NtvTxn

It's been almost 3 years and my 'top 3' haven't changed. 1) Waking up to a collarbone! 2) Having a sales lady call me small (Me, is she serious??!!! That's what I was thinking) 3) Trying on a size 6 GAP jeans and realizing they were too big. I got a size 4 and inside I was squealing like a four year old!!

Congratulations!!! At one time, I just knew I'd be happy as a pig in mud if I could get down to a size 12. Well, I underestimated what I could do with this new little tummy of mine. (I call her Sylvia) I got to a 12, lickity split!! I knew I could go lower. My new goal was a size 8. I kept going and going. I haven't tried on other brands, so I don't know what others fit like, I like Gap, I have several different styles. I wear a size 4 and on a 'fat day' I'll wear a 6. At almost 3 years out, I still look at these jeans and think 'NO WAY'!!!! Just wait, look at how quickly you got to where you are. Amazing, thrilling, shocking....it's a wild ride, enjoy every single minute!!

Hey all you NE Dallas folks!! One of my fellow Forest Park sleevers has started an informal support group that is meeting for the 2nd time on Saturday, March 23rd at 12:30 PM. The meeting is taking place at Season's 52, located at 7300 Lone Star Dr (Shops at Legacy) It's a restaurant known for healthier food and not the huge portions we Texans are use to...and prior to surgery, let be honest, we expected those Texas sized plates! This group was a lot of fun last time, there is not a 'speaker' but we all ask and answer questions of each other. There was one pre-op patient, in fact he was on the liquid diet, and there were two ladies who were four and five years out. The food is great, I had chili with Beans, there were all sorts of things to choose from. This group is very convenient for those who find it hard to attend a support group during the week and is also great for those of us who live in Frisco, Allen, Richardson or NE Plano. What a fun way to support and meet others who know and understand what we are going through. Bring your 'cheerleader' if you want. My husband seldom misses attending a meeting with me. Everybody is invited, no matter where you're at in your journey....Even if you are just thinking about surgery and want to get answers, this is a good way to get some information you're curious about. Send me a message and I'll give you the email address to RSVP to Kevin so he'll know how many to expect. He does need to let Season's 52 know. It's fun....join us!

Hey all you NE Plano folks!! One of my fellow Forest Park sleevers has started an informal support group that is meeting for the 2nd time on Saturday, March 23rd at 12:30 PM. The meeting is taking place at Season's 52, it's a restaurant located at the Shops at Legacy. (I can give you the address, if needed) This group was a lot of fun last time, there is not a 'speaker' but we all ask and answer questions. There was one pre-op, in fact he was on the liquid diet, and there were two ladies who were four and five years out. The food is great, smaller, healthier things to choose from than we have at many restaurants. I had chili with Beans, but there we all sorts of things to choose from. This is very convenient for those who find it hard to attend a support group during the week and is also great for those of us who live in Frisco, Allen, Richardson or NE Plano. What a fun way to support and meet others who know and understand what we are going through. Bring your 'cheerleader' if you want. My husband seldom misses attending a meeting with me. Everybody is invited, no matter where you're at in your journey....even if you are just thinking about surgery and want to get answers. Send me a message and I'll give you the email address to RSVP to Kevin so he'll know how many to expect. He does need to let Season's 52 know. It's fun....join us! - NTV TXN

I am certain you can lose the weight and then maintain. The lack of hunger makes it much easier to make wise choices. Good luck!!!!

I'm attending a support group meeting tomorrow evening, and we are suppose to bring a dish. I am at goal and really eat anything I want, although I pick and choose and whatever I eat, I eat much less. Anyway, I wanted to take something most everyone could eat.....and I didn't want to have to keep something hot. I think this is brilliant! Ranch dip. 1 Regular Ranch Dip envelope 1.5 cups of Plain, Non Fat Greek Yogurt It is GOOD and I do not eat Greek Yogurt.....I DO however use it as sour cream. It is replacing 2 cups of sour cream! I'll take carrots, celery and raw zucchini for dipping!

Yay, I DID IT!!! The picture is there!

I'm really not sure HOW to do this, but I'm trying to add a picture from my gallery. Oh my, I barely remember this person.

I'm not sure, I've never seen that option. I THINK you can report someone maybe, if a post is offensive or SPAM. I know this doesn't help much. I'm sorry!!!

Now you've heard everything you didn't even know you might want to know all crammed into one thread! LoL We are here to serve!

It may or may not matter, I don't know for sure. Mine is a 32 and after several months of reading everything I could find, I knew I had two requirements in my physician. 1) I would only go to a doctor/facility that had the Center Of Excellence stamp of approval 2) Bougie size no larger than 34 It was not difficult to find that. I narrowed it down to Dr. Davidson and Dr. Nicolson, both in Dallas. The bariatric nurse I had a lot of contact with at Dr. Davidson's office was a revision patient. She'd had gotten her sleeve 7 years prior to me with a different physician. She said it had been fine tuned a lot since then, hers was a size 36 and she thought patients with a smaller bougie were more successful. She said in her vast experience, patients with a 32 or 34 seemed to have an easier time reaching goal. She did add that there were a few doctors that she dealt with that frequently used a 31 and there was a higher pecentage of complecations with those patients. It's been easy greasy for me. No problems before and none since surgery. It isn't a magic bullet, but it sure makes making wise choices much easier.

I have read so many times about asking for a 'to go' container ahaed of time, but I've never done it. I need to remember. Many times my husband and I share. I do like to bring home some for another meal or two. It's nice, especially when he's going to be leaving town for a day or two! I am sooooo glad to know I'm not the only one who find the on line menu and nutrition information before leaving the house!! I seldom EVER walk in without seeing a menu and knowing something about it ahead of time. I have also gotten into the habit of asking them to not brush it with butter, whatever it is. It seems like butter is brushed on almost everything. We went for Breakfast the other morning and I ordered two scrambled eggs, and thought to ask if they'd be scrambled in butter. She said yes, but they can use spray instead. I do have them bring butter on the side if I am going to have toast. My husband gets it dry and I just want a half a piece. I like a TINY bit on mine, so when on the side, I control how much is added.

What you said is good advice. I'm almost 3 years out and I STILL keep an on line food log. I also measure or weigh all my food when I'm eating at home. Eating out is a little trickier. I started using fitday.com prior to surgery but just a few days ago, I started tracking on myfitnesspal.com I like them both, they are different, but not. I just want to make sure to keep track of protein and calories. It's my new way of life. I'm in control.

I counted and you just passed six weeks. At six weeks I started adding regular food back to my diet. I hated Protein Shakes, I found that the protein shots AKA protein bullets, save me!! Some say the 'protein isn't as good' but I say, "It is better to get 60+ grams in with a bullet and food rather than NOT getting it because those darn shakes gag you!!! LoL Worked for me and I never lost my hair and labs have ALWAYS been good! I got mine from GNC, blue raspberry was the least offensive. They aren't good, but 42 grams is packed into about 3.5 oz. I'd take a few sips in the morning, a few at noon and finish it off that evening. I'd hold my nose and breath and take the sips. Then, just like a kid, I'd rinse my mouth out with water!! That said....let me tell you what else I did. From almost the first week, I started and ended every day with 8 oz of skim milk. I still do this, almost 3 years out. My go to foods were: eggs (this early you probably cannot finish an entire egg, or it will take a while) 1% cottage cheese (breakfast of champions!!) steamed shrimp (i still keep a bag in my freezer) seafood seems to be THE easiest meat to eat. Canned tuna (an entire can is 1/2 cup) At first I could only eat about an eighth, I add 1.5 TB of Lite Miracle Whip to the entire can. At this point, I can eat the whole can for lunch, I do not eat bread with it. If I want crackers (8 - 10) I'll eat 1/4 cup....half the can. Tons of protein in all the things I've listed. I also started eating beef, pork and chicken. Cooking a lean pork chop or chicken breast in the oven, on top of the stove or in a crock pot.....with a can of FF cream of mushroom or cream of chicken Soup, is good. (add a can of Water as well) You'll have 'gravy' and it makes the meat 'softer' - easier to eat. Good luck!!! I hope this helps a little!

I call 1% cottage cheese, the breakfast of champions, that's what I had this morning, sometimes with and sometimes without a little fruit in Lite Syrup!!! Or I'll have an egg or two. I 'fry' them over med some times. Either on my griddle (i use non stick spray) or it a non stick skillet. It's not fried in bacon grease, but I didn't do that PRIOR to surgery!!! I start every morning with a cup of skim milk, even before I have coffee. It's habit now, I've been doing it for almost 3 years! Depending on how far out you are, and are you at goal.....I'll have a half an English Muffin, low fat, and put it in the oven with a piece of 2% sliced American cheese. Now that I'm at goal, I'll have a low fat frozen waffle once in a blue moon, but to tell you the truth, it isn't satisfying, I don't recommend it unless you just NEED something totally different. I hope some of this helps.

Congratulations!! What is the milk diet? Do you have a surgery date yet?

THE single most exciting thing for me is when I could see my collarbone. I even have ribs and hip bones!!! Who knew??!!! Collarbone.....I still like looking at it, I'd even say it's a pretty good one, as far as collarbones go!!! LoL Congrats!!! The rest of us understand exactly how you feel. No doubt about it!!

No problem!! I'm good at decyphering! (sp??)

Back in June 2010 it was $12,500. I THINK it's a little less now.

I can tell you that the self esteem factor alone, was worth it to me. I don't feel self conscious when i walk into a room of people. If people look at me, it is for some reason other because I'm big, wearing big clothes to try and HIDE the obvious!

You CAN lose 80. I've lost between 81 and 84, depending on the day!! I went into it wanting to lose 50 0r 60 lbs. I got there so fast and it was so easy, I KNEW I could lose more, and did!!! Love, love, love it. I wasn't this size when I got married at age 19!!!

I had a bariatric nurse tell me about the same thing. I think a lot of it might have to do with we have no or at least fewer health issues going into surgery. That would hold true for ANY surgery we were going to have. I had no health issues at all, and had zero problems with the surgery. Easy greasy! I remember having my tonsils removed in my early 20's - I was a lot more uncomfortable!

How much do you want to lose? How tall are you? What do you weigh? That is a low BMI, but so was mine, although a little more than yours. Best decision I've ever made. At your age I probably had a BMI of 28, continued to lose and re-gain over the next 20 years. You don't pay that much attention when it's 5 or 10 lbs per year. All of a sudden I was 50 yrs old and 228 lbs. OMG, if only I could have had this surgery when I was 30!!! Life changing!

Other than a having an English muffin or a half a thin bagel once in a blue moon, I rarely EVER eat bread at home. I'll pick at it when we're at a restaurant, if I eat too much, it fills you up and you can't eat what you NEED to eat. I love bread, but there is really nothing good about it for any of us!!!

Had some of us obsessed about calories PRIOR to sugery.....years earlier, then we might not be here posting on a WLS forum. That of course is my very humble opinion. Again, 100 additional calories per day, every day, is over 36,000 calories a year. TEN POUNDS per year. We can get an additional 100 calories in a blink of an eye. Tasting while we are cooking, or eating a few bites that one of the kids or grandkids leave on their plate. I know when there isn't enough to keep, I'll take a bite before putting it in the garbage disposal. This IS how we gain and we should all be aware of that. If thinking about calories and what we put in our mouths, stresses us out, then maybe medication is needed, not a granola bar. Just sayin'