joatsaint

I know what you're talkin' bout! For months post op, whenever I would eat a "difficult" food like eggs or chicken, Frankensleeve would feel like a garbage disposal that was trying to grind up rocks! I would feel a seizing feeling, cramps, and a grinding sensation in my sleeve. The ironic part was that this happened when I was eating my "good for me" foods - chicken, eggs, vegetables, fruit. Processed foods like peanut butter gave me no problems.

My best friend asked my how eating out was going to change post-op. We had been eating out every Sat. night for years and we always went to buffet type places. I told him that nothing was going to change as far as I was concerned. I went out to eat with him for the company, not for the food. And as far as I was concerned, the $12 - $20 bucks I spent each week was nothing that would change my quality of life, so I didn't care about getting my money's worth. I wish I had taken a picture of my plate the 1st time I went to a restaurant post-op. I think I had 1 fajita chicken strip, 1 tablespoon of guacamole, 1 tablespoon of refried beans... and I couldn't finish all of it. Here's a before and after photo from last weeks trip to the buffet. . BEFORE: AFTER:

The 1st thing I did was to contact my insurance and get a list of surgeons that were covered and approved by them. 2nd was to do a google search for each surgeon's name to find reviews and see how many years/surgeries they had performed for each type of bariatric surgery. From there, I picked the surgeon that had a location convenient to me. The next step was to set up an initial consultation with the surgeon. I never went to a PCP.

I can relate to what your doc said about "not wanting to eat" the bad stuff. When I saw the lbs falling off and my sleeve gave me control over my head hunger and "need" to eat, I didn't want to break the "spell" and go back to my old habits, life and weight. I was even afraid to start eating again, once I was past the full liquids stage. Fortunately, the "magic" didn't fade once I started eating real food again. The real difference in eating post-op vs pre-op, is in the amounts, not the kind of food I can eat. I no longer have to eat 6 slices of a large pizza to feel satisfied. Now, 1 slice or 1 1/2 slices is more than enough and I'm topped off. I can't tell you how good it feels when my hunger is satisfied by eating a 1/2 cup of carrot cake or 1 donut. Pre-surgery, I didn't have that kind of control and hunger dominated my thinking. At the 1 year mark, I was able to eat "almost" anything I wanted - the exception being Taco Bell taco sauce... Frankensleeve has never liked the stuff, even at 2 years post-op. At 6 months post-op, I was able to eat "most" things I wanted. The exceptions being fibrous foods like whole wheat bread, grape skins and pineapple. The ironic part was that processed junk foods were the easiest on my new sleeve, right from the beginning. It was the "healthy" stuff that I had to train Frankensleeve to digest.

I forgot to add, Smooth Move tea has been recommended by some on this board. I'm not a tea drinker, so I haven't tried it. But you can get a box for about 4 bucks at Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart or on Amazon. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/325635-smooth-move-is-my-answergo-to-when-i-feel-like-ive-eat-to-much/

I've only taken Milk of Magnesia, once or twice, since surgery. Are you sure your constipated? If you are like me, I didn't eat anything outside of popsicles and a few tablespoons of soup for the 1st 10 days post-op. My system was used to handling 3 or 4 pounds of food a day, so there was lots of empty space to fill. Being on a liquid diet, I didn't have to go for at least 2 weeks, maybe longer.

I've drank the Strawberry Energy Crystal Light. It tasted good, but I got tired of the flavor. I'm partial to the lemonade flavor, too bad they stopped making it with caffeine. When I need energy, I either take caffeine pills or drink coffee.

60 pounds is incredible! My weight loss was more like 12 - 15 lbs a month. And if you have a little setback from overindulging at Xmas, read my post on setbacks. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-33645-dealing-with-setbacks-or-climb-down-off-the-cross-build-a-bridge-with-the-wood-and-get-over-it/

I was never told what size bites to eat, but my 1st month, I can remember eating only 1/2 teaspoon full per bite. At that time, I was still learning how much my new sleeve would hold. And I didn't know how Frankensleeve was going to react to new foods as I transitioned to real food from full liquids.

By month 3, I was losing about 15lbs a month. Months 1 and 2 were the biggest losses, averaging about 19lbs each month. My doc wanted me to stay on track to lose 12 - 15lbs a month and eat about 800 - 1000 calories a day. And walk at least 30 minutes a day. As I say, I'm not a fast loser, and I'm not a slow loser, I'm a half-fast loser.

When the guys at work started noticing my weight loss and asked how I did it. I told them the truth. I said, "I have drastically cut back on the amount of food I eat and I do a lot of walking." And left it at that.

I have been drinking coffee and taking caffeine pills since about the 2nd month post-op. I've never had an issue. My advice is to pay attention to how your body responds to caffeine and if it becomes a problem, then limit or stop.

I ran across these today - Snapea Crisps - in the bakery/fresh produce area of Super Wal-Mart. I was skeptical at first but they turned out to be delicious. If you like Funyuns or Andy Capp fries, these make a great substitute for them or potato chips. I'm glad I picked them up and now wish I had gotten the other flavors to try as well, or at least bought more than 1 bag of the Caesar flavor! :-P If you are looking for an alternative to potato chips, I can't recommend Snapea Crisps enough. Made from green peas, they have the texture of a Funyun or Andy Capp Hot Fries. Baked and crunchy, they have a hint of onion and parmesan cheese. $1.50 per bag / 3.5 servings per bag 1 serving = 22 crisps, coming in at a low 120 calories: 16 grams of carbs 5 grams of Protein 5 grams of fat I would not recommend them if you are trying to stay within an 800 calorie/day diet.... because they are so good. If you like/dislike my videos, please thumb up or down, and leave a comment about how I could improve the content. Your input helps me become a better Youtuber. :-) Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve!

From what I've seen on Youtube and in threads, wait at least a year post-op because your skin is still shrinking. I'm 2 years out this month and just now feel like my skin has stopped shrinking and that I'm a my maintenance weight.

Some say that heartburn is a sign of being hungry, but I only experienced it when I lay down to sleep. It went on for me for weeks and weeks. I'm not sure when it stopped. I'd drink a little to get it to ease up some, but it was rare to go a night without some burning at the point where my throat meets my stomach.

In my own experience, I have found that even eating the smallest amount of sweets/fruit/sugar will cause me to have head hunger every few hours. And that would cause just enough overeating to stall my weight loss. It took a long time to realize this. So I eat low carb foods and meat most of the time. Most anything I eat that is sweet is now made with artificial sweeteners or gets it's sweetness from fat.

I think you may have one heck of a drive to get more. Premier Protien's website lists the closest seller at 500 miles from Puerto Rico.

The only powdered Protein I've used is the unflavored Isopure, but I've only mixed it in with food. Never tried to make a drink with it.

When your dad (who's been needling you how overweight you are for the past 30+ years) starts telling you you're losing too much weight and you need to stop. As an added bonus, I am now able to wear one of HIS coats that he's too fat to wear anymore!!! NSV!!!!

Congratulations and welcome to the board. I've found Bariatricpal to be a great place to get answers and be kinda therapeutic. Welcome to the Loser's Bench!

Congratulations and welcome to the Loser's Bench.

Here's my favorite Mexican dish. It got me through the puree stage and for weeks afterward ( Frankensleeve was very picky for weeks and weeks - so this was my primary food.) http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

I can't remember how long the burping and other gas expulsions went on, but eventually your new stomach will adjust to food again and things will calm down.

Congrats on reaching Onederland, I'm shooting for it myself in the next few weeks.

Thanks for sharing your story. When I was thinking about getting the Sleeve, I wanted to read all the real life experiences I could find - both the good and bad sides of the story.