MichiganGirl

Fairly well over here. I've lost about 120 lbs since 6/24/14. My doctor wants me down another 35 or so. Kind of on a plateau for the last YEAR. Recently lost another 6 lbs - but it's at a crawl or standstill for the most part. Feel FANTASTIC. Need to incorporate more exercise - almost doing none at the moment (using work/life/anything as an excuse). How are you doing?

Good thinking @grateful_love. I got my sewing machine out to keep busy too (and haven't used mine since my 8th grade sewing class too!! lol). But I decided I just didn't have enough time under my belt to do something right off the bat - so I pulled out the knitting. GREAT thing to keep my hands busy!

What kept me going was that I didn't want me to get thrown out after working so hard to get that date. I was "on mission" at that point. It was after the surgery that was hard to stay on the Protein shakes/soups. SO tired of sweet drinks! You can do this. Plus you are allowed green veggies. Mix them up. Hang tough!

The staff and doctors have been fantastic. I'm a little disappointed in the after care - but I can say I was WELL prepared going in. Then again I had a six month regimen that McLaren imposed upon me to lose weight prior to the surgery. My out of pocket costs have been around $4,500 for the whole process (that's with insurance). I've kept a spreadsheet of the total costs - that included all of the doctor visits/x-rays/sleep clinic etc for the clearances plus surgery and it totaled $46k. Then McLaren "discounted" that down to $13k. All I paid to Sparrow Weight Management (SWM) directly was about $600 plus a couple of $30 co-pays. That was for the New Direction Protein shakes/bars/soups, scales, Vitamins. Plus I was getting shakes before surgery just to help with losing weight. My surgeon was Dr. Kososochi Obinwanne (who I love!). The head surgeon is Dr. Mindy Lane - and she is well regarded in the field as well she was head-hunted for the position. She would only agree to come over to Sparrow if she could bring her staff with her. There was something about that that made me more comfortable with everyone. There is a support group meeting every third Wednesday at 7:pm upstairs from SWM. It helped me get the answers to so many questions I had before surgery by going to these meetings. Don't be afraid to ask.

I have used the Eat Slower app on my phone. You can change the time intervals to your liking. It really helps me! (I have a tendency to eat waaay too fast)

It's been strange for me too. Was a (tight) 24 to start - have lost 75 pounds and STILL am in my 24's... they are a little lose - but still comfortable in the waist. SO weird. I can fit into a few of my 22's that I've pulled back out. But 75 pounds and still wearing the same size?? I'm definitely losing from the top down. lol

Chynna - Do you happen to be close to East Lansing? Sparrow has New Direction and Optifast products. They were pretty tasty to me (except when I had to have them every.single.day.) lol

Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, refried Beans with a little cheese and taco sauce (not chunky), egg/tuna/chicken salads, corned beef or roast beef hash (if was flavorful!!), ricotta cheese with spaghetti sauce and some parmesan, Soups galore (while adding some Protein powder), and lots of eggs for me.... To zing up chicken, tuna or egg salads I used about a tbsp of mayo or greek yogurt with a little wasabi paste, or curry, or brown mustards, or cumin for a southwestern flavor. Currently stuck on the curry powder - so good!

Been awhile since anyone posted here. I also participated in the Sparrow Weight Management program. I also did three tours of Optifast through them - lost 50-70 lbs each time only to regain it all and more back. This time I looked into the bariatric program thinking there was no way I would follow through. However, I'm SO glad I did!!! Best thing I've ever done for myself. Did some research into Dr. Mindy Lane and the results came back very favorably. She was head-hunted to become the director of the program for Sparrow hospital and had glowing reviews. So imagine my disappointment when I was assigned to the other surgeon on staff for bariatric? However, I couldn't be more thrilled with my surgeon. His name is Dr. Kosisochi Obinwanne. He's got great bedside manner. Made me feel I wasn't just a number or that next patient on the list. He was funny, approachable and listened to my questions. Just wanted to throw that out there for anyone considering Sparrow. So far, my experience over the years has been one to recommend.

and..... most importantly - even after I read everything I could get my hands on, I knew not to get upset with the liquid diet, the emotional changes, or how hard it was in the beginning. I warned my guy that I might have remorse or be a bit off. lol But it still happened. I still was mad at myself for going through something so drastic and having lack of self control to get to that point where surgery was even an option. So expect that going in - it's hard, it's emotional - but it's so worth it!! Good luck to you! Stay the course!

In the immediate days following surgery it would take me around 3 hours to drink a Protein shake. I was sipping Water out of a little medication measuring cap (15-30 ml) - and even that would take me awhile. Just sip sip sipping constantly throughout the day. A little water, a little protein shake. They don't expect that you will get your 70 grams of protein or your 64 ounces of water necessary in during those early days. You are just working on getting what you CAN in. (but working on doing your best). Once you start feeling better and the stomach heals a little more - you will notice that you can get a little more in to meet the requirements. Although by the end of two weeks I was really really ready for something else besides chocolate (sweet) shakes. I noticed that I was so incredibly full most of the time and kept gas-x strips on hand. This helped with the bloating and super stuffed feeling. I also kept miralax on hand and that helped with getting things moving (that always helped with the super full feeling after a few days). I don't know what everyone else did, but they had me off of all Vitamins for the first couple of weeks. I was taking omeprazole (prilosec) though. I would take apart the capsule and mix it with a small amount of applesauce. It works well. Some of the other medication that they prescribed from the hospital were either a dissovable-type pill or liquid.

Sleeved on 6/24 here... was doing really well with my cravings and controlling intake (since I didn't really care about eating). But in the last week something has changed. I'm feeling more hunger (whether it's real or not) and starting to get these out-of-control feelings again. Wanting to graze already and eat around my set structure that has been going so well. Have lost approx 35 lbs since surgery - so things have been going along well. It just seems strange to me that I'm already starting to lose the honeymoon feeling. Maybe I'm just psyching myself out!! Just scared to return to my old self who didn't succeed very well on her own!

Does anyone have problems with it on their computers too? Every time I use this site it almost brings my computer to a grinding halt. Such a memory hog!! I usually will open a couple of tabs that I want to read, then go read them and it just drags down my laptop.

I agree with the others. I probably could've gone, but it would have been pretty slow going (walking and moving slowly) and I'm sure I wouldn't have stayed long. Plus I wouldn't have wanted someone to accidentally bump into me or jostle me about.

I too am a Michigander. Had my sleeve done at Sparrow earlier this summer. Sparrow uses New Direction Protein products. They are pretty tasty! (with the exception of having to have them before and immediately after the surgery...THAT got old quickly) Good luck to all of you!

....and regarding the husband bringing in the pizza? WRONG. That is not support in any way regardless if he isn't going to change his habits, he should be supporting you. He signed up for the whole marriage thing right?

I remember breaking down one night at about the end of the first 2 weeks. I knew what I was in for. Had read the forum forward and backwards. But nothing could prepare me for the actual emotions and feelings coursing through me. I broke down and cried to my guy. Full of regret and anger I railed about what a mistake I had made and I'm always hungry and this isn't what I signed up for etc... etc... The next day I had my first food. Smashed/pureed egg salad. Nothing had ever tasted so wonderful. Made me feel like a human being again. It also stopped the hunger. Which then led me to believe most of what I had been experiencing was head hunger. Had to be - because I certainly didn't feel it the same way after re-introducing food. I think it's just struggling through these first bits Baby! Soon you'll feel like a new woman! Good luck to you. Chin up!

That's one reason I'm sorry that I shared my surgery with many people. They are all looking at me to lose incredible amounts of weight in a very short time. Every time my mother sees me she gets this child-like look on her face like I've just went potty on the toilet for the first time, exclaims and claps her hands together and calls me skinny.... "Mom, I haven't lost any more weight than the last time I've seen you... cut it out." I was sleeved on June 24th and have lost 24 pounds. You are TWO months behind me and are already on track to beat that! I too feel like I should have lost more by now, but the issue that I read on this forum more than others is that we are all different - we all lose differently. Sticking with the plan that was given to us from our surgeon/doctor/nutritionist is what I'm shooting for and am determined not to let everyone else make me think I'm off track. Or "should be" here by now. Or my neighbor's best friend sisters cousin lost 100 lbs in 3 months... It may come off quickly - it may come off slowly. But the surgery wasn't the only tool we should be getting out of this - it was only part of it. The rest of it are the changes that we are permanently making towards eating better, eating differently, exercising more, etc etc.. Good luck to you!!

I'm a June 24th'er. I have found that I can eat more than I imagined I could at this point. Normally my day looks like this: Breakfast - (1 egg) egg salad, 1 egg omelette with veggies & veggie sausage patty, 1/2 c cottage cheese, Fage yogurt w/fruit 0% fat, or New Direction shake lunch - tuna/chicken salad (3 oz) & crackers, leftover chicken/ground turkey/ground beef (3 oz) & 1/4 c veggies, snack - 1/2 c refried Beans (with cheese/salsa), laughing cow wedge (light) w/whole grain crackers, 1/2 c bean salad w/veggies dinner - chicken/fish (scallops, salmon, whitefish, tuna steak) (3 oz) & 1/4 veggies, ground beef/turkey (in many different ways) Mostly dense Protein (3 oz) and veggies. snack - chocolate or lemon pudding (New Direction), sugar-free Jello, 2% milk, or fruit with milk I usually try to fit in no more than one protein product a day from New Direction (they are pretty tasty now that I don't HAVE to drink them lol). It helps to get my protein up to 70 grams. Most of the dense protein I eat is also wet (I dunk it in SOMETHING). I find that I have more restriction in the morning, then everything tends to fall apart as the day goes by. If I had leftovers from lunch, I could turn around graze on them as the hours went by, so I concentrate on NOT grazing throughout my evenings. So far, that's the hardest part for me. I could eat more than 3 oz and I could have more than a 1/2 cup - but it's the plan and I'm sticking to it! My calories range from 700-800 calories per day. A few times I've been at 1,000-1,100 - a few times around 600. But apparently I am a slow loser (based on surgery patients only though). Lost 36 pounds before surgery, and 9 weeks out I am down 23 pounds. Now according to my friends at work 23 pounds is great! But for surgery patients, I am slow. Trying to not get frustrated and from what I've read on these forums.... If I stick to the plan, it will work. I've said this over and over to myself these past few weeks. So that is my advice to you. Stick with it and we'll both go far.

They won't know. But you'll know. You'll know you did the right thing to make your liver fit as possible for the surgery. Good luck Friday!

I'm wondering the same thing vsjourney. I'm 7 weeks out and don't have any of those signs. In the first few weeks there wasn't any real foods - so I was just plain full and sipping Water (after my 30 mins). Now at 7 weeks I feel like I'm already able to eat more than I should. There aren't any signals to tell me I'm overeating. Granted I have a FULL feeling after eating. But nothing that told me to stop - just that I portioned my meals out and I should stop here. (that worries me a tad)

I had it too for a couple of nights (about 1-2 weeks out fr surgery). I just tried to relax, breathe and ignore it. It happened to me while trying to sleep. Sort of what I picture drug addicts go through with withdrawal It went away!

The surgeon said my steri strips would fall off.... but after 16 days - they are still intact.... think it's ok to pull them off? I would like to clean the gunk off! lol For the other remaining gunk that the EKG sticky bits left on my body.. I just used my fingernail in the shower and it seemed to help get it off.

You guys are really hitting the nail on the head for me. mi75, that sounds like me in a nutshell. PLUS I would've stood up most of the time because I couldn't fit into the plastic chairs they would've have sitting all around. Yet I would've taken advantage of of the BBQ chicken, the macaroni salad (drool), and a 6-pack, because after all, it is a celebration and I can just start again on Monday. Today I was feeling a little sorry for myself and my new sleeve (restriction). All the stories that people were telling around the Water cooler about their fantastic weekends - and the only thing I think I really listened to was about the food they were making... Thanks snohogal for pulling me out of that funk. This *is* why I did this. This *is* why I pushed forward with wls. Because I would've quit 1,000 times by now.

Not too bad today. The work routine seems to help my energy. Was sleeved on 6/24 and this past weekend it seems I went backwards. Was getting in at least 3 of my New Direction protein drinks a day plus all the required water. But this last weekend I was SO FULL every time I tried to drink the shakes that I could barely get in two. Not enough calories or protein. How are you doing today?