Sosewsue61

Wow! Great job!!!

In the first couple weeks the main goal is fluids so you don't get dehydrated - so ignore waiting, as most of your consumption is very liquid anyway and you won't feel restriction until dense protein. The waiting is about restriction/feeling full AND digestion. I drink up to 15 minutes before meals, and wait 30 after unless the protein is a little dry. I have really good restriction with most food. Chicken breast is too dry/stringy no matter how I have fixed it (I am a good cook so it's not my cooking methods) but thigh meat is great, also pork loin chops are so dense I can barely eat 2oz of it and I sometimes take a bite of veg to help with getting protein down. I am 9 weeks out. When I drink now, I can take good slugs of liquids without issue - so getting hydrated is much easier after those first 4 weeks. Hang in there.

People are azzhats. It's the same with depression, if you have never truly battled it people always say - 'get over it, do something', like that helps - gee I didn't know that's all it takes to fix it <sarcasm>. They believe the media rhetoric about just eat less and exercise, it's more complicated than that.

Well, I don't have your medical thyroid issue. However, I have had a knee replacement - 8yrs ago. I have arthritis in a few joints. The joint stress has been greatly reduced since wlsurgery in October. I have had some work/family tragedies along your lines, add my brother's suicide/homicide, my best friend's son's suicide, outsourced job, and a house fire into mine but I don't consider those issues relevant to deciding on needing wl surgery. Ask yourself if your present conditions will ever improve without surgery? Or will your current path continue with even more weight gain and more joint misery? Only you can decide. I offer condolences for your losses. Your son very likely had cancer prior to surgery, and while malnutrition contributed to the his condition, it could also be said the obesity could have been a bigger factor as well. Good luck with your decisions.

I would not have wanted it to be outpatient surgery, it may only be a 30 minute surgery but it is still MAJOR surgery. You are getting an important organ excised by 85%. I was monitored by an excellent nursing staff for pain, liquid intake, given blood thinner, etc. Good luck. Keep in close touch with the surgeon's office - they might only have ONE nurse on call. Do guard yourself against dehydration which can happen very quickly and it's very hard to get caught up with on your own once it happens, you just can't sip your way out of it once you are dehydrated in those first 7-14 days.

I hate it when that happens and my emotions go haywire and I start getting ugly!!! (Cancel Christmas! Too much work, too overwhelming!) And of course I have this delusion that it's supposed to be perfect - and I am responsible to make it that way! Perfect food, 8 million cookies baked, decorating to the nines, cleanest house, yada yada yada.....

Internal stitches and that incision could be the one where they pulled the stomach out through.... And could you be constipated? You might be straining a muscle. Is it sharp sudden stabbing pain or just lingering, bothersome pain? Your body needs to heal yet. My incisions bothered me for 6 weeks...

Yay for you!!! And Merry Christmas ?

No one deserves to be obese either. Self-examination is in order but beating up on yourself is not the answer, that is part of the issue. Call your surgeon and explain how hard it was and ask if you can start NOW on the optifast and reschedule the surgery. Take action, not reaction.

Happy Anniversary to @Yosy and @Rainbow_Warrior !!!!!!!

She really can't eat much at only 11 days out by Christmas. I was on cream soups, cottage cheese, yogurt, and sf pudding. That doesn't give much leeway for holiday food choices. And she will not know how her sleeve will react to any new food, especially in a social situation. You can say you picked up a UTI and the antibiotic upsets your stomach - so the doc said you should stick to yogurt to get your gut bacteria back in shape. And when I'm better I would love some of your lasagne so I'm going to take some home and freeze it if that's okay with you?

You didn't say whether everyone gathers at one house for eating, or if it's multi-family, multi-food occasions, multi-days. Does everyone bring a dish to pass, is it traditional sit down dinner, are you Italian? So many variables to navigate.

It's acidic and can cause reflux. You are not healed, it takes months to heal all the way. Also alcohol is dehydrating. Mine said 6 months, and also be aware of transfer addiction. Some people turn to alcohol instead of food.

Your age may help you with some of this but there are no absolutes, just be prepared to be healthy even if there is loose skin. You would want to postpone plastics anyway until you are sure you are done with having children anyway. My old Weight Watchers leader said her skin tightened up and improved quite a bit but it took a few years.

Call your doctor.

Your sleeve is still there. Use it, go back to basics - dense protein, then veg, get fluids. Maybe some therapy for stress relief. Good luck.

You look happier and healthier! Great job!!! Even regular weight people have body issues, hang in there.

Those instances with eating issues years out are very rare, some people have underlying conditions that they either didn't know about (gastroparesis) or had complications (which are less than 1%), or unresolved eating disorders.

Thanks for the love wls family!!

Yay! Finally the scale moved down! And I 'shopped' in my underbed storage container - I only have one more set of sizes in there and those are summer clothes, so those will likely get skipped because I'm not wearing sleeveless and capris in Illinois winter!!! LOL

Biotene swabs for dry mouth - after surgery you feel like you will never get your mouth hydrated. Heating pad instead of hot water bottle. A thermal cup because stuff gets warm/cold because it takes awhile to get stuff down after surgery. After the first week, I could barely tolerate sweet protein drinks, I had ready-made Isopure punch or blue raspberry and mixed it half n half with premixed crystal light, Isopure is tart, 4ogr protein for 20oz and clear. Also tea because warm liquid relaxes the muscles in your esophagus and stomach. I agree on the Sam's Choice Bone Broth at Walmart, I added garlic and simmered vegetables in mine for extra flavor then strained it. Audible books for while you are walking. Take naps when you need them, sometimes you don't realize you are tired and BAM! You hit a wall of exhaustion five minutes later. Good luck.

You look really good, sorry about the hair loss, crossing fingers it is short lived issue!!!

Bummer, why was it cancelled? Hang in there. Be strong.

I'd kill for those measurements??!!!

Precook some food to have in the fridge, so when you are tired and the day's stress is working on you, you don't have to think about what to cook, you can microwave it in a hurry. Also get that crock pot out and throw in your dinner to cook while you are at work. I just bought some individually wrapped frozen fish. You could turn the oven on, walk the dogs, come back in and pop the fish in the oven, fix a veg, sort the snail mail, and voila dinner is ready.