Carrie's Journey

I am 4 1/2 years out and I drink zero cal energy drinks. They go down fine and have for awhile. I probably didn't have any carbonated drinks for at least the first year. I have regained a bit but it was from a pregnancy and eating crap. I'm going back to basics tomorrow but I'll continue with my energy drinks!

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I'm 4 1/2 years out and will be going back to basics starting tomorrow. I was at goal for 2 years and then my regain happened with my last pregnancy... I haven't been able to follow the plan since then. I'm super bummed about this but I'm motivated to get back on track. My goal is to lose 30 lbs!!

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I took the medication religiously and had my gallbladder taken out one year after my vsg. I probably had gallstones before...

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Don't go there.

Just don't.

Here's why. At first' date=' it'll be carrot sticks. Then it'll be some crunchy crackers. Then a few months later it will be popcorn. And then some soda to wash that popcorn down. Or you'll be up at night sneaking Cookies, or digging spoonfuls of Peanut Butter out of the jar at 2 am in the kitchen.

Big issue I see on the vet boards with regain? Late night snacking, and snacking in general.

When I want something late at night I have Water. If the feeling persists for a long time, I'll have a Protein shake. If that won't cut it, I check my MFP for the day. If I'm genuinely low on calories, I'll eat a cheese stick or a very small bowl (1/4 cup) of super crunchy Cereal with some soy milk. Any of these options are logged into my calorie counts for the day, of course.

If I still feel hungry at that point? It's off to bed with a glass of Water or it's time to do some jumping jacks and crunches to distract myself.

I strongly urge you NOT to build the habit of late night snacking. It makes maintenance much, much more challenging.

~Cheri[/quote']

You are so right!! Damn snacking!

How many days are you staying in Mexico? Do you think you'll be ready for the travel back home?

I love them. My favorite is the Apple Pie. At a year out, they're not as filling as before and they don't always satisfy my sweet cravings. So now I only eat one if I want to eat something worse (like candy). It's a good substitute for snacky food but I don't use them as meals.

You guys are all too kind. I never imagined I could weigh 140. It was so much fun seeing the scale when I was losing. Maintaining can be difficult if you don't watch it. I weigh every day and if I see the number go up, the carbs go down. Those damn carbs. Still hard to conquer and I will probably always be addicted to them. When I cut them out, I'm in control again. I still eat too fast. Restaurants are not fun.

Some of my favorite foods:

ProtiDiet hot cocoa every morning mixed with instant coffee and sugar free raspberry Syrup

nectar Protein shakes

Light & Fit greek yogurt.

Apples (extremely filling)

Quest bars, although they don't seem to be as filling anymore. I use them now as a substitute for crap food.

Nuts, although they are totally a slider for me.

"Bread pudding" made out of an egg custard and cottage cheese.

banana nut Protein muffins are to die for.

Hungry Girl's turkey veggie meatloaf muffins.

Grilled cheese rollups (lunch meat rolled around string cheese and grilled). Fave is ham and cheddar.

Fave work lunch is chicken Caesar salad.

There's more that I can't think of...

Can you share how much your self-pay was with Dr. Cirangle?

A pretty $17,500. Best investment of my life.

Isn't he worth the money? I'd recommend him to anyone. No post op complications and highly successful weight loss. Great surgeon!

You had him too? Yes I love him! My husband thinks I have a crush on him. Lol

Since not many people know about my surgery, I had to come on here to share about my surgerversary!

I was a low BMI'er and self-paid a ton of money and this has been the best decision of my life. My high weight was 220, day of surgery 190, current weight 140. I'm 5'5". I'm trying to take off the last couple of pounds but I'm super happy at 140 and so is my surgeon. My bloodwork was awesome and I'm feeling great.

Here are some pictures. Even one with the fabulous Dr. Cirangle!

I haven't found that one yet. Where did you buy it?

My Walmart grocery store. I don't eat them often but this looked good and convenient. We'll see how it tastes.

Has anyone tried this one?

For those who had their gallbladder out.....were you on Actigall after the sleeve to try help prevent the gallbladder attacks?

Yep. Twice a day for 6 months.

I'm a year out next week and I can definitely eat a lot more now. I don't measure, but I still have a lot of restriction when it comes to solid, dense meat like chicken and steak. Maybe 3 oz or so? I can eat more fish, like 4 oz. And I can eat a lot of soft food - greek yogurt 5 oz easily. I can drink as much as I want. A 20 oz shake can go down pretty quickly if I'm thirsty and haven't eaten in awhile. Sometimes it depends on the day (when I'm hormonal it seems like I can eat all day long)...

I'm a year out and I just had my gallbladder removed after a bad attack. It was enlarged and I had lots of stones. We talked about the possibility of the surgery being open depending on scar tissue but everything went fine and it was done laparoscopically. I just have a few extra scars. I would consult another doctor for sure...an open surgery would be such a longer recovery.

Update I am in the hospital admitted with a shitload of gallstones and surgery to have it removed in the am:-(

Just had mine out about 3 weeks ago. Same story...extreme pain under my ribcage and back, felt like I was in labor or having a heart attack. Had a stone in the common bile duct. Surgery was a little harder than the vsg for some reason for me. The gas pain is the worst. Just pop the Norco for a few days.

1/2 cup Plain low/non fat greek yogurt (I used banana)

Banana-flavored Greek yogurt?

Yes. It's by Dannon Light and Fit, I believe.

I am in love with these Protein muffins. I'm a year out and just recently added back some oats, but these are still pretty healthy.

banana bread Protein muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cup Ripe banana (about 1 large banana)

3/4 cup Egg whites

1/2 cup Plain low/non fat greek yogurt (I used banana)

3/4 cup Oats

2 scoops Protein powder (I used a combo of nectar Banana Cream, vanilla, Chocolate-all good)

1/4 cup Granulated Splenda (you can probably leave this out if you want)

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Baking soda

1 tsp. Cinnamon

I threw in some chopped walnuts and when I made chocolate banana muffins (pictured), I added 3 semi sweet chocolate chips on top. Yum!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray. Silicone liners are awesome...Will stick otherwise.

Mix (wet with wet, dry with dry, then combine).

Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin tins.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Dr. Cirangle had me taking Actigall twice a day for 6 months. I lost most of my weight at that point. I am a year out this month and I went to the ER 2 weeks ago for what turned out to be gallstones in the common bile duct (OUCH). I had a ton of stones, and had my gallbladder removed. I have my 1 year follow-up with Dr. Cirangle next week so I'm curious about what he'll say. I may have had stones long before the sleeve, and had no symptoms. Or I may have developed them after, regardless of the Actigall. Who knows. I'm just glad it's all over!

I agree' date=' she's very nice, I just don't find her terribly helpful. I don't get much in the way of NEW advice from her, it's always the same stuff (don't eat carbs, eat more Protein, ignore your cravings). I guess I just think that a Nut who's walked in our shoes would be a better choice than one who hasn't. She just can't seem to relate to the challenges I have, or understand. I just feel frustrated after talking to her sometimes.

I also have a hard time getting any time with her. She's canceled the last 2 appts I had scheduled, and wouldn't even schedule this month's - just said 'oh, I'll see you when you come in'. When I DO get an appt with her, it's always 10 or 15 mins, then she has to rush off. I just do NOT feel like I am getting my money's worth when it comes to her.

I'm glad she's working for you - I just wish there was another option on staff for me.[/quote']

Oh, I see. Yes I kinda wish she had WLS so she understood better. I know one girl in the office had bypass by Dr C a few years ago but I don't if anyone else has. I've never met with Gabriella this whole year...just the first time and when I have questions, we email. This time she suggested coming in to talk, so we'll see how that goes and how long it lasts. It's a bit of a drive for me so it better be more than 10 min!

Oh sorry also I know Dr Cirangle comes to Stockton for seminars but do you know by chance what hospitals he uses if its more than one in CA? I went to a seminar YEARS ago & don't remember! Also did you finance this? Looking for good financing. My husband would love if I stayed in the states vs Mexico which I would too personally but of course the price for self pay is a huge difference! I could pay for Mexico but states would need some financing. Sorry for the 20 questions! Ok last one (how quick are you scheduled) I start school late August & would love to do it before then. Thanks again for your responses!

He uses quite a few hospitals but I don't know which ones besides the one in SF, San Jose, and Concord. I paid part cash and the rest I used our paid-off truck to finance through our credit union. So the interest rate is low. They were super accommodating and got me in within weeks. It was because of a cancellation they had. I also work at a school and with surgery on the 31st, I had 3 weeks to recover before going back. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly.

When did you have your surgery!? Since you were self pay did you have to do all the things that insurance payers had to do that Mexico doesn't require!? Like psych eval' date=' so many months on a diet, etc!?[/quote']

July 31, 2012. I did have to do psych eval, recent pap, physical, etc. I had to disclose all the diets I've been on but didnt need proof.

Not sure if the hospital options are different for self-pay (mine was covered thru insurance) but I had my surgery with Cirangle at John Muir in Concord.

Interesting that the other poster said she had no overnight stay; maybe because it was self-pay? I stayed one night and Cirangle was willing to keep me another if I felt I needed it.

He doesn't currently offer a 5 year aftercare plan (that I was told about' date=' anyway) but he does do a 1 year. My insurance did NOT cover that, and it was 5750 out of pocket. I don't particularly enjoy my monthly appointments with him - its true, his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired - but I'm glad I have the resource available if I need it or anything goes wrong.

One thing I will say, I wish he had more than one nutritionist on staff. Gabriella is very nice, but I don't get the sense that she's EVER had a weight problem, let alone undergone WLS. Sometimes her answers to my questions or her advice are just ridiculous. I've found more help on this forum than I have from her. Overall, I'm very disappointed with the nutrition-assistance from Cirangle's office. I'd prefer a Nut that either had WLS or had at least experienced obesity in the past and can truly relate to his/her clients. The skinny girl telling me to "just ignore" my cravings gets old really fast.

Cirangle's web site lists their seminar dates www.lapsf.com so you can see when the upcoming ones are.

One note of caution - recovery can be hard for some people. You may want to wait until you're on a break from school before you have the surgery. It's already mid-July, if you start school in August that doesn't leave you much time to schedule, have the surgery, recover some, and then begin school. That's an awful lot of stress. I had a fairly easy recovery and was off work for two weeks, but I quickly discovered I should have taken three. Your energy levels, pain levels, emotions - all are variables that you can't predict until post-op. Give yourself plenty of time if you can.[/quote']

I also went through John Muir in Concord. I know what you mean about Gabriella, but she really does try to help. I've gotten a little carb crazy and fallen off my program since I just had my gallbladder removed, so I'm going in to see her this week.

Sorry sent too soon! Anyways I read somewhere that he also charges 5' date='000 for a 5yr post op care!? Is that true!? What if you don't live near by but would still want to use him!? Why doesn't he do a leak test!?[/quote']

I didn't hear anything about the charge for 5 year post op visits...everything seemed included in the 17,500. I have seen him every month or two since surgery a year ago and plan to continue seeing him through the next few years.

I believe there is more to his reasons for not doing leak tests. I know we talked about it once but I can't remember...

Dr. Cirangle is a freakin awesome surgeon who started doing sleeves long before everyone else. He has a great track record and I actually appreciate his bedside manner. He always makes sure he answers any questions I have. I love him! Lol

I did. $17,500 and worth every penny!