PdxMan

I also can't imagine a Dr telling his sleeve patients its OK to be eating a meatball within 2 weeks of having surgery. Sorry, but I think I am calling BS on this. I'm not just talking from my personal experience. I tried eating eating ground turkey meatball 1 month post-op ... no way. Too painful. 2 months post-op, same thing. I believe it was at 3 months I could handle it, and tried a ground beef one and it, too was painful. 6 months before eating beef was OK for me. At our nutrition seminar, our NUT told the story of a man who had a steak 1 week post-op and died. I don't think she was making the story up to put the fear in us and after having been there, done that, I could see how having a steak post-op would have killed me. I don't think I am the norm, nor was I atypical, but I just can't fathom ANY Dr suggesting the kinds of things you are saying. Now, if he is just directing these things at you, that is something else altogether. To suggest that others should throw caution to the wind and do it too is just irresponsible. If this is what you are suggesting, then I gotta mark you as a troll and not a true VSG recipient who wants to come on a WLS board and f*ck with a bunch of people's heads. Maybe I'm in left field, here, but ...

I recall reading this can occur if the sleeve is too small. Maybe research from that angle.

Well, you are not the first person to basically post this exact same thread. In each case, I have written the same response and in every case but one, the person wasn't pregnant. They were freaking out over nothing. You don't have to be a woman to point out that there is a population of women who will begin stressing out over something that doesn't exists. I'm a father of two and have been through the whole, "OMG, I'm late!" thing more than once. Each time, I just grab the car keys, go to the store and pick up a test. Our first test was so not evident. "Do you see a line? I think I do ... maybe ... well, no. Wait." Had to go to the Dr to confirm we were. Next child the line was as dark as all get out. No doubting that one. Good luck and I hope it all works out the way it supposed to.

I don't know if 15 months out qualifies as being a veteran, but I'll offer my opinion and hopefully won't be too long. I totally agree with you for the most part ... but only after you have some time under your belt. I got this surgery so I didn't have to diet anymore, and I don't. But I also knew my relationship with food was not healthy. I needed to change that, so I changed. But there are reasons why the "Rules" are there. First off, this is not a one size fits all process. Not everyone comes out of surgery pain free. I'm a sweller. I swell up with any type of injury. Post-op, I couldn't swallow hardly any Water. It was an effort to squeeze down 20 oz of water a day. I have read some posts, like the OP, who could drink a glass of water immediately. Again, we are all not the same. There is no way on Earth I could have even dreamed of having tuna in any shape or form within two weeks post-op. Half a spoon of cottage cheese was painful at two weeks out. Being careful isn't so much about the pain either, I think. Is every surgeon going to sew a nice, straight, uninterrupted staple line? No, you are not going to break a staple, but what about putting some unnecessary pressure on a gap between staples that was part of a stop and re-positioning? I don't know about y'all, but I couldn't really even tell when I was full for the first couple months. I didn't measure my food, but I knew that after a couple bites, I needed to stop whether it was due to hiccupping or feeling food coming back up. So, why do the Drs give us the rules? They need to know what has been going on behind the scenes when you call them with an issue or complaint. (patient one week out) "Dr, my upper abdomen feels really warm and the skin is reddish. BTW, I had tuna on crackers last night." (Dr) "Well, you didn't follow the guidelines I gave you so, it could be dozens of things. Meet you at the ER." Eating slowly ... Hmmm ... go ahead. Don't follow this one. Inhale your food like you used to do. Just post your results here. BTW, good luck with that one. Since you've read all the post-op posts, you'll know what to expect. Alchohol ... careful of cross addictions. Yes, it is very real. All I know is I followed the rules and I am at goal. It worked for me. If y'all have read the post-op posts, you will see hundreds of posts complaining about not losing weight while admitting they don't eat the foods they are supposed to be eating. So, go ahead. Don't follow the rules. But don't complain when you can't get to goal, either. You know why. And that is fine, too. A lot of people get the sleeve to lose 75% of their excess weight and it works out great for them. It all depends on what your personal goals are. My advice ... listen to your Dr and follow the rules as best you can.

Have you taken a home test? Don't worry about something until you have something to worry about.

I'm in the same boat ... insurance won't cover anything bariatric related. Can't even go see a nutritionist/dietician and have it covered. But, like mentioned above, my Dr orders the tests anyway as they are needed for general physicals. Haven't had to pay out of pocket for one. Just talk to your Dr and I'm sure everything will be fine. If your Dr is obstinate about it, then it is time to find a new Dr.

I believe you can lose as much weight as you need to ... but with a twist. It really is up to you, how compliant with the rules you are willing to be and the exercise regimen you are committed to. I am 15 months out and been at goal since last March. I have lost 120 pounds and still have excellent restriction. I know that if I wanted to, I could lose more, but at this point, I am afraid that would mostly be muscle. If you read the boards, you will see posts from many folks who will complain about not losing weight, but will also say that they are not exercising or they are not eating the right foods. As far as the foods go, I think we all probably started out with a poor relationship with food and the sleeve doesn't really address that. So, unless you are willing to confront and correct that, this may be an issue for you, too. Exercise can also be a challenge for us as it may have never been a part of our lives and starting it now is difficult. Bottom line is, you will get out of the sleeve exactly what you put into it. If you can be compliant and do the right thing, I don't believe there is any limit to the amount of weight a sleever can lose.

Ah, yes ... good. If they put you on a pre-op diet, be diligent with it. If the surgeon gets in there and finds your liver larger than they are comfortable with operating around, they will either abort or do an open surgery.

Why do you believe the lap is best for you? Not judging ... just curious Others, please do not judge the responses, this is a personal decision.

We have to change our habits. For me, I'm sure it was one of the reasons I was overweight. I inhaled my food. If we are going to make a change, we have to make a change. Change is hard and it takes time, but just keep trying. I force myself to put my utensil down after each bite. It slows me down.

I had Dr Umbach in Las Vegas (Baby!). I was self-pay for $10,400 and was out-patient. He was awesome. I am 15 months post-op, at goal and still have excellent restriction. He also did a hiatal hernia repair on me. I had terrible reflux prior and haven't had one bout since surgery. Highly recommend Umbach.

Sleeved on Friday, back to work (desk job) on Wednesday. Worked 'til 2:00 Wednesday, Thurs & Friday, but then back full time on Monday.

You're fine. What you did is called sliming. Do a search on this site for it. It happens when you eat too quickly, take bites that are too large or don't chew enough. I had it happen to me once after eating a peach, too. Went back to the old habit of inhaling my food and whoosh! The foam started flowing. Not an experience I wanted again and that re-enforced the need to slow down. You have to remember, the stomach is th mechanical part of digestion. It churns food around with the stomach acids to prepare it to enter the intestines. 85% of it was just recently removed. The staple line hasn't even fully healed, yet. Take it slower that you think ... don't push it. Help out the mechanical part by chewing well.

I am 15 months post-op and I have lost 100% of my excess weight. I have been at goal (180 #) since March. I attribute my success to following the rules explicitly. Eat lean Protein first Don't drink with meals Exercise I did not do low carb. I believe in the whole calories consumed vs calories burned. In order to have the energy to exercise, you need carbs. If you have energy to exercise, you burn a lot more calories ... you lose weight. When I am talking about exercise, I am not referring to walking around the block 5 times. I'm talking about getting your heart rate up to 80-90% of your target and maintaining it there for at least 30 minutes. Do that, and any sleever will lose. I'm sure of it. Do that, and you, too will lose 100% of your excess weight. Don't be a slave to the scale. You are going to stall. It is a natural and necessary part of this journey. The best way to beat a stall is to not weigh yourself but once a month. That way, you always see loss and are not discouraged. The scale measures weight, not fat.

So, 1 pound = 3,500 calories. If the scale says you are two pounds heavier than yesterday, does it mean you ate 7,000 calories more than you expended? No. There are other forces at work here. Water weight being one of them that can fluctuate so quickly. If your glycogen stores were depleted when you weighed yesterday i i, and are fuller when you weigh next, that alone can account for several pounds. Weighing less and burning fat are two different things. Know this and don't let the scale get you down. A continual defecit will result in fat being burned and permanent weight loss with the sleeve. Just keep doing the right thing and you will be fine.

What is your carb intake? Are you trying to do low carb? That may be your problem right there. You can't run a car on Water ... it takes gas. Carbs are fuel you body needs for energy. Increase your carbs increases your energy which increases your activity which increases your weight loss. At least it worked for me. Are you tracking in MyFitnessPal? How many grams of carbs are you getting?

First off, everything you are feeling is totally normal. You should be questioning everything about this, including yourself. This is major surgery and you are about to make a fundamental change with your relationship with food. You do have to wrap your brain around it all, but if you are ready to make a change with doing the same old, same old, then the sleeve, I think, is the best way to go. At least it was for me. I really hate sugarfree products. I am allergic to aspartame, and I really just don't like splenda. I can probably handle it for the 4 weeks of blended after the surgery, but I don't really want to use it afterwards. I avoid sugar free as much as I can. I, too, don't like the substitutes, but sometimes they are difficult to avoid. You don't have to do sugarfree. Reduced sugar, yes. Could I do this by myself without surgery? I've lost almost 30 lbs since July. Could I lose the 150 lbs by myself? If you're anything like me, no. I have dieted and lost dozens of times only eventually regaining it back and more. I needed a permanent tool to help me get off this rollercoaster. Again, the sleeve was the answer for me. What if I get Water nausea? I love water. And I don't love crystal light (cause of the splenda). We can't live in a world of "What ifs". You'll make yourself crazy for sure. What if you get hit by a bus as you leave surgery? What if you don't get the surgery and you have an aneurysm? The answer is you do the best you can do. You'll get by. I've never touched a Crystal Light. What if I have a lot of pain afterwards? I am so sensitive to pain. Let me tell you, you will have pain afterwards. You have a 95% chance of that, for sure. But, they give you lorital which is a liquid pain management solution. It works and you get by. Not really a big deal for most. I've been having a lot of issues taking my Vitamins. Every time I try, I throw up. My gag reflex seems to be so darn active! What if I can't get the vitamins I need? Then you get liquid vitamins, gummy vitamins, shots ... there are solutions out there. Trust me. You are not the only pirate on this ship.

I always suggest folks in your boat to start tracking everything in MyFitnessPal. Everything. Exercise, Water and food. Overestimate your food portions and underestimate your exercise. If you honestly track everything, you can see exactly what is going on. If you are able to maintain a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. You will stall, too, of course, but in the long run, you will lose. Oh, and I forgot to ask. Are you following the rules explicitly? No drinking with eating? Eat Protein first, then sides? When exercising, are you reaching your target heart rate?

Follow OTR's advice and start moving. Exercise. Walk, run, swim ... whatever it is, find something you can do and do it. Regularly. Walking to the mailbox is great, but that is not what I am talking about here. Grab a backpack and walk to the grocery store. Walk to church. Walk somewhere. Have a goal in mind and do it. Walking in a circle drives me nuts, so it helps to have a destination and goal. As you progress, ramp up your exercise. Go farther. Move faster. Get hand weights, ankle weights, whatever. Progress. You will be amazed at how much quicker your loss will occur.

Yeah ... right.

And the "rules don't apply" is in reference too ... uh ... food, so ... perpetuating a stereotype like this is, IMO, man bashing. Just because men in your life or all the TV shows portray men in a certain light doesn't really mean even 51% of the men behave that way. Or even 25% for that matter. It may be 100% true ... all I'm saying is it just gets old always seeing men portrayed or referenced as the bumbling idiot when it comes to children, wives, jobs, cleaning, health ,,, blah, blah, blah. I would just think a Men's forum at a support site would be a safe haven. BTW, if those reading this find the majority of men around them are the bumbling idiot types I mention above, perhaps it is time to analyze the company y'all keep.

Wow, when I read this, I said to myself, "He is playing with fire, here." One month out and eating regular foods, he is risking a leak. It is no wonder he has pain when eating. His arrogance will be the death of him. Seriously. Not something to be triffled with. If he is going to venture out on his own path, then all I can say is God Bless him and good luck. I know of an easier path, compliance, but just don't be upset when he starts crying about how his weight loss has stalled and he doesn't know why. I know why ... Yeah, women have NO control or food issues, do they? Please don't bash men in The Man Room forum.

Are you drinking an abnormally large amount of water? Should be, if you're not. Most of those ask you to. What did you take and how much? 10:30 ... what time zone?

In about a week, I will be 15 months out. I can eat any food. I take what I would refer to as a normal person bite (not the mounding forkful I did pre-op) and chew well putting down my fork. Swallow. Assess how it felt. Repeat until I *feel* full or hiccup. This is usually about 3 or 4 bites of chicken, steak or some other lean Protein, with a side dish chaser of 1 or 2 bites. If I am eating a salad, I can have a Cereal bowl size, no problem. Same with Soups. They go down a lot easier. I've lost over 100 pounds and have been at goal since about March with surgery July, 2011.