Cobrargc

It's all about decency and fairness. One example is a growing movement underway that believes doctors should be health role models for their patients. They actually believe an overweight doctor is somehow less qualified to practice medicine. My primary care physician is an overweight individual and has had a practice since 1982. Should this doctor lose his license to practice medicine because he doesn't fit someone’s idea of what a doctor should look like? Should we allow this kind of nonsense to take hold or should we be more proactive to be sure it doesn't? I'm the last person to suggest we need more legislation, but examine cell phone use while driving. This has been a simmering debate for over a decade now. People know that using their cell phone while driving is a danger to others, yet most continue to do so. Since the general public won't police themselves, our lawmakers are going to do this for us. Is this wrong? People often won't do the decent (right) thing unless they are forced to. If ABC Company fails to hire an individual because they are looking for a younger worker and not the 63 year old person that applied, that's discrimination. You could just as easily substitute an obese person for the 63 year old. Legislation might not stop the laughing behind their back, but it would prevent a qualified obese person from being turned down. Years ago it was common for a Landlord to refuse to rent a home because they didn't like the idea of the applicant having children. Most would agree these Landlords were wrong by not doing the decent and fair thing. Now "family status" is a protected class and Landlords cannot discriminate against these individuals. This new legislation has forced Landlords to be fair. This too is JMHO and I love to play the devil’s advocate!

I have no problem getting my daily liquids. I just don't care to drink anymore. I generally have to remind myself to drink. Before surgery I was a drinkaholic. I loved fresh brewed iced tea, water or a soft drink and was always drinking. No longer do I have the desire or thirst. Am I the only person experiencing this?

Aren't you glad we have each other to bounce thoughts and ideas off of? There is such a wealth of information available on this forum. Whether you're a newbie or a veteran to the sleeve world, the folks here are friendly and willing to help out.

i just don't get it. I expected foods to lose their luster after surgery and they have. They just don't taste as good as they used to. I guess I was surprised that drinks would be the same. I generally get between 60-80 oz a day and isn't a problem for me. The fact that I have to make myself drink is what surprises me. As others have said, perhaps the taste will return someday.

I had my 1st salad about 2 1/2 weeks post-op. I used to be happy with an iceberg salad, but since we're after good nutrients I've chosen spinach or romaine. I love to add just about anything I can find to my salad. Tomato, carrot, green onions, radish, snap peas, sprouts or celery really make the salad for me. I add diced up chicken breast for Protein and a low carb dressing. Thanks! Now I have to go make myself a salad for diner.

Most people tend to have stomach discomfort when eating too fast or not chewing food thoroughly. I certainly do. I think they have us eat slowly for a few reasons. One being the discomfort. Our sleeve is very small and food that is eaten slowly and completely fills the sleeve. Kind of like sand in a Mason jar as opposed to marbles. There is a lot less wasted space. We don't get much food. Food that is eaten slowly is enjoyed more and makes us feel more satisfied. .

I agree!

Speaking of "Man vs Food", have you noticed that Adam no longer does the eating challenge? He has someone else do it. Maybe he noticed that he's doubled in size since the series began.

I was told that the portion of the stomach that remains is the thickest and therefore very stretch resistant. As others have said, the size will likely increase in the weeks following the surgery due to the swelling going down. Stretching was the problem with the old "stomach stapling" technique many years ago. They would staple off a portion of the stomach on the opposite side. Over time this thinner area of stomach wall would indeed stretch, sometimes break the staples and reopen the entire stomach. I think the sleeve is by far the best bariatric treatment out there. There is no stretching, no band erosion, no band slippage, no dumping and no bowel rerouting.

I’ve noticed a lot of emphasis on post-op diets. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not a dietician and I am not telling anyone what they should and should not be eating. Instead I am offering my take on sleeve dieting. Would most agree that we did not become overweight simply because of the type of food we ate, but rather the amount of foods we ate? I was nearly 140lbs overweight when I had my surgery. My problem was quantity. When I ate out I would eat 3 or 4 of everything. Seriously, when I ate out I would eat 10 tacos at Taco Bell, or an entire large pizza from Pizza Hut, or two Whoppers at Burger King or two 12” Subway sandwiches. If my wife made steaks for dinner I would have 3 of them. I rarely ate breakfast during the work week, but on weekends I would stuff myself with pastries. I would also tend to eat and watch TV until bedtime. These are the things that got me, and I would suspect most people, into trouble. My new sleeve has changed all that. I physically CAN NOT eat foods in the same quantity as before. Thank the LORD! My meals are much, much smaller. This has required me to learn that breakfast and lunch are just as important as dinner. As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I have no foods that are off limits. I eat mostly the same kind of foods I enjoyed before surgery. I just have to be smarter about it. The proteins are eaten first in my meals, followed by other nutritionally dense foods. The carb rich stuff like breads is eaten last if my sleeve isn’t already full. This was my Easter holiday meals: For breakfast I had a protein shake. After church my wife wanted to stop at McDonalds on the way home. I didn’t want to overindulge so I opted for a kids “Happy Meal”. It was 4 chicken nuggets, a kid fry and sugar free lemonade. It was less than 300 calories and I still got 10 grams of protein out of this treat. For dinner I used a rotisserie on my grill and smoked a whole chicken for the holiday. I had a drumstick and a small portion of a breast, about a ¼ cup of mashed potatoes with some gravy, 3 tablespoons of steamed broccoli, and a freshly made wheat roll. The chicken was eaten first followed by the broccoli and potatoes. I only had a nibble off the roll because I was full. This was not my typical meal, but it was a holiday so I intended to enjoy myself while having dinner with my family. For desert I had a Cadbury egg. The point I’m trying to make is that moderation is the key. I had a few things yesterday that are not typical for me, but a reward for 30 days post-op and a holiday. This morning I am back to my regular routine. I had a single serving of oatmeal with honey for breakfast and a “Lean Cuisine” 290 calorie entrée for lunch. My wife is making tacos for dinner. I will likely have a taco and ¼ cup of Spanish rice with salsa. Don’t beat yourselves up by thinking you’ve “ruined” your diet because you ate something that perhaps is contrary to dieting guidelines. You can simply make up for it with a later meal. We are all eating less because of our wonderful new sleeves and hopefully we’re a lot more active than we used to be. These two things alone will encourage weight loss. Don’t get hung up on what you eat. Pay far more attention to how much you’re eating. Try to make the smartest food choices when choosing your main entrée. I’m down nearly 40lbs in the 30 days since my surgery and I eat what I want. Let the flaming begin.

It's really not that hard to hit your Protein target. I've kind of weaned myself off Protein shakes unless I know I will be having a meal that has fewer grams of protein than I like. They are a great option to fill the protein void. The shake mix has 26 grams and the cup of milk has 10 grams. That's 36 grams or 1/2 of our daily requirement. Another option I use is a can of tuna. A can of tuna is about 6oz, nearly zero fat and over 30 grams of protein. I often add a tablespoon of light mayo/salad dressing to make it a bit moister. Straight tuna tends to be a bit dry and some people's sleeve dont' like it. Another option is a can of crumbled chicken breast. I like to top a romaine or spinich salad with the crumbled chicken and low cal salad dressing. The chicken has about 15 grams + 5 grams in the greens. That's 20 grams in a salad. Beware that processed chicken tends to have higher sodium.

My 46 year old habit of gulping food has been a challenge for me to overcome. My wife always gets after me because I'm still eating too fast. The uncomfortable signal has helped train me to some degree. If I chew too long the saliva production goes into hyper-drive and it gags/grosses me out. Yeah I know, it's a mental thing for me.

This is a man chiming in here, but my wife always has always had the same issue following anesthesia. Her doctor said this is normal following surgery where anesthesia is involved. The stuff is pretty powerful and stays in the body for some time. My wife is more 'normal' the following month.

I was surprised to see the mostly positive responses to my thread. I’d expected a lot more opposition to this take on dieting. There are so many bariatric surgeons and dieticians out there with their own philosophy on what we should/shouldn’t be eating. I think much of it is nothing more than misinformation. Some of the diet guidelines I’ve read are so restrictive that they have a tendency to set us up for failure, particularly from a mental perspective. I mean we are already dealing with the fact that we’ve undergone major surgery because most of us weren’t able to control our appetites. I am one of those individuals. I think there is a negative stigma attached to bariatric surgery that we need to overcome first. Some “outsiders” would consider the surgery as cheating. I don’t see it any differently than a smoker who uses Chantix to stop smoking. Then when a dietician places us on a lifetime diet that strips us of all the foods that we enjoy, this also puts us on the fast track to failure or at least makes the lifetime transition more difficult. ‘Coops’ was right when he said our sleeve is a tool. The sleeve does force us to make better food choices. It’s made me a pickier eater than I used to be. I can still enjoy a slice of pizza or piece of fried chicken without feeling like I gave into the forbidden fruit temptation. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest and I intend to do just that. I’m not going to beat myself up if I decide to have a piece of birthday cake at a family get together. I don’t know about everyone else, but my sleeve gave me a new lease on life. I have much of my old energy back and feel a whole lot better. Hopefully my sleeve has added many more years to my life. Stop and think for a moment about where our lives were headed had we not intervened and decided to have bariatric surgery. The thought scares the heck out of me. My biggest fear was my wife waking up one morning and finding me lifeless next to her. It could have been amputated limbs due to diabetes or a massive stoke that left me a burden to my loved ones. Most of those reading this thread have already had the surgery and have so much to be thankful for. For those who are browsing this forum, like many of us did before making the decision, and are at that point in their lives where they know they need to make a life change, please consider bariatric surgery as an option. I’m glad I did.

All of us wish you the best on your 1st day back. I just hope you don't have one of those jobs that will require 4 weeks of catching up! Let us know how you do today.

I bought a couple Cadbury eggs right after my surgery and set them on top of a coffeer maker in my garage. I'd decided I would reward myself after 30 days and have one on Easter Sunday. I had one and gave the other to my wife. It just didn't taste as good as they used to.

This weekend marks 30 days post-op for me. Everything has been great so far. My wife keeps asking me how much weight I’ve lost. The scale has always been an enemy of mine and I tend to stay away from it, preferring to gage my weight loss by how my clothes are fitting. I’m down 2 shirt sizes and at least 1 pants size. Can I be the only one using this method? One thing is definite after my surgery. Food just doesn’t hold the same importance as it used to. Over the last 2-3 weeks I’ve eaten just about all of the foods I used to (taco, chili, cheeseburger, BBQ, stir fry, pasta, steak), just in much smaller portions. The only foods I do stay away from are pastries. These used to be my downfall and I see them as empty calories and carbs. I’m big on protein intake and they don’t have the protein that the previously mentioned foods do. It’s strange though. Food just doesn’t taste all that great anymore. Food tastes OK. I just don’t get the “WOW this is great” sensation anymore when I eat. This really is a blessing to me. I hope it’s a long lasting and permanent thing. I had my first business lunch with a vendor last week. I’d been dreading lunches with others because I didn’t want to waste money by ordering something that wouldn’t get eaten or bring attention to what I wasn’t eating. I chose to go to a place that had small appetizers. In this case it was 5 buffalo wings. It appeared to be a lot of food, but we all know there isn’t much substance to wings. This worked out very well for me. Is anyone else as sick to death of water as I am? I like water but it is really getting old. I bought some Crystal Light lemonade and limeade drink mixes. I then squeeze a couple fresh lemons and add the juice/peel remains to the lemonade and limes to the limeade. This has been a great alternative to water. I don’t want to encourage others to drink soft drinks, but I usually treat myself to one sugar free soda daily without any problem. I normally take a couple swallows and immediately let out a quiet burp to prevent the CO2 gases in my sleeve from getting uncomfortable. Getting my 64oz of daily fluids has been the biggest challenge.

I would stay away from the alcohol for awhile. I had my surgery on Wednesday and return to work on Monday. This isn't the case for most folks though. If your strenght is there and your job isn't physically demanding, then try it. I was going stir crazy around the house after only a few days.

I began one cup after week 2 and a second cup after week 3. Two 8oz cups in the morning is enough for me.

Yes I do. She's been pretty helpful.

My largest incision was more tender than the rest, even more so after the stapes came out. I think this is probably normal. The evening after I had the staples taken out (7 days after surgery) I woke up to find my stomach and bed sheet wet. I got up and went to the bathroom to investigate. I found my lowest incision had come open during sleep and was bleeding all over the place. I was a self payer and began to panic a bit. I went to the drugstore to buy transparent dressing and taped it up myself. A week later it had healed up great.

How much Biotin is everyone taking post-op? I don't want to take too much or too little.

Thanks for the information. At least I have an idea what everyone else is taking.

I’m now 14 days post-op and everything is going extremely well. I’ve made the transition to solid foods a few days ago and so far no trouble tolerating any particular foods. My sleeve is even OK with spicy foods, which makes me happy. The only issue I’ve had is one of the incision areas completely opened back up the day after the staples were removed. One thing I’ve noticed is if I keep my protein intake in the 60-70 gram range I have a decent energy level and no tiredness. This was one of the things I worried about. So far I’ve found it difficult to achieve the target without supplementing with protein drinks. I hope to eventually be able to stop the drinks. Not sure if that’s going to happen though. I try to target daily calories to the 950-1200 range. In my previous life I was a pastry junkie. This was my biggest weakness and so far I haven’t touched them. The hunger signal is gone as I am no longer producing ghrelin after the surgery. I do get a desire for something sweet from time to time and yogurt fills the void. One of the things I’ve found to eat is the “Lean Cuisine” type frozen entrees. They are about 8oz, 270-300 calories, 10-18 grams of protein. I never though one of these little things would be filling, but they are just the right size for me. Walmart sells a variety of different brands and they are all $1.00. I spent all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon doing my 1st yard work of the season and tilled the soil in my garden for spring planting. I’ve been back to work now for a week and as I said in an earlier thread, nobody even knows I had surgery. The last couple days I’ve been itching from the waist up. It almost seems like I’m allergic to something. The only change to my regimen is the addition of a Biotin supplement. I am going to stop it for a few days to see if it goes away, and then resume it later. I’ve had a bit of a blow to my ego this week as I’ve begun to wear suspenders to keep my pants up. I hate the things but I’m unable to wear a belt due to a compressed nerve along my waistline. I haven’t been on the scale this week but I suspect I’m down around 25lbs in the two weeks since surgery and the week of pre-op liquids. I just wished all of my fellow sleevers were as fortunate as I've been with my surgery. I’m praying for all of those that are struggling with pain and discomfort.

I'm on day #5 and things are are great so far. I returned to work today and nobody even has a clue that I had a sleeve done last week. I do have to admit that the "I can't believe I did this to myself" thoughts began running through my head last night. I guess I don't have regrets, but I will be glad when I can begin eating regular foods. My wife and I are close and we have always enjoyed eating our diner together and having conversation. It's been a difficult adjustment for her as she tends to eat alone. I told her it will get better.