Bob_350lbs

I thought that all the blood thinners you got IV while in the hosp were to dissolve the clot?

Yes, Lan2K, you are in my prayers. It will be fine, a piece of cake. That's the beauty of the sleeve. It's so simple.

Congratulations GMS! Sounds like you doing well. Just sip, sip, sip.

Well, for me it has been about technique and choices. If I can't take 30 min to eat a meal, then I should just drink a Protein drink. To eat properly, I have weigh out 2 oz food, put on an appetizer plate and divide into 6 portions. Then set a timer for 30 min and eat one portion every 5 min. This morning, I took over an hour to eat my Protein Bar, because I got up and did other things, paying bills, etc. then you have to wait one hour before drinking anything. However, I sipped 2 oz coffee over an hour w/my bar. And choices...eating frozen yogurt is too hard for me to control right now, and there is no real nutritional value, no protein to speak of. This is what I want my day to look like: B: one egg omelet w/minced bell pepper, onion, 1/2 slice ff cheese single & vits or a medifast protein crunch bar S: 32 oz of Water mixed w/one scoop of fuzzy naval Protein Drink and later 1 oz of turkey Jerky L: 2 oz tuna salad mixed with one tsp light mayo, minced onion, on romain lettuce leaf or something else similar S: 32 oz of water mixed w/special K protein water powder or another fuzzy naval and later maybe 1/2 c low fat cottage cheese mixed w/minced celery D: 2 oz pork tenderloin stir fried w/zucchini, onion and some seasoning S: Medifast parmesan cheese puffs made w/soy protein about 600-700 calories, 80 gms protein, 64 oz water and then I walk on the treadmill or around the neighborhood 30-45 minutes and use light weights to tone while watching tv. But, it is key to take 30 min to eat your meals, or you will hurt yourself. And you have to wait one hour after meals to drink fluids, and after drinking you have to wait 15-30 min before eating. I don't know if it's about will power, but choice and planning and following your surgeon's orders. I still have problems controlling how fast I eat, and how much I eat, and believe me, it's painful if I break the rules.

Eating slowly is the most difficult part for me so far. At first, you will feel stuffed on a couple bites of mushies. Slowly, you can tolerate up to 2 oz of dense food, but it feels like you just ate Thanksgiving dinner. My biggest problem is eating too fast. It is painful, it feels like the food is stuck my esophagus, and I get the hiccups. A sure sign of eating too fast. And, my surgeon told me I will hurt myself if I continue to eat too fast. Gosh..it's a challenge for me. His suggestion was to set a timer for 30 min. Never eat more than 2 oz of dense food at a time. Divide the food into 6 portions. Then take 5 min to eat each portion. It works, when I have the will power to do it. If not, I suffer. It seems the better the food tastes, the harder it is to control myself. One night we stopped at Big Spoon Yogurt and I had to throw it in the trash, because it tasted so good, and I knew If I let myself, it would be my demise, not because it hurt going down or felt stuck, just the opposite, it slid down like silk. Dangerous for me. And, I my hunger came back when I started eating real food again. Head hunger or not, it still felt like hunger to me. I write down everything I consume. I average 700 calories per day and 70 and more grams of protein. that's all I have to say for now. If you follow the rules, you will do fine.

Marie, check out this PS @ www.afterobesity.com. He specializes in PS after massive weight loss and he does it all too; face, eyes, arms, thighs, abd, boobs. His prices are on his web site too. The Mary from "Mary's story" was at the first seminar I went to. She looked great! The whole front row of women all had become runners. There are lots of before/after pics too. TTFN

What does <3 mean? We will all help keep you sane, but this is going to be one crazy wild ride to the thin side. I am so excited for all of us! We are gonna be one of those skinny bitches wearing all kinds of cute clothes in size small. For me, it's never to late to be the person you have always wanted to be..never too late for a happy childhood either. By the way, I know this is TMI...BUT.....after 6 weeks of either constipation or diarrhea...I had my first regular BM!!! Yay! I am normal again. After I started adding veggies to everything....mother nature finally kicked in..gee, I hope I weigh less tomorrow..

My surgeon also says it's a myth. He told me the body will digest whatever you put in it. So, I figure he is an expert in this area. If you find a Protein Drink w/35 gms, go for it. But remember, calories count too. 1 gm of Protein = 4 calories. So a protein drink has 35 gms of protein, and is over 140 calories, has extra calories from other stuff they added, we probably don't need. Anyway, that is what I was told.

Well Mac, we were fortunate that Dr. C is close to home and that he is a highly-qualified bariatric surgeon. He has done sleeves for years. The day I was there, he did 5 surgeries that day. And, most of us had the sleeve. A couple of them flew in from Hawaii and spent the week in SF. I don't think I would have done it if it weren't for that. It just isn't me to travel to a 3rd world country for surgery. I was afraid of all the drug wars going on down there, afraid that if I had complications and needed ICU and specialists, could they provide that? And, I didn't have family to travel with me to Mexico. Probably, with Dr. Aceves, it would have went fine...but...I'm nervous Nellie. I want PS so bad when I reach my goal, but I don't know about having it done in Mexico, but the prices sure are tempting.

Good advice Mac. Especially since most ins co don't cover the sleeve, people are forced to go to MX. So, Where can people find unbiased statistical reports, etc. for MX and US surgeons? I don't trust people that are working for the doctor they are recommending, and I don't trust what I read on their websites. Buyer beware is how I feel. You can give me all the testimonials in the world, but I always wanted the cold, hard, facts. It is a serious decision not to be made lightly. We are not buying soap here, but having most of our stomachs removed. If it were me, I would want unbiased data. But, where can you find that? Thanks for listening, and I didn't want to stir up the pot, but this is how I feel about it.

I have traded overeating for dolphins. Dolphins, that is what I call endorphins. Aerobic exercise makes me feel good, and I feel rotten if I don't get in at least 45 min. I love it, the music, the sweat, the DOLPHINS, it makes me feel great.

Oh, I remember those now, I sampled it at GNC and it tasted horrible. I will try it again with your recipe and see how it goes.

Thanks again, B-man, that is exactly what I am looking for. Dr. C from LapSF reminded me that protein is 4 calories per gm and anything over that has extra stuff in it. Does is taste ok? If I can choke it down quickly, then it is so worth it to me.

Thanks so much for the info, I certainly will give them a try!

I'm at 5 weeks out now, and was given the green light to get regular foods, trying one new food a day and seeing how the body reacts. I am to eat only 2 oz of dense food, like chicken, etc. And, up to 4 oz of non-dense food, like cottage cheese. The trail mix was about 3 oz. My stomach stretches to 4 oz max right now. And, it tasted so good, I didn't take the recommended 30 min to eat a meal. My stomach didn't have any problems w/trail mix, but everbody is different. But, after I ate greens for the first time, it went right through me. Everbody is different when starting on solid foods. But, you're right, stressing over it doesn't help. Tara w/LapSF told me that when your stressed the body creates cortisol (sp?) which actually causes the body to hold on to fat, or something like that. She said that patients who are too ridged actually are the ones who have the most trouble losing quickly, probably because of the stress/cortisol connection. Because, we stress over "trail mix incident", or that we weren't perfect in following the plan.

It's time we seriously shopped for some new panties, girls. It is an epidemic, happened to me more than once! It wasn't a pretty sight. Most of you girls have lower BMIs than me, so I know you could shop at VS now. How fun! I found a cool catalog that sells affordable and quality lingerie, w/matching panties/bras that are very sexy, yet supportive for the boobage, 38-48+, can't shop at VS yet.

Chanie, that is a great story! Congratulations on your new life, it is so inspiring, you look beautiful.

Opps, I screwed up. I am 5 wks out and can eat regular food now. I had a egg for breakast, a protein drink after my workout, then I went shopping and bought a small little pkg of trail mix, thinking is was 150 calories. I was so craving salty/sweet/crunchy. But it was 2.5 servings per little bag and I ate most of it before I realized that. What a bummer! I should know better. Now, I have already consumed 600 calories and it's only 2pm! Learn and live:svengo:

That was a very moving story. I am so glad I found this place. For years, I have struggled with my weight, tried everything under the sun and moon. The lapband never set right me, and I didn't want bypass because of dumping, and I am considered a 'lightweight'..how at 5'2" and 212.9, I could be considered not elible for WLS, I don't undstand. My doctor and insurance said no. But, I couldn't stand my life anymore, I was so unhealthy and just couldn't lose the weight. It was so uncomfortable and society treats obese women like S*&$# or I thought they did..I would have gone to Dr. Aceves, but the traveling part, without family to go with me, wasn't an option. I spent 2 yrs debating the sleeve, but I knew this surgery was the best option for me, just the money thing..I wish I would have done it soon, I spent so many years being miserable. If anyone is sitting on the fence, you have to take a leap of faith and follow your instincts..it is not a magic bullet, but darn close..I found the closest surgeon to my home and got my niece and her boyfriend to take me. The ride home was bumpy, even tho the surgeon d/c me before rush hour traffic, we still got stuck in traffic midway home, and I recouperated at their house, but I never had complications or problems. At day 3, I was able to drink 64 oz and get in 70 grams of protein thru the supplements that came with the pkg, and I started walking that day too. My energy is through the roof. I can do 1 hr on the treadmill at a good pace, and I feel great. The only problem for me is constipation..I put Benefiber in my water. And, now I eat greens. Anway, thanks for listening.

I am not trying to promote a certain brandname, but I love it. It's like the "Bullet". It's a blender for one, the top turns into a nice cup, clean up is easy too. It also comes with a little cup, that work very well to make the puddings and I even use it to blenderize chicken, tuna, soups, for one. I bought mine through Medifast about two years ago, I keep one at home and one at work.

I don't care for Protein drinks, probably because of years of dieting using slim fast, medifast, etc...but I realize that some days, to get in all my protein, I have to use them. So, in my 32 oz Water bottle I sometimes add 1 scoop of Syntrax nectar, "Fuzzy naval" 4 tsp of Benefiber, 3 tbls splenda, and 16 oz water, shake, then fill the rest up with ice. That takes me through the morning. It kinda reminds me of Tang. I couldn't stand Syntrax at first, but now I have my own little formula that makes it more tolerable. And, when I use the GNC amplified wheybolic extreme 60, vanilla flavor, I will add a couple frozen strawberries, and 1/4 cup 2% milk, to 6 oz of water. You only need one scoop of the powder, not 3 like recommended. That is for those who want to build muscle. I still buy the protein crunch bars from Medifast, cause I can't find any bars that are as low in calories/high in protein. Medifast now has parmesan cheese puffs, honey mustard pretzles, that serve me well. Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth. Oh, and I forgot to add, I like to keep the premade shake, Muscle milk lite, in my desk drawer and even my car, just in case. If you find you forgot to take protein with you, and need something quick, most all mini-marts and grocery stores carry them in the cold section, along with sodas. They are ok, not great, but will do if you are in a pinch.

I found this at Walgreen's accidentally. It's the "Post bariatric surgery formula" chewable vitamin/mineral supplement you take 4 times a day. It is citrus flavor and I like it. It makes me feel like I am eating/chewing. I know if it were a big ole horse pill, I wouldn't take it. Maybe later, I will switch up. And, I take Trill Oil, omega-3, just one small capsule per day.

Me too, stalled at week 4, and the scale hasn't budged in 10 days! holy moly...if it doesn't move tomorrow, what to do? I am doing everyting they told me to do..today I did 60 min on the treadmill. And, the milk of magnesia really works. I must say, I have more energy than I have had in a long, long, time. How can someone consuming only 700 cals per day, mainly protein, stall? That's okay, it has to come off eventually. I am figuring that we are just losing fat, not muscle, and at least we won't have sunk in butt cheecks..is that tmi?

True, thanks for the support...the air in my balloon deflated a little that day. My sister also says just keep doing what your doing. Today, I did 60 min on the treadmill though~yay! my favorite little "snackies" are the medifast cheese puffs, 11 gms protein, but 14 gms of carbs. But I am still under 700 calories per day..the body does what it wants to do, I am beginning to feel. When it is ready, it will let go of the fat.

At my first f/u, I lost 17 lbs, but doc wasn't that happy w/me. I track everything I put in my mouth and showed it to him. On average, I had 700 calories per day and he said that was too much. And, I was walking 30-45 min per day and he wanted me to do more. Yea, it kinda got me down. Now, I am freaking out because my weight is already stuck. My Protein is at 70, fluids at 64 oz, and my urine is freakin full of ketones, cause my carbs are low. But, I have been super constipated and am taking MoM tonight..hoping to drop....a pound. By my next f/u on 10-30, Dr. C wants me down to 170-175. That means 10 lbs per month or more and at this rate..worried I won't make it. I have brought my calories down to 600, but just can't walk more than 50 min w/o getting overly tired right now. Steph 213/195 VG 7/28/09