Inline6E46

Seems like I'm late to this party.

My name is TJ and I was sleeved in July 2012 by Dr. Kelly in Mexico. I currently live in Montgomery County, MD and work in DC. I weighed 337 at my heaviest and I am currently at 206 (fighting stupid hard to get down to the 100's). This thread doesn't seem to be too active, but I would definitely like to see more MD/DC/VA sleevers post here.

To those who have been sleeved - lets keep up the drive, lets exercise and lets hit goal.

To those who have yet to be sleeved - you can do it, I had to pay out of pocket and saved for a year before I could, but I did. It is the best decision you will ever make.

Happy Friday!

Congrats on your decision! It's well worth it.

In regards to the drinking - it WILL take you much less to feel it. Everyone is different though. I have a sleever friend who drinks way more than she should (shes about 140, down from 240 and puts away 5-6 drinks without getting drunk). I personally drink much less and less frequently than I used to, but im still losing weight and working out and drinking is not conducive to my workout regime.

Personally speaking, I lost close to 80 poounds without exercising. Im currently at 216 pounds, down from my all time high of 337. My diet was 120g Protein a day, 20g carb a day, 20g fat a day. My normaly daily caloric intake was anywhere from 500 calories to 700 calories.

Honestly, I would say that this is not ideal - simply because now that I am back at the gym, my endurance and strength are severely diminished. Prior to surgery, I lost 40 pounds on the 6 month diet/exercise regime that my nut put me on. I was doing about an hour an a half a day, 5-6 days a week. Currently, im doing 45 minutes or so 3-4 times a week. Its a process building back up.

I would definitely say that the sooner you start, the better off you will be and the more muscle mass and general endurance you will preserve.

Updates:

So I ended up following a few suggestions. The chicken and burgers from costco are wonderful. I got the ones that are already cooked and I just throw them in the microwave for a few and theyre ready to eat.

Teriyaki and Roasted Garlic chicken breasts are great! Also, the lean burgers are good too - but I tend to stick with the chicken. I also get frozen green Beans and throw them on top of whatever im microwaving and they get some of the flavor on them and arent bad.

Still havent gotten around to getting a crockpot or a foreman grill or anything of that nature, but im sure I will get around to it eventually.

I have not really looked into the crockpot at all (ive never used one). Though that does sounds like an interesting idea. But arent crockpots used for stews and casseroles?

Just checking in. So far, I have tried a few of the suggestions here. I did like the cupcake wonton things from emily bites. I varied the ingredients a little, but they came out very well - eating one right now at work for lunch actually.

Several of you mentioned the burgers and grilling them. I bought some turkey burgers and have been doing no-bun burgers (turkey burger, provolone, little mustard, 2-3 pickle slices) and a small serving of vegetables. I eat about half the burger and veggies and im done until dinner.

Ive never been a fan of sausage so im avoiding them for now - but im looking forward to trying a few more recipies as the weeks progress.

And thank you all for your input, it is VERY appreciated.

My first ****** cost about $110. Thats including the base, the stem, the ash pan, the bowl, hose, tongs AND a carrying bag. Its about 28" tall. Shisha (tobacco) for the ****** varies between companies. I prefer Starbuzz - they have a bolder taste and thicker smoke. I also like some Fantasia flavors.

For 250g tins of tobacco, I pay about $25. A tin (im i smoke nothing else) lasts me about 20 days or so. Coco Nara coals run about 10-12 bucks for a box of 135. 135 coals lasts me well over a month.

My per-month expenditure is probably between 40-50 bucks a month.

I have been smoke free for 2 wks! And this has sooo crossed my mind more than once! Lol

The good news is my place smells like lemon/lime margaritas (minus the alcohol smell) and I dont stink of smoke

I dont know if it is just as harmful as cigarettes or not (and i refuse to get into it), but whatever. It tastes amazing (im running through several different flavors right now (Pirates Cave (lemony/limey), Queen of Sex (skittles flavor/smell), Purple Savior (Kind of fruity with some spice and flower aftertaste), and Melon Blue (honeydew/blueberry flavor).

I think hookahs make great conversation pieces and when my friends drop by, i can smoke while they drink and then they can try my flavors too.

I wasnt obsessed with food either (except for the occasional 20oz porterhouse). I just used to eat much more than I should have (2x or 3x the normal serving). Once I was done with a meal, I was done until the next meal.

I do have large friends (females) who do obsess over things like chocolate lava cake, or a starbucks frappe or godiva chocolate. I dunno, maybe its a guy thing not to obsess?

I quit cigarettes prior to surgery. Im glad to say that I am still cig free - but now I am the owner of several hookahs. I dont smoke during the day or at work, but when I go home its not unusual for me to go through a bowl of Starbuzz shisha and several coals (3 hours or so of straight smoking).

So yeah, definitely a crossover addiction.

Hi, im TJ. Im a workaholic. Im also 3 months out of surgery.

I generally don't have a lot of time to cook - I work between 60-70 hours a week, sometimes 6-7 days a week. The bright side to this is that my cafeteria has an amazing a la carte salad bar. For the past two months I have been eating this:

Breakfast: 8oz 2% Milk w/ Muscle Milk Light powder

Lunch: 4 oz grilled chicken (they use different spices every week - sometimes cajun, asian etc. Always grilled and skinless) sprinkled with either low fat shredded mozz or parm.

Dinner: Exact same as lunch because I get double the portions and eat it at around 7 (i work till 9pm).

I don't mind the repetition - I went to military school for a long time and learned to tolerate any food for any amount of time.

My problem lies on my day(s) off. When I do have time off, I find that I dont cook at all. In fact, I rarely eat on my days off. Its not uncommon for me to just not eat the entire day (or two when I get back to back days off).

So the question is - with my limited cooking experience (Ramen/Pasta) what can I cook that is nutritious? Im looking for high Protein, low carb, low fat (15-20+ Protein, <10 carb, <10 fat) foods that are easy, quick and relatively decent tasting. So far, I have not found any food that I cannot tolerate (with the exception of bread).

In addition, I dont have many cooking utensils (i used to eat out A LOT prior to surgery). The best I can do is a microwave and toaster oven (albeit a pretty large one.. holds a 12" pizza with room to spare).

Lets hear the ideas

Im 3 months out myself. I had that feeling when I first started mushy foods. I slowed my eating habits and decreased my portions.

My fullness "trigger" is when I get a hiccup. The hiccup is my body telling me to stop and so I do. Its fairly consistent, unless I under eat - then no hiccup. I eat between 4-6 oz of food at a sitting. 75% of it is Protein (chicken, lean meat, etc) and 25% is vegetables. I personally dont want to throw in starch/heavy carbs quite yet.

Pay attention to your body - it will tell you how to modify your eating habits. The first time I got the hiccups and kept eating, I ended up throwing it all up. Its a learning experience.

Youll get the hang of it soon!

Sleeved 7/20 and down a total of 87 pounds from my starting weight. I live across the river from you in MD/DC. IM me if you feel like chatting, texting, emailing etc.

Checking in post surgery - down to 250 and stalled. Re-evaluated my diet and exercise this past week. Looking to hit 200 by new years and goal shortly after. Energy is up, confidence is up. The state of the body is good.

It is absolutely possible. Would it be tough? Yes. But it can be done. I have a friend, who told me about the surgery, who lost 100 pound sin 6 months and made it to goal. She, like me, loves to bake and ended up going back to it. Well, 6 months later and she said she went from a 4 to a 6. She has been gaining weight for a while now and was kind of ignoring it.

I have heard of worse stories though, like 50 pounds gained.

So just be cautious. If you are eating nutritious foods it should be hard to overeat but sugary foods tend to be sliders.

This exactly. Stick to the nutritious stuff and avoid your slider foods. It IS possible to gain back a lot of the weight you lose if you don't stick to your diet. In addition - mix in some exercise 3 times a week (walking even) and that will definitely help.

I've been on a few dates since getting sleeved. Ive noticed that my confidence has gone up drastically. Im a super cheap date as well - thankfully my dates understood. Im pretty open with the surgery and told them and they had no issues, just interested in the experience. My most recent date and I are going out again shortly.

As far as alcohol goes, Im only 3 months out, but I will admit that I have had a few. I honestly dont feel a difference. I was able to drink 2 Jack and Cokes (asked the bartender to flat the soda for me) and did not get super drunk or tipsy at all - just a nice mellow buzz. I will probably wait until after 6 months to test the waters further with alcohol.

So far, so good?

My name is TJ and i'm 27, got sleeved on July 20th. Paid out of pocket and went to Dr. Kelly in Mexico. Great experience, great care.

Beginning of the year I was 337 pounds. I dropped to about ~295 prior to surgery with gym time and diet modification. Im at 251 right now and still losing. Recovery time (pain) for me was a few days. By August 1st I had no pain. As far as energy, it took me about 3 weeks - after surgery I slept about 14 hours a day for the first two weeks and shortened it down to about 10 in the last week. I sleep 7-8 hours now.

Diet for me is very repetitive - I work long hours but my cafeteria has a full kitchen, salad bar, etc. I eat about 700 or so calories a day, between 50-60g of Protein (i REALLY need to supplement some Protein powder in there), less than 20g carbs and less than 15g fat. I also drink about 60 oz of Water a day.

I just returned to the gym last month and focus mainly on my cardio. I do about 30 minutes on the elliptical and then 10 minutes or so on weights. Prior to surgery I was doing 45 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of circuit training (mixed cardio and weightlifting).

As far as loose skin goes, I definitely have some of it. I wear a compression shirt under my work clothes to kind of "hold" everything together. I know I will have even more of it. Ive also lost about 5 sizes in pants and 2 sizes in shirts (38 waist vs 48 waist, 4xl vs 2xl). The exercise helps with tightening the skin up over time. I wont ever have Ryan Reynolds abs, but one day I will get a full body contour.

Just another reason why I got this surgery in my 20's. Thanks for that post, it was hilarious! Looking forward to my own experiences as I keep dropping.

I've posted on several other threads, but I'm generally not an active poster.

My name is TJ. I'm 26 years young. I was sleeved on July 20th. I weighed in at 337 pounds when I decided to have this surgery. As of this morning, I'm down to 272 pounds.

Managing to get my 60 oz of fluids a day and I'm a few days into my Protein shake stage. Can't wait to go back to the gym in a few weeks.

I think there are good parts and shady parts to Tijuana just like any other City. However, I spent my time in the good areas. The hospital and hotel are in nice areas so you should feel comfortable.

The roads in TJ are rough though so do expect to bounce a lot if you go anywhere after surgery. It can get a bit uncomfortable, but never really painful. The shopping areas are great for souvenirs and cheap RX medication. The people seem nice overall. The hotel was amazing - comfortable beds, nice pool area, amazing view from the balcony. And complimentary broth and popsicles. Make sure you also order tea, their hot tea is pretty good.

The hospital was just like a hospital. Maybe not quite state of the art, but everything functioned well and the staff are competent. The nurses and doctors were there anytime I needed something and even came to check on me to see if I was comfortable. Make sure to keep your compression socks, I forgot to take mine.

I'm sure I've left out quite a bit - if you have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. I can answer them here in case it helps other people as well.

I just don't want to end up like my dad - he takes 12 or so types of medication for everything from high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes etc.

I just want to be healthy.

I was sleeved by Dr. Kelly on the 20th. Dr. Kelly, his wife, and Omar were amazing. They took time to keep interacting with me and checking up on me. Cessy (sp?) gave me a tour of Tijuana prior to my surgery. A few days after, Omar spent several hours with me getting souvenirs, lunch (broth), and roaming around TJ.

Dr. Kelly is a great surgeon. No leaks, minimal discomfort, and I almost feel normal (minus the fact that 5-6 spoons of brothy Soup fill me up).

Just make sure you keep pestering the nurses for pain medication the first day or two. I "tough guy'd" the pain a few times and didn't ask for additional medicine, but I probably should have.

Good luck.

Sleeve Date: July 20th

Height: 5'10"

Highest Weight: 337

Surgery Weight: 286

Goal Weight: 190

26, Grad student, getting sleeved tomorrow by Dr. Kelly.

Can't wait

Im having surgery with Dr. Kelly on July 20th. Booked my ticket via Priceline last week and it ran me about 461 from BWI to SAN.

In terms of exercise, I started out at 337 and hit the gym. Ive been fluctuating between 290 and 296 for the last week or two. I do about 3-4 miles and mix my cardio with weight training.