1Day1Life4Now

Color me guilty because I had the egg drop soup both pre and post-op. It saved me because that chicken broth in a can had no taste and I was not motivated to eat it.

my2bys9799, I alternate between the Premier Protein Shakes and the Atkins shakes. The Premier has 30 grams of protein and the Atkins only has 15 grams. Both come in Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry. I also use the Unjury in smoothies I make at home. I purchased the Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies Book and it provides a lot of good meal ideas and also provides quite a few recipes. My surgeon's office gave me a book regarding the meal plan but that was not given to me until I went through the nutritional counseling two weeks before surgery. Yours will probably do the same. You have to find things you will eat/drink and your tastes will change. I know a lot of people on this site use the Isopure drinks. They are very high in protein but I can't stand the taste of them. I just don't want to spend money on things I don't like and I will not force myself to drink something that tastes bad to me. You might enjoy the taste so you might want to try one sometime. I am on full foods now but I still drink the shakes to insure that I get all my protein in each day. I'm still struggling with the 64 ounces of water but I do try. Anything I can help you with, just let me know. You can private message me anytime. You are going to love this sleeve so much more than the band. Its going to change your life and you are definitely going to lose weight. You will want to kick yourself in the behind for waiting so long. ha ha. Janet

Get off of those scales. Weighing everyday will drive you nuts and cause you stress. Your weight can and will fluctuate every day. Weigh once a week and don't stress over it. Our bodies are not a solid blob with a stationary weight, we are made up of a mixture of fluids, tissues, cells and other things that are constantly moving and regenerating. We hold fluid...we release fluid. That's just part of being a human. You will lose weight as long as you follow the plan so focus on eating and drinking correctly and enjoy the weight loss, don't make it a daily stressful event. You will gain a pound or two from time to time and it is perfectly normal so don't worry about it. Try to enjoy the release from food addiction.

Are you on the Post-op diet or the Pre-op diet? Pre-op seems difficult because you don't have anything to suppress your appetite. All I can say is that you have to be mentally strong and keep focused on your goal. To have surgery you need to stay on the diet they have given you so your liver will shrink. The added bonus will be that you will lose some weight prior to surgery and you will just be that much closer to goal after surgery. SF jello and SF popsicles seemed to help me a lot both pre-op and post-op so you might want to try adding those and maybe it will get your mind off of eating and satisfy a few hunger pangs. Good luck.

Okay, now you guys have me crying. I wish my mom was still here on earth as I know she would give me this same kind of support. I have not shared my WLS with any family members other than hubby and daughter because of the ignorant comments I know I would get. I think it is wonderful that Mamabear has done all of this research and spends time reading the boards. She is an INFORMED and supportive family member. Wish they could all be that way. I am so thankful that Alex created these boards...we owe him a lot. I am thankful for all of the members here and for their willingness to be so open and real, I've learned a lot and the support from strangers is amazing. Feeling so blessed today.

Hi Booniedog, I am so glad everything turned out so well for you. Sounds like you traveled around the world to get your sleeve. Congratulations and hope you continue to do well. Hope to see you post on the boards more often. Life only gets better after this.

I was told to walk as much as possible and then at 4 weeks I could add the treadmill and stationary bike only. At 6 weeks I could add light hand weights and slowly add other exercises. Right now I exercise twice a day. In the morning I walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes and the stationary bike for 10 or 15 and then do the same in the afternoon. I can't tell you how much of a difference this has made for me. I do this 5 days per week but I think I will add something extra on the weekends. What ever you choose to do....keep at it and keep moving, it's the secret weapon.

RJ and PdxMan said it all. Can't get any better than that.

Hi My2bys9799, Its good to have you here. Congratulations on your acceptance for surgery. I don't have any personal experience with the band but I am 7 weeks post-op from Sleeve surgery and I am just as excited about it now as I was in the waiting period before hand. It is an amazing tool. I am losing weight but I exercise 5 days a week and I stick to my eating plan. In all of the posters I have seen on this board I think I've only read one time where a poster said they weren't losing weight with the sleeve. I honestly don't see how but that is what they posted. Unlike your band, the sleeve is a permanent change to your anatomy and you will need to alter your eating habits for life. If you are willing to do that, this is definitely going to work for you and you will be so pleased with your progress. The first 2 to 3 weeks are not really too much fun but its worth it and in the over all scheme of things, what is 2 or 3 weeks? After all if it will give you a healthy weight for the rest of your life it is a small price to pay. You will be successful at this and you will have lots of support here so come often and post much.

Gall bladder issues can present themselves in many ways. Yes, pain is one of them, and sometimes nausea. I had a couple of gall bladder attacks but mine were before I ever had surgery. You need to go to the doctor and make sure. You ate a lot of food that was not on your diet and that could very well have brought on the attack but its eating fatty foods that causes gall stones and when they are in your gall bladder they can cause a lot of pain and sometimes you don't even know they are there. Don't take any chances, get to a clinic and let a doctor examine you.

Yayy, congratulations. It's so wonderful to see progress and reward after all that hard work. Keep it up and you will soon be at goal.

I had a 3 week stall and then I upped my food intake just a little and started my exercise program. I exercise twice a day for 25 minutes. Walking on treadmill and stationary bike. Since I started this....the weight has been falling off at about 5 pounds per week. But...more than the weight loss...my body is morphing. Even during the stall my body was changing. So, life after surgery isn't just all about the numbers...muscle tone, shape and other benefits have to be considered.

ROFL, men are always afraid they will be accused of saying the wrong thing....which they usually so. Ask a friend whom you trust to give you feedback. flat butt or not....getting out of the mom jeans is huge victory. congratulations.

dsteimen, thank you for all of your posts. The purpose of this site is to inform and I think that is what you did. I have talked to 2 other people that had similar complaints. Good luck to you.

All of my Premier Shakes have been fine. Of course I drink them up so fast they don't have time to go bad. I like the Premier because they have 30 grams of protein but if I was going for taste it would be Atkins Shakes, hands down. They taste like a rich vanilla milkshake, especially when really cold. I find its best to change it up and not stick to the same thing since that tends to cause food bordem. Also you can make your own shakes and add what ever flavors you want.

If the 10-15 percent weight loss is required by insurance then that should be motivation enough. If you don't lose that amount by surgery does that mean the insurance will not pay for it??? I know it seems like a long time, and it is... but the sooner you start losing, the better it is for you. If you can lose a lot prior to surgery...it will be so much easier to get to what ever goal weight you want. Keep a calendar to check off days till surgery and accomplishments you make along the way. Though you can look at pictures of others who have lost weight for inspiration, you must reach down from within yourself to find the motivation. Good luck to you, you can do this.

Take the least amount you can get by with. You will be so drugged after surgery that you won't want to play on that I-Pad. You will want to sleep, get up and walk, and sleep some more. Good luck and happy healing. The pillow, chap stick and heating pad sore most important. Beware, not all hospitals will allow you to use your own heating pad.

I agree with everything FitnFab just mentioned. I know photographers often carry multiple cameras at a time and have to move lights and other equipment. You won't be able to lift more than 10 pounds till 6 weeks post op. I was able to return to work after a week but I have an office job that requires very little physical work. Please remember that everybody's surgery and recovery is different and complications are very real, though rare. You can't plan who will and who won't have complications, so keep a plan B in your back pocket. I'm 6 1/2 weeks post op and my sleeve buddy from the hospital is still being fed through a stomach tube due to a blood clot he suffered after surgery. Not to scare you, but... complications really can and do happen. Wishing you luck and a great surgery and recovery.

I don't know how to post pictures. As soon as I figure it out... there will be pictures.

wonderful transformation. Congratulations for your hard earned weight loss. You are an inspiration indeed.

Ohhh yeah. I've had gastritis for awhile and it does feel like your stomach is twisting. I still have reflux but the gastritis has not bothered me since surgery. Foods you eat bother the gastritis so since we eating selective foods... the gastritis is calmed down. Don't let this issue be the one that keeps you from having surgery. Its really a non-issue in the over all scheme of things.

wow, you look great and your car looks like it would be fun to drive. Congratulations on the weight loss and the new wheels.

You are stressed over 3 pounds? That could very easily be water weight. You know how the diet works and what you should and should not eat. Get back on the program and lose what ever you have gained. You've done it before and you can do it again. Is there any way you can ride an incumbent bike for exercise? It will do just as much good as walking and is less stress on your hips. Address what is stressing you and make changes. Only you can decide what you want to do. Eat and gain weight vs. sticking to the diet and keeping weight off. You choose.

Most of the people I have spoken with don't even discuss the Bougie size with their doctor. I know I didn't. But it doesn't really matter... the doctor uses what ever size they need to use....and we will lose weight regardless of what size they have used. I'm more concerned with what foods to eat and how much....as that is what causes the weight loss.

Good luck. You will be losing weight soon and learning how to eat really good food.