JamesL73

I would but I am way out in West Texas.

No idea what I did with all of my paperwork from my 2015 VSG but Bariatric Pal actually has a decent page on pre and post op meal stages and plans........ https://store.bariatricpal.com/pages/meal-plans

Don't know if you have a Sam's Club where you are but they carry all the flavors from Premier.

Actually, I know of one diet that is zero carb, or very near zero. The Carnivore diet. Though many people like to argue that the high fat diets like Carnivore or Keto are not healthy or sustainable, there are many many people that have been eating that way for years and are very healthy. I couldn’t do it personally because I’m not a big fan of most meats.

So very sorry for your loss. It's awesome that you realized food is not the answer. Just don't be like me and turn to alcohol like I did when my mother passed a few years ago. It is truly a hard thing to go through life without finding some way to numb the pain. We just have to remind ourselves that they are in a better place and no matter how much it hurts we still have a life to live. Very good that you are not tempted by their junk food, I don't think I could handle that. So glad to live alone. Good luck and keep your head up. I won't say the pain will go away but it does fade with time.

Don't know if you have ever tried Keto but it's basically the same. The first week or two you are detoxing from carbs and will feel like sh*t. In the Keto world it's called the Keto Flu. Once your body figures it out and begins to burn fat and protein for fuel, you will feel better. Just stick with it, You got this!

The Caramel PP shakes are my Favorite!!!

Weight on 5/14 was 320. I started on pureed low carb foods, protein shakes, broth, and water on 5/15 to give myself an extra two weeks on the preop diet. Weighed today....already down to 315.... 5 lbs in a week!! Already moving in the right direction.

From the only other male in the group, Welcome! You got this...we all got this!! Thank you for your service.

DON'T EAT THE PUG !!!! hahahaha

I completely agree. I don't have any chickens though. LOL I had some stuff that I absolutely knew was no good for me so I threw it in the trash. There were a few items that weren't exactly unhealthy like some sausages and other stuff that I feel were ok sources of protein but maybe had a bit more fat than needed but I ate them anyway. I definitely won't buy any more of the processed crap or anything full of carbs, sugars, starches, etc... Actually, right now my fridge is full of nothing but Protein shakes/drinks and water.

How many of you, Pre-Op, have gone through your refrigerator, pantry, etc... and ate or are still eating all the junk because you don't want to waste it by throwing it in the trash?? I'm so glad I live by myself. I don't know how all of you with families can resist the temptation with all the foods around that your other family members still eat. How many of you have managed to get your family to start eating healthier before they end up in our situation?

wow....this is like being in a huge family of nothing but sisters. But thats cool, I always wanted sisters anyway, I only had one miserable, drug addicted, brother who has caused nothing but pain to our family. ANYWAY..... I went to Sams and bout about 300 dollars worth of Premier shakes and the Clear drinks, which taste ok but leave you with a very dry mouth so I really do not care for the Premier Clear Protein drinks. Too bad I bout 5 cases. LOL Surgery is 6/15 and I am only supposed to do a 2 week pre-op liquid diet but I have been trying my best to start it early. I have been doing ok but I find myself getting bored at night, especially since being laid off my job a couple nights ago. So I have been slipping in a meal or two of regular food. Still somewhat healthy and has protein, like hamburger patties and sausage. Boredom is one of my worst enemies when it comes to eating. I have got to find something to occupy my time, something that won't cost money since I am jobless now. I am also have a hard time weaning myself off the alcohol. I wouldn't call myself an alcoholic, but the last year os so I have found that a couple or a few glasses of Crown Royal or Vodka help me to fall asleep. I don't ever get hangovers and something tells me it is safer than taking sleeping pills (which never worked for me in the past anyway). But, I do know that I need to stop drinking soon and at least until a couple months post op, and even then, only vodka. Anyway, Just figured I would jump on here and babble a bit rather that go look for food. LOL I know some of you are starting Instagrams for this journey, If anyone is interested, I have one that is mostly of st journey with my VSG. I haven't posted in a while since gaining back a bunch of weight but I will probably start again with this upcoming revision. Feel free to follow me at JamesL_1973 and I will follow back. Look through my followers, there are a LOT of very inspiring people in there.

Qbaby08.....Yes!! June 15 for me also..

Sorry for your loss but what does this have to do with my story ???????

In 2015, I was at my highest weight ever of 420 pounds. I had high BP, High Cholesterol, Acid Reflux, Sleep Apnea, and had just been told I was diabetic with a BS of 7.5. I didn't have insurance so I searched around and finally found Dr Dirk Rodriguez in Dallas, TX who would do my VSG for 10,000 cash. I had my VSG on 6/23/2015. After a few weeks recovery, I began walking then fast paced walking, I introduced intermittent jogging, then jogging with intermittent sprints, inclines, stairs. I started bicycling. I got to where I was jogging/running 5 miles a day and cycling another 5-10 miles a day, every day. I was going to a gym and doing some strength training, hitting the rowing machine, doing some kickboxing classes, etc. A little over a year later, I was down to my GW of 190 pounds. Every single one of those comorbidities....GONE!! No more medicines!! I swore that I would never regain that weight, I felt better than I had my entire life. But then reality set in, you see, that whole year that I was doing this extreme cardio and other exercising, I was living off of my savings, not working, so I had all the free time in the world to focus fully on losing the weight. But, then I had to get back to work, my savings was pretty much gone. I am a career crane operator, over 20 years, it's all I know and it pays very well. It is also a very sedentary job, just sitting in a crane all day for 12- 14 hours, 7 days a week. Needless to say, it gets boring. I began to snack (graze) throughout the day. I mostly still eat healthy, just too much, that coupled with the fact that I have no time for all of the intense exercise I was doing....I have regained about half of what I lost. I am now back up to 320 pounds. So, since I have no intentions, at 45 years old, of trying to change careers, I have decided to try a revision to the Mini Gastric Bypass. I am hoping that the restriction of the sleeve, coupled with the malabsorption of the bypass, as long as I keep eating healthy, even if it's a bit too much, it will even things out. I know that I need to work on the grazing habits. I also know that I need to try and make some time somehow to get in some kind of exercise, even if only 15 minutes a day. I am scheduled for my revision on June 15, 2019, almost exactly 4 years since my VSG. I will be going to Mexico this time simply because it is so much cheaper, but also because I know the standard of care down there, especially at Bariatricpal MX, is just as good, if not better, than most in the US. Also because the Mini Gastric Bypass is very common there, but not so much in the US. I will be using the very well known and highly recommended, Dr Jalil Illan. I can only hope that I will have as much success this second time as the first. I do consider my VSG a success, I just don't think it was the right procedure for my specific circumstances. Hopefully, with the MGB, I will be able to lose the weight again and keep it off long term this time. For anyone considering weight loss surgery....If fear is holding you back, find a way to get past it. It truly is a great tool. But it is just that, a TOOL, it is not a miracle cure for obesity, you must put in the work, make lifestyle changes, dietary changes, a lot of times it means social changes. A lot of people can be negative or become jealous because you are getting healthy and better looking and they are not. I say this, if those people are unwilling to support you in your efforts to do whatever it takes to be a healthier you, then they are not worthy of being in your life. I know that is a harsh reality but in the end, you need to do this for YOU. It is your life, not theirs. You are the one suffering from Obesity and all the myriad of illnesses and complications that come with it. Do you want to be able to play with your kids, your grandkids? To see them grow up? To see yourself live longer, healthier, happier? To be able to do all the things you have been dreaming of your whole life? Do you want to finally, truly LIVE?? Then do it. Don't let anyone stop you, don't let fear stop you, don't let insurance stop you. Definitely don't let YOU stop you. Get up! Take back your life! Fight for it! Good Luck. YOU'VE GOT THIS.

Is there a possibility of adding a Forum for revisions like VSG to MGB, since there are so many people getting revisions done??

4 years post VSG. Lost 230 pounds and have regained 120. I am going to Dr Jalil Illan at Bariatricpal MX on June 15 for a revision to the Mini Gastric Bypass. I have a very sedentary job and I think (HOPE) that this will help me start losing again and be able to maintain it much easier. We'll see. You can read my full story in my profile if interested.

Thank you....With the RNY, there are two suture junctions (anastomosis) which is how they form the "Y". With the MGB, there is only one anastomosis. In an MGB done as an original surgery, they would leave the duodenum attached to the remaining stomach that is left after creating the sleeve, this would allow for the stomach acids to still flow down the intestine and meet the food further down. The newly created sleeve gets attached approximately 7 feet further down on the intestine. This MGB procedure couples the restriction of the sleeve with the malabsorption of bypassing the duodenum and most of the jejunum. This procedure is far less complicated for the surgeon, there are less complications health wise for the patient like bile and acid reflux that can be very common in both the sleeve and RNY. It is less time under sedation, as well as less recovery time, from what I have read. Now, the question I have yet to have answered from anyone is how this procedure differs in those of us who have already been sleeved and no longer have that remaining stomach attached to the duodenum, and therefore, no stomach acids flowing down to aid in digestion. If/when I find out, I will try to remember to update this. I should add that, even though the MGB seems to be the far better choice over RNY, it is still fairly new and not yet approved by the FDA or the ASMBA (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) so there is most likely no US insurance that will cover it and also very few US surgeons who will perform it. It has become the preferred procedure of surgeons in Mexico and other countries that don't have all the strict bureaucratic BS to deal with.

As of March 2019 MGB is still not endorsed by the ASMBS ( American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery), nor been FDA approved, so I doubt anyone will find any Insurance to cover it. There aren't even many Doctors in the US who offer it, most likely for the same reason. If you could find a US Dr that offers it, it would undoubtedly be a cash pay basis. It is, however, very popular in Mexico and other Countries, but again, you would be paying cash or using a credit card as I am, through places like Bariatricpal MX or BeLiteWeight and a few others who have low cost deals with reputable hospitals and Surgeons in Mexico.

Hello all, I may be wrong but after reading all of the comments, I believe I am the first Male in here. My name is James. I am 45, happily single with two kids grown and on their own, one with two girls of his own. Yep, I'm a grandpa. I will be going to Dr Illan at Bariatricpal MX, in Tijuana Mexico, on June 15. This will actually be my second surgery, I am doing a revision from VSG to the Mini Gastric Bypass. If any of you are interested I just FINALLY wrote my story in my profile if you're wondering why the revision. So most, if any, questions can be answered there. If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask. Good luck to all on your upcoming surgeries and in your current battles with insurance. I refuse to deal with all the insurance bureaucracy so I am paying cash for the second time. i know most aren't able to do that, in fact I'm really not this time either, it is going on a credit card and I will deal with it later. haha My health is way more important than my credit score. Anyway, see you all around.

I will be going for VSG to MGB on June 15 with Dr Illan. I'm glad to hear yours is going so well. I had really bad reflux before my VSG but immediately after, it went away, I suppose I was one of the lucky ones in that regard, I hope it does not return. I am curious about the salads...I have tried every kind of lettuce there is, even shredded, and every time it causes severe pain and I throw it right back up. Did you not have this issue with the VSG or is it something that you can now handle since the revision? I would LOVE to be able to eat salads again.