Strangefruit

I hope you are thick skinned bc you're going to get a serious reality check from some of the posters here...

I'm not doubting these stories but I am 7 weeks out now and if I have one bite more than my sleeve can hold I spend 30 mins in the bathroom throwing up. How do they do it?

This has been a very hot topic over the last few weeks. And I've got to say that things can get pretty heated and very preachy. Now, I know the "preachy" posters mean well and many have survived very harrowing life threatening complications (Iggy is one of them ...she nearly died). BUT, when chastising one person for "cheating" based on his/her particular doctor's conservative guidelines you are completely discrediting the other 50% of the docs who have more liberal guidelines.
It is obvious from the wildly varied physicians post surgery instructions and "absolutes" that there is NO standardized guidelines. One surgeon allows mushy foods in the hospital, one says Clear liquids for 7 days, another one says Clear Liquids for 2 days then full liquids for 7 days then mushy, the next one says full liquids immediately after a leak test..... and on and on. One of the recent threads has a poster who was allowed STEAK 3 weeks!!!!!
Obviously there is no consensus....and I'd find it hard to believe that the docs who are more liberal with post-op diets are incompetent or negligent. And in order to be so arrogant about one surgeons individual directives over another, that is the approach you would have to take. So, at this point I believe that the more conservative docs may be in CYA mode because people can be given and inch and take a mile. And I can say with almost certainty that the more liberal docs have never run into a complication that they believe was caused by patient compliance or their liberal guidelines. If they would have they would have immediately turned to the conservative route because malpractice sucks....

Now, to my individual experience. My doc's instructions fall into the conservative category... (clear liquids for 7 days then full liquids for 7 days then mushy).... I am 11 days out and for me to believe it poses a danger to eat some mushy oatmeal or thinned mash pototoes would mean I would have to believe that half the bariatric surgeons in the US are incompetent and negligent. Now, that does not mean I'm going to go hog wild and order a pizza and eat a steak tomorrow. I have no intention of eating solids until I've progressed along the actual phases. I am using common sense, my own research and my brain to make choices.

It's true, the varying degrees of postop diets can be so confusing and if yours seems particulary strict, I can totally see where you would want to say, well, if they can do it, why not me? My son and I were sleeved together on the same day. He is 22 and I'm 53. Even a couple of little things were different between my son's postop rules, and mine. What I'm saying is, to add to the great info Butterthebean posted, there are so many differences even between my son and I and we have the same surgeon. Factors could include, age and weight and height of each individual. I find it all so confusing and I just hope, if we follow the rules, we will minimize our risk of complications.
I don't think you can say exactly what causes a leak. I wouldn't be quick to blame it on the surgeon, either, unless you find out that his percentage of leaks was high. I know that I take a few spoons of Soup and worry that I have expanded my new tumtum too much.

How would anyone ever know the cause of a leak? There is no documentation because there is no way to pinpoint the cause. You can cheat or not. You can have a leak or not. You can't say for sure what the cause and effect is going to be. But you can do everything in your power to increase your odds of healing properly and living a healthier life in the long run.
Each doctor's plan is different because each doctor developed his plan based on how he was trained, and then surely tweaked it over the years based on his patient's experiences. Add to that each doctor's personal sense of conservatism vs. his willingness to push the envelope. Not to mention his fear of malpractice lawsuits. Then divide that by his penchant for oversimplifying things so that even the stupidest of patients can follow the plan.

Thanks Susan but I don't think that was the question, at least not for me. I totally understand the purpose of the diet. However, when someone says that they cheated, people automatically start freaking out that it will 'cause' a leak. Just saying this forum is the only place I've seen that lists that as a cause. Obviously overeating or eating solids to early is not good when liquids is advised, but, again, there are some surgeons that tell their patients to eat whatever they can tolerate from the get go or to advance as tolerated with no specific time frame. Just curious as to why all the variations if eating solids too soon can cause a life threatening complication. Seems that there would be research to back this, and there may be but I haven't seen it.

I love my Fitbit! Def worth the money. All I have to do is slip it into my pocket, and it tracks my steps, # flights of stairs per day, calories burned, etc. Really accurate too. But I like that it's small, and not a bulky thing I have to clip on to the waist of my pants, digging into me and falling off. It still has a clip though, if you want to do it that way and it holds on tight. What I really like though is that it automatically shoots the daily exercise info over to an online account so you can keep logging in and see your progress throughout the day. (it gets addictive!)
Anooother cool thing is you can connect your Fitbit account to your MyFitness Pal acct...So if you use MFP, it shoots all that info over to Fitbit and you can see the whole picture of your exercise & food it one place.
P.S. Oh and the sleep tracker does work! The first night I wore it I found out I woke up 17 times!!! No wonder I was groggy

You lost 78 lbs since 10/22!!? Wow, that is my surgery date too - 10/22/12 but am only around 40... What is your secret?

Welcome aboard!!
There are some amazing people here, a few assholes and plenty of crazies!!

Hello Everyone! I am new to this forum and figured I should introduce myself. Been looking around here for about a week now and have found so many valuable resources and inspiring stories and people! I am a single father to an amazing 5 year old boy. I am 6'5" and 396 pounds. I have been overweight as long as I can remember. I do not have an exact weight goal (maybe 240) in mind but rather I just to get to a healthy weight that will enable me to feel confident in myself and be a more active father to my son.
WLS is something that I have known about for a few years but only in the last few months have I given it serious consideration. I have 100% come to the realization that I need the help of the VSG to assist me in reaching my WL goals. I have found out that my insurance covers WLS and am meeting with my chosen surgeon on Friday. Shooting for around the middle of March to be sleeved. I have never had any type of surgery in the past and the idea of surgery has always freaked me out, however I am managing those fears and genuinely excited to proceed.
I look forward to getting to know some of you, receiving guidance, and hopefully being able to pay it forward in the future.

New year - new mini-challenge: April 1, 2013 - April Fool's Day! Hey, we're no fools - working our sleeves to the best we can and making goals that inspire us. Encouraging and congrating one anothers accomplishments, taking advise (good and bad!) ... it's a very good thing!
Today's weight in (1/1/13) - 209
Goal for 4/1/13 - 179
Total loss -30 pounds.
(Lowest weight since had children was 178 - my daughters, 18 & 19, have never seen me under 200 lbs. This will be a very cool year for me, no doubt! My youngest daughter graduates from HS, it will be nice to enjoy the festivities without feeling ashamed of my appearance like I was last year at my eldest daughter's HS graduation.)
Good luck everyone!

Tears rolled down my cheeks in the dressing room when I went shopping today (fist time since surgery on 10/25). After having to try on a few medium shirts because the larges were too big and having to go back for size 12 jeans because I was swimming in the 14s, I couldn't em back. The first time I thought was maybe a fluke but after buying 3 medium shirts (some larges as well) and 3 size 12 jeans I had to just soak it in and realize that I haven't been this size since jr high. In just 9 weeks I've went from 18/20 and xl/xxl shirts to 12/14 and m/l shirts. It's so strange shopping in a store and having to skip the plus sizes and know that you don't have to try to squeeze into their biggest size and are able to shop the "normal" racks. Bring on 2013, I'm ready for my life back!

pop top cans of tuna, babybel, mini turkey bites, shrimp, mini pepperoni slices, rolled up slices of lunchmeat, leftover piece of chicken, hard boiled egg, cottage cheese.< /p>

Rest assure, once you see the pounds fall off, you won't think twice about missing those dinners.

I have ankles again! Ankles I tell you! Haven't seen them in about 8 years! Sleeved 11/5 and down 34.2 lbs (46.2 for the year).

Thanks for all of your positive thoughts. I guess for me, it's hard to read forums and blogs where people seem to be losing massive amounts of weight and here I am struggling with a couple of stalls and even a few weight gains. I had a doctor tell me a couple of years ago that she had never had a patient whose body seemed to hold on to fat like mine does. In the past, I've been totally compliant with dieting and exercise and I struggled to lose the little bit of weight that I did lose. I'm finding that true again, even with my surgery.
I'm praying that exercise will get the weight loss really going. I haven't been able to do much because I got a staph infection a week after surgery and my doctor doesn't want me doing much until mid to late January. I'm going to join the gym that my husband goes to and also got some kettlebells and a DVD for strength training.
Thanks again. It helps to know that there are others who totally understand what this feels like.
Blessings,
Julie

I had my surgery Oct 24 2012 and I am now having a bad stall. It has been almost 21/2 weeks and no loss. I was 248 and now 214 and can't get past that. I have a hard time eating and a real hard time drinking. I hope this isn't where it stops.

Here is a link to the best info I've seen about stalls: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

I also think the Protein is making my breath stink! I brush my teeth and tongue after each shake, but maybe its the protein in an otherwise empty stomach!
Any one else having this problem?