Brandeis

I'm 9 months out and it still happens to me regularly. I just take regular Zantac whenever I start to get a bit rumbly...

My program has a support group every month, and I love it. I don't really NEED it -- nothing they say, really, is news, but there's something nice about talking to other people. And also them telling me how amazing I look. (;

Yikes, I missed that you said only 5 weeks out!! XDDD I was mostly still eating scrambled eggs at that point...

If I put 4oz of solid chicken on my plate, I'm sure that I would STRUGGLE through eating it. But when it's 4oz of a mix of things, some chicken, some fruit, some cheese, etc -- it's much easier. So in this case, it could have less to do with how much you're eating as WHAT you're eating?

Honestly, until recently I found many meats very difficult. I'm 8 months out now and its' settled a lot, but it's still easier for me to do cheese...

I think they will!!

I only had to do 3 months, since I did it through a verified Bariatric program! I'm in Yonkers, so I went up to Montefior New Rochelle -- they have a great program, with a great monthly support group as well. I'm not sure quite where you're located, though I think I recognize your face from the NY thread. Queens, maybe?

1 minute ago, DBDude said:

That's it - Most of the trip I'll be likely drinking coffee, Water, and iced tea. I won't drink more than 1-2 mocktails / cocktails a night (and if they're big, I likely won't get through 1). I just want to make sure its not going to permanently wreck anything.

I'm not worried about going off the rails as far as my diet - I've been pretty disciplined the past 6 months. If I do manage to get dumping syndrome, then that will nix that idea

I honestly wouldn't even do 1 a night, GOOD LORD, they're like 300-500 calories each on a cruise ship -- which is like half your daily calorie intake, I dare say! Of course you're an adult, who can make your own decisions, and usually I'm one of those people who's very flexible on taking little breaks (I love a square of chocolate in the evening) but....these are just a terrible idea. They're everything we're not supposed to do: high sugar/carb, no nutritional value AT ALL, liquid calories....

seriously, you're better off just drinking actual alcohol.

Don't drink the mocktails. They're everything you shouldn't be eating right now -- and they're likely to give you dumping syndrome, even with sleeve, or at the very least an upset tummy. If you want to indulge, you're better off having some straight liquor on the rocks, as someone said earlier. Clear liquors are better because they're lower in sugar. Have like ONE on the cruise MAYBE.

If you're itching for something sweet, pack some crystal light. (; They'll allow it on the cruise!

Surgery date: 11/14/2016

HW: 317

SW: 292

CW: 204

GW: 167

I'm down 113 total, since last july when I started pre-op diet! 88 since surgery~

I've dropped 10 dress sizes.

Good luck!! I also had this plan; everything went PRETTY WELL though I had some problems with the particular hospital I wanted to go to. Even that got sorted though, you're going to be golden!!

Oh, I also waited until after surgery! But that was because I was having serious insurance issues and was concerned it wasn't going to go through. >___< I told my mom she wasn't allowed to tell any family until after I'd gone under -- but once I had, it was open season baby!!!

I want to add -- to me, the idea of keeping it secret is like admitting it's something to be ashamed of. And, in my opinion, it simply is not, and so we shouldn't act like it is. The more people who know about surgery and associate a face with it, the better. It'll help them learn about an option.

Because I was honest with my friends, I have ANOTHER friend who's now having the surgery. If I hadn't been so open/honest about my journey, she probably would never have considered it. So, for me, it's worth telling.

But then, I've also never had anyone be weird or cruel about it, aside from some jealousy...

It's a personal choice, but I told literally everyone in my life. I told my family, I told my friends. I told coworkers. To my brother's horror and consternation, I regularly tell waiters/waitresses at restaurants. For me, it's not a big deal; why should it be? I'm just open and honest about it. It's a huge part of my life and who I am now, so it feels silly to keep it inside.

having the balls to wear a two piece swim suit!

Panache makes an AMAZING underwire sports bra that gives really good support to the gals. I'm still a G cup, even 100 pounds down; I suspect I'll never hit 'normal' sizes when it comes to bra. But this one's comfy, and supportive, for sure, even if it's a bit expensive!

For me, though, it's always worth spending on bras. They last longer and feel better...

Good posture is 90% of it. Back straight. Shoulders down. Head up but chin tilted slightly down. Smile, and make sure it's a real smile, one that touches your eyes!!

My NUT flat out told me I should be eating a serving of fruit a day. Some fruits are better than others, though. Bananas are VERY high in sugar; she suggested apples and berries as some of the best options! And no mango, papaya, or pineapple, as they might still upset the stomach.

If you're exercising, if you're following your diet plan, if you're not grazing -- then you're fine. IF you're consuming fewer calories than you're eating in a day, then you WILL burn fat. Sometimes those pounds on the scale are caused by something totally different: maybe you're retaining Water, maybe you're about to get your period, maybe you're building some muscle, if you're working out a lot.

Don't worry about it unless it goes up and stays up. Otherwise, just shrug a bit at the blip, and acknowledge to yourself that you're doing everything right. It'll go down eventually.

Ahhh, thank you all! As of today it's 100 pounds down, which is INSANE!!! only about 18 to go to get under that 200 mark......

Honestly, at 6 months out, I do eat out a lot. I can pretty much always find something on the menu that's not too terrible: just look for high Protein, low carb. Usually I go for an appetizer, which I rarely finish. I have no regrets about the surgery. It doesn't limit my ability to do all the things I used to love doing. It doesn't even, really, prevent me from tasting things that I always loved. I just can't overindulge the way I used to.

Posting here too, because I am SO EXCITED!!

my six months post op shot. The first is from about a year ago, at my heaviest; the second is about a month post op; the third is today!!

How about quiche? It's so fancy-sounding and seeming, and SO good once you have sleeve. You can do with a pie crust, and then not eat the crust yourself, or you can do it crustless. My preferred quiche these days is done crustless in a muffin tin! It makes each one a nice size for portioning...

I still eat the things I loved to eat before, most of them. It's just, instead of eating enough to make me fat, now, I eat ONE BITE OF THEM when SOMEONE ELSE orders it at a restaurant -- and that's enough to leave me satisfied. Don't think of this as the end of being a foodie, because I certainly still love food.

I just don't love to EAT.

The trick is the same thing that all those skinny people all over the world use: moderation. You'll be satisfied with less, and you won't feel like you're missing out.

I think some people have an easier time eating more post op than others. I'm at 6 months now and, honestly, I very rarely can make it through the full 4oz that people say we're able to eat. Some food is easier than others, and some days it's easier as well. But so long as your blood work is good, and you're not losing more weight than is healthy for you -- why should you push yourself to eat more, except for good old "clean your plate" guilt?

Today is my 6 month surgeryversary, and so I finally got my but in gear and pulled some dresses out of the closet to take "same dress" status shots.

The results shocked the heck out of me.

The first pic is probably at my biggest weight; around 317. The second is maybe 1 month post op (so about 45 pounds down) and the third one -- that's today.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm looking at these after pics of me and thinking....am I still "fat"? I guess technically I am; still fall just in that "obese" range. But I don't look at them and just sigh at my body the way I used to.

Add to that that I go to the gym 4-5 days a week, walk about a mile and a third on the treadmill every mwf, can walk more than that when I'm out and about, and my perfectly stable sleep schedule -- and altogether, I feel like a pretty different person.

Fun bonus shots of how much too big these dresses (which were slightly too small at my biggest) are on me now: