Swiftflow

The stomach will never regain its original size with the sleeve, the part of the stomach that is removed (80% or more of the stomach) is the stretchier part, but the remaining stomach will have minimal stretchability--at about 1 year post-op you will probably be at the maximum size of the new stomach just able to hold a few ounces of food.< /span>

On the staples issue-Titanium staples have been used for years in many surgeries, they are not new to the sleeve and they will far outlast the human lifespan.

The stomach will never regain its original size with the sleeve, the part of the stomach that is removed (80% or more of the stomach) is the stretchier part, but the remaining stomach will have minimal stretchability--at about 1 year post-op you will probably be at the maximum size of the new stomach just able to hold a few ounces of food.< /span>

On the staples issue-Titanium staples have been used for years in many surgeries, they are not new to the sleeve and they will far outlast the human lifespan.

The stomach will never regain its original size with the sleeve, the part of the stomach that is removed (80% or more of the stomach) is the stretchier part, but the remaining stomach will have minimal stretchability--at about 1 year post-op you will probably be at the maximum size of the new stomach just able to hold a few ounces of food.< /span>

On the staples issue-Titanium staples have been used for years in many surgeries, they are not new to the sleeve and they will far outlast the human lifespan.

I had the pain in my side at the large incision too about a week or more out--at first I thought I had pulled something. I took it very easy for a few days and it did go away. Try not to twist or stretch while your resting it. If you need to pick something up from the ground (under 15 lbs only) then bend at the knees and don't bend at the stomach. If it does not feel better after resting a couple of days, then call up your doc.

These are my favorites. I never worried about fat content since we need some fat, and these give the best crunch for the least amount of carb consumption. Hard cheese work best like parmesan, and asiago make the best ones in my opinion. You can add all sorts of flavors via different spices. KC Masterpiece makes a barbque sprinkling, and any of the cajun or creole seasonings really make them yummy especially for a quick snack. You can mold them over the bottom of a shot glass to make "cups" to fill with taco meat, or other yumminess when everyone else in your house is eating chips/taco/tortilla shells and you want to enjoy the same dining experience.
Cucumbers are really yummy with hummus as well.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/snacks/r/cheesecrisps.htm

I thought it was time to share a little of my experiences since having a VSG a year ago. Both my wife and I had the surgery, 19 days apart. To date I've lost 140 lbs while she has lost 120. Losing is not coming as easily now but we're still making progress towards our goals.
We had the surgery at the Michigan Bariatric Institute in Livonia, Michigan. They have great doctors and a wonderful support team. I did have some complications after surgery (a touch of pneumonia and Fluid near the surgical site) which put me back in the hospital for a few days and required 20 days of IV antibiotics but everything resolved satisfactorily. The doc kidded me about screwing up his statistics.
Living with the sleeve obviously required some adjustment but it was easier than I had imagined. Gone was appetite and cravings, which made it so much easier. I found I was perfectly happy with smaller portions and had no problem passing on french fries, Desserts and other high calorie foods that I used to love. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy food - I 'm just satisfied with less and tend to choose high quality versus high calorie. Even so, I haven't found any food that I can't tolerate.
One of my biggest concerns was restaurants and social situations. I needn't have worried. We have just as much fun as we ever did. Often my wife and I will split a meal and even then take some home. The wait staff always looks worried, apparently thinking that there was something wrong with the food. We've learned to choose meals that make good leftovers and as a result, get more for our restaurant dollars. We have a camper van and on a 5 week tour of the west last fall we made good use of a little fridge and microwave that I installed.
Speaking of our trip, one funny thing is that we lost enough weight during the trip that we didn't bring any of the outer garments home that we started with. They ended up dropped off at various Goodwill Retail stores which also supplied us with replacements. I was surprised at the quality of clothing available at such places and have found it a great way to replenish my closet without having to spend a lot of cash.
To summarize life a year later - happy, healthy, active - enjoying life and looking forward to a future with possibilities. This afternoon I will go out and walk my dogs, ride my motorcycle and have dinner with friends. Life is good......

Good stuff, It seems all my weight loss now happens in chunks with stalls in between. I have tried to just ignore the stalls now as they seem to be part of the process, but I love the days where all of the sudden weight falls off again. Keep it up, it will all happen in time.