SugarFreeMe

I use Stevia or Truvia in my coffee. They are both (mostly) all natural, derived from leaves. If you go to a health food store they have them in flavors (french vanilla, english toffee, strawberry, chocolate and bunches of others). I don't like splenda, it leaves a nasty taste and I try to stay away from sweet-n-low and the blue stuff.

At 6 days your stomach is still swollen from surgery and probably doesn't want anything in it. I had to stick with warm things to eat or drink. Cold was a big no-no for my tummy. I drank a lot of warm tea (with unflavored Protein in it) as well as blended cream of chicken Soup and other mushy foods. Yogurt took a while (couple of weeks) because of the coldness. I did get SF Jello down, but I let it sit on the counter for 1/2 an hour before I ate it. Again, your still swollen and things are still healing. You'll get there a little at a time. Have you gone for your 1 week check-up??? If not, mention it to your surgeon to be sure, but I'm guessing its just a time thing.

I also had the hernia, it didn't stop the surgery at all. I didn't have the endoscopy, but I think some surgeons require them to that they know exactly what their facing when they start. My surgeon found mine when he went in, all he did was repair it. It didn't cause any additional time in the hospital, insurance covered it and all is good. Don't sweat it, I actually think it's something very common to overweight people.

You're asking a loaded question, I'll say that right off the bat. Every person on here is highly passionate about their surgery of choice and most tend to try to tarnish the other options without knowing all the facts. That being said, I was also thinking that sleeve was a good choice but after my consultation with the surgeon I ended up choosing RNY because...... I too had a sugar addiction along with a tendency to get reflux. With RNY you get sick if you eat sugar and reflux is exacerbated by the sleeve. I've done wonderfully with my surgery and would recommend it for anyone soley based on my experience. Are the other surgery good option, absolutely they are. It's really a choice that should be made between you, your surgeon and your nutritionist based on your current health and your goals for weight loss. I can tell you this. My type 2 diabetes is gone as well as my high cholesterol as well as my high blood pressure. I haven't had a problem with reflux since surgery as well. If you have specific questions please feel free to send a message. I'll do my best to answer you honestly.

Hi Maribeth. Welcome to the site. You'll find a lot of great information here and tons of support. My first comment is that this isn't elective for 95% of the people here, it's a health issue and is typically something that is covered by insurance. Elective surgeries are not covered by insurance and not many people can afford the expense of this procedure on their own. Because I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes my insurance covered my surgery. I had a slight complication whereby my intestines and bowels didn't take to kindly to the anesthesia and they choose to sleep longer then they should have. It only caused an additional 1 1/2 days in the hospital, but it was scary at first. Would I do it again......IN A HEARTBEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The night before surgery I took my last med for the diabetes and cholesterol. At 4 months I took my last blood pressure pill. I've gone from Morbidly obese to obese to overweight in under 5 months. I've dropped from 217 lbs to 149 lbs since my surgery in mid-March. I have more energy then I've had in years and I'm living life again.

I added unflavored whey Protein to my morning tea and almost anything else I was able to consume that wasn't a shake. You can try muscle mile shakes, not at all filmy. It's all experimental from here on out. Once you pass the mushy stage things will get better. My surgeon was more worried about fluids in general then protein for the first month. Stay hydrated and don't sweat the protein at this point.

You need to fight thru it. This is your first real test of your full commitment to your future. You will have head hunger after surgery, the best thing to do now and then is to keep busy. When your "hungry", drink Water and distract yourself. The more you focus on food the worse it's going to get. Don't give in. If you truly want this, you need to prove it to yourself.

I'd stick with your schedule and use fmla. As for the surgery being elective, if your insurance company is covering it, it's not elective which your boss may not be aware of. It's a matter of your health, not a convenience (for you or your employer). Also, I'd worry that if you push it off until December, you'll be asked to push it off again until after the first of the year and so on and so on. Too much time between all your pre-op testing and the actual surgery could cause scheduling issues and the need to re-do somehting. Additionally, I wouldn't want to be dealing with recovery during the holidays either. If you do the surgery in October, you'll be much more prepared by the holidays to handle the food issues that "WILL" come up. Better to be used to what you can and can't handle. Stick to your plan if at all possible.

Welcome and good for you. Making the decision to have surgery, no matter which you choose is monumental. As long as you're 100% committed and have the right attitude you'll do great. My seminar was in late Nov 2013, first appt with the surgeon was Jan 21st, 2014 and my surgery was March 17th 2014. A total of 4 months start to finish. I've never once questioned my decision, it is by far the best thing I've ever done for myself. Best wishes for a quick and uncomplicated procedure for you.

I understand totally, but.....I've seen pics of someone saying they now wear a 16 and CLEARLY they shouldn't be wearing a 16, probably more like an 18 or even a 20. My surgeon even told me to buy pants really tight because soon I'd fit into them, but I can't do that. I need my clothes to fit. I don't do muffin top and don't find it attractive. So....wear what fits and is comfortable and don't worry.

What about cream Soups, chili, refried Beans with cheese and sour cream. Also try canned chicken salad? I'm 4+ months our and still have a hard time with eggs, ground beef and other meats. Keep trying, you'll get there.

You can freeze the yogurts. If you check out theworldaccordingtoeggface.com, she has some wonderful recipes for greek yogurts. She buys the plain or vanilla and adds her own ingredients. Check it out. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

Here's a link to see the 3 different fitbits that are available. https://www.fitbit.com/product

Fitbit is a pedometer that you wear on your wrist. It syncs with my phone and computer so I can review everything there and also sends me a weekly report. It costs about $ 100.00 but it's so worth it. You can tell it when your going to bed, it tracks the hours you sleep and even tells you how many times you were restless during the night. Its amazing because when I feel tired during the day, I can check and sure enough I either didn't get enough sleep or I was restless 8 - 10 times during the night. (note, they have different types of fitbits, some less expensive then the one I have)

It scares be to hear you say you don't know what to eat. There are many websites (and your nut) that can help you figure out foods that are good for you and things you need to stay away from. Many foods that you think are good for you really aren't. Too many carbs can sideline you and they stay with you for days which can really sabotage you and you won't even know it. Not enough Protein can lead you to want to eat more often. I've noticed that I need to also try to balance meals. Do you keep a journal of your food intake? It was really helpful to me, I still keep track using my Fitbit. It helps me track exercise, food intake, calories burned and bunches of other things. It keeps me honest and helps me to see when I'm doing good and when I'm doing bad. If I notice a stall, I can go back and see what I've been doing and usually without fail I'll see a pattern of eating too little, not moving enough or lack of sleep. It's very important to journal and/or track. (Also, if you don't eat enough calories your body will quit burning them and you'll stop loosing).

At 2 weeks you'd be best to stick with greek yogurt and Jello. Anything like Cookies or wafers would be pretty tough on your tummy. I'm almost 5 months post-op if I REALLY want something sweet I reach for a piece of fruit. cookies, wafers or anything else, even sugar free, would be like a gateway drug for me and it's just not worth it.

Skipping meals isn't a good thing. Pretty soon you'll notice that you'll quit loosing weight. Your body will go into starvation mode and it will horde fat. Eat on a schedule every day. There are apps for phones that you can set to remind you to eat. I don't know what your calorie intake should be for sleeve, I had RNY and for the first 3 months I was at 600-800 calories. I've had to increase that to 1000 to keep myself from stalling.

Lauren - Which surgery did you have? What do you eat in a normal day? If you'd supply some information I'm sure there are many others besides myself who can give you suggestions and help. Don't give up - The best thing you did today was reach out here. Hang tight. (You can email me at tlloyd851@yahoo.com for support if you like. I had RNY and have had great success)

I'd call the surgeons office and talk with them about it. Explain everything you said here and see what he/she says. Do they suggest all the additional test? Could they suggest a different sleep study group, or if the results of the sleep study show no apnea, would that be sufficient for them if the vascular surgeon is prepared to approve you? Don't over analyze the situation until you've consulted your surgeon. You'll make yourself nuts and it may not even be an issue.

Nothing sounds wrong to me You're going to be sore for a few weeks. Your taste buds change after surgery. Where I once craved sugar and fried foods, they now taste horrible. I didn't mind the Protein shakes prior to surgery, now it's a struggle to drink them, fortunately I don't drink them often. I honestly think that the liquid, pureed and soft food stages after surgery by far were harder then my pre-op liquid diet. Take each day as it comes. Every day the soreness will be a little better, keep walking which definitely helps. I tried liquid Vitamins, couldn't get past the smell. I've been chewing gummy vitamins with no problem. At my 3 month check-up my labs all came back perfect. I know some surgeons frown upon gummies and believe they aren't able to be absorbed, but my body has no problem with them, that being said, follow your plan, I'm not telling you do take them. You'll get there, I'm guessing if you've stepped on the scale you haven't seen a big drop. That's because of Water weight and swelling. Try to wait until at the very least 10-14 days out. You should be pleasantly surprised at the results. I've said this more then once and I'll keep repeating myself to anyone who will listen - Stay positive, I believe it's what's made my surgery both successful and fairly easy to date. Best wishes.

Can you see about doing cobra with the the insurance company? Or look into a private plan

I had a lot of pain in my abdomen, I found that if I wore an elastic support band it helped a lot, it kept things from moving around. See if your surgeon is okay with you wearing one, I found mine at Walgreens and wore it for about 4/5 weeks on and off, depending on what kind of activity I was doing.

At just over 3 months out I had my first slice of pizza after surgery. A 3 x 3 inch square filled my up but it was by far the best pizza in the world. You will eat it again, that and a lot of other things you can't in the beginning.

Carol, I just realized that your almost exactly where I started. If all goes as planned, just imagine spending the holidays at around 155 lbs. sounds awesome doesn't it? Now quit doubting, commit fully and live girl.

I'm just over 4 months out and I've never regretted my decision. I think a lot of the process is about attitude and staying positive. Please don't let a random comment side line you or cause you some trepidation. You deserve to be healthy and enjoy life and that's just what this will do for you.