alwaysvegas

Yes, I was approved for Insure Nutrition before surgery. Insure Nutrition will send a form to your surgeon's office for your doctor sign. I received my first case of drinks, Vitamins, and scar cream about a week before surgery. I believe I submitted the form to Insure Nutrition about 3 weeks to a month before surgery. Just call/email their office and they'll let you know.

Congratulations on your success! It looks like you need to spice things up with different sauces and spices! You can eat similar foods with different spices and have completely different meals. For example: Cottage cheese + italian seasonings + garlic powder Cottage cheese + Herbes de provence + tarragon Cottage cheese + cumin + cilantro chicken + italian seasonings + garlic + alfredo sauce Chicken + soy sauce + ginger + cilantro + PB2 + coconut milk Chicken + low fat cheddar + low carb BBQ sauce Chicken + cumin + chilid powder + cilantro + hot sauce + low fat cheddar + low fat sour cream eggs + tarragon + feta eggs + cumin + chili powder + low fat cheddar + salsa eggs + garlic powder + cottage cheese + pepper I find that low carb recipes tend to work really well with the sleeve. Just keep the fat moderate along with the carbs. Sites like lowcarbfriends.com provide many great recipes that you can easily tweek for the sleeve. Also check out bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com for more great recipe ideas! Best of luck to you!

I did Atkins for about 7 years and was quite successful at it with exercise. Obviously, I stopped and gained back the weight and then some. However, I never forgot how my carb cravings were curbed by Atkins and a low-carb lifestyle. I started eating low carb and lower calories pre-surgery and my nutritionist advises lower-carb, lower-fat, high-Protein post surgery. It seems nutritionists are looking more closely at glycemic impact/index now than Atkins. For example, certain legumes like lentils and black Beans are recommended because they're higher in protein and the carbs are lower glycemically so they don't impact insulin as, say, a potato or carrots would. I've found I can eat these lower glycemic index foods and not get into carb cravings later on. Yes, you could still binge eat, but in smaller quantities. However, if you wanted to eat a bag of Cookies, you likely could over the course of a day or maybe sooner. If you are still having binge feelings you need to talk to a bariatric counselor or a therapist. The sleeve will only help with physical hunger and portion control. We have to work on our heads. I highly recommend that you attend a bariatric support group with others who have had weight loss surgery. I find it incredibly helpful to discuss my journey and to hear others' journeys, good and bad. Best of luck to you!

Thanks @@BeagleLover! I wish that I had not let my health decline as far as it had. But no more regrets now! I love being on the right track and am trying to maintain that mindset.

I'm 44 getting some hang-age around my tummy. I've lost about 115 so far. But it's bajillion times better than having high cholesterol, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and pre-diabetes! And my newly-purchased size 34 pants cover it up nicely! Ba-da-bing!

I had a hernia surgery the year before, so I knew more or less what to expect. I do remember waiting in pre-op and wondering if this would be "it" and I wouldn't wake up. But then they brought that magical injection that made all the fears go bye-bye. Then I was watching TV and laughing until they rolled me in for surgery. The last thing I would've seen in life was Keeping up with the Khardasians. You'll do fine! Just be sure to follow the post-surgery plan!

I think the hardest thing to accept/understand is that VSG is a tool and not a guarantee. We still have to maintain a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise to achieve optimum results. If you have your expectations set and understand what you have to do pre- and post-surgery...the sleeve will help you achieve incredible results. I decided once I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and was moving toward pre-diabetes that I needed to change my lifestyle or die young. I began changing my lifestyle even before surgery because I knew I would still have to do my part post surgery. Best of luck to you!

I'm a fast eater (but working on it) and I end up with the slimes about once a week. Throwing up really isn't like throwing up before surgery. When I've eaten too much it's usually because I began salivating (sliming) after overeating and then swallowing the extra saliva over and over until the sleeve is overly full. When I do make myself vomit, which doesn't take much at all, it's literally just a bunch of saliva that flops out and then I feel fine. I've never felt like I couldn't control the vomiting, but I did have the slimes happen once at work. I tried to wait it out to see if I'd stop salivating, but I couldn't so I went into the bathroom to purge the extra saliva. It's really just a learning process and not as horrible as it sounds. Many people have never even gone through it, but I like to think of it as negative reinforcement.

I always measure my food and 4 oz is my limit, although I can handle a bit more if it's Soup. For me, weight seems a bit more accurate judge of my new tummy's capacity more than measuring by volume. You'll never be able to stretch your sleeve back to your original stomach's fully-stretched size. However, if you want to keep your sleeve as tight as possible, then concentrate on when you start to feel full and then stop eating. Your sleeve will stretch out a bit over the year due to healing. That doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. I actually wish my sleeve would always stay at this 1/2 cup level, but even 1 cup is better than the 4+ cups I could eat before surgery. Just remember what you eat is a choice you're making. Try not to think of food as "I can and can't" but as "I choose or not choose." If you choose to try a little of everything at Thanksgiving, then do it, but choose to keep the portions reasonable to your sleeve size. Then go back to your regular menu after the holiday. You're not punishing yourself, but learning to change your relationship with food. I'm rather a creature of habit, so I choose not to indulge just yet. There will be many holidays to come! Best of luck on your journey!

My post-surgery stall started at 3 weeks (like many people) and lasted almost a month. I lost about 3-4 pounds the second month.

Very dry, overcooked meats seem to get stuck in my sleeve and fill me up prematurely, so I tend to order soup or protein with a light sauce like a shrimp cocktail.

I'm still trying to control eating too fast and end up overeating at least once a week. Generally I end up with the slimes. However, I always weight my food and my max is 4oz. I stop when I start to feel the food hitting the top of my esophagus, but not in an uncomfortable way.

I have taken 1-2 tablespoons of psyllium husk fiber per day for years. I stopped during my pre-op diet and started again once I was on mushies.

Congratulations on all your success so far! Let us know if the shakes increase your weight-loss. I may try that in the near future!

My nutritionist's sentiments exactly. I try to keep my carbs under 40 net per day. I'm a carb addict, so it's best that I just avoid them altogether. As mentioned earlier...everything in moderation.

I actually slept on my side, my back, and in a recliner chair. All worked well.

Hi John-- Pre-op diets vary, so it's hard to say what exactly is right or wrong for what your surgeon asked for. Most liquid-only pre-op diets do not allow for cheese. However, some pre-op diets are not liquid-only and are low-cal, low-fat, low-carb oriented. Bet of luck on your journey!

I was approved through Aetna for 4 cases of Premier Protein shakes, vitamins (liquid then chewables), and scar cream every month for six months. I'm so stocked up on protein drinks I should open my own store.

Yes, I felt a bit of full pain when swallowing, but it was very mild and it cleared up within 3-4 days. Everyone's mileage may vary of course. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

About 900-1000 calories per day, 60+ grams Protein, under 40 net carbs. I don't track fat, but buy everything low fat like cottage cheese, chicken breast, cheddar cheese, etc. My weight loss averaged about 2 lbs per week, but slowed to about 1 lb since I dropped below 200 lbs. It's such a wonderful feeling!

I had a venti iced decaf from Starbucks exactly four days after surgery...I drank the whole thing over about an 1.5 hrs and it was just as delicious as before surgery. And while clothes shopping no less! It was such a great feeling. My nutritionist recommended avoiding drinking with a straw as it introduces gas, but I tested it out lightly a few times and I had no problems, so I've continued to use a straw. Best of luck!

Congratulations on winning out! Food will still be there after you are sleeved and you will now live to see many more Thanksgivings due to your new healthy life!

I still love cooking, although I actually enjoy simpler foods much more than before surgery. So far I can tolerate very spicy foods, which great, but I seem to gravitate toward a lower-fat Protein with a light sauce and a few spices. I just moved on to the solid food phase and I'm adding vegetables back in, so the variety exploded even more, although I haven't felt deprived at all since surgery.

Liquids give some people a full feeling, but I didn't experience it and I was worried like you. Turns out the liquids go through your stomach very fast. Once you switch to purees you'll see a HUGE difference and you will know what full means. I'm just transitioning to solids and it's a world of difference even from purees because I have to eat so much more slowly. I love my sleeve!

I can definitely spot head hunger more easily since surgery. If I've eaten and feel "hungry" again within a few hours, I usually close my eyes and try to think if I really am hungry. Usually not. I then realize I feel quite satisfied and the thoughts go away. I'm actually surprised that smelling food when passing by a restaurant doesn't seem to trigger a craving. It always smells good, but I have yet to feel inclined to grab something. I have gone 5-6 hours without eating and I start to feel almost like very slightly dizziness, but nothing incapacitating. I love to drink iced decaf coffee and pour in a bit of Premier Protein chocolate into my drinks throughout the day so that I'm getting the protein plus some additional calories to feel satisfied.