aSleeveStory

If you use the Carnation (or do this with any Protein powder) mix it with Fair Life Milk. It has a lot more protein because it's extra processed to get rid of impurities and Water. The nonfat or 1 % tastes more like whole milk. My NUT suggested it and it's helped me boost my protein. It is also lactose free. But it's also about $4.00 for a little less than half gallon.

I really struggled at lot between week 3 and 4. (Honestly I am now 9 weeks out and just now feeling better). I felt very hopeless during this time too but I promise you it gets better. You just have to hang in there and find stuff you can tolerate. I ate a lot of refried Beans with cheese melted on top (I put some spices in too like garlic salt, cumin and cilantro). I like and tolerated hummus quite well. sugar free fat free chocolate pudding with some Protein powder mixed in. Greek yogurt (I like the Dannon Light & Fit Greek strawberry Cheesecake). Ricotta Bake from theworldaccordingtoeggface.com website was REALLY good and even though I could only eat a small amount, it made me feel more human.
For Protein powders, I have been using Precision Engineering whey Protein Isolate - both chocolate and vanilla - and I like both of them a lot. I sometimes mix in PB2 and/or some of the Torani sugar free flavored syrups (I especially like Salted Caramel mixed with vanilla.) For unflavored, I use Doc Hale Nutrition Whey-licious (available online). You are able to mix it with as little as 3 oz of Fluid, so I mix it with Propel Fitness berry Water and just get it done.
On the Vitamins, you might try calling your dr or NUT and see which ones they suggest. I use BariActiv (not the same as Bariatric Advantage) and tolerate them quite well. It is EXTREMELY important that you get Vitamins in, so you have to find something you can tolerate. I have heard 2 Centrum Silver chewables or 2 flinstone vitamins even. Do a search for vitamins on here and see if one comes up that you could try.
PROMISE it gets better!!

Just checking in. Few more pounds down since last posts. 7-8 day stalls are the norm for me now, but my waist has shrunk more, so something is still happening. I do t sweat the scale, I know I'll get there eventually.
Preparing for a major move has me somewhat stressed, but I'm unwavering in my food intake -- full steam ahead.
Side note: my hair has been thining, slowly, since my late 20s... I did notice an acceleration around 3-4 weeks post surgery, but I took extra Biotin a few times a week, and just today I caught myself in the mirror and realized I had thicker hair. Can't say it's worked wonders, but whatever I lost from surgery is likely coming back already. I plan to keep up with the Biotin until at least one year post-op. It's been a loose regiment. I just make sure I take it at least twice a week, sometimes 3.

There's a new milk in town, and it's packin' more Protein, less sugar, and NO lactose. It's called Fairlife, and so far I've enjoyed it. I don't, nor did I ever, drink a lot of milk, but I like the creamy flavor of this and the additional Protein and less sugar makes it do-able from a Bariatrics standpoint (in my personal opinion).
Oddly, I'd normally only drink whole milk, but this has a creamier texture to it and the 2% suits me fine.
The additional protein is not added-in. Apparently the revolutionary part is in their filtration process. Interesting.
Wondering if anyone else has seen it, tried it, etc? What do you think?
Some more info, if you're curious: http://fairlife.com/our-products/reduced-fat/

Hey folks... a 10/10/2014 sleever here... thought I'd drop by with an update. My work and home life have been intensely busy lately, so I apologize for not popping back in sooner.
Few things... first... my starting weight was 484 and as of this morning I am at 334 --- so exactly 150 lbs lost today! Yes! My next stated goal is 325, so I'm 9 lbs from that... yes!! My last goal was 383 and was reached some time back. April 10th was my six month surgiversary, so I'm thrilled with where I am right now. More than 50% towards goal weight in just over six months... perfect!
I've been trying to walk more. I cannot do vigorous exercise due to an umbilical hernia, but I can walk... and I have been doing more of it than I had in the last many years combined. Trying to slowly increase the daily walk amount, but it's also turning warmer weather here... so I don't know how long i can keep that up.
I've been on several work and/or family trips in the past six weeks. I've encountered a phenomenon I now call "travel bloat." I tend to eat about the same... I bring some of the same nut and meat Snacks along with me on trips, and I still eat mostly Proteins and vegetables at restaurants. I am drinking a (fairly) decent amount of Water each day... but I've noticed on the last two trips (one was five days, the other eleven days) that I gained 2-3 lbs during each trip... but as SOON as I get home, I kick into a loss mode again, and within 2-3 days anything gained is gone, and then I lose a few more to make up for it... so it's kind of like a stall, but with a small uptick to go with it.
The longer trip was to Orlando for Disney, Universal, and Legoland... so I walked, and walked, and walked more than normal by ANY stretch of the imagination... yet somehow still gained those 2-3 "travel bloat" pounds. Not sure what I can do on the next trip to try to avoid it, but I'm looking for ideas.
I've been working at improving my daily Vitamin game, and if nothing else I *feel* so much better when I've been at it for several days in a row, so I've been working on that. I drink a pretty insane amount of coffee, it's obviously not having ANY negative impact on my weight loss at all. My coffee of choice is a Starbucks Latte (which is just espresso and milk) and I do not add anything to it. At home I brew black coffee and add some half-n-half, but I've learned to drink it with NO sugar added. I weaned myself before the surgery... used to be 1.25 to 1.5 tablespoons of sugar PER cup... down to just the "tip" of a tablespoon the week before surgery... down to the ZERO sugar I'm at now.
While I've never been a soda guy, I did (before my journey) enjoy an occasional coke or pepsi with a meal. So I've been buying these tiny 8oz cans of diet coke or diet pepsi and drinking those, no more than 3-4 times a week. The bubbles don't mess up my sleeve at all, and the fake sweet is a nice little treat.
Mostly, I eat meat and nuts and veggies these days. It's kind of a drab diet, but I really don't mind it and I feel AMAZING most days. When I'm in super-weight-loss mode I am kind of lethargic, and the next day when I step on the scale I can tell why... the other day I dropped 2.2 lbs from the day before. My doc says this is fairly normal, and may continue to around month 9 or 10. Go to Snacks for me are Jack Links Teriyaki beef Jerky (which uses less sugar than the peppered one, oddly enough) and Justin's Nut Butter packets (I like the Honey Nut one).
Wishing you all great health and a safe journey. Keep doing you!

Hey folks... a 10/10/2014 sleever here... thought I'd drop by with an update. My work and home life have been intensely busy lately, so I apologize for not popping back in sooner.
Few things... first... my starting weight was 484 and as of this morning I am at 334 --- so exactly 150 lbs lost today! Yes! My next stated goal is 325, so I'm 9 lbs from that... yes!! My last goal was 383 and was reached some time back. April 10th was my six month surgiversary, so I'm thrilled with where I am right now. More than 50% towards goal weight in just over six months... perfect!
I've been trying to walk more. I cannot do vigorous exercise due to an umbilical hernia, but I can walk... and I have been doing more of it than I had in the last many years combined. Trying to slowly increase the daily walk amount, but it's also turning warmer weather here... so I don't know how long i can keep that up.
I've been on several work and/or family trips in the past six weeks. I've encountered a phenomenon I now call "travel bloat." I tend to eat about the same... I bring some of the same nut and meat Snacks along with me on trips, and I still eat mostly Proteins and vegetables at restaurants. I am drinking a (fairly) decent amount of Water each day... but I've noticed on the last two trips (one was five days, the other eleven days) that I gained 2-3 lbs during each trip... but as SOON as I get home, I kick into a loss mode again, and within 2-3 days anything gained is gone, and then I lose a few more to make up for it... so it's kind of like a stall, but with a small uptick to go with it.
The longer trip was to Orlando for Disney, Universal, and Legoland... so I walked, and walked, and walked more than normal by ANY stretch of the imagination... yet somehow still gained those 2-3 "travel bloat" pounds. Not sure what I can do on the next trip to try to avoid it, but I'm looking for ideas.
I've been working at improving my daily Vitamin game, and if nothing else I *feel* so much better when I've been at it for several days in a row, so I've been working on that. I drink a pretty insane amount of coffee, it's obviously not having ANY negative impact on my weight loss at all. My coffee of choice is a Starbucks Latte (which is just espresso and milk) and I do not add anything to it. At home I brew black coffee and add some half-n-half, but I've learned to drink it with NO sugar added. I weaned myself before the surgery... used to be 1.25 to 1.5 tablespoons of sugar PER cup... down to just the "tip" of a tablespoon the week before surgery... down to the ZERO sugar I'm at now.
While I've never been a soda guy, I did (before my journey) enjoy an occasional coke or pepsi with a meal. So I've been buying these tiny 8oz cans of diet coke or diet pepsi and drinking those, no more than 3-4 times a week. The bubbles don't mess up my sleeve at all, and the fake sweet is a nice little treat.
Mostly, I eat meat and nuts and veggies these days. It's kind of a drab diet, but I really don't mind it and I feel AMAZING most days. When I'm in super-weight-loss mode I am kind of lethargic, and the next day when I step on the scale I can tell why... the other day I dropped 2.2 lbs from the day before. My doc says this is fairly normal, and may continue to around month 9 or 10. Go to Snacks for me are Jack Links Teriyaki beef Jerky (which uses less sugar than the peppered one, oddly enough) and Justin's Nut Butter packets (I like the Honey Nut one).
Wishing you all great health and a safe journey. Keep doing you!

Thanks for your earlier compliments. You are doing great! Only 50 lbs... that's a lot of weight. You'll get there soon enough, and it sounds like you're doing all the right things. Just keep at it.

Hey gang though I'd check in... 10/10 sleever here...
Things are going fantastic for me. I've hit a few stalls, the longest was a week... that sucked, but I kept doing what I do and fell out of it.
I have an umbilical hernia, so I can't do much exercise at all... but I have been walking more, and just in general having more energy to not sit around. I go into the grocery store again with my wife and kids... something I'd fallen out of the last few years. That's always a good workout. We have a pool here... just waiting for the Water to get warm enough to swim and I'll be doing plenty of that. The loss is happening though, and I'm thrilled.
I've had no complications to speak of, and I do feel very fortunate for that. I get "tired" days here and there, but some recent changes to my Vitamins seems to have eliminated those.
Keep on keepin' on guys... by next October, we'll all be strange looking skinny people!

In many ways, I do feel like a stranger. I'm down to 5XLT shirts from 7XLT and now a few of the 5's are starting to get baggy. I'm very fortunate in that my wife secretly kept ALL of my older shirts over the years. I had asked her a few times to get rid of them all, figuring I'd never need them again... but she hid them... and now I get to bring back all kinds of old favorites.
My pants were a 52 waist... I'm wearing 44's now and also probably ordering the 42's in a few more weeks. It's incredible, really.
My first weight goal was 383 from 484 for two reasons... one-time when I dieted very hard in 2007, I remember writing 383 on a chart... so I figured if I could be 383 again, I'd have rolled back the clock nearly eight years! And also because that would be 100 lbs down from my highest, which is also an incredible leap in the right direction.
My next goal is 325 -- which I'm closing in on. That took on more significance when my VSG surgeon agreed to do my umbilical hernia repair when I can get down to 325 as well... so I'm gunning for it!

Screw 'em ... some people don't get it -- and you're exactly right... they're projecting.

I was going to say the same thing in my reply... I felt many years past my 36 and now I'm slowly feeling like my mid-20s again.

Congrats on your incredible loss! I'll be watching this thread with great interest as I wonder how all that works, and know that I too will eventually need some these.
You've already taught me something... I didn't realize these could all be done in ONE day. I always figured each was its own surgical day and separate recovery periods. Interesting, but slightly frightening to learn they can do it all in one swoop.
Best of luck. Anxious to hear more.

Not just Cheesecake Factory... but any restaurant now... I order something that includes a Protein I know I can eat.
An example... one of my favorite things to eat from Cheesecake Factory prior to the surgery was their "Louisiana chicken Pasta" which has a yummy spicy sauce, over noodles, and breaded chicken cut-up. Now, when I go, I order the SAME thing, but I ask them for cut-up chicken breast pieces that are NOT breaded. I pick out all of the chicken from the Pasta, which is still covered in the sauce, and I get the exact same flavor I always did... but without any added carbs. And since I'm sleeved... it doesn't take much to fill me up... so I don't feel like I've missed out on ANYTHING.
Another thing I do at places like this is that I'll order some steamed veggies, or something like Green Beans or Asparagus, and eat several bites of this BEFORE digging into whatever else I've ordered. Starts to fill the sleeve up, so I can't possibly have enough of whatever-it-is to do any damage.
There's lots of tricks and ways to still eat out, enjoy yourself, and as long as you've got some will power and a desire to stay on track with your bariatric program, you can pull it off.
Perhaps the only downside... is that I do have to waste some food now. While I can hear my grandfather in my ear with the "starving Africans" dialogue, I was reminded by a dear friend (and comedian) once that those same starving Africans are NOT going to be outside the restaurant to receive my leftovers... so... argument over.

So true... compare to learn, but don't compare to compare. If that makes any sense...?

Few ways to read this... but first... since you've got psychology training, allow yourself a moment to realize you may be over-analyzing things. I've got a dear friend who is an LCSW and he tells me that he winds up over thinking EVERYTHING now.
Secondly, who knows how much of that review is true. It may be exaggerated or twisted to make the story more warm and fuzzy. With your background, you also know people sometimes tell a story they way they had wished it to go, or embellish some to make it fit their desires.
But lastly, even if its a 100% accurate accounting, I think the surgeon most likely just wanted the patient to realize there's a higher power out there and that he's not 100% in control of the operation. 99.9% maybe... but things can and do go wrong, and perhaps that was his casual way of putting it, in what sounds like a passing conversation.
In my personal (and humbled opinion) it's likely better to have a surgeon who has faith in something vs. one who believes in nothing. We sometimes put too much Faith and responsibility in the hands of others. I of course want the most skilled, best-trained, and highly successful surgeon to do whatever it is that needs to be done... but I also want the guy to be a person. I think that's all he was exhibiting.
And finally (does finally come after "lastly" haha) ... kudos to you, though, for doing your research. Keep reading up on the guy. If one review hit you in a funny way, go find more... see if there are some that make you feel better or worse. At the end of the day, this is a crucial decision, and you're doing the right thing by vetting him.

Thank you for sharing that menu! It makes me feel more confident about going out to eat one day. ????

So true... compare to learn, but don't compare to compare. If that makes any sense...?

In the beginning I was in the "can barely eat anything" crowd. That changed slowly over time, but then a few weeks ago I noticed I felt like I was eating considerably more than before. Now, I can't eat as much again.
I asked a guy who is about 20 months post-op and had lots a TREMENDOUS amount of weight what he thought about it... he said there are some weeks he feels he can eat more than others. In balance, it's not a big deal if you're eating healthy foods, and not abusing it.
I think its just another one of those things where we all experience a slightly different version of it, some more than others, etc. But unless you've been stuffing your sleeve silly, I don't think you have anything to worry about with stretching.
You're 32 lbs down! Keep going...

In the beginning I was in the "can barely eat anything" crowd. That changed slowly over time, but then a few weeks ago I noticed I felt like I was eating considerably more than before. Now, I can't eat as much again.
I asked a guy who is about 20 months post-op and had lots a TREMENDOUS amount of weight what he thought about it... he said there are some weeks he feels he can eat more than others. In balance, it's not a big deal if you're eating healthy foods, and not abusing it.
I think its just another one of those things where we all experience a slightly different version of it, some more than others, etc. But unless you've been stuffing your sleeve silly, I don't think you have anything to worry about with stretching.
You're 32 lbs down! Keep going...

No way! It's never too early to get excited... I'm just about at halfway too and super excited!
Congrats on the great loss so far... keep going! You look awesome.

I am a (now) 51 year old male. I have a great life ....married 26 years two college educated kids...great Job... the only thing I have never beaten was my weight Last year I turned 50. While not a tall guy only 5'4.5"... I carried 260lbs... I Have high blood pressure, and thyroid disorders.... at that weight I had problems walking, shortness of breath, was on 4 blood pressure meds, a thyroid med, and an ED med (due to the blood pressure meds), couldnt even exercise due to this weight. Always a lover of food....especially pizza and burgers...but a very occasional drinker and occasional cigar smoker, food was my vice for much of my life. Overweight in different weights all my life since childhood on several occasions I actually got down to a reasonable weight...only to slowly fail again. Exercise, Atkins, Alli pills, you name it I tried them all.... and always failed.....every time.
About 2 years ago a good friend out of the blue had gastric bypass and went from 320 to 160 (there were complications that brought him to 120 for a short time but he rebounded to his current 160). It piqued my interest at the time but I shelved it as well not for me. After my 50th birthday I began thinking about the surgery and did occasional research and discovered that my insurance would cover this operation (Harvard Pilgrim of Massachusetts) if I had at least one co-mobility ( I had 2) and my bmi was >35 (mine was over 40). I had a physical with my doctor and asked him about the options due to my blood pressure and thyroid co-morbilities.....he was great about it.... set me up with Dr Kruegar of the southcoast bariatric program I attended the seminar and was off to the races. I met with him and he felt I was a good candidate for the sleeve (VSG) surgery..
The program started off with an initial appointment with the doctor then over the next 4-5 months... several Nurse practitioner appointments, 2 psychology appointments. 2 nutritionist appointments, a 3 session (2 hrs ea) psychology workshop, a preop nurse education workshop. The scheduling of these appointments took about 4 months for me....I work nights so I could take any appointment they gave and completed the program I think faster than most. The time line was for me Sept 11 seminar.... Oct 8th first appointment with Doctor,,, Psych and Nutrition appointments the rest of October and first week of November. NP appointment end of November.... Psy workshops the first 3 weeks of December... Approval from Insurance Surgery date scheduled and the nurse education the end of December. Surgery date was January 20th. @ Tobey Hospital in Wareham Massachusetts
I can say that I never had that much pain. The first day the worse thing was that after surgery I felt sick and vomited blood from the operation which was normal. I did as they asked and walked as much as I could after the surgery. Day 2 I was able to take in Water at first and other liquids later that afternoon... I was allowed to be released that evening at 8pm...
Other than soreness I was not in much pain at all ( I think due to my general size ). Some people in the program were much bigger than me so i think theirs pain might have been different.
Over the past 4 weeks (30 days) I have lost 33 lbs (starting weight 258.0.... surgery weight 252.5.... current weight 225.0). Clothes are fitting great... I am now down to 2 bp meds and 1 thyroid med. I have to say I haven't felt so good in 15-20 years. I seriously have had no problems. I have to emphasize eating slowly!!!! I bought small plates too!!!! It helps with portion size. I found that if i eat 1/2 of my meal slowly and put it down and wait.... the full feeling either is there or not.... I then pick slowly at the remaining stuff. The full feeling sneaks up on you and it really sucks when you realize that you went too far.... you get physically ill and have to ride it out untill you either accept the food.... or your body wants to rid itself of it.... so beware! A tough element is no liquids with your meal....and it's a hard habit to break... sometimes if you have too dry food (moisten everything with small amts of ketchup etc) hiccups will happen and it will sometimes start a very nauseous feeling....I will sometimes drink the smallest sip of water just to moisten up the food in that case as a last resort.... remember slow eating and moist foods.
A work in progress but doing fine.

Yes it can drive you batty! Lmao I am almost 7m post op. I can only eat Proteins and very soft veggies. I use ramkins. I can only seem to eat 2-3 oz of any type of meat still. I went to buffalo wild wings and was stuffed to the point I thought it would come back up after 2 wings.... I still can't drink anything with my meals... If I eat raw veggies my stomach revolts even though I love them. it does depend on the type of meat.... Talk to your surgeon and nut if you are concerned... They will let you know. Good luck you are doing awesome

In the first few weeks, I couldn't tolerate eggs (of any variety), cottage cheese, or my favorite pre-op Protein shake.
Now, at about 4.5 months out... I have't really found anything I can't handle. I have tried to make sure I chew things up very well.
Perhaps the only real discomfort I get is when I catch myself eating too fast. The pain quickly reminds me to slow down, though, and I do.

It's never too late to re-assess where you stand with everything. Are you drinking more sugar? Less Water? Little things can all add up when piled together.
All in all though, stalls are different for everyone else. Sometimes I'm told the last 20-30 lbs are the hardest to lose... exercise more... push through it... don't let the stall win. Eventually, you'll restart the loss... even if its a trickle.
Don't get discouraged!

In many ways, I do feel like a stranger. I'm down to 5XLT shirts from 7XLT and now a few of the 5's are starting to get baggy. I'm very fortunate in that my wife secretly kept ALL of my older shirts over the years. I had asked her a few times to get rid of them all, figuring I'd never need them again... but she hid them... and now I get to bring back all kinds of old favorites.
My pants were a 52 waist... I'm wearing 44's now and also probably ordering the 42's in a few more weeks. It's incredible, really.
My first weight goal was 383 from 484 for two reasons... one-time when I dieted very hard in 2007, I remember writing 383 on a chart... so I figured if I could be 383 again, I'd have rolled back the clock nearly eight years! And also because that would be 100 lbs down from my highest, which is also an incredible leap in the right direction.
My next goal is 325 -- which I'm closing in on. That took on more significance when my VSG surgeon agreed to do my umbilical hernia repair when I can get down to 325 as well... so I'm gunning for it!