Saved By The Sleeve

I am in the same boat as you it seems. I had my surgery 03/18/2011 and I can only eat 4 to 5 bites of mushies before i am totally stuffed. And even though I take an acid reducer every day......as soon as I am done eating my little 4 to 5 bites of food, I get heartburn and sometimes a watery mouth like I've just eaten a ton of food! My best friend on the other hand, who had surgery the same day as me, can eat more and doesn't have the bad heartburn afterward. I was beginning to think that something was wrong with me as compared to others who are eating 5 and 6 times a day. What shake are you drinking that has 56 grams of protein by the way? I am having a hard time getting protein in with only a few bites of food about twice a day ........three times at the most because I stay feeling full for soooooo long!

OMG yes! Honey I could have eaten a rag doll I was sooooooo hungry on my 2 week liquid pre-surgery diet!!!!

The previous post by Newly Sleeved is accurate and right on point. Nina was GREAT!!!!!! If you decide to use Dr. Almanza you should definitely go through Nina for coordinating your surgery!!!!

I had my surgery done by Dr. Almanza at Jerusalem Hospital also. I had no complaints and the staff was wonderful. Dr. Betancourt and Dr. Almanza were both very informative and thorough with all of my care and instructions. Don't be afraid to ask any and all questions because they will spend the time talking with you about everything! Also I had to come home to a 12lb two month old son WITH NO HELP! I pretty much did everything as far as he was concerned (lifting, bathing, changing etc....). The only thing I didn't do was lift him while he was in his carrier or tote it for the first week or so. I had my oldest son put it in the vehicle and take it out for me. But sometimes I didn't have any help at all so I had to just use my head and think before I did something to strenuous. Usually, I could do anything I needed to I just had to make extra trips to make my load lighter (take the baby bag, then take the car seat, then take the baby to the car.....where as any other time we grab all of these things at once). It has been aggravating, but you will learn ways to do what you gotta do to make it work :-) Good luck with your surgery! :-)

WOW your year sounds like it has been GREAT! I cant wait until I can feel the way that you do now!!!!!! Congrats and God Bless :-)

I don't think that the SF reduced fat or fat free is a bad choice. I purchased a SF 1/2 the fat Neapolitan flavor by Edy's to mix in a little protein powder. First of all it is the type you should be eating from here on out with a healthier way of eating and it has some protein plus it is great to add some protein to. So, considering that.... it isn't a bad idea at all by me :-)

I am worried also. I am 3 weeks post op and I can not get enough protein in through fluids or foods! I am taking a multivitamin and a hair skin and nails vitamin with 833% Biotin to try and prevent hair loss as well. I sure hope that it helps because I can basically eat thin soups, Popsicles and a very very very small amount of mushies like 6 bites at the most and I am extremely full. I also have bad gas and heartburn whenever I eat unless it is liquids. The protein shakes in the can agree with me but I am only able to drink about a half of a can before I am too full. ALL of the powders make me gag and throw up!!! I've heard that the Isopure fruit punch bottled drinks from GNC are pretty tasty and pack a lot of protein. However they are $50 for 12 (20 ounce) bottles, which for me is high for only a weeks supply if you consume two a day to get your protein in! Yet still I am thinking of investing in a twelve pack this month to see how well they work with me. Good Luck to you!!!! I hope that everything goes well with your surgery :-)

That is what I was thinking that some of us would lose a lot of muscle mass without the strength and toning workouts. You are doing soooooo GREAT though!! :-)

Thanks a lot everybody :-) It seems like most of you waited at least one month, which isn't much longer. Guess I will start to do a Walk Away the Pounds dvd or something along those lines until that time.

JUST WONDERING HOW LONG DID OTHERS WAIT BEFORE BEGINNING TO DO CARDIO AND STRENGTH TRAINING??? MY POST OP INSTRUCTIONS SAY TO WAIT 6 WEEKS. I AM SO AFRAID OF NOT BEING ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT EXERCISING. MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT WORKING OUT AND WALKING HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING FOR "ME", ONLY CARDIO AND STRENGTH TRAINING SUCH AS (TAEBO) AND TOTAL GYM WORKOUTS.

I too get a feeling as If I have to burp, but can't and know that I should stop then and there! Another thing I've done is count my bites up until I get that type of feeling and whether or not my food is exactly measured .......I still know when I've had enough for my stomach. This can come in handy (the # of bites) when eating away from home. :-)

I am happy for you!!!!! I just got back from Mexico getting my sleeve by Dr. Almanza two weeks ago and I am 22lbs down and 22 inches smaller with a smile on my face :-) Everything went really good in Mexico and everyone was very friendly and nice. I had NO COMPLAINTS whatsoever. This first month has been tough and different than anything I've ever experienced before as far as getting used to food and drink consumption, but everyday it gets a little easier and better. This is a great site for support and encouragement too!!! Good Luck!!!!!!!!

12 days post op and feeling great about my weight loss. I am already tired of liquids and mushies, but when I weighed and measured today i was down 22lbs and 21 inches since my surgery date. Suddenly, mushies didn't seem TOO bad! :cheer2:

I know that's right! Great job girl. I can't wait to see where I am at one month out!

I had to fly from San Diego into Houston and then into Florida after having my surgery in Mexico. YES it is a long walk in some airports, Houston's was huge. So, once I got dropped off to check in at San Diego airport I told them that I needed wheel chair assistance because I was recovering from surgery and they were great about it. The man wheeled me and my carry on bag all the way to my gate and I gave him a tip. The woman at the gate put instructions in the computer for me to be met by a wheel chair or an indoor airport shuttle upon arriving in Houston and Jacksonville, Florida. You don't have anything to worry about. If they tag your luggage the assistant will stop you by to retrieve it while they take you where you need to go once you arrive and if not, one of the airline staff will put it overhead for you :-) I flew Continental, I am sure the other airlines will be just as helpful. The weight of your baggage and purse to tug all the way through the airport at a brisk pace is over doing it, so believe me you are not alone. My pain wasn't that bad, but I still needed the helping hand.

I am curious to know if we are supposed to be doing an Atkin's type diet restricting all carbs after being sleeved? I have read sooooo many posts on here that are following strict low carb diets. I once did the Atkin's diet successfully for about 9 months and lost 50lbs. However I was just plum sick of not ever having any bread or pasta or potatoes and as soon as I tried to gradually introduce any carbs..... I began to stop losing weight and gain rapidly!!!! Needless to say, I am extremely afraid of this happening to me again. Plus one of the main reasons that I had this surgery was because I didn't ever want to have to go through that kind of struggle again of eating carb free for life! I love meats and veggies, but not all day everyday and all the time. I know that we are supposed to eat protein first to help with healing too, but is high protein and low carb supposed to be our way of eating from here on out??? Is everybody eating strict low carb that are having great weight loss results?? I have over 100lbs that I desperately want to lose and I definitely don't want to mess up because this was my last hope! I need some feed back on this please..........

Great idea :-) I LOVE them too and I am definitely going to make a burrito mush LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cleaned out my closet BIG time LOL. Being that I was getting sleeved in March, I got rid of all of my winter clothes and took them to the Goodwill. It was a sweet farewell so to speak. I can't wait to shop for all new winter clothes. Well, for the first time in years I am excited about shopping for a winter wardrobe, knowing that I will be a lot smaller.

OMG 52lbs and 40 INCHES!!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS........That is exactly why I measured the night before surgery, but I am only 10 days post op 20 lbs down. I sure hope to have lost that amount of inches when I measure later down the road because that's whats up! :welldoneclap: :thumbup:

I am having my sleeve done with Dr. Almanza on the 18th and I can't wait neither! Best of luck to both of us :-)

Hi, I am so glad to have found this online community for VSG because the forums are great and informative! I am 38 years old, widowed with three handsome boys and very excited to be getting sleeved this month (03/18/11) and to be doing something for "ME" for a change :-) I have been losing and gaining the same 50 or 60 pounds for 15 years and I am tired, but not ready to give up yet. I am a little scared, but after reading so many posts on here I am happy to be finally doing this :-) I will be having my surgery in Mexico with Dr. Almanza and Nina is my coordinator.