Denise73

it has a LOT to do with the inflammation and swelling present. and it can last for a couple of weeks. it also can be affected by whether you had any hiatal hernia repair, what size bougie, etc...i learned not to compare because at 12 days out i was drinking 32 oz of Protein Shake without any issues in under an hour. i quickly learned that although it's not completely the norm, it is norm for me.

That's a good idea. I'm sure I'll be posting as my coherence level allows!

I had the gastric sleeve on Monday June 30th. I am 6 days post op and started Protein Shakes on Friday. Why am I so hungry? The popsicles and Jello aren't keeping me full. Any suggestions?

This is my first time posting, however I have been following since right before my surgery. I had a NSV that brought me to tears this 4th of July weekend and thought I would share. To some it may sound silly. I have 3 children 14, 4 and 2. I have been over weight all my life. When my 14 yr old was younger I was never able to take her on rides at carnvials or things like that as I was to big. In fact one time I tried but, had to get off because the lap thing wouldn't go down. Thankfully, she was to young to understand or remember. I of course was embarrassed beyond belief and remember it well.
This weekend we took our kids to the 4th of July carnival and I was able to take my youngest on rides. I was able to sitwith them on the ride and I was able to get in a Trauma one helicopter without being told I was too big.
I still have a ways to go but finally feel like a good mom to all my kids. Thanks for letting me share!

Yes, but my nut says exercise helps. Exercise ups that metabolism - it has been key for me. And I'm no marathon training guru, but I make sure I get it in.

Yep, it sure can. Your body goes into starvation mode and lowers your metabolism as it tries to conserve as much energy as it can. And tries to store anything you eat instead of using it for fuel.

I get hiccups when I eat too fast.It signals me to stop, slow down,put the baby spoon down and see how I feel in a few minutes.I am 1 yr out and really, if im being mindful while im eating,I dont have to eat alot to be content.But if I dont stop,I get what I call "Thanksgiving stuffed"..uugghh..not good.

I have an app on my phone that reminds me every hour, its called Water your body.

I just kept a water bottle (or Protein shake) in hand and never stopped sipping all day from wake up to bedtime. It was definitely a full time job to get in all my fluids in the first couple months and that had turned into a strong habit. I actually kind of panic if I don't have Water readily available so I make sure I always have a full bottle before leaving the house.

i am the same as Kindle. I wake up and the FIRST thing is get my Water bottle out. i drink 10-15 oz during my first 30 minutes awake then go straight to my 30 oz Protein shake/milk.
i refill my Water bottle with various flavors of crystal light and keep it with me all day and just keep sipping.
car trips have been VERY different, in the past the first thing hubs and i did was stop by the filling station for a big guzzler (pop) before we embarked on a roadtrip. now we have our waters and head out!

Yes, that's it exactly! A new (happy) normal. And also as was said above, what you are going through is normal for now. I remember wishing I was 6 months in the future, with all of that worry and discomfort behind me. Well, now I am in the future, and it IS all behind me. Yes, it was much tougher than I imagined, but REALLY worth it! Now, it's a breeze. You'll get there! :-)

I couldn't agree more with WhoDat. You are in the very early stages. It might not feel like that but with time you'll gain more perspective. What you're experiencing now is not normal for 1, 2 years post op but it's normal for that early stage. I too questioned the wisdom of my surgery for about 2 months but then that faded. I can eat anything I want but have learned that since I can't eat much at one time I eat something good, both nutritionally and taste wise. I had eggs for Breakfast, 1/2 of a roast beef sandwich for lunch, sushi and a salad for dinner. I tell you this so you'll know, it's going to get better, lots better just keep doing what you're medical team tells you to and you'll be thin and happy in no time.

OK, so I spent 6 months jumping hoops for insurance and then focused on preop dieting, then finally had my surgery. I recently completed by 1st week liquid diet, and trying to process myself through the puréed stage. I eat 2oz and I am miserable from being too full! I struggle getting in my required Water and Protein numbers. I am managing about half of what is should be getting in daily. So here is my question? Will life go back to normal where what I eat and drink is NOT the focus of my every minute? I signed on for the new lifestyle, and eating healthy is truly my goal. But I want to just go on living too. Will I get there?

Now that I became diabetic I look at all the junk available in the grocery story and feel sad. I wish I could tell everyone, "Watch out! This food is not really food, it's sugar and it's dangerous. Don't do what I did!" The sadder thing is that sometimes I still buy and consume the junk.

I felt all smug sitting at Golden Corral, watching all the people walk by with plates overflowing and feeling like I was so much better than them.... then it hit me, if I hadn't just had surgery a few months earlier, wouldn't I be making my 2nd trip to the buffet about now???? **** consider me "Pimp Slapped" ****

@@Lynne1029
I know how you feel about the clothes. Over the years because I've been a yo-yo dieter, I literally have a bunch of clothes for every size from a size 6 to size 16. I'll be alright for a little while. From year to year, I never knew what size I'd be so I just kept all my clothes.

@@butterfyeffect
I can't wait for that also. Congratulations on your 35 lbs weight loss. Keep up the good work.

I was constantly on a diet so often times I call myself going to salad bars where you pay per pound. I like all the different selections so I always wanted a little of this and that and well, my eyes are bigger than my stomach so I always overdid it and end up paying over $10.00 for lunch. Well when I am on solid foods after surgery, I can't wait to be able to go to a salad bar and get very little and be satisfied. I always admired the people who get the small containers and have very little in them. I can't wait for that to be me. lol

Hello everyone,
I read so many stories about the 2 week pre-op liquid diet and I was so scared and nervous and didn't think I'd make it. I kept thinking, how in the hell these NUTs and surgeons expect us to eat basically nothing for 2 whole weeks.
To the members who've yet to experience this well talked about "2 week liquid Protein diet", let me tell you my experience and hopefully it will ease your mind and give you hope. So I started my Protein diet on Monday 6/16 here it is Friday and I'm fine. I must say, it's not as bad as you all think it's going to be. I don't know if it's the types of protein I'm taking but I really really haven't been hungry. Not even head hunger. Mind you I have a 14 year old son I have to either cook or heat up food for every day.
I'm allowed 4-8oz Protein shakes a day, sugar free Jello & pudding, 1 -8oz of low carb yogurt, 1-8oz of skim milk, sugar free popsicles and unlimited amounts of non-sugary, non-carbonated, non-caffeinated beverages and broth.
I've been having 2-3 shakes and one serving of yogurt at night as dinner and twice I've had a cup of broth and twice I've had a cup of sf Jello. I haven't had any headaches/migraines or anything. I have not cheated at all, not a bite, a crumb or a lick of anything. Based on the stories I've read, I've come to the conclusion that it must be the type of Protein Shakes that are satisfying me and not allowing me to feel hungry. Actually, I have to force myself to have the third shake sometimes.
Just like everyone else, the anticipation and the unknown had me failing at the protein diet before I even began. I have to tell you though, the two times I felt weak was when I over did it at the gym and yesterday when I went too long (about 9 hours) without a shake. Other than those two times I was/am good. I just bought my son some McDonalds and I didn't even take a french fry. I used to always have at least two of his fries. I'm working at home today and you couldn't tell me I wasn't going to be home all day and not eat something I wasn't supposed to. Nope not at all. I had one Protein Shake and two sf popsicles.
So I'm saying all this to say, please don't stress over this 2 week protein diet. It may or may not be as bad as you think. I wanted to post this because I wish I read something like this before I started because I might not have stressed it as much as I did. Good luck to those of you who will be on the diet soon. I am so sorry this is so long but I needed to post my experience in its entirety.
Denise73

It’s Friday night, and your long-awaited bariatric surgery is scheduled for Monday morning. Ahead of you are two days of the freedom to eat anything you want, in any quantity. You’re supposed to be on a pre-op liquid diet, but when you walk into Cheesecake Factory with your friends, your resolution to order Soup goes down the drain (literally as well as figuratively). You grasp the menu in sweaty hands. What to order, what to order? You’ll never be able to enjoy food like this again, you think. Don’t you deserve to order one of everything on the menu? After all, it’s your last meal!
Sound familiar? Last Meal Syndrome is very common among people facing weight loss surgery, and chances are you've already suffered it sometime in your life, perhaps the day before you started New Diet #832. Since New Diets almost always start on a Monday (there may be a law of nature covering that), you spent every minute of Sunday gorging on all the foods you could no longer eat come Monday morning. You ate so much that you made yourself slightly ill, and you probably didn't taste half of that food in your haste to cram it into your mouth.
Overeating because of anticipated deprivation is an old, old habit. Until the earliest humans learned to plant seeds and cultivate their own food supply, nutrition was largely a matter of opportunism. If you caught a big fish or felled an animal by heaving a rock at it, you ate it all because you didn't know when another meal would swim, crawl, walk, or fly by.
Although I sometimes joke that being self-employed as a writer is terrifying for me because it's a hand-to-mouth existence, at no time in my middle-class American life have I ever been truly threatened by significant food deprivation. My repeated bouts with Last Meal Syndrome have been caused mostly by my emotional over-attachment to food. When starting a new weight loss diet, or contemplating my coming bariatric surgery, I was terrified not that I would starve, but that I would suffer from emotional pain, boredom, or stress unrelieved by my usual comfort: whatever food I wanted, when I wanted it, in any quantity I wanted. Intellectually I knew that I would be able to eat small amounts of healthy foods and thus lose weight and gain better health, but the spoiled, petulant child within me feared and hated the very thought of that.
A few days before I was banded, my husband asked me, "Are you going to have anything special to eat before your surgery?"
I said virtuously, "I'm on a clear liquid diet for the next three days. I can't eat anything at all, never mind something special." My surgeon had told me that if my liver wasn't in good shape (that is, having a manageable size and texture), he would bail out of my surgery. After all I had gone through to get to the operating room, I wasn't going to blow it, and it wasn't (as I reminded myself) as if I would never be able to eat again in my entire life. I was facing food deprivation, yes, but for a matter of days, not years.
Now, let's get one thing clear here: I'm not claiming superiority over pre-ops who give in to Last Meal Syndrome and Celebrate their own private food festival a day or a week before their surgery. My compliance with my surgeon's instructions was driven by fear, plain and simple. I wasn't (then or now) a paragon of virtue. But in the last 4-1/2 years, I've learned something important that newbies and wannabes may not realize about the adjustable gastric band. And that is:
The only food deprivation you will suffer after band surgery involves the QUANTITY, not the quality or nature of the food you eat. With a properly adjusted band, you should be able to eat a wide variety of foods you like. You don't have to give up Cheetos or Haagen Daz or McDonald's or prime rib of beef forever. All you have to give up is eating those foods in excess. It's true that when your daily calorie budget is limited, your health will depend on your making the best possible food choices - eating a piece of cheese instead of the Cheetos, a Skinny Cow ice cream bar instead of a gallon of Rocky Road, a Happy Meal instead of a quarter-pounder, two ounces of prime rib instead of the whole cow. You and your band will still be able to tolerate just about anything, so when you look down the road that your bandwagon will travel, you should see plenty of nice places to stop and eat instead of a dry, barren desert in which you'll have to subsist on stale melba toast and lukewarm Water.< /span>
That's the good news. Now here's the bad news:
After band surgery, you'll be able to eat a wide variety of foods you like. Yes, I know I already said that, up there in the good news paragraph. But the tolerance of almost any food you can imagine means that you will have to exert some self-control to avoid overindulging. Now you may be thinking, "If I had any self-control, I wouldn't need weight loss surgery." If the need for self-control is a deal-breaker for you, maybe you should consider a different bariatric procedure, one that will allow you to eat anything at all and lose a pound a day. I'm not convinced that such a procedure exists, because I've heard too many gastric bypass (and even duodenal switch) patients moaning about significant weight regain, but by all means give the Magic Weight Loss Surgery a go. Maybe self-control will never be an issue for you again.
My thoughts about self-control would fill up another whole article, so right now I just want to reassure you that eating with your gastric band is not necessarily going to involve an endless series of bland, dreary meals. It's not going to be like the mysteriously popular diet that requires you to eat nothing but cabbage soup three times a day. It's going to involve eating like a normal person who enjoys food but has a small appetite. Depending on your experience of restriction after each fill, you may have to forgo certain foods at times, but just because you can't comfortably eat a bagel with cream cheese today doesn't mean you'll never again be able to have a few bites of toasted bagel. Your food tolerance is going to depend not only on your fill level but also on your eating skills. The day after my first fill, I suffered my first stuck episode after taking a huge bite of a grilled cheese sandwich. A year later, with a lot more fill in my band, I could eat that same sandwich for lunch because by then I was used to eating slowly, taking tiny bites and chewing the food very well. I probably wouldn't eat the whole sandwich because I'd get "full" so quickly, and that's a good thing!

Millions of Americans will go away on vacation this year, and if you are lucky enough to be one of them, you need to know what to pack. Packing requires a little more thought than it did before weight loss surgery, when you did not have much to worry about besides your clothes and toiletries. After weight loss surgery, you need to be sure that you bring what you need to stay healthy and keep losing weight. That means adding a few extra items to your packing list. These are some essential additions to your suitcase when you are taking a trip after weight loss surgery.


Keep reading even if you’re one of the nearly half of Americans who are not going to travel this year. These tips can be just as helpful for staycationers as for vacationers, since the goals are the same. On vacation, you need to stick to your weight loss surgery diet, keep exercising, and be prepared for unexpected complications that can come up.
Water Bottle
Before surgery, hydration was a lot easier. You grabbed a bottle of Water, a soda, or whatever else was around. If nothing was available at the moment, you just waited until the next opportunity to drink something. That doesn’t fly after weight loss surgery! You need to stay hydrated to keep your energy levels up and your hunger down, and you cannot afford the calories of sodas, juices, or sports drinks.< /span>
Another wrench is that you cannot drink beverages while you are eating solid food, so you need to be prepared to meet your Fluid requirements within small windows of time. Take a reusable water bottle so that you can always have water available when you need it. A reusable water bottle is not necessary if you are certain that you will always be able to purchase a few bottles of water when you need one. Include a few packets of powdered sugar-free beverage mix if you do not like the taste of water.
Protein Powder
Getting enough Protein was no problem before weight loss surgery. There was no way you couldn’t get enough each day. After weight loss surgery, though, your 60 to 85 grams of protein per day can be challenging. Being on the road can make the task much more difficult. You might not be able to check the nutritional information of a food before it is time to eat your meal, or you might find yourself at a restaurant that seems to have no high-protein options. If you are in a foreign country, a lot of the foods you eat may be unfamiliar, so you will not know the exact protein content.

You can still enjoy these exotic foods on your vacation, though. Stash some Protein Powder in your suitcase so that you never need to risk being without enough protein. A 1-lb canister of protein powder can provide 300 grams of protein, which should be enough to help you meet your needs when you combine it with the healthy foods you choose during your trip.
Healthy Snacks
Snacks and meals were easy before weight loss surgery. There is always some sort of food around, and when your stomach growled, you could hit the nearest vending machine, convenience store, or restaurant. After weight loss surgery, you need to eat healthy foods. If hunger strikes and you are unprepared, you are out of luck.

Bring a few healthy Snacks to prevent diet disasters at the airport and throughout your trip, unless you are certain that you will be able to visit supermarkets with the healthy foods you need whenever necessary. These are some ideas.
Protein bars.
Nuts or peanuts.
Peanut butter.
Beef Jerky.< /span>
Microwave popcorn.< /span>
Packets of instant oatmeal (use the coffee maker in your hotel room to heat water to make the oatmeal).

Emergency Contacts
Anything can happen at any time after weight loss surgery. Lap-band patients may get sick and need an unfill, and any weight loss surgery patient can need to see a surgeon for a variety of reasons. Be sure you know how to reach your surgeon, primary care doctor, your pharmacist, and a friend or family member who can act as your emergency contact. You likely already have their information in your cell phone, but write it down on paper, too. That way, you can easily make copies of the information. Include names, phone numbers, and email addresses.
Anti-Nausea Medications
You may have already been prone to motion sickness and nausea before weight loss surgery, but the risks associated with vomiting are more serious after weight loss surgery. Vomiting can displace the lap-band or rip the staples if you have the gastric bypass, sleeve plication, or sleeve gastrectomy. Pack an over-the-counter anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medication that your doctor approves of so that you can minimize vomiting as soon as possible if you happen to get food poisoning or fall ill on vacation.
Running Shoes
Take your running, walking, or other active shoes…because this year, you are going to participate instead of watching on the sidelines! Don’t forget other activewear, such as comfortable exercise clothes that are suitable for whatever you might encounter, whether that involves outdoor hikes or indoor group exercise classes on a cruise ship.
Food Journal
Calories and portion sizes count just as much on vacation as at home, and logging your food is just as important. Take a paper notebook so that you do not need to rely on having internet access to log your food. Or, if you are staying in the U.S. and are confident that you can keep logging your food on your mobile device like you always do, you can stick with your smartphone.
Nutritional Supplements
You don’t want to waste your vacation chasing down the assortment of Vitamins and minerals that you are supposed to be taking. Some of the vitamins and minerals may not even be available over-the-counter in the doses you need if you are in a foreign country. Bring enough of each kind of supplement that you take to comfortably see you through your trip.

After much contemplating I decided to take the leap and go to Tijuana for my VSG. To get one in my area in Virginia I was looking at a cost of around $26,000. I considered the safety concerns and the issues with aftercare for a procedure down out of the country. The biggest issue for me was the flight from Richmond to San Diego. I had never flown and swore I would never be on a plane. I was so excited about having this done I was able to put my fears aside and ordered my tickets. It was done, no going back. Non-refundable plane tickets and deposit to hospital paid. I was all in. I talked to the coordinator, Irene, several times and could not have been more comfortable with my decision. All of the people associated with Ready4Achange were so helpful and warm and comforting and I had no doubts that I was doing the right thing. I had my surgery on June 11, 2014. Today is June 28 and I am down 26 lbs. Dr. Garcia did a fantastic job, my scars are going to be minimal and are mostly healed now. I have not one non-positive thing to say about the entire experience. Mexico was great. We were able to get out in town and do the touristy things. Went to the movies (don't pass up the VIP section!), casino, and shopping. On the last day we got a tour of San Diego and went to Coronado Beach. Toes in the sand and legs in the Water....great way to end the day. For a total of $6,000 we had a week in Mexico and a life-changing procedure that would have cost me $20,000 if I had it done it. The attention I was given far surpassed any that I have received in the States.
Feel free to ask any questions!
Kimberly Moyer

March 13-April 15 was about 20 pounds. Then about 10 per month the next 2. Those first two stalls are the worst. Hang in there. It gets better. And it is different for everyone. Try not to compare because that'll make you crazy. Just stick to the plan and program, you'll be fine.

Hello everyone,
I read so many stories about the 2 week pre-op liquid diet and I was so scared and nervous and didn't think I'd make it. I kept thinking, how in the hell these NUTs and surgeons expect us to eat basically nothing for 2 whole weeks.
To the members who've yet to experience this well talked about "2 week liquid Protein diet", let me tell you my experience and hopefully it will ease your mind and give you hope. So I started my Protein diet on Monday 6/16 here it is Friday and I'm fine. I must say, it's not as bad as you all think it's going to be. I don't know if it's the types of protein I'm taking but I really really haven't been hungry. Not even head hunger. Mind you I have a 14 year old son I have to either cook or heat up food for every day.
I'm allowed 4-8oz Protein shakes a day, sugar free Jello & pudding, 1 -8oz of low carb yogurt, 1-8oz of skim milk, sugar free popsicles and unlimited amounts of non-sugary, non-carbonated, non-caffeinated beverages and broth.
I've been having 2-3 shakes and one serving of yogurt at night as dinner and twice I've had a cup of broth and twice I've had a cup of sf Jello. I haven't had any headaches/migraines or anything. I have not cheated at all, not a bite, a crumb or a lick of anything. Based on the stories I've read, I've come to the conclusion that it must be the type of Protein Shakes that are satisfying me and not allowing me to feel hungry. Actually, I have to force myself to have the third shake sometimes.
Just like everyone else, the anticipation and the unknown had me failing at the protein diet before I even began. I have to tell you though, the two times I felt weak was when I over did it at the gym and yesterday when I went too long (about 9 hours) without a shake. Other than those two times I was/am good. I just bought my son some McDonalds and I didn't even take a french fry. I used to always have at least two of his fries. I'm working at home today and you couldn't tell me I wasn't going to be home all day and not eat something I wasn't supposed to. Nope not at all. I had one Protein Shake and two sf popsicles.
So I'm saying all this to say, please don't stress over this 2 week protein diet. It may or may not be as bad as you think. I wanted to post this because I wish I read something like this before I started because I might not have stressed it as much as I did. Good luck to those of you who will be on the diet soon. I am so sorry this is so long but I needed to post my experience in its entirety.
Denise73

Hello everyone,
I read so many stories about the 2 week pre-op liquid diet and I was so scared and nervous and didn't think I'd make it. I kept thinking, how in the hell these NUTs and surgeons expect us to eat basically nothing for 2 whole weeks.
To the members who've yet to experience this well talked about "2 week liquid Protein diet", let me tell you my experience and hopefully it will ease your mind and give you hope. So I started my Protein diet on Monday 6/16 here it is Friday and I'm fine. I must say, it's not as bad as you all think it's going to be. I don't know if it's the types of protein I'm taking but I really really haven't been hungry. Not even head hunger. Mind you I have a 14 year old son I have to either cook or heat up food for every day.
I'm allowed 4-8oz Protein shakes a day, sugar free Jello & pudding, 1 -8oz of low carb yogurt, 1-8oz of skim milk, sugar free popsicles and unlimited amounts of non-sugary, non-carbonated, non-caffeinated beverages and broth.
I've been having 2-3 shakes and one serving of yogurt at night as dinner and twice I've had a cup of broth and twice I've had a cup of sf Jello. I haven't had any headaches/migraines or anything. I have not cheated at all, not a bite, a crumb or a lick of anything. Based on the stories I've read, I've come to the conclusion that it must be the type of Protein Shakes that are satisfying me and not allowing me to feel hungry. Actually, I have to force myself to have the third shake sometimes.
Just like everyone else, the anticipation and the unknown had me failing at the protein diet before I even began. I have to tell you though, the two times I felt weak was when I over did it at the gym and yesterday when I went too long (about 9 hours) without a shake. Other than those two times I was/am good. I just bought my son some McDonalds and I didn't even take a french fry. I used to always have at least two of his fries. I'm working at home today and you couldn't tell me I wasn't going to be home all day and not eat something I wasn't supposed to. Nope not at all. I had one Protein Shake and two sf popsicles.
So I'm saying all this to say, please don't stress over this 2 week protein diet. It may or may not be as bad as you think. I wanted to post this because I wish I read something like this before I started because I might not have stressed it as much as I did. Good luck to those of you who will be on the diet soon. I am so sorry this is so long but I needed to post my experience in its entirety.
Denise73