Nancy Rivers

Sorry, I keep forgetting to check in. I've been meeting goals every day this week. In fact today, I've gone way over on my exercise since I'm moving into an apartment and I will again tomorrow. My typical day has an egg beater for Breakfast, 2 or 3 ounces of pureed meat product for lunch and dinner along with a couple of Protein shakes each day. I'm still in the pureed stage, so my diet is pretty much the same each day. Occasionally, I'll throw in a Soup instead of pureed meat - that I will usually add Protein powder to the soup. Can't wait for next week when I get to have mushies! I'm already planning to make a meatloaf.

My surgeon won't let me do anything but walk until 6 weeks out. He said it is to make sure the stomach is healed as well as some of the tissues he had to cut through for the incisions so they don't get "ripped open" from the exercising.

Thanks to some genetics and my weight, I have rather bad knees and back problems. The result was I would get really tired just going up one flight of stairs - and would try to avoid them whenever possible. I couldn't walk more than 5 minutes without getting winded. I couldn't even stand in place for 5 minutes without breaking out in a sweat. Then I had VSG. Today - just 2.5 weeks after surgery, I was moving some stuff into my new apartment. I totally forgot about the stairs. There are 4 steps up to the front entrance, then 8 more down to my floor. I did all 12 steps at least 8 times today (both ways - so 16 times total I suppose)! I also unpacked my trunk twice taking stuff into the apartment and putting it away immediately. For me, this is a MAJOR NSV! Boy am I tired now though. Oh, and because I forgot to pack my lunch, I stopped at Big Boy for lunch (plus I wanted to sit in air conditioning for a bit - my apartment has air, but no furniture yet). I ordered the Grilled chicken dinner that came with 2 sides (I chose cottage cheese and baby carrots). My eyes are still bigger than my stomach. I barely made it through the cottage cheese (which was about 1/2 cup). So, I asked for a box when the waitress brought my meal and immediately packaged up the chicken and the carrots that turned out to be glazed carrots. I left the roll on the plate. My "doggie bag" will be at least 3 meals for me - I just have to puree it first. So although I'm really tired, I am proud of myself today. Now to rest up a bit (my back is really bothering me right now, so I'm resting) and then re-pack the car with more stuff for moving tomorrow. At least tomorrow my furniture will arrive at some point in the afternoon, so I'll have a chair to sit on!

Yeah, I'm pretty lucky. I thought though if the people in my surgeon's office recommended someone as a "good doctor" then they probably would be since I like everyone in the surgeon's office. I'm just glad it worked out that way.

It does get better each day. The first 2 days were the worst for me. I had clear liquids for the first 2 days, then full liquids and pureed starting on day 3. I have to say that the first time I had pureed tuna mixed with a bit of low-fat miracle whip on day 3 I immediately started feeling better. However, that may not be allowed on your plan because it is a puree. For full liquids, broth, Water, crystal light/mio, Isopure (although I couldn't stand it), Jello, etc. I would start with those. Then as you can tolerate it, include things like pureed low-fat cream Soups that are rather runny or pureed vegetable soup - again make sure it's really runny. Check with your surgeon and dietician to know what exactly they will allow you to use. Each surgeon is different in their requirements. Try different temperatures of liquids too. Many people say that room temperature or warm water goes down best for them. For me, it was ice cold plain water that went down best.

The thing to remember is the sleeve is a TOOL - it is not the cure-all. You have to make the commitment to making the lifestyle changes that will ultimately allow you to maintain the weight loss. If you choose to eat poorly, not exercise, eat too much, etc. then yes, you will regain the weight - just like any other weight loss procedure or diet. If you make the commitment to making those lifestyle changes, the sleeve will help you be successful. By having the surgery, it forces you to immediately make changes otherwise you will be very sick. They say the first 6 months are critical - that is because that's when the tool is most effective in helping you modify your lifestyle. Use that 6 months to learn and permanently change your lifestyle. It's not easy, but it is worth it. After all, we have to UNlearn years of unhealthy and bad habits. That is never easy. Fortunately, the sleeve is a tool that can help us in that. The really hard part will be after that 6 month mark - when the tool isn't nearly as effective in helping to modify your lifestyle, because then it is all you. If you slip back into your bad habits, then yes, you will end up regaining the weight again. If you think there may be a really good chance that you would fall back into the bad habits that you had before surgery, then you really should talk to a psychologist about why that may happen and try to work that out if not before, then at least during the 6 month honeymoon period.

I have been very lax in checking my sugars. I also haven't been taking my meds (5mcg Byetta 2x day and 1000mg metformin 2x day). Yesterday, I saw a new PCP who told me when I should be checking again. I did check yesterday about 2 hours after eating and was pleasantly surprised that my sugar was only 138 (it had been over 200). This morning when I checked right after getting up (when the new PCP told me to check) I was 103. I am thrilled. I've never been this low since I was diagnosed in 2003.

Congrats! That is awesome. Good job! Good luck on Monday.

Have you tried something like hotwire.com? You might be able to find something that way.

Yeah, if the vinegar doesn't work, I'm tossing it. But I wanted to try to "salvage" it first.

Fairfield is just north of Cincinnati. www.mercyhealthyweight.com is the website for Dr. Northup.

Good luck tomorrow. I hope your surgery goes smoothly and you have a quick and painless recovery.

Glad the surgery went well. Hope things are continuing to go well for you.

My surgeon also used a 34 bougie and oversewed the staple line.

Thanks for the suggestions. A couple of people on Facebook also suggested vinegar - so I think I will try that tomorrow after I get to the store. The soup is already pretty salty (I am rather sensitive to it growing up with a mother who refused to use salt to cook with), so I'm reluctant to add more salt (or non-salt) to it.

Hope you are doing better now. My dietician reminded me again today at my followup appointment to not eat these things.

I used Dr. Northup in Fairfield - he's excellent. I've heard that Dr. Curry is good too.

I love the nectar brand of Protein powder. Some say it's too sweet, but I don't think it is. They have samples available from Nashuanutrition.com and many other places. It has 23 g of protein per serving, zero carbs. For Vitamins & Calcium, I'm currently using Bariatric Advantage - although it's kinda chalky. I have tried the Bariatric fusion brand and like those much better and will be ordering those once my other supply is depleted. I think they have samples but I'm not sure.

So for lunch today, I decided to have some bean & ham Soup made by Healthy Choice and pureed it. I also thought that I would up the Protein content by adding some unflavored Protein powder to it. I did this yesterday and it was fine. Unfortunately, the brand I added today made it awfully sweet - too sweet really. I had several packets of samples, that's why I used different brands (I had finished off the one brand yesterday). I hate to waste food. How can I make the now too sweet soup not so sweet? Any suggestions? I'm on full liquids/pureed foods until Tuesday.

Welcome to the forums! That is a great start! Congratulations!

Good luck! Sounds like you are off to a great start already!

You should aim for 60 to 80 g of protein a day according to my surgeon.

Duh... Well... Glad everything went well! I guess that's what I get for looking at an old post...

That really made me smile. That's great! Thanks for sharing.

Well, I had my 2 week followup appointment today. Everything went well. Officially (according to their scales) I have lost 20 pounds. I have been cleared to start mushies on Tuesday and I'm thrilled about that. Is it Tuesday yet? LOL My surgeon also wanted me to see a "local" doctor for PCP to manage my diabetes within the next week. (I live in Michigan, but am moving to Ohio and hadn't gotten a PCP in Ohio yet.) So, the girl at the desk tried a couple of offices that the surgeon recommended and neither could see me before October. She then told me of a doctor in a different town, but was still with the same hospital system and said that she was good. I told her to go ahead with it. Well that doctor couldn't see me, but there was another doctor in the same practice that could see me today (an hour after I left the surgeon's office actually). So, they setup the appointment. I get to the PCP's office, and the girl at the desk tells me that I'll love this doctor and she herself had the sleeve done in April and has lost 60 pounds with it. As we start talking, she also tells me more about the office and how they are getting "specialists" to come in one day a week in the "other half of the office" and gave me information on a couple of other specialists that I will eventually need to see. I then went back to talk to the doctor - who is young and good looking. As we are talking, he tells me that he still has family in Saginaw, Michigan and goes to visit a couple of times each year. Well, what a small world - I grew up in Burt and have been living in Clio - just about 30 minute drive from Saginaw. I was liking the doctor before this, but this kind of sealed it for me. Today was a very good day....