Rootman

Whoa! Not that part! Maybe I should of said my CHEEKS hurt

I don't know any sleevers out that far but I know 2 people who have had duodenal switch surgeries in which the still take about 50% of the lower stomach out. Both are fat and both just gave up on the diet and gained like crazy. One Snacks on candy bars all day. The other - my sister - just eats 5 or 6 full meals a day. She was down below her target weight and developed a congenital heart problem that hit our mother at about the same age too. She gave up and started to drown her sorrows in food. This sleeve thing will take a LIFELONG commitment to eating less. We will never be free of dietary restrictions.

Actually they didn't weigh me at surgery time and my start weight was at the beginning of my pre-op diet. I voluntarily started 2 weeks before surgery so it's actually more like 80 pounds in 11 weeks.

Arrrggghhh! My sig got goofed up it should read "VSG surgery 12/6/2010 Jerusalem Hospital MX" I just fixed it.

I've lost close to 80 lbs and my butt hurts when I sit at my desk - it's didn't used to! I don't remember things digging into my hip bones either. Wonder what could be wrong?

Basically measure everything by this: You can now eat very, very little, since this is the case you need to make sure to get the foods that you really, really need first and then eat whatever else you want, be it fruit or salad. The primary thing you need to concentrate on is protein, eat it first then anything else you can.

I am jealous! I've got 20+ pounds to go before half way, It's an exciting goal.

Thanks Tiffy - and good to hear about the hubby back from war! Congratulations, it's the first I've heard you mention it. Must of been hell without him going through the weight loss.

Well, freaking out when someone of the same age dies is perfectly normal. It gives us a keen sense of our OWN mortality mixed with the grief we feel for our lost freind. You've choosen to do the right thing by taking charge of your weight and doing something about it. Watch your heart rate closely as we overweight people usually have a tendency to have a RAPID heart rate as heart struggles to keep the blood flow to the massive body, this is typically paired with high blood pressure. These two can be a deadly combination in an overweight person. As your weight drops you may have to take medication to encourage your heart to beat faster. Consult with the doc on the next visit.

Boy since writing the original post in this thread SOME of the disgust has passed but I now face a WORSE one. Almost ANY meat I eat tastes really foul. chicken and fish just taste "off" and are undesirable. Beef is worse and sausage is incredibly foul tasting (and yes I know it's NOT a lean meat). We went to Cracker Barrel restaurant on Saturday and the wife ordered Momma's pancake Breakfast which we shared. I ate one of the eggs - not bad, 1/2 a pancake - which was pretty good, and about one bite of the regular sausage patty which I nearly spit out it was so gross. I had a piece of bacon earlier in the week and nearly gagged. I used to LOVE this stuff and gorge myself on this stuff. The turkey breast lunch meat we buy is so nasty I won't eat it. I used to eat it for a snack before the sleeve. I hope this passes because I really need more Protein and having nearly all meat taste so bad is a real bummer!

Well congratulations! You are off to a great start! We wish you the best!

As others have brought up above it is pretty acid AND contains a LOT of sugar. It is quite a few calories for the nutritional benefit. If you tolerate it, it should be OK in moderation - it might not be the WISEST choice of drinks though given the sugar and caloric content.

You are right in being concerned, many are just scared of the surgery and are taken by surprise by the changes afterwards. The way I see it is that you can consider it like you and food are getting a divorce, you will not have as close a relationship and you just remain friends rather than lovers. You will eat to live, not live to eat. I had not problem keeping down liquids and had no vomiting but many have. The secret is simply small sips taken often. At first it will be probably be VERY difficult to get enough liquids. As you should refrain from exercise and hard physical labor for about 6 weeks it should not be an issue to remain hydrated. After the 6 weeks you should be able to get in more liquids although if you are like me still not as much as before or in as large a gulp as before either. Again, small, frequent sips from like a sports bottle will keep you hydrated. Restaurants are a big change as well. My wife and I go to a restaurant and usually order ONE entrée and split it about 75/25 with her taking the larger portion. Sometimes we even end up taking some home. Other alternatives are getting child's portions or senior portions. I've not been to a restaurant yet that would not cooperate if I explained why I could not have full size portions. If I ever did I would just eat a small part of the meal and take home the rest or leave it behind. It'll be 4 weeks or more before you can go to a restaurant so you'll have a good idea by then what you can eat or not. remember to eat Protein first and then carbs. It's a matter of selecting the best food for the small amount you can eat. Alcohol is out for at least 6 weeks. It can be consumed but be careful as alcoholic drinks usually have a large amount of calories but an occasional drink will not hurt much. The lifestyle choice after surgery is in reality the largest change, more than the surgery itself. It is where the battle for weight loss is won or lost. The surgery itself does little to cause weight loss, it's the consuption of fewer calories that does it. If you sabotage the sleeve by eating too often, too much and the wrong foods then you will fail the sleeve and not the sleeve fail you. There are psychological effects from the sleeve for most people and the desire to eat is lessened. However this can be overridden if you allow old habits to take hold again and eat in excess. It will be a massive change. Just plan on it and it will work out.

Diet rootbeer doesn't have carbonation in it???? Carbonation is the fizz or bubbles in soda pop, so rootbeer DOES have carbonation like any other soda. Besides the bubbles causing gas most sodas have caffeine, the exceptions are most lemon-lime, ginger ales or caffeine free versions of sodas. The ultra sweet tastes might also trigger desires for sweets which undermine the sleevers diets.

Fiber is the key, you need fibrous materials in order for the stool to be moved through the colon. Without it the stools stall out and remain too long and actually kind of dry out - that's the dark hard poop that we all occasionally had. With a high Protein low carb diet there again is not much fiber, hence the need to take fiber supplements. Like many I like polyethylene glycol, one brand is Miralax. It works, is almost undetectable in almost any Fluid and is calorie free and pretty much has no side effects. It is actually an inert plastic that adsorbs Water and bulks up the stool so it can be eliminated easily.

Has anyone else found the IM system - called Personal Conversation here - seems pretty flaky. I've received several messages from folks here and I go to check them and get : [#10229] We could not determine which message you were attempting to view. I go the other route and directly enter the IM system and see the message headers but then they give me a similar error. Last week I had a couple of messages and looked at one, decided to delete it and BAM! ALL the messages were gone. Is there some sort of trick to this forums version of IM? BTW: If you've IM'd me and I've not responded please try again.

Yes, I was the same way. Took me a half hour to down a yogurt, i dipped the spoon in sideways and just licked off what stuck to the sides. At 2+ months out I can take pretty normal size bites, however I still need to CHEW CHEW CHEW and swallow some then all the food. It's probably not a smart thing to do but the chewing and partial swallowing are second nature to me now. BEFORE surgery I would hardly chew at all and wolf down my food like a ravenous dog.

Good news Vickie. Wish you the best!

Well congrats! Remember this simple rule: 1 out of 4 people in the world are completely nuts. Look at 3 of your friends, if they seem OK - then IT'S YOU!

This seems to be something that is pretty far out to be worried about, after all the risk of getting ANY NUMBER of diseases while remaining obese with an entire stomach is just about 100%. Most of us were headed down a pretty self destructive path and the sleeve is just one tool we can use to take an off ramp and hopefully head towards healthy living. Besides there are actually quite a few people that live WITHOUT a stomach at all. http://cancer.about.com/b/2006/06/19/family-at-risk-for-stomach-cancer-has-stomach-removal-surgery.htm Don't worry about it.

Brazcan, the only advice I can give you is that returning to the US through customs usually takes 2 HOURS or more, mostly sitting in traffic in line for the customs check, which is 5-10 minutes. So plan accordingly.

Describes me to a TEE. I would eat a LOT but was picky on the quality. No glazed doughnuts for me, nope had to be pastries or something more exotic like custard filled long johns. I was a food snob, hee hee, just about typed "slob". I look at it like this. You have got to be willing to make a DRASTIC change to your relationship with food. Be prepared to get a divorce. Food will be your EX that you have to be friendly with for the kids sake but can no longer trust to be around. Eat to live, not live to eat.

Yep, everyone goes through it at least once, most a few times. Our eyes are now LITERALLY larger than our stomachs! Measure and stick with your portions. Don't graze, remember the pain!

It's tough. I flew home on day 4 and it was a miserable experience. I was fatigues beyond belief, sore and emotionally drained. Dealing with the aggravating security, far apart gates and less than helpful airport personnel is draining on ANYONE let alone a person recovering from surgery. Some suggestions: Get some support stockings, this will help prevent DVT Get up and walk on the flight from time to time Have someone come with you for moral support and physical support should something start to go wrong. If they offer an upgrade to 1st class TAKE IT if you can afford it. The difference in room and comfort is AMAZING! Be sure to drink Water like mad in the dry airplane air You may have to make arrangements with the airline for nourishment during the long flight since you will be more than one day total traveling. With the TSA nonsense it will be difficult for you to take liquids aboard the plane. Arrange for wheelchair service at the airports. While it is good to walk the long distances and harried pace may be too much for you to maintain and make your connections. Try and stay in Mexico a few days longer than normal, even if it's just at a hotel. This will help you regain your strength before the long trek. We all wish you well! Keep us posted.

Welcome Lysa! Congrats on your decision AND your weight loss. You are stuck at what is called a plateau or a stall. It WILL happen from time to time. Your body and brain are trying to make adjustments to conserve the fat that it has packed away for so many years, hormones and metabolism are desperately trying to keep the weight ON while you want it OFF. Don't be mad at yourself, just keep on keeping on. Stick to your diet. Remember Protein first then produce then carbs if there is any room left. Measure your portions and stick to them and them only. You will start to loose again.