joatsaint

I know what you mean about going back to old habits. Old habits and cravings can be a real b*tch! When I can't resist a food, I can limit how much I eat. For example, yesterday we had a baby shower at work and I wanted a piece of cake soooo bad. Instead of going without or giving in completely, I got a 6oz styrofoam cup and filled it 1/2 full with cake, ate it and then filled myself up on Protein. That way I did get to taste the the cake, but I didn't go too far off my diet. You might try another method I use. My mom always tries to send food home with me and rather than disappoint her by refusing, I take it, then throw it away. And by throw it away, I mean open the container and dump it in the ditch. I'm too tempted to take it back out of the trash can if I leave the food in the container. I know, TMI. :-P You might try getting back on track by throwing 1/2 the happy meal away. Good luck,

During my soft mushy stage, as long as it was soft it was okay. I was warned against eating hard things like sunflower seeds, even ground up, because there might be a small hard bit that wasn't fully ground up and might get stuck in my staple line. Just make sure the chives are fresh, not dried and I think you would be okay with them.

I didn't try drinking till past the 6 month mark. I had some leftover tequila (about 1oz) and crystal light. I was pleasantly buzzed afterwards. Since then, I've drank a few Mike's Hard Lemonades. Usually 1 can is enough to get me feeling good. I pour it over ice and let the carbonation bubble off a little before drinking. I was really a lightweight about drinking before surgery, now it only takes 1 can. I am now a cheap and happy drunk!

I've only ever drank the chocolate shakes and I can highly recommend Premier Protein chocolate. It is very good. I have only found them at Sam's Club - 12 for $18. I've heard some say they found them a Wal-Mart, but my local one doesn't stock them.

At 15 months, I can eat between 8 to 12 oz at one meal - depending on how dense the food is. I can hold more of stuff like spaghetti and chicken noodle Soup (processed carbs) vs dense Protein like chicken/pork/beef. I can usually get full on 6 to 8oz of meat. For about the first 6 months, I would eat about 1/4 cup of whatever and be full, then I noticed that I was able to hold a little more. It's almost like my stomach relaxed. I don't really count calories, I'm used to my new way of eating and I weigh daily. If I go up in weight, I just get a little more careful about sticking to my protein/vegetables and cut back on processed carbs/sugar. The majority of my diet revolves around eating lean pork, black Beans, and lentils. But sometimes, like this week, I've had a huge craving for salads. So I've been eating my pork and lentils during the day and having a huge salad a night. My typical day is: Breakfast - Premier Protein Bar Mid morning snack - 1 cup of my pork and lentils lunch - another cup of pork and lentils Afternoon snack - cup of pork and lentils or protein bar dinner - Rotisserie chicken mixed into a big salad Snack - cup of pork and lentils or protein bar or apple or grapes or pineapple or an orange (or 2 pieces of candy - 120 calories)

What you're going through is completely normal. I went through it as well. While you may not be able to chug a bottle of Water, you will still be able to drink plenty, not at first, but a few weeks down the line you'll adjust to the amounts you can safely drink at once. For me, water is a slider food. As long as I haven't eaten beforehand, I can drink 8 to 10 ozs. pretty quickly. The 1st few months, I was real careful about drinking slowly and learning how much I could drink before over doing it. As far as fruit goes, my new stomach didn't like fruit or any fiberous food for about 6 months. That doesn't mean I didn't eat a strawberry here and there or bananas/apples/pinapple/grapes, but I was really limited to only 3 or 4 bites and then Frankensleeve would start growling. It was about 6 months after surgery that I was able to tolerate fruit and salad. The only food I now avoid is Taco Bell taco sauce. Funny that after 15 months, my stomach still cramps up with just the smallest bite of food with the sauce on it.

I'm 15 months post-op and haven't really had a re-lapse to my old eating habits. But, having said that, I did allow myself to over eat during the holidays and I gained about 7 lbs over Nov and Dec. I went back to my old way of eating starting in Jan. I've managed to lose those 7 lbs plus about 5 more since then. Whenever I see that I'm getting offtrack, I go back to my original diet plan (lean Protein and vegetables) and walking.

My best advice is not to let stalls get you down. They will come and go. I went through at least one stall a month for the past 15 months. I've learned that if I just keep on doing what worked before the stall, will start working again. The body just needs to take a timeout once in a while to get use to it's new lower weight.

I had a pulling sensation whenever I lay on my right side, it went on for months. I'm not sure when, but the feeling eventually faded.

I never noticed any difference except the feeling of fullness came on much quicker!

My insurance only had a few approved doctors in my area. I took the list and googled every doctor, and looked at their years of practice and any reviews from patients. I picked my doctor based mainly on his 12 years of experience doing Sleeves and partially on how close his office was.

I've never had a personal trainer, but from what I've read and seen on TV, I'd make sure the trainer I picked was one that didn't try to push me so hard that I got burned out. One trainer I saw interviewed bragged about how he pushed his people to the point where they threw up - that would get old to me fast and I'd dump him in a second. I would try to find a trainer that is able to see where my limits are and push me just beyond. I'd visit the gym your interested in and ask members who the favorite trainer is.

Me too. I felt drained of energy. But I experienced that on the Atkins diet as well. So I think it is the high protein, low carbs that causes the feeling of tiredness. I didn't have those simple sugars pouring into by system and my body was use to having easy access to energy. I've learned that when I'm feeling weak and sleepy that I crave sweets. I think it's my brain trying to get some sugar into my system for some quick energy.

I eat sugar, I just keep in mind the calories I'm taking in and make sure I eat Protein and good carbs the majority of the time. I didn't start eating sugary stuff until I was eating over 1000 calories a day - around the 6 month mark. Up until then, I needed to make every calorie count and get the most nutrition per calorie I could. I don't eat sugar - outside of the sugar in Protein Bars - on a daily basis. And I limit myself to a small portion - 1/2 doughnut or a small piece of birthday cake (enough to fill 1/2 a coffee cup). As long as I keep losing weight and getting enough nutrition, then I say no food is off limits. It's only when I start gaining or stalling that I get more strict on my diet.

I had a very painful 10 days after surgery, but I don't regret any of it. I'm down 140 lbs in 15 months. And I almost feel like a normal person. :-) I would do it all over again in a minute. I just wish I could have had it done at 20 instead of 46. Good luck with your recover. I does get better, it just takes time.

Frankensleeve didn't like anything except for the most puree type foods for about 3 months post-op. I pretty much stuck to Cream of Mushroom Soup, refried Beans, and Premier chocolate Protein drinks. On the occasions that I did try a new food, my stomach felt like a garbage disposal with rocks grinding up in it.

By "open", do you mean a deep hole or just a divot. My biggest incision never opened, but I did have a pretty deep indent that sunk into the skin. It has gotten better over the past 15 months but I can still feel where it sinks in. Even if it doesn't hurt, I would contact my doctor about it. And leaving it unsealed could cause the scaring to be worse.

Just saw the article on this new device today. I'm thinking with enough determination I could install a Hefty bag in my colon all by myself! :-P Printed from: Boston Herald (http://bostonherald.com) Device aids weight loss Saturday, March 8, 2014 -- Anonymous (not verified) Replaces surgery by lowering blood sugars Healthcare Sections: Sunday, March 9, 2014 Author(s): Marie Szaniszlo Doctors at three Massachusetts hospitals are recruiting people battling Type 2 diabetes and obesity for a clinical trial of a medical device that has been approved in other countries to reduce blood sugar and body weight without the need for the kind of weight-loss surgery that more than 200,000 Americans undergo each year. Made by Lexington-based GI Dynamics, the EndoBarrier is a thin, flexible, tube-shaped liner placed via the mouth during a brief endoscopic procedure and inserted in the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, just beyond the stomach, said Dr. Lee M. Kaplan, the trial’s lead investigator and director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “The food you eat goes down the middle of the tube,” Kaplan said, “but the tube blocks interactions between the food and hormone secretions,” which can affect insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, satiety and food intake. In commercial use outside the U.S., the device has been shown to achieve as much as a 30 percent reduction in glucose levels within the first week and a 10 percent to 20 percent body-weight loss within the 12-month period for which it has been approved for use in countries including England, France, Germany and Australia, said Stuart Randle, GI Dynamics’ president and CEO. “No one yet knows why, when you bypass the first section of the intestine, these hormones change so dramatically and so immediately,” Randle said. The U.S. trial, which currently is enrolling people at 22 sites, including MGH, Boston Medical Center and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, will end in two years and, if it shows that the EndoBarrier is safe and effective, the Food and Drug Administration could approve the device in about a year. If it does, the EndoBarrier could offer new hope to the 26 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in this country, including approximately 360,000 adults in Massachusetts, where the disease each week causes an average of 22 deaths, 38 lower-leg amputations, 13 new cases of end-stage renal disease and five new 
cases of blindness, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Obesity and diabetes are twin epidemics that remain out of control, and while we have good medical therapies for diabetes and some good therapies for obesity, they don’t always work,” Kaplan said. “For those patients who need additional therapy, this device may provide a valuable new option. But testing it is critical.” Source URL: http://bostonherald.com/business/healthcare/2014/03/device_aids_weight_loss

I'm 15 months post-op and I think I'm undiagnosed with depression - felt depressed for years. Some days I could care less about exercising and weight loss, and other days I feel great and want to get out there and walk, walk, walk. I can only say that this new way of eating and exercising has become a habit and I keep on doing it because the old way was slowly killing me. It does get a bit easier as the weight comes off. I don't like to exercise, but I do miss it when I'm not able to get out and walk.

Pre-surgery, the only part of me that ever got cold were my arms and hands. Now I have to wear theramal underwear to keep warm. :-) But I wouldn't go back to the old me for nuthin!

What do you call those that practice the rhythm method? Parents! :-P

I had the sleeve and at least 2 ladies I work with have had bypass, we are all satisfied with the weight we have lost. I can say that weight loss seems to be easier for the ladies who had the bypass. But for me, I thought the bypass was too extreme, the thought of having my intestines rerouted and the requirement to take Vitamin supplements for the rest of my life was not appealing. The sleeve seemed less "extreme" and more like having a haircut - "Okay doc, just trim a little off the stomach. And can you make it look like Bieber's?" :-) In the end, you have to go with what makes you feel the most comfortable.

I can tell you from 13 months of experience post-op that you do not have to eat perfectly to lose weight. I believe too many people are under the assumption that they can't have this or a bite of that ever again. I can't live with that kind of thinking. It only makes me obsess about what I can't have. Do you think you have to be perfect in your diet and exercise goals? Try this experiment: Being rigid is similar to holding your breath, keep holding it, don't blow it out yet, hold it, okay, now blow it out. You probably blew it out with a lot of force because you held it for longer than you felt comfortable. Rigid dieting and exercise are like a tightly wound spring that eventually has to release. It's very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you will stray from healthy eating and exercising. You will not be perfect in your diet and exercise program, nor should you be. Before you begin a diet and exercise program, tell yourself that no matter what happens, rather than abandoning your new lifestyle, you'll resume your healthy habits as soon as you can. You do not have to wait until the following Monday, the first day of the next month or next year. Don't want until the next day; start again with your next meal. You always have an opportunity for a fresh start to get right back on track with your healthy habits continuing to move to your weight loss goals. It is equally important that you feel confident, not guilty, about doing so. Whatever the temptation or obstacle is, keep in mind that it's not wrong or bad to eat fattening foods once in a while or to miss a workout. Just remember to resume your healthy lifestyle as soon as possible afterward. If you keep moving forward and you don't let guilt and discouragement stop your program all together, you'll eventually have improved eating and exercise habits - with great results and success in your weight loss and health goals. With this approach, there is no such thing as "cheating." When we feel we are cheating, we often punish ourselves; we will feel guilt, frustration and as though we've failed. We also get into the perfectionist thinking. We can't have this or that ever again and if we stray, then we've blown it. Replacing the negative concept of cheating with the idea of "straying temporarily from healthy habits" takes away the all-or-nothing emphasis of right and wrong. If you treat every deviation from your plan as a failure, you won't get very far. Substituting the idea of a brief straying away from your plan instead of feeling guilty, and learning to return more and more quickly to healthier habits, is more realistic. It's also easier and more enjoyable - today and in the long-run. If you don't allow any opportunity to vary your eating and exercise and go into all or nothing thinking, you don't practice moderation and balance. Healthy habits of diet and fitness are most success when you don't think of them as success or failure. It is progress and not perfection. Practice healthy habits more times than you don't. Think in terms of the 80/20 guidelines. 80% of the time, you eat according to your healthy nutritional program and are active; 20% of the time, you relax your guidelines. This allows for balance and living your life in a healthy, easier mode of moderation. Cathy Wilson is a certified life coach specializing in weight loss. Cathy lost 147 pounds seven years ago. Her passion is to help clients achieve weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with clients to create a weight loss life plan custom to each client. Cathy is a member of the International Coaching Federation, International Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition. Visit Cathy's website: LoseWeightFindLife.com

This is a quick review of the Omron HJ-112 Pocket Pedometer. I've had it for a few months and if you're looking for basic, accurate pedometer with no frills, this one works well. But it does have a few drawbacks. Update 12-19-2013: I've had a chance to compare the accuracy of my Omron to a GPS device. It was very accurate, considering that my stride changes in length depending on how energetic I feel. Over the last month, I have done 3 mile hikes several times a week, the Omron was only 2 tenths of a mile less than the GPS on average. 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! Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102076899634252886094/102076899634252886094/posts/p/pub Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankensleeve-Vertical-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-VSG-Community/289332951205311 Twitter https://twitter.com/frankensleeve

Weight Loss Surgery Frequently Asked Questions "What is a slider food?" For everyone that has had weight loss surgery, there is a slider food. Basically a slider food is anything that you can eat a lot of without feeling full and the feeling of fullness does not last. For me, my slider foods include; nuts of any kind, popcorn, peanut butter and fruit. I have to keep careful watch over how much I'm eating of a slider food, I can easily blow the calorie count limit I've set for the day. 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! Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102076899634252886094/102076899634252886094/posts/p/pub Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankensleeve-Vertical-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-VSG-Community/289332951205311 Twitter https://twitter.com/frankensleeve