Tiffykins

I have an addictive personality, and knew that I could have a case of transfer addiction. I prepared for it, and my transfer addiction is definitely shopping. I set myself a budget, I only shop clearance, and use the hell out of coupons. That way, I don't put my family in the poor house, but I can still shop. I admit my shopping got a little out of hand a few months back once I started maintaining, and I could buy all clothes in the same size, and not worry about giving them away because I couldn't wear them anymore. BUT, I got it under control pretty quickly. I never really ate out of emotion, but when I had nothing else to do, I shopped. The one thing that has helped tremendously is that I threw myself into a social life frenzy. I volunteer on base and with my husband's squadron. I signed up for several special activities through our spouse's club, and I started getting out there and truly living life. I also started working part time again as an independent jewelry advisor with lia sophia and it's been the best damn thing I did on this journey. I earn free jewelry, and a paycheck. SO, I get to shop for jewelry, and my clothing and shoe budget increased LOL ! ! ! Just to let you know, I still have cravings. I don't get hungry, but I still have an appetite for food. I still love food, but my relationship with food has definitely changed. I'm able to satisfy that craving with a small amount of food, and go about my day without beating myself up over gorging myself on 3-4 servings. The sleeve didn't fix my mental cravings, but it makes the decision-making process a lot easier when it comes to what I put in my mouth when those cravings hit. The best example I can give you is: Mexican and Thai food are my biggest cravings. I can eat eat a lot of chips and salsa, but I choose to eat 3-5 chips, then a bunch of meat from fajitas, half a tortilla, and some sauteed onions, and I'm done. With Thai food, I can eat a lot of spring rolls, but I choose to eat one after I peel off all the external wrapping, and then I order pepper steak with no rice. I eat the meat that will fit in my sleeve, and a few onions. I've satisfied my craving, and I've stayed with the "rules" of eating with the sleeve. Sometimes, the inner fat girl wins, and I'll eat an extra spring roll and skip some meat, or I'll roll up some beans/rice with cheese and meat in a half of a flour tortilla, and eat that instead of all meat with the fajitas, but pre-op, I'd eat 3-4 spring rolls, all the meat plus all the rice with Thai food, and 3-4 full tortilla filled with fajita meat, Beans, cheese, hoards of rice, guacamole and salsa for my Mexican food. So, what I'm saying is that with the sleeve, I can still eat what I want, just in smaller quantities, and I'm not left feeling deprived, or like I can't have what I mentally want. I kept a journal, not online, a handwritten journal during my losing phase. I was able to write out my emotions, and how I was coping with all the changes. It gave me something to keep my mind occupied, and I kind of feel like it was an outlet for me. I played computer games (Thank you Facebook), and then I would plan my meals for the next couple of days. I'm a planner, and extremely organized, pretty Type A personality, and needed structure. That is the one thing I can honestly say that helped me the most. Being organized, and having a schedule. My husband was deployed for the first 4 months of my recovery, and I wrote to him even though our communication was pretty non-existent due to his location and mission. I would recommend setting small goals for yourself to reward yourself. Find something else that you enjoy, and for 20lbs lost, reward yourself. If you love reading, buying that #1 best seller you've been eying when you hit your goal. If you like to shop, purchase something for yourself that you won't shrink out of, like jewelry(NO rings, your fingers are going to shrink), or get your hair done. You might find exercising super exciting (I never caught that bug, I just did because I knew I had to do it), but if you end up being a workout-aholic, buy new cute workout clothes, or a new pair of sneakers. Replacing old habits with new ones is the best advice I could possibly give. Be positive, and if you have food issues, I highly recommend you tackling them now instead of waiting until after surgery. I think the band pretty much forced me to deal with my food issues because my food choices were so limited with the band. You'll do great because you've already identified some of your food issues. The next step is to really examine how you will deal with it post-op when you can't use food as a coping mechanism. Have a plan, and know that there will be struggles, and little speedbumps in the road to success. But, I can tell you 100% that your victories will outweigh the struggles tenfold! ! ! Best wishes, and I apologize for the ramble! ! !

I lifted weights, isolated a particular body area such as arms and chest one day, the next day was legs, and the next day was shoulders and back. I did one day of hard cardio by doing Hip Hop Abs (it's a 30-40 minute workout). I did one day of lower extremities, calves, forearms, and abs with isolated tonight exercises for those body parts. I never worked out more than 1 hour a day. I hate walking and never got on a treadmill for more than 10 minutes to warm up before lifting.

Thank y'all so much ! ! !

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh thank you bunches. I'm not opposed to liquids, but I could add it to my yogurt. I kind of need a pop and go routine. I'll research it and let everyone know which route I choose.

I technically don't need iron at all, but I'm not willing to switch my Multivitamin after using them for over 2 years. Plus, iron supplements just suck LOL. I had thought about changing my multi, but I'm a little paranoid about switching off of it, and one of my other values dropping. I'm leaning heavily toward the BA lozenges, and I think I should be able to take 1 in the morning, one in the evening with my dinner, and then my multis at night before bed. I would only need 2 BA lozenges per day since I get a good amount of calcium from food sources. Thanks for the review on the BA lozenge.

Instead of stapling off and removing the stomach, they just fold the stretchy part of the stomach onto itself, and use a suturing technique to keep it pleated together. None of the stomach tissue is removed vs. the VSG where the stomach tissue is actually removed from the body.

As for making the decision, that really has to be on you. As for your "friend" that is threatening to stop talking to you (that's such juvenile behavior at best), ask them "if I had a malignant tumor, would you quit talking to me for having it removed?" In my mind, having a large portion of my stomach removed, simply removed part of an organ that was allowing me to overeat, and led to my obesity. As for the easy way out, have your friend contact me, and I'll be more than happy to share with them the stone-cold facts on how it's NOT easy to have any WLS. With friends like that, you don't need enemies. Honestly, if they can't be supportive, and positive then don't let them tell you how your going to live your life. It's your body, your future health, and if that friend wants you around for years to come without having to pop medications, or live with co-morbidities that will inevitably put you in an early grave, then they need to be supportive or they need to be out of your life.

So, I would have to take 6 of them to get close to the 1000mg that I need, right? Since 2 of them only have 333mg of calcium citrate per 2 capsules, am I reading that right, and doing the math correctly?

Calcium carbonate (the type found in Tums, the chocolate chewables Viactiv) is not fully absorbed without an acidic environment, and since I take Prilosec (keeps my stomach from producing acid), the calcium would not be absorbed, and is not going to protect my bones. Plus, calcium carbonate can cause some rebound reflux so I avoid it. Calcicum citrate does not have to be taken with food, and has high absorption rates without needing an acidic environment so it's the recommended calcium for bariatric patients.

Best wishes Lisa ! ! !

Nopers, not if that's what has worked for you and your body. I just knew my body, and what it would take for me to drop all my weight. Once I got to goal, I was having that many plus extra carbs on some days just to maintain my loss and continued to lose sporadically. Your getting in your carbs from good carbs, and probably getting in more Fiber than I ever did during my losing stage. I now eat over 100 grams of carbs per day, and that includes white carbs. If I drop my carbs, I lose. I recently tested this little theory over Halloween (all the parties, drinking, Snacks, junk food) gave me a 6lb gain(up to 131lbs). I went back to eating less than 50gr of carbs for 2-3 days, and BAM dropped back down to 123lbs (8lb loss in 2-3 days). I no longer track my food, just kind of mentally keep things in check, and when I see a little gain, I cut the white carbs way down, but still eat them.

By the (very skewed) BMI charts, I should weight 118-127lbs. BUT, the national average for a woman my height and age is 137lbs. I literally bounce between 123-130lbs any given time so I guess I fall on the higher side of the "ideal" weight. My surgeon explained that when we are heavy for so many years our bones grow more dense to accommodate the weight. That was his reasoning for setting my goal weight at 150lbs instead of the lower end. I'm only 5'2" and today I weigh 126lbs, so that puts me at the high end of the BMI chart, but I'm in a size 2 jean, and an Xsmall to small top. I have huge knee, elbow and ankle joints assuming they're huge because I was morbidly obese for 10+years. We share the similar stats as I started off at 270 with the band, lost 23lbs initially, gained back 16lbs waiting on my revision, so that gave me a 7lb loss with the band, and a 138lb loss with the sleeve alone for a total of 145lbs lost. I used this "chart" to chart my loss, and my success, plus it gives a really great report at the end. I think it gave me a good idea of where I "needed" to be at goal, and life after. http://www.thinnerself.com/files/Expect_Chart.htm

Check out the link for ordering samples because even if you find one tolerable now, post-op your tastes can change, and the ones you order may not work for you. I wouldn't buy any tubs or large quantities until after surgery, and you know which ones work. Also, some of us develop lactose intolerance, and whey is a milk product so even if it tastes good, you might not be able to tolerate it. I experienced all of that, the tastes changing, the lactose intolerance, and couldn't use any of the Protein drinks, and lacked protein until I got to mushies and could get protein from food sources. Here's the link for ordering protein samples: Read through the entire topic as people have added reviews, and other sources to get samples. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/1267-places-to-get-liquid-protein-samples/ You can also check out this entire forum for protein suggestions, and reviews from other users, here is the link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/78-protein-drinkspowders/ Also, here is a link with an ENORMOUS list of Protein Drink recipes that might help make some of them more tolerable: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/5906-a-huge-list-of-protein-drink-recipes/

I have been taking GNC Solotron chewables with bioavailable Iron for over 2 years now. They are wafer type chewable, and kind of taste like the berry tums, just not as chalky. I have never had a deficiency in any of my labs, and I get a 45 day supply for about $14-$15 at GNC. If you buy some, make sure they have iron in them as there are 2 Solotron Vitamins available at GNC. If you do go to GNC, or order them online, and they end up making you sick, you can return them even if they are opened. I do love my multi, and am pretty loyal to the brand only because they've never steered me wrong, and they don't taste horrible. I will let you know that your urine will be a bright yellow color taking them. Here's the link for the ones I take: http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2874412

meat, cheese, and eggs. Some refried and pinto Beans, but for the most part it was all meat. I used Greek yogurt instead of mayo/miracle whip for tuna/egg/chicken salads, and subbed Greek yogurt for sour cream. The main carbs I ate were from the cheese. I stuck with green beans and broccoli for greens.

Thanks chickee ! ! ! My hair is nowhere near back to where it was pre-op, but it's getting there.

Walk, walk, walk, and more walking. I did some light stretching by stretching my arms above my head, and kind of twisting my upper torso. A heating pad on low as well will help the gas escape. I never "felt" it escape, no burping or tooting was ever experienced so I'm not sure where it went or how it escaped.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh how I love your updates ! ! ! You look amazing, and I'm so glad life is going so fab for you. Cheers to your success ! ! !

Yep, it grows back. I used Folicure extra care shampoo (available at Sally's beauty supply or online) every other day. It strips your scalp of build up and allows the new growth to come through. I started losing at 3.5 months out, and it lasted a solid 3 months, but I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped. I never took Biotin or other nail/hair supplements, just kept up with multi-vitamin and used that shampoo every other day.

You must be my twin because I have the same "trigger foods". I could eat tons of spaghetti, barbque, egg, chicken and tuna salad pre-op, and would literally eat until I was miserable on those foods. Now at almost 18 months post sleeve, I have little to no desire to eat large quantities. I eat my small portion, I'm satisfied, and I'm to the rest of my day. It's kind of funny because I usually bring leftovers home, but lately I've been not wanting to eat whatever yummy stuff I bring home. It's like I've satisfied that craving, and have zero desire to eat it again. Of course, there are ways for me to eat around my sleeve, a glass of wine before a meal or a hot tea allows me to fit more in, so if I'm having one of those " I want more moments", I admit I have a glass of wine, or a cup of tea/coffee before my meal. The portions I'm eating now are still so small compared to what I ate pre-op that even when I 'cheat' the sleeve, I'm not eating a lot of food. I honestly have lost all of my desire to eat large quantities.

I lost 138lbs in 10.5 months with the sleeve. Ask as many questions as you'd like, we're here to help ! ! !

You can incorporate other foods to give you some variety. Check out the recipe forum here, and The World According to Eggface blog is really great for protein dense meal ideas and recipes. You don't have to restrict yourself to chicken and tuna. You're deprivation method may be causing more buyer's remorse than normal. There's lots of ideas that are healthy, and sleeve friendly out there for you to choose from, and that will help you not feel so deprived. I had one case of buyer's remorse at Thanksgiving last year, and I was so pissed at myself because I couldn't gorge myself on the one day out of the year that a fat chick can eat her way through 8lbs of food and no one would say anything. But, it was a fleeting moment, and now I don't miss eating huge quantities of food at all. This is a mental journey just as much as it is physical, and honestly things get better the further out you get. You're barely 3 weeks out and right now your body is still adjusting to surgery, and your hormones are all over the place. You just have to know that you will eventually feel better. If you're constantly negative, that's all that will surround you. I know the "positive polly" mentality probably sucks to hear, but it's true. I can't stress enough that being positive will help you tremendously. There are struggles, no doubt, but believe me, the victories far outweigh the struggles unless you allow the struggles to beat you down. You have to start believing you are worth it, and that all you're enduring right now will have major a payoff ! ! !

Yeppers, nothing will really work to help with the boobs outside of surgery. I'm right there with you. I went from a 40/42 D/DD to a TINY 30-32 B and the only reason I'm a B cup is because of the skin. I go for my plastics consult at the end of January 2011 if I'm not pregnant by then, I'm having lift, implants and nipple repositioning ! ! ! I can't wait to have boobs again.

I agree with having your nutritionist look at your food journal, and give you some ideas on where you can maybe change things up to ensure you continue to lose. If you're not counting carbs, you might be surprised how just eliminating 20-30gr of carbs can really change things. For me, even in maintenance, I see a marked change in my body weight, and how I feel if I eat way too many carbs. I can go back on a modified Atkins (no more than 60gr of carbs per day), and I can drop 3-5lb per week even at almost 18 months. If you don't want to count or cut carbs, are you getting in extra Fiber to help balance (net carbs) the carb intake? I know not everyone wants to count carbs or "diet", but I found it super easy to eliminate most carbs during my losing stage because I was too focused on getting in Protein. My surgeon had my goal weight set higher as well, and I dropped an additional 25lbs to get me 25lbs below goal and into the "ideal" BMI range for my height. I started off with a BMI close to yours so losing all your EW is possible. I chose to count carbs, drink tons of clear fluids, and push protein via food sources. I didn't work out for the first 4 months because of complications, but as soon as I was released, I started lifting weights. Nothing heavy, or strenuous, but I did do isolated body toning. The gallbladder and female issues can definitely throw off your body. You've done amazing well thus far, and Celebrate that success.

Our program restricts raw fruits and veggies for 3 months, and I avoided carbs (no more than 30gr per day) during my losing stage. But, I do eat everything you listed on a pretty much daily to every other day basis. There isn't anything I can't eat. I don't tank up on a bunch of breads, but I can easily eat 1 soft taco from Taco Bell minus the top part of the tortilla.