Bob2013

I made some also, while it didnt make me sick it did cause some discomfort. Must be the cabbage causing gas.

Since I have been back on solid foods I have been keeping my meals very simple. Mainly because I have not wanted anything else. i see alot of people talking about complicated recipes (which is fine), but I really dont care much bout what I am eating. An average day for me consists of 2 eggs for Breakfast, usually fried(using pam spray) lunch 4ish ozs of turkey, chicken, tuna, and for dinner somewhat the same as lunch with maybe a small portion of veggies. In between I may have a greek yogurt, Protein shake or some beef Jerky. I actually love that it is this simple and I hope I can keep on the same track indefinitely. Anyone else having the same experience??

I just like the fact that I can see it again. It was like finding a long lost friend!!!

I waited for a few weeks. Not because of the surgery. Because over the past couple years, sex was awkward and difficult from being overweight. The wife and I really did not have a very active sex life. Now after losing a bunch of weight. Things are much better. But on the original question, 3 weeks here and had no issues. But I am sure if you take it easy a week or two sooner may be ok.

If your friends dont know about the surgery they might be hesitant on saying anything because maybe they think your sick or something.

Canned chicken, tuna or hard boiled eggs with Kraft Fat Free Mayo. Add seasoning or a little pickle relish. Put in a food processor til smooth. Its really not bad. Just eat it slowly using just the tip of the spoon for each bite. They are very high Protein and will keep you feeling full for awhile. Fat free refried Beans with a little plain salsa. (i added hot sauce) No need to puree it as its mush to begin with. For deserts look for the frozen greek yogurt bars. They are generally 80 calories with around 7-8 grams of protein.

At 2 months I was sipping on the wifes beers when we went to our favorite craft beer place. I never get my own due to not wanting the excess of extra calories. But I had no issues.

I had planned to try babyfoods during the puree stage but when it came time I found that pureed foods were not as bad as I thought they would be. Pureed chicken, tuna, hardboiled eggs, with a little fat free mayo is actually pretty good. Even now I still use the food processor to mix them up for some meals. Not completely to the puree stage but pretty close.

Prior to surgery I could not eat for a minimum of 4 hours before bed or I was guaranteed to wake up aspirating. Now although I still avoid eating before bed, when I have eaten close to bedtime, I have no issues. Maybe for me, the removal of the extra stomach was the key to controlling my reflux. Guess I got lucky.

A pillow. I bought a new one just to bring with me to the hospital. Generally hospital pillows are pretty flat so having a nice fluffy pillow was nice

Unless you have some other issues you should not have any restrictions after 30 days post op. The incisions are really the only thing that limit you after surgery. Once that is healed you should be fine.

During my pre op surgeon visits when they were going over the surgery and what to expect, one of the things they told me was during the surgery if I had a hiatal hernia that they would repair it while they were doing the sleeve. Is this common practice? As it turned out I did have a pretty severe hiatal hernia which explained much of my issues pre surgery with acid reflux. Now post surgery I have had no acid reflux at all. Not the slightest bit of heartburn. I am pretty sure this is due to the hernia repair. On that note I really recommend to everyone who is going for the sleeve or band to ask about this and make sure while the surgeon is in there that they do the repair if there is a hernia present. I see so many people who still have acid reflux after being sleeved and it makes me wonder if the surgeons are not fixing a problem that is right there and easily fixed.

I was instructed to start taking them right away

Its absolutely realistic. This is a lifelong commitment. Getting to your optimum weight should always be your final goal. Until then you can always set sub goals like 2 lbs per week average.

I had a few funerals with foods I planned on completely staying away from post op. But I did it over the last few weeks prior to the 2 week pre op diet. And I only did 1 or 2 meals a week. The rest of the time I was eating healthy.

These were my instructions, and my recovery went extremely well. I followed it to the extreme. I had no issues during the process. I feel this progression was perfect. At each stage my stomach was ready to take the food allowed. At certain points I felt I could have progressed faster but I resisted the temptation. Now I am 3 months out and can eat almost anything with no issues. Post op 1-2 Clear Liquids 3-21 Full Liquids 22-35 pureed 36+ Soft Regular Diet

That's the one area my surgeon was different than many. My 2 week pre op diet was 2 Protein shakes and 1 meal consisting of 4 ozs of chicken, turkey or fish baked, broiled or grilled with a green vegetable with no butter or sauces. It was easily do-able and I lost 12lbs in that 2 weeks.

I have to agree with seema, 1200 calories seems a bit high. My Doctor recommended 800 to 1000max. And from everything I have read that is usually the general range. While you can definitely lose weight at that amount you are not getting the maximum out of your sleeve. Plus 1200 calories of dense Protein is quite a bit. I have a hard time getting in the 800 a day.

As they say, the surgery is only a tool. If you are not committed and use the sleeve to its full potential, you wont see big results. My last Dr visit, they had a spreadsheet of all the patients and their progress. And it had a full range from dramatic loss to very little. The sleeve is not magic, you still have to work at losing the weight, but its a hell of alot easier than without it.

Mine did the FMLA forms for no charge.

My sleeve surgery was my first surgery too. I was also nervous. But for me, everything went so smooth I laugh at myself for being nervous about it.

Are you keeping to your surgeons diet plan? Logging calories and Protein intake and staying within the doctors recommendations. While you will have small periods with no losses, going 3 weeks with no loss is not normal at 4 months. Recheck how many calories you are taking in. And remember, the sleeve is only a tool. If you are eating high calorie foods that digest quickly then the sleeve wont do you any good.

If you have documented 5 years of supervised weight loss attempts then you may be good to go. But it has to be documented and the insurance will require the documentation from the doctors.

Itching around the incision sites is normal. Also if you are on pain meds, they will make you itchy all over.

The only thing you may need is a ride home from the hospital. And some hospitals may require it. Other than that you should be fine as long as you make the preparations ahead of time. My surgeon ordered my wife not to baby me, make me get up and fix my own food and stuff. They want you to be active right away.