NoMoreChubby

I am a HUGE fan of stevia. I mostly use a powdered brand called "Steviva" and the ingredients say: "100% pure stevia leaf extract". You can get it on Amazon. Ever since I discovered that my migraine-like headaches were being caused by aspartame, I'm all for natural sweeteners. I love agave nectar, too.

I'm from Puyallup and my sleeve surgery will be January 20 at Hospital MI Doctor in Tijuana, MX with Dr. alejandro lopez. 180 days!!!

My surgery is 1/15/14 I started the liquid diet today and I am so excited! I am having the surgery @ Salem Hospital in MA and the doctor is Dr. Benedetto. Is anyone else on the liquid diet yet? Today is my first day and I am hungry!!!

I start my liquid pre-op diet on Monday, but my plan is to drink tons of Water whenever I feel "starving" and it's not time for another Protein Shake. Hopefully that will work. :-)

I have the Premier Protein shakes from costco - not bad if you drink them cold. I can't stomach them warm. I also have a giant tub of Dream Protein. I bought the Oster My Blend personal blender and I put in a scoop of the chocolate Dream Protein, 8oz of Water and about 8 ice cubes. It tastes like a yummy milk shake. It only has 86 calories, 3.4g of carbs and 20 g of protien!

I'm scheduled with Dr. alejandro lopez at Hospital MI Doctor in Tijuana on January 20. I fly from Seattle to San Diego on Jan 19 if anyone else is going down around that time. Soooo excited to start my new life!

Congratulations for making the jump! I too, have opted for the sleeve in Mexico. I'm going with Dr. alejandro lopez (Specialized Bariatrics) at Hospital MI Doctor on January 20. I honestly think that there are so many good surgeons out there that as long as you have made your best effort to research everything you can about them, the surgeon you ultimately choose will be the best for your situation. :-)

I also decided not to deal with my insurance company in the States. By the time I jumped through all of the ridiculous hoops, denials, appeals, denials, appeals, etc., I would still be paying around $8k out of pocket, even if it was "covered" by my insurance. No thanks. I did my due dilligence and feel completely comfortable about going to Mexico, and hope to be able to be an advocate for it when all is said and done. Good luck to you! :-)

Has anyone used Specialized Bariatrics? I have a sleeve scheduled 21 January at Mi Doctor Hospital in Tijuana.< /span>

I know he used to be with a lighter me, and then he and his wife opened Specialized Bariatrics this summer. Just wondering how it went for anyone who has used them.

I need to start looking at when I need to do the preop prep as well....

thanks all!

Hi Peanutz,

I did a lot of research on Dr. Lopez and it looks like he was tired of all the drama that was coming from having a "middle man", so he and his wife started their own business. By doing this, they are not only able to cut out the drama, but cut costs, too. I also couldn't find anything but good reviews about him and Hospital MI Doctor sounds like it will be just fine, too.

Cathy should have emailed you the pre-op diet. If not, just email her and ask her for another copy - She's a sweetheart. The preo-op diet should start 2 weeks prior to surgery, with a "cleanse" 3 days prior to surgery. My mom and I are both having the sleeve surgery done on January 20, so our pre-op diet starts January 6. I'm not too excited about that part, but I think it's what I need to jumpstart my "new" life. I'm also hoping that the pre-op and immediately-after-surgery-post-op diets will help me to rid sugar from my system once and for all.

Canadian raindrop- I am going down on the 19th with my partner. I had my surgery in NY in march, 2013. She doesn't qualify through insurance so we booked with Dr. Garcia. Not sure if you will still be there when we get there. Her surgery is on the 20th.

SkinnyGirl, are you going to be at the Marriott and Mi Doctor? My surgery is January 20 with Dr. Lopez at Mi Doctor! I fly to San Diego on Jan 19!

I'm so excited! I'm getting sleeved January 20 by Dr. Alejandro Lopez in Tijuana, Mexico! He operates out of Hospital MI Doctor if anyone else is going to be there! Let's meet up!

Hello, I get sleeved by him on the 21st of Jan. So, we can certainly meet up. I live in Cinti but will fly to San Diego on the 20th

That sounds great! I am flying from Seattle to San Diego on Sunday the 19th. Cathy said that I am the first surgery for the morning of the 20th, and my mom is right after me. We are so excited to start our "new" life!

I'm so excited! I'm getting sleeved January 20 by Dr. alejandro lopez in Tijuana, Mexico! He operates out of Hospital MI Doctor if anyone else is going to be there! Let's meet up!

I booked my surgery with Dr. alejandro lopez in Tijuana through Specialized Bariatrics, Inc. $4,200 is the package price that covers EVERYTHING except for your flight. Getting sleeved Jan 20, 2014! Whoo hoo!

Oh, my heck! - Those are the EXACT same 3 surgeons that I had narrowed my choice down to, too! You probably used the same criteria I did - Reputation, success rate, reviews, accessibility (for questions, etc.), price, type of facility the procedure is performed at, and the rankings of those facilities. I finally decided on Dr. Lopez with Specialized Bariatrics, Inc. My surgery date is set for January 20, 2014 where my mom and I will both be getting sleeved. My coordinator, Cathy is a sweet lady and has been able to answer all of my questions. Dr. Lopez has performed thousands of weightloss surgeries and one thing that impressed me was that he was a part of MBC, but he and his wife (also a bariatric surgeon) decided to go out on their own. Yes, "Specialized Bariatrics, Inc." is fairly new (Sep '13), but the surgeons are not new and have plenty of experience. Call me old-fashioned, or a religious fanatic, but after I did all of this reasearch (over about 6 months), I prayed about what to do and I got the best feeling about Dr. Lopez for my situation. So, that's where I'm going. I am so excited for this next chapter of my life. I would have scheduled the surgery for sooner, but I didn't know how long it would take to renew my passport, and then I had issues with my work schedule and I did NOT want to be flying around the holidays. Hence, January 20 is the golden date! Good luck with your decision!

I am planning on getting sleeved in January and like McButterpants, I don't want to lie but will have to omit the full details before the surgery. After the surgery, I want to be honest. I don't want to tell people that all I did was "watch what I ate" because that is a lie and gives people false hope. For heaven's sake, if "watching what I ate" worked in the first place, I wouldn't need the darn surgery.