UTGal99

Here is a tasty little treat I concocted the other day and it tastes just like a liquid Almond Joy!
1 cup of Almond Milk/Coconut Blend (new product on the shelves by Blue Diamond)
3 tbsp. Hershey's sugar free chocolate syrup
Mix until well combined....TASTY!!!
Hope you enjoy!

Same issue for me and I was sleeved about 3 weeks ago too (10/3/12). It was terrible the other day but I got out and did a long walk - 1 mile - and it miracously went away - feeling great now! I was told it could be a gas bubble trapped from surgery.

Wow! Looking great! I even see a collar bone sticking out there...I'm pretty sure I don't have one. Will be nice to find mine. Keep up the great work!

Wow! Looking great! I even see a collar bone sticking out there...I'm pretty sure I don't have one. Will be nice to find mine. Keep up the great work!

Awesome job - you look great! Brag away - you deserve it! Keep sharing the photos, we all love to see them.

Worrying about everyone made you fat? I thought it was eating. My nutritionist is a lying b***h.

If it was me I would call your surgeon's office and explain the situation. Being that it is day 3 of a 14 day diet, I would think you could behave yourself with some soup, clean salad (meaning no cheese, croutons, ranch, etc) but just confirm to be sure. You wouldn't want to be overlooked for a promotion b/c it was assumed you were picky or it was uncomfortable to others.
Just my 2 cents...

Hello All,
I am currently in Montego Bay, Jamaica at the Sandals resort and yes... I am on VST from my room. (That' s how addicted I am to this very supportive and knowledgeable forum. LOL) Anyhow, I am having descent time out here, but even it this unimaginable beautiful place of peace and tranquility I realized that true happiness lies from within, not your environment!!! I am pre-op and will be having my surgery exactly 4 weeks from tomorrow and all l can think about is "How much more fun would I have if I was post-sleeve and somewhat near my goal?" I am sure some of you out there have felt the same way. I find myself not being involved as I would like to be, but I am glad that will soon change. I promise to myself, not only get the sleeve, but to work hard to change my life for the better at the same time. Next time I come to "Paradise" I will be bringing Peace and Tranquility with me....
Thanks for listening!!!
Peace and Blessings everyone!!!!

Awesome job - you look great! Brag away - you deserve it! Keep sharing the photos, we all love to see them.

CONGRATULATIONS!! You look awesome!!! Never feel like you're bragging. We all love pictures

Oh, I didn't know you could take Unisom or any other sleep aid. I thought they wanted a non-medicated sleep state for accurate monitoring? Hmm...interesting...

I am sure everybody lives this life when seeking WLS approval through insurance:
Spend 3-12 months of your life meeting monthly with your PCP
Dietician appointments
Initial consultation with surgeon
Labs, EKG, Chest x-ray (and any other applicable testing)
Psych Evaluation
Etc
Etc
Etc
Submit to insurance
AND, now we wait for insurance to approve. And what is really frustrating is waiting around for something that might not happen. I mean really, I just spent 9 months of my life jumping through hoops and paying ridiculous copays, deductibles, etc for no good guarantee that insurance will cover the surgery.
So, I wait and hope for good news!
Sincerely,
Hopeful and Anxious

I am sure everybody lives this life when seeking WLS approval through insurance:
Spend 3-12 months of your life meeting monthly with your PCP
Dietician appointments
Initial consultation with surgeon
Labs, EKG, Chest x-ray (and any other applicable testing)
Psych Evaluation
Etc
Etc
Etc
Submit to insurance
AND, now we wait for insurance to approve. And what is really frustrating is waiting around for something that might not happen. I mean really, I just spent 9 months of my life jumping through hoops and paying ridiculous copays, deductibles, etc for no good guarantee that insurance will cover the surgery.
So, I wait and hope for good news!
Sincerely,
Hopeful and Anxious

Your doctor is a crook. Find another one.

My hair color is still clear. Shoot.

Depending on your doctor, the first two weeks is liquid only. Protein shakes, broth, yogurt, sf pudding, sf jello. Second two weeks is mushies or pureed...cottage chese, apple sauce, chicken, tuna or shrimp salad put in a food processor to become mushy. Next couple weeks is soft foods like fish. After that regular food, but you will find you cannot eat more than about 1/2 cup and in my case I could not eat more than 2 oz of dense protein. Now I can eat about 3 oz.
If I were in your shoes with family in the early stages, I would just say that I am not feeling that well and my stomach has been bothering me to explain why I am not eating anything. At the next gathering, if asked, I would just say I am watching what I eat. If they ask if you are on a special diet, I would say no, not really. I am just trying to cut back on carbs and sugar. Keep yourself busy with doing dishes, clearing the table and chatting with someone to take the focus off what you are eating, or not eating.

I would encourage you to skip the first get together since you will be just newly sleeved, but after that I would recommend you have soup and bring some type of pudding dessert dish to share. The next month you would be on to purees, blended food and you could just say you're not very hungry (feeling under the weather). This would get you to about 8 weeks out now and you are pretty much on solids at that point. Then you could just tell your family you are really watching your portions and exercising.
The truth is...this will be very hard to keep a secret from your family. I would say you are probably going to need to find a way to tell them in your own time on your own terms.
Just my 2 cents....

Cigna did change their policy effective 5/15/12 to be only 3 months of physician supervised doctor visits; however, your particular plan with your employer or private plan supercedes the Cigna record. So, if your particular plan requires 6 months that would supercede the 3 month process. You will want to call Cigna, provide them with your ID & group # and inquire about your personal plan. Just to avoid any confusion.
Good Luck!

Hey there! I'm with you on the "I don't eat too much, I eat the wrong kinds of foods." I was a total junk food junkie, and it cost me a lot of time--time I didn't do what I really wanted to do, see the people I wanted to see, go to the places I wanted to go, etc. etc. because I was embarrassed to be so fat.
I want to share with you that for me and for my husband (also a sleever), the sleeve has been a turning point in our eating habits, AND WE DO NOT FEEL DEPRIVED!! My husband was sleeved in 2010; he said then that he wanted something that would serve as a "hand slapper" to tell him it was time to stop eating, since he WAS a volume eater--of the wrong types of foods, double whammy. He was shocked to discover that post-sleeve, his body would pretty much dictate that he avoid junky foods, and he began to PREFER healthier foods like salad and yogurt! My 2-portions-of-spaghetti-with-meatsauce-and-garlic-bread-eating husband PREFERS salads!!!
In my case, I had the diet of a teenage boy--I ate junk food almost all the time, washed down with soda. It was ridiculous. I never had a problem with emotional eating or eating too much volume-wise, just made consistently bad food choices. I was hooked on sugar. The sleeve solved that for me by limiting what I could eat until my body got those toxins cleaned out. I always loved vegetables and healthy food; I just never chose it before because I was "super hungry" or whatever--I don't know the reason. Post-sleeve, I find I am eating extremely healthy food in "normal" quantities, never feel deprived or like "oh, I really wish I could have _____," because I'm satisfied from a food point of view.
You will probably miss food at the beginning--you'll miss the sense of comfort and routine that a particular food is associated with. But TRUST me, once that weight starts dropping off, and it will soon after surgery, your body changes, your body chemistry changes, and your brain begins to adapt to "the new you." It's WONDERFUL. Getting off all meds caused by poor diet--WONDERFUL. Knowing you're going to live longer because you are healthier--WONDERFUL.
Feel free to PM--lots of helpful folks on this board, lots of support. It's entirely up to you, and I wish you the best no matter what you decide to do.

I would over eat and make bad choices. The reduction of hunger hormone was the most appealing to me. I thought about food all the time! I'm
On week 7 now and eating whatever now and I've still eaten say a mozzarella stick but two bites satisfied me vs 5 sticks before My taste buds changed and now I eat less obviously but also crave tomatoes vs cake ( ha ha ha! If youve read my other post) its way easier to make better choices. At a restraunt I want healthier things. Tastes better. . hard to explain. I never thought I'd stop craving French fries
Honestly this is one of the best things I've done. I still have a long way to
Go but I just got out of " plus size" clothes and that was an awesome feeling!

Hi, Lima! First, welcome to VST! You've made a significant choice for yourself in finding a place for information and support. There is a search bar at the top right of the page where you can search the forum for answers to tons of questions. It works best if you go to the home page and then use the search bar. I use it a lot when I have questions in the middle of the night.
Now, to answer your question, NO, you will not be the only person to have VSG and not lose weight. Immediately post-op you won't be able to eat junk. You should be doing a pre-op diet of some kind and that will help you to remove the big bad stuff from your diet, i.e. sugar, caffeine, empty carbs. Your early post-op diet will likely be liquids for several weeks, then adding in soft foods slowly to give your new sleeve time to heal. There will be no room in the diet or in your sleeve for junky food, and you won't want it.
I had to detox myself from several things during my liquid diet, including diet soda, caffeine, sugar, etc. The pre-op diet seemed tough, but I didn't even like sweets by the time I got out of the hospital after my sleeve. My tastes changed significantly post-op, and very little of that stuff appeals to me now. I'm more likely to drool over raw broccoli than over the dessert menu these days! LOL I should add that Rex, my sleeve, doesn't really like raw veggies at almost a year out. I can eat 2 or 3 small pieces of raw broccoli and I'm full.
You will learn what works for your sleeve over time, but you will not be able to eat the quantities of food that you ate before. There's simply no room in your new tummy for junk. I still see food as protein or not protein, and I usually choose the protein food over the non-protein food. . I eat pretty much on a schedule these days because I don't often get hungry. If I actually get "hungry", it's because I've gone way too long without eating and that's when I'll make terrible choices.
Your experience may be similar to mine, or you may want to talk to someone to help you get through mental issues with food. I saw a therapist to help me with my relationship with food, and I think it's pretty normal now. I believe that most people who need WLS have mental issues with food that need to be discussed with a pro. Lots of us, me included, used it as a crutch to help us deal with our problems pre-op and may need to talk to someone to learn new coping skills post-op. I used to "eat my problems" pre-op and comfort myself with food. Cross-over addictions are common. I'm working to make mine exercise!
Now that I've rambled, let me say again, you will lose weight with your sleeve! Your body will have no choice but to give up the pounds! You'll be eating so little that weight loss is inevitable to start. The sleeve is still just a tool and you'll have to do the mental work to use it properly. I suggest that you start using some kind of program to log your food. I like My Fitness Pal for logging my intake and I use it in conjunction with a Fit Bit to help me track my steps and exercise every day. You will start taking baby steps now and in a year you'll be amazed at how much your life and body have changed!!!
Good luck on your journey! I'm excited to watch you transform yourself!!

Wow first time I had sex since surgery and I'm almost 4weeks post op and it was amazing and felt completely different! I can get used to this:) I imagine that it will get better and better! Yippee

Made it past the half way point with 10 more days to go!!!
A few things I have noticed so far.
1) A person can really survive on liquids alone.
2) "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman" even what he eats is starting to look good.
3) As my stomach growls and gurgles at least I have something to listen to all day.
4) " Don't poke the bear!" Dad is on edge better to leave him alone for awhile.
5) Cooking for the family sucks!
6) I now have half a binder with recipes for post diet.
7) My stomach now jiggles.
Down 35lbs which I already feel better but have many more to go.

Okay...I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Yesterday was a little rough for me. I've been walking lots and lots but still had bad gas pain. Last night I felt it in my shoulders and I was freaking out
After walking more and taking pain meds I slept through the night quite well. I changed sleeping positions a lot going from laying on my right side to left side to back. It helped a lot
Today I woke up feeling a little nauseous but took some zofran. I think today will be a good day. I'm keeping a positive attitude. I was 212 when I had surgery and 220 when I got home yesterday from the hospital. I'm 215 today so that Water weight is leaving. Honestly at this point I couldn't care less about my weight! I'm following doctors orders and i know it will be worth it in the end. I'm looking forward to days to come. Hope everyone else who had surgery this week is recovering well! I'm really enjoying following this forum