sirensiren

It may be a great way to get nutrition in considering fluids are much easier to go down with the sleeve than solids. My concern is weight gain from the sugar content of fruits. I know not all sugar sources may be equal, but fruit sugars can certainly put on weight for those of us prone to gaining. I'm really considering getting one, but I'll be getting creative with the discounted fruits/veggies for sure!

It's hard to get a straight answer on a surgical scar treatment on the web- every product seems to have some amazing reviews and some horrible ones, and surgical scars are different vs. acne scars etc. What works for you? What hasn't worked for you? I am 3 months out and I'm finally at a place where I don't mind wearing a bikini (I live in LA, it's almost always bikini weather here- yes, I know you hate me ) or changing at the gym while people are around. I work in skin care, but surgery scars are different from scars I'd treat my clients for (usually ace scars- retinol is amazing, anyone have luck with this on surgery scars?) Mederma? Is it really work 25$ for a tube of "white onion extract" and mineral oil?

I've been doing great, and eating Protein for me is fun (I love eggs, lower fat cheese, fish etc.)- I enjoy veggies, but find I run out of room and I'm virtually done. My personal trainer (we do moderate intensity kick boxing and weights 2x a week) is a huge advocate of getting a juicer for all his clients. He is especially interested in me getting one, because my food intake is low. When he talked to me about my surgery, and how many calories I likely get a day, his response to be answer "maybe 1000-1200 a day" was a 8O face and the explanation of "when we get advanced with you, you can burn up t 900 calories in a workout, how are we going to get your calories up a bit? I'd really like to see you get a juicer!" (No, he does not personally sell juicers, he truly believes in juicing) Calories up?! Wasn't the point of VSG to keep my calories low?? Pre-VSG, I've avoided juice-I was told that juice is simply the veggie/fruit minus the Fiber, and therefore contained more sugar and could lead to weight gain. But...obviously, I have an easier time taking in liquids than solids. How does everyone else feel on the juice topic?

I think Oasis of Hope/Florence hospital has since corrected this major problem of them not "allowing" patients with a BMI of under 40 to go through with a procedure- in my case, I spent 2 months prior to surgery eating 1200 calories a day and I had a personal trainer- I was already looking good! But Dr. Kelly encouraged this healthy behavior, as it would only help my surgery, and he had verified paperwork from my pcp that I was indeed obese at the time I booked surgery. I was a BMI of 30-31 when they weighed me in at Oasis of Hope/Florence. You should be fine, florence is a nice hospital and I was well taken care of.

I had my surgery by Dr. Kelly at florence Hospital just last November, it's basically similar to any average U.S. hospital in terms of set-up and appearance. The care was excellent, and most of the nurses who visited me spoke English fairly well. My room had two comfortable beds, my own bathroom with a nice shower designed for post-surgery showering (handles, yay!). There was an issue for me with one doctor on staff there, 10 minutes prior to my surgery she came in and told me Florence Hospital will not authorize a WLS on anyone under a BMI of 40, she told me this coldly and then proceeded to inquire "why didn't you just get liposuction?", after that, Dr. Kelly advocated for me and I ultimately had my surgery. Everyone else there was lovely, that one female doctor (don't know her name, she was thin with short dark wavy hair) has no business interacting with patients in a hospital, the fact that she works at a hospital that treats terminally ill cancer patients is appalling. Everyone else was kind and helpful, I was visited almost every hour and checked on- even in the middle of the night. I had a buzzer next to my bed, and every time I buzzed it I was tended to within less than a minute, even at 3 a.m.! Florence Hospital is in a nicer area of TJ, right near the ocean. If you're doing really well, you can leave the grounds and look at the Water. I didn't try, my gas pain was a bit annoying and I'm prone to anxiety so the nurse gave me medication for it that made me a bit loopy/high. There is a small courtyard at the entry way you can walk around (this is essential for walking off the gas), it can feel a bit awkward moseying around aimlessly, but all the staff are used to it.

I hope that is true! I find that a little bit of fluid after my meals makes me feel satisfied, and then I feel ready to just drink water by itself 15-20 minutes later. I don't understand how a stomach could be stretched out by merely adding water to the food equation.

I specifically said I am not trying to discredit her experience, but rather it would help her (and all of us) to really do a lot of research before choosing a surgeon and a surgery. A bad surgery can happen whether you do your research or not, but it certainly can help to do all the investigating you can. I was considering plication myself, but decided against it based on seeing a lot of people who were unhappy with the results.

With all due respect to your situation, it seems like you didn't do much research. You indicate you had plication done, but this is a vertical sleeve gastrectomy- these are very different surgeries. Did you know what you were having done? You also call him Dr. Rod and Dr. Rodregus- his name is Dr. Rodriguez. Perhaps living in Los Angeles makes me more familiar with Mexican last names, but I felt like I practically knew my Dr.'s entire life story before I got surgery from him- I read his name so many times just from my internet research. I'm not trying to discredit your experience, but it sounds like you were very misinformed and didn't really do much research.

You're not alone- I was honestly frustrated when posing the alcohol question prior to starting this thread (with lots of helpful responses, thanks everyone!) because the unanimous response was the "it's empty calories!" or people simply chiming in that they lost the taste for alcohol after surgery. I think it's the sort of thing to be enjoyed occasionally and not as a very regular thing, if you have a tendency to gain weight it's obviously not smart to indulge in something like alcohol regularly. I've always detested soda, and I'm not a fan of candy (except dark chocolate) so perhaps thats why I have gotten away with it for now.

Since I've posted this topic, I've been (honestly, I know I'll get some ridicule for this) having drinks 2-3 evenings a week since my 30 day mark. I do not drink mixed drinks, just hard alcohol on the rocks- no tummy troubles here, but everyone is different! I am also the same weight I was at age 13....13!!! I am aware of the empty calories etc. etc., and this month has been filled with Christmas parties, family in town, and my husbands 30th birthday- I don't intend to keep it up at this rate. I also am "good" about my eating aside from alcohol. I do intend to drink once a week or so.

Since posting this, I've been (some may ridicule me for this behavior) drinking 2-3 nights a week since my one month mark. I am still losing significant amounts of weight- does not seem to be a problem! I do not drink mixed drinks I drink alcohol on the rocks, and the pure alcohol has not hurt my tummy whatsoever- but everyone is different in that regard. I do not intend to drink more than one evening a week at this point- Christmas parties, my husbands birthday, and family being in town has kind of made me a bit of a drinker this month. I'm aware of the empty calories etc. etc.- I am also 131 lbs which is the same weight I was at age 13...it's hard to feel like I've failed myself in any fashion!

I had the sleeve 3 weeks ago 4 weeks ago- some time has passed since the original post. Not a dumb question! My surgery was November 7th. I don't know of a surgeon that would perform it on a non-obese person, but my BMI was 31 at surgery (164 lbs), I was obviously on the lighter side of obese. I lost about 20 lbs prior to surgery as well, a 31 BMI for me (164 lbs) was me at the lightest I've been. So at 131 lbs with a normal BMI now I'm ecstatic!

Good to hear! I find myself compelled to eat 4 tiny "meals" a day, some days I'll have a bite of something (some Babybell cheese, some cashews etc.) when I'm too busy to sit and eat. I work out a lot, and I just find it impossible to wait for a "meal" right after. I am still getting under 800 calories a day, 50+ grams of Protein, and all my Water. I'm also 131 lbs according to the scale at my gym...I can't be doing everything wrong!

The stretching this is what scares me, as the size of the sleeve is really the basis of how it all works. What is the physiological/scientific explanation behind how Water + food = stretching of the stomach? I don't see how that combination could somehow cause the tissue to expand. The concept scares the #%^}* out of me!

I was being a good girl and following the "no Water 30 minutes before or after" eating...but I would get hungry during that time period, and it would not stop until my 30 minutes were up and I had water. Water helps me get and stay full. I did what research I could to determine if water would be harmful, but all I could find is that it essentially just pushes food through more quickly, thus enabling you to eat more. True? I now incorporate fluids around (not with) meals and I am doing a LOT better with fullness. Is this a huge no-no? Is it true water + food can "stretch out your sleeve"? (I doubt this highly, but I've heard it, and it's the last thing I want to do). Does anyone else only avoid water with the meal itself, rather than before and after? I find water so useful for feeling satisfied, it's weird. Water had helped me avoid snacking after meals, and it's helped me avoid "desert" (usually a small piece of chocolate, but still!). Am I bad?

Those are a great thing for us Amanda! Imagine yourself looking at those cute glass dishes pre-sleeve, those would never look like a "serving" of food to you then, right? Me either! I have to say I love my sleeve. MissAMcCoy: A lot of people experience the dreaded "stall" in the beginning due to their bodies recognizing the severe calorie deficit and therefore shutting off the ability to burn stored fat as a survival mechanism. This is a long proven theory in the fitness world when it comes to metabolism stimulation- this is why fitness models and body builders insist you MUST eat every 3 hours and have the proper amount of calories each day to burn the fat while keeping the muscle. It's a very high Protein low carb diet. The same rule applies here, calories in actually make your metabolism work harder- and too many calories in cause weight gain. It's a tricky game for people with normal sized stomachs, but we all have a sleeve advantage here- so don't be afraid you're eating too much, and get your protein is my advice. At 500 calories a day, your body is bound to eventually recognize that it's starving and slow down on the weight loss. I find the Protein shakes to be amazing for weight loss and getting my needed healthy calories in from protein. Nutritionally, I find iSatori's Eat Smart Protein powder to be the best out there- they do not promote on here like other brands, but if you read the nutrition on them vs. any other product, they win in the protein/fiber category and have virtually no sugar. Your sleeve is pretty strong, I doubt you can stretch it with mere eating to fullness at this point. If that were the case, people would be "popping stitches" all over the place and this would be an incredibly risky procedure.

It does not sound like you're eating too much at all, I think it's fine! In reality, if you are eating slowly and paying attention the first signs of restriction and backing off when they happen, you're doing all you can to avoid stretching. I worry about this too, and VSG is still a fairly new procedure- the ability of the stomach to expand isn't impossible, but it seems unlikely. We have a fairly good understanding of the stomach, bariatric and stomach surgery has gone on for years and years now. If your weight loss was only significant in the beginning, then slowed way down, perhaps look at what you are consuming now. Are you drinking sugary drinks at all? This was a huge downfall I had, I drank gatorade thinking it was my only option for electrolytes. How many times a day are you eating?

You're just 2 months out, and you've lost 32 lbs?! That is GREAT! It's very easy to get discouraged when you see other people losing more weight at a quicker pace, but you are an individual, and if you started out at a lower BMI than some, you are naturally going to be a slower loser pound per pound. If you do it by percentages, you'll likely be right on track. 32 lbs in 2 months is still 4 lbs a week on average. The general recommendation among doctors and weight loss experts is that ideal weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week, obviously with a sleeve you lose much more than that- but look at it that way! My surgeon said it is virtually impossible to "stretch" out the area of stomach left after VSG. They remove the portion that is prone to stretching, and in addition to that if you follow people who have had VSG the longest, they all still have restriction similar to what they've had since they have healed. How much can you eat? Have you eaten so much you felt uncomfortable or gad to vomit? I manage to get through an egg I scramble up with a couple tablespoons of whole wheat flour, once I'm done I feel quite full. My meals are all about that size, I eat roughly that portion size each time. I don't measure out my food, I simply eat slowly until I feel the first signs of restriction. When I've taken it passed that point or eaten too fast, I get that "ughhh I'm fullllll" feeling.

A soft egg was the first "food" I ate...I was so excited! I never truly craved sweets during the liquid phases, I really missed savory foods. I now (6 weeks out) can eat a whole egg, I even add some whole wheat flour to it (scrambled) and it's just enough but not too much.

chocolate for dinner is a bad idea for sure, but I think a piece of chocolate (especially dark) every now and then is fine! I get sent tons of European goodies for Christmas from my family in the UK, and though I allow my husband to eat most of them, I refuse to completely avoid them. I am down to 135 lbs too On top of that, I don't avoid alcohol- they sent me some nice brandy and I have one glass of that a couple times a week with my husband. I'm of the opinion that so long as you enjoy the naughty stuff in moderation, it's good for your soul. What got me to being obese was not having the ability to "moderate"- I'd go through an entire box of chocolates in a day, along with massive portions of everything else. I am happy I can no longer go nuts, but I don't really care to over indulge now, even if I could.

The poster complaiing on the site does not use paragraph phrasing so it's difficult to read all the details. There are a lot of grammatical and spelling errors as well, which make me (perhaps it's snobbery and prejudgement) feel untrusting of their opinion. I've found a lot of mixed reviews of Jerusalem Hospital and Dr. Alamanza. I can say that he clearly has experience- he probably does see more patients than most VSG surgeons in Mexico. I never considered him an option because it was a clinic (not hospital) setting and the amount of genuinely negative reviews made me feel uncomfortable. He's a bit less expensive than the extremely qualified Dr. Kelly, but I don't see saving 1-2 grand to be worth it (personally). It's also important to really take any "review" of a surgeon with a grain of salt, as this is the web and anyone can post anything for their own benefit. When I first started my research 2 years ago, I noticed some surgeons who had multiple overwhelmingly positive reviews that once I really dug into, were likely coordinators or staffers. At the same time, some negative reviews could possibly be a competitor. I don't think that is the case with this review, but it's just always good to really, really do your research and never make a decision based on one review. I love that on this site you earn an "advanced member" title so you can see how much activity someone has had. Obviously, this does not mean someone is to be trusted, but it's a helpful tool.

I eat dark chocolate virtually daily without problems (I'm 6 weeks out), I think it's individual.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! I am always fearful to have fluids too close to meals because my surgeon has told me to wait a full hour afterwards to consume Fluid, but I find myself getting "hungry" during this time, so perhaps I need to limit that hour to 30 minutes? I DO get full on my Protein shale, which I do in the morning. I find heavy liquids are the only thing that really gets me feeling "full".

So I'm 5 weeks out and on solid foods. I follow the rules- no fluids 30 minutes before or after food. I typically can get a portion the size of a deck of cards down, I feel this new odd feeling of restriction, and just 15-20 minutes later it's like I ate nothing. I find the sleeve has made it much, much easier to resist the temptation to eat...but it is there, and I'm capable of it. What gives?! This is an odd sensation. Anyone else? I intentionally eat "solid" food, it's been a piece of salmon wrapped in spinach for lunch, tonight at dinner it was chicken sausage. I am worried this is a sign of things to get worse. :/

I feel the same way! What I eat affected me emotionally every single time- I would get a tremendous sense of guilt from indulging, and I'd get a sense of accomplishment followed by a sense of deprivation when I would be "good". The sleeve allows me to "let go" of this entirely- I am no longer capable of over overeating, I am no longer compelled to make a row of Cookies into a meal. I do not get rewarded or punished emotionally by the food I eat. The sleeve has changed my outlook altogether- if for some reason this does not work to get me to where I want to be 100%, I have done all I can to be as healthy as possible and I'm fine with that. This is a tool to get me to exactly where I can be at my best, and I'm going to use it to the best of my ability without obsessing over it. Part of VSG was absolutely about "vanity"- most of my friends are other young women, but they were all at a healthy weight eating whatever they wanted while I was the obese friend. I saw my weight getting higher and higher with age, and I didn't want it to result in health problems. Being overweight is not something that gets better with age. It's in human nature to want to be accepted and attractive, and I don't think there's any need to apologize for that. I was actually excited to find out my holiday party was hor dourves! Everyone else was upset it was not a sit down dinner, but I really enjoyed getting drunk off my one glass of wine and nibbling without anyone noticing I was eating far less than everyone else.