Proud2BMe

Fruits contain lots of sugar that's why they should be avoided. Most fruit juices contain more sugar than regular sodas.

I vaped until literally 1 hour before surgery. However, I didn't start vaping again until 2 days after surgery.

Let me put it like this..... I know multiple obese women who demand their men have perfect bodies. Surprisingly, most of these women I know do end up with guys who are out of their league. I don't understand it. But it happens. So no, men are not that shallow that they demand women to have perfect bodies.

In dilation they use a balloon to stretch open the stricture. Not sure about stents unless it means they put something there to prevent a stricture from reforming.

Not sure why you need that. You don't need any special Vitamins with the gastric sleeve as it does not produce malabsorption like other bariatric surgeries do.

"Tight Spot" = Stricture. Balloons are the treatment. You will most likely have to have it done as you must be able to eat and drink.

Never. It tastes nothing like real pizza. Instead, just eat the toppings off of real pizza and at least get some satisfaction.

Your stomach has inflammation from the surgery so you will feel more restriction now compared to when the inflammation is gone. In the future you will be able to drink as normal and eventually be able to eat more as well.

It's normal to eat more after one year. However, the one year mark is not about maintenance. Maintenance only happens when you reach your goal weight.

A physically active job will be tough. You won't be able to lift heavy stuff and you may not have the physical energy to do an active job where you are constantly on your feet. Desk jobs are completely different.

Probably normal healing. If you notice puss or anything but clear discharge then notify your doctor.

Hit up the sub forum for post op and read the pinned topics.

Did your doctor approve your high Protein amount? Because too much protein will damage your kidneys. Also, perhaps you are trying to eat too much. I used a plastic pudding cup container that I saved as my guide for my meals as it held pretty much the maximum of what I could consume. It's actually okay to proceed slower to normal food. However, you will eventually have to eat normal food. You can't put it off indefinitely. Finally, drinking Protein shakes is okay. I still drink 2 a day, Breakfast and lunch and then eat a normal dinner.

Could be temporary, associated with less carbs and calories. However, it's also a symptom of diabetes. Check with the doctor.

600-700 calories is almost at normal for where you are at. You might bump it up a couple more hundred calories.

You might be going too long in between BMs. The longer you go without one the harder the crap will become. Try taking laxatives. I had diarrhea for the first few months followed by constipation for a few months. I took laxatives for about 2 months and then everything went back to normal.

Honestly, I didn't do any exercises before surgery. I was too big as well. I didn't start exercising until three or four months after surgery and then it was only walking. So don't be hard on yourself right now. However, keep in mind that as you lose weight you will no longer be able to lean on excuses for not exercising. Walking really is the best exercise for people. Start out about 20 minutes a night and then slowly increase it to an hour. When you can handle an hour then increase your pace to "mall walking" speeds. Later on you can start going to the gym.

So this weekend I decided that I needed to go buy new boxers. I have been wearing the same ones I wore since before surgery, which means that as soon as I take off my pants they immediately drop to the floor. LOL Now, I'm not spending money on designer underwear until I reach my goal size. So I just bought Hanes at Walmart. To my surprise I went from an XL to a M. Very good victory.

Never heard of that associate with the sleeve. It is associated with diabetes though. The incisions for the sleeve are far too tiny to cause such, IMO. It me be due to something else.

After your surgery it will take time to learn the knew signs of when to stop eating. It took me a long time to learn the signs. I threw up a lot because I over ate. For me, there are two signs. The first sign is when I first feel the restriction kicking in. This is often very subtle in feeling. I normally stop then and there and feel fully satiated. However, I can eat past that point. The next sign is not subtle. It is very obvious that I am stuffed and I feel uncomfortable. I know that if I even take one more bite I will likely throw up. I also begin to slime at that point. In time you will get used to it and just automatically stop at the first sign of restriction.

Today is my one year surgiversary. I started out 200 lbs overweight and lost 180 lbs in one year. So, yes, it's possible. It all depends on you. It doesn't matter which surgery you get. You can't rely on it alone to do the work for you. It's just a tool so you have to use it wisely and correctly.

On May 12, 2015, I had my weight loss surgery in Tijuana. I had a procedure called Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, or "gastric sleeve" for short. About 80% of my stomach was removed. The normal human stomach is about the size of a football. My new stomach is the size of a banana. As a result of the surgery I can only consume small portions of food, ranging from a few ounces to a cup of food, depending upon what I'm eating. However, the amazing thing about this is that I am fully satiated from eating so little. When our stomachs are full they send signals to the brain that makes us feel satiated and we stop eating. Since my stomach is so small I get those signals way quicker and with very little food. So I feel satiated off of a few ounces of food while a person without the surgery may have to eat an entire plate of food, or more. Before surgery I could eat an entire large pizza by myself in one sitting. Today I can't even finish one slice. I believe the surgery, along with quitting smoking, saved my life. My Stats: Highest Recorded Weight - 388 lbs Weight at Time I Decided to Have Surgery - 370 lbs Weight on Day of Surgery - 350 lbs Weight One Year After Surgery - 190 lbs (and still losing!) Goal Weight - 170 lbs Total Weight Loss To Date - 180 lbs Highest Recorded BMI (Body Mass Index) - 50.2 Current BMI - 25.8 Largest Pant Size - 46 Current Pant Size - 32 Largest Shirt Size - 4X Current Shirt Size - L to XL I want to give a shout out to my niece, Jazmine, who thought it was funny to say that my legs are so skinny they look like teenage girl legs. Trust me, I am taking that as a compliment! I would rather have "teenage girl legs" than massive tree trunks. Also, a shout out to my friends who told me that I went from a "2" to an "8" on a scale of attractiveness. That was much appreciated! Finally, a shout out to my bestie Michelle who told me that "Now there is no one out of your league, only people beneath you." (Kind of a mean-spirited comment but a definite ego-booster!) LOL So what's next? Well, I have 20 more pounds to lose and then I will be at my goal weight. I also need to start saving for my plastic surgery to have my excess skin removed. It's weird because even though I lost the weight I am still majorly self-conscious because the excess skin is so ugly. I would not be comfortable at all with taking off my shirt in public. Even after the surgery I will still probably be majorly self-conscious because I will have so many scars. I will probably look like a sexy Frankenstein's monster. So it will be real ironic if after all this is said and done that I still would not feel comfortable taking off my shirt in public. All I can do is take it one day at a time and hope for the best. BEFORE and AFTER pictures below!

I like Body Fortress from Walmart. The chocolate is my favorite. Vanilla is okay too. strawberry is just so-so. The chocolate and Peanut Butter is okay as well.

@Beck90 I didn't have to ask my surgeon or doctor. I just rejected it the same way that I reject the notion that eating pop rocks and drinking pop will explode your stomach. It's just silly talk. Look, there is a logical fallacy called "appeal to authority". Just because a doctor or surgeon tells you something does not make it true unless he or she can back it up with actual evidence. Merely being a professional is not good enough. Just like they say that drinking diet pop makes you gain weight because you crave more sweets. Not true for me. I drink diet pop every day and only eat sweets on special occasions (birthdays and holidays).

The belief that it will stretch your sleeve is nonsense. However, what it can do is cause you pain if you are still close out from your surgery. The pain is of course from gas. I will be one year out tomorrow and I drink diet pop every day. I think I began drinking it again close to 2 months outside of surgery.