MyGastricSleeveLife

I use my phone and my laptop and sometimes desktop. When you go to the site, you should originally see your "home" which has a menu on the left side with "track food" "track exercise' etc - then in the middle of that page you should see a box with your calories & such and under that is a "news feed" if you have friends on there, the news feed will show different things about the friends like when we enter exercise or finish our food log for the day or weigh in. To add friends, it is kind of tricky. You have to go to the Community Tab and then there is a little sub menu where you choose "find members" - when that loads, there is a spot where you can put in someone's user name to find them & then you have to click "add friend" to actually send an add request. I hope that helps. By the way, I'm mygastricsleevelife there.

I always mix mine with more liquid than it suggests because it's too strong for me otherwise!

I posted on another section about them yesterday because my dietician told me about them, but I haven't tried them yet. From responses I've gotten there and on my surgeon's support group, they are just like other stuff - it is different for everyone. Some people like them & some don't.

I just wanted to share this link for a new product that my dietician told me about today. It's from Celebrate Nutrition, which has a full line of bariatric stuff. This new product is a Multivitamin & Calcium citrate & even some Fiber all combined in a powder. It would be great for those who don't like chewables or pills!! I haven't actually tried it yet, and I had already gotten other products for right after surgery, but I'm going to order these once my others are gone (or before if I have the money) because although I can tolerate the chewables I don't like them all that much. variety pack, but you can also order just all of one flavor from their site if you want. They also have an automatic re-order think if you want too. I think it's neat a company came out with a new way for us to have vitamins!!!

Just to clarify.... biotin is a vitamin supplement, not a hair product (at least I haven't seen hair products with that name). :-)

Nancy - these aren't the shakes, they're just vitamins. The shakes have protein too. These are only $45 for a 30-day supply (which is 60 packets since you do use two per day). However, I spent about $40 on a 90-day supply of a bariatric multivitamin and $55 on a 30-day supply of calcium citrate chewy bites because I don't like the plain chewable ones. Therefore, for me, if I can get the multivitamin AND the calcium citrate I need for $45 per month it's great. I still need to look into things more & I'm still new to all this & am researching different products. I think, from what my dietician said, they've had the shakes for a while, but these powdered vitamin packets are something that are fairly new.

I'm right with you! I'm on Day 9 right now - 5 more days until surgery. I'm SO glad I'm on the downhill slide of the pre-op diet, but it seems like it's getting harder the closer I get to surgery! Hang in there! We can do this!!

It really depends on what your surgeon requires. In my paperwork, it says my surgeon required smokers to stop smoking for at least 30 days before surgery. You really need to talk to your surgeon because he/she might not do the surgery if you don't quit.

Interesting. I didn't know Bariatric Advantage had something like that. I posted on my support group for my surgeon's office about these too & a few people said they've tried them & don't like them. I wonder if mixing them with crystal light or something else would help at all. They do have a 7-day supply available, so I might order one of those just to see what they're like before ordering a 30-day supply!

I haven't had surgery yet, but my emotions are going crazy on my pre-op diet & I think it's because of having so few calories, especially after being used to a lot more. I've snapped at stupid things & am much more on edge. I was hoping that with surgery and especially once I get back on regular food and more calories that will improve. Maybe it's just worse because you're still not far out from surgery. If it continues long-term, you could probably see about medication. Sorry I don't really have suggestions. Just know you're not completely alone in the emotions department!!

I can't take any "medicine" now & I'm a week pre-op too - I use Airborne when I'm feeling icky. I've actually used Airborne a few times while on the pre-op diet now just to boost my vitamin levels & make sure I don't get sick now! Good luck!!! Also make sure to get plenty of fluids (although you're probably already doing that)!

no one has been harmed at my house yet, but the smell of dinner my husband cooked for him & our daughters tonight reminded me I hadn't had my shake for dinner yet..... and I've written on my blog some about having to hold my emotions in check lately. I've been really emotional & snap at everything! 7 days done 7 more to go for me. I didn't have to do all shakes, but have found it's been the easiest with final exams too now & having to stick to 650 calories. I just have to do clear liquids the day before surgery to really clean my system.

Have you called your doctor? Honestly, these types of questions are for your surgeon. You (or your insurance) paid for surgery and have the right to call them as much as necessary! Other than that, I'd just say to try to eat something bland and just try to get something down - especially your Water, but I really don't know.

How many calories are you getting in? If you're working out that much, you may be getting too few calories. You could try mixing things up by having lunch for breakfast or different things like that. Depending on your plan, you could even eat a little less at meals & add in some snacks. You could do weights at the gym instead of cardio or do a combination of part cardio & part weights.

Oops.... I meant 1500 mg of calcium citrate, not 1500 g!!!

Good luck w/ everything! my surgeon requires people to stop smoking for at least 30 days before surgery. I'm glad your doctor is helping you somewhat. Just be careful with all those medications! Don't hesitate to keep coming here or going to local places for support!! :-)

oh - they're about $2 per bar at most grocery stores I've found them at. One was $1.79 per bar. Amazon has them for about $1.50 per bar depending on how you order it. You might consider that depending on what you found them for on ebay. I saw some auctions there before & some did end up cheaper, but some ended up even more expensive.

Personally, I like the white chocolate, creamy Peanut Butter, and brownie crunch the best. I've also tried crunchy peanut butter, chocolate covered strawberry, and lemon that I didn't care for as much. I know everyone is different though. If you like dark chocolate, you might like the chocolate covered strawberry one. It was good, but I don't like dark chocolate much. I have an autoshipment on Amazon for the white chocolate and creamy peanut butter once a month. I postponed it now until after surgery, but plan on still buying them since they're cheapest there and the subscription is a little more discounted. I've found them in a couple local grocery stores, but not Walmart, so you might be able to look around for them too. I tried a few flavors from the grocery store before I bought them on Amazon just because I wanted to make sure I liked them.

I just wanted to mention that every doctor is different. Therefore, you might have different guidelines for vitamins & when you can take them & how much to take. My doctor suggests 1500 grams of calcium citrate. I can't take vitamins/supplements for the first 2 weeks after surgery unless they're crushed, but he does allow me to take Prilosec as a pill. I still have to ask about a couple medications at my pre-op appointment this coming Friday. I would just follow what your doctor suggests.

I don't remember where I read it, but I read somewhere that the complication rates are less than 1% of all surgeries done. I have two children, 12 & almost 8 years old. I'm self-pay and I think that's what really scares me about complications is the bill if I had any because my cost doesn't include complications. My mom and both my in-laws have died in the past 7 years at fairly young ages. I'm doing this to try to be here for my kids as long as possible. I have put my trust in God that all will be well. However, that being said - if I could lose weight another way, then I would. My BMI is currently 42.5. I've tried many, many, many diets and programs in the past 12 years and have never lost more than 20 lbs before quitting because of cost and/or because of my underlying food addiction. However, if I could stick to losing weight on my own, then I would do it and I would find a way to deal with things and keep it off to avoid major surgery. I know this is the right decision for me because I have researched and prayed and put my trust in God. However, I know it's not the best decision for everyone. Here is one link about complication rates based on studies in 2009. The numbers might be different now since it's been a few years. http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/gastric-sleeve-surgery.html#Complications

Different doctors have different opinions just like each person has different opinions. Just trust your doctor and do what he/she tells you to do and you'll be fine - even if he/she is one that allows you to progress right away. I'm a self-pay patient and I feel like I'm paying my doctor to do this & I better trust what he says & I better ask him the major questions I have - even if it means calling his office multiple times a day! Although other doctors may say other things, other doctors did not operate on you. Just trust your surgeon and dietician and their advice.

As you can see already, every doctor is different. My doctor has 2 options - one for fatty livers & one for non-fatty livers. The calorie goal is the same for both - 650 calories, with at least 70 grams of Protein, less than 60 grams of carbs & around 10 grams of fat. For the non-fatty liver people, it's okay to have regular food if you stay within those guidelines. For the fatty liver people, it's all Protein shakes, sugar-free Jell-O, broth, and Crystal Light. For both kinds it is for 14 days before surgery. For Protein drinks, they suggest looking for anything with at least 15 grams of protein per 8 ounce serving, less than 20 grams of total carbohydrates per 8 ounce serving, and less than 5 grams of fat per 8 ounce serving. I'm on Day 6 of my pre-op diet now & although I'm tolerating it okay, it's not any fun. I'm not sure that I'd do it if my doctor didn't require it! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!

I don't know all the technical ways to say how it works, but I know a lot depends on your activity level. The more you exercise & burn, you need to eat more to replenish and help your body. If you have too much of a deficit between what you burn in a day and what you consume, your body goes into starvation mode and hangs on to every little bit it has. Therefore, sometimes you need to change up your calories by eating a little more and/or eating different things at different times of the day in order to restart your losing. I haven't had surgery yet, but know this just from many other diets & programs I've done in the past.

I just sent you a friend request. My username there is mygastricsleevelife. My surgery is on 5/14 in the late afternoon. I'm on my pre-op diet now.

Cool! I've done mostly clinic work instead of hospitals. Although MT stuff has been good & was really nice when my kids were little, I've always dreamed of teaching high school Spanish, so that's what I'm going to school for now. I've loved Spanish since I started taking it in 7th grade & I served a mission for my church in Chile, which made me love it even more. I've been lucky to be able to get most of my classes during the day when my kids are in school. I hope to be able to continue that way at the university too. I'll be about 40 by the time I get my Bachelor's, but I'm happy to be following my dream.