Bubbaloo10

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.

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!

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

Er, Congratulations? You can be proud of that......

My breaking point was a combination of things: zero energy, no flexibility and I would sweat like a pig at the least exertion. My appetite was over the top. When you've got a stomach the size of a football, it's hard to eat just a few ounces and convince yourself that you're not starving to death. About throwing up: I was sleeved on April 16 and have thrown up only once and that was my fault. I ate stewed chicken before my doctor OK'd it and to top that, I ate it too fast. I consider it a part of the learning process and I learned it well with that one lesson. On the brighter side, throwing up after surgery, at least for me was less traumatic than throwing up with the flu or some other malady. Since the food has not yet hit your stomach, there is very little stomach acid involved and you don't feel like you're going all the way down to your socks. For me, it was a quick upchuck and I felt better immediately. Hope this info was not too disgusting to read, but I wanted to allay your fears. This surgery was the best thing I've ever done and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Goodluck.....

We've been concerned. Glad to hear he's doing well. He'll be home soon and will soon be melting away. He's got a long way to go, but this is a great start for him. Good luck Patrick!

I started situps and leg lifts at 6 weeks. My doc said the same thing....if it hurts, don't do it.

For the past 3 days, when I click View New Content, it results in New Content Not Found. I know people are posting. Is this feature now down? Will it be coming back? Seems like a hassle to go through each subforum looking for new content.

I would suggest buying the sample pack. I think it was 13 pack for $13.00 plus shipping. I liked them fine before surgery, but I couldn't stand them after surgery. Not their fault....almost everyone's tastes change after surgery.

I second Chicagochick's advice, but be careful when you find one you like. Only buy enough of your favorite one to get you to your surgery date. Tastes change for many of us after surgery and you don't want to get stuck with something you used to like but cannot stand now.

Hi Dave, Your story is very much like mine. I was 105 lbs overweight at 285 and could not lose more than a couple lbs no matter how hard I tried. It's difficult to eat like a bird when you've got a stomach the size of a football and convince yourself that you feel fully nourished. Like you, every time I went to the doctor and they took my vitals and blood work, he would state that I have good numbers for a fat boy. Problem was, I felt like crap....no energy, no flexibility and unable to do alot of things I should have been able to do. When my left knee started breaking down, I said enough is enough. I started looking at WLS and made my decision to go with the sleeve after talking with a bariatric surgeon. I began the two week all liquid diet on April 2 (the hardest part of the whole thing) and had my surgery on April 16. Since then, my appetite is under control and I have done all the work that was required by the doctor. Now, ten weeks post surgery, I am down 60 lbs and 6 inches on my waist. I feel great, do 4 miles a day on the treadmill about 6 days a week, can do 120 situps and am very glad I had the surgery. I know some people have had post-op problems but they were resolved. Some people don't lose as fast, but then, those same people admit that they aren't following the program 100%...same old denial of habits that got us here. My advice is that since you are basically healthy now, you have the best chance of being successful with this program with no complications. I won't say it has been easy, but I will tell you it has been worth it. Go for it...and good luck.

I don't know about the left side pain, but the nausea hit me pretty good when I got off of liquids and went to mushies. I think it was just a sign that the sleeve is still tender. I never upchucked but felt nauseated for 20 or 30 minutes after eating. My guess is that it is your sleeve's way of telling you "enough".