Chimera

When I started I had 188 lbs. of excess weight to lose - now I have 87 more lbs. to go to hit goal. It does slow down a bit - so it is very important to follow post-surgery nutritional and excercise directions - I am glad that I had a restricitve rather than a restrictive/malabsorptive procedure. My surgeon was thrilled when he saw that my insurance covered vsg - even though I started with a BMI of almost 57 - it was still the choice he suggested due to the fact that complication rates are lower and the losses are statistically coming very close to the gut-rearranging procedures. Best of luck to you!

I need 108+ oz of Water to get half my weight woo - I filled up a gallon jug and it is on the counter. Doing Protein shakes and dense turkey for dinner - most of my Vitamins are in - Calcium comes in stages later...got a mile and a half walk in with hubby this morning which is quite a milestone as i couldnt even stand 3 months ago from arthritis that water is gonna be a serious one for me off to the sleep doctor to see if i still need my Cpap - have a great day gang!

I would not drink fruit juice of any kind during your losing phase.

Best of luck!

Also the nutritionists at my surgeons office tell us that there are no essential carbs - basically we do not need to consume them at all. Ketones produced from the burning of fat is the body's ideal and preferred fuel - and that is what shrinks the liver and is the mechanism that creates weight loss for us during this losing period. Of course there are many Vitamins and minerals we do not consume if we are not eating fruits and veggies - we are getting a good amount from supplementation though.

If you drastically cut carbs when you have been consuming a lot you can go into such severe withdrawal that the symptoms are flu like. There is some great reading out there about why we are not biologically designed to consume the processed food that made us heavy in the first place - and makes billions of dollars for the food industry. This is a great book~ http://www.theendofovereatingbook.com/ I cut everything prior to surgery - I quit a 28 year old, 2 pack a day smoking habit which was utter agony - I will NEVER go through that again, which is why I will never take another puff. I cut out sugar, all white carbs that are processed (bread, rice, flour, sugar etc.) Cut out coffee - because I am addicted - did the same thing with soda. I have tried everything known to man to lose weight - only to lose and regain it all - this time I was not going to f*** around That is why I needed to ditch it. There is a reason it is so hard to cut the carbs - we become addicted to them and they light up our dopamine centers like a christmas tree - its like putting a needle in your arm. I baked a birthday cake for my 16 year old's sweet 16 two weeks ago - and I am still recovering from the tailspin that suddenly upping the carbs does to you, everyone in my family is suddenly voraciously hungry, craving bread, pizza, candy, etc, and is cranky and tired. A couple of slices of cake over a week and a bag of croutons for the salad and this is what it has done to us when we do not keep this kind of stuff in the house. I've read on another forum one woman who has lost all of her weight and is in maintenance was struggling with carb cravings after having a single bag of 100 calorie snack bags - it is so not worth it - because once you stop eating them, you stop craving them. The birthday week set my husband up for a stall that has not broken - perhaps it is just time for us to both have one, we have lost steadily since our surgeries in may. Now that I have the first 100 lb loss under my belt and begin the next phase I am fine tuning and planning to crank up the excersize and start to wean myself off of any artificial sweetners (hi Crystal Lite). Best of luck to you - no one ever said this was easy - though a lot of folks think that choosing this route is - it is anything but. It is also the best decision I have ever made for myself and my health.

If you throw up your chewables - as I did too with those big nasty Bariatric Advantage brand ones you should try these. At our 100 day check up my group was cleared to take capsule Vitamins. This is what they recommend - the NUT's tell us to stay away from the flintstones chewables as even if you double up on the adult dosage they are not a complete form of Vitamin supplementation for bariatric patients (I know doctors are different). These come with Iron or no iron - depending on how you take your calcium - (hubby and I are doing the Citrical petites and the chewables as well.) We tried the iron from Celebrate as well, it is firmer than the Bariatric advantage brand and they dont go dark and soft as fast. they have a rewards program and you get points for every order - so you can get free and discounted supplements and products as well. These changed my post surgical life - whew No more nausea and vomiting. http://www.celebratevitamins.com/shop/multivitamin/multivitamin-capsules.html

My NUT has us on 600-800 cals during our losing stage. Carbs as low as you can get them and 80+ g of protein. They dont seem to focus too much on fat (surgeon has patients do Atkins induction - no liquid diet until clears the day before surgery.) 64+ oz of liquid a day minimum.

I am so sorry you lost your friend sleep studies are a pain - I just had my second one and I find out later this week if I still need my cpap - it is really important to take good care of ourselves with the apnea.

Like Bean said - my surgeon said that the risk of dying was astronomically higher if we we were obese and sitting in our seats in the conference room as opposed to lying on his operating table. And like Dr. Oz has said - We operate on cancer - if you have something as malignant and health destroying as obesity, you should operate!

The Greek yogurt that Aligayle suggested is also loaded with probiotic cultures - baskillions of them which are very good for our digestive health. Keeping things moving along and healthy is important! I know that when my losses slow -which they have recently I look at basics - LilDiva's bootcamp plan works wonders - really up the Protein, the Water, take ALL Vitamins (I have been known to be selective if I am really over the flavor of a particular chewable - i am at the point that I am transistioning to more capsule forms though which helps) make sure you get all of your Calcium, move your body. Just getting my 64 oz or trying to hit 128 will make me drop weight like crazy.

She probably means well - but like many folks, she may not be aware of the statistics with mortality with current WLS practices. My surgeon has been practicing a very long time and has zero fatalities - I am positive most of the surgeons here have the same track record. Before my husband and I had our surgeries - I too thought the mortality rate was high, until I went to the information seminar and got up to date with accurate figures. I would be irritated as well if someone told me this before surgery. Just know that your current BMI from your ticker puts you in a super safe zone (barring medical issues and comorbidities that you may have) and you should have no problem reaching your goals rapidly if you follow Dr's and NUT orders. This surgery has been the best thing my husband and I have ever done for ourselves - other than marrying one another

Ketosis - the place I never want to leave lol.

Right before surgery it is super scary - I was terrified. And my surgery was not without some complications but even with those issues It is hands down the best thing I have ever done for myself - ever.

Yup! We are recovering from our youngests sweet 16 birthday - with a house full of houseguests for a week - lots of stuff in the house that the adults who live here, and who have both had vsg surgery no longer eat, eating out, off of our normal routine etc....For me it is carbs - I have a hamburger bun and I turn into Mrs. Hyde - obsessed with all of the carbs in the house - scheming to eat potato chips etc....I am back to bootcamp now - cutting carbs to under 20. I have found it is a whole lot easier to eat a lot more of the stuff we shouldnt be eating. I get in trouble if i do not plan my meals and drinking - grazing will stall my weight loss quickly.

No staples here - my surgeon uses super glue

Not to worry - I gained 20 lbs in the hospital with all of the shenanigans that occurred after my surgery (internal bleeding + multiple blood transfusions) - You dont really have a choice to lose - just focus as much as you can on healing, hydration, and getting as much protein as you can in.When you look at the numbers after your first month i bet you will be surprised

My husband and I drink the Premier Protein brand you can get from costco or order online. They have vanilla and strawberry flavors as well as chocolate. they are RTD and are about $24 for a case of 18. 160 Cal, 30g protein, 3-5 carb depending on flavor, 3g fat. I pick up samples of shakes when I see ones that look interesting - some are horrid (cannot do Muscle Milk ever! They smell almost like acetone to me) and some are tolerable, but the Premier brand is one we have in the fridge at all times - one case of chocolate and one of vanilla And congrats on your loss so far - you have achieved a lot! Don't forget where you started

My Dr. says it takes 1-2 years - I was not so small when I started (318) with a surgery weight of 274 and I am anticipating it will take me 2 years from my surgery date. I really think there are a lot of factors that go in to it all - genetics, age, patient compliance with the rules we have to follow, moving our body, staying motivated through ongoing support online and in our hospital groups...if you are down 30 and your started at 231 look at the massive milestone you are right on top of - Wonderland Just think, even if it does take two years - would it be happening if you had not had the surgery? I know for myself i would be doing the same old pattern of losing and gaining - there is no way on earth I could take off 188 lbs. and have a chance of keeping it off without my new tool. We will get there!

Sweet! Yeesh I dont think my thighs have not touched since I was about 4 years old lol. Congrats to you

Beautiful! Your post has made me weepy - so good to know that yet another one of us who has long struggled has gotten to their goal. Best of luck with going in to maintenance, I know that this can be one of the most challenging parts, and thank you for sharing you great news

haha! I knew this had to be true - the part about just looking at images causes the production of ghrelin is fascinating. It's like how one tiny cookie or potato chip can set me up for ravenous cravings for carbs and anything and everything else - even after surgery. When I stay far away from them - not a problem. gotta keep remembering food is fuel - not entertainment

Interesting article from Fitbie today: http://fitbie.msn.com/food-porn-problem

I dont have Starbucks often these days - maybe once every 2 weeks. I like to order a grande Vanilla latte - but with 2 pumps of vanilla rather than the normal 4 they use, I dont like too sweet. 250 cals, 12g Protein, 37 carbs, 6 fat. if i have one of these, which I consider a meal and a snack I would most likely have extra lean turkey for the rest of the day as the carbs are pretty high for me during my losing phase. I used to do the whole fat free, artificial sweetner thing in coffee - no longer. I do drink Crystal Lite, as does my husband and that is some eye opening information about artificial sweetners!

It depends on the surgeon. One of my best friends is at a very high BMI - 76 right now I beleive, and the doctors in Mexico have told her that she needs to lose a bit of weight before they feel it is safe to operate on her. I was considered high risk at my BMI of 56 when I started - I think my surgeon considers anything over 50 risky, so i think it varies.