JamieLogical

I do eat some carbs. But I shouldn't and I know I shouldn't and I suffer the consequences when I do. For the most part, it's easy for me to avoid carbs in my day-to-day eating, because I have a pretty set routine and in order for me to get in the 100 grams of Protein my nutritionist recommends, I simply don't have ROOM for carbs. That being said, I still emotionally eat on rare occasions (SO MUCH better about it than before). And I also still get exposed to things like cake and ice cream at parties and occasionally partake. I don't want to completely deprive myself for the rest of my life, so when social events present themselves and I eat a few carbs, I just brace myself for the inevitable stall or even slight gain on the scale. I'm not in a race to reach my goal weight. I want to still live a full and happy life. So if having some cake at a birthday party means one or two extra days until I reach my goal, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. But as for daily eating, it's protein first, which means no real room for carbs.

Yes.

Try taking several short walks a day instead of one long walk. Energy is a real issue in those early days when you are barely getting any calories in and are using so much energy to heal. Walking is important, but it should be short and frequent, instead of one long walk.

Congratulations! You are looking great! Hopefully feeling as great as you look too!

I have had to take omeprazole daily since I had my sleeve. My surgeon prescribes it for the first 2 months for all sleeve patients and then has them try to go off of it. When I went off of it, I immediately had terrible reflux issues, so I went right back on it and have stayed on it. For me, though, taking one extra pill a day (I already have to take a ton of vitamins anyway) is no big deal. I would MUCH rather have to do that than have all the potential downsides and complications of RNY. But everyone has to weigh the pros and cons and make that choice for themselves.

Hang in there. It's rough in those early days, but it will get better. I dealt with dry heaving a few times the first full day post-op and lots of gas pain, but it did get better!

I never had to take chewables, thank God. I was allowed to swallow whole pills at 7 days post-op and never had any issues. So I have been on normal pills the whole time. I take: Vitaleph Bariatric Multivitamin three times per day Omeprazole 20mg two times per day Probiotic once a day 500mg Vitamin C once a day 200iu coq10 once a day 1000mg Omega 3 once a day 500mg Beef Gelatin once a day 1000iu Vitamin D once a day 630mg Calcium + 500iu D3 once a day 500mcg Vitamin B-12 spray once a day My surgeon/nutritionist only require the multivitamin, calcium+D3, probiotic, and B-12. The omeprazole is for my acid reflux I've had since surgery. The CoQ10 was recommended by my PCP for my carpel tunnel syndrome. The Omega 3 and Vitamin C I take just for general health. The extra vitamin D I take because I avoid the sun like the plague and have been taking it for years and years. And the Beef Gelatin I started taking post-op because it's supposed to help with skin elasticity.

Well, price isn't the only factor. There is a lot to consider when picking a surgeon and facility. There's the old adage, "you get what you pay for." And while there are many qualified surgeons doing VSG for very reasonable prices, paying a little more for a surgeon and facility you are 100% confident in is worth the peace of mind.

How have the first couple days of your pre-op diet been?

I've been taking Vitaleph Bariatric multivitamins since I started my pre-op diet. I'm now 9 months post-op and all my blood work has been perfect. I also take a bunch of other vitamins too though....

The office I used to work in had a water cooler that used those 5 gallon water bottles. One of those weighs 40 pounds. When I had lost 80 pounds, I tried holding one in each hand and could not believe how much weight that was!

There's a learning curve to it. Once you are eating outside of your home at restaurants or parties or whatever, you just have to try to get better at accurately estimating the right amount. I accidentally overate a LOT in those early months of solids and still do sometimes even at 9 months post-op. But I am MUCh better about it than I was in the early months.

I wouldn't recommend eating bread at all, but there are some low carb tortilla options. My grocery store sells a brand called Father Sam's that I've had a couple of times post-op. But I usually just skip bread/carbs: http://fathersams.com/8-low-carb-wheat-wrap?ReturnUrl=LwBwAHIAZQBtAGkAdQBtAC0AdwByAGEAcABzAA%3d%3d

I was DYING of thirst and they told me I could swish water in my mouth and spit it back out. But I was too afraid I'd accidentally swallow it, so I didn't try.

Welcome! This site is great for getting answers to all your questions and for just getting some love and support in the hard times. So feel free to post often with any of your thoughts. Also, to set up your profile, I believe you need to be on the desktop/computer version of the web site, not the app on your phone or tablet. Once you are on the computer version of the site, you can click on your name in the upper-right corner of the screen and edit all your settings from the drop-down menu that comes up.

I haven't had any problems with spicy foods post-op. I was having strained enchilada soup in my clear liquid phase just a couple of days post-op. I will say that not being able to eat and drink at the same time has limited the amount of spice I can handle, just because I can't drink anything when my mouth is on fire from something super spicy.

Those are two of my BIG ones, though I like the Raspberry and Key Lime flavors of Dannon and I LIVE for chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest Bars. Some other staples for me are reduced fat string cheese and lightly salted peanuts. Recently I discovered that my grocery store sells "buffalo chicken pizza topping" over in their prepared foods section where they sell pre-portioned pizza toppings for "make your own" pizza. It's just cut up pieces of grilled chicken in wing sauce. I heat up a couple of ounces of that in the microwave and put a little 2% shredded mozzarella cheese on top for a quick lunch.

Good luck! See you on the losers' bench soon!

Did she even give you a chance to explain that you had done your research and made an intelligent decision? I find it a little alarming that a "friend" would have so little faith in your judgement. But if you can get her to calm down and at least listen, maybe you can try to explain a little about why you chose to have surgery in TJ and your surgeon. Maybe once it's clear to her that you really have done your research and know what you are doing, she will chill out a little.

It definitely deels like a job in the early days. Keeping track of taking your meds/vitamins, drinking enough, getting in yout protein, and spacing it all out appropriately.

@@Squizzo I had no trouble with large pills when I was cleared for them at 7 days post-op.

Well, you can always opt to have it removed, but I would suggest waiting a little while once you reach goal to give it a chance to contract naturally first. The usual recommendation is a full year at goal before having skin removal surgery. I personally had mine at 8 months after major weight loss a few years ago.

The lower BMI probably won't have too much effect on your recovery, but it reduces your risk of complications. As for weight loss, you probably won't be losing 20 pounds in a week like some of the higher BMI patients, but you can and will lose a lot of weight still. Probably not as fast as you would LIKE, but you will lose it eventually and that's what really matters. This isn't a race. Your sleeve is forever, so if it takes you 6 months or 16 months to reach your goal, it won't matter 10 years from now when you are maintaining your healthier weight. Sleeve typically does help with diabetes and weight loss helps with blood pressure. In fact, I'm struggling with LOW blood pressure now!

Congrats! Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk! You'll be feeling a little better every day!

I am addicted to Truvia. I've tried another brand when my grocery store was out of Truvia and it was SOOOOOO GROSS.