kemo46

If you are having the surgery in the states, please get it in writing what it includes and what IT DOES NOT include. The hospital and OTHER doctors beside your surgeon usually have fees. The medication and tests as well. Sometimes 12,000 can turn into 16,000 real easy. You need to also check the experience of the doctor. What I have found is if a doctor in the states is offering a good self-pay price, the experience is usually lacking. They can make a lot more if they bill insurance companies and usually BUT not always, the experienced doctors have plenty of business with insurance paying patients and do not have to offer deep discounts. The other question to ask is how many SLEEVE surgeries have they performed. You will find here in the states, most doctors state they have done X-AMOUNT of weight loss surgeries because that includes lap-bands that they did 15 years ago and it sounds better than saying they have done 50 sleeves. I know several doctors in the Dallas area that this is the case. Ask the right questions so there will be no surprises.

Great job, all the hard work is paying off. You look great and healthy.

Questions are good. The key is patience. It is weird not to be able to drink Water at will the first month or so but it returns to normal after that. I never got sick and have never thrown up once since I had the surgery. Once you find out the amount of food your sleeve will allow and you go over it, it is an awful feeling and it is a lesson learned. The key is have the surgery and start your healthy new life. I wish I would have had the surgery years ago, that is my only regret. I am as healthy now as I was in High School. You can do this. My main advice would be do extensive research and not just on the forums. Talk to the surgeons, talk to past patients and get their perspective and ask them alot of questions. Check with the Board of Medicine in Mexico on ACTUAL death rates. Believe it or not, everything you read on the internet is not factual. Good Luck on your journey.

Hello, I just sent you a private message.

I had my colonoscopy about 9 months after my surgery. You are able to drink all the prep liquid, it just takes a little longer. I was able to finish it in about 2 hours. It was the taste and the amount of the liquid that was the problem, not the size of my stomach. You will do fine and it is a very important procedure to have done. It was my first one and it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Always talk to your doctor. I was cleared 6 weeks after surgery but I will tell you this, I would have not been able to do extensive hiking at 8 weeks. Everyone heals at different speeds. You will know if your body is ready. Stay hydrated and do not over do it, it is not worth it.

Getting my diabetes under control with no medication was my biggest achievement. It is amazing what this tool can do for you. My A1C test runs about 5.5 and my fasting glucose is under 100 and has been since surgery. That alone was worth the surgery.

You can buy expensive supplements or you can carb up with a piece of wheat toast with peanut butter on it. I have tried different things for my pre-workout from C-4 to protein. I talked with my trainer and NUT about this and if you drink plenty of water ( stay hydrated) and increase your carbs before your workout, this gives you the added energy to get through the workouts. In the weight loss phase it is hard because you are trying to limit your carbs but that is a bad idea. If you do not get enough carbs in, you will run out of energy and also you will burn lean muscle instead of fat. Experiment and see what give you that extra energy. You do not have to break the bank on expensive supplements.

No doubt. This has been a life changer and actually saved my life. It reversed my Diabetes and I take no medication for anything. I have lost about 120 lbs. and hit my goal weight at 9.5 months from surgery. I am as healthy now as I was when I was a teen, probably healthier.

Keep track of the sodium you are having in everything you drink and eat. Be sure you are walking a lot. I agree to talk to your doctor to make sure you do not have any circulation issues.

I always take my ice chest with Water, protein bars, Banana's and almonds. I will ususally eat one good meal with chicken and vegetables. I make sure to drink 80 to 100oz of water daily and I eat my healthy snacks throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism going and keep you from getting hungry.

I see you are closing in on a year since your surgery. I have a feeling your NUT will tell you to increase your calories and carbs. Just because you increase them does not mean it will slow your weight loss, in many instances, it will increase your weight loss and it will give you more energy for the day.

I normally would never disagree with a Doctor's advice but I do on this subject and this is why. A lot of Doctor's do not have training in nutrition or personal training. With that said, I would make sure you get cleared BY YOUR DOCTOR for exercise and weight lifting before you do it. You do not want to strain or tear any muscles that were affected during surgery. I was not cleared for exercise until 6 weeks after surgery and I took it very slow. I think waiting until you have acheived ALL of your weight loss before starting weight lifting is a bit conservative. I agree with Lissa, lifting has helped me as well with the saggy skin. I reached my goal 9.5 months out, if I would have waited that long to start lifting, I would look a mess.

Sarah, I have sent you a private message.

Hey Amanda, I went through a similar stall. My trainer suggested I skip the gym for a few days, eat some food I normally would not eat and drink at least 100oz of Water a day for 4 days. I do not know if it was 1,2, or the combination but it worked. I dropped several pounds and have keept them off and have that stall behind me. Even though we try to mix up our routine, sometimes we have to really throw our body a shock every once in a while. I have been at my goal weight for a while now but I have been trying to create a cushion so I can build up and add a lot more muscle tone. To do this I needed to add substantial more calories, more carbs and this is totally the opposite of what I have been doing over the last year. I am resetting my goal to 190 lbs to add the muscle because I DO NOT ever want to weigh over 200lbs again. Congrats on getting through your stall.