PdxMan

I was outpatient. In at 7:00, out at 11:30. My surgeon had me drinking Muscle Milk on my way out the door of the surgery center, so, I think you are fine.

It is a very emotional time right now. For me, this was one of the biggest decisions of my life right up there with marriage and having children. Perhaps even bigger as it is a permanent, life-long change. I did not take it lightly. I was fortunate, though, that from decision to surgery was about a month and I had a two week pre-op diet, eating a lean-and-green diet. shake for breakfast/lunch and a salad with lean Protein for dinner. Snacks were limited to another shake. The two weeks prior to the pre-op diet was basically a food funeral. Going to favorite restaurants and gorging down. The first two days of pre-op diet I cheated a bit having a slice of pizza and some of my daughter's birthday cake. But after that, I hunkered down and got serious about the journey I was embarking on. I had made a decision to change my life and I wasn't going to let myself get in the way. You can do this, too. Just try to stay focused on the end goal and when the pre-op diet starts, follow it closely. Get the funerals out of the way now and don't beat yourself up over it. I'm guessing we all have our personal issues with food, but if you are willing to address them and are determined to conquer them, you will do great.

Discrimination

I agree completely with CatTracks. I make these things myself from scratch and are not sugar laden, but rather healthy, nutritious meals. This can be done.

Is it possible you mis-understood them? Maybe got it backwards? Soups have been the mainstay of my diet since being sleeved. As long as they are (as I like to say) nutritionally relevant, soups and smoothies should be fine. Being liquid in nature, the pyloric valve should open relatively quick to move said contents in through the intestines, so I can't see where they would take up much space for long ... My soups are packed with Protein and good carbs. I love them. My blood work is fantastic with everything being within the "normal" range. And I mean everything, which has never been true for me pre-sleeve, so ...

Are you looking for a quick fix for your Protein intake or has your Dr suggested these for other nutritional purposes. Like Jersey points out, there is little protein and it is casein protein, too, which is not the quickest absorption suggested for VSG'ers, unless you take it before bedtime. whey protein is your best bet for protein suppliments. It takes some time to figure out what tastes and works best for you, but take the time to do it. This is about your health and you are worth it. Don't short yourself by looking for the silver bullet. Speaking of bullets, avoid the protein shots as well. Lots of posts here about them and talk to your NUT about them. They do us VSG'ers no good at all.

Yes, weight can fluctuate by pounds in a day. I'm sorry to say this is very normal ... you are not unique. Are you wanting to lose weight or lose fat? Stop using the scale as it only measures weight. Your real barometer should be how clothes feel on you, measurements and how you feel overall. I weighed myself once a month and always saw a loss so I didn't get that head-spin, what's wrong with me discouragement. That type of thinking will only sabotage your effort, so stop torturing yourself. Your body converts calories to glycogen which is stored in your liver and muscles. Glycogen has weight. When glycogen is stored in your muscles, it must bond in a 4 to 1 ratio with Water, so if your body stores one extra pound of glycogen than it did the day before, with the water, it will actually be 5 pounds. As far as fat and all that ... 1 pound of weight = 3,500 calories. If you burn 3,500 calories more than you take in, then you lose a pound. Eat 3,500 calories more than your burn, you gain a pound. So, you gained 4 pounds in one day. Do you think you consumed 4 x 3,500 = 14,000 more calories than you burned? Most likely not. Do you believe that those 4 pounds are 4 pounds of fat? Most likely not. If you have been reading the boards I'm sure you have seen this over and over again. Get rid of the scale. It can only hurt you.

Are you doing honest tracking on MyFitnessPal or something similar? Just keep following the guidelines as close as you can. It will happen.

Months 6-9 were my hair loss months. Started growing back after that. I was diligent taking my vitamins, protein and biotin. Didn't matter ... I lost at least 50% of my hair. To be honest, I am harrier (sp?) after. I think all the biotin. So, just keep following your guidelines the Dr laid out for you. It will come back soon.

I'll have a sip of root beer occassionally, but the truth is, I just can't handle that much. There's lot of talk about how it will stretch your sleeve ... empty calories ... blah, blah, blah. I can only speak for myself, so your milage may vary. I don't consume enough calories each day where I am going to stress out over an additional 100 or 200 calories. I have some carbonated beverage MAYBE once a week and it is MAYBE about 4-6 ounces. Now, if you're trying to suck down 5 or 6 Mountain Dews a day ... then there is another problem going on which needs to be addressed. Stretching. I am almost 19 months out and have excellent restriction. I asked my Dr about stretching right after my surgery and he laughed. He basically told me that I would have to put in a real effort to stretch my sleeve and it would NEVER be stretched back to the size it was pre-sleeve. Just can't happen. Period. So, I think the occassional sip or four is fine, but if we are honest with ourselves we will know what our motivation behind what we consume. If you are wanting to drink several carbonated beverages a day, then you need to realize this is a problem for you. In these cases, no, you should not consume any carbonated beverage. It's like an alcoholic only having one martini a day. It just doesn't work that way.

Your third question may get skewed results. Insurance did not pay for my surgery, but being a "Center of Excellence" was MY requirement. I chose Dr Umbach in Las Vegas (baby!) I'm not sure why someone would go with a facility that didn't have this certification.

Not sure if you realize this, but you posted this to your personal blog, not as a question to the forum, so you won't get the same exposure. But, to answer your question, you need some perspective. Pre-sleeve, your stomach could hold, let's say 80 oz fully distended. You just had most of your stomach removed and it now has a capacity of around 6 oz and can't distend. So, before, you would take an 8 oz bottle and chug it down, no problem. 8 oz into an 80 oz container ... you used 10% of the space. Now, fast forward to post-sleeve. 8 oz into a 6 oz container ... hmmm ... it's not going to be the same result. I'm over 18 months out and no, I cannot guzzle water the way I used to. I can't eat food the way I used to, either. But that is the way I wanted it and needed it. Once you get used to it, it is no big deal. I actually appreciate the fact I can't inhale food and/or drink now. That is part of what got me into trouble.

You really can't compare yourself to anyone else. There are too many factors. Men lose faster than women Higher BMI lose faster than lower BMI People with a larger muscle base are going to lose faster than those with less Have thyroid issues? To what degree? Diabetic? Exercising? Following the guidelines loosely or strict? One thing to know, though, which I believe is true for all, is the first week is going to be about your biggest drop as this is when your body is utilizing the glycogen stored in your muscles which is stored there with Water. As your body burns it, it is also releasing water, which weighs a lot. 1 pound of weight = 3,500 calories. If you burn 3,500 calories more than you take in, then you lose a pound. Eat 3,500 calories more than your burn, you gain a pound. So, you lost 9 pounds. Do you think you burned 9 x 3,500 = 31,500 more calories than you consumed? Most likely not. Do you believe that those 9 pounds are 9 pounds of fat? Most likely not. Don't mean to be discouraging, but informative. Just keep following the guidelines your medical team gave you and you will do great. Oh, and know that you will have stalls, but that doesn't mean you aren't losing fat or inches. Read about stalls.

The bottom line is, as Geaux points out, is you are putting yourself at great risk for complications. I'm guessing your medical team instructed you on this point and that may be one of the reasons you feel guilty. You had this knowledge, yet, you still took the risk. There could be dozens of reasons for this and you may want to talk to a professional to address this.

I had been taking fish oil. Only reason I'm not, now, is because I forget. It wasn't a problem for me and I had no issues surrounding it.

Just want to echo what the other vets (as you call us) have said. Over 18 months out and still have fabulous restriction. I just keep following the guidelines of eating my Protein first, then veggies, then starches. Been at goal for 9 months down over 130 pounds since pre-op. It works if you work it.

That's a good point. I have never measured my food, but rather let my stomach tell me my limits. If my bites are too large, I can feel it in my stomach and it is not good. So, my bites now are definitely smaller than they were 2 years ago when a bite was as big as whatever utensil I was using could hold. A fork, spoon ... whatever, would be mounded. Now, my bite would be about half to three quarters of that. Sometimes, though, depending on the food, even that will be too much. I hope this isn't TMI, but in those cases, I chew very well and will not swallow everything in my mouth. I would rather take two individual swallows and know it will all go down and sit in my stomach comfortably. Yes, the second swallow is a bit gross, but then my next bite is smaller and I learn. I think the bottom line is to start by taking bites smaller than we used to, chew it well and don't rush to take the next bite. Evaluate how you are feeling after each bite and join in the conversation at the table. There was 20 people at my table yesterday and only a couple knew I had surgery. Everyone else didn't even notice my eating and I didn't give it a second thought. Another reason for my post was to give hope that this is not a permanent thing, this pureed food and restrictions. Everyone will be able to enjoy their holidays and be able to eat food again. Myself ... I felt like I was never going to eat anywhere near "normal" again, but that was just my self-sabotaging mind attempting to hijack my happiness. Crazy people are like that ...

Oh, yeah, you radiate that cr@p from everywhere, it seems. And I mean from everywhere.

I know there are a lot of new and soon-to-be sleevers out there and many are wondering if they are ever going to be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner like days gone by. I know it was a concern of mine. So, I though I would post about it. I am nearly 19 months post sleeve. Yesterday, I made a turkey with stuffing ... gravy, mashed potatoes, green Beans ... you know the drill. I had about 4 bites of turky (first) then about 4 green beans, 2 bites of stuffing and 2 bites of potatoes. Gravy slathered across everything. I put it on a salad plate and it was about half full. I was one of the last ones to finish eating (guy across from me had 3 platefulls) and I was stuffed. Had ice cream and peanut brittle and a sliver of apple pie about an hour later. I ate about one fourth of the meal I would have had 2 years ago and didn't attack the refridgerator 4 hours later like I used to do. Didn't even think about it, to be honest with you. Crazy, huh? THAT'S a new behavior. Oh, I almost forgot ... Breakfast ... I made French toast, sausage and bacon and a double batch of carmel sticky buns. I ate a sausage and some bacon and half a sticky bun with butter. I sent half the sticky buns over to my sisters home, a quarter of the batch to a neighbors home and the rest to my in-laws (Merry Christmas!) I did keep one big one for the kids for today (I'm sure I'll have a bite), but I am better off having those kinds of things out of the house. It was a great Christmas and no food hangover. I love being sleeved and how it helps me to be accountable for what I put into my mouth.

Once you are able to get your carbs back up to a better level, this goes away.

Yeah, what CoCo said. Even when you are on solid foods, though, early out, it can be difficult to understand what the new "full" is. I would take a bite, put my fork down and chew really well. I would evaluate how it made me feel and then take another bite. Seldom did more than 3 bites of anything early out. Even now at almost 18 months out I still do this routine. Yesterday, I made a turkey with stuffing ... gravy, mashed potatoes, green Beans ... you know the drill. I had about 4 bites of turky (first) then about 4 green beans, 2 bites of stuffing and 2 bites of potatoes. Gravy slathered across everything. I was one of the last ones to finish eating (guy across from me had 3 platefulls) and I was stuffed. Had ice cream and peanut brittle and a sliver of apple pie about an hour later. I ate about one fourth of the meal I would have had 2 years ago and didn't attack the refridgerator 4 hours later like I used to do. It was a great Christmas and no food hangover.

Check this out.

After awhile, once you get the eating routine down and able to eat any and all foods, your stomach feels normal again. But, if I try to eat like I did in the old days, then yes, there is a difference. It is uncomfortable if I do not chew well enough or take huge bites. But, this goes back to my own issues with food and how I engulfed it. Everybody's story is going to be different.

Go ba As he says, the link is in his signature. If you are viewing this from a mobile device, I believe you have to change something in your settings to display them. Here is the link: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html