Shells

Congratulations! Wishing you the best and I'm so happy that you fought for your health!!!

You look fabulous, awesome!!!! I definitely need to start lifting weights and increase my protein. Thank you for the tips and your confidence shines radiantly!

Keep doing what your doing Dooter. Eat Protein first no matter how much it is, it's SO MUCH better than eating junk crap (doesn't deserve to be called food), fatty shakes, etc. Okay some crackers is ok, better than a whole bag of chips. Keep working out, your body is just adapting. I spoke with my doctor last Friday for my 2 month appt and they want me to eat a cup and a half of listed foods and I know I cannot do that. At max I can currently eat 4-6 ounces and they're saying that I need to slowly uptake food to keep calories up.
My scale was stuck for two weeks and I took a break from the scale for 2 weeks and today I found out I lost 6 pounds!!
Take your protein first.
Work out.
64 oz of Fluid
Breathe and know everyday, your life is changing. You got this!!

Awesome to hear! My first three weeks I was exhausted and fatigued. Now at 10 weeks I feel like myself again and so happy I love my sleeve!

Keep doing what your doing Dooter. Eat Protein first no matter how much it is, it's SO MUCH better than eating junk crap (doesn't deserve to be called food), fatty shakes, etc. Okay some crackers is ok, better than a whole bag of chips. Keep working out, your body is just adapting. I spoke with my doctor last Friday for my 2 month appt and they want me to eat a cup and a half of listed foods and I know I cannot do that. At max I can currently eat 4-6 ounces and they're saying that I need to slowly uptake food to keep calories up.
My scale was stuck for two weeks and I took a break from the scale for 2 weeks and today I found out I lost 6 pounds!!
Take your protein first.
Work out.
64 oz of Fluid
Breathe and know everyday, your life is changing. You got this!!

I joined a gym near my house!!! This was my birthday week gift to myself!! I worked out for almost an hour..7 miles on the bike and a little stretching!! Gonna get my rebounding on in the AM. And go back to the gym tomorrow evening (it was a little crowded for me at 4pm)..
Yeah me!!!

My GO to Drink right now is Trenti Iced Green Tea, No Classic (Sugar) add 3 Spleanda. I also get that in Black Tea and if you don't want Caffine - get Passion Tea - all No Classic and how ever many Splendas you want.

I don't want to stretch my sleeve out( thus making it useless ), so to to this I measure what I am to eat at one sitting. I also need to get in a daily requirement of protein. Considering my sleeve is so small, this means I need to put food in my mouth with good value. If I were to fill up on junk I wouldn't have room for the protein. For example, If I were to eat the slice of cheese pizza, I would be full after 4 bites. If I eat the top of that slice of cheese pizza and omit the bread I can eat all the cheese and get 11g of protein. It's a food value thing. Best wishes

I am 7 months out and I eat around 800 a day now.. When I was where you are, I could barely eat 500 calories a day.. There is no way in the world I would "try" to up my calories... the whole point of the surgery was for restriction. Why try to cram all that food in there? It will naturally increase as the swelling goes down. I dont think we need to have a calorie goal to hit. My surgeon didnt give me one. He said eat protein first and only if you can hold more, eat a little veggies. His main rule was STOP when you are full even if you only eat a couple of bites. Do not overeat your sleeve... it defeats the purpose. You are not gonna lose what you want to if you eat that many calories, especially early out. Please dont do that to yourself. Just my two cents.

Oh man, the nausea- yes I hated that mofo with a passion! I woke up after the surgery nauseated, constantly spitting out nothing. I would do my daily lap around the hospital floor, hit my drip to sleep and wake up dry heaving! Kept happening both nights in the hospital. Lasts 3-4 days after surgery.
Did throw up when I got home had a tsp of SF Jello and Tylenol w/ codiene to help with pain, felt spitty then threw up all my hard work of what I just ate. It feels like your tummy is your throat and it was really tight. That was the last time I threw up my 1st week of surgery.
One month out threw up ground turkey, didn't chew enough I was running late for class. Chewed, felt stuck, felt my mouth getting spitty and threw up, felt better, went to class.
Just last week I started feeling nauseated again and I hope this one goes away fast! Feel nauseated drinking Water and taking Vitamins. This just started happening.
Pooping- diarrhea and constipation will be your two new roommates. Drink plenty of water, your body will be flushing out. Can be so runny your scared to release gas to being hard as concrete you want people to clap for you when your done going to the bathroom. I have colace pills which helped tremendously. No benefiber or metamucil, my doctor said its too early for my sleeve and I wont be able to take in 64oz the first month and it will back fire and constipate me more. No caffeine, it dehydrates you.
More than anything! WALK- this helps move gas, helps you heal and your body flows better. I did laps around my house, to walking around my neighborhood. It was so helpful and it makes going to the restroom a lot easier. GL

"Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!" --author unknown

My parents, grandma, brother, cousin and best friend know. My bestie's roommate overheard our convo on the phone last year that I was thinking of this surgery and called me telling me that I shouldn't get it because there are too many complications and that I could die from malnutrition. I thanked her and told her she was right and I wouldn't get it. I learned quick to keep my mouth shut.
I am super proud of my decision and never been happier, yet this is my private decision and I don't want my extended family or coworkers to know because like others mentioned, at the end of the day it's not their business. Our surgery is a tool, and with that I have dedicated a future of healthy eating habits and daily physical activity which I will promote to the fullest. Don't get me wrong, I love discussing VSG, especially with our family here and youtube my progress. I attend Kaiser meetings and discuss how the sleeve has changed my life and if I can change someone's life for the better, awesome! However, not everyone will understand what we have gone through and will give me their opinion whether positive/negative I just don't want to hear it or be given a "look" like I took the easy way out. I am fully supportive of those who want to shout it from the top of their lungs that they had the sleeve, more power to them!
The only person who makes fun of me saying I took the easy way out is my protective brother and he does it jokingly with love cause he knows it drives me nuts lol! I've fainted twice, been dehydrated and exhausted before it all started getting better. This s--t is hard!

You comments sound very judgemental to me. Work is work, home is home. When I have had ANY surgery, I did not feel "ashamed" if I did not tell people, like coworkers. I did not feel the need to make "announcements" or to feel "proud", either. Why would I need to announce my personal medical history to strangers? I certainly do not need "support" from strangers.
I am not a walking billboard for vsg. If I were a paid spokesperson, then if would be a different story. Most people know about the surgery. For those considering it, there are many resources- all of the surgeons in this area give free, informational seminars, and there are many discussions on the internet. I should not feel guilt or shame because I do not want to discuss my personal health. You should "live and let live."
Lastly, you did not say whether you had the surgery or not, but just give it some time. Some people who seem supportive now may not be when you are thinner than them. If you check out other VSG forums, you will see MANY people who have regretted their decision to tell- but then its to late.

Goodness me- if we all took a vote I think we'd all vote that Ron is an utter idiot, and I do hope your friend's Mom sees that too! He can't be clocking up many brownie points with your friend either....
You are going to come up against people like this all the time, some battles we win, some we lose but the main thing is to get back on the horse. Which you have done with grace- WELL DONE for recognising the battle for what it is and better luck next time with making a healthy choice. We can't be perfect all the time, and you are doing just GREAT!

I am a much more mellow person right now but I wish I had been there with you! GRRRRRRR
If you ever find your way you Houston let me know we will have a lite dinner and some Xbox kinect and no one will make an issue.
That invitation goes out to everyone!

Girl,you are strong for even realizing the changes you need to make!! Don't beat yourself up over it,just move on and take the experience and use it for future reference. You know that you don't ever want to feel that bad again for eating something you shouldn't. I honestly think you're gonna do great,I think we all have to go through the tough part and the little mistakes. It is part of this whole life change. Noone is perfect. If we were,we would have never needed the sleeve in the first place. As long as it isn't an everyday thing,it's not a problem in my opinion. You're gonna lose the weight,and keep it off,you can do this. As far as Ron,he sounds like a JERK. I would most likely had ended up saying something to him. ((HUGS)) to you,I think you handled the situation great. The ice cream incident is over,put it in the past and continue to do great sleeve sister! ((HUGS))

Child, BREATHE! Relax...it's okay.
First...DON'T HATE YOU! God created you and he don't make no junk!
Second... Think about before you were sleeved...if that's what you ate in one day, you'd be like "Dang, I hardly ate today!" It's okay. Nobody expects you to be perfectly strict with yourself to where your living like an obsessed maniac (and the repetitive negative self speak and inner monologue is our red flag). So now, just stop and breathe and remember;
1- your NOT on a diet- you are living a healthy lifestyle complete with healthy eating choices and a realistic and healthy self image.
2- you are making progress and growing. Anything that's not growing is dead. Your fully alive, which means sometimes your going to put things in your mouth you may regret later...and that's okay! You will continue to do your best to do #1.
3- The sleeve is only a tool. You also have exercise, prayer and meditation, supportive community (VST!), and mostly ENOUGH LOVE FOR YOUR LIFE THAT YOU DID SOMETHING SO THAT YOU COULD LIVE IT IN A QUALITY MANNER...
So no more hating out of you, young lady!
:wub:

You definitely should clear this one with your surgeon or his/her team before you do anything.
I was walking a mile a day as soon as day 2 post-op. At my 4-week post-op I was cleared for all aerobic exercise and started hiking again and even a little "couch to 5k" (albeit I'm going even slower than they recommend just to be safe). My surgeon told me to hold off on weights and horseback riding until 6-weeks. I cheated and started riding at 5-weeks because I felt great, and I got lucky that my horse decided not to put me in the dirt yet. Today is 6-weeks and I plan to start hitting the weights today. I could tell I had lost alot of muscle mass when I tried to lift my saddle! Not cool. I want to lose fat! Not muscle!
That's my 2 cents, but again always check with your surgeon, we're all different!
Good luck and congratulations on an AMAZING job so far!!!

Conrats on the amazing weight loss so far Yes you are perfectly on track here .. however i urge you to do some excersises to maintain your muscle mass.
In general weight loss tends to slow down after 8-10 weeks. Excersising regularly can help shed off weight and even break a stall.
Good luck

I recently read something that someone wrote on another VGS site that I’d like to share, she said “ This tool (VGS) is like hiking down a hill, and some people will take a more scenic route and some will run down to the bottom quickly, but in the end we will all reach the bottom of the hill” so try not to panic and go back to the basics when you feel you need to.

Hello VST family! It's been a while since I have posted. Life has been busy! As of today I am 11 weeks out and am down 35.4lbs. My BMI is 31.1, I am obese YAHOO! I have had some good days and some bad days. My biggest challenge is controlling the gurgle/gnawing feeling that my sleeve loves to hit me with and the occasional constipation. There are some days I feel completely normal and forget that I even had surgery. I love those days because my sleeve is cooperative and not gurgling at me. The restriction is most noticeable with certain foods and there really has not been much I have had that has not agreed with me. I am staying away from (forever) greasy fried foods and am trying to adhere to the plan as much as possible because I still have another 40lbs to go. I no longer have problems getting in my Fluid or Protein. YAY! I have also found that I will have to use chewable Vitamins from here on out. I tried to take a regular Vitamin and my sleeve threw a fit! I also have not experienced a lot of hair loss but I take a Biotin supplement that is probably helping.
As for exercising, I average 4-5 days a week with weights, running/walking, push ups and sit ups. I sometimes think it is slowing down my weight loss because I am building muscle but I highly recommend exercising because it has helped a bit with the loose skin. And it REALLY helps with the inches. My problem area is my thighs (always has been) and now I have bat wings (sort of) which are of course only noticeable to me (according to my hubby). The best part about having lost weight is that exercising doesn't HURT anymore and I still have energy afterwards to do household chores. My husband calls me the Energizer bunny.
I have been keeping track of inches lost and here is the most recent info:
Heaviest weight:
230 lbs, Chest 46, Waist 43, Hips 48, Thighs 27.5, Calves 17.75 Now that's a whole lotta love going on
Current weight:
175.4 lbs, Chest 40, Waist 35, Hips, 40.5, Thighs 22.5, Calves 15.5
I have lost about 29 inches off of my body and the sad thing is I still look in the mirror and feel fat. I am hoping one day I will not see the heavy girl anymore.
The other thing I have finally experienced is food mourning. Never had it until last Friday. I took my son to Applebees and we shared some chicken. I looked over and saw this guy mowing down a burger and I suddenly missed food. Darn it, he made that burger look good! I wanted to smack him. But you know that feeling you used to get when you would order something delicious then finish it all and you would get that great sense of satisfaction until you got up from the table of course and your pants were about to burst. But you know what I am talking about? It was almost like food porn.
After that I did fall off the wagon at one point but thank goodness the sleeve kept me in check. I was emotionally eating during my mourning period. It is very hard when you are stressed because food can no longer comfort you. But that feeling only lasted for about 2 days and I got myself in check real fast. Funny thing is the worst thing I ate when I fell off the wagon was Peanut Butter pretzels and a couple of peanut butter Cookies.
I will say that I am painfully aware of how much my family is eating now. I almost feel like the food police but I am just so afraid my boys will have the same problems I have had with food if they don't check themselves now. It's a fine line but I am cooking healthy and they actually love it but they eat so much it scares me. But again, they are growing. My 10 year old is 5'2" and weighs 135lbs and my 13 year old is 5'8" and weighs 165. So it's not like they are overweight but I don't want them to be either.
I have not experienced any problems eating out. My husband loves to share his food with me because it saves him money! I get to pick the entree and we share. He eats well, as do I, and the bill is cheaper, a definite win win! Sometimes I share with one of my boys. Worst case scenario I order Soup and I have not had a rude waiter yet because between my husband and two growing boys they eat what I don't finish
I took my car into the shop where I always go and I was talking to the guy behind the counter who always helps me. He was looking at me like, "Who the heck are you?!" Then I took off my sunglasses and he said, "Sorry, I didn't recognize you! You look so different, what did you do?"
I apparently look different but I don't feel different yet. The good news, clothes! I am shopping the clearance racks to save money because the clothes start to fall off after a month. No complaints there!
I have a check up with the doctor on Friday. I am hoping he is happy with my progress. I was not able to see him for my one month check up because I had to go out of town so he has no idea how I am doing. Luckily, I have had no complications.
Other than that I am just plugging along and trying to stay positive. I hope all my fellow sleevers out there are doing well. Keep up the good work and thank you to all of you who are on this forum. You have definitely made this process a lot easier with your support. It is so nice to be able to talk with people who understand exactly what you are going through!
Take care! :wub:

My husband and I are both sleeved and we spend a TON of money on greek yogurt. My fridge is always full of cups of Chobani and Fage. About a week ago I discovered that you can make yogurt at home, so last night I did! And it turned out PERFECT. You don't need any special equipment or machines. I used our dutch oven, but any heavy bottomed pot will do. The directions look long, but it pretty much makes itself once you've warmed up the milk. It is the definition of something that a lazy non-cook can make. I got the recipe from this website.
http://www.happysimpleliving.com/2011/03/06/make-your-own-homemade-greek-yogurt/
STUFF YOU NEED:
1/2 gallon of dairy milk (I used 2%, but you can use milk with any fat content. Pasteurized milk works perfectly, just be sure it's not ultra pasteurized.)
2.5 tablespoons of plain yogurt with live active cultures (This is your starter. It can be regular or greek yogurt and it can have any fat content. I used 0% Yoplait plain greek yogurt because it was the cheapest I could find with live active cultures.)
Candy thermometer or cooking thermometer
Cheesecloth (or a clean t-shirt, or pillowcase, or muslin)
Heavy bottomed pot to heat the milk in (Or crock pot, or double boiler, or dutch oven, or even your microwave. Not even kidding)
Towel
Colander/strainer
Oven

MAKING THE YOGURT:
Turn on the light in your oven. This will make it just the right temperature for yogurt magic to happen.
Put 2 tablespoons of milk into a bowl and mix in 2.5 tablespoons of your starter yogurt. Set it aside.
Pour the rest of the milk into your pot and heat to 180-185 degrees fahrenheit. Stir constantly while heating to prevent your milk from scalding.
Once milk reaches temperature, pour it into a glass or ceramic (not metal) dish and allow it to cool uncovered to 105-110 degrees. This step is why I used my dutch oven. It's enameled, so I didn't need to transfer the milk into another dish. It was perfect for incubating my yogurt.
When your milk is at temperature, thoroughly stir in the starter that you set aside earlier.
Put the lid on your dish, wrap it well in a towel, and stick it in your oven. Leave it in the oven with the oven light on for 8-12 hours.
After 8 hours, stick a spoon in and check your yogurt. It will probably be set (mine was). There will be yellowish liquid on top, but that's just whey Protein. You can stir it in if you like thin yogurt or pour it off. At this point, you're done. Chill it in the fridge, and use it in any way that you you always enjoy yogurt. I love thick yogurt, so I'm going to do a couple of extra steps.

TURNING IT INTO GREEK-STYLE YOGURT:
Refrigerate your yogurt for at least 2 hours. I didn't stir in or pour off the whey, I just stuck the whole pot in the fridge and let it chill overnight.
Line your colander with 4 sheets of damp cheesecloth and set it into a bowl. The bowl will collect the whey that strains off the yogurt.
Pour the chilled yogurt into your colander, cover with saran wrap or leave uncovered, and place it in your fridge to strain. Every hour or two, check on the consistency of your yogurt and pour off the whey that has collected in your bowl. Throw the whey away (hehe, whey away), use it to make bread, or even feed it to your dog (apparently they LOVE it).
Once you're happy with the texture of the yogurt, dump it out of the cheesecloth and into a container with a tight lid (break out the good tupperware). Consume within 6 days.
Save 3 tablespoons of your homemade yogurt to be the starter cultures for your next batch of yogurt.

I strained mine to a texture between Yoplait regular and Chobani greek, but I strained a little of it into yogurt cheese which was amazing. It had a silkiness that reminded me of Fage, but it was a bit thicker. Remember, the more you strain it, the less yogurt you'll have. A half gallon of milk makes about 32oz of thick greek yogurt. The flavor is more mild and less tangy than any plain yogurt I've ever had. I sweetened my first cup with a little Splenda and it was fantastic. If it stands up to that processed fake sugar, then I can't wait to try it with honey or agave nectar.
COSTS:
Milk - $3.59
Starter yogurt - $0.99 (on sale)
I had all of the other things that I needed in my kitchen already.
I made about 36oz of yogurt.
Best part!
Cost per serving:
Homemade - $0.77 per 6oz serving
Chobani - $1.59 per 6oz serving
Fage - $1.89 per 7oz serving

Something really really funny and cool happened to me this morning!
Me and my brother were at a cafe talking and catching up on stuff and a few minutes later his friend (whom i know well but haven't seen for about a year) comes over and sits down. There were no introductions just "hi" and "hello" as my brother and i did not have a slightest doubt he would not recognise me!!
So when i realised what had happened i chuckled and decided to see how long it would take for him to actually know who i was!
Guess what? We talked for about an HOUR and he had no idea!! He thought i was a friend and not even related to my brother!! When we decided to leave my brother dropped the bomb and he was like.. " NO WAY! NO "*beep* WAY!!"
I've never laughed so much and so hard! His reaction was so intense he just stood there staring at me for a minute. We ended up sitting for another hour discussing my surgery LOL.
Just wanted to share this with you guys and hopefully lighten the mood of sleevers who feel a bit down for one reason or another
Have a nice day all of you

Hamany, I'm a doctor and still took all of my surgeon's advice, and did all the research possible. You cannot use your being a medical student as an excuse for not taking care of your health.
You, of all people, should understand that orange juice does not give you a well balanced diet with Proteins, and will not sustain you. If you can drink liquids, focus on Protein drinks instead.
Crisps and crunchy Snacks are easy for all sleeve patients to eat, because they do not expand in the stomach and slide right through. The sleeve is a TOOL to help us make better food choices, not a quick fix to our obesity. We still have to maintain discipline and be careful with your nutrition.
All the best to you and continue to use this forum to educate yourself about your new sleeve.

I'm so excited to start shopping at places like Gap, Hollister, American Eagle, Abercrombie, H&M, Forever 21, etc.