Tiffykins

I was trying to be nice, but it's too damn early for that nonsense ! ! !

I slung leg just as much when I was fat. The big difference now is that I don't get winded, my body is more flexible, and positions are more easily achieved. Sex is more than the physical which obviously you don't understand. Intimacy plays a large role in an active sex drive. Self-esteem comes into play as well. We, as women, are a bit sensitive to our fat rolls getting in the way during sex. It must suck to be so close-minded about why our sex drive improves once we lose weight. It's more than getting your peepee wet with most women, and obviously you haven't experienced that to date.

I've never "weighed" my food. My stomach holds by volume not weighted ounces. I've experimented with foods with their volume and weight. And, about 85-90% of the time, the weight and volume of certain foods was off. But, sometimes, they were the same. Also, for a lot of meats, they are measured pre-cooked weight. If you cook weight, it loses moisture, the fat cooks out, and will weigh less. I just always measured, and when I did weigh the "measured ounces" of my foods, I was pretty stinking close too my Protein goals per day. It wasn't difficult to get in the required amounts with eating slow, and taking my time chewing.

It will get better. If your body isn't ready, it just isn't ready. Be patient, and I know it's tough, but try not to stress because that only makes it worse. The anxiety with eating (at least my experience) was that I felt like my stomach tightened down if I didn't relax. Also, if you can tolerate it. Drink some very warm tea or broth before your meal. This helped relax my stomach before eating mushy foods when I first started. We're here for ya, and don't feel like you're alone. Hang in there ! ! !

Your stomach nerves have been cut, severed, and stapled off. You aren't going to get a full signal this early out. It may take you months to get one actually. This is why measuring your portions, and sticking to the meal plan is so vital during the healing process. Overeating can cause issues with your staple line. Scar tissue is developing over your staple line, and you don't want to be putting more in than the recommended amounts. It took me months to get a full signal, and to this day, 14 months out, all that happens is I get a little sniffle (which I just recognized as a full signal), and a hiccup. I don't ever "feel" full in my stomach unless I ignore the sniffle and hiccup and take one or two more little bites. I had to set a schedule to remind me to eat. I ate on those scheduled times, and no more than the guideline allowed. This kept me on goal for Protein, carbs and calories without issue.

I'm with Jane. I've lost 7, count 'em 7 friends because I'm "skinny" now. But, I have not changed my personality since losing weight. I was a big b*tch when I was fat. It was a defense mechanism, and I kept everyone at arm's length. It what kept me safe. The friend's I've lost have been people that would not face their own problems with food. They were mad at me for "shunning the size acceptance" world of BBWs. I wasn't shunning anyone, I was being shun because I wasn't wearing a size 22W anymore. They apparently feel like since I chose surgery, I chose being skinny instead of staying fat and happy. I chose surgery because staying fat was going to end up killing me. Mean people suck. Selfish people do not like it when you stop giving them the attention they think they deserve. Many people are threatened by weight loss, even more so they are threatened by change. I was always the "hot and funny fat chick". I was a the "head cheerleader" of our little clique of BBW girls, all the boys wanted to date me, all the women wanted me to go out with them to attract men into our group because they lacked the confidence to dance on the table. I never tolerated shitty behavior from anyone just because I was fat. That definitely hasn't changed with my pant size. The only thing I can tell you is that change is not bad. Some people will embrace the new you, physical and mental/emotional you, others will be scared of the changes, and place the blame on you instead of realizing that the problem lies within themselves.

YAY YAY glad you found them. I love those little boogars.

I started at 270lbs, and a huge driving force to me losing weight was having a baby with my husband. I have one from a previous, and refused to get pregnant at my previous weight. I thought it was selfish, and dangerous. That being said, I've been cleared to try to conceive since March (which was 9 months post-op) for me. There were some extenuating circumstances that led to me being cleared to conceive before the standard 1 year after reaching goal. We've been not preventing since March, and actively trying, charting and using the clearblue ovulation monitor since June. I'm still not pregnant, but my body has been through hell in the last year. I lost 115lbs in 6.5 months that got me to goal, and I continued to lose for the next 4 months to my current maintenance weight of 120-125lbs. My labs have been amazing since surgery. I didn't have any co-morbidities pre-op so I was a pretty healthy fat chick. We're hoping to be pregnant by October. My husband is going for some testing. I know I don't fit into the exact parameters of your question, but thought I would share my experiences thus far.

Every surgeon and nut is different, but I've seen a lot of people's guidelines require the 3 month rule. My program didn't allow raw fruits, veggies or any type of nut until after 3 months post-op.

Thanks Rebecca. . . You could also be a quick healer. Everyone heals differently, and some people's bodies just need more time. You're not abnormal at all. Oregondaisy had the same issues and she's done great post-op. She was sucking down Water so fast after surgery that Dr. Aceves had to tell her to stop.

It gets better. I didn't eat solid food until I was 3 months out. I stuck to soft foods, and mushies until then because it gave me a chance to get all my Protein in from food sources instead of drinking those disgusting Protein drinks. I still eat lots of soft foods because honestly it's just easier. 4 bites (regular sized) of a chicken breast just doesn't do it for me anymore. I like to eat a bit more to ensure I get my calories and protein in.

I get my b12 at Wal-Mart. They have 2 different strengths in the sublingual. I take the 2500mcg once a day. It dissolves in about 15-20 seconds and it tastes fruity. Spring Valley 2500 mcg Sublingual High Potency 60ct for $5 at Wal-Mart. It's always on the top shelf of the Vitamins, in a green bottle with yellow cap and label.

Yeppers you sure can, and if you pop it in the fridge for about an hour, I swear the white chocolate flavored sugar free pudding powder mix makes the icky, tart plain, non-fat greek yogurt taste just like cheesecake. The lemon sugar free pudding is yummy too. I don't even make pudding with milk anymore, and I also make pies like lemon chess pie this way. I mix the pudding powder with greek yogurt, and toss it in a graham cookie crust, stick it in the freezer for 2 hours, and VOILA I have lemon chess pie.

Ditto to what Stacy stated. Plus, the majority of digestion occurs in the intestines even with meds.

I did a quick google search for the product line ingredients. I found lots of reviews, and here's a couple that I found interesting. Personally, I'm not willing to chunk a huge amount of money into these type of products. And, believe me, I'm super vain about my hair. I hate that I lost it, but it's growing back. Product Junkie Diva: No Standing Ovation Ovation Hair Products Reviewed Ovation Cell Therapy - Her Alopecia Womens Hair Loss Forums By the ingredient list, it looks like what you find in most every day shampoos with the exception of the Sodium Laureth Sulfate which will strip your hair of all the oils, build up, and essentially dry the crap out of your hair which leads to more breakage of your existing hair. The reviews I scanned over say that the cell therapy is a good product. But, you can also find the amino acids and protein packed therapies at beauty stores for about 1/3 of the cost without shipping costs. Just my 2cents :thumbup:

Here's my standard reply to this question: Plus you can read others opinion on carbonation. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/food-nutrition/7560-carbonation.html Here's another thread on carbonated drinks: http://verticalsleevetalk.com/post-operation-vertical-sleeve-gastric-surgery-vsg-questions-answers/7275-sodas-what-deal.html

The big difference is here I bet is that his stomach is longer than yours by sheer anatomy rules. If he's taller than you by 3-6 inches, I bet this where the difference is. At the 10-12 week post-op mark, I was still stuck eating no more than 3oz of dense Protein, and I had zero room for anything else at that point. If y'all are both satisfied on your portions, not hungry, not stuffed then everything is on par. That's just my 2 cents chickee ! ! !

Our lives sound very similar. I didn't think it was fair to strip my family of donut sticks, and ice cream just because my fat butt couldn't stop with one scoop of ice cream. I still buy snacks for my son and husband, I still keep ice cream in the house (it's on my weekly grocery list), I still buy chips and cheez it crackers. For me, I can be satisfied with 5-6 chips and go about my day. Of course, I didn't do this during my losing stage. I really buckled down, fought the food demons, and looked at food differently. I personally wanted to get to goal quickly, and then worry about maintenance later. Others choose to follow a different guideline. Truly, it's a personal decision on how you want to "work your sleeve". I decided to be strict with the guideline. A lot of people said "it's no different than being on a diet". My argument was and still is " the big difference here is that I'm no longer hungry, I can feed my body what it needs right now, lose weight, and then go about my day." With previous diet attempts and with my band, I was still hungry all the time. I felt deprived, I felt my food was being taken away from me, and that just led to binging. With the first 6 months post-op with the sleeve, I was never hungry, I was so focused on getting in Protein that I truly had no desire to eat off plan. I didn't have room for junk food if I wanted to hit my protein goals. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I'm a bit of obsessive, and I was pretty obsessed with getting my weight off as fast as I could. With all that being said, you choose which path you want to walk with the sleeve. If you want to have a milkshake once a week, you can have that milkshake. BUT, you can't sit back and eat ho hos, and Snicker bars and expect the sleeve to magically slim your waistline. You're totally in control. I had never felt so in control with my meals, with my food choices, with my desire to stuff to my face, once I was post-op, I was determined to WIN and WIN big. I turned my focus to cooking healthier meals for my family, for finding substitutions for foods that would be more "sleeve friendly". The best part of this journey has been figuring out that I'm in the driver's seat, and food is idly hanging out in the passenger's seat. Some options for the snacks that I've switched to are the 100 calorie packs of Cookies and crackers. Also, those gummy fruit snacks are yummy, and I know they aren't the "best" option, but they are better than a honey bun or another type of snack cake. I also get creative with snacks. Have you ever tried celery with pineapple cream cheese and crushed walnuts? Sounds disgusting, but seriously it's YUMMY. Also, there are some yummy veggie/fruit dips you can make with greek yogurt instead of sour cream or whipped cream. I sneak flax seed into all of the baked yummies I make for my husband and son. My husband loves banana nut muffins, and he has NO IDEA in the world that I drop about 4 tablespoons of flax seed in them. So, what I'm saying with all this rambling is there are lots of options for you that are family-friendly. If you want more ideas, feel free to message me. I've gotten super creative over the last year, and my family is healthier and happier because of it.

Not really a lot to report to be honest, I just wanted to share some pics. I'm 13 months out, and life is just kind of taking over. I've been maintaining now for a couple of months. I essentially have to graze to not lose. I still can't wrap my head around it, but hey, I'll take it. Life is not good, it's fabulous. I pretty much forget that I've had surgery. I just kind of go about my days, eat when my body tells me to, and I have lost that desire to eat huge amounts. I still love food, I still love to eat, and I don't think that will ever change. Making choices is more difficult now. I can eat more, but not huge amounts still. Max 8oz on mushy stuff, 3-5oz on meats. chips, crackers, junk food, all that lovely stuff, goes right down, and have little to zero issues with any of it. In May, I had some clothes tailored, my ball gown, a couple of shirts, a skirt, and I had held on to one of my favorite fat shirts. I tried it on one day, and realized it was now perfect for a dress. She took it in 4 inches on each side, and tried to taper it as much as she could without it becoming too short. I love it, and never would wear leggings before surgery. I felt my legs looked like little sausages shoved in a tiny casing. No more sausage link legs, and a world of fabulous discoveries. No before pic this time. I've posted that horrid thing enough. Before size 22/24W to a size 4 ! ! ! UGH, I hate when my phone freaks on the coloring. Sorry for the distorted side view. And, here's the tag to the shirt. As you can see, it's my previous size. I used to wear this with slacks, and a cropped blazer. It was that clingy shirt that I loved, but hated because it stuck to my fat rolls. Cheers to all of you. Thanks for being part of my journey. If you're riding the fence about this surgery, get off the fence, and do it. You won't regret it. For those that are just starting, or a few months out, do NOT give up. Stick with it, and you will love the results.

I have become a total salad snob. Well, I was before surgery, but now it's worse. I won't even eat romaine anymore. It's gotta be spinach or other hearty, nutrient rich lettuce for it to cross my lips. Spinach is a high Iron food, and it's great for use sleevesters.

I'll just ditto what Swiftflow mentioned. It's not "hunger" it's the acid that caused my "hunger' early out before I started taking the Prilosec. I take generic RX Prilosec 20mg once daily, first thing in the a.m. and 1 hour before eating. Pepcid, Zantac, Tums, etc etc are not PPIs and do not work the same. Ally- You may need a different PPI. You may need to take it twice a day. Check with your doctor and see he/she has any suggestions for you. NtvTxn- With Prilosec, it takes a few days for them to become full effective. I think it took around 10-14 days for it to really kick in for me. So, if you're just taking it "as needed", it's only treating the symptoms of acid, and not preventing it. I would take it on a regular basis per your surgeon's directions.

If you're calorie deficient all the time, your body may need more calories. If you're building muscle, you're probably losing inches. Have you noticed your clothes fitting differently? A pound is a pound. If you lose a pound of fat, but you're gaining a pound of lean muscle, it evens out on the scale. This is why measurements make such a huge difference. Fat is bulky, bumpy where muscle is lean and slim. I typically tell people the same thing when they stall. shake things up for a few days. Add 50-100 calories per day for a few days then drop back down. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Stalls happen with gastric bypass as well.

Look for the non-fat, plain variety. If you purchase the flavor, or fruit ones, you will get the sugar content. With the plain, non-fat, you add sugar free pudding (the white chocolate tastes like cheesecake), or other flavorings to make it taste better. I avoided the fruit or flavored varieties because of sugar and carb counts. I mainly used (and still use it) as a sour cream substitute.