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No, I never cheated once. And yes, the liquid diet sucks. I had a headache and was starving and was very grumpy the whole time. But I figured if I couldn't stick with a simply liquid diet for a few weeks i had no business wasting my Surgeon's time and my money (I was self pay). Besides, I wasn't going to do anything to compromise the safety of my surgery. Cheating just isn't worth it. Just remember why you are having this surgery and keep focused on the end goal, rather than wallow in the minor discomfort of today. Believe me, the pre and postop diet restrictions are very temporary and a small sacrifice for the great reward of weight loss. Each time you cheat, it's harder to not cheat the next time. But each time you do the right thing, it just makes you stronger and better able to say no the next time. You need to set yourself up for long term success. Good luck.

I do think it has a lot to do with surgical technique and perioperative pain management. I would have been super bored staying more than a night. instead of laying around in a hospital bed, I was able to walk to Walmart, GNC, and Starbucks twice, lounge by the pool, and rent a movie in my hotel room within the first 24 hours after surgery. And went shopping and sightseeing within 48 hours. So did the other 5 people sleeved the same day as me.

Surgery Friday 3pm. Discharged Saturday 9am. Shopping by 11am. No other surgeries.

As soon as I posted that last reply, the big book image became my avatar. Same when I logged out and then logged back in.

Ok, so I did what you suggested, and the image problems are the same whether I'm logged in or not. But for this experiment, it wasn't my avatar that was wrong, it was Blerdgirl's. The "Big book" image was showing as her avatar. And then just a few posts down, her actual avatar was showing up in random spots within proudgrammy's post. I logged out and it was the same. Logged back in, still the same.

Nope

Recovery is hard enough without this unnecessary stress you are putting on yourself. Drink your water, get in all your protein, take your vitamins and STAY OFF THE SCALE! And @@Cody's mom , you are in good company. I had lost 17 pounds at 7 weeks and I was at the same 17 pounds at 10 weeks. I was happy for the slow loss because it's healthier and in no way affected reaching my goal (and even losing an extra 12 pounds!)

I haven't done any traveling, but I wanted to say welcome back and I'm SO happy to see a smiley face in your post!!

Only you can answer these questions for yourself. For me I knew, YES, I had exhausted all other avenues. Dieting and failing for 30 years was proof enough for me. And YES, I had tried as hard as I could. Up until the last couple of years that is. My younger brother had died unexpectedly and I didn't care about anyone or anything (especially myself) for over a year. I was miserable and I didn't WANT to feel better. But once I started to heal emotionally, I decided I also wanted to heal physically, too. That's when I started looking into WLS. Of course there were other factors, but that was probably the biggest "straw". And of course I had questions about how I would deal with life afterwards, the future is always a big unknown. but I knew I couldn't go on the way I was. It's normal to have doubts when faced with any major decision or change, but that's life. Life is hard. I would say you will do better if you are totally committed. Maybe this isn't the right time for you. But maybe it is. You just need to sort it out in your head. Are there any support groups or bariatric counseling services in your area? Someone who could be a mentor! It may help to talk about your doubts and fears with others that have been there done that.

My family all knew I was having surgery beforehand. I didn't go around and announce it, but my sister and mom managed to tell pretty much everyone I'm related to. Other than their normal concern that I was "going under the knife" Everyone supported my decision. I also told 3 friends beforehand. But again, they mentioned it to dozens of other friends because they didn't think it was a big deal or needed to be kept secret. And after I began losing, there was definitely no hiding it. So when asked about my weight loss I explain about my surgery. I dont do it for anyone's approval, I do it because I'm not comfortable allowing them to think it was just due to exercise and diet. I do it to help reduce the stigma and myths surrounding WLS. People are familiar with bypass and lap band, but almost no one had heard of VSG. But I see dozens of clients everyday so now there are hundreds of people that are better educated about WLS and even about having surgery in Mexico. It feels good to be able to share my story so now they can say "I know someone who had WLS and she looks and feels great!" And I know at least 2 people who have started the process for themselves. Which more than compensates for the 2 (only 2!) negative comments I've gotten.

I loved my pureed stage... I actually still eat some of the same foods. Mashed potatoes with cheese and/or garlic and added unflavored Protein powder Plain Greek yogurt flavored with various protein powders Cottage cheese mixed with milk and Muscle Milk cake batter Protein Powder (tastes like cheesecake) Pureed split pea Soup Pureed bean soup Pureed chili Huevos rancheros without the tortilla Cream of wheat with chocolate or vanilla protein powder String cheese Deviled ham Hummus Guacamole squash with added unflavored protein powder Egg salad Pureed tuna fish with mayo and mustard And leftover from full liquids....unflavored protein powder added to cream of shrimp, cream of asparagus, tortilla soup base, strained miso soup, egg drop soup, lobster bisque, butternut squash soup, etc. and I STILL drink a big protein/fiber smoothie everyday.

I had a BMI of 39 with no comorbidities. (My BP was creeping up and my feet and ankles and knees hurt all the time, but nothing that "counts"). All of my family and friends knew about my surgery beforehand. They know how many diets I've been on, so although they were concerned with surgical risks, they all supported my decision. And I tell anyone that asks about my weight loss that I had surgery. I don't think it's right to mislead people into thinking I just did it with diet and exercise. Since I see a dozen clients everyday, this means I've told hundreds of people and have gotten exactly 2 negative comments. But I have heard the "you weren't big enough for surgery" comment quite a bit. My work partner gets to hear these comments and discussions everyday. I mentioned to her last week how surprised people who thought I wasn't "fat enough" are to learn I lost 100 pounds. She agreed it was a surprise to her because didn't even really realize how big I really was. People just get used to seeing you a certain way and don't really notice all the extra weight until it's gone. But when all is said and done, I am healthier and I feel great and that's what I tell people.

Thanks. The video was a great explanation. But it brings up one more question. One of the "pluses" of the bypass, mini bypass and lap band is that they are reversible where the VSG is not. Obviously, Lapbanders get reversals and revisions all the time, but has anyone ever heard of someone actually getting their bypass reversed? Why would you? And how successful is the actual procedure? Is the GI tract impacted long term even after the reversal? I'm going to google it, but I thought I'd throw it out here.

I'm 10 months out and here almost daily, too. But I don't bother to read and reply to questions that have been answered hundreds of times in dozens of the same repetitive posts. That info is already available and thats what the search function is for. However, I just noticed that you had the mini bypass, which isn't as common as some of the other bariatric surgeries, so you may have a hard time finding veterans that can help you with what's "normal". In my case, I don't even know what the difference is between a mini bypass vs a regular bypass. Please share.

They didn't give you any instructions? A week is a long time for a drain. Not to mention you should be cleaning the drain site, changing the bandage and emptying the bulb at least daily. I had surgery on Friday, discharged Saturday, drain site cleaned and bandage changed on Sunday and drain pulled Monday. I was shown how to empty the drain which I had to do 2-3 times/day. Call your surgeon.

So I've noticed there's been a few comments about how we can only absorb 20 grams of Protein at a time and the rest is just wasted. I never really looked into that until now. A quick google search revealed we actually absorb even less than that.... "Protein Absorption Rate in Humans July 6, 2007 According to this study, A Review of Issues of Dietary Protein Intake in Humans,written by Shane Bilsborough and Neil Mann, it states… Absorption rates of amino acids from the gut can vary from 1.4 g/h for raw egg white to 8 to 10 g/h for whey protein isolate. Slowly absorbed amino acids suchas casein (~ 6 g/h) and repeated small doses of whey protein (2.9 g per 20 min, totaling ~ 7 g/h) promote leucine balance, a marker of protein balance, superior tothat of a single dose of 30 g of whey protein or free amino acids which are both rapidly absorbed (8 to 10 g/h), and enhance amino acid oxidation. Quite interesting. It drives home the point that eating smaller portioned meals of less than 15-10 grams of protein is optimal. It also tells us that ingesting 40 grams of protein whey for post-workout drink is not only a waste of money as it gets excreted or is converted into carbs and then stored as body fat, among other things." ...there's a bunch more papers and articles that pretty much repeat these same stats. So up until now I thought I was doing pretty good on my protein goals because I always have 1 mega Protein shake (40g protein 24-32oz fluid) every morning, usually taking 1-2 hours to drink it. According to the articles, I MIGHT be utilizing 1/2 or less of that protein. So I am going to split my shake in two and drink half in the morning and the other 1/2 later in the afternoon. Guess I'll just alternate taking drinks of Water to make the shake last at least an hour and a half. I'm not too worried about my food protein intake since my meals/snacks are so small anyways and are probably under the 10g mark. Anyways, I thought this was a very valuable tidbit and wanted to share.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/309465-changing-how-i-consume-my-protein/page-4#entry3662068

There is a thread about Protein absorption titled "changing how I consume protein" in the food and nutrition subforum. I just "bumped" it to the top of the protein, Vitamin and supplements section. It explains the rate of absorption and implications for us. As for other nutrients, the only one I know that is affected by VSG is B12. Our intestines require intrinsic factor in order to absorb B12. The part of the stomach that produces intrinsic factor is removed, so we need to take either B12 injections or a sublingual tablet that is absorbed through our mucous membranes. As for the other supplements (multi, Vitamin D, Iron, calcium, etc) we can absorb them, but we are eating such small amounts, we can't get as much as our bodies need without supplementation. They know this from decades of research with total and partial gastrectomy patients. Up to 90% develop deficiencies (iron and B12 were the biggest) within 10 years. But not everyone is the same....I had to stop my calcium and iron supplements because my levels were too high at 6 months postop. Regular, annual bloodwork is the best way for you to know what supplements you need or don't need before you develop any health problems.

Bump

I let Dr. Jimenez know during my preop checkup that I have had trouble before waking up from anesthesia very nauseous. I also let the anesthesiologist know. Whatever they gave me IV preop and/or postop worked like a charm. Never had any pain or nausea. They send you home with a two week supply of cinetapride, which is similar to metoclopramide. Even though I wasn't nauseous, I took all of it because the cinetapride increases GI motility, which is a good thing when trying to get in as much fluid and protein as you can with such a teeny tiny tummy. If you want to know exactly what they give, ask your coordinator. Carolyn answered every question I ever asked. And I'm sure you can bring your own zofran just in case. I brought my own hydrocodone just in case, but never needed it.

Actually, for that I'd have to lose another 70 pounds... 50 pounds worth of dog and at least another 20 pounds worth of cats.

Glad you're getting seen. I do sublingual B12. Way cheaper than shots and my bloodwork has been normal. If you can't find them locally, Amazon has them. Like $12 for 250.

Call your regular doctor. Running labs is easy and any decent doctor shouldn't have a problem doing that for you. There's no reason you need to feel like crap this far out. In the meantime, eat more, drink more, and look into a better vitamin regimen. PM me if you'd like.

I started at 238 and wanted to lose 88 pounds. My surgeon's goal was to lose 78. I lost 22 pounds on my 2 week preop diet so I went into surgery at 216. I reached his goal at 6 1/2 months, reached my goal at 7 1/2 months and then lost another 12 pounds. At 10 1/2 months out I am down 100 pounds and have been maintaining here (give or take about 4 pounds) for a couple months. So far maintenance has been easy for me. It just comes down to being committed at this point because I have no food intolerances, a lot less restriction than a few months ago and I could eat a lot more than I let myself eat. I eat when I'm hungry....at least 5-6 times/ day but make good food choices. I don't exercise at all, but I have an active, physically demanding job and have a very active lifestyle. Still making sure I'm getting in all my Protein and Water and take my Vitamins religiously. I still have a large protein/fiber smoothie everyday, and eat a healthy balance of protein, veggies, fruits and grains. I Stay away from processed food and simple carbs, although I will have desert or alcohol or other "bad" things a couple times a month. I'm not on a diet, after all! ????

I broke L4 and L5 30 years ago and have always had lingering lower back pain. I also had 2 vertebrae fused in my neck 6 years ago. But my worst pain preop was in my feet and ankles. I'm on my feet all day and was in constant pain all day. Lived on ibuprofen and tramadol. Other than one day this summer when I took a sublingual ketorolac for my back, I haven't had to take any NSAIDS or pain Meds since surgery. Not to say your back will miraculously heal itself, but for me, my weight loss has resolved all pain.