Bubbaloo10

Yes, please open an online store to sell bariatric nutritional products. This has been needed for some time and I'm surprised it hasn't been contemplated before. So many of the sites out there that sell these products are overpriced.

I have been walking the treadmill since the day after my surgery and recommend it to anyone who needs a simple way to get your exercise. Many doctors will tell you that walking is the best and most effective form of exercise. Also good for people with knee and hip problems that many overweight people have. I like the tread mill for a number of reasons. First, if you simply go out walking in your community, you will find that you stop to talk to friends and neighbors along the way. After you've been out for an hour, you think you had an hour of exercise. Not so. On the treadmill you have no such distractions. If you walk around your community, it's real easy to skip your exercise because it's too cold, too hot, too dark, raining, etc. Not so on the treadmill. The treadmill can give you a way to measure your speed, time and calories burned. Not so with walking the community. And best of all, your can pass the time by watching TV, listening to your MP3 player or reading a book. I prefer reading on my tablet with the Kindle app. Time flies when you can get into a good e-book, and the tablet is so much easier to handle because you don't have to hold it, just sit it on the treadmill and flip pages with a stroke. Treadmill has been very effective for me. I lost all my weight (102 lbs) in six months and have gained only 3-5 lbs back in the succeeding year. If I find myself floating outside that 3-5 lbs limit, I go back to my high protein, low carb diet until I get back in line again. I do it 5-6 days a week for one hour at 4mph with varying elevations. Works great and I feel great!

I forgot to mention that since my surgery, my wife has gone down 10 lbs below her lowest weight due to the fact that we both eat alot less. When we eat out, we split a meal and sometimes still wind up taking some home with us. We're both cheap dates.....

As a Sleeve veteran, I am 1 1/2 years out. My wife had the RNY in 2003. She lost 100 lbs over a year and gained back about 15 lbs of it until I had my surgery in April 2012. I lost 102 lbs in 6 months to the day before I started to taper off. After one year of leveling off (my choice) I have gained 3-5 lbs, depending on which day I step on the scale (and I do every morning). My wife had alot of eating difficulties for a good couple years after her surgery, particularly with dumping syndrome. I got out of the hospital the day after my surgery and took a walk around the block that night, The next morning I started walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes at 2mph. As I began to gain strenght over the next few weeks, I would up the time and/or speed gradually until I reached 4mph for one hour. Then I would go 4mph for one hour at varied elevation until I got to 6% grade. Worth mentioning, most people have at least some difficulties like nausea, diarhea, vomiting, etc. for up to a month after surgery. Most will tell you this happened to them. I did not have any difficutlies like this at all. I felt great and continue to feel great. When I first went to my Dr. I was looking for an RNY. He suggested I go with the sleeve instead, as it had fewer complications and I did not have any co-morbidities like diabetes, high blood pressure or hear trouble. He said if I had such co-morbidities he would recommend the RNY. I took his advice and am so glad I did. I think the secret for me was to hold to 1000 net calories a day after exercise. When I started maintenance, I adjusted up to 1300 net calories. I get at least 70 grams of protein per day. I'm on the treadmill at least 5-6 days a week and burn anywhere between 640 to 780 calories, so you can see, I can eat almost anything I want as long as I don't get stupid. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Don't fret....I was sleeved on April 16 of this year and have lost 100 lbs. You will feel so much better after even half that, and the stalls (didn't have any) are considered to be a part of the process and expected. That being said, exercise is the key to avoiding or shortening stalls. Walking the treadmill works great for me. Good luck.....

I'm almost 6 months out and I've become good friends with the pain. As soon as I feel it I stop eating. It usually tapers off after about 15 minutes. Then I can eat a little more if I'm low on intake. I'm also looking forward to the day when I don't get that pain, but I wonder if it will ever go away. Good luck....

I never was one for much exercise, probably because it got harder and harder to do as I gained weight. The day I came home from the hospital (1 day post op), I took a walk around the block. The next morning, I started on the treadmill and did 20 minutes at 2 mph. As soon as I was comfortable with that, I increased my time by 5 minutes and .2 mph at various intervals when ready until I got to 3.5 mph for 1 hour. Then I extended to 3.5 mph for 4 miles (about 70 minutes and held there until I felt comfortable. At that point I was burning 429 calories but I wanted more, so I began to play with the elevation, a little at a time. I am now up to 14% and burning 800+ calories per 70 minute session. Works well for me. I've lost 93 lbs so far and I'm 12 lbs from goal in less than 6 months. I chose the treadmill instead of walking outside because I didn't want to have any excuse to cancel my exercise in case of rain or heat here in AZ. Work every angle you can to keep on track, and good luck.....

My reference point is the day I started my 2 week pre-op liquid diet, 5 months ago today. 89 lbs gone!

I'm 4 months out today and I've lost 83 lbs, 20 more to go to 180. There are a few factors you need to know: 1. The more you have to lose, the faster it will come off. 2. You've got to stick with the program and get lots of exercise. The exercise is the least of it. It gets easier as you get lighter. I went in looking for an RNY and my doc steered me toward the sleeve due to the fact that I only had two co-morbidities: sleep apnea and knee joints breaking down. My BMI was about 41.3 if I remember right. See my pix if you need motivation. Good luck.

I had 5 incision, plus one over my left ribcage that they used to pump air in for access. I think it has to do with the surgeons' skill and comfort level. I'm 4 months out and can barely see the scars, so even if there had been more, no worries.

The day of surgery I had a pain level of about 2, most likely due to the morphine. The next morning, about the same until I had to do the swallow test. Because I had to gulp the solution down, I got a stomach ache that the morphine couldn't override, about a 6. I was released that afternoon and went home, walked around the block, no pain at all. For the next two nights (nights only) I woke up with stomach pain and took some liquid Lortab (Vicodin), which went right to the source of the pain, and I slept great the rest of the night. No day pain after the first day. Very little pain at the incision sites, mostly just an irritating itch. Pain should be the least of your worries. They have meds for that, and in my experience, even without the meds, I don't think the pain levels would have been excessive, just uncomfortable. Good luck!

I forced myself to endure to very tempting events that I probably should have skipped. One was Easter dinner and the other was an evening out at a western show that served BBQ. I got through it, drinking my protein shake, but it was probably my toughest challenge pre-op. Make it as easy on yourself as you can. You get no points for torturing yourself.

For most of us, this surgery has worked so well and, like someone who has suddenly found religion after a lifetime of sin, we want to spread the word. We hope everyone will be as enthusiastic about it as we are. The sad fact is that you can't change someone else's behavior unless he wants to change. I would suggest that you dial back the judgement and criticism as far as he is concerned. It will only breed resentment for him and for you. Stick to your guns for you and your son and you will be happier. Good luck....

Greek yogurt is one of my favorites. Any flavor you like, it will have 11-14 grams of protein per 6 oz cup, depending on the brand. It can be a little more tart than regular 5 gram yogurt, but I add a packet of artificial sweetener to it and it goes down fine. A one inch cube of cheddar cheese is pretty good too. I usually have two. Mozzarella cheese sticks are good, and if you microwave them with a little pizza sauce, you can almost believe you are eating pizza. I would urge you to keep trying various brands of protein bars until you find one you like. Good luck...

There are what I consider to be serious complications like major vomiting, major nausea for days on end, blood clots, leaks, etc. Then there are minor things resulting in painful incisions, minor nausea for a day or so, maybe even vomiting once or twice. Most of us have had some of the minor symptoms after surgery, but very few have the serious stuff. Personally, I had no problems at all. I was up walking 2 hours after geting to my room and walked off the minor gas pains from the residual air they pumped into me. I went home the day after surgery and went for a walk that evening. The next day, I began a regular exercise regimen (slowly and lightly) on the treadmill. I had some minor stomach pain the first night home that kept me from sleeping, so I got up and took some liquid pain med and it settled down right away and I got to sleep. I'm now 3 1/2 months out and feel great. I've lost 78 lbs and am 3/4 of the way to goal. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My advice to you is to do everything the doc says to do, keep yourself in the best shape you can and keep a positive attitude. It's gonna be fine. Good luck.

I do believe that after you reach a certain point you will be able to eat anything you want to, but in small portions. It will be up to you to determine what is good for you and what will set you back. It would be great if your sleeve would automatically reject anything that isn't good for you, but that's not how it works. Most of us still have cravings for pizza, burgers, fried chicken, etc, but we have to make the choice to avoid them as much as possible and use them only for "reward" days. I had a Dairy Queen soft serve ice cream cone when I got to 50 lbs lost and again at 75. Does this mean I've fallen off the wagon? I don't think so, and I'm not going to if I allow myself a sin food once in awhile. Don't stress because you crave these things, but make a concious effort to control it.

Relax!!If the aliens wanted to harm us, they could have killed us all by now. I do believe they are among us, but I don't think they want to hurt us. I believe that if they had the technology to get here, their civilization is far beyond ours and they have abandoned the pursuit of war long ago.

The commercials were bad enough, but my wife records every cooking show on TV watches them one after the other. I'm 3 months out and I still think I'm gonna have to kill something......

I've got it too and I thought I was the only one. I've been told it happens when I don't get enough liquids in. There may be some truth to it, but once I get it, it doesn't go away right away when I drink liquids. Sometimes lasts a few hours after. Irritating!!

For shakes, I like the Body Fortress brand sold at Walmart. Less than 200 calories and 26 grams of protein per serving. I boost this by 9 grams by mixing it with 1 cup of skim milk instead of water. I also like the Pure Protein brand bars, also sold at Walmart. Less than 200 calories and 18 to 20 grams of protein, depending on what flavor you choose.

I think men lose more than women because of the different biological makeup. Women, by nature, are more prone to holding on to weight because of their child bearing capacity. Lactose intolerant? No. Spicy foods? Absolutely! Chili and salsa go down better than most things. I have trouble eating eggs and most meats, including hamburger. I think it is because of the density of these things. I can get them down, and still enjoy the taste, but I fill up very quickly when eating them and that sometimes lead to a feeling of overstuffed and mild pain for 15 minutes or so. . As for things I liked before, but don't like now, the only thing that fell into that category was a certain brand of fruit shakes that I could hardly stomach after surgery. I gave my oversupply away. For that reason, don't stock up more than a week or so supply before surgery because you may find out you don't like it after. I watch carbs closely, keeping in mind that some carbs are necessary especially if you exercise heavily. I hold to less than 70 carbs per day and burn about 430 calories in exercise (treadmill). I know if I overdue the carbs, I will not lose weight. This surgery was the best decision I ever made and I would do it again, despite the minor changes it has brought in my diet.

People used to tell me all the time that I was not fat, just big. This was, in part to my barrel chest. I knew I was morbidly obese but still wondered if I looked ok and didn't need the surgery. My questions were answered when I began to feel really lousy and began to bust out of a size 48 levis. I couldn't bend over to tie my shoes without getting out of breath. The least bit of exercise (like dancing) would make me sweat like a pig. My knees started breaking down due to the weight and that's what really scared me into getting the surgery. Almost from the start of the two week pre-op liquid diet I began to feel better, even though I only lost 11 lbs in that two weeks. I have no regrets, no compications, and feel better than I have in years. Weight-wise, I have rolled the clock back to 1979 and if I reach my goal weight, I will be back to 1971. Now, people compliment me on the weight I've lost and how good I look since losing the weight. Never heard that before and it feels great!

I agree with the previous posts....if you're hooked on Doritos and Hot Cheetos, try to seriously limit your intake of these. They're bad news for your progress. Surprisingly, hot and spicy food goes down like water for me and has since about 2 weeks out. Chili, salsa and Tapatio sause are some of my favorites. Moderation on the junk food is the key.

Assuming you stick to the nutritional program, there are two factors that control how fast you lose. The first one, you have no control over, and that is your starting weight. The heavier you are, the faster you will lose. The second, you are in complete control of, and that is exercise. Walking is, for me, the easiest. I started out slow and short: 20 minutes at 2mph on the treadmill two days after surgery. I increased time and speed each time I felt I had it well enough to progress. Now, at almost 3 months out, I'm doing 4 miles a day, 6 days a week at 3.5mph. I'm starting to do strenght training to firm up now. There are some who have only lost 30 lbs or so at 3 months out, but I don't think that's the norm. If you do the program with exercise, imho you should be able to drop about 40-50 lbs, maybe more. Since you're going in on 8/18, you might want to try a modified liquid diet, perhaps replacing one or two meals per day with a protein shake. If you can stand it (and some can't until they have to) it will give you a head start. Good luck