Beadingnurse

Thanks ya'll! I do LOVE my sleeve and I am happy that my new way of eating is starting to feel normal.

I just got back from a vacation this week and it reinforced for me that I can occasionally eat things that are not on my plan and be okay. I ate a lot of my favorite foods in New England (where I was visiting) including blueberry pie, fried clams, clam chowder and a lobster roll! The difference this year is that I ate 5 fried clams...not a huge plateful with french fries and coleslaw like I would have before surgery! I ate the lobster off of the lobster roll without eating the bread and didn't even eat all of that. My crab cake was shared with hubby and the piece of blueberry pie was just a sliver. Before I left for vacation I decided that I was not going to indulge but when I walked into a restaurant and smelled the fried clams (a personal favorite) I told my husband that I was going to spend the $18.00 on a plate of clams that I was going to barely touch. He agreed that it was special treat for me. I would have shared with him but he doesn't like them. The poor waitress couldn't imagine why I ate such a small portion and wanted to box them for me but I told her I was staying in a hotel and couldn't reheat them. In reality, they were very tasty but I have probably eaten my last fried clam because the fried food didn't sit as well with my stomach. I didn't get sick but I also didn't feel like they were as good as I remembered and worth the calories. I wouldn't have known that though had I not took the few bites and tried something that I craved. The important message for me was that I didn't feel deprived and ate all of my favorite foods but just in portions sizes that were appropriate for my new little tummy. Going on vacation worried me a lot and I was afraid that I'd feel badly about not eating foods that I love or that I would eat them and get sick or possibly even gain weight during the vacation. I was reassured that I got through a vacation without easy access to my staple foods, continued to lose weight and did fine! :whoo:

I think you overpacked! I stayed in the hospital gown and wore a second one on backwards when I walked the halls to keep from flashing everyone. I didn't use a speck of makeup, read anything, text anybody or do much else. I assume you are going to Mexico for your surgery though and I went only a few miles away from my home and was in the hospital just one night. You probably will want something to read coming and going. Be sure you take something very loose and comfy for your trip home as your abdomen will be swollen and it is uncomfortable to wear something across it. Remember you are going to have to pull/carry the suitcase after surgery unless you have someone going with you. Good luck with your surgery! Post when you can and let us know how it went.

Will be sending good thoughts and healing vibes your way! Congratulations on your surgery and I look forward to reading your future posts when you tell us about the weight loss and great changes I know are coming your way.

Love it!!! You look great.

I'd start cutting back on things like carbs, caffeine and sodas as you will feel better pretty quickly and you won't have the withdrawl to go through on top of surgery. I got weak and headachy after decreasing my carbs sharply just like a physical addiction so I was glad to go through that before surgery. Good luck!

Check the number of carbs in your shake. Before surgery I found that carbs definitely made me hungry. It isn't an issue now and I don't really have hunger and I don't eat many carbs anyway. The protein drinks move through you pretty quickly too and you don't get that "full" feeling like you would if you ate a dense protein. Good luck with your pre-op diet! What day is your surgery scheduled for?

I am familiar with the melting pot and if it was me and my friends didn't know about the surgery...I'd order what I have always ordered but eat only what I wanted. If they notice you aren't eating as much as usual tell them that you had a large lunch or snacked a lot during the day...something like that. It is wasteful to order food you won't eat and if that is an issue then try ordering something smaller. I am going to a barbeque dinner with friends this weekend at one person's house (who is an excellent cook) and my plan is say that I had a late, large lunch if I am presented with food I can't eat (namely large hunks of grilled meat) The hostess generally makes a lot of appetizers so I figure I can eat some of them and trying to let my sparkling conversation distract from my picky eating!

Got back last night from my vacation and my vacation from the scale and still lost weight! whooo-hooo! This was really an affirming vacation for me as I ate a lot of my favorite foods in New England (where I was visiting) including blueberry pie, fried clams, oyster stew and a lobster roll! The difference this year is that I ate 5 fried clams...not a huge plateful with french fries and coleslaw like I would have before surgery! I ate the lobster off of the lobster roll without eating the bread and didn't even eat all of that. My crab cake was shared with hubby and the piece of blueberry pie was just a sliver. The important message to me was that I didn't feel deprived and ate all of my favorite foods but just in portions sizes that were appropriate for my new little tummy. Going on vacation worried me and especially being with family who didn't know about the surgery but it couldn't have gone better.

Weighing in WalMart is a GREAT idea but I try to weigh naked so that might get me arrested!

I would not tell until after the surgery and maybe not even then. I am currently on vacation and seeing family that I thought would give me the third degree about my weight loss as I am about 40 lbs lighter since they saw me a year ago. Most have just told me that I "look great" without seeming to know why (men); a few women have told me that I look great and that I have lost weight but no one has questioned me beyond a superficial level. It is also only 40 lbs...not 125 lbs which would be much more obvious. Even my husbands brother who is a self described health nut and rabidly anti all surgery has been fine.I am greatly relieved and realize people are more interested in their own lives and stories and don't notice us as much as we think!

Congratulations! Sounds like everything went well and you are on your way to the loser's bench!

I am on my first vacation since having surgery and attending a family reunion to boot...both with potential landmines for the newly sleeved! Plus...couldn't convince hubby to let me bring my scale on the plane so I haven't been able to weigh obsessively. . The good news is the folks I was most worried about noticing my weight loss and reduced food intake have barely noticed. I've got a couple of "is that all you are going to eat comments" but I just said that I had been snacking all day and wasn't very hungry. The bad news Is that I HAVE snacked a lot more and have eaten things I wouldn't have eaten at home. But..my jeans (size 12!) and shirts feel looser so I don't think I have gained weight. It is really hard not to weigh every day though!

It is not always a benefit to have your amount of medical knowledge going in as you know all the bad stuff that can happen...a little ignorance IS bliss! But on the other hand you know the right things to do after surgery. I was out of bed walking 2 hours after I got to my room and started hitting the incentive spirometer right after that because I KNOW how important it is to get moving and to breath deeply. Good luck with your surgery...I will send healing thoughts your way tomorrow! Think what a great source of inspiration and information you will be to you patients after this. You are truly walking the walk.

Hiccups are a bad sign for me as I always throw up a few minutes after they start. Fortunately I have learned how to detect the subtle "full" pressure and have only overeaten to the point of hiccuping/vomiting a handful of times. Never had the sweating thing thankfully!

Dana Marie, Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your surgery! You will find a wealth of information on here and you might find more info on how much folks lost just by reading a bunch of the posts. Since you just found the site you have a lot of previous posts you can read! . I lost about 8 lbs during the 2 week pre-op diet and I think that I lost about a pound a day for the first couple of weeks. It has slowed down now to about 1 to 2 lbs a week and I am thrilled with that. While I was happy to lose 7 lbs a week during the first couple of weeks that isn't sustainable and wouldn't be healthy I think. It is tempting to compare your losses to everyone on the forum but what you will find is that everyone's experience is different. Some people who are on the heavier side may lose very quickly (or not!) and some on the lighter side may lose quickly (or not!). Good luck with your weight loss and be sure and keep us updated on your progress!

I switched to decaf coffee long before the surgery and was able to drink it within days of the surgery. In fact, I mix the Unjury's chocolate Protein powder with coffee and have a yummy mocha coffee drink . I've had some hot tea with caffeine after the surgery but I don't drink much of it and haven't had any difficulties keeping hydrated. I agree with Chef Neil and suggest making a switch to decaf if you can and I definitely wouldn't take caffeine pills!

I agree with Stacy totally. If you can, focus on following your eating plan and taking care of yourself and know that your body will catch up soon enough. Your surgery "worked" but it isn't magic and it will take your body a little while to start letting go of those pounds! Take care and welcome to the loser's bench!

LK....what day in March is your birthday? Mine is the 6th. We will celebrate together!

I use the search feature with mixed results...used it today in fact to try to figure out the source of my back pain! Sometimes though you just want some who has been there to reassure you that it will all be better tomorrow. I think we all ARE subject matter experts on our experiences either as someone preparing for the surgery, recovering, learning to eat again and hopefully living with maintenance! I am never annoyed with folks jumping in with help and support and that quality of taking care of each other is why I love this board.

Take a deep breath Meg and back off that ledge!! If I am doing the math right...you have lost 33 lbs in 6 weeks or so?? That is terrific and when did you ever lose 33 lbs in such a short time before? Your body has gone through a lot in the past 6 weeks and it is natural for it to need time to adjust to what is going on. It very well may be that you won't be the fastest person here on losing weight, neigher am I, but as long as you have a slow and steady weight loss you WILL get to your goal! I would try to calculate your calories though...you might not be eating enough. I use myfitnesspal.com as a free online calculator and it is fast and I can always find the foods I am eating. I've read others say on here that bumping their calories up a bit might stimulate the weight loss but you will have to figure out how much you are eating to do that. I calculate mine everyday and I am generally in 800 calories a day range but go up to 1,000 on a few days. It is easy for me to say but it sounds like you are doing the right things so just have faith in the plan and you will get to your goal. Good luck!

My husband has achieved sainthood in my eyes since I started considering the surgery! He agreed with my PCP who said that I needed the surgery while I was living in denial and I am sure I would never have gotten the surgery without his support. I was going to try yet another diet. He helped me think it through without blame or shame about "needing" weight loss surgery. He NEVER complained about spending the $16,000 out of pocket that my private pay surgery cost. He spent the night with me in the hospital and waited on me hand and foot without complaint then and for the days after when I was recooperating at home. I am so incredibly lucky to have such a support system and I have a lot of admiration for those who go through this surgery without that kind of support. As far as his eating in front of me... I don't know why but it doesn't bother me at all for someone to eat in front of me. I don't really have hunger now and I don't have nearly as many cravings that I did. I hadn't even thought of it as being an issue until I read this post and realized that it is hard for some people. I've even made muffins and donuts for him (he has no weight problems of course) since then and didn't give them a second thought. Good topic!

Thanks! I will try the tennis ball exercise and my husband has some of the elastic bands (not sure if they are theraband) so I will try that too. Might not hurt to have a massage too. I think 2 months out is long enough for a massage to be safe. I'd rather not do the trigger point injections unless I have too. Thanks again and I hope that both are backs start feeling better soon.

Thanks Stacy...I see we were almost sleeve twins and you have also lost over 30 lbs so congratulations to us both! You are SO right that it is amazing how much difference it makes to lose even that relatively modest amount of weight. I am in awe of the folks who lose over 100 lbs and I can't even imagine how much that changes your life.

I think it is specific to the doctor and their practice. Mine didn't specify one way or the other and I supplement with Protein shakes too. I don't have one everyday but I do most days because it helps me get all of my protein in.