istytehcrawk

I've heard that, too. Hopefully it holds true. And yeah, I'm definitely glad to be really getting going on the weight loss as the weather (supposedly) starts to warm up, rather than the opposite.

Ditto that. Hell, right now it's like 45 degrees out (70 in the house) and I'm bundled up in a thick, fuzzy blanket because I'm freezing. This doesn't bode well for when I have less built-in insulation.

I progress to a "regular" diet on Thursday, and I'm eager to be able to start eating crunchy things again (and fibrous, though I know I'll probably have try those gradually - I miss broccoli)! The thing is, I don't know WHAT crunchy things I want to eat. Obviously chips are a no-go (though I do have a bag of Quest protein chips to try). Baby carrots will probably be on the list, but I don't know what else! (I see my surgeon on Thursday afternoon, so I will find out then if I have any specific restrictions or things I need to wait to try -- I'm expecting salad to be one, though I reallllllly have been wanting a good spinach salad lately.)

Woohoo!

I had surgery Feb. 15. Looking back at notes I took along the way, it looks like my scabs started falling off on March 5 (~2.5 weeks), and I know the edges of the glue were peeling about a week or so before that.

My doctor had me taking massive calcium pills the day after surgery.

My program (at least in the liquid/puree/soft stages) doesn't have carb limits/ranges (or fat or calories for that matter), just protein. It's all highly dependent on your program. For example, mashed potatoes was a suggested food for me in the puree/soft stages (haven't reached regular yet but I think it is there, too).

Mine aren't any worse than usual, but the best product I've found is EOS (the little balls). I have SO MANY flavors of them I could probably come close to filling an egg carton.

I had my surgery in St. Louis and did not have to have a pre-op liquid diet, just maintain a 1,400-calorie diet from my last pre-op appointment until surgery (16 days).

I've discovered that while I don't personally like to sing, my stomach does! Especially at inopportune times (like when I was sitting at the dinner table, opened my mouth to speak, and my stomach sang a little tune).

Just gotta say, A+ reference. When I was a kid, I wanted a Gizmo of my very own, downsides be damned.

I haven't been anything remotely close to skinny since I was about five years old (I'm now 33), so now that I've had my surgery, I keep wondering... what will I look like -- not just if I reach goal (199 is just my starting point goal because I haven't picked a long-term goal yet), but along the way? I have absolutely no idea. I can't even look to my family for possibilities, as most of the women in my family are overweight/obese as well.

I had my surgery Feb. 15. I don't yet know what I'll have to pay for my hospital stay (the bill given to my insurance company is $49,473, but with my plan I shouldn't be responsible for even CLOSE to that) because it's still processing, but for the costs that have gone through (anesthesia and surgeon), so far I'm responsible for $1,251 out of $14,370 (about 8%), but my portion includes a $1,000 deductible.

I really enjoy all three of the flavors that are in the variety pack sold at Walmart.com. The grape one tastes kind of like grape Kool-Aid.

I'm three and a half weeks post-op and I typically drink one 8 oz shake a day (for breakfast) and supplement the rest with food (I'm on soft solids stage). Occasionally, I'll add a shake (or even just half of one) in the evening if I haven't done so well at getting my protein in that day.

I was able to start purees at one week post-op, after my first follow-up appointment with the surgeon.

IF the insurance I have at the time I'm ready for it will cover it (my current insurance seems like it will if deemed medically necessary), I'll have some excess skin removed. But, given that I'm not quite a month out from surgery right now, that's still a long way off so who knows if I'll change insurances by then (or if it will even be determined medically necessary).

I'm at about the same stage (will be one month out on Thursday, and down about 34 pounds), and I'm totally with you on points 1-3. As for point 6, I had that with my stapler incision (biggest one, on the far left side) for a while after the rest of my pain had subsided. My cousin (who had the surgery nine years ago) and my mom (an RN) said it is because of the scar tissue pulling. Mine subsided but still occasionally gives me pangs, which my cousin said it did for her off and on for almost a year, but mostly it's fine now.

My favorite thing during the puree stage was to take a few meatballs; add some marinara sauce, spices, and parmesan; and puree it all together. It was basically like eating the meat sauce left on your plate after spaghetti.

I've noticed that, too. With not feeling hunger, I have to really pay attention to the clock (even set alarms sometimes) to remind myself that I *need* to eat. And even if I'm craving something in particular, if I get to the point of eating it (I'm on soft stage, so some foods have to wait), after only a couple bites I'm pretty much over it. It's so weird to me. For example, the other night, I made a cauliflower crust pizza, and it sounded/smelled/tasted SO GOOD but I was almost sick of it (not to be confused with sick FROM it) by the time I had eaten half of a tiny slice.

Congrats!

Like @Gagsy, I'm being very open about my surgery. I figure that's the best way I can do my part to help reduce the stigma that surrounds WLS. So far, nearly everyone has been very supportive, with only one person saying (when I was just starting the process) that I would regret it. Several people in my small town have gotten some form of WLS in the last few years -- at least six acquaintances I can think of, just off the top of my head, plus I know there are others. Besides, my goal is to lose at least 200 pounds, so it's (ideally!) going to be very noticeable, especially to people I see often, and I don't want to have to come up with a lie and then make sure I am consistent with it. Too much mental effort when I have other things that need my focus.

Update to this: I was able to sleep on my stomach most of the night, without pain, on March 5. I'd managed for a little while a couple nights before that.

I'm only 31 pounds down so far, but I've noticed that some of my clothes (especially pants/jeans) are starting to get loose. Thankfully I've been stockpiling some cheap clothes (from thrift stores, yard sales, and a Kmart that went out of business) in smaller sizes since I started this journey (three years ago), and also have been given some free hand-me-downs from my mom and a few friends who have also had the surgery or otherwise lost weight, so I'll have less to buy as I shrink. Unfortunately, it's MOSTLY shirts that I have in smaller sizes, and pants are more expensive!

Watched the whole series the other night (it's quick, as there are only 10 episodes that are each about 20 minutes long). Was a little taken aback by how much I identified with certain behaviors.