katyb

I was allowed to use plastic retainers in my piercings during surgery.

I'm going to be the odd one out, but I don't think the people saying this are meaning to offend, for a number of reasons. 1) Americans are generally large. The "average" is overweight. That skews the perception. 2) The general thought of many people is that WLS is for the super morbidly obese. People tend to assume that if you're ambulatory, that you don't fall into a category of a WLS candidate. 3) A lot of us carry our weight well. When I was at my heaviest, my husband DID NOT BELIEVE ME that I weighed that much. Not because he's uneducated or unintelligent, but it "hides" well.

I wouldn't read too much into it. Let comments, specifically the ones directed at you, roll off your back. I'm not getting worked up and raising MY blood pressure just because of an unfortunate comment.

I generally do full or low fat. If I do a pungent full fat cheese, I can use less for the same flavor, and I don't have all of the nasty additives.

Oh, there's also a walgreens on the strip and some grocery stores within a 5 minute drive, 10 minutes to Trader Joes.

I did Vegas post-band, twice. There's plenty of small plate options on the strip, and if you avoid the fast casual type places, you can do just fine. You get to eat at higher class places, spend less, and not gain a ton of weight!

Also, if you have a car and can go off the strip, take the time to go to Lotus of Siam. BEST THAI food EVER!

60 is the goal I was given for a minimum.

I'm a 38G, so they're VERY substantial, and I used a sports bra for the first week or so.

I don't know about alternatives, but it really isn't the worst. It's just like, half an ounce. Plus, once I was out of the hospital, I only took it for a day or two.

It varies for everyone. Tuesday will be 4 weeks for me and I haven't had one yet. (Knock on wood!)

What have you been eating?

tuna, eggs, well cooked produce, berries, just had some fresh papaya, ground meats, etc. I had a really moist turkey burger (no bun) earlier today at a BBQ and it went down just fine.

I can tolerate a pretty decent amount right now. I've had nothing disagree with me so far. I can't wait to see what they say on Friday!

22/24 or xxl

Okay! I'll go through my closet!

I am 32. And trendy might i add. Lol sure i would love that. Just let me know about shipping costs. I will message you my shipping info.

What size tops?

I could KILL for a salad right now, too!

How old are you? I've got trendy stuff (I'm 25) and some more classic styles. I can go through my closet in the next day or two, if you can cover just the shipping.

I guess regular foods are the next step for me, but it sounds SO weird to be eating regular foods at just over a month out.

I lived in El Paso for a couple years, and to be honest, Juarez is on the tv every single freaking day.

For me, I get literally a feeling of fullness. Or hiccups! Haha!

Are you just trying chicken breasts? For the amount you'll be eating, the calorie difference between breasts and thighs is negligible. It's a moister piece and may go down more easily. Plus, it just has so much more flavor!

How did your surgeon progress you? I was discharged on full liquids, 18 days later at my "2 week" check up, I was allowed to eat soft foods, skipping purees (yay!). Next week, I go back for my 1 month follow up and I'm anticipating being progressed to the next stage. What is that, normally? Obviously, it varies wildly between programs, but what's next? After soft foods, what is there left to restrict when you're on regular food? Or is it everything as tolerated? I'm just very nosy and like to be prepared.

Oh, I think tofu would work just fine for soft foods (I'm allowed to have regular ground meats!) since it's so soft, depending on how its cooked.

I was allowed to skip pureed foods and go to soft foods. tuna was the very first thing I had. Even without it being super thin, it was just fine for me.

Just a note, that if you want to chat on Facebook, we have a secret facebook group going on there! It is called May 2012 Sleevers.

It is a secret group, so nobody can see the group, nobody can see who is in it, nobody can see our posts!

Would love to see you all there!

Just friend me on facebook (Sharon Ivanauskas) & then I will add you to the group!

I'm adding you!

At 3 weeks out, I'm not feeling any real hunger, but a bit of head hunger. I do feel like I'm having to eat every few hours to simply get in enough calories, though.

I was sleeved on the 1st and I'm down about 30 lbs so far!