TheSkinnyCow73

Hi,
I consider myself a slow loser. I haven't actually reached my goal yet. I'm 47lbs away and im 6 months post op. So far I've lost 73lbs total including pre-op weight lost but 49lbs lost since nov 9th (surgery date).
I just went to see my NP last week and she said I would be able to reach my goal in the next 3-6 months as long as I exercise and eat right.

It's really important to make sure your eating at least 3 meals a day to keep you metabolic rate up. Eat Protein, protein, protein, and veggies. Keep the carbs low and get some exercise. You will do just fine. It might take you a little longer, and maybe not. At least your skin will have more time to adjust!

I had my surgery on 2/11/12 through BeLiteWeight with Dr. Rodriguez and his crew at Star Medica Hospital in Juarez, MX and I have to say that it was the best experience ever for me. You stay in the hospital the entire time you are there (4 days, 3 nights). I have read where some patients have left earlier than that if they are doing okay with keeping liquids down.
The hospital is super clean and the rooms are like staying at a 4-star hotel! My husband traveled with me but if you travel alone, there isnt a minute they leave you unattended from the moment you land in the El Paso Airport and meet Sergio their driver to the moment you walk out the hospital to meet Sergio again to go home!
Dr. Rod is really down to earth and sat and talked with us about life, technology, kids, the surgery after-life, etc.. for about an hour or more each day we were there! I have NEVER had that kind of personal attention with any doctors here in the US! They make you feel like family and that was really comforting!
Good luck with your search for a doc! Let me know if you have any questions!

Spring / The Woodlands here.... just north of Houston......

The sleeve IS everything the band was supposed to be and then some!
The only time I have puked (and it has gotten better as I have gotten further along with my sleeve) is when I MAKE THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO TAKE THAT ONE LAST BITE THAT I KNOW DAMN GOOD AND WELL THAT I SHOULDNT! My husband can even tell when i am full now! LOL We dont have to sit next to bathrooms anymore when we go out to eat either!
I love my sleevie! The band should be banned from being a WLS if you ask me!
Keep Rockin' that sleeve!!!

I am a self-pay without insurance. I know I'm being overly cautious with the diet, but I am absolutely terrified of a leak. My doctor "fussed" at me at checkup. He told me that I needed to try different foods. So I slowly added soft meats. I mainly eat Protein, by way of tuna, soft chicken, bacon pieces, eggs, refried Beans, soft deli meats and cheeses. It's pretty rare that I eat the chicken - I don't like the way it just sits there. I want no parts of steak yet because a few weeks back I accidentally swallowed a hunk without thinking. (old grilling behaviors - subconsciously tasting a piece while cooking) I though I was going to die! I couldn't even vomit that piece back up. Also I do still make Protein smoothies, although not daily as I should.
I have not exercised consistently. I probably walk about three times per week. Starting tomorrow, I will have to do it daily. I need to do something about my painful booty! LOL! Butt muscles may help my situation.

I was sleeved on 2/13/12. Since surgery, I have lost 60 lbs, and 75 lbs overall since I decided to get sleeved. I still have about 75-100 lbs to go, but I will get there eventually. I can eat whatever I want, BUT, I have no appetite, and chicken is no longer my favorite food. I could eat chicken several times a week, pre op, but now, it makes me feel terrible. I don't eat more than 2-3 ozs at a time, and usually never more that 500 a day. I am exercising, got my gym membership, just need to go more often, but due to real life, and illnesses within the family, I havent made it out as much as I'd like. My favorite thing to eat is Mini Quakes Cheddar flavored, Cereal, frozen yogurt, eggs and applesauce. Its odd how thick or heavy foods don't agree with me! I do treat myself occasionally to chips and queso, and I've even had a couple bites of pizza....mainly I try to stick with Protein Shakes and crystal light though. I have had a hard time finding Protein that I really enjoy other than Unjury chocolate Splendor. I bought some of the Syntrax Nectar sample packs and I am trying those now. I look forward to becoming the happier healthier me!

We are all different.. I can eat eggs for Breakfast one day and the next day have the same exact thing and throw it up. I never have the same meal twice in one week. I can't tolerate Water or Protein drinks. I get most of my Protein and Water intake from skim milk 6-9 glasses a day. I don't vomit as much but it happens, sometimes from having that one extra bite, eating to fast or simply the stress of my job. It has been a huge adjustment, however I don't regret it. I will live with the occassionally vomiting versuses the limitations I had with my weight. I feel so alive now.

That is awesome!! I am keeping track of the foods that dont sit well with my sleevie and trying them again once I am further out... lettuce still doesnt like me!
thanks for posting and keep rockin' that sleeve! You are doing great!!!

I buy the 4 packs of Breakstone 4oz cottage cheese containers. I can sometimes eat all 4oz, but usually not.... so I'm going to guess that my capacity is right around and sometimes just under 4oz.

I found this very interesting and even though I am less than 3 months out with my sleeve, I am going to try this when I get home! I have always felt like I have a bigger sleeve than most since I have no real issues eating anything and havent from the moment I could eat ice chips in the hospital.
A4 The Cottage cheese Test
So, how do you measure up? Are you accomplishing the feeling of satiety at each meal? Do you know how big your stomach pouch is? Would you like to? Nearly every patient is curious to know just exactly how big their stomach pouch is. The following technique is used by bariatric surgeons and patients to determine the functional size of a patient's stomach pouch.
The idea for this technique began with Dr. E. E. Mason, at one of the Iowa Bariatric Symposia in the early 1980's, who suggested that it might be useful to ask patients to eat cottage cheese, in a structured manner, to attempt to determine their functional meal volume at different times postoperatively.
Dr. Laytham Flanangan (website: Breakfast on that day.

Eat fairly quickly until you feel full (less than five minutes). Note that the small soft curds do not require much chewing. You are eating rapidly so you will fill the pouch before there is time for any food to flow out of it. After eating your "fill" of cottage cheese, you will be left with a partially eaten container that has an empty space where cottage cheese used to be.
Measure the volume of cottage cheese you have eaten by filling a two cup (16 fl.oz.) measuring cup with Water. Pour water into the container of cottage cheese until the water level rises to the original top level of the cottage cheese.
The amount of water poured into the container is the functional size of your pouch.

Dr. Flanagan's research indicates that the average volume of the mature stomach pouch, measured by this method, is 5.5 ounces (163 ml). Additionally, he reached the conclusion that, "sizes ranging up to 9 ounces have NO IMPACT on the person's success in weight loss". This means that unless your pouch holds a greater volume than 9 ounces (267 ml), the exact size of your pouch is not a critical factor in whether or not you can lose excess weight and then manage your weight as time progresses.

The sleeve IS everything the band was supposed to be and then some!
The only time I have puked (and it has gotten better as I have gotten further along with my sleeve) is when I MAKE THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO TAKE THAT ONE LAST BITE THAT I KNOW DAMN GOOD AND WELL THAT I SHOULDNT! My husband can even tell when i am full now! LOL We dont have to sit next to bathrooms anymore when we go out to eat either!
I love my sleevie! The band should be banned from being a WLS if you ask me!
Keep Rockin' that sleeve!!!

This has been a looong time in coming...but I did it!!!!
I am at 196 LBS.
Hubby is not home tonight but that is OK we will Celebrate tomorrow!
A month exactly from my 10th wedding anniversary, and I am in Onderland..
Thank you to everyone! All the support and encouragement. Thank you very, very much!
I did it, Mom! <3

I just wanted to check in with you all, I don't come by as much anymore. I'm more at My Fitness Pal or Fitocracy but I do check in here from time to time. I'm always just a message away too. I do get emails when someone sends me a private message here.
So, I just thought I'd tell all of you that I plan to become a Personal Trainer / Fitness Instructor / Nutritionist focusing on Bariatrics and Super Obese patients. Yeah... I sign up for Next Semester a few weeks. I know what I must do!!!
Joel Osteens message really REALLY hit me the other day. It must happen!!!
So, just as I have shared my story here with all of you, I will soon be sharing my story with thousands of others on a first hand basis. I really want to help EVERYONE SUCCEED!! I know it can be done, even if this is our first, third or five hundredth time working it.
Blessings everyone!!! :wub:

The sleeve IS everything the band was supposed to be and then some!
The only time I have puked (and it has gotten better as I have gotten further along with my sleeve) is when I MAKE THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO TAKE THAT ONE LAST BITE THAT I KNOW DAMN GOOD AND WELL THAT I SHOULDNT! My husband can even tell when i am full now! LOL We dont have to sit next to bathrooms anymore when we go out to eat either!
I love my sleevie! The band should be banned from being a WLS if you ask me!
Keep Rockin' that sleeve!!!

Found this on Pinterest.. sounds yummy and might be a good occassional sweet tooth solution for some of us..
Protein Peanut Butter CUPS -
1 scoop chocolate whey Protein powder -
1 TBSP all-natural Peanut Butter -
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder -
1-2 packets of Stevia -
4oz Water -
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender -
Divide the peanut butter mixture into round muffin tins (USE a SILICONE tray!!!), filling about 3/4 full. -
Place filled muffin tin in freezer and let freeze for about an hour or until firm
(Freeze any extra peanut butter cups for up to five days)

I'm not entirely sure I'm successful, though I suppose that just in reaching goal I've made success of my sleeve!
In the beginning (the first maybe nine months for me) eating was a chore. So my day always started with me sitting on my laptop with my morning Protein coffee (two scoops of Protein powder mixed with one cup of coffee) and logging my meal plan for the day. Breakfast is hard for me because I just don't like to eat first thing in the morning, so most days I drink a shake for breakfast.
I had to plan before starting my day because it was HARD to get enough calories and Protein into my body.
So, I went back to myfitnesspal to peek at my diet.
Within six months of surgery I was drinking a shake for breakfast in addition to eating a scrambled egg (I'd slowly sip the shake before and after eating the egg). I'd usually eat two or three pieces of lunchmeat or some other soft protein for lunch. I would eat a few ounces of chicken for dinner. I was usually low on calories/protein by the end of the day so I'd have either sludge (a scoop of protein, 1 Tbs. Peanut Butter and a little water) or a shake before bed. At this point, my diet was mostly protein with very low carbs. This was because eating was WORK for me. I had no appetite, had developed lactose intolerance and had so much restriction I couldn't eat more than an egg in a sitting.
I was eating about 400-500 calories a day, 20-30 grams of carbs and 60 grams of protein per day. I had to eat around the clock to get this much food into my body.
Fast forward to about ten months out. I was eating more reasonably. I had my morning protein coffee (two scoops, one cup coffee). Later I'd eat an egg scrambled with cheese for lunch. For dinner I might eat half a pb & j sandwich on very soft bread and some carrot sticks. Carbs were really helping me feel better so I shifted my focus around 8-9 months on getting more in. Throughout the day I'd have two Snacks - usually one would be a few oz. of Jerky and one would be string cheese or a carb, like crackers.
I was eating about 700 calories a day, 50-60 grams of carbs (all I could hold at this point) and 80-90 grams of protein. It was still a chore to eat.
Around a year out I was really focusing on a more balanced diet. I learned early on that low carbing makes me irritable and tired. Somehow, during this phase I really started to drop my mental food and eating baggage.
I was still drinking one or two shakes a day. I was eating that same scrambled egg with cheese for breakfast most days. I would eat a half sandwich for lunch, maybe with some veggies or fruit if I had room. I would eat a dinner that included not just protein but carbs. So I'd eat some potatoes, some salad, some rice or whatever AND eat a little protein. I made up the difference on protein with shakes, because the carbs were necessary for me and I still had a lot of restriction.
I was eating 900-1,100 calories a day, 90+ grams of carbs, 90+ grams of protein per day at this point and still losing, albeit very slowly as I was down to my last 20 pounds to lose.
Now I'm 21 months out. I eat about 1,200-1,400 calories a day, 120+ grams of carbs and 90+ grams of protein.
I start my day with protein coffee most days because I still have trouble getting more than 1,000 calories in per day without it. For lunch I'll do half a sandwich and a cup of Soup, or half a sandwich and a salad. For dinner I'll eat about 3 oz. of dense protein, some salad, some starch. I usually have two Snacks a day - one protein based like cheese or Jerky and one carb - usually something I've baked!
This is long, but I hope it helps or is at least something like what you were asking for.
~Cheri

Oh how depressing..... I'm older, shorter, and fatter! LOL ....so, no. hahaha

Wow! I wish my post op instructions would have been full liquids right off the bat! This just goes to show you how different the plans can be depending on the doc.
My surgeon has them broken into phases.. I hope this helps...
Phase I: Clear Liquids (Day 1 - 7)
• Clear liquid Protein drink
• Beef or chicken broth
• sugar free jell‐O
• sugar free popsicles – less than 15 calories per serving
• Crystal light, sugar free Kool‐aid, Decaf tea – no herbal tea
NO coffee, caffeine or carbonated drinks
Daily Protein GOAL:
WOMEN: 40‐60 grams
MEN: 60‐80 grams
Phase II: FULL LIQUIDS (Days 8-14)
• 1‐ Protein Drink = 40 grams protein daily
• Skim milk, soymilk, other low fat milks
• Low fat cream Soups – can add 1 scoop Protein powder (no potato, on corn soup)
• Fat free (artificially sweetened “lite”) yogurt such as Carb Freedom or Dannon’s Light n Fit
• Low fat cottage cheese
• Any phase 1 liquids
Phase III: Soft Diet (Days 15-28)
Protein Foods:
Baked fish, canned tuna, salmon, crabmeat (well picked); soft, moist, baked, boiled or canned chicken or turkey, sliced chicken/turkey deli meat; peanut butter; tofu or other soy based meat analogs; liver, cooked Beans, low fat cheese, eggs.
Vegetables:
Vegetables must be soft, well steamed or boiled. Good choices are: carrots, beets, mushrooms, spinach, squash, green Beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, onions
Fruits:
Fruits must be soft, peeled and cored and non‐citrus. Good choices are: apples, peaches, pears, bananas, and cantaloupe
Starches:
AVOID all starches including: rice, potatoes, bread, corn, crackers
Fats:
Limit the amounts of the following: Small amounts of margarine, olive oil, or cooking spray (Pam); low fat mayo or salad dressing. Avoid GREASY, FRIED FOODS
Phase IIII - NORMAL FOODS (Day 29 onward)
you may transition to normal foods slowly. Make healthy/smart choices, read your labels. You want the protein/ carbohydrate ratio to be smart. The smart ratio is to eat 4 times more protein than Carbohydrates.

I'll never forget the day I learned about VSG and came on this forum to research it. Now, nearly 8 months to the day from my surgery - I hit my final goal!!! 140 pounds!!! That's nearly 100 lbs. down from my highest weight of 238. It feels great to see that number on the scale, but even better to know that I will never, ever, be fat again!
The first thing I wanted to do when I saw that I hit goal was to get on here and tell all of you. Thank you, everyone, for giving me a place to share in my joy (and for being there when I wasn't as joyous).

I drink one every morning. If I am working out intense like, I will have another one immediately following.
Premier Protein shakes from costco. They rock.

You are looking fabulous too! Way to go!

Don't forget Peanut Butter it comes in individual containers now for a quick snack with celery or ?

I'd say avoiding the Cheetos (and all other slider foods) should be at the top of the list!!!! LOL!!!
I'd also like to add: Don't compare your results to anyone else....you'll drive yourself nuts!!!

We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel and so I dont have access to a stove to cook or sink to wash dishes. I am looking for easy throw-away snacks/ meals....
What do you buy that is healthy and Sleeve-specific???
Thanks!