PhatGurl80

I don't thinl there's a right or wrong answers to this. It uncomfortable to some people and doesn't effect others. Some docs say no some say its ok. I really think it all depends in what school of thought they were taught. Plus VSG is relatively new so I'm sure there were a lot of restrictions from other WLS's carried over. I would say try it. If it hurts you don't use straws.

I had surgery in TJ with Dr. Garcia in September. Hospital me was small but very sterile and comfortable. I don't think I could've been any more comfortable in a U.S. facility. We walked around TJ before and after my surgery and felt very safe.

This is a topic that I think most of us struggle with. I too was alwasy told that I better finish what's on my plate or else. I grew up eating every single last morsel. To make things worse, I was NOT a picky eater so there was almost nothing left on my plate. The only exception was lima beans lol. But it took quite a while for my mind to ease into the thought of eating less. Even after I was sleeved and was done with my liquid phase, easing my way back into solids, I still didn't know how to just back off and caused a lot of unnecessary pain to myself. I am 4 months out now and what has helped me was to use the smaller saucers for my meals or smaller condiment bowls, and I also pre-measure my food. I know now that my tummy can't hold any more than 4 maybe 5 oz of anything at one time. So, I start out with that. If I'm having more than one item in a meal, I measure it so that the total on my plate is no more than that 4 or 5 ounces. I loathe the feeling of being overstuffed so once I start getting to the point where the next bite might be uncomfortable, I stop eating. I still don't just throw the food away, I simply put it in a small container for my next meal. It's an every day struggle and you contsantly have to think about it, but you'll get better. I just really had to ask my self, "is this last bite going to bring me more joy or pain..." and also if the decision will be condusive to my overall goal.

Hey All! My goal starting after Thanksgiving was to get to 210lbs by Valentine's Day. Thanksgiving I was about 221 and today I am 214. So, it's taken me several weeks to lose 7lbs, but I am very happy at losing at this rate. I've been working out pretty extensively and lost about 4 inches off my waist and another two off my thighs and hips! I'm so loving this journey. I plan on hitting my goal of 210 within the next two weeks. Good luck everyone!

Hey there! Height: 5'6" Highest weight: 270 Weight day of surgery: 263 Current Weight: 214 Surgery Date: 9/14/2011

You can do it, girl. How long is your pre-op dieting?

My insurance doesn't cover anything weight loss related either. Not even a nutritionist. I wa referred to A Lighter Me by a friend who had surgery in Tijuana the year prior. My cost was $5000 and had surgery with Dr. Garcia. It was a great experience and I wrote about it in my blog. Good luck to you.

I too was a little taken aback with hunger. I really thought it would just go away. But if you think about it, its your body's way of telling you that you need fuel. You are living on a fraction of the calories that u took in before your surgery. And trying to go back to the same activity in a day no doubt. So your body needs fuel. The way I got rid of the problem of hunger when I felt it was to eat something. I think its ok to do that. But keep in mind that you need to put healthy foods into your body. You only have a little room in there so theres really not enough room to put anything in there but foods that will help you. I hope it all works out for you, just hang in there, I promise you will become a pro in no time!

I completely understand how you feel. I got an abnormal EKG as well and flipped out about it. I was able to get in to see the Cardiologist the very next day that I was told about the EKG reading. When all was said and done the cardiologist said that my heart was normal and they probably got an inaccurate reading due to all the fat that the signals had to go through. lol. He then proceeded to advise that I lose weight.... go figure.

Ha ha. It was the opposite. I paid THEM!

I went to Dr. Garcia in TJ back in Sept. Can't say enough good things about him, all the staff and Mi Doctor Hospital. I also coordinated through A Lighter Me.

Whichever way you go (paying in the U.S. or in Mexico) the money spent is definitely worth it. I'm 15 weeks out and am down about 50lbs. If I had not done the surgery I would still be struggling to lose weight. Don't get me wrong, it's no cake walk to have WLS, but when you think about all the time and money spent on all those diet get-skinny-quick programs, then Vertical sleeve is the way better choice. I'm over 30yrs old and I couldn't picture myself spending the next 30 (or maybe not even get to see another 30) making the same mistakes with over eating and yo-yo dieting. When does it stop? Good luck to you and whether you decide to go to Mexico or stay in the U.S., do what's best for you. Also just fyi, i had my surgery with Dr. Fernando Garcia in Tijuana and i paid $5000, airfare was an additional $300. Good luck to you!

Hmmm... I guess everyone is different when it comes to that. I started at a 42 DD and now 3 months post-op I'm a 40 C

I told my PCP about a month before going to Mexioco and she said "oh great!" . Then she proceeded to tell me how insurance companies screw everyone over lol. She offered to do all of my pre-op tests and stayed discreet about why I needed them. She is great.

Great job, girl! and I LOVE that ticker!

When I was on full liquids and soft foods, Cream of Wheat was my go-to! I couldn't wait to eat it lol. However, I also couldn't wait to get on soft foods so I could have the tasty cheese re-fried beans everyone talked about. When I tried it, my tummy said "Nope! Not for me!" I was a little disappointed lol. But overall anything doughy and meat like steaks and ground beef sit very heavy for me and i'm 15 weeks out.

Show of hands....how many folks only eat special foods marketed to Bariatric Patients? For example, Bariatric Choice, Bariatric Advantage, ProtiDiet.... I'm just wondering if it's worth the investment or is it just as good as picking and choosing foods from the local grocers. I do use a protein powder, but I it from WholeFoods and it has 4g of carbs, 32g of protein and 80 cals and it's usually around $22 per container. Lasts about 6-8 weeks.

I'm 3 months out and still afraid to try :S

Hey All! I am definitely IN! Now I fell a little short on the Christmas Challenge. My goal was 215 and I ended up at like 218.2. However, I weighed myself again just yesterday and it said 221.5 So, i'm goign to start with the higher number. Starting Weight - 221.5 Goal Weight - 210.00 I decided to be a bit more conservative since i'm now going into 4 months out. Weight loss is slowing down a bit, but that puts me at losing aout a pound and 1/2 per week. I think that's doable. Good luck everyone!

Hi Lisa, it sounds like overall you are doing quite well. I think i cried once or twice being so frustrated I couldn't eat what my brain wanted to. My sleeve definitely now wears the pants in this relationship with food lol. It'll take a little while for your brain to adjust to your actual physical limitations with eating. When you're able to eat solids again, you'll start to feel better. And when you see the pounds come off, everything will come into perspective. Good luck and Happy New Year to you.

Agreed! Thanks for posting

Hey Sleevers! I do have to say, I am feeling much better than I did a few weeks ago. Was it the St. John's Wort? The Holiday Spirit? Increased Exercise? Or, it could be a combination of all of those. All I know is that I was really in a funk and it sucked big time. I'm feeling so much better and I think I've even found the motivation to get back on track with my journey. Prior to surgery and my pre-op diet, I weighed a whopping 269/270 lbs. I NEVER in a million years thought I would actually get on a scale and see that number pop up. The reality hit that I was LESS than 50lbs away from weighing it a 300! That really depressed me and although I already had my VSG scheduled, I just felt so helpless and even a bit unbelieving that this surgery would really work. Today 15 weeks post-op, I weigh in at around 220. I say "around" 220 because for the last couple weeks it's been jumping all over the place between 221 and 218. That's fine that it's not stationary, as long as the overall trend is a lower number. The weight loss has most definitely slowed down, but i'm trying not to let that discourage me, I am trying to have faith in this surgery as it's gotten me this far. Of course everything is not all rainbows and lolipops, there's are so many obsticles and hurdles that you must get over...just as many hurdles as it took to be qualified by insurance. Here are some things that I am still struggling with: 1) Eating slowly - 15 weeks out and you would think that I would have learned this lesson by now. By nature I've always just been a fast eater...inhaling food. The habit of putting food on my fork before I've even had a chance to chew and swallow the last bite has just been part of my life since I was a child. During these weeks that I"ve been eating regular food, I often time dread it because I do not want to go through that tightness of my chest and heaviness in my belly. Some of the things that I've tried to combat this problem is to count how many times I chew. I try to chew at least 25 times before I swallow. In between bites I've started to put my utensil down completely while I chew and swallow, only to pick it back up once all the food is gone out of my mouth. Another trick i use (which my fiance hates)is playing with my phone while i"m eating so that I have something else to distract me and slow me down. Like I said, it's definitely a struggle, but every now and then I succeed in eating a meal that is not uncomfortable. 2). Eating Too much at one time - This kind of goes hand and hand with the last one. Bites that are too big and going in too fast is a ticking time bomb. Luckily i've only experienced the "sliming" and vomiting just a handful of times...it's definitely not a regular occurrence for me. To combat this issue, I've tried cutting my food into itty bitty little baby bits and eating those individually. I know I can do much better with measuring out my portions ahead of time, which would probably help me out a lot in the long run. In fact, I just bought a new hightech food scale to help me with this (Merry Christmas to me!) 3). Water In-take - I've really fallen off the wagon on this one. Prior to my whole VSG journey, I was actually pretty good at this. I have a 64oz mug that I would fill with ice/water at the beginning of my work day and it would be gone by 2 or 3 in the afternoon. But now, I feel so full from my meals, it's been really hard to also intake water (or any other fluids). Any suggestions on this one would be greatly appreciated. For the first 8 or 9 weeks I didn't drink any coffee at all, but gradually I started with this mornign habit again. Perhaps, for every cup of coffee I drink I could drink the same amount in water first? Or, maybe just go back to lugging around that 64oz mug lol. I guess I could.... 4). Daily Exercise - Honestly, i'm not displeased at all about my exercise. I started with light walking almost immediately after being released from the hospital in Tijuana. When I got home I continued with walking around my neighborhood every night and even got in some walking during lunch break at work. At around 4 weeks, i was on the Elliptacle and stationary bikes, then around 8 or 9 weeks, i started with weight training and a boot camp class that was 3 times a week. I've enrolled in a 2nd bootcamp that's twice a week and started a yoga class. However, although I've active, I know I can do a whole lot more. Exercising 2-3 days a week isn't bad for maintaining, but I definitely want to keep losing so I know I much amp up the amount of exercise I do in the week. I hate that it gets dark so early nowadays becaus it makes me not want to do ANYTHING after work. 5). Just Saying NO - Christmas cookies, pies, cakes, candies, potato chips.....you know the deal. They get offered and I take a piece. Why can't I just say "NO"? 6). Eating the right foods at mealtime - Again, this kind of goes hand in hand with just saying NO. I'm going to blame the two men in my life for this one. LOL. The little one wants pizza rolls all the time and his dad wants Panda Express all the time... But enough excuses I know that this is one of the things that kept me from being successful in other diets that i've done. The inability to just make the choices that I need to make in order to get the job done. I have done some things to help me out when all they want is junk. I've pre-grilled some chicken breast which I keep in the fridge when I need a quick meal. Protein shakes have also been my savior. However, the more often I can eat the right foods at mealtime, the better off I will be. 7). Eating several times a day - This one is very difficult for me. I know I should be eating breakfast lunch and dinner with snacks in between. But, most often times I feel too full after my regular meal to go for a snack. Maybe I should make the meals and snacks the same size? Feedback on how to do this would be greatly appreciated! So, as you can see, there are still some things I've got to learn and some things that I can improve on. It still amazes me that I can wear clothes that have been sitting in my closet for the past 7 years because they were too small. Now with about 45lbs left to lose until I reach my goal, conquering these things will be the key to my success. Most importantly i have to remain positive and celebrate every victory no matter how small, not to over analyze a "stall", and stick to the plan. I wish everyone much success and I will share a before/after picture very shortly. Happy New Year!

Great story! Thanks for sharing and good luck with everything you do!

That sounds great! I just watched a news story about how support groups/counseling via phone were proven to be just as successful with helping people lose weight as face to face groups/counseling. My main reason for not going to.a.support group yet is convenience and location. I would definitely participate in a virtual group for the convenience factor.

Merry Christmas Sleevers! Well today I weighed in at 218.2 for the Christmas Challenge. My goal was 215....soo close! But i'm not worried, as long as the lbs are going down and not up. Plus I feel great that I've been sticking to exercise (bootcamp, yoga, running). My ultimate goal is to get to 175lbs by May. I wholeheartedly believe this can be done. Good luck everyone!