SKCUNNINGHAM

I have taken it every day (2 tablets) since about 1 month post surgery. The last time I had my hair cut, my beautician said she could see a new growth of hair over all my head, all the same length. She attributed it to the Biotin. Yes, my hair has thinned (I am at 6 1/2 months), but it is bearable. coq10 is good for your heart (I take it)- I don't think it does anything for your hair.

For Proteins, I was eating chicken, tuna, salmon, fresh fish, shrimp, pork roast (cooked in a crock pot), moist cooked ground beef, beef roast (cooked in a crock pot), baby bell cheese, laughing cow cheese, string cheese and cheddar or swiss cheeses. I really didn't start eating the pork or beef unitl about 3 months - at 6 weeks, it still upset my stomach. I also seldom eat eggs - I have a very low tolerance for eggs - they make me break out in hives if I eat too many (old alergy - nothing sleeve related). Eggs are a good Protein source and usually people have no trouble digesting them. The only dairy I ate was lowfat cottage cheese, lowfat Activia yogurt, or greek yogurt. I would occasionally (maybe once or twice a week) have a 60 calorie sugar free pudding cup. I might mix 1/2 applesauce or Water packed peaches with the cottage cheese. For veggies - I ate tomatoes, green Beans, squash, cucumber, sugar snap peas, carrots, green peppers and carrots. I started asparagras at six weeks. I stayed away from raw celery (only ate it cooked), and brocolli / cauliflower (raw or cooked) - didn't start it until later. I would make smoothies for Breakfast with nectar Protein powder and frozen strawberries and frozen banannas. I would sometimes use different fruit in the smoothies. For 1 smoothie , I use at most 1/2 bannana and approx 6 berries. I would eat a 2" long piece of corn on the cob maybe once /week. I would eat little melba toast squares occasionally with the laughing cow cheese on it. I didn't eat any other crackers or bread. I didn't (and still don't at 6 1/2 months) eat bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice or crackers). When I cook post roast, I might bend my rule and now eat a 1" cube of cooked potatoe. I drink EAS /Myoplex Protein drinks for breakfast if I don't make a smoothie. I also will occasionally use an Isopure PLUS Protein Drink. I also ate sugar free popsicles. Hope this helps - good luck with your sleeve.

Another positive side effect - I find myself smiling a LOT more.

I agree with everyone else -its the acid! Don't force yourself to sit at the table and watch others eat if it bothers you - give yourself a break. Also, try ISOPURE PLUS (not regular ISopure). The 8 ounce bottles either in punch or grape frost flavor. Tastes way better than anything else. Once I knew I liked it, I ordered it from Amazon.com.

Wow! If you ladies started kickboxing and boxing after 3-4 weeks, you must have capes and camis with a big red letter "S" on underneath your shirts! I am filled with admiration! I used to box a little with my trainer (back in a previous thin, healthy time in my life) and did a tiny bit of kickboxing. I couldn't do it all the way because my lower back would go out. I loved both of them. I still have my gloves (red) and hope to get back to it. What an ausome workout! Go for it! Post pictures!

Congrats on getting the surgery behind you! Today will be better than yesterday - you may even get to go home. Keep walking and sipping!

Two potential side effects - one applies to women 1) You will need to supplement Vitamin B12 2) women's hormone levels go a little nutty during the rapid weight loss phase, because fat cells store estrogen and it gets dumped into the blood stream. This can cause disruptions in cycles and some puberty like symptoms - but this tempers after a few months. I don't know about guys hormones.

On rare occasions, I will eat one hushpuppy. I will eat melba toast or a piece of flatbread. I'm not doing regular bread still - and I'm 6 months out. Don't even want to try to see how it sits with my sleeve until I hit goal. I sort of mentally think of "white carbs" as BAD STUFF to stay away from.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have done great! And you look smaller than 150. I am 5'4" and weighing 162, and I'm in 14's just to give you a comparison. I am so happy for you - enjoy your success.

I have no regrets. I had an easy recovery - one night in the hospital and then the rest at home. My only side effects since surgery are mild anemia (which I have had most of my life) and reflux (which I had prior to surgery for years). I did go through puberty hell for a couple of months due to the estrogen from the stored fat cells being dumped into my bloodstream - but that is over. That isn't a side effect of the sleeve - it is a side effect of rapid weight loss (no matter how you are losing it). I have no buyers remorse from having a body part removed. I have previously lost my gallbladder, bone spurs on my feet and all my reproductive parts. Part of my stomach didn't phase me at all. The reason I did the sleeve (with 118 pounds to lose) was to keep it off - not to lose it. I am a champion weight loser! This is the 5th time I have lost approximately 100 pounds. (see the thread on all the diets we have been on) I think this is my only chance to KEEP it off. You ask about being worried on long term results. The five year studies are fine - no bad results there. People have been living with gastrectomies for many years - lots longer than five - patients who had most of their stomach taken out because of some medical problem. I think my chances of living past 60 (I'm 54 1/2 now) are much better with the sleeve than without. And whatever time I get to stay here prior to starting the afterlife, I expect I will be healthier and happier. In summary - no regrets!

Julie - Sounds like you have found a new way to do a chiropratic adjustment!

Chunk - I think we all loved to eat and drink (if not alcohol - sodas, milk shakes, etc). You have to balance your love of that lifestyle with your desire to live a longer and healthier life. You will not be able to eat the quantity of food you do post-surgery you do pre-surgery. After a year, you will be able to eat almost anything in small quantities. You could probably drink in small amounts. I have discovered a small serving of food (whatever it is) satisfies me and I don't want anymore - and the family celebrations don't miss a beat if I have 1 small helping rather than eat like a pig at the trough (like I used to). And if I have a small sip of a mararita then switch to something else it certainly doesn't impair my enjoyment of the evening and it doesn't seem to bother anyone else I'm not drinking (more for the rest of them is their attitude). It's a tough decision - and you are right to give serious consideration to whether this is a step you want to make. This is a forever thing, not something you will do for a couple of months then can go back to how you were before. Good luck.

I am 6 1/2 months out and I eat around 800 calories per day, and get in my Protein. Here is what I eat in a normal day Breakfast at 5:30 am smoothie consiting of 25g Protein powder (Nectar's Fuzzy Navel or Vanilla), 1/3-1/2 frozen bannana and 6 frozen strawberries, mixed with Mylanta powder, benefiber powder, 1T of Flax oil and crushed ice and Water. I use my Magic Bullet. (210 callories, 24 1/2 g Pr, 26 g C 1g F) Snack at 10:00 am Baby carrots or raw sugar snap peas or cherry tomatoes (40 cal for 10 grams C) or 1 baby bell cheese (56 cal 6 g Pr, 0 g C, 6 g F) lunch at noon Tuna (one of those packages of white Tuna) mixed with 2 T of dill relish and 2 T of lite miracle whip (130 Cal 18 Pr, 4 C, 5 g F) Either the carrots, snap peas or tomatoes (40 cal , 0 gr P, 10 g C, 0 g F) Snack at 4 pm 1 baby bell cheese (56 cal 6 g Pr, 0 g C, 6 g F) If I don't get in the snack at 4 and don't eat anything until driving home, I munch on a snack of beef jerky (120 C 22 g P, 5 g C, 1.5 g F) dinner around 7:30 3 oz broiled chicken or fish (163 c 25 g Pr, 7 g F) or 3 oz beef or pork (max would probably be 223 cal 22 g p 15 F) or 8 shrimp (boiled with the tails on) (40 cal 8 g P ) about 1/2 c cooked veggies (asparagras, squash, etc) (20 calories 5 g C) Depending on which choice I make during the day - this can be from 700 - close to 900 calories. Depending on what protein I eat at 4 or driving home, I select the protein choice I eat for dinner to get me to the total protein I want for the day. I try to hit around 800 calories and get my protein in. I I choose a day where I eat Activia yourt for a snack, I back of on the veggies so I don't go crazy for the carbs that day. I don't eat white carbs very often - and when I do it's a tablespoon of rice with my chinese food.

Chunk - here is some information I put in a previous topic - that you may find interesting. If you go to www.surgery.com, it will tell you the following (I got this from typing "deaths from sleeve gastrectomy" into my search engine) The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery lists the complication rate in vertical sleeve gastrectomy to be relatively low, even among patients considered to be at high risk. Cumulatively the overall mortality (death) from vertical sleeve gastrectomy is 0.39 percent—lower than with traditional bariatric surgeries. (last updated 11/24/2009) From an article on www.gastricbypassfacts.com, here is a extract from "How Does the Sleeve Gastrectomy Work?" The risks and complications of the sleeve gastrectomy:As with all forms of weight loss surgery, the vertical gastrectomy does carry risk and these will clearly vary from one patient to the next and must be discussed with your physician. Complications might include: Gastric leakage and fistula 1.0% Deep vein thrombosis 0.5% Non-fatal pulmonary embolus 0.5% Post-operative bleeding 0.5% Splenectomy 0.5% Acute respiratory distress 0.25% Pneumonia 0.2% Death 0.25% http://healthengine.com.au/article/sleeve-gastrectomy.html This article quotes " The mortality rate in gastric sleeve is 1:500 and it lies between the gastric band, which is the safest, and the laparoscopic gastric bypass, which carries the highest risk." So the first source says 3.9 patients out of 1000, the second source says 2.5 patients out of 1000 and the third says 2 out of 1000. So I would feel comfortable (based on these 3 sources) saying the death rate is somewhere between 2 and 4 per 1000. To contrast that - imagine 1000 people walking around that are your height and weight - with your exact health problems. How many of them would die in the next year from their health problems? From something I was reading this week on another forum - surgeons who perform 100 or more sleeves per year have lower risk rates. Hospitals that perform over 150 sleeves per year have lower risk rates. If you are considering a surgeon, ask how many procedures he/she has performed in a year, and how many he/she has performed in total. Then ask the same two questions about how many of his patients died. This will give you an idea where your surgeon is versus the norms. Also ask about the hospital you will have the surgery performed in - how many procedures do they do a year? Any surgery is scary and has risks. You can't go through life avoiding all risks. For me - the risk of dying of heart problems from NOT DOING this surgery and staying obese was much higher than the risks from the surgery. This surgery was the right decision for me. I wish you good luck on making your decision.

Do you do the dish where you take squash (yellow or green) and cook it with bell pepper, onion and tomatoe? You can either do it on top of the stove or bake it in a casserole dish. Of course I USED to put a ton of cheese in it - now I use a whisper of cheese with the veggies. It could be cooked to the point it was a mushie, too. Great way to use up an abundance of fresh produce.

My thoughts go out to you on this sad anniversary. What a wonderful NSV you experienced. A permanent memory to be with you always.

I have lost 91 pounds since my 1st appointment with the surgeon (January 2011), and 100 pounds since my top weight - this time last year. This is the best thing I ever did for myself. I have ZERO regrets. I was in the hospital one night and took 3 weeks off from work to recuperate (I have to make a long drive or it would have been two weeks). No major complications. Any early nausea was bearable, the early acid problem was easily controlled by meds, and I am now tapering off of them. My hair is thin - but if I end up temporarily wearing a wig (worse case and I'm not anywhere near needing one) so be it.I would rather be a thin woman in a wig that a fat woman with my own hair. I spent a long time doing research - I realized this was my best chance at a healthier, longer life. The risk/reward equation for me was heavily weighted to the rewards side. Good luck to you and your journey.

A 1/2 cup of pinto beans cooked (with salt) has 122 calories, 8 grams of protein, 22 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fat. If you are on a carb free diet for the last two weeks, I don't see how it could include beans of any kind. Sorry about that!

SeattleSue - you are so right! I am a carb addict. They were my comfort food - big time. It is best if I just don't indulge in white carbs (bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice, most crackers) and absolutely no junk carbs (chips of any kind). It is like asking an alcoholic to drink reasonably. I am still recording every thing I eat. It took a long time before I was ready to take the training wheels off the bicycle when I was a little girl, it's going to take a long time before I feel in control enough to quit writing down everything that goes into my mouth. Good luck to you ASBGirl - both with your sleeve and your horse endeavors!

Two other items - my favorite easy Protein drink is Isopure PLUS. I ordered it from Amazon.com. 8 ounces, 15 grams of protein. Tastes like crystal lite - punch flavor and a grape frost flavor. My NUT told me that anything over 20-25 grams of protein at once was a waste of money, cause my body couldn't absorb that much protein at once and just excreted the rest. The other thing - for nauseau - try fresh ginger. Get a piece of ginger root from the grocery's produce section. When feeling nauseus, cut a small piece of ginger from the large root and smell the cut section of ginger. Sounds wierd, but it works the same way that ginger ale settles your stomach.

There are two good reasons you want to sleep all the time after getting home from surgery - the first is your body is still getting over the effects of the anasthesia. Different people take different amounts of time to get totally over the drugs they use. I spent one night in the hospital, but it took me a minimum of two weeks to get free of the effects of anasthesia - I kept falling asleep with little or no warning. This has happened each time after I had surgery. Back in the day when you recuperated from surgery in the hospital, rather than at home - it was less noticeable. The other reason you want to sleep is your body isn't getting the fluids and Protein it needs. I agree with everyone else - sip continually while you are awake. I even keep a bottle of Water next to the bed so when I wake up in the night to go pee, I drink then. Also - everyone is depressed to some degree after surgery and after getting off the pain pills. The reality of what you have done hits you - and the enormity of the journey ahead of you. Right now - you don't see any rewards - just the pain / discomfort and the realization that your good buddy food isn't your good buddy any more. Hang tough and take it a day at a time. Practice the behaviors you need to learn to be successfull with your sleeve - sipping throughout the day, getting in as much protein as possible and walking as much as possible. Be sure and take pictures and take your measurements now, so you will have things to compare to as the weight starts rapidly falling off. The rewards of your decision will come soon. Me - I am not a patient person - I was not into "delayed gratification" - which is why food was my good buddy for so many years. I have had to learn that some things really are worth waiting and working for. The sleeve was a great choice for me - I couldn't be happier with my decision. I still have close to 30 pounds to go, and those are going to be harder than the first 90 - but I have the skills built that will get me there. You can do this, too. Good luck. If you want to ask me anything during your sleeve journey - feel free to PM me.

Everytime I have had surgery and had a body part removed (gallbladder, hysterectomy, now the sleeve) I tell the surgeon - "I don't care if you find the Hope Diamond's twin inside me, don't show it to me." I am squeamish and didn't want to see my innards.

Once you have a clear understanding with your insurance about what is covered and what isn't, and a list of approved surgeons - set up visits with a couple of the surgeons and negotiate what you could get for the amount of coverage your insurance would pay. In other words, negotiate! It might seem odd - to negotiate for something like surgery - but WLS is a competitive market right now. I wouldn't consider doing this with surgeons I didn't think were top-notch - don't go to a newbie who is learning the procedure - hoping for a good deal. You will never know if you could have gotten a better deal for your surgery unless you ask. (I am one of those sick folks who actually enjoy negotiating when I buy cars). Good luck!

Yes, it makes sense. For guys - the body fat % for athletes is 6-13%. The body fat % for fitness (as opposed to athletes) is 14-17%. So if you have 240 pounds of muscle mass, your body fat % would be: at 15 pounds of fat (255 pounds total weight) you would have 6% body fat at 20 pounds of fat (260 pounds total weight) you would have 7.6% body fat at 40 pounds of fat (280 pounds total weight) you would have 14% body fat. It is going to depend on how much you want to exercise during your weight loss process and for the rest of your life what your ultimate ratio of lean body mass to fat is. Don't let it overly concern you at this point. Just be in as good of shape as possible (exercise wise) when you go through surgery, and start walking as soon as possible after surgery. Follow your surgeon's rules for when you can start exercising. After six months of weight loss, have another evaluation of lean muscle mass / body fat % and set your final weight loss goal then.

I spent a year doing research - so I knew what to expect. And I knew a lot about what food to eat afterwards. But, I wish I would have had all my clothes organized by size - so as I shrank rapidly - I would know what I had and have them at hand. I would also have thought through what I might need to suplement for the gaps in my wardrobe. I have had a relatively easy six months. I found Protein drinks I could tolerate and enjoy early on. I only use them now for convenience occasionally. Good luck.