Catherine707

Your stomach isn't "holding" anything. liquids pass through your pylorus into your intestines within minutes. You will feel the restriction as you move to puree's and especially solids.

I'm down 95+ pounds in 8 months, I still have 50+ pounds to lose. My weight loss has been slow but steady and I think that has helped give my skin time to shrink with me. I don't have any really saggy parts yet, but there is still a ways to go. I didn't do this surgery to become a Sports illustrated Swimsuit model, but to be healthy and do the things that obesity kept me from enjoying. I'm not going to worry about a few wrinkles or sags if I have made my body healthy and strong!

Cottage cheese and greek yogurt were mainstays of my pureed food stage. Also I got the canned cornedbeef hash and made sure to chew it really well. It has a ton of salt, but in small portions and to change the flavor profile of my food it was heaven!

I have a sleeve of steel. The only thing that bothers my stomach is my bariatric Vitamins on an empty stomach.
It bothered me at first that nothing bothered me. Does that make sense? I was scared that seemingly nothing is off limits for me. I would hear people say, "I can't eat steak, it upsets my stomach." Not mine. "I can't eat salad." No issues there either. "I can't tolerate sweets." Nope, no problems.
It worried me because I wondered if I could control myself rather than my sleeve controlling what I put in my mouth. If I can eat anything, will I in fact, eat everything. The answer is no, I don't eat everything.
The sleeve is doing it's job - it controls the amount of whatever food I'm eating and, for the most part, I've made good choices. I'm not eating crazy things or crazy amounts of things.
So, while I used to be fearful of my sleeve of steel, right now, I'm thankful. I can enjoy all kinds of foods - while on vacation in San Fran last week I ate Chinese, Italian and a steak. I just didn't order my own entrée - my husband and I split every meal we ate out. It was wonderful and a little romantic.

We have no "light duty" and I am a medical provider so I need to hit the ground running when I get back (our patient census runs around 150 general medicine patients) so I am taking 5-6 weeks off. I have the PTO/short-term disability and FMLA so I am taking advantage of it and my doc is cool with that.

6 weeks. Physically I would have been able to go sooner. But my Doc wants you off so you can get all your fluids and nutrition in. He says it easy to get busy and forget to drink.

I have a desk job and was off for 6 glorious weeks! I took FMLA and my employer has short term disability at 100%. I was quite fatigued the first couple of weeks; glad I could nap at my leisure.

I am an ultrasound tech in a busy hospital and I needed 6 weeks off work before going back to push a heavy machine and patients on gurneys. At week 3 I had a bout of vertigo that took a while to resolve - turns out I needed to eat more than 800 calories per day to have a clear fog free brain and the physical stamina to do my job. It took me 6 weeks to "dial in" my routine and I am glad I had the time. It is much easier to find your groove if you aren't also worried about going back to work!

Congrats! That is something to celebrate! I'm only about 20 pounds behind you, and I can't wait!!!

Well Well Well its finally happening by next week I will officially be in Onederland. I am 200.2lbs as of this morning. Maybe in 2 weeks I will fit into my 36" waist pants that I bought. They are just too snug to wear just yet.

I found several Bariatric Centers in my area and looked for one that was labeled a Center of Excellence. The website for all of them will give you the opportunity to attend a seminar. The seminars will give you valuable information on what the surgery is, what is expected of you and the risks involved. I signed up for three different seminars. Although they gave the same information, I got to see how organized they were in presenting the information, how nice and in some cases not nice the support staff was and if I liked that DR giving the presentation. It is funny how much you can tell about a place if you sit back and watch how they interact with people in a group setting. I finally picked the bariatric center/DR I liked based on her surgical skills and how nice her staff was to people. The office did the rest ... scheduling appointments, putting paperwork through to insurance, etc. I woke up the other day and realized that I could feel every rib bone and they actually stick our now when I am laying down....I also can run, lift weights, bike, do squats and a multitude of other things I haven't been able to do in years. I love my post sleeve life and am so happy with my decison !!! I have lost 93lbs now and couldn't be happier with myself...and that is saying a mouthful "happy with myself". I wish you much success in your research, decision and journey.

I don't throw up either, haven't once since surgery. I think there are lots of us out there, but people who are having issues post about them more. I saw this comparison a few days ago and I think it's apt. If you went out shopping for the day and had your purse stolen, you'd tell people about it. But if you went out all day and didn't have your purse stolen, you wouldn't run around telling people "I walked all over the city today and no one stole my purse!"
I basically never threw up before surgery either, so I think I'm just lucky that way. And I also follow my surgeon's extremely stringent rules about how much to eat, and what kinds of food to eat, and how fast to progress on phases (hint - VERY slowly, like four weeks of liquids, four weeks of purees, four months of soft foods) and I think that has helped.

Every one is a little bit different. I found when I ate 60+ grams of Protein but kept my calories low (less than 850) that I was in such a brain fog and dizzy that I couldn't function. My Dr told me to boost my calories and I eat between 1000 - 1200 per day. Once I did that my weight loss has been pretty steady at 2 pounds per week, and I am almost 9 months post surgery.
If you aren't comfortable at 1200 calories then find a place that works for you and see how you feel and how your weight loss trends. You will find that the "requirements" and directives from doctors to their patients are all over the map. So there isn't any right or wrong answer to this question. You want to eat enough calories to have the energy you need to live life, and not so many calories that you don't lose weight consistently. Of course your doctor also sees the big picture that only can be gained from knowing his patient too.

I think the first step is to get educated about bariatric surgery - really understand the different types of surgeries and the long term expectations with each type of surgery. Next I would have a real "heart to heart" with yourself. Can you be successful losing weight through diet and exercise? Bariatric surgery should be your "last resort" after you have tried and failed at every other type of weight loss. Have you given previous diet and exercise attempts 100% or did you just pay lip service to your weight loss attempt? I know these are hard questions, but having surgery is not the "easy path". There are a lot of risks and complications, and things you will change about your body FOREVER. Are you ready to make the diet changes necessary with this surgery? If you use food to cope with emotions, that only intensifies the issue after surgery.
That being said, I am down almost 100 pounds and this was the right solution for me. It isn't the right one for everyone, hence the suggestion to do some soul searching and determine what is the best option for you.
Good luck on your journey. This is a great place to get all your questions answered, just walk into the process educated and with your eyes wide open!

I think the first step is to get educated about bariatric surgery - really understand the different types of surgeries and the long term expectations with each type of surgery. Next I would have a real "heart to heart" with yourself. Can you be successful losing weight through diet and exercise? Bariatric surgery should be your "last resort" after you have tried and failed at every other type of weight loss. Have you given previous diet and exercise attempts 100% or did you just pay lip service to your weight loss attempt? I know these are hard questions, but having surgery is not the "easy path". There are a lot of risks and complications, and things you will change about your body FOREVER. Are you ready to make the diet changes necessary with this surgery? If you use food to cope with emotions, that only intensifies the issue after surgery.
That being said, I am down almost 100 pounds and this was the right solution for me. It isn't the right one for everyone, hence the suggestion to do some soul searching and determine what is the best option for you.
Good luck on your journey. This is a great place to get all your questions answered, just walk into the process educated and with your eyes wide open!

At 6 months out, I still have Protein shakes around 4x a week. Otherwise it is difficult to get in enough Protein and get in vegetables and Fiber foods. I know many vets who continue to drink Protein Shakes even after a year. They aren't necessarily something you want to give up.
If you are sick to death of them (we all go through that phase) keep trying different brands. I currently use powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury protein chicken broth (sometimes I add seasoning or sliced mushrooms or a little milk), Chike coffee Protein powder (alone or with a tablespoon of cocoa powder) and Amazing Meal hemp/pea Protein Shakes, along with the occasional Premier Protein shake or Muscle Milk if I am really desperate.

This is a common side effect of rapid weight loss. The hair loss starts around 8 - 12 weeks post surgery and continues for up to 9 months. While Protein intake seems to help some, and Biotin also helps, a lot of the Hair loss is just dependent on your genetics and body type. I started taking 10,000 mcg of Biotin in week 8 when my hair loss became noticeable. My "shed rate" has started slowing over the past month, so I am hoping I'm through this phase.
I knew going in to this surgery that hair loss was common. I decided I wanted a healthy body more than I wanted a full head of hair. My doctor assures me that it will grow back too!

Jen, you can do this. You are in a great place mentally already, because knowing you have to make the changes will keep you on the right path.
Reading here about vets who have gone through it is a great way to prepare. If you search on "food addiction" and other similar topics you'll find a lot of info. We all have food issues. Recognizing it is a great start. Check out threads from laura-ven on the subject.
One piece of advice I will offer (just my opnion, so no one flame me!) is that you avoid taking to heart some of the posters who advise "everything in moderation" and "one bite of birthday cake/halloween candy/whatever won't hurt" or "I can't eat much so I let the sleeve do it for me" types of attitudes. It may work for them, but it may not work for you if you have a food addiction. The thing is, your sleeve will have very tight restriction for only so long. Eventually you will be able to eat a bit more and that's where the trouble starts. You still won't be eating a lot, but if you eat high carb choices those calories can pack in really fast. If you drink those calories (sugared coffee drinks, smoothies, etc.) it's even worse.
Many of us avoid our trigger foods (varies for everyone, but some common ones are chips, candy, chocolate, popcorn, Cookies, alchohol - no one ever has a Tofu trigger!). A trigger food can be bad because if you have just one it opens a flood gate. So we have to stay away. Lots of people coming into this ask "will I never be able to eat XXX again?" Most likely, you can eat it again. But will you want to and how often? That's the question.
Remember that how you feel about food will change dramatically throughout your journey. The first month you may hate food, maybe the first three months. For me, there is no joy in food any more, just sustenance. This was very hard for me because I am a foodie. The joy of food is gone for me and I mourn it. That's something I have to deal with. Some other people have really gotten into making sleeve food with style and do a great job with new recipes and ideas (check out gamergirl's blog).
Anyway, good luck to you and post often. This is a great group for support.

FYI: You must take at least 10,000 mcg of Biotin for it to even be effective. BTW: My MD said it is a problem first year post op... It will grow back.

Down 89 pounds overall & yes loose skin. What I was surprised at is how little it bothers me. It was one of the things I was most worried about but now I just feel so much better that I don't really care

I'm down 95+ pounds in 8 months, I still have 50+ pounds to lose. My weight loss has been slow but steady and I think that has helped give my skin time to shrink with me. I don't have any really saggy parts yet, but there is still a ways to go. I didn't do this surgery to become a Sports illustrated Swimsuit model, but to be healthy and do the things that obesity kept me from enjoying. I'm not going to worry about a few wrinkles or sags if I have made my body healthy and strong!

Yes the GB disease is a side effect of weight loss, but there are other factors that predispose you to gall bladder problems. In ultrasound school they taught us the 4 "F"s that are likely to have GB stones - Female, Forty, Fertile (had a baby), Fair skinned.
Large stones are better than small ones because the large ones won't go into the common bile duct and cause a blockage. I found out I had stones in Ultrasound school, but never had a GB attack until 4 years later, and that was 10 years after losing 50 pounds.
The laparoscopic surgery is easier to recover from than the gastric sleeve. I went back to work after only 4 days recovery from GB surgery. I was off for 6 weeks after my sleeve surgery.
I hope you start feeling better very soon!

Yes the GB disease is a side effect of weight loss, but there are other factors that predispose you to gall bladder problems. In ultrasound school they taught us the 4 "F"s that are likely to have GB stones - Female, Forty, Fertile (had a baby), Fair skinned.
Large stones are better than small ones because the large ones won't go into the common bile duct and cause a blockage. I found out I had stones in Ultrasound school, but never had a GB attack until 4 years later, and that was 10 years after losing 50 pounds.
The laparoscopic surgery is easier to recover from than the gastric sleeve. I went back to work after only 4 days recovery from GB surgery. I was off for 6 weeks after my sleeve surgery.
I hope you start feeling better very soon!

Yes the GB disease is a side effect of weight loss, but there are other factors that predispose you to gall bladder problems. In ultrasound school they taught us the 4 "F"s that are likely to have GB stones - Female, Forty, Fertile (had a baby), Fair skinned.
Large stones are better than small ones because the large ones won't go into the common bile duct and cause a blockage. I found out I had stones in Ultrasound school, but never had a GB attack until 4 years later, and that was 10 years after losing 50 pounds.
The laparoscopic surgery is easier to recover from than the gastric sleeve. I went back to work after only 4 days recovery from GB surgery. I was off for 6 weeks after my sleeve surgery.
I hope you start feeling better very soon!

As part of the approval process for my VSG, I had to do a one night in-patient sleep study and it verified what I had pretty much known already, that I had obstructive sleep apnea. The test showed that I averaged 24 events an hour, which is pretty severe. I was given a CPAP machine and it was my nightly companion from that point forward.
Since that initial test, I've had regular follow-ups with my sleep doc and as my weight dropped so did the number of events per hour and the pressure required to maintain my airway as I slept. Two weeks ago, I did an at-home sleep test and this morning I got a call with the results from that test. Due to my weight loss, my OSA has resolved and I no longer need to use the CPAP machine!
I danced around the apartment like an idiot after I hung up the phone then cleaned up my CPCP and tossed it into the back of my closet