The BIG Book On The Gastric Sleeve
Everything You Need To Know To Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
About — The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve
Are you sick and tired of struggling with obesity? If you've been obese for years and have tried every weight loss diet without lasting success, weight loss surgery may be the right choice for you. "The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy" is your complete guide to the vertical sleeve gastric, or gastric sleeve.
Like so many other patients who have struggled with obesity for many years, you may find that the gastric sleeve is the tool you need to eat well and finally lose weight for good. The Big Book guides you through each step of the journey, from deciding to get the sleeve, finding a surgeon and paying for surgery, to recovering from surgery, following the sleeve diet and losing weight and maintaining your weight loss for life.
"The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy" treats you with the respect you deserve and provides facts and analysis in simple language. It discusses everything related to obesity, weight loss, the gastric sleeve and the sleeve diet so that you can make the best decisions for yourself. The book further helps you by being a source of advice and motivation, too. The book contains stories from real-life sleeve patients, told in their words. When you're ready to learn all about losing weight and living well with the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, grab your copy of the book and get reading!
About the book's authors:
With every page of "The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve" you will learn important details such as:
- The options for surgical weight loss and what is involved with the Gastric Sleeve.
- How to make your decision and what questions to ask before surgery
- What your diet and exercise will look like following the procedure
- How to adjust to your incredible new body
- And so much more
Lifelong weight loss and better health can be yours with the help of this book!
About the BookThe Book is also available on:
Title
Content
This chapter talks about the obesity epidemic and provides a reminder of the dangers of obesity. It contributes to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis. It can make you depressed, and you might already be familiar with social stigma, such as people looking down on you, that comes with obesity. Still, one-third of Americans are obese and another third are overweight. Our lifestyles and surroundings make losing weight hard. Each day, we face fast food, junk food, not enough opportunities for exercise and too much time sitting around. How much is obesity affecting you?
Why is weight loss so difficult when it sounds so simple? Eat less and exercise more, and you should lose weight, right? It's not so easy, though. This chapter takes a look at your options for losing weight and why they don't work for most people. not have worked for you before.
- Diets don't usually work in the long term if you don't make them true lifestyle changes; you'll gain the weight right back if you try extreme diets such as low-carb diets or diets that only let you eat boxed meals or shakes.
- Exercise programs are healthy, but they don't usually burn off enough calories to motivate you to continue them.
- Weight loss drugs can be dangerous and are not necessarily effective.
- vertical sleeve gastrectomy
- roux-en-Y gastric bypass
- sleeve plication (or curvature plication)
- laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (brand name: Lap-Band)
You may be considered the vertical gastrectomy as an obesity treatment, but do you know exactly what it is and how it works? This chapter describes the vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure and how it can help you lose weight if you follow the sleeve diet. During surgery, the surgeon removes the majority of your stomach pouch and forms the remainder of the stomach into a tube-shaped sleeve. The surgery is usually laparoscopic, or minimally invasive, but it can be open. The chapter explains both of these options. When you swallow, food travels down your throat, through the sleeve and into your intestines. The gastric sleeve helps you feel full faster so you're less likely to eat as much. The vertical sleeve gastrectomy is permanent and irreversible, so you need to follow the sleeve diet for life.
The vertical gastric sleeve has a much smaller pouch than your original stomach. It can hold only about '15 percent of the amount of food that your original stomach could hold. You're likely to eat less and lose weight when you have the gastric sleeve because of the smaller amount of food and because the vertical sleeve gastrectomy changes your hormones to make you less hungry. This chapter talks about how much weight you can expect to lose with the sleeve if you follow the sleeve lifestyle goes smoothly. It also explains some of the other benefits of losing weight with the sleeve, such as feeling better and getting off of some of your medications.
Any surgical procedure has risks, and this chapter presents them to you so that you can make an informed decision about whether you think the vertical sleeve gastrectomy is worthwhile for you. Infections and bleeding are the most common risks of surgery. Pain can be severe as you recover from surgery. Serious complications requiring a second surgery are rare. Nausea, vomiting and gastrointestional discomfort are possible, but are often preventable if you follow your surgeon's diet and other instructions carefully. Chapter 5 makes sure that you're going into the sleeve gastrectomy with all the information you need.
Now that you know how the sleeve procedure, how the sleeve can help you lose weight and what the risks are, it's time to start thinking about whether you're a good candidate to get the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Chapter 6 introduces the eligibility criteria for obese patients who want the gastric sleeve, as well as exclusion criteria – or contraindications (medical conditions) that may prevent you from getting the sleeve. The chapter also talks about some special conditions, such as pregnancy, revisional weight loss surgery patients and adolescents. By the end of this chapter, you'll have a much better idea about whether the vertical sleeve gastrectomy is for you.
After deciding to get the sleeve, it's time to plan your surgery. This chapter suggests sources for expanding your knowledge about the surgery. Selecting a surgeon is an important step in your journey, and we give you tips on finding a surgeon who's qualified and a good fit for your personality. We also introduce the other members of the healthcare team, such as a mental health professional and dietitian. These health professionals will be working with you for years. Finally, the chapter discusses some characteristics to look for when you're deciding where to get your surgery done. While it's not as cozy as a smaller clinic, a bariatric center in a large hospital has many advantages.
Financing your surgery can be challenging, but you have multiple options. This chapter walks you through finding out whether your insurance coverage includes the sleeve gastrectomy and the steps of getting your pre-approval letter. Finance plans can help you cover the surgery if you don't have health insurance coverage and you can't afford to pay the entire cost in cash. Since other nations often offer vertical sleeve gastrectomies at lower overall costs than in the U.S., each year thousands of patients go to Mexico or Venezuela for their vertical sleeve gastrectomies. This chapter provides advice and tips for medical tourism.
The vertical sleeve gastrectomy is approaching. You've chosen a surgeon and figured out financing, and you're getting excited! What's next? Relax, take a deep breath and dig into Chapter 9! As you prepare for surgery, you'll meet with your surgeon for medical tests and to discuss your concerns. You'll get a psychological evaluation, and a dietitian may work with you on a pre-surgery diet as well as some plans for your post-surgery gastric sleeve diet.
Chapter 10 goes over some of the pre-surgery details, such as getting time off work and making sure your kitchen is well-stocked. The chapter provides lists of what to take to the hospital and what to leave at home. If you're going abroad for your vertical sleeve gastrectomy, don't miss the checklist of important things to take care of as surgery approaches! This chapter has you covered through checking into the hospital and going in for your procedure.
Congratulations! You're now a sleeve patient for life! Taking precautions during this important period in your gastric sleeve journey can make your weight loss easier and faster down the road. Chapter 11 talks about what to expect during the rest of your time in the hospital. We also give some advice for speeding your recovery when you get home. During this period, you'll gradually return to your normal activities and to work.
Since the gastric sleeve is a lifelong procedure, your post-op care goes from the end of surgery through the rest of your life. The more seriously you take your post-surgery care, the more likely you are to avoid complications and have weight loss success with the sleeve. Your post-op, or aftercare, program usually includes:
- Your post-surgery surgeon appointments
- Medical tests that you may have
- Other healthcare appointments in your post-surgery care program
- Support group meetings and other sources of support
- Staying positive and persistent during this time
Food is central to weight loss and health, but you can't jump right into the full gastric sleeve diet right after surgery. The first four to six weeks after surgery are for focusing on recovery, not on weight loss. Eating the right foods now can help you prevent complications later. Chapter 13 goes through your diet during the first several weeks after surgery. During this time, stick carefully to the allowed foods and get in the habit of measuring portions. Drink plenty of water throughout the day but not at meals. This chapter has food lists for each phase plus suggested meal plans and other tips to get you through these first several weeks. Chapter 13 covers the first three out of these four phases of your post-surgery diet progression.
- Liquid diet
- Pureed diet
- Soft foods diet
- Regular sleeve diet
You get to start the solid foods diet after you successfully complete the semi-solid phase. The solid foods phase is designed to be your long-term diet; it'll help you lose weight and maintain your weight for as long as you choose to follow it. This chapter will let you stick to your sleeve diet with confidence. You'll see lists of foods and their serving sizes for each food group plus suggested meal plans and tips for following the sleeve diet. We'll teach you how to make your own meal plans so you can eat the foods you prefer and change up your diet to prevent boredom.
You can eat most foods on the gastric sleeve diet, but you'll do best if you focus on high-protein and nutrient-dense foods. We'll show you how! This chapter tells you about water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals – all the nutrients you need to stay healthy! High-protein and nutrient-dense choices are critical for preventing deficiencies, so we'll tell you what you need to know. You'll also get to learn about nutrition labels so you choose healthy foods. It'll become natural if you practice it constantly!
Physical activity, or exercise, helps you burn calories and control your weight, and this chapter has a list of common activities and the calories you can burn doing them. Regular exercise has other benefits, too. It reduces your risk for the obesity-related chronic diseases discussed in Chapter 1, "Introduction," and improves your mood. You can start, after getting your surgeon's approval, with light exercise, such as slow walking or water aerobics. Then progress as you are comfortable. In the chapter, you can find recommendations for amount and types of exercise and ways to fit it in when you're short on time. Of course, sticking to an exercise program is even harder than starting one – and there are tons of tips in the chapter so that you are able to stick to your program – and enjoy it! Chapter 16 talks about:
- Why exercise is good for your weight and health
- Recommended amounts of exercise
- How a complete beginner can safely and gradually start a physical activity program when you still have a lot of weight to lose
- How to make your program more advanced as you progress
- How to stick to your exercise program for the long term
The changes during the first year can be overwhelming – unless you're prepared for them! Chapter 16 gives you a nice overview of the changes to expect – keeping in mind, of course, that each individual's gastric sleeve experience is slightly different. During the first year on the sleeve diet, you can expect significant weight loss and changes in your body. You'll probably feel better about yourself and notice that others treat you differently as you lose weight. This chapter helps you recognize symptoms of sleeve complications so you know whether to call your surgeon. Chapter 16 also provides tips on staying motivated. Cosmetic surgery to remove extra skin is something that you may want to consider as you lose weight, and the chapter outlines the most common options.
The last chapter discussed some of the changes to expect after your vertical sleeve gastrectomy. With so many changes, you'll need a lot of support. Chapter 17 helps you build a fail-proof support system. This chapter will talk about the sources of support that may be available to you. These include:
- Yourself
- Your family and friends
- Members of your medical team
- Other bariatric surgery patients from your support group meetings and online communities.
There's always more to learn. You can read "The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy," call your surgeon and talk to all of the members of your support groups, and you'll never know every detail about the gastric sleeve that you'll be wondering about eventually. That's where online resources come in; there's a nearly infinite array of sites that can answer your questions. BariatricPal.com is an online community with more than 100,000 members, many of whom have been in your shoes and can provide advice from personal experience. Members are encouraging, too, so you can feel comfortable there. Membership is free and features include regular newsletters, a profile page with space for your photos and a blog, a surgeon directory with member ratings and reviews and a live chat room.
The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve
Is the definitive guide for your gastric sleeve journey for weight loss. Likeso many other patients who have struggled with obesity for many years, you may find that the sleeve is the tool you need to eat well and finally lose weight for good.
Table of Contents:
- 01 - Obesity - A Costly Epidemic
- 02 - Weight Loss Options
- 03 - Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy 101
- 04 - Potential Benefits of the VSG
- 05 - Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy - Risks and Considerations
- 06 - Are You a Good Candidate for the Sleeve?
- 07 - Tips when Planning for the Sleeve
- 08 - Insurance, Self-Pay and Medical Tourism
- 09 - Pre-Surgery Preparation
- 10 - Final Preparations for the VSG
- 11 - Recovering from Surgery
- 12 - Post-Op Care
- 13 - Recovery and Your Post-Surgery Diet
- 14 - Losing Weight With the Sleeve Diet
- 15 - The Sleeve Diet, Weight Loss and Your Health
- 16 - Getting and Staying in Shape with Exercise
- 17 - What to Expect in the First Year after VSG
- 18 - Build a Strong Support System
- 19 - Online Support and BariatricPal.com