SerendipityHappens

MMMMMMMM. LOVE THESE!!! I do mine by putting a few Tablespoons of rice vinegar in a food processor with some shitake mushroom, ginger and carrot and chop everything up until it's fairly fine then I mix it with the egg white and turkey. Also for my sauce I use a LOT of ginger. And I roll it in the napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) It's such a more delicate flavor than regular cabbage. Thanks for posting this.. These little gems are DEFINITELY going on the post-sleeve menu.

I love the Jay Robb chocolate and strawberry. It's sweetened with Stevia so it does have that weird Stevia aftertaste, but you get used to it. Currently I Do one scoop in 8 ounces of skim milk with a splash of vanilla extract and a handful of ice blended in the magic bullet. I also sometimes put a half teaspoon of instant coffee in the chocolate along with the vanilla extract, milk and ice. I discovered if I chew my citrus Calcium supplement and then start sipping on my shake it doesn't have the aftertaste. Also the COLDER the better for me. When it's cold it tastes better. I'm sure after surgery I won't be fixing it in a blender because I don't want the gas .... and I don't know if I will tolerate drinking cold, but for right now this is what's working for me.

I hate them too.

I just wanted to clarify something.. someone on here said that the DEATH RATE for VSG surgery was 1%. That is NOT true. Complications from leaks is about 1% Not DEATHS from leaks.. Complications from leaks. Mortality rates 30 days out from surgery date are around 2-3 per 1000 surgeries. Still Scary? Yes, but we can do a lot to reduce our personal risks. Also can't wait to go to Mexico for my surgery woo hoo. I definitely feel comfortable with my choice BUT for sure I gave it a LOT more research than I would have if my surgeon was in the US. Also, I feel much more comfortable going through a reputable US booking agency. They have a lot of requirements for their doctors and they make visits to the facilities, etc.

Keya, Ask your doctor if you can start your preop diet now. You'll lose a lot more weight on 600-800 high protein-low carb calories a day than you will on 1200... you'll also feel less hungry thanks to ketosis. That whole "OMG don't go under 1200 calories ever" is intended for people who are only a little bit overweight.

My sister recently lost a great deal of weight. She went from 220 down to 155. She said nobody at her work even noticed until she lost 30 pounds! Whaaaaaa? I noticed after she lost her first 10! I'm thinking that on me nobody will notice until I get under 250 :-(

Bogey, Don't be nervous. I actually find this MUCH easier than eating in moderation! You just resign yourself to the fact that now is not the time for eating. The first three days are really hard, I won't lie. You might be cranky, kinda sick, have headaches, and of course you'll feel STARVING... but around day four you'll feel much better. Ketosis will kick in and your body will turn into a fat burning machine and your hunger will subside. Be prepared to be the stinky kid though. Seriously, fat burning by ketosis is a stinky, stinky business.

Nope, I meant 12 weeks. It's NOT required... but I want a super skinny liver and I want to lose as much weight as possible prior to surgery for my own comfort and safety. OH and as a bonus, if I lose 40 pounds my surgery will cost me $750.00 less!

What about low carb turkey meatballs with delicious marinara sauce and low fat mozzarella cheese? Got the italian flavor with cheezy-tomatoey goodness with a good amount of Protein without the carbs. Also, you can make pizza on a low carb pita bread. You're not really "cooking" more just assembling and toasting in a toaster oven or under a broiler. I love these http://www.josephsbakery.com/SubPages/StaticPages/ProductDetails.aspx?ID=8483be23-39fb-492a-82c2-3d045680ff03 They just never filled me up since I have a great big stomach. I'm looking forward to being sleeved and trying these and having one "pizza" on a mini pita bread actually be filling.... rather than gorging on an entire medium pizza from Domino's.

I'm on day four of twelve weeks. I'm doing great so far. Today was an easy day. Yesterday was brutal. I work in a convenience store. I have to tend to the hotdogs and sausages and all the yummy fast "convenience store foods" ALL DAY LONG I'm straightening up Doritos, stocking candy, snack cakes and beef sticks. I just plan on taking it one day at a time.

We'll be there at the same time. I'm scheduled for the 13th but may move it to the 12th depending on when I can get a flight! You're at MiDoctor hospital and then Marriott?

Damn. That sucks. Sorry for that. I would definitely get a second opinion AND of course continue as you are trying to lose as much weight as you can before surgery. Honestly even if a different doctor told you the same thing but in a more compassionate way, I'd go with him instead. I don't know that I'd want to go to a doctor with zero compassion. BTW, you're doing a great job losing weight. Way to Go!!!

Nope although I seriously considered them. I'm seeing Cabrera/Valenzuela They also practice out of MiDoctor in Tijuana. They met all my other criteria, but the price was a bit lower for Cabrera/Valenzuela.

Experience. It doesn't have to be the doctor who's done the MOST sleeves but I wanted someone who has done at LEAST a few thousand bariatric surgeries. no negative reviews how many surgeries they perform per day.. No more than six. I chose a team so I've got TWO doctors working together on EVERY procedure modern hospital hospital stay time/time in mexico total. I didn't want a place that kicks you out the next day! coordinator/booking agency has to be fabulous Cost Ease to get to

OMG that looks SOOOOO TASTY! With my current stomach I could eat four of those. No joke- FOUR. Can't wait for my sleeve!

My philosophy on telling something like this is that if you feel you made the wrong choice by not telling then you can always tell someone later on when you're 100% sure that your ready, but you can never "untell" someone.

If you stick it out for a few days, ketosis will kick in which will naturally curb your hunger. Just DON'T CHEAT as that will prolong the period when you feel hunger. You might also find it helpful to save one shake until an hour before bedtime. During the day you can do other things to take your mind off your hunger but when your laying in bed, it can be pretty harsh without something in your belly.

I hate to break this to you sweetie,,,, but you no longer need to be shopping at WomenWithin! Your next shopping trip will be in the "regular" woman's section of your favorite department store!

The whole recipe has 53 grams of carbs- less than 60 due to actual carb being rounded up in the individual meatball....25 carbs in the package from spinach 10 from the artichokes... 25 of the grams are from fiber.

OMG, just look how small your waist is getting!

Tina, I have a goal of losing 40 pounds by surgery getting me under 300 for the first time in 10 years!!! I'm doing a twelve week 800 calorie high Protein VLCD. It ain't easy, but it sure will be worth it! WE can DO IT. No sweat... (ok maybe a little sweat :-p )

What I don't get is that the vertical sleeve was originally intended for very high BMI patients who due to their BMI, were a poor risk for the duadnal switch. So the doctor would do the "quick and easy" part of the surgery(what is now known as VSG) and then hope the patient could lose sufficient weight from just the sleeve in order to bring the BMI down enough to be a good risk for the full DS at a later time. So if the Vertical Sleeve was created in the first place especially for for people with very high BMI, Why would doctors now be demanding you BMI be under 50 in order to qualify?

I'm on day 3 of a 12 week VLCD (under 800 calories per day) I can have 3 shakes, four if I need it. I can sub one shake for four ounces of plain fish and a salad with dark greens and low carb veggies and no dressing. I think I'm going to stick with just the shakes for the first month and then start doing the fish week 5... that will give me something to look forward to. Anyway. I need to lose 40 pounds by surgery but I'm hoping it's 50! We can DO THIS!

This recipe yields 20, 3 ounce meatballs. 11 grams of Protein, 6 grams of fat , 3 grams of carb and 108 calories per 3 ounce meatball. I didn't know what Spicy crackers were, so I just used the nutritional value of 8 Ritz crackers.

YAY!!! We're in the same boat. I'm on day 3 of a 12 week liquid diet. I can have a 4 ounce piece of plain fish and a small salad with dark greens and low-carb vegetables in place of one of the shakes if I want.... Which I think I'll start doing at week 5 because by then it will feel like such a treat! Right now I'm waiting for ketosis to kick in... and then it will get much easier. I did a 30 day juice fast a few months ago and after the first few days it got much MUCH easier. Is your 6 weeks mandatory? I'm doing 12 weeks because I want to lose as much as I can in the next 12 weeks pre-surgery to have the surgery be as easy and safe as possible..... AND to fit in my airline seat!... AND to avoid the $750.00 high BMI charge.I need to lose 40 pounds before surgery but I'm hoping to lose 50.. I wouldn't be surprised if YOU lost 50 pounds in 6 weeks... since you're a guy and starting at 375, I'll bet it could happen.... How AWESOME would that be?