Hello All You Boomers!

This Chat Room is now open for members to get acquainted. C'mon in ... the water's fine. Chat about whatever's on your mind. Let's get to know each other. Who will be the first in?

Here's a few questions to get you started.

Who's the youngest member of our group? (I'm the oldest.)

Who's newly married?

Who's newly sleeved?

Who's still searching?

Sorry you are getting to know your sleeve intimately. It is a real shocker, no?

I had a sleeve incident last week. Nowhere near as dramatic as yours, thank God.

I ate chicken salad too fast, and since it's not known for having moist qualities, my sleeve responded in anger. I had an attack of dumping. Main difference between what happened to you and dumping is with dumping, there is no doubt whether you are having a heart attack.

Generally, you're too sick to even speculate on what the problem might be. It is similar to a heart attack, though, because you usually break out in a cold sweat and wish you were having a heart attack so you could die immediately.

There's minimal pain and maximum discomfort. Sick to your stomach, urge to vomit, racing pulse, shaking, feels like someone threw a brick at you and it landed on your chest, Other than that ... piece of cake!

Hey ... I don't know if you remember what the prize thing is all about. But you were going to win a prize for being the only person here to guess what my weight was after I was weighed in. Since I didn't make it to the appointment, your prize is on hold. They were trying to resked me for today, not realizing that I'm hours away and I need someone else to drive me. Martha does that for met, but she is not available at a moments notice. So my next appt. is Jan. 2 @ 2 pm. I like the synchronicity of it.

As to this site's lack of activity, it's an on again, off again thing. What I do sometimes is copy posts I've written elsewhere. This is especially helpful since we have some good experience and even better speculation on what's wrong when you have a problem. Plus you get a mature take on it. No childish hysteria ... no, it's adult madness!

Always a pleasure to interface with a contemporary! That said, I must take my leave, dear peep!

Hi Sassy, and anyone else! We were at a support group meeting last night and a lady described the exact dumping syndrome you describe, and the group leader says this usually happens when eating sugar or carbs. The lady said she was eating small bites of pineapple. She said she was covered in sweat and had the same symptoms as you. At least we know what can happen, and it is inevitable that we will overdo something. I hear that some days you can eat a food, and another day you might have a problem. If we did not have this website for sharing, we would not know these things and how to cope.

It is the absolute worst when you cannot breathe, something I worried my asthma would do to me as it worsened with my age and weight.

I have slowed down on my eating considerably for 3 days. My husband saw the surgeon yesterday, and he said we should be eating once a day. So yesterday I had 1/2 cup of mushroom Soup at 8 pm, and that was it. I had tea and 1 coffee the rest of the day, and not even hungry all day. I am going to slack off and forget all the things I am reading here about others' eating.

I have to keep my husband more fed - hate this light headed low blood pressure problem, but will stay home as much as possible and let things work.

I read a post this morning that made me laugh out loud, people saying they don't like to look old as they lose weight. One lady posted she would rather look older and have a little butt. I love that humor!

I will keep posting here, despite the lack of activity, because newbies might discover our page and get needed information. Good idea to coy and paste.

Have a wonderful day Sassy, I have my home smelling of pine scented candles, bought a new Christmas cactus, have my tree lit, and these 3 things make me very happy and contented. Neighbor brought us fresh oranges from her tree yesterday, and I have Meyers lemons growing on my large lemon tree. Gotta love my Florida.

Supposed to be in the 80s tomorrow.

God Bless, Linda

Your house sounds perfect for the season. Expect to see me any day! LOL

I have heard a lot of things here about doctor's diets, but never that you should eat once a day.

At this point, you're hubby should be on mushies, which for me has been a little over a month. I only eat pureed foods, like soup, chicken, chili Beans only.

The only important thing is to get your Protein in - 60 g - and 32 oz. water or more. I eat very lightly myself because my sleeve is super sensitive. For Breakfast, I usually have Cream of Wheat. I make it with milk, and usually only eat 1/3 of it. Later, I drink Premier Protein chocolate 11 oz. and 30 g. My last meal is a 1/4 cup of real food and 1 container of Yoplait Greek Yogurt, 10 g protein. And I try to squeeze in another Protein Drink at some point, which I've been doing more lately. My sleeve is getting more tolerant, so I can drink more and faster than before.

I'd really think twice before restricting yourself like that. The effects could hurt you. Certainly you'll suffer energy loss, you'll be missing needed protein, which will affect your weight loss and make your hair loss worse. Also you need to have 400-500 calories a day, and if you try to cram that in one meal, you'll get sick and may even stretch your sleeve.

I won't say any more about this but seriously check out what is being done nationally. I realize there are a lot of people here who have much more liberal guidelines, but my doctor uses the standard approach, which works well for me. BTW when I had the dumping, it wasn't carbs or candy. I drank maybe 4 oz. first, then ate too much of my meal, too fast.

I have two more posts I hope to do today. One is all about how I overcame constipation and the other is about a woman who weighed 1,000 pounds and has lost 600 so far.

Keep those Christmas scent coming and the home fires burning.

Edited December 21, 201312 yr by SassySenior

We are doing great Sassy! Both adhering to strict Protein after my 3 day semi-fast to recuperate! Getting ready to head to a 60th anniversary party for our dear friends, who are in their mid 80s. Rog commanded the USS Coral Sea, was a jet fighter, and Lynn is his commander in chief as he says. We met this couple several years ago by our two 40 year old friends (we are mid 60s), and have enjoyed a sweet friendship, even going to Vegas 3 years ago. Our plan is to grab some tea or Water and enjoy! No food.

Obviously Rog and Lynn's longevity is because they have no food addiction, and I envy them that, Too bad our bodies are all so different, with different cravings!

If the body doesn't get us sometimes, the mind goes..... I am ready to start living, how about you!

You got that right, Linda. But I'll have to finish this post later. Shiki is staring at me like ... MOM do you realize how long it's been since we've eaten!!!

Now that I don't get hungry, I don't feed him as often as I used to. But I'll be back later after he's been properly taken care of.

Gwyneth, The Queen of BM

I have spent many bucks and hour upon hour in the powder room pondering how to resolve this issue. So it is with a very happy heart and a lighter load that I'm here today to share the secret of my success with you.

My winning formula is 2 Colace (Dr. prescribed) either at night or in the morning. Then, grab some reading material and go sit on your throne. Get a bottle of Milk of Magnesia, take the full dose and drink a glass of Water (or more if you can).

Now comes the tricky part, and each person is different. For me, I sit in the joan for 30 min. Then I get up and go into the kitchen. While sitting in the kitchen, the ever-demanding fart will rear its ugly head. Since, I still haven't learned "Don't trust the fart," I'll try a test toot and be re-educated on why trust must be earned.

During this process, stay close to the joan so that when the time comes, you'll be ready. Gwyneth will try to play mind games with you, proclaiming she can't wait. Don't listen to her. Keep moving to the joan.

Once safely inside the joan, sit down quickly, remembering to remove underthings during your rush to get the job done. Next, drink the MoM, retrieve your reading material and proceed to spend 30+ min. of quality time with Gwyneth. For lightweights, Gwyneth is likely to appear in the first 30 min. But if your Gwyneth is saucy like mine, you'll have to pretend to get on with your life before she will beckon you back for an encore performance.

How you act after this encounter will determine your fate. First, stop taking all laxatives asap. Sometimes, Gwyneth will visit for days, especially upon arising. Using whatever logic you favor, it’s up to you to decide when it's time to get back on the meds. I usually wait until I begin to doubt I'll ever go again.

I have found this to be a winning strategy you can trust, peeps, and I wanted to share it with you.

Edited December 23, 201312 yr by SassySenior

For me, if I miss a day, a start on the Colace. One at night and one in the morning until movement occurs. It's crucial to drink enough fluids. Drink by the clock if fluid intake is a problem. For example, 8 oz. every two hours.

Good advice, Lynda. I'm still at the drink 32 oz. stage. I have an appointment Jan 2 with my Nut where I will move on to the last and final stage. I'm sure, they will suggest/insist I consume more Water.

I tried taking the Colace a.m. and p.m., but it didn't seem to work for me. It's probably because I not only drink Protein Shakes, but I also take pain meds for my arthritis. In the past, before surgery, I would ease back on the pain meds, and that was usually enough to get my innards working again. But since I added the Protein, the problem has become a very difficult one.

I will take you advice under advisement, and try to be more conscientious about taking it on the clock. BTW, I managed to find a plastic cup that is exactly 8 oz. and has the ounces printed on the side. I keep track of how many I have consumed, so this helps.

But I guess it's time to develop a better routine for my new life. I think I'll make up a schedule because as it is, I have a routine for my Vitamins and Calcium, and my meds, especially my beta blocker. So it would be really good to combine all of this in one place, print itand, maybe even hang on my wall.

Good advice, Lynda. I'm still at the drink 32 oz. stage. I have an appointment Jan 2 with my Nut where I will move on to the last and final stage. I'm sure, they will suggest/insist I consume more Water. I tried taking the Colace a.m. and p.m., but it didn't seem to work for me. It's probably because I not only drink Protein Shakes, but I also take pain meds for my arthritis. In the past, before surgery, I would ease back on the pain meds, and that was usually enough to get my innards working again. But since I added the Protein, the problem has become a very difficult one. I will take you advice under advisement, and try to be more conscientious about taking it on the clock. BTW, I managed to find a plastic cup that is exactly 8 oz. and has the ounces printed on the side. I keep track of how many I have consumed, so this helps. But I guess it's time to develop a better routine for my new life. I think I'll make up a schedule because as it is, I have a routine for my Vitamins and Calcium, and my meds, especially my beta blocker. So it would be really good to combine all of this in one place, print itand, maybe even hang on my wall.

Sassy, your program is the first I've seen that doesn't require 64 oz of Fluid a day. I do recommend drinking on a schedule, it's the only way I could get my fluids in at first. I used a little notebook to track fluids, meds, and food and took it with me to my doctors appt. As I got further out, I switched to using a magnetic whiteboard on the fridge door.

Hope your holiday is happy and bright!

Lynda

Hi Lynda,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Going into this new year, it looks like it's just you and me. I'm sure at some point, another Boomer will discover us and post. In the meantime, I'm happy that you're willing to keep it going.

Thanks for the above info. I saw my NUT yesterday. I told her I was drinking about 32 oz. a day, and she said that's fine because I get a certain amount of liquid from my shakes (2 a day, 11 oz.) and my Greek yogurt. She didn't think I needed to increase it at all.

The bad news is I have only lost 27 pounds in the last 2 months. Nothing in the last 2 weeks. This has me concerned, even though I am down a total of 99 lbs. from my HW. I have severe arthritis, and the cold weather is making it near impossible for me to get around, so I'm not getting any exercise. I need both knees and hips replaced, but that will be after I lose more weight.

Clearly, I am a lot older than most people who get this surgery. In fact, I think I'm the oldest in our group. Darn ... I had to be born in the first year that later became known as the Boomer years. LOL

I am going to force myself to walk about my apartment building a little. I have been reluctant to do this because I'm afraid I will need to sit down and cannot. I had a great rolator that had a seat, but it broke, and the one I have now does not.

Right now, I'm increasing the amount of real food I eat, but very carefully so. I find myself getting hungry for the first time since surgery. Mostly I consume 2 shakes, 1 Greek yogurt and 1 Protein Bar and 1/2 cup of something for supper.

Any suggestions?

How was your New Year's Eve? Did you do anything special?

And to the other Linda ... how are you and Hubby? Let us know.

Hi Sassy,

Happy New Year! We celebrated with family - drinks on New Years Eve and then crab and family on New Years Day.

I counted all fluids, including my Protein Drinks, so I see why they are OK with what you are drinking.

For me, I stayed pretty full with Greek yogurt, dense Protein, and my protein drinks. I did get hungry, but felt satisfied after eating or drinking a protein drink.

I'm looking forward to the new year. As usual, I will spend January getting organized and thinning out my possessions. It's amazing how fast stuff can pile up! I'm also going to ramp up on charity work. During January, I also like to get me time doing solitary pursuits or just with hubby. I've got a jigsaw puzzle on the table, some good books and movies lined up, and we are going to the coast today. I find the beach so refreshing after weeks of holiday festivities.

Here's to a happy and heathy 2014!

Lynda

Also Sassy, on the food front, I' can't remember how far out you are, but I suggest eating a dense protein instead of the protein bar. I like the roast chicken from Costco. So, I would suggest a morning protein drink, some Greek yogurt mid morning, dense protein at lunch and dinner and a protein drink after dinner. If you are hungry mid afternoon, maybe a cup of skim milk.

Hi everyone, doing great down here, just a few ups and downs. I am sidelined with gout in my big toe so I am really mad I cannot get up and move!!! But I did have a wonderful Christmas with my daughter and son-in-law visiting! Even went shopping with her and made her day LOL! Something I always could not do is walk with my feet swelling and pain.

I can do nothing but sit here and try to reach out to others who have questions since I have to stay busy doing something. I am way antsy. Also, when I read others' posts I keep learning myself.

I haven't cooked any meals except the one chicken meal in the crockpot where I ate a little too much too fast. My husband eats when and what he wants and so do I. Thank goodness for the microwave, refried Beans, a piece of Laughing Cow cheese topping for the beans, FF Soups, cottage cheese, yogurt, and Protein Shakes in the fridge. Life is so simple.

I am enjoying the warmth of home because when this Florida sunshines comes back around March I am ready to go!

Happy New Year everyone. Linda

Happy New Year my fellow Boomers,

I'm new to this thread but not to the site. I am 52 years old and almost 11 months out. I was sleeved on 2/19/13 and lost 115lbs last year even though I was sidelined twice for neurosurgery in addition to being sleeved. I would like to lose 35 more pounds to reach my goal. I work in financial services and live in NY. I hope 2014 will be a successful losing/maintenance year for us all.

Hello Boomers,

I want to wish everybody a Happy New Year. It has been awhile since I have been here but I am now back on track after the past holiday. Too many dinners and Cookies and I see that I have gained 3 pounds over the holidays. This holiday weight gain is the lowest of my life so I am thankful. I gave myself a few treats and did not work out like I usually do but I am back and focused so I can complete my weightloss journey.

I started to get my Water intake up today. I made a pitcher of water and added the slices of 2 fresh lemons. I let the water set for almost an hour before I started and I must say it tasted great. I have also bought a bag of red grapefruit and will use that in my water tomorrow. And, starting tomorrow I will start my Protein liquids again.

Take care and it is good to be back,

Cheryl