EmyWemy

Congrats 'Gonnabeslim1day'! You will be well on your way!

Seeing 312 lbs on my home scale was it for me. The number depressed me, I was over 300 lbs and really knew then why I was tired all the time. I hated to wear socks or shoes with laces...because I couldn't bend over to put them on so I would wear flats all the time, easy on, easy off. I'm now 104 lbs down and so very grateful that I had the surgery. Much success to you on your journey down!

For me it's croutons...I eat these instead of crackers. I have to make a conscious effort to stop eating them before I start to feel full, otherwise it would be too late

For the puree stage I didn't do pureed Protein in the blender, the thought of it grossed me out too. I had Greek yogurt, no sugar added apple sauce, sugar-free Jello, sugar-free popsicles, baby food in those little jars, etc...

I currently chew on 'Bariatric Fusion' Vitamins, and that has 7.5mg of Iron per tablet. It's not a Gummy, but chewable tablets that taste pretty all right to me. One tablet is chewed 3 times daily so I guess you would be getting 22.5mg of Iron. You can look at the nutrition here: supplements.html?gclid=CJ3hhpKHpLECFUcHRQodzg9OkA" rel="external nofollow">http://www.bariatric...CFUcHRQodzg9OkA. Just click on the 'Nutrition Facts' tab below the picture. It doesn't provide directions for VSG on this website, but it states it on the bottle directly as "Sleeve Gastrectomy: Chew 1 tablet, 3x daily"

Hope you find a brand for your needs...

At what stage are you in? During stage 2 I pureed watermelon in the blender so I could have some...

Yes =) ... a little every once in a while, I'm 3+ months out...

I have the same answer as Nina...you'll be encouraged to lose. I had mine done through Kaiser as well and my own surgeon did not set a surgery date for me until I lost at least 30 lbs. He also told me that I should not gain any of those pounds back or they will cancel my surgery. The folks in the program couldn't stress enough how important it was for patients to be compliant before surgery. Although after reading 'Webtrekker's' answer above I guess it will depend on your own surgeon. Hope you'll do great!

Your father-in-law's 70th birthday will seem to be a joyous ocassion and no doubt everyone will see how much you've transformed, and you'll receive compliments. I think if I was in the same situation I would probably just say 'thank you'. If anyone directly asks about how you went about your weight loss, then I would just answer truthfully, or just say you could share with them 'later' in the evening when you're able to have a more initmate conversation. Good luck, but more importantly, enjoy celebrating the birthday with your husband.

I agree with those that replied to your question so far. If you'd like, buy individual packets of a few brands to find out which you like. Your taste may change post-op, but at least you might not be stuck with a whole tub of of a flavor you might not like. In the beginning I bought 2 big containers and thought it wasn't half bad in taste. Post-op I thought they were unbearable, and I was just able to give them away to someone else just this past Sunday.

I am 3+ months out and I personally love 'Proti Diet' brand high Protein hot cocoa drink mix that I ordered through BariatricChoice.com. I add this to my Decaf coffee almost every morning simply because I used to love mochas, and still do, just with lower sugar content. For the rest of my day I get my Protein from food.

At 7 days I believe I was on soft foods - sugar free puddings, unsweetened apple sauce, and also Soups like creamy Tomato. At 14 days it was pretty much the same until I had my 2 week post op appointment with my surgeon who gave me the go ahead to eat at the next food stage. Hope you are doing okay so far

nice post!

I used to love eggs, especially eggs benedict. But now I don't reach for them that much unless I put a conscious effort in. Right now I love cottage cheese with sardines, something I never considered eating together at all. I got the idea of eating tuna and cottage cheese through this website, but have since preferred sardines instead...

I believe I am at that Hair loss stage now, and this was brought up at my 3 months post-op group appointment. I'm told hair loss seems inevitable, but to keep taking all of the vitamins/supplements. This stage reminds of me of the time I started losing hair at about 6 months after my child was born, so I guess it's not new to me at all.

High five! I can't wait to get to the 'one'derland stage too

I am thankful for seeing your words MinaT...I have friend who has her orientation tonight and I will be meeting her there to be with her. I plan to print out your response so she can read it also if she cares to. It's very good insight and great advice

Hi Jiji...I can only speak for my own personal experience and can't address the Mexico part of your question, but for the rest...

Emotionally I felt fine. After having made the final decision to wanting to get the VSG done I was fine mentally. Like most other folks, I love food, and it was always a stress reliever for me - but all this before surgery. After surgery you won't feel physically hungry and will need to remember to drink and eat. I didn't experience any headaches (except for caffeine withdrawals pre-op), but was weak for the first couple of weeks after coming home from the hospital. Keep in mind that this surgery is a tool to jump starting your weight loss (by limiting the amount of food coming in), you'll still need to mentally address the 'head hunger' issues that you may have and what usually triggers them. Currently I find that when I often think I am hungry I take my sips of Water and the hunger issue leaves because my tummy is telling me that I am full.

Personally talking to folks helped for me, and still helps. Perhaps find a group in your area? I haven't run into any who have had the VSG done, but the R n Y folks are totally helpful and I've had some really good advice and feedback on their food experiences prior and post surgery.

Whenever you are concerned or not feeling well please don't hesitate to call your doctor and get seen. Your health is way too important for you to sit and wonder. I would call to be on the safe side. As for Protein at your food stage see if you are able to take in chicken broth. Hope you are okay...

I admire that you put this out there, and a situation very similar to yours has also happened to me many years ago so I totally understand. I agree with 'PdxMan' above, for whatever reason she did that, it was because of her own insecurities, not yours.

that's awesome =) ... i can't wait to break 100 myself!

Great update! Sounds like you are recovering very well!

Hi Johnathan...wish I had some really helpful advice for your pre-op because I know how that urge to smoke feels like since I was a former smoker who loved the menthols and clove ones. I used to carry around sugar-free peppermint sticks and then have that when my urges happened. Gum didn't work for me because I really missed holding the cigarette in my hand so the peppermint sticks helped me better. My dad was a smoker since he was in his teens, had 2 heart attacks, and got to be smoke-free for about 5 years after that. Later on we found out he became a closet smoker and smoked on breaks at work and kept mints in his pocket thinking my mom wouldn't be able to tell. He died in 1996 after suffering his 3rd heart attack. I keep this in mind whenever I try to even think about having a smoke. I hope you hang in there and keep remembering your own reasons for having the surgery. Stay strong!

Congrats ChristneS! Welcome to your new post-op life, and it will be fantastic

People can give you all kinds of weight loss advice and think they know it all. As I continue with my post-op it is surprising to hear all the negative comments I receive, especially from family members. People who comment like this do not realize what we are going through. It takes a lot of guts in my opinion to make the decision to have the VSG. Perhaps your niece may think there might be a competition in it for her and she is already trying to sabotage your efforts. Think strong! You are IN THIS TO WIN IT - for yourself and no one else. I wish you much success in your weight loss!

That is GREAT news newgrandmother! Wishing you a lot of success during your pre-surgery days!