JamieLogical

I'm obese (not just overweight), because I love food and hate exercise. Well, I don't HATE exercise, but I love a lot of other things WAY more than exercise, so when it comes to where I want to allocate my time, exercise is pretty far down the list.
I don't have any good excuses of childhood trauma or misplaced emotions. I've had a truly, fantastically happy life. I have the best parents in the world. Really, they are the BEST! There are not words to accurately describe how amazing they are.
I have a loving and supportive husband. I have a good job and make enough money to live comfortably.
My weight has been the only real struggle in my life. It has been a struggle from the time I was in middle school. I've always been fat, been called fat, been self-conscious about being fat, etc. Sometimes it was enough to motivate me to try to lose weight and I'm actually really good at losing weight, because I have an obsessive personality. So when I'm obsessed with losing weight, I commit to it 100% and I lose it consistently. The problem is maintenance. As soon as I'm no longer obsessed, I go straight back to eating junk and I stop exercising.
I am really really hoping that gastric sleeve will make this a lifelong commitment, and not just a temporary obsession.

I'm obese (not just overweight), because I love food and hate exercise. Well, I don't HATE exercise, but I love a lot of other things WAY more than exercise, so when it comes to where I want to allocate my time, exercise is pretty far down the list.
I don't have any good excuses of childhood trauma or misplaced emotions. I've had a truly, fantastically happy life. I have the best parents in the world. Really, they are the BEST! There are not words to accurately describe how amazing they are.
I have a loving and supportive husband. I have a good job and make enough money to live comfortably.
My weight has been the only real struggle in my life. It has been a struggle from the time I was in middle school. I've always been fat, been called fat, been self-conscious about being fat, etc. Sometimes it was enough to motivate me to try to lose weight and I'm actually really good at losing weight, because I have an obsessive personality. So when I'm obsessed with losing weight, I commit to it 100% and I lose it consistently. The problem is maintenance. As soon as I'm no longer obsessed, I go straight back to eating junk and I stop exercising.
I am really really hoping that gastric sleeve will make this a lifelong commitment, and not just a temporary obsession.

Every surgeon and every nutritionist seems to have their own guidelines. The best advice anyone can give you is o follow YOUR surgeon's recommendations for YOU.
You definitely have it easier than me! I have to start my pre-op diet a week from today and it's only 500 calories of Protein shakes, sugar-free jello/popsicles, and one green salad with calorie-free dressing per day for 15 days!

I don't think choosing a surgeon is much different for Canadians than it is for us Americans. Here's how I reached my decision. First I contacted my plastic surgeon (I'd had a Tummy Tuck and breast augmentation in Mexico in 2011) to see if she recommended anyone. She immediately got back to me and recommended the surgeon who had done HER gastric sleeve, as well as her patient coordinator's. Right away that sounded really attractive, as I LOVE my plastic surgeon and trust her judgement 100%. However, the fact that the surgeon she referred me to doesn't speak English and doesn't have an international reputation (not well-known outside of Tijuana) ultimately deterred me.
Next I came to these forums and I read a lot of the posts here. There was a Goolge Docs spreadsheet linked from this post:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/308509-surgeons-in-the-4500-dollar-range/
It has some pricing information and one person's notes on all her research of various doctors in the $4500 price range. I read the whole thing and absorbed all of that information.
Then I read the entirety of this VERY long thread on Ariel Ortiz and the Obesity Control Center (OCC):
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/261806-dr-ariel-ortiz-and-obesity-control-center/
Ultimately, the contents of that thread, along with more research on my own, helped persuade me that Dr. Ortiz and OCC was the best option for me. Yes, they cost about $2000 more than some of the "cheaper" options, but I just felt so confident entrusting a surgeon who was named by Newsweek as one of the top 15 in the world. What is a couple thousand dollars long term when we are talking about a surgery that is going to change the rest of your life?
There are many great surgeons out there and no one is going to be able to tell you what the best option is for YOU, so do your research and draw your own conclusions.

I went to Tijuana to have my work done. I had the extended Tummy Tuck, lift with implants, and body sculpting with Lipo all done at the same time. The total cost for all of that was $8500 back in 2011, not counting the cost of my stay at the recovery house, take-home medication, and compression garments. I think in all I spent about $11000. Of course if you are only doing lift with implants, your cost would be a lot lower, since the surgery itself would be less and your stay in Tijuana would be much shorter (mine had to be two weeks for the tummy tuck and because I was having so much done at one time).
If Medical Tourism is an option for you (I know some people want nothing to do with it!), let me know and I can give you more info about my surgeon.

I don't know anything about Dr. Avalos. I can only talk about my own plastic surgery experience. I had an extended Tummy Tuck, breast lift w/ augmentation, and Lipo sculpting with Dr. Carmina Cardenas in August of 2011 and it was a fantastic experience all around. Dr. Cardenas is an amazing person. I felt so cared for and taken care of. I had to be in Tijuana for 14 days because I had so much done at once and she came to check on me at the recovery house every single day (except one when she had to go out of town). She even followed up with me for MONTHS via email after I came home. After I am sleeved and re-lose all the weight I've gained since my tummy tuck, I will 100% be going back to Dr. Cardenas if I need an revisions or additional work (considering a thigh lift).

You have got to put your health and well-being first. If he loves you, then he will want you to be happy and healthy. At your weight,even with a successful VSG, you aren't going to be "skinny" at the end of this. On average, people only lose 60% of their EXCESS weight with VSG. I just plugged your stats into this calculator:
https://www.realize.com/do-i-qualify/potential-results/comparison And it says you have an 80% chance of getting down to 375, a 50% chance of getting down to 336, and a 20% chance of getting down to 297 at 18 months post-op. If that's the case, then even the best outcome is going to still leave you plus-sized. How big does your boyfriend need/want you to be?!?!

You have got to put your health and well-being first. If he loves you, then he will want you to be happy and healthy. At your weight,even with a successful VSG, you aren't going to be "skinny" at the end of this. On average, people only lose 60% of their EXCESS weight with VSG. I just plugged your stats into this calculator:
https://www.realize.com/do-i-qualify/potential-results/comparison And it says you have an 80% chance of getting down to 375, a 50% chance of getting down to 336, and a 20% chance of getting down to 297 at 18 months post-op. If that's the case, then even the best outcome is going to still leave you plus-sized. How big does your boyfriend need/want you to be?!?!

I'm having my surgery on the 1st and I went through and made a calendar of August (pre-op) through October with notes about which days I can start which supplements and foods. I carefully went through the entire post-op plan provided by my nutritionist and marked down everything on the calendars. So, hopefully I'll be able to do everything right if I just follow the calendar. I'm going to tape the pages up on the cabinets in my kitchen, so I will always be reminded every day.

I'm having my surgery on the 1st and I went through and made a calendar of August (pre-op) through October with notes about which days I can start which supplements and foods. I carefully went through the entire post-op plan provided by my nutritionist and marked down everything on the calendars. So, hopefully I'll be able to do everything right if I just follow the calendar. I'm going to tape the pages up on the cabinets in my kitchen, so I will always be reminded every day.

Barb, it's great to hear you are doing well. Your posts throughout this thread really inspired and encouraged me to choose OCC!

Glad you are doing so well and had such a positive experience! How far did you have to travel when you returned home? I'm having my surgery with Ariel Ortiz on Sept. 1, but not returning home until September 5. I'm a little concerned about traveling post op. Did you run into any issues?
I'm really happy there are so many surgeons doing excellent work in Mexico. It really offers a great opportunity for those of us who have to self pay.

I was just curious because my nutritionist doesn't want me using milk for my Protein Shakes. She has me using unsweetened almond milk. I have my surgery scheduled for the 1st and I was immediately thinking "I hope this doesn't happen to me!" as soon as I read your post and then I realized that a week out from surgery, I probably wouldn't even be eating anything with lactose, so I wouldn't know yet if it had happened to me. I am allowed drinkable yogurt a few days post op though, so maybe that will tip me off.

I just got home from the hospital yesterday. Had my sleeve surgery on Tuesday. I was worried about that too because I love my Water and am very happy that I can still drink it without problems.

After doing some research I found that Now is probably the best option. I was originally going to go with Isopure, but I found out that their filtration process can strip some of the beneficial elements from the whey. Now uses a different process that preserves nutrients better. I also ordered a couple of packets of Unjury to try and to bring with me to Mexico (I'm being sleeved there Sept. 1).

I lost 90+ pounds "on my own" back in 2010/2011 and had extended Tummy Tuck, breast lift w/ augmentation, and Lipo body contouring all over with Dr. Cardenas in Tijuana. I have unfortunately gained back most of the weight I lost, which is why I'm on these forums in the first place. I am scheduled for Gastric Sleeve with Ariel Ortiz on Sept. 1 and I will definitely be returning to Dr. Cardenas if I require any revisions to my tummy tuck or any additional plastics after I lose the weight for good. She is AMAZING and a wonderful, caring person and I love her to death. Her staff and the staff of the recovery house she's affiliated with were there for me every single second of every single day. I spent 14 days in Tijuana and Dr. Cardenas herself came and checked on me every single day at the recovery house except for one day when she had to travel out of town. I had round-the-clock nursing care. They provided me with everything I needed... medication, toiletries, robes/nightgowns to wear, all my food was prepared for me. The staff helped me in and out of bed, showered me, helped me go to the bathroom... I just can't say enough good things about the whole experience. No doubt I will be returning if I need any work after my weight loss from my sleeve.

I see my surgeon, Dr. Carmina Cardenas is on there as a "Top Doctor" with 4.5 out of 5 starts from 75 reviewers. She really is amazing! I need to set up an account on that site so I can leave my own review of the outstanding care I received from her and the staff of the recovery house.

I paid $8500 for extended Tummy Tuck, breast lift with implants, all-over body sculpting with Lipo, and fat grafting to my butt. I had to stay two weeks in a recovery house with 24/7 nursing support and included all my food, which was another $2000. I spent probably $250 for take home meds and compression garments. Plus the cost of my flights, obviously.

I wonder if going off your diet caused your stomach to stretch and that caused more strain on the staples? Sucks that this happened right as you were finally getting back on track! Hopefully the recovery time will be minimal and you will be able to continue your new efforts to eat well and exercise again.

I wonder if going off your diet caused your stomach to stretch and that caused more strain on the staples? Sucks that this happened right as you were finally getting back on track! Hopefully the recovery time will be minimal and you will be able to continue your new efforts to eat well and exercise again.

Exercise will definitely help, but it's no guarantee that all of your skin will bounce back. Resistance training can help "fill in" the skin with muscle where the fat used to be. But there are so many other factors. Stay well hydrated, moisturize daily, and just give it time. It is hard for the skin to keep up with the weight loss, but having some excess skin when you reach your goal weight, doesn't mean you will ALWAYS have it. It just might take some time for it to catch up.

I am so sorry to hear that. Is there anything that can be done to treat the cirrhosis?
I'm surprised it hadn't manifested any symptoms or turned up in any of your pre-op lab work.

Please don't stop your cardio. It is vital to your health and fitness. Quitting your cardio will accomplish nothing other than decreasing your weight loss on increasing your weight gain. Do your research. It is a fact that you cannot target weight loss. You can target toning through certain weight training and resistance exercising, but that WILL NOT affect the fat in those areas.
A quick Google search for "Spot Reduction" will turn up countless reliable results all explaining that it is just not possible. Here's a quick article: http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives11ml3p1a2.html

There is no way to control where the weight comes off first. As for "contouring", that can really only be done when you have little to no weight left to lose by building muscle through weight and resistance training.

I haven't been sleeved yet, but I did have a lot of cosmetic surgery done in Mexico in 2011. My main issue with the flight home was back pain due to excessive Fluid collection in my lower back as a result of my extended Tummy Tuck. As far as bags and whatnot, there is always someone around willing to help you with your bags. I had someone help me get my carry-on in and out of the overhead compartment and I had someone help me get my checked bag off the carousel. Definitely try to use roller bags so you aren't having to lift and carry them through the airport.