deedee

Sounds like a lot of fun. I agree, beef or turkey jerky would be good. Also maybe some protein bars. I just bought this book [ame=http://www.amazon.com/This-Thousands-Simple-Swaps-Pounds/dp/1594868549]Amazon.com: Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds--or More! (9781594868542): David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding: Books[/ame] from the store the other day because I found it very interesting while browsing through. It may help make some decisions regarding fast food although you of course would not eat the bread and side(s) suggested. Good luck!

Welcome to VST! Congratulations on getting one of the items checked off the list in your pre-op process and good luck with the rest. Keep us posted and feel free to ask andy questions you may have.

Just 4 more days and you'll be sleeved...woohoo!!!!!!!! I wish you an easy and speedy recovery. Let us know how you're doing.

Welcome and congratulations on your date! March 1, will be here before you know it and I can't wait to here about your journey to becoming a healthier you.

My blood pressure has always been in the low range of normal and I was worried pre-surgery that it might fall even lower. When I brought it up to the surgeon, he said my body would adjust accordingly. Well, I've been feeling kind of "off" for the last few days. I've gotten light headed several times when I stood up, my ears have been clogged, and had a runny nose like a cold coming on, but hasn't. On my way home from exercising tonight I decided I should take my bp (I felt a little dizzy in class). I did when I got home and it was 99/61 with a pulse rate of 46. My normal ranged between 106-114 (for the top number), but my pulse rate was always 80-100 (kind of high). After a shower, drinking Water, and eating a salted nut snack, I took it again (about 2 hours later) and had 99/57 with a pulse rate of 51. I know it's not terribly low, but because of the light headedness I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this due to losing weight. It could be that I'm simply getting a head cold, but thought I'd ask. I'll call the surgeon's office tomorrow because I'm flying out on Wednesday for the rest of the week. Thanks for any insight you might have.

GOOD LUCK!!! You amaze me with your willpower.

I love reading this thread and congratulations on all of the successes you are experiencing each week! Click on anybody's ticker found in their signature and then click on the tab to create your own ticker. After you've filled out the information and click next it will take you to a page where you can copy a code (you want the bbcode) and then you put that code into your signature here at VST (you do that by clicking on customize profile.

Oh, you look sexy hot in those!

Excellent job MidwestGirl...it is a BIG DEAL to get out of the 240's!!! Today I weighed in at 147 pounds. That's 1.5 lbs. down from last Monday.

This has never been a favorite holiday or anything (always felt kind of contrived), but I wanted to journal about how this one went food wise. My husband and I had lunch around 11:30 AM before going to see Up in the Air, which I loved. I wouldn't say the honeymoon is completely over in terms of my sleeve, but it's definitely changing. I ordered an 8 oz. steak and ate 4 ounces with slight discomfort (ate too fast at the end so didn't realize I didn't need the last couple of bites until it was too late). In the past, like last month, I could only ever get in about 2-2.5 ounces of steak at a meal. For dinner, we went to one of my favorite restaurants here in town. They only offered a Valentine's special 3 course selection menu. I got the spinach salad, shrimp and broccoli fettucini alfredo, and strawberry cheesecake. I also ordered my first alcoholic drink (orange crush-vanilla vodka, orange juice, and sprite). My drink came out and I took a couple of really tiny sips, but even by the end of the meal it didn't look like I'd had any because it was so full to begin with. I thought I did pretty well on the salad, but when she took it away it also looked untouched. This was the first time having pasta since surgery and I ate one noodle and three pieces of shrimp and was full (not uncomfortable-I wanted room for dessert). I love our waitress who knows how little I eat so came at the perfect time and took it back to be boxed, but the people next to us kept glancing over...oh well. Now cheesecake use to be MY THING before surgery (discovered I liked it for the first time in grad school and my weight pretty much stayed in the obese category after that). I hadn't had any since surgery and it was so good. I again was only able to eat 2 bites and the great thing is I was so satisfied. I decided not to have that boxed because I could see myself grazing on that all day long. I still weighed in at 147 this morning, so nothing horrible happened I suppose. I ate more than I typically do on any one day and can definitely see why the first 6 months are called the "honeymoon phase." My sleeve tool is still there for me to work, I just think I'll have to be a little more diligent about working it now that I seem to be able to eat more.

Excellent news Shontel! I too prefer Prevacid, although mine is a prescription solutab tablet. I ran out of the prescription after 3 months and tried to just use nothing, that was a mistake I was seriously regretting and by the end of the first week I went to the pharmacist who had me use OTC Prilosec until they could get the refill prescription from my surgeon (it was fine, just not as settling for me). Bitsy, food choices definitely come into play for how bad my heartburn is, but not necessarily getting it in the first place. I think many people start out on a PPI for the first 3 months post-op at least and eventually wean themselves off. I have no immediate plans to wean off (I've gone a couple different weeks without while waiting for refills and they weren't pleasant) completely until maybe this summer over break. If I'm in discomfort, I tend not to be the most pleasant person and that is not okay if you teach middle school. You may want to call your surgeon's office or get an over the counter acid reducer.

Oh Jeani, my fingers and toes are crossed for you! I hope it goes quickly...good luck!

It will. Congratulations on the weight loss!

No advice here, just wanted to say I hope you feel better. I started to come down with a cold the week prior to surgery and called my surgeon's office to see if they would still do the surgery if I had a cold. I was told yes.

It was nice...sort of reminded me of Ann Taylor Loft or something (maybe a little trendier). I just had it built up in my mind so much, but I'll definitely go back, I LOVE that they sell jeans in short length.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! You are doing so well!

Hi, welcome to VST and congratulations on your date! Just like others have mentioned, you should talk to your surgeon about your concerns before the big day. I was so nervous when they brought me back to the prep waiting area that the nurses who were supposed to start my IV had a lot of difficulty. I was shaking and my teeth were chattering so bad. The nurse informed me that I should have let my surgeon know because he would have prescribed some kind of pill to take at home that morning to help calm my nerves. As for what I remember..just like my previous surgery, I was out like a light before they ever rolled me out of the prep area (I think I'm easy to put under). I remember at the pre-op appointment, my OR nurse explaining how I'd be rolled in and then asked to move to the table, but I'm sure they just moved me because I was out as soon as the anesthesiologist put the magic potion into my IV bag. This time, unlike the last surgery I had, I don't even remember waking up in the recovery room. My first awake moments is when they were waking me up as they rolled my to my hospital room. I do remember wanting to get out of bed to walk very soon (I'd done so much reading on how important that was). Good luck!

Thank you both for your kind words. And Tiff, same for you...I'm here to listen if you need to talk.

Congratulations to you both! It does get better...good luck on your recoveries.

Congratulations Mr. Nick and Annak. It makes it so much more special after a stall. Good job on rocking your sleeves!!!

Excellent news! I hope you have continued success.

EXCELLENT! The victories just get better and better from here!

I believe that's the only way to make it through winter:-) Congratulations for you loss!

Yesterday I had a major shopping trip and for once didn't go with anyone else so I could go to all the stores I wanted to, spend money on what I wanted, and not have to worry about accommodating others or wondering if they're judging me for what I bought or how much I spent :ack2: It also allowed me to explore some areas of my wardrobe that were lacking. I found and bought the most comfortable pair of pumps. I've never worn pumps for work (only special occasions) or play because they always hurt my feet so much. Maybe now because I'm a little smaller, they are more comfy or maybe because I got a little higher quality shoe, but I'm so excited to have found these shoes. I got them in black. http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3034548/0~2376780~6009391~6014000~6014004~6014012?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014012&P=1 Another thing I managed to do was finally shop in White House, Black Market. I've adored this store's window display in downtown Annapolis since I moved to the area 9 years ago, but figured nothing in there would fit and never ventured in. At the mall I decided to just bite the bullet and go in. Well, it's really not all that I was hoping for, but I did find a pair of cute jeans (in short :w00t:) and a cute top for my Florida trip next month. But isn't it funny how we build things up in our minds and then when we really look, it's not just that big of deal. My last victory of the day was finding a fabulous dress for Valentine's Day. I had already purchased a red dress in January, but it's sleeveless and even with a cardigan I still only have sandals to wear with it, so it's a no go with our current weather. It's sort of like this, but with pink and black instead of blue and white. I can't wait to wear it with my new black pumps! http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3068494?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=dresses&origin=searchresults

I was given some devastating news Tuesday of this week that has pretty much set me on an emotional roller coaster ride. Being off work due to the weather all week hasn't helped because I've had nothing else to take my focus. BUT the good news is I never turned to food for comfort. It didn't even cross my mind that I "deserve" this food or that because of the news or if I can make it to this point I should reward myself or plan a special meal, etc. It wasn't until last night that I even realized something was different. As an early post-op, I remember going through a mourning stage when the sleeve wouldn't allow me to use food as a comfort friend to heal emotional and physical pain. I guess I can say that I truly look at food now as a source of energy rather than a friend. This is not to say I don't have cravings and sometimes make the wrong decisions (eating chips, grazing all day long, etc.), but my relationship with food has changed completely and I couldn't have asked for more from this procedure.