post-op. I'm now 41 days and 33 lbs from my surgery date, so I'm feeling confident that I can do it. My surgeon's 'formula' for sleeve weight loss is that whatever you lose in the first 3 months (so I'm shooting for 50), you'll lose about half of that in the 2nd 3 months (so another 25) and then half of the half in the 3rd 3 months (so 12). 50+25+12 gets me to about 90 lbs lost in 9 months, which is about 20 lbs short of my goal. This all feels very doable and in reach to me now...prior to surgery, it seemed nearly impossible. How are all of you doing? We need a roll call/check in!!

So glad to see you here, Maggie! I'm sorry to hear that you've been ill...I hope you're on the mend! I'll send you all my best healing mojo Please keep us up to date with how you're doing, you've been missed <3

Suzzzzz, I've started keeping a Quest bar and a small water bottle in my handbag just for those 'can't control' events. I SO often walk out of the house without my big water bottle and the protein bar has saved me more than once. And just as a ps, the day AFTER I gained one pound, I lost 3 Sorry about the disturbing jury duty, it's definitely a look at the underbelly of society at times, isn't it?

Glad to hear it moved some! I'm at 29 lbs lost....I REALLY want to be able to say "30 pounds!!". Maybe tomorrow

@@melissac79 Sending lots of peace and healing your way. Life can be SO hard and sometimes it seems like you can barely get off your knees from the onslaught of it all. Stay strong, friend <3

@@Heidijenn I read your post an hour ago and have been trying to come up with something to say that doesn't sound mean or harsh, because I don't feel angry, just kind of sad. I'm no expert on WLS, and I'm only in my 6th post-op week, but I could never have done this if I didn't have a positive attitude about the procedure and the outcome. In the endless classes and support group meetings my pathway required, I met so many people who could only focus on the food they wouldn't be able to eat. It blew my mind and continues to do so...we're all candidates for this surgery because we liked food more than we liked ourselves. It's hard to be completely honest with yourself, but I sat myself down and said "you are failing at life right now, sweetie, and someone is offering you a lifeline...are you going to refuse to grab that rope because eating 20 chicken wings at a sitting is more important that living a healthy, normal life?". And THAT is the bottom line. Do chicken wings mean more than your well-being? If the answer is yes, then walk away and go to Buffalo Wild Wings and chow down. But think about this: are there people in your world who you care about? Your partner, your siblings, your children, whoever it is that are a meaningful part of your world...can you stand in front of THEM and say "I love chicken wings more than I love you"? My weight and my inability to fully participate in my family's life has already altered the lives of my husband and children, so when I was offered this opportunity, I DID put on my big girl panties, stopped loving chicken wings more than life, and I had the damned surgery. My surgeon offered me AND my entire family a gift, but I was the only one who could accept it on behalf of all of us. So I decided that my family, my friends, my future grandchildren and I are more important that 20 chicken wings at a sitting. What are you going to choose? I wish you much peace and hope you're able to come to a point where the idea of WLS isn't terrifying, but is empowering instead. Please stay around and let us know how this all goes for you.

@@livvsmum I dealt with iron-deficiency anemia for about 6 years, I took every form of oral Iron available, ate iron-rich foods, blahblahblah. I finally ended up with a great doctor in the DC area who took my symptoms seriously and really looked at the details of my anemia vs just my hemoglobin and hematocrit. First, she addressed the source of the anemia which was my heavy periods. Once I'd had an endometrial ablation and the bleeding was eliminated, I did 3 rounds of 7 weeks of infusions, with iron dextran. My body's iron stores were so depleted that I was almost done with the second 7 week round before I started any feeling better at all. It took a few months after the last round for my numbers to stay in the normal range. I had my sleeve surgery on 6/21 and my hematocrit was great, my RBCs are normal size and shape and my iron binding capacity is finally in normal range again. I think many times moderate iron-deficiency anemia is dismissed, but I'm living proof that your numbers don't have to be at "OHMYGOD that's so LOW" to do long-term damage to your body. I spent most of my 40s exhausted, out of breath, in a mental fog and just feeling like crap. Good luck to you, I hope you're able to get your numbers back to a reasonable level.

I really like the Mio drops, but I don't add the full amount they suggest on the bottle. Less than half of the suggested amount works great for me, as I don't like the overly sweet taste either.

Here's a link to the cauliflower and egg breakfast bites I found last week. They're REALLY good and a nice change from what I've been eating in the mornings. I'm in such a food rut, I really need to shake it up a bit...these are delicious and I need to find more interesting stuff like this. http://del.sh/6006BlxyM

I'm so sorry you're having a hard time right now....I can't imagine going through a lot of emotional trauma right now AND trying to learn to live with my sleeve. Are you able to exercise? I felt like I was going to tear my autistic son's head off yesterday evening, so I went for a VERY long walk and actually liked him again by the time I got home I hope your doctor is able to do something for you and that stuck feeling as well. Hang in there!!

@@Alex Brecher It worked, thanks!

@@Dub I'm a newbie and can't comment on the weight loss aspect of reducing the pain, but I do have just a couple of things: 1. Bragg's is apple cider VINEGAR, and I have used it with some success in the past for knee/hip pain (I have weight related pain and early osteoarthritis both). I'm not sure how compatible it is with the sleeve, though. 2. I was on Celebrex prior to surgery and my doc plans to put me back on it when I'm about 16 weeks out from my sleeve surgery. Celebrex helped quite a bit and I never had any stomach upset with it. Motrin tears me up, so there's that comparison. 3. My doc prescribed Tramadol a week ago because I've got a possible tear in my right shoulder (labrum and/or rotator cuff). No concern about it damaging my stomach but there is a risk of increased seizure activity when combined with SSRIs or if you have metabolic syndrome. It's helping, but it's an opioid, so I'm only taking it at night for the shoulder. I don't think I could take it and drive/work/etc. Good luck, and I hear you about stupid games/stupid prizes, but it was a hell of a lot of fun while I was playing in my 20s and 30s :-)

If your animal is truly a service dog, not an emotional support dog, the ADA requires that the animal be allowed to be present with you in the hospital. You must have someone come in to bathroom and feed the animal, but SERVICE animals can't be excluded from hospitals. https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.pdf

@@Alex Brecher, I just tried the code and it won't work...any ideas?

I don't eat that amount in one meal..that's insane..thru out the day I eat this much..small meals is the key.. You've said that you throw up? How often? I'm in my 5th post-op week and I've never thrown up, even on full food. Well, there was one incident where I chugged a glass of Water without thinking, but....

Good luck tomorrow, I'll be looking for a post from you about how it went ????

@@Seastars You said "I just didn't think losing weight with the sleeve would be this hard. I read posts about the three-week stall, but that's AFTER someone loses, like, 30 pounds or so!" My 3 week stall was at 23 lbs, and I started with a BMI of 41 and no pre-op diet so no weight loss. My high weight was my day of surgery weight. I'm in my 5th week and still not at 30 lbs lost. And don't forget that men tend to lose faster than women, especially if they start at a much higher weight. Hang in there...I'm still eating 500-600 cals/day, I can't get to 800 and I think it may be inhibiting my weight loss. I'm walking, using the elliptical, doing some arm and leg weight work, etc...it'll come off.

It seems like many people with lower BMIs lose more slowly than those of us who start at 40 and above.

@@shotgun72000 I lost 23 lbs in almost three weeks, then nothing for a week. Then I lost 2 lbs one day, then nothing for a couple. Now I'm down 1.5 one day, back up one the next, down one the following...it's crazy. I'm not panicking, because I KNOW I'm on plan. I measure and weigh all my food, track it religiously, I'm getting at least 48oz water daily and walking my butt off (literally, I hope!!). I'm going to ride this out and be in a single digit size by January, I hope! I have a couple of friends who've had the surgery (both RnY) and they've been very reassuring that it's normal to have a little plateau every now and then. Donell1000 posted a link in this thread a couple of weeks ago about glycemic conversion and how it affects weight loss. It would be worth going back and finding it, it was a very good read.