IsB

For me it was 2 weeks. I was also allowed coffee at that point. My NUT cleared me after seeing me on day 15. Honestly though it really depends on your surgeon.

My NUT is big on fruit. She had me add it 2 weeks out and said I should have at least 1 fruit a day

I'm allowed caffeine as long as I am still able to get my water in. Coffee doesn't replace a liquid. The biggest problem is that by the time I get half way through a cup the rest is cold and I end up tossing it.

Thanks for the link. That's a recipe that I have to try

I started exercising 3 days after my surgery with the blessing of the surgeon. Nothing crazy at that point, just 20 minutes on the elliptical at very light resistance. By 2 weeks out I was doing completely normal exercise which is 40 minutes of cardio 5 days a week, weight training 3 days a week and Yoga every day. I would definitely ask your surgeon since different ones have different rules but I will tell you that I had no issues at all as long as I didn't push myself in those first 2 weeks.

I agree with everything you wrote about Yoga. You won't lose weight but it really makes you feel good. I love it because all that soreness from weights, biking and running just melts away. I've seen interviews with DDP and he said that Yoga saved his body after years of wrestling. I've heard the same thing from Trish Stratus who discovered Yoga after a horrible back injury from wrestling. She retired from the ring and opened up a Yoga studio in Toronto as a new career. Based on your posts I will have to check out the DDP program. You've been doing this for a long time and if you say it works that's enough for me to see what it's all about. Thanks

Good luck with everything. I went back to work a week after the procedure and no one knows that I had it done. I was worried about the same things but with planning, and some gas-x strips, it all went smoothly.

I haven't done DDP Yoga but I've tried many other kinds. My experience is that sometimes when you get exercise people putting out Yoga programs it's a lot more exercise and a lot less real Yoga. Bob Harper of the Biggest Loser is an example of that. I like his Yoga DVD but I not recommend it to someone just starting out. Given DDP's wrestling background I think it could be the same but since I haven't used it I'm just guessing. Rodney Yee, Sean Corn, Shiva Rea and Kathryn Budig are all American Yoga instructors who are excellent at teaching Yoga without making it become just exercise. Those are the people I would start with if you want a good understanding of the Yoga that you are practicing.

I bought an adjustable measuring cup. The bottom pushes up so you can get exactly the measurement that you want. It also has different measurements like OZ, Cups and ML printed around it. Very useful.

People diet all the time. It's very normal to decline food and eat less. People of all weight levels do that. Just say you are on a diet and no one is going to question it. If anything they are going to congratulate you seeing the weight you're losing.

You read my mind I'm 43 and I really would have saved myself a lot of health issues if I had been able to do it 10 years ago. Of course back then they wouldn't have done the sleeve so I can't beat myself up too much for it.

It really depends on the person. I was able to swallow pills 3 days after surgery. I've been on a ton of pills each day for years so maybe that has something to do with it? I really don't know but it seems to very different for everyone judging by what I've read.

Eventually I want to try insanity. You have to be in pretty good shape already if you want to do it properly. I'm a ways away but eventually will try it.

The key is making sure you get all your liquids in. Coffee will dehydrate you. If you are having any trouble getting the amount of liquids that you are required to drink each day down then you better stay away. I had no problem at all with liquids so my NUT gave me the okay 2 weeks after being sleeved.

I was cleared for salads after 2 weeks by my NUT. Have to be careful what I put in them, no carrots which is a bummer, but I have no problem with greens, cucumbers, tomatoes etc...

I'm 3 weeks since being sleeved and really looking forward to Thanksgiving. I've been on real food for a week and have a plan to get a little bit of everything I want. Giving thanks for what we have and who we have to share it with is better than anything on the table. Can't wait!

That's a real difficult choice for a 1st solid food. Most seem to have trouble with any bread products early on including pizza dough. I'm about 3 weeks out and have been sticking to regular protein like fish, chicken and even light sodium ham. All those have been okay. I'm going to wait for a long time before I try pizza given the bread issues I keep reading about on this board.

What you really need is a long term plan. If you've already been given one from you past visits with your NUT then you probably don't need to go again. That is, as long as you stick to the plan you were given. My NUT gave me everything in writing. I have a written plan for each phase and a list of all Vitamins and supplements I should be taking. I'm seeing her again so she can check on my progress but those visits were included in the cost of my surgery.

I'm a big fan of CamelBaks. I always used one while mountain biking and liked it so much that I started to wear one for road biking as well. I don't like dodging cars while I'm fiddling with a bottle. Any ride over 20 miles it's worth wearing one.

I was cleared after 2 weeks as well. Different doctors have different programs.

1 day liquids 2 weeks mushies Once I hit day 15 it was back to solid foods that I could tolerate, which so far has been everything I've attempted.

If you are going to eat nuts make sure you measure and not just grab a handful. They are very good for you but loaded with calories. You don't want to go over your daily calories because you eyeballed it.

Nothing wrong with calling the insurance company and asking them. After the 1st week I was calling every day

Just tell people that you are on a diet. If they know you had some sort of surgery tell them that your doctor is making you stick to a very strict diet because of your surgery. So many people gain and lose weight all the time that everyone will accept that explanation.

No harm in calling the doctor.