loosechange

Try "the World According to Eggface". She has been an amazing resource for ideas to vary your diet. She also has had weight loss surgery and her blog is upbeat, funny, and informative. She has lost over 100lbs and had plastic surgery to get rid of all that loose skin. I find her entertaining and uplifting. Good luck, ther have been several good ideas in this forum.

I also agree that the sleeve is an easier surgery with very little "down time". I was self pay so I researched my options in other countries. I settled on Obesity Control Center with Dr. Ortiz. It was the right choice for me. The surgery was the easiest thing I have ever done. The surgery was on a Monday and I was on my way home by Friday. The sleeve has only been available for a few years in the US. The surgeons in Mexico have been doing it for years. I am now 3 mos out and have lost 40 lbs. I take Prilosec OTC ( over the counter) once a day if I remember.My weight loss has been slowed by an ankle fracture( no weight bearing for 3 mos. I broke my ankle April 28 and had my sleeve May' 28,2012. I now have a swollen painful knee that occurred during rehab. I think it is a miracle that I lost as much as I have. My husband is having the sleeve in November in Mexico. We are both Certified Family Practice physicians. He was so impressed with my care that he chose to have it done in the same clinic. I wish you well on your weight loss journey. You will be so happy with your results.

I will look forward to seeing you there.

I am self pay. I do not meet criteria in the United States, further more Medicare will not pay for the sleeve, they consider it experimental. I carefully researched my options and selected OCC. The fact that they ar not a full service hospital was a plus. That means they will have no "dirty cases" such as large bowel or infectious cases to spread infection. They do have the necessary services, Anesthesia,Internal Medicine and 2 surgeons. I have read all of their C.V.s and they are all well trained. They are one of only two "Centers of Bariatric Surgery Excellence" in Mexico.

I am scheduled for a gastric sleeve with Dr. Ortiz at Obesity Control Center on May 28,2012.

Sleeve size I had a long talk with a bariatric surgeon about this topic. He replied that it really is not that simple. The surgeon that uses a 36 may sew tightly to the edge and the surgeon that uses a 32 may sew loosely. The 32 may end up larger than the 36 for that reason. I am a physician so the conversation in the context of a lecture at a Medical convention. The question of what size bougie he/she uses is the first question and how snufly does he sew/staple is the next.