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Found 17,501 results

  1. PennyinAL

    August 2023 Surgery Buddies!

    I took blood thinners for almost a year post heart stents and they never seemed to make me feel cold, I have also been hot natured my entire life. About 10 years ago, I started having MAJOR heat issues. They kept saying it wasn't a thyroid issue bc I was "low normal" not actually low. After years of being miserable and making everyone around me freeze all the time, I finally got a gyn to give me thyroid meds and voila! it helped. It was almost a miracle. I'd been on HRT for a long time, tried every menopause solution I could try from natural crap that did absolutely nothing but make the folks who sell it a bunch of money to prescription hormone pills. Yes, I was menopausal but that wasn't the main issue. It was the thyroid. Now, after this surgery, they said my thyroid was too high and that my hormones would reset themselves. I quit taking the Levothyroxine med, 3 weeks post-op my thyroid had dropped to a below normal low. Started back with meds. I also developed a rash on my throat around my thyroid area, Nephrologist said he didn't know what it is so I'm going to a regular md tomorrow at a walk in type clinic since I don't actually have a regular physician, I've been seeing a NP when I have to be seen for the last several months bc it is really hard to find an actual doctor who has openings! I'm really, really fatigued again and have been back on meds 10+ days I guess it is now. I mean EXHAUSTED. I've actually been getting much more exercise than normal but can barely walk across room smh. Call your surgeons office and ask if they need to check your blood. I called mine about the thyroid issue, they told me to see whomever I see for my thyroid normally. I'm kind of like "Why am I bothering to follow up with surgeon's office if they're going to tell me to go elsewhere when there is a problem?" bc they want me in his office every 3 months and quarterly blood work as well. Seems a waste to pay a specialist co-pay and for additional labs if they don't actually deal with any problems that arise. I know people on here apparently have a ton of variations in the type and amount of care they can expect from their surgical staff, some have WHOLE TEAMS and some of us get the girl who answers the phone who works part time....no consistency in care so you definitely have to be prepared to be your own advocate and researcher and a host of other things. Call Dr, see what they say, if you don't like or aren't satisfied with the response, call your primary care dr if you have one, if not go to the walk in clinic or an ER. Our local ER is just plain scary so if I don't get a satisfactory response on mine tomorrow I'm probably going to drive to an ER in Huntsville, AL, about 45 miles away bc it is just plain scary that we seem to have gotten all the folks who got the D's in coursework. Some may be nice but I am not getting a warm, fuzzy feeling....
  2. Hello all. I am excited be on this weight loss journey. I had my VGS on July 6, 2023, so I am a less than a week post-op. I started this journey at 267 lbs- consult day. The day of surgery I was 230 lbs. My surgery went well, I spent one night in the hospital. My incisions are still sore but manageable, I feel great. Today, I weighed in at 226 lbs. I live in Florida. It is so great to have a place to share my experience and get advice. I hope I can be helpful in some way and my words can inspire someone.
  3. Arabesque

    OOTD

    Going to a formal wedding in about three weeks & have been worrying about shoes. Sad I know. Wasn’t happy with what I thought I’d go with though gorgeous shoes. I’m wearing a bias cut 1930s influenced gown. At about 12:30 this morning I suddenly remembered I had the perfect shoe & had them for years. I’ll wear them with black micro fishnet hose. My dress. Yes black but look a print. And I have opera length black leather gloves to wear as well.
  4. Thank you all for confirming that this isn't just me being petty or unwilling to be flexible. I'm going to go to church today and pray and reflect over things and hope to find peace either in backing out or moving forward. I did start my liquid diet yesterday, and also have had to come off my anti inflammatory medications (have arthritis in my spine from a spinal fusion surgery in 2007) so feel like I need to make a decision quickly here. I did "meet" the new surgeon. In mid July they set up a tele health visit, but even that didn't go as planned as they couldn't get the zoom link to work so it ended up just being a phone call. I had my primary care doctor look into his background, and while he's new to Montana (told he was out of the office last week making the move from California), he was program director of a bariatric program in California. His name is Deron Ludwig. I just wish they would have given me the heads up over the past 6 months that Dr. Pickhardt (who I sought out specifically as I know 3 people who have surgery with him) would be leaving the program after July. This couldn't have been that last minute, as he's not leaving medicine, but just no longer doing bariatric surgery, only trauma surgery going forward. I will say though that at least over the phone I found Dr. Ludwig more personable and felt like we had a better discussion than I'd previously had with Dr. Pickhardt. Thanks for listening and hopefully I'll find some peace soon very soon here in deciding if I should move forward with surgery or not. Cannot believe it's 9 days away and I don't know whether I'm going through with it or not!
  5. I'm also wondering. I'm 4 weeks post-op. Everything I've read, however, says that in the first 2-3 months it should be anywhere between 300-600 cal. I've set my limit at 500 (which includes 75 cal and 21 carbs from vitamins) because I'm eating solids now and those tuna, chicken, and beef servings are pretty high in cal even though I don't exceed 1/2 cup servings of anything. I'm a revision sleeve to bypass. I use Baritastic to document my cal, protein, carbs, fat, calcium, and H2O. I don't have another appointment until July 24th. Every doctor, though, has different opinions about our nutrition. Your best bet would be to contact the doc's office and just ask. I should probably do the same, lol!
  6. Starwarsandcupcakes

    Food Before and After Photos

    I think it depends on what it is. There are some things that I’ll prep and keep for a week (lettuces for salad) and others that I pray don’t make leftovers (I’m looking at you fried foods!) For what it’s worth, the USDA says cooked pork is good for 3-4 days in the fridge. 🤷‍♀️
  7. Arabesque

    Gas After Bypass Surgery 💩

    How much pain you have is variable. I had none after my sleeve but I really knew about it with my gall removal. But the surgical gas is mostly in your abdominal cavity not in your digestive tract so burping & farting have minimal impact. The surgical gas rises up behind your lungs putting pressure on nerves which cause the pain. The gas is absorbed into your lungs & breathed out. Walking, marching on the spot, pumping your arms up & down, slow deep breathing all help you breath that gas out. Heat packs can help with any discomfort. It usually takes about a week to fully pass. Additional burping or farting can be from the shakes, any sugar alcohols used in the shakes or drinking too quickly, plus the change in your digestive process could be adding to it while your body gets used to the changes. GasX may help with this gas. As with everything if it persists or gets worse give your team a call.
  8. Kat2013

    10 YEARS LATER!!!!

    When my doctor told me to change my eating habits within that first year or 2 of major restriction, I took it seriously. I learned how to make better choices 80% of the time. Don’t get me wrong, I eat chips, dips, pizza, cake & all the other bad stuff. I even drink beer. However, I eat and drink in moderation and I do it occasionally. I stay away from sugary drinks and those extra calories that add up quickly—most of the time. I  do indulge occasionally. I also learned easy swaps when cooking to help reduce calories. For example, I cook with cooking spay, not oil. I use lean ground turkey meat, chicken breast, and other lean meats. I still wake and go with a Greek yogurt for Breakfast, and I will add Protein Powder in the mix & top with fresh fruit. I love eggs in so many combinations, and if I want eggs with bacon or cheese (or other high calorie toppings/sides, I’ll use egg whites instead of the whole egg. I do zucchini noodles instead of pasta…all these little things that have become habitual are what make a BIG difference in the long run. I literally changed my eating lifestyle. The 2nd component was body composition. I started lifting weights. Heavy weights…for me. The heavy lifting helped me add muscle and lean out at the same time. I don’t do cardio…or, I hardly EVER do cardio. I hate it. My fitness is purely from heavy weightlifting. It became another aspect of my lifestyle. I have lifted 4-6 days a week…Consistently…Year round…Since I was sleeved & released for physical activity. If I’m on vacation, I’m on vacation. If there’s an emergency, there’s an emergency. However! Tired. Not tired. I go to the gym. I think of it as my job. Whether I want up go or not, I have to work. And yes, I still have restriction 10 years out! But sliders are definitely still a thing, and if I stick to my Protein, veggies, and complex carbs, I don’t really crave or care to indulge in those sliders too often! Bottom line. It’s a lifestyle change. Change your habits. Be consistent.
  9. One thing that helped with my stalls is to discontinue sugar free powders such as crystal light. Drink straight water and plenty of it. It seemed to have pulled me out of multiple stalls.
  10. Heatherhei

    Curious About Post-Op Days

    Ive been soooooo tempted to start something a week early. I can eat tuna and shaved deli mean next friday and I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!
  11. Rjc0704

    Happy 64th to me!

    Happy belated 64th birthday! I sure hope you are stressing less and less as you inch through the home stretch to retirement! Congrats on your weight loss achievement and continued success. Thanks for sharing your journey! Yes, there are still surgeons who perform Lapband. I just had a consult last week. I've spoken with a few doctors how are against the other radical, irreversible procedures. There is more money in these than lapband and many of them have abandoned their lapband patients altogether. Even if I were a candidate (My BMI not high enough) I would NEVER consider removing stomach after watching my sister slowly waste away to nothing and die over a course of 5 years because of a botched procedure. Countless doctors and nurses at her bedside ICU would tell me they wished they would stop doing these surgeries because there is nothing that can be done to fix complications once they arrive. I have to do self pay for the procedure and they can schedule it pretty much anytime. My only real concern is additional out of pocket $ for complications such as rejection, slippage, dilation, etc. You're success and happiness is great to know as I contemplate taking the lapband leap! Thanks and best wishes!
  12. catwoman7

    Will I ever enjoy food again?

    it's almost always temporary. The first few weeks post-op are hard. And yes, unfortunately, you will enjoy food again, and at that point this all becomes a lot more challenging. I know it probably sounds odd to you now, but there are days I wish it was like at the beginning when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food.
  13. SleeveToBypass2023

    How to get all my protein in?

    Ok, not to sound too harsh here, but your surgeon is being stupid. In this one (and only this one) thing, ignore him. There's nothing wrong with shakes. And you should be eating 4-5 times per day, 3 hours apart. I do 3 meals and 2 snacks. For my snacks, I do things like colby jack cheese cubes and pepperoni slices. Or pepper jack cheese sticks and salami (or roast beef) slices (sandwich meat). I tend to make my own protein shakes in the morning, mostly because I've never been big on breakfast foods, so making a protein shake works well for me. I get my protein shakes from Arbonne (so so many vitamins in it, 20g of protein, mixes well, not grainy, and really yummy flavors). I'll put in 16oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 scoops of whatever protein shake I'm doing that day, 2 tbsp of avocado (no flavor, makes the shake creamy, added healthy fat), 1 tbsp mct oil, 1 tsp black seed oil, 2 tbsp "triple seeds" (flax, chia, and hemp seeds), 1 scoop Arbonne protein boost (10mg protein), 2 scoops Arbonne probiotic fiber booster, 2-3 tbsp Jordan's skinny syrup (whatever flavor I want to add, it has no calories, no carbs, no sugar), sometimes I add frozen fruit (depending on the flavor shake I'm doing), a few icecubes, blend, and YUMMY!!!!! When eating meals, you want to make sure they are protein first, then veggies, then carbs. Too much protein isn't good for you. That's why, in general, you need between 60-80g protein. I tend to be in the 80-90 range on heavy work out days, and 60-70 on rest days. If I know I can't get my veggies in, I drink my greens. I get the Arbonne super greens powder (blend of 36 fruits and veggies), and I make sure to add the Arbonne GutHealth (digestive enzymes with pre and pro biotics). Drinking greens is a good way to supplement getting in your fruits and veggies without adding all the extra calories, carbs, and sugar. But it's not meant to completely replace eating veggies. It just helps if you're struggling to get them in, or if you really don't like to eat them all that much. You stomach is much smaller than it used to be, so you need to eat more often. I tend to get protein in 2 of my meals and both snacks. The 3rd meal usually has more veggies (I love salad, so I've been known to have a salad for a meal and have very little protein in it) but with my shake, my snacks, and 1 other meal, I get the protein I need. I like to add veggies to my salad (green peppers, olives, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc) so I try to balance my needs with protein and veggies that way (and drinking a greens drink at least 3-4x per week). I drink A LOT of water (84oz typically per day) and that actually helps with hunger. So does drinking tea (I love green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and yerba mate tea). It's true that protein helps you feel full longer, but you can't fill up on just protein. Your body needs a variety of foods, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals to be balanced and healthy.
  14. ChunkCat

    What the h*ll is going on?!?!

    What an awful experience to be having! It sucks when you get the rarer reactions to things, its no fun being a medical challenge! Have they tried any other nausea medication? They like to go with Zofran because its what they give chemo patients and for some it works REALLY well. Sadly I always get breakthrough nausea with it. Plus it causes awful stomach pain and constipation for some. I find promethazine works better for me alternating with the Zofran and the scopolamine patches are nice too. So if they haven't tried other meds, definitely ask about it, there are lots out there! I also wear those seasick wrist bands. For me it isn't one thing that works so much as a combo of things together. My nausea isn't from surgery but from iron infusions, they make me violently ill for weeks! But needs must. The brain fog is probably from dehydration, lack of actual balanced food and nutrients, and sugar fog from the Sprite. Have they checked your electrolytes? Sometimes when those get unbalanced it can make nausea and brain fog worse. Have you tried those vitamin B lollipops pregnant women use? It might help and will at least get some vitamins in you if you tolerate them. If you are really miserable and have spare cash, I'd find a local acupuncturist to see. Acupuncture has been proven to be effective for chemo nausea so I expect it might work for this too! Good luck with finding something that works! In the meantime keep trying. I know that sounds awful but the more things you try the better the odds are you'll find a few things that will stay down. ❤️
  15. Oh straws. It’s one of those things that some surgeons say no & others don’t care. Mine said nothing & I used straws. Not all the time but a few times a week depending on what I was doing or drinking. Never had an issue. Actually found it easier to sip through a straw at first - can’t gulp or take large mouthfuls with a straw. You’re a couple of months out now so I guess you could give it a go & see. Do you have to use the straw or can you remove the straw & sip through the home?
  16. CarolineLittle

    Curious About Post-Op Days

    Oh and definitely be prepared to be constipated! The first month was not fun in that department. You may go 2 weeks without a bowel movement, it's quite common. I'm more regular now but previously I was resorting to stool softeners and even a home enema and suppositories. Suppositories worked best when I was really backed up.
  17. ElleRodri

    September 2023 Surgery buddies

    I start my pre-op diet on Monday of next week. So we've been trying to make all my favorite meals and go to my favorite places because they just won't be happening again for a long while. Kinda like a last hurrah. My husband is sad that I won't be "a happy fat kid" with him anymore but is looking forward to eating all my leftovers. My biggest switch has been going from drinking my calories (country time lemonade all day every day, like a gallon of the sweet stuff every day just about) and going to the packets and squirty bottles of sugar-free. I've found it really easy to keep a little variety in my purse and I carry around a big water bottle everywhere now that I didn't before. I'm still struggling with the "no straw" and 30-minute rule of spacing things out. I'm afraid that is gonna be a lesson I learn the hard way. I just don't know how else I can really prepare. I bought a binder and some high-cut undies because I know I'm going to want slight compression for the ride home from the hospital as it's 6 hours from home. I've bought proteins of several types to try as we move forward. I'm afraid of failing. I'm afraid I'm going to make myself sicker than I've been over the last year and regret it. And I know this is supposed to be the gold standard fix for a failing nissen but it still scares me. The surgery itself is no big deal, I don't need to worry about that since all I gotta do that day is "take a nap" while the doctors do all the complicated stuff, hahaha. It's how bad am I going to mess myself up afterwards and how long will it take my husband to get me to turn back into "a happy fat kid". My husband is supportive but he's also an enabler and is afraid to tell me no even when I ask him to. And I get it because I can be a real horses patoot at times. Also, there's the thing of physical attraction as well. My husband is very much enamored with "curvy girls"... like he's never dated anyone smaller than me, so I'm petrified that as I lose weight he's going to lose interest between curves getting smaller and skin getting loose, I'm paranoid. One of the things I'm working on with my therapist but still weighing heavily on my mind. I just worry because I am admittedly very co-dependent on him. But life will be what it is and I'll deal with things as they actually come to fruition because I'm a terrible overthinker otherwise...
  18. I had my surgery in another city, had to fly out. All my appointments have been virtual. I had 1 week post op, 2 weeks post op, and then every 3 months up until a year. I can reach out to them at any time though, and I have support meetings 3 times a week also on Zoom.
  19. MasonMoonGirl

    Things that have been helping me Pre-Op

    I am slowly preparing with dieting as well. I'm eating all the right foods, but probably not limited my intake as much as I should. I completely cut out alcohol too and don't plan on drinking again. I never liked soda or carbonated drinks so that part will be easy for me, but I love water haha and right now I drink a lot of water. I was worried that it would be hard for me not to drink water because some medications I'm on give me dry mouth and make me really thirsty. How far in advance did they tell you to do all liquids before surgery? Mine is two days but I thought maybe i should try to do it for a week to shrink my liver more too. I asked the office and they told me no I don't need to do that but I want the best recovery possible...
  20. KathyLev

    Curious About Post-Op Days

    My first two weeks,I had uncontrollable diarrhea . Don't get scared - it's a very unusual happening and seems I was pretty much one of the unlucky ones. Other than that,pain was mild and only in the incisions . It went away fast. The worst part of it was being so tired . That lasted about 3 weeks and I was totally back to normal. Walking exhausted me,but I still did it. I'm 69 years old , and I'm lucky it was very easy. Good luck to you !
  21. Zai2022

    Over 50 sleevers

    I’m 52. Sleeved13 months ago. Lost 50 presurgery and have lost 128 since surgery last May. I’m losing slower now than I was in first six months but I still avg 8 lbs a month, sometimes a bit more. I had one major stall from month 7-9 then the pounds started coming off again. I want to lose about 44 more. My doctor feels another 25 is very doable even at my age and 44 isn’t out of the question. She did say after month six, especially for older patients, walking, cardio and resistance training are the difference between plateauing and continuing to lose. I strive for at least 12k steps daily and I have added in the gym five days a week to keep losing. I don’t think age will stop your progress but younger people probably rebound from loose skin better than older people. Wishing you the best of luck. The sleeve changed my life.
  22. This surgey was not something I took lightly. I prayed about it and prepared for 8 months before I got the call for Dec 19, 2022. I made this decision purely for my health as I’m sure most of you did as well. I was starting to have heart problems and my knees would hurt as I walked down the stairs. I was told it would be life changing and when it came to the weight loss it has been, but the complications that have bombarded me has me questioning if it was worth it. I don’t want to scare anyone off, because ninety-nine percent get through their gastric sleeve and adapt after the initial healing, but I have always been the one percent. You see I was the one percent with my pain management as well because I took steroid shots to my back after giving birth to my daughter. This went on for 10 years and then I developed adrenal insufficiency because my body became dependent on the hormone. It could no longer produce its own cortisol so I was then on the precipice of dying if I didn’t start a steroid regimen immediately among my diagnosis. I literally was down to that one percent of cortisol in my body. For five years I suffered unimaginable low energy, adrenal crisis when my body was to stressed, countless hospital visits and of course massive weight gain from cushions disease. I thought nothing would ever be as bad as that time in my life when I finally recovered after those five years and stopped my steroids. But the damage was done and I was severely obese at my heaviest of 270 and on top of that my thyroid suffered in the process so I could never get the weight off. Thats what led me to the only solution my doctor had and the realization that their are things worse than Addisons disease, at least for me. Since my surgery I have not been able to keep any food down. I have had to be admitted to the hospital for days on end where I would go back to the liquid diets. A few weeks ago I had a little tuna and my body rejected it with a fury sending me to the hospital for five days where I had two emergency surgeries. The doctor couldn’t believe what he was seeing on my mri. Somehow so much scar tissue has devolved that it was causing my sleeve to be pulled by my gallbladder and they were attached so we thought that was the reason I couldn’t keep any food down. After I came out of that surgery I felt relief and I wanted to cry because another thing I forgot to mention is that I had been nauseous 24/7 since my sleeve surgery, but for those five hours after waking up from the anesthesia and pain meds I felt normal. The nausea was gone. But the next day it was back with a vengeance and more imaging found that my gallbladder was infected and had to come out immediately. So under I went for the 3rd time in 6 months reentering the same wounds that still hadn’t healed. And again for a while I wanted to cry out that it’s a miracle, it’s all better, but as soon as all the meds wore off I was right back were I started. I also had to have a drain put in because their had been blood pooling around my sleeve since the first surgery. All they could do was prescribe me 3 medications to control the vomiting. I lost 7 pounds during that hospital stay. When I got home after being on a liquid diet for a few more days I slowly eased into the soft foods, but to this day after every meal or healthy snack I make my way to that porcelain hell were I retch until the nausea calms. I then take my nausea medications and Valium to relax my stomach muscles. It usually takes about three hours and then I do it all again because I’m only eating twice a day to avoid being sick morning, noon, and night. The only thing that has changed is the constant nausea, it’s now only after I eat something. I’m literally living off of soft cheese and fruit, but more than a few bites and all hell breaks loose. I can tell how malnourished I am because my hair is falling out in clumps and my skin is dry. I’m drinking as much liquid as I can, but dehydration is always around the corner. My doctor says I’m loosing more weight than he anticipated so I always thought hearing those words would bring me joy, but I’m so depressed and have no energy for my family so I have to ask myself daily was it worth it? Will it get better with more time? Again, I don’t want to scare anyone because their are more good stories on here than bad. I simply want to share my story because there is no other like it and that scares me. My daughter is always asking if I could die, she did this when I was sick with addisons too? I tell her if things get better before I reach my healthy weight of 130 then I’ll be ok because right now even though i’m not getting the calories I need my body still has enough fat storage to feed off of, but at the rate I’m loosing- a pound every other day, I will be severely malnourished if it gets to that point. Most people say the surgery is a blessing, but for me it may still be, but a blessing in disguise. I have spoken with my doctor and he doesn’t have the answers. I have scoured medical journals and comment boards also with no answers. If there is anyone on here that is going through the same thing please reach out and if you prefer to talk in private my email is marsgirl22@gmail.com. I know this was truly a long post, but my journey has been just as long and I hope that my story can help someone else to get the answers that seem to allude me. Oh and just for clarification of how rapidly I am losing I started at 260 pounds two weeks before my surgery and now I am 175 pounds and counting down. Bless you all for taking the time to read my story and I sincerely hope you want hesitate to help me if you can.
  23. I know that sounds like an obvious statement, but despite the preparation, the consultations, dietitian advice as well as discussion with various doctors including the primary surgeon, I realized how much of this is on me and changing my thinking in relation to food. I never thought of myself as food fixated, or dependent. I certainly understand addiction and dependency from other things but food was always not only fuel, but a joy. I have fond memories of meals past; some of the great restaurants of the world, and the funky dives where I got a good meal. I'm in a new place. I can only eat a few bite before I feel almost full. Cross that line and it gets disgusting fast. So, food, for now, is something I have to be very careful of consuming. Some things are readily digestible, other things, not so much. (I'm 8 weeks out from surgery, a baby but I gotta be responsible). I realized that part of this is my mental attitude toward what I put into my body. It's like I have a much finer, more delicate filter. I certainly haven't gone to extremes but realize how sensitive my system is and it is my responsibility to follow through from the surgery to small steps in eating and exercise. Given the hiatal hernia repair, I'm still a time slot away from weight lifting. That's what draws me to the gym- treadmill stuff is a joke- there's a thing called a speed board that is not motorized, and requires your leg power to make it move. It require balance as well. Very expensive to own one, and none of the gyms where I am seem to have one. So I walk in mega stores. But I'm planning ahead-- I'll plug in with a couple different MD types over the next couple weeks- checking bloods- I feel undernourished, but I can't handle the volume of food I would ordinarily consume without thought. So I have to be mindful- and that is my main point-- you have a duty to yourself to be cautious about what you intake- both in terms of texture and in terms of volume. It seems like a couple of bites of 'regular food" gets me close to full; soft stuff, like soup, is easier. I'm taking all the supplements but am interested to see what the blood work shows. In the meantime, I'll say that this is a huge upward learning curve that I have taken on, despite the preparation and I think I had good medical and related advice to prepare me. It's just the transition from intellectual to real world. I'm learning.....
  24. BigSexyTequila

    Pre-Surgery Liquid Diet

    The pre-op diet may have been the hardest thing during this entire process. It took me about 6 days before those hunger pains and desire to eat literally everything I saw to go away. My pre-op diet consisted of (2) protein shakes and (1) frozen meal under 300 calories and under 700mg of sodium each day. I was allowed to eat all the broccoli and cucumber I wanted though. It's tough, but stick with it. You'll need that discipline post-op. I lost 15 lbs on the pre-op diet. My RnY was on May 15th. I started losing weight on my own on Jan 18th in preparation for this and I'm proud to say I'm down 90 lbs! I started at 380 and weighed in today at 290! The difference in energy is amazing, not to mention I'm wearing clothes I haven't worn in many, many years. Even lacing up my work boots can be done sitting down. I'm sitting closer to the steering wheel in the car and stupid things like putting the seatbelt on are so much easier. It's also amazing how hard it is to meet the 60 grams of protein each day without relying on a shake. I've been released to introduce all foods. I've got what I refer to as good eating days and bad eating days. Today happens to be a bad day. Can't find any rhyme or reason to it either. But I'm celebrating many more wins than that! Stick with it - you got this! You'll be on that liquid diet for a few weeks out of the hospital too.
  25. I saw “bar pizza” and I thought Mass! All is not lost as others have said. I plan my pizza into my intake. I see a special holiday or super birthday or a difficult week time wise for cooking. Then I buy a large pizza and purposefully share it so with teenage boys I’m lucky to get 1-2 slices and I’m done. I make sure the size is obvious to share and not a single serving like a bar pizza is! I also eat in front of people. No more secretive eating habits! That’s why this surgery is a lot of work and not the easy way! You probably also weren’t full because there’s no way even a fully loaded meat pizza has enough protein to keep you in check? Every day is a learning opportunity, we’ve all made our learning mistakes too!

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