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GNC is where I got mine. I got tired of them and gave two boxes away recently or I'd send them your way! I picked up four boxes when they were BOGO free - and I do believe they do the same sale online. You'll save even more if you have a Gold Card and shop the first week of the month when it's 20% off everything and free shipping. ~Cheri

In case you haven't yet, check with your doctor. I think you should be 100% sure there isn't an issue with your sleeve. I'm 16 months out and I still get pain if I eat the following foods, even if it's just two or three bites: Flour tortillas Bread - hearty bread like a dinner roll or a bagel Rice Any amount of Pasta or any shape or size - three or four bites and I'm in pain So clearly, heavy carbs freak my sleeve out! I think they just get bigger and heavier in my tummy and it aches, so I avoid these foods as much as possible. I'm also completely unable to eat dairy unless it's a hard cheese, but this is a different type of stomach/intestinal pain and doesn't seem to be what you're talking about. Get checked out. Seriously - get an allergy test and an upper GI if you can afford it or your insurance will cover it, just to be sure there isn't a real problem. ~Cheri Edited to add: When I say "pain" I do not mean rolling around on the floor in agony. I mean discomfort, a stretched and uncomfortably full feeling and once in a while a sharper pain directly where my sleeve is located. Enough to make me not do things that hurt, but not serious enough to feel like I have a major issue.

I didn't have a pre-op diet so I can't really relate to having a doctor's orders to follow a specific plan. However, I did notice that I did the whole "food funeral" thing a bit, too. I think in the long run, cutting out those foods that trigger cravings (for me that was fast food in general, especially french fries and soda) is for the better. The liquids phase post op is TOUGH and the more "clean" your eating prior to surgery the easier I think it is to get through it. But regardless of anything else I'll say that you shouldn't beat yourself up if it's hard or challenging. If losing weight were easy for any of us, we wouldn't be here. If I could just wave my magic wand and stop craving bad food or feeling hungry or hating exercise I wouldn't have shelled out ten grand for surgery! And I hate to sound like a downer or worry you, but some of those foods that I loved before I can't eat at all - even now, 16 months out. So enjoy this time - start slowly making better choices because later on you won't have a choice if you want to be healthy and not hurt your sleeve, but relax about the whole thing. ~Cheri

First, it's fairly normal to lose hair right around three months. I lost hair until about 7 months post op - between 5 and 7 months post op it slowly started to improve but the fourth month was really bad. I was scared I'd have to cut all my hair off! Second, try upping your Protein intake if you can. I know it's hard to eat that much, especially so early on, but 80-100 grams per day really makes a difference in me. I will say that right around 15 months I let my protein dip - I got careless, our location prevented me from eating meat and dairy every day, etc. and I started losing hair again. As soon as I upped it back up above 80 grams a day the hair loss stopped. Oh, and I took Biotin for months and it didn't seem to help. Once I stopped I didn't notice a difference at all. For some folks it might help but for some the loss just happens and will end once our bodies get used to the drastic changes we're making. Good luck. Don't worry too much, you'll get through this. ~Cheri

Totally normal. It gets easier. It was more than two months before I could regularly hit my intake goals for calories and Water. If you're not doing Protein shakes, you should be. Try to find one you can tolerate and hopefully enjoy. I am more than a year out but due to our crazy weird geographical location I'm limited to eggs, tuna and Kosher hot dogs for protein, so I still drink one shake every day and sometimes two. It helped to have my drinks warm or at room temp, like a previous poster mentioned. Oh, and I'm 16 months out and I can still only eat one egg at a time. :smile1: ~Cheri

It might or might not, because everyone is different. You never know, so take advantage of it while you can! I'm 16 months out and it's still not back. I get "empty" when I need to eat and I no longer need to take a PPI to reduce acid so when my tummy grumbles it's because I need to eat. However, I still don't get that "I'm hungry" feeling that I used to get. I'll usually notice I need to eat when I get lightheaded or my stomach growls. I do get head hunger or cravings occasionally and sometimes I ignore them and sometimes I indulge. It's nothing like it was prior to surgery, though. Not even close! If I get a hankering for pizza, for example, having one thin slice will completely fill me up and satisfy me. However, for some people that hunger doesn't go away (these folks are few and far between from what I've seen) so please be aware of that before you have surgery. In most cases, people that still feel "hungry" post op either need to up their PPI dose or are dealing with emotional eating issues, not actual physical hunger. ~Cheri

You know, since surgery I have NO tolerance for alcohol anymore! I drink about 1/4 of a beer and I'm tipsy. It's crazy. Anyway, I can drink a beer (or two) if I am not eating and sitting at the table for a long while. I still can't drink AND eat at the same meal or I don't have room for food, so drinking a beer with dinner isn't an option for me. So when hubby and I go hang out at our favorite Irish Pub, I can drink maybe two Guinness, sometimes three if it's a long night. But oh, the scale hates me the next day and I get so incredibly DRUNK doing it! So I only do it about once every three months. ~Cheri

Yeah, great posts Tiffy and Oregondaisy! I'm 16 months out and can definitely eat more than at six months. I think the way Oregondaisy put it is exactly right - at six months I was counting bites, not ounces, because it was a real fight to eat much of anything. I'm about the same as everyone else: 1 slice of very thin crust pizza with cheese and mushrooms 3/4 to 1 cup of Soup, unless it's very hearty like a stew or chili, then it's more like 1/2 to 3/4 cup 1 egg 2 to 3 oz of dense Protein like lamb, beef or sausage, 3 to 4 oz of soft chicken 1 hard shell taco 8-10 potato chips, 5-6 regular pretzels 1 slice of toast, if it's not too big (but I can't eat anything else if I do this, so I avoid it) I have a huge capacity when it comes to popcorn so I have to watch it - I can eat 2 cups before I feel full I still can't eat: Soft tortillas, especially flour - they gum up and expand, hurting my tummy Pasta - anything beyond one or two bites fills me up immediately Rice - I can sometimes get a few tablespoons of rice in, but it's not easy I'll say once you're past a year it's still easier than pre-op but it's definitely a little tougher to control what you eat. I can easily eat 1500 calories in a day if I choose to have a soda and eat carbs all day. I'd have to do it all the time to gain weight, but I have to make good choices or I'll go off track. But going back to eating half a dozen hot wings and half a pizza like pre-op just isn't going to happen! Good luck to you! ~Cheri

Definitely search the forums here for this one, because I know it's been addressed and discussed before - and you'll see plenty of other stories that way. My situation isn't the same - my husband is a pretty fit guy military guy. However, I can honestly say that almost every relationship has changed somewhat since surgery last year. Part of that is me changing and part of that is how the people around you deal with your changes. A lot of women I thought were my friends didn't want to be so friendly once I dropped the weight. My husband has never liked thin women, and while I do not see myself as thin he does and it's less attractive to him. We had a pretty solid marriage prior to my operation though, so we're getting through this. I am still slowly changing (both physically and emotionally) and this is affecting how I view the relationships in my life and what I'm willing to tolerate. I have cut entire groups of people out of my life post op, because once my body was healthier it was easier for my mind and heart to just drop the toxic relationship. Anyway, take it slow and try to talk about things with your husband as you go through this process. My husband felt that I was being selfish - he never felt I needed to lose weight - and if we hadn't talked about it he might have wound up resentful and angry down the line. Just my two cents. Good luck, and those months before your surgery will fly by, I swear. ~Cheri

I actually didn't have a preop diet so I can't help you there, though I assume it would be the same. Do an internet search for agar agar recipes - I read some neat ideas about gelling Soups and other foods which might help with that "bite" thing. I remember those 20 days of liquids being the longest 20 days of my life! Also, don't sub agar flakes or powder 1:1 for Gelatin or you'll get a super-firm, kind of crumbly and not so appetizing gel. To make something much softer and closer to Jello, I use about half of what is usually suggested (1 Tbs. flakes per cup of liquid). You might have to play with it a bit to get it where you like, but it's worth the effort.

Do you ever use agar flakes to sub for Gelatin in recipes? I used to make gelatin from agar agar and juice - you just boil it and chill it afterward. It's not quite the same as Jello brand but it's pretty close. I also remember finding a vegan gelatin at Trader Joe's one time. Check that out. Oh, and I think I read once that the Dole fruit cups (those have canned fruit in them, so they aren't perfect) are vegetarian (not vegan) so that might be an option. I know your broths will get boring but don't forget to mix it up as much as possible with something like the Better than Bouillon vegetarian mixes - mock beef and mock chicken blends that you can flavor a number of ways so that it doesn't get too boring. Consider making your own sorbets (or buying them) from pureed fruit and simple syrup as a change of pace from plain old popsicles. The secret, in my opinion, is to spice things up with as much flavor as possible when your diet is limited. Intensely fruity sorbets and spicy vegetable broths will be far more satisfying that a can of veg broth or a grape popsicle! Post op you'll be fine, especially in the states where meat substitutes abound. And as a pescatarian you'll have even more options! The clears/liquids get boring for everyone, though, you just have to get through it. Hopefully you'll have enough suggestions from folks to help you through. ~Cheri

Yes, consult your surgeon immediately just to be sure there isn't a complication. I, too, did not "eat" until more than 20 days post op so I did not experience this. However, any time that I have thrown up it has always been due to a food that I can't tolerate or eating too much at one time. It might be that your stomach simply isn't ready for food but it might be something else. The only things that caused me a problem were tortillas (still can't touch them, even more than a year out) and dairy products. You need to call your doctor now - don't wait for Monday. Better to call for nothing than to have a serious complication go untreated even for a day. ~Cheri

Take a break and slowly reintroduce after a few days with one item and see how it goes. I developed serious lactose intolerance post op. For me, dairy is an absolute no-no, so I had to turn elsewhere for Protein. I cannot tolerate any animal milk, not even Lactaid or goat milk. Sour cream, cream (heavy, light or whipped), yogurt, cottage cheese and most soft cheeses cause me immense discomfort. Ice cream is an absolute forbidden food for me - even the tiniest amount has me sick for the entire day. Whipped cream does the same. Now, some of those foods I'm happy to avoid, but others were very tough to give up. I do okay with hard cheeses like parmesan or aged cheddars, in small doses - but those are hard to find where I'm currently living, so I just do without for the most part. I relied heavily on cottage cheese and yogurt for protein in the beginning so I was lost without them. I finally had to switch my Protein shake to a lactose free one and start mixing with coffee, almond milk or soy milk. I make my own soy milk and from it, yogurt and tofu. I eat these or make seitan when I'm not in the mood for a meat-based meal but I still need protein. I'm not in America, but in the states this isn't as hard to overcome as you might think. There are SO many options to keep you able to eat these foods that you love, provided you don't have an allergy to soy, too! Stateside I can sub out coffee creamer with coconut milk, eat coconut ice cream, enjoy non-dairy sour cream and cream cheese replacements and even order non-dairy cheeses online or find them at my local store. Many of these options are nutritionally similar and will also boost your protein intake a little. The hardest part for me was finding a lactose free protein shake that I enjoyed but I've since found several that I can tolerate. Order samples online if it turns out you do need to change things up. I can tell you that as much as I miss dairy my life is improved very much now that I'm not suffering from discomfort. Good luck. Hopefully you won't have an issue, but even if you do it's not the end of the world. ~Cheri

I developed gestational diabetes in 2007 and after delivery of my twins it never went away. I was on Metformin twice daily for three years prior to surgery. I can't tell you A1C numbers without pulling out my medical records but I can tell you that I had surgery 15 July 2010 and the night before that was the last time I ever took a Metformin pill. I had insulin in the hospital twice but have not had any issues with blood sugars since then. Prior to surgery my sugars ranged from 140-220 while on Metformin twice daily. Immediately post op (once I was back home) I was in the 100-140 range, a vast improvement. Now that I'm more than a year out, my sugars typically stay between 80-90 all day long, with no big jumps. I don't even bother testing my blood anymore, and like I said, I haven't even taken a pill since the night before surgery. I was never able to get my fasting blood sugars below 140 before surgery! My postprandial numbers were always in the 200 range - I was happy if I tested 190 an hour after a meal, because that was a good day. I was warned by my doc that the odds of developing full blown diabetes again once again with old age are higher for me, but for all intents and purposes I am no longer a diabetic. So yes, this surgery really can help. It was one of my big motivators for losing weight and I was so happy to have that be my first immediate improvement - before I even saw a big drop on the scale I had better blood sugar readings. That said, you're already on insulin, so your results might not be as exceptional. However, even decreasing down to a pill to control your blood sugars would be a vast improvement. I hope you will update specifically about how your diabetes is affected by your surgery, because it will be helpful to others considering VSG as an option. ~Cheri

Keep searching, and let me know if you ever find anything negative about Dr. Aceves or his staff. You won't - or at least, I never did. Every single person I dealt with went above and beyond and if I had extra money just laying around I'd be sending both my mother and sister to visit Dr. Aceves for sleeves of their own. He is THE best surgeon you could choose, in my opinion. Not just the best Mexican surgeon - one of the best, period. Before I went with him I researched three other stateside doctors and not only were his stats the best, there was nobody disappointed with him. I also thought I got a lot more for my money with him - 3 nights in the hospital for less than I'd pay to do it stateside. I felt safer and I was definitely taken care of - and of course, I got the results I wanted! ~Cheri

Excellent post! I got a little tear in my eye for you, but also for every one of us on this incredible journey. It's truly amazing how this surgery, how finally being able to lose the weight, changes us and improves our lives. I am SO happy for you, and I hope you continue onward with great success as you reclaim your life and your body. Congrats! ~Cheri

BAHAHA! Sorry, I had to laugh hysterically at that one. Those, my dear, are NOT my boobs. That is a Miraculous Push Up Bra from Victoria's Secret, and yes it was worth $60 because the darn thing works MIRACLES. My real boobs are sad, pitiful creatures counting down the months to plastic surgery! ~Cheri

Congrats on such a great start! I'm really glad to hear that the PCOS hasn't caused you issues with weight loss. Everyone is different and sometimes those darn hormones cause more issues than we expect. I didn't really see a difference in myself until around 60 pounds lost. Even now I really have to see side-by-side pictures of me then and now to really see how much I've changed. It's far easier for other people to notice, I think. Continue opening up and growing comfortable with this new body you're making for yourself. You'll continue to change as you head towards goal and I think you'll be very happy once you get there. I think that seeing the external match up to what we want to be inside really helps us treat ourselves better. I had no idea how much I shut myself away and how distant I was even with my family and friends as I continued to gain weight. Once I started losing and feeling better it was like I was back to being ME again. It wasn't until I regularly felt happy and cheerful that I realized it had been YEARS since I'd felt that way on a regular basis. Not sure if that makes any sense or not. In any case, keep up the great work. I'm sure you'll start to see a difference in the mirror soon. ~Cheri

Oh my gosh, you look fabulous!! You've clearly done a great job, and to be three pounds from goal is so amazing. This surgery is the best thing ever, isn't it? I'm happy for you - you've done a fantastic job. ~Cheri

Wow - you're doing a fantastic job! Just the medical benefits alone would make this surgery worthwhile for you, but to lose so much in such a short time is icing on the cake. Great job! ~Cheri

Thanks everyone! I hope that everyone sticks to the plans that work best for them. I would hate to encourage people to slack! Sometimes I regret that I didn't do a little more to have better results, but I still consider myself a success. By VSG statistics I'm a success - I've lost 80% of my excess weight. Dr. Aceves/Gaby are pretty sure I'm going to slowly reach my goal some time in the next few months, which is very reassuring. And yes, my shapewear works miracles! I don't even like to wear lounging clothes around the house without shapewear because I look completely different. Thanks for the kind words everyone, and take care, ~Cheri

Thanks so much for the kind words, everyone! It's hard to get on the internet and post here but I wanted to say I appreciate the responses. And yes, my shapewear works miracles. I don't even like wearing lounging clothes around the house without my shapewear on, because my silhouette is so different with it off. It trims several inches off, kind of like an instant tummy tuck. ~Cheri

You look fantastic! You've come really far. I know you're a real inspiration to a lot of folks on here. Back when I was researching, I started out on the band site and saw you posting there. I'm glad you made the decision to revise so that you could get to goal! You're definitely doing things "the right way" and you look fabulous. ~Cheri

I meant to post this on the 15th but I had trouble logging into the site that day (and several days after that) and I didn't think about it again until today. I blame my Kyrgyz dial up internet! In any case, I was one year on 15 July. In that year I've lost 92 pounds. I've gone from a very snug 18 or 20 pant into a very comfortable size 8 or M. Women's sizing is insane, so sometimes I'm a 6 and sometimes I'm a 10, but regardless of the number on my pants I'm very happy with the way I look in my clothes now, and I have a large wardrobe of things I love to wear. Almost as exciting as losing the pounds is losing the diabetes. I had only been diagnosed 2 years before my surgery (I started as gestational diabetes) so I went into this fully expecting my blood sugars to be normal afterward and I wasn't disappointed. I'm still high-normal on my A1C, but that was six months ago...I haven't been tested since then. I hope to have a full lab panel done once we're settled here in our new home. I haven't taken a pill since the day before surgery (though I did require insulin several times 48 hours post op) and I've gotten so used to being normal that I don't even test my sugars any more. I'm no role model, so newbies looking for advice should look to some of the more active posters here that stick to a program and actually exercise. I lived out suitcases in my in-law's house for the last nine months due to a PCS from hell, so my eating and exercise habits have been erratic. I've pretty much been living as if I'm in maintenance for the last six months. Don't get me wrong - I don't live on a junk food, carb crazy diet. But I eat more like a "normal" person. I'll have several days where I stick to Protein first and drink lots of Water, but then I'll also have days where I eat pretty much whatever I want (but in small portions). I have maintained a slow but steady loss the entire time I've been sleeved and I weigh every day. I'm always watching for my weight to bounce up, but it never does more than that one or two pounds of fluctuation I see daily. I'm between 149-151 and I expect to stay there for several weeks. My pattern has always been a sudden drop (lately around three to five pounds) followed by three weeks or so at the same weight. I can't tie my losses to my diet - and I don't consider myself "done" yet. I'm sure that over the next six months or so I'll continue to see a slow but steady loss. Plastic surgery is in my future. I probably have more loose skin than most people that have lost less than 100 pounds since surgery. I had twins in 2007 and weighed 280ish after they were born. My skin has pretty much melted and I look a mess underneath my clothes. Thank heavens for the various brands of shapewear I've purchased. I wear them under everything. I plan to have plastics when we're back in the states in 2013, so my hope is that I'll get some exercise into my routine and see a little bounce back from my skin. I don't expect much, though. It's really bad. Underneath all that excess skin (with the occasional stubborn fat deposit) is a genuinely thin woman. I'll be honest - I think my goal weight might be a little low. I went based on the BMI chart and chose the most I could weigh at my height and be "normal" on the chart. But underneath all this skin I am bones and I don't really know where the additional 15 pounds will come from - unless it's my upper arms and thighs. They don't seem to be as small as the rest of me yet! I'm worried that if I lose 15 more pounds and then have plastics, I'll look like a bony scarecrow. My husband is happier that I'm happier but he's not so happy with my thinner body. He likes heavier women and was far happier with my body about 20 pounds ago. I'm sure he'll adjust in time, but it is a real obstacle for some couples. His opinion is that I should scrap the goal weight and focus on getting in shape for plastics and take whatever number I wind up with after plastics as my final weight. However, this is the man that thought I was sexy and attractive 37 weeks pregnant with twins, so I understand that he's trying to make sure I don't wind up with a figure he finds totally unattractive. I'm glad we had a solid marriage before surgery, or this might have caused some real issues for us. My only "I wish I'd known that" issue with surgery is the lactose intolerance. I had no idea I would be so crippled by this - and now that I'm overseas I don't exactly have a local store with almond, coconut and soy milk around the corner. I can eat small portions of hard cheese but yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, ice cream, sour cream, cream cheese, most protein powders, etc. are all completely out for me. It's very limiting but I'm surviving. Luckily I'm living in the land of grilled meat, grilled vegetables and flatbread so it's less of an issue here. And as a note for those military spouses - consider that your VSG might make you EFMP for an overseas tour. I did not disclose mine to the doctor that cleared us to live overseas, and due to the typical shoddy Tricare record-keeping nobody realized I'd had it done. But I was specifically asked if I had a band or bypass, and I was able to honestly answer no to that. Tricare finds the oddest reasons to consider families EFMP - speech therapy, diabetes, allergies, etc., so I'd be sure to ask the necessary questions about this if it could affect you. My husband's job has kept us overseas 5 years out of the last 7, so for us it could turn out to be a real issue, especially with the remote assignments we take. I'm just putting that out there, though it's not likely to affect but a small percentage of the military posters here. Best of luck to everyone. I don't post much anymore because like so many I'm just out here living my life now. But I wanted to give an update because I loved reading the one year stories when I was researching. They gave me something to hope for and I feel that if I can lose more than 90 pounds in a year of not really taking this sleeve as seriously as I should have, than barring medical complications, you should be able to meet or exceed that goal with no problem. Pictures attached. The first two are from one month prior to surgery and the last one is from a week ago. Please excuse my messy hair and worn out expression - I'm jet lagged and our transformer blew so I'm without the luxury of a blow dryer or straightening iron! ~Cheri

I use AllMax IsoNatural unflavored. I like it because I can't taste it in things, but everyone's taste is different when it comes to the unflavored Proteins. I hated unjury and could never use a full scoop in anything or it made me gag. I think it was the smell, because Unjury had that really awful smell. Yuck. IsoNatural has about 25 g Protein per scoop, 120 calories and 1 net carb. I mix it in coffee, tea, crystal light, soup, yogurt, oatmeal...pretty much anything. In my experience it's never gotten clumpy and sometimes (with flavored coffee or water) if I'm low on calories for the day I can push it and double my scoops to make it a Meal Replacement with 50 g protein and 240 calories. I also LOVE the AllMax IsoFlex protein powders. I think they taste fine (no Protein shake tastes great to me) and they have a great nutritional profile if you're watching carbs. If you don't want to shell out for a whole tub of the stuff, find samples online. I used Vitalady for samples before I bought the 2 pounder. ~Cheri