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For those with dry skin issues. Are you taking in healthy fats? I read so many posts about calories on VST but I swear by eating food with healthy fats in them like hemp seeds and avocados. Hope that helps.

Brown rice does for me. I'm still sensitive to most hearty grains. Some hearty breads, like ciabatta, give me a hard time as well.

Juicing and blending both have their place in a healthy lifestyle. As another poster said, juicing provides immediate nutrition and was going to be part of my plan early out. I was not worried as many here are about carbs as I planned to juice mostly veggies like celery, cucumber, etc and then add a little apple for sweetness. (I ended up not juicing because I was too lazy to want to deal with cleaning the machine). I also have a Vitamix and blend veggies and fruit into smoothies. The upside is the added fiber, the downside is the thickness and air in those drinks as another poster mentioned. Smoothies can be harder on a newer sleeved tummy. Either way, nutrition from healthy, whole food sources are a great idea. After all, speaking for myself, I got fat eating Cheetos and other garbage, not by eating too much kale!

My biggest fear was and is that the sleeve won't work for me, that 6 months from now I'll maybe only be a few pounds lighter. The hardest things to overcome in the beginning is all the "rules." I still struggle to get all my protein, water, and vitamins in. It is becoming a habit and starting to feel more of a routine but it requires a lot of planning in the beginning. For me planning is a challenge, before surgery I could eat any and everything. Now it's protein first. I wasn't a big water drinker before surgery so success in a day for me is around 48 oz a day. Same with vitamins, I didn't start taking them until last year when I got diagnosed with a Vit D deficiency. Now I'm supposed to take two multi-vitamins and two calciums a day, plus B-12 three times a week. It's a lot. I found it helpful to chart it all out everyday for the first two weeks (I took two weeks off to recover): I wrote out my meals, measured my food, ticked off my water and vitamins. Now I try to always keep a protein bar and vitamins in my purse, and bottled water in the trunk of my car.

I'm almost 7 weeks out. I eat about 800 cals a day as well.

Mine was not supportive at all. He actively tried to talk me out of it, even threatening me with consequences (like leaving me) for doing it. As my date got closer, I finally called bullsh*t on him and while he doesn't support me, he stopped being a jerk about it all. Now that I am post op, he still doesn't get it and goes out and buys donuts, but it's over and done with so it's fine.

Rocking heels again was one of my first NSVs. At 254lbs, I could only wear them for a hour at most. Now I wear them all day. I only hope that as lose more weight my feet become easier to fit. Right now I wear a wide width so it is hard to find cute styles.

Usually they go off of the weight your surgeon's office sends over as part of their authorization request. If in doubt call the insurance company directly and ask them.

I was. No comorbities required a 40 bmi or higher was my insurance's requirement.

Have space on both sides of an airplane seat. Build stamina and endurance Become a health nut. Wear a small or medium- I want the words large, extra-large, and extra, extra large not describe my wardrobe but rather my bank account. Dance/ Zumba or do something where I can shake it!

Lots of excellent blenders on the market like Blendtec, Vitamix, ninja. Cusinart is sort of the gold standard of food processors. However if you don't want to spend much, aren't looking for top of the line, Krups and Black & Decker make good small appliances.

Low sodium jerky, blender bottle and protein shake mix, string cheese, refried beans, anything in aseptic or shelf stable containers like the tuna salad lunch kits, bring frozen items that you can eat thawed to cold by lunch with just an ice pack. Good luck.

Congratulations Cheri on your newest edition!

Probably loving his new slimmer, muscled up self. Lol!

Have you tried the pouch test? The first one I read about involvles eating cottage cheese as a way to determine stomach capacity. (might give you some insight until you get an EGD or upper GI) The second one I read about is more of a reset, if you search for lil Miss Diva's 5 day bootcamp it is supposed to help you get off the carbs and other refined foods. Since you are tall, your sleeve is longer and should hold more than mine (I'm 5'4"). As far as cheap heathy eats, I feel you there. I lots of cheap healthy stuff: I buy the produce that is on special for the week. Last week it was brussels sprouts. I eat canned beans, plus I can make my own hummus In 5 minutes for half the costs. I buy the big containers of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, then portion it out. Way cheaper than the single serve. I buy plain and then flavor it myself. I coupon. I clip all meat coupons (usually the priciest item in my cart) and signed up for my store's online coupon service. I do one splurge item in the cart as well. Last week was low carb flour tortillas- $3.99 for a small pack! This week, my splurge is to seek out some fancy flavored waters, I need to get more water in. Hunger is a beast and I had acid issues before my sleeve so for me getting the PPI thing right was critical. They take time to work so you may have to up your dose and give it awhile. I know you've recieved a ton of advice. Let us know how things progress. We are rooting for you.

I took 1 Dulcolax capsule a day the first month after surgery. Since then, I started tracking fiber on My Fitness Pal. Usually I mix 1/3 - 1/4 c of All Bran Buds into my Greek yogurt. Plus I take fiber gummies. Sometimes I swap the All Bran for a Quest bar. Before surgery, I only went once day day. Now I go once a day or every other day. I do need to drink more water though.

My Nut said to buy a case of bottled H20. 4- 16.9 oz bottles a day= my need. It was a helpful visual for me to track. I just refill the bottles for a day before recycling and setting out another 4. I aslo use My Fitness Pal to track when my water as well

The best WLS is the one that is right for you. While I chose VSG, the first surgeon I saw was a big plication advocate. Not promoting him, he wasn't my doctor, but he seemed competent and very knowledgable about plication. His website might give some more info as you do your research. http://www.waldrepwrap.com/faq/

Soup was my go to at 3 weeks out. I felt good being able to feel like part of the group and order something. I always order water to drink but the don't drink it.

Fiddleman, have you been to a chiropractor? I took trial and error for me to find a good one but mine was a life-saver. One of the reasons I had VSG was that all of my excess weight exacerbates that fact that my hips are slightly uneven. This plus sitting too much during the day at a desk made my low back constantly inflamed. Beside his manipulation to help adjust my hip, my Chiro is into icing the back to reduce the inflation and a homeopathic ointment call Trameel for body aches. Any or all may be worth a try. Good luck.

I was fitted for an abdominal binder at my surgeon's office before surgery. Woke up in recovery with it on. Had to take it off though it didn't fit well. Going to start trying my Spanx again next week. I do at times feel like my incisions would feel better if they were supported.

Two suggestions: get an Excalibur. Best dehydrator around and you can buy used on craigslist / eBay. Second, be sure to stay hydrated when eating dehydrated foods. The lack of water content means you will need to drink extra water.