traceyc

When was your surgery? Fried food is the same as any other solid food. Won't hurt you if you chew it up really really well and is allowed in your food stage. You are told to avoid fried food because it is high calorie, high fat, high carb and usually not much to it nutritionally speaking. I have nibbled on a few fried things since surgery. My sleeve was fine with it, but my calorie counter was not. lol

That is great news. Congrats!

When was your surgery? Fried food is the same as any other solid food. Won't hurt you if you chew it up really really well and is allowed in your food stage. You are told to avoid fried food because it is high calorie, high fat, high carb and usually not much to it nutritionally speaking. I have nibbled on a few fried things since surgery. My sleeve was fine with it, but my calorie counter was not. lol

I had to give a urine sample right before surgery but it was only to check for pregnancy.

I love the Cream of Wheat Healthy Grain since it has extra Protein. I make it with milk and love it plain (I know I am a minority). I like the idea of adding the vanilla Protein Powder, might try that.

Love this. This board helped me so much before and right after my surgery. I try to help at least two people a week with nonjudgmental hopefully helpful answers even though I risk being called an idiot (again). I want to give back what I got. We need the nice people on this thread to post more and get this back to a helpful place for VSG. I am glad others are looking for more positive and friendly people.

I had my hiatal hernia repaired with my sleeve surgery, but did not have an extra incision. That might differ by doctor. I had an upper GI years before my surgery that showed the hernia. They didn't redo the test before surgery, but the doctor said it was pretty substantial. I don't feel it added to my healing time or pain. I had horrible reflux issues prior to surgery and now they are completely gone. I think this has everything to do with getting the hernia fixed. I went through insurance and they did charge for the procedure so I had to pay the co-insurance for that procedure as well, but just the surgeon since the hospital, anesthesiology, etc charge just once no matter what they do once in there.

Everyone looks so good!

I am 3 weeks post op and just wanted to share this item that is helping me through the liquid and pureed part of the post op diet. Texas grocery store HEB has a milk brand Mootopia that had 12g of Protein, 40% less sugar than regular milk per 8 oz and is lactose and fat free. I was really struggling to get my protein in right after surgery and using this in my Protein Shakes, Soups and hot Cereal really helps up the protein content. I also drink on its own when I just can't stomach anything else.

Love this. This board helped me so much before and right after my surgery. I try to help at least two people a week with nonjudgmental hopefully helpful answers even though I risk being called an idiot (again). I want to give back what I got. We need the nice people on this thread to post more and get this back to a helpful place for VSG. I am glad others are looking for more positive and friendly people.

I see shopping being fun now as a perk for sure. I didn't have any co-morbitities before surgery, yet anyhow, I was just morbidly obese. If you have a history of obesity and family history of it surgery can prevent future health issues. It is an investment in your future. As long as you have a clear understanding of the risks of surgery and feel the risk is worth it. Some people think woman who get their breasts removed because they have the gene and family history of breast cancer are crazy, but as someone with a family history of it, i completely understand.

Never worked for me. I don't know how you watch your portions without tracking and measuring. You need to measure at least a few times to figure out what a serving size is on most things. All you can do is suggest, hopefully they are successful. If not, maybe they will take your suggestions.

Love this. This board helped me so much before and right after my surgery. I try to help at least two people a week with nonjudgmental hopefully helpful answers even though I risk being called an idiot (again). I want to give back what I got. We need the nice people on this thread to post more and get this back to a helpful place for VSG. I am glad others are looking for more positive and friendly people.

Love this. This board helped me so much before and right after my surgery. I try to help at least two people a week with nonjudgmental hopefully helpful answers even though I risk being called an idiot (again). I want to give back what I got. We need the nice people on this thread to post more and get this back to a helpful place for VSG. I am glad others are looking for more positive and friendly people.

Love this. This board helped me so much before and right after my surgery. I try to help at least two people a week with nonjudgmental hopefully helpful answers even though I risk being called an idiot (again). I want to give back what I got. We need the nice people on this thread to post more and get this back to a helpful place for VSG. I am glad others are looking for more positive and friendly people.

I haven't tried to fool anyone since I did card tricks for my granddaughter. I certainly wouldn't want to create a false impression about the pain of my operation, why would I? I personally think folks should not get this operation if they can get the same results from other actions but not because my operation was extremely painful for me. It was not.
Unfortunately, we are all different. There is a subjective element to all of the expressions we have of our experiences. Those who have had a painful, terrible time with this operation should speak without shame. Those who think it was a mild trial especially considering what the operation accomplished should also speak freely.
We can do no more than relate our experiences. We can't give medical advise so if anyone is trying to fool anyone it would be the medical people. They are the only ones with a motive. I trust mine, what they told me and the results of their work turned out just like they said. I am diminished by 1/3 of my original weight and in the best shape in 40 years. I am no longer in pain. They did their work, I did mine. My experience.

Agree with Catracks, you don't need to go back all the way to the beginning. Be sure you are getting your Water for sure. That helps a lot. You could also try Diva's bootcamp. I think many people have had luck breaking stalls and carb addictions with it.
http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/28139-the-basics-boot-camp/

I'll be a different voice here. I think that while your husband may not understand where you're coming from, he's trying to help you keep a more normal approach. There could be a number of issues here.
One, he may not want to be alone in his enjoyment of food now that you're sleeved. food was likely part of a ritual you shared as a couple and he doesn't want to lose that, simply because you lose weight. But two, he also may have seen you do all-or-nothing diets in the past and wind up failing, not to mention being angry or resentful because of what foods you're avoiding.
Right now, the goal is to build healthy eating habits. But the way to successfully maintain long term is a balance of your approach and his. It means enjoying the food and yes, the social rituals we build around it, without losing control, feeling guilt or going overboard.
You're a ways from it yet, but there will come a point where you SHOULD be incorporating a more normal diet. You'll need the energy, you'll function better with more (quality) carbs and you'll need to learn moderation so you don't fall on your face once you hit goal. You'll likely also find that you feel a better sense of control around food when you do incorporate a more balanced diet - not feeling deprived helps you avoid the binge and graze behavior that most likely helped contribute to your obesity.
So - try to be more understanding of him while also trying to help him understand that your sleeve is not temporary. This is a big change for us, yes, but we underwent it and have new limitations that almost force us into compliance (at least early on) while he really cannot understand how big a change this is for you without undergoing it himself.
Good luck!
~Cheri

I have my wine or drink before my meal. Early out I would stick to nothing 30 minutes before, but now have no problems drinking right up to eating. I would suggest not drinking more than a sip or two while eating or right after. This still hurts my stomach and could flush out the food faster.

Ladies -
I'm seeing that a huge percentage of our pregnant ladies are ones that were using the IUD as their primary form of birth control. But what I haven't seen is someone taking the time to say, "Hey, this is a possible issue and be aware of it BEFORE surgery."
The IUD can shift and/or fall out with a drastic change in weight. I wish more surgeons were discussing this possibility with their patients, because I'm getting the feeling that they aren't always doing so and that many women are unaware that this can happen.
Please be sure to address your choice of the IUD with your doctor so that you can decide if it's the right choice for you while you're in the initial loss phase.
I've seen a large number of surprise pregnancies lately and almost every one of them was an IUD user. We all love babies, but it's nice to be more in control of the process and not be surprised with a pregnancy while eating a drastically reduced diet and learning your sleeve. And the early months are emotional enough without complicating matters.
So, just my official suggestion that even if your surgeon or PCP does not bring this up (and particularly if you're self-pay and won't be seeing a regular team of doctors) that you bring it up yourself if you're currently using this type of birth control and not trying to get pregnant.
~Cheri

It got better for me, but not the same as pre-surgery. There are still a few things I loved pre-surgery that still don't taste right like shrimp but things gradually started tasting better for me I would say around 4 months out. I feel I am still more aware of some seasonings, especially salt. I think some of it is the fact that I used to inhale my food and now I actually chew it. For the most part though foods taste good now.

I agree, homemade Soups and smoothies can be very healthy. I make Soup a lot. It is packed with Protein and veggies. I don't think I could have gotten through the first couple month post op without homemade blended soups. I use an immersion blender to make the veggies smooth after cooking for awhile in chicken broth. You can add unflavored Protein Powder for extra protein too. Maybe the Nut was just referring to high fat canned soups and sugary smoothies?

You have almost 2 months, you can do this! I used the patch to help stop smoking about 4 years ago when I first started exploring surgery. I only used it for about 2 weeks and haven't touched a cigarette since then. It does have nicotine so you would not be able to use after the 30 day clock starts. I have heard people have good results with chantix as well. You have such a great motivator to stop. Anytime you reach for a cigarette try to think about what you will be giving up for it. Is that cigarette worth not getting surgery? Is it worth it to continue being over weight with all the complications that go with it? Would you rather smoke that cigarette than lose that feeling of dread that you won't fit in a seat at a concert, on an airplane, etc? This surgery is the best thing I have done for myself. I know how hard it is to stop, the cravings are killer, but I was only successful with quitting when I really realized what I was giving up to keep smoking.

It slides out of the stomach so you don't stay full and you can eat more. It will still go through the intestines where you will be processing and absorbing the calories. At least that is my understanding.

You are going to get a wide variety of responses to this but here is my perspective. I had horrible reflux before the sleeve. I took multiple ppi a day and if I skipped a dose or two I was miserable. Since being sleeved I have no reflux issues and don't even take a ppi anymore. I haven't thrown up once. I came close a few times in the beginning while learning how much and how fast I could eat. I used to feel awkward when eating in a group of people who don't know about my surgery thinking they would notice me not eating much. I don't now that I am comfortable with my sleeve and really no one notices or cares. I do wish it was easier to get liquids in, but that is really my only complaint. I still drink slowly and it is tough getting it all. I love my sleeve and wish I had it sooner.
I did not have a band first but there is a forum on here for band to sleeve. Might be helpful in your research as you make you decision.