virgogirl67

My daughter and I have our vsg surgery scheduled for June 2nd in Cabo with Dr. Gerardo Garcia Alvarez. We have a family friend who had surgery with the same Dr. in Oct/2014. He had nothing but great things to say about, not only the Dr., but also the Hospital & staff where the surgery was performed. We went through Bariatricmexico.com. Best of luck to you in finding the right surgeon for you

I'm not new here but this is my first post. I've been a lurker since 2012 when I first decided I wanted to research weight loss surgery. I had just finished completing my first half marathon and felt great so why not. I was ready for a change. At that time I weighted 244 lbs.
My physician sent a referral and I started a 12 week program with a nutritionist and a behaviorist. All I kept hearing during those 12 weeks was how I wasn't going to be able to eat "normal" foods again. I remember thinking I'm not going to be able to eat in a few months I'll eat now. (How silly of me). I had to keep a food and exercise journal during the 12 weeks. All I kept thinking was what a waste. I'm ready for this.
Boy was I wrong. I kept gaining weight since I was eating everything I wasn't going to be able to eat. Steer my last class I had gained 15 lbs. I decided that I wasn't going to move forward with surgery. That food was part of my lifestyle. That as a family we would get together just to eat. I had an entire year to reconsider but I didn't and added an additional 12 lbs. I didn't look back I just thought weight loss surgery wasn't for me.
Fast forward to labor day 2014. I was having a great time at the beach with family. The waves huge. Hadn't seen them like that in a while. Long story short my cousin was swept by the wave pinned me on my right knee while he was being dragged and tore my meniscus. I was in so much pain. To top it off when I went to see my physician she went over my diabetes and was toId me I was non compliant. That my diabetes was high. Oh boy.
We decided to give weight loss surgery a try and I had to re take the 12 week classes. I started in November my weight at the time 272. I loved my classes this time around and for some reason I didn't keep hearing you won't be able to eat this or that. On the contrary it was about making healthier choices, changing old habits and getting me ready to surgery. I survived Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and a 2 week vacation and managed to loose 26 lbs on my own. I realized that what I love most in life is Creating Memories with the people that I love not partaking of the food.
I never looked back and happy to share I was sleeved 5 days ago on Monday, April 27. I can't believe I did it. I am so Happy and look forward to my future. I had no problems during surgery came home the next day. The incisions are healing great just pain in my stomach area.
Thank you to the Bariatric Pal Community. This is my go to place when ever I have a question.
My journey has been over 2 years in the making but I did it. Hope my story helps you in your process
Marissa

I am Tonya I am From Texas and I'm 45 years old.. I am researching planning to schedule in Mexico hoping to have the sleeve done around the 1st part of June. I would love to find others going the same time.. I'm very scared and nervous.. I need to lose about 75lbs.. I am little overwhelmed because I don't know which hospital are safe or what doctor to really use. I been in contact with three different ones the first I found was Dr. Mario Almanza @ weight loss agent at Jerusalem hospital and that's a no deal for me, I'm scared of Jerusalem hospital. I want to go to a real hospital with a real professional emergency staff.. I have heard of one to many bad things at hospital Jerusalem. The other is Medical Tourism at Florence Hospital with Dr Mario Camelo Ramos.. So I'm looking for more info and will glad take any and all your suggestions.. Please help

bread and potatoes are complex carbohydrates with a high glycemic index...aka they turn to sugar quickly after eating them.

I'm scheduled for surgery June 2nd. The long wait makes me feel super nervous but excited all at the same time I've done my esophogram and all my medical stuff so I've been cleared for surgery. Now all I have left is my 4 nutritional appointments and my anesthesiologist appointment. I'm ready and I need this. Good luck my friends

@@virgogirl67 I like the idea of the greek yogurt and Crystal Light mix! I don't buy Crystal light, so I will substitute with my vanilla Protein powder.
I started my liquid diet Monday April 27th and have already lost 10lbs!!! here are a few things I am currently eating. Mind you this is a full liquid pre-op diet my surgeon suggested I start one week before surgery. (My surgery date is May 7th)
Well a typical day goes like this:
2 packs of instant grits (quaker)
2 eggwhites (NO salt-little pepper)
EAS Advantagedge carb control no sugar (doesn't have much flavor but it's awesome-bought at Sam's)
4 oz prune juice-sugar free
sugar free snack pack pudding (butterscotch or chocolate)
Motts blueberry applesauce (sugar free)
2 packs of instant grits
EAS ADVANTAGEDE

WOW that seems like a lot but I haven't ever gone over 1,000 calories I also use MyFittness pal so I know my intake on carbs and sugars. Tuesday May 5th I will start the clear liquid diet and have already bought the knorr broth thanks for that suggestion wannaBthinsoon

So one of the things listed on my pre-op diet, that I can have as much as I want, is PLAIN greek yogurt. What?!?!? I have tried, unsuccessfully in the past to try to choke this stuff down. Fail, fail, fail! So for the past 2 months, in preparation for becoming a "yogurt eater", I have given it another try...like the be all end all "get yer shit together girl this is the final FINAL chance you get to get accustomed to tolerating and accepting that this icky good Protein source is going to be on yer menu and in yer fridge for the remainder of yer life" kind of "try"! Sooooo....I started out with the delightfully yummy whipped sugary flavored yogurts...of course I did...and started eating one a day with my lunch. Established the habit in two-ish weeks. Then graduated to the Dannon Light & Fit...better on the label as far as sugar and calories go. I'm 6 weeks out on surgery now and know I must transition to the plain (icky) greek yogurt...>sigh< I did some experimenting in the kitchen this morning and here are the results....
Plain Greek Yogurt with Peach Mango Crystal Light powder mixed in is DELICIOUS! So is the Cherry Pomegranate!! Those two flavors were the only 2 I had on hand, but I will be trying other flavors very soon. Since I was impressed with the unjury strawberry Sorbet, I tried sprinkling that in...again, I am not really a strawberry fan but am getting used to the strawberry flavor that seems to be in EVERYTHING!!! I'm still iffy on the Unjury in the yogurt, but if you like strawberry, you would most likely really like it. It mixed perfectly, no clumping. I have vanilla unjury that I may try instead of the strawberry.
I feel like I'm rambling on and on...but IF any of this info helps someone else who may be struggling with the same thing...I'm happy to ramble more! LOL

Have you tried this? Is it the unflavored really as great as I've read other places online? I have a milk allergy. I was told not to be concerned with this one? Should I just wait til my consult? I am trying to make smoothies for Breakfast. I already have all the fruit, yogurt, and small bags. Where to start?

My daughter and I are scheduled for June 2nd! Can't wait!

Bari-Bread: Prep time - 10 minutes, Cook time - 20-30 minutes
Let's start with the basics. I'm sure many of us wish we could still have some sort of bread, even if only as a vehicle for meat, eggs, or cheese on our sandwiches. Despite their apparent simplicity, this riff on Paleo Oopsie Rolls have a great flavor reminiscent of potato bread and easily modifiable to meet most any palatte.
Ingredients:
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
3 egg whites
3 Tbsp lowfat cream cheese or neufchatel, room temparature
2 Tbsp Water
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300F
Beat egg whites & cream of tartar until stiff peaks form
Blend Water, salt & cream cheese
Fold cream cheese mixture into egg whites gently
Spoon in 6 equal sized 'patties' on nonstick surface (parchment paper with NS spray or silpat)
Bake at 300F for 20-30 minutes depending upon elevation. Remove when browned but at about the texture of the tip of your nose.
Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool to room temperature
Store in refrigerator in an open ziploc
Nutrition per 'roll'
Calories: 25
Total fat: 1 g
Total Carbs: 1 g
Total Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 4 mg
Sodium: 99 mg
Potassium: 50 mg
Modifications:
Add dill or dehydrated onion for sandwich rolls
Add caraway for a rye-like flavor
Add sesame seeds on top for burgers
Add basil & oregano to use as a pizza crust
Add taragon for a chicken salad sandwich

Hello BariBrothers, BariSisters, BariFamilies, and general lovers of healthy, good food. My name is Smye and I live on a small farm in the Pacific Northwest.
During both pre and post op appointments with my nutritionist, I was horrified by the suggested things I could eat once I was back to 'regular foods.' The suggestions I was given were flavorless, full of preservatives & junk, and/or otherwise reminiscent of the american 'instafoods' that are, in my opinion, a huge part of the original problems. That said, I wanted to share some of the real, whole foods I've been enjoying lately without hurting my sleeve or deviating from the dietary guidelines provided to me by my NUT. I'm down 86 lb since I started this journey on Jan 22, 2015, and loving every meal as much as, or more than, pre-op.

I've spent the last 7 years accommodating good food to meet my partner's corn, dairy, and gluten allergies without losing any of the flavor or texture with 80% of all ingredients sourced from my own small farm, so it wasn't too big of a jump to make these recipes low carb, high Protein and delicious.

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting recipes like:

Bariatric BibimBop
Pho
Pastrami Sandwich
Madras curry with fried tofu
chicken tenders with sauce
Sushi - Philadelphia rolls in particular
Personal Pizzas
Smoked cherry-glazed chicken
Barbeque-smoked chicken
Ham and cheese omlette
Pickled duck eggs
Quiche
Ham, egg & cheese sandwiches
Bari-bread
Guacamole Cheeseburgers
And many more

There's no need for food to be tasteless, uninteresting, or questionable in it's contents. If there's something you'd like to see that's not here, please PM me and I'll do my best - I also make sure to try everything myself and feed it to my executive chef neighbor before I post it to ensure it's excellent!

My surgery isn't until June, but am planning to take 2 weeks off. I have a relaxed job as well. Mostly sitting, but not "chained" to my desk. I can get up and move anytime I need to AND we have 2 treadmills, so if I need to, I always can jump on one of those on rainy days. If I stay home the whole 2 weeks, I will be surprised...but I'm glad I have that option if I feel I need it.

I'll talk to my dr about depo. Maybe worth looking into. Thanks AvaFern.
Swampdoggie & Aspring424, I'll look into both of these things.
Thanks so much for the suggestions.

Have you considered endometrial ablation?

@@alindsey June 2nd here and I am ridiculously excited. Right now I'm in the "try it before you buy it" stage...or should I say try it before investing in a 60lb tub of it. LOL Two months ago I started "training" myself to like yogurt and that has been going very well. I started with the yummy whipped sugary and have worked my way to down to plain greek yogurt with a bit of flavored crystal light powder stirred it. It has become a "habit" now and I can now relax about greek yogurt being a part of my daily menu...without wanting to gag!
I'm working through some powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury packets that I bought to try...and they are tasty and mix up beautifully. I really like the chicken flavored broth! I'm also working through some Syntax nectar flavor samples...Fuzzy Navel is yum yum yummy!
I want to make sure I make it through the pre/post-op liquid stage without having to think too much. I just want to be able to go to my kitchen and know whatever I grab to pour in me tastes good. I'm not waiting to be in the middle of it to have to figure it out!

That's cool virgo that yall are doing it together to!!! I love that me and my mom will go through it together! Good luck to you also! Let me know how it goes!
Thanks Jamie! I've heard nothing but good things so I know it's just silly paranoia!

My daughter and I are both having our sleeve surgery in Mexico June 2nd. I love the idea that we are doing this together and will be able to support each other through this whole process. Best of luck to you and your mom!

@@virgogirl67 @cmhueto Good luck to both of you! Sounds like you have done your research and feel confident in your choices. @@virgogirl67 it's awesome that your PCP is on board and being so supportive. Mine was too. She pre-booked me for an appointment and bloodwork for 1 month post-op and has been great about my follow up care!

@@proudgrammy Thank you for clearing that up for me! All the things I was making up that it stood for were ridiculous! LOL

@@virgogirl67 thank you, best of luck to you as well!!

So one of the things listed on my pre-op diet, that I can have as much as I want, is PLAIN greek yogurt. What?!?!? I have tried, unsuccessfully in the past to try to choke this stuff down. Fail, fail, fail! So for the past 2 months, in preparation for becoming a "yogurt eater", I have given it another try...like the be all end all "get yer shit together girl this is the final FINAL chance you get to get accustomed to tolerating and accepting that this icky good Protein source is going to be on yer menu and in yer fridge for the remainder of yer life" kind of "try"! Sooooo....I started out with the delightfully yummy whipped sugary flavored yogurts...of course I did...and started eating one a day with my lunch. Established the habit in two-ish weeks. Then graduated to the Dannon Light & Fit...better on the label as far as sugar and calories go. I'm 6 weeks out on surgery now and know I must transition to the plain (icky) greek yogurt...>sigh< I did some experimenting in the kitchen this morning and here are the results....
Plain Greek Yogurt with Peach Mango Crystal Light powder mixed in is DELICIOUS! So is the Cherry Pomegranate!! Those two flavors were the only 2 I had on hand, but I will be trying other flavors very soon. Since I was impressed with the unjury strawberry Sorbet, I tried sprinkling that in...again, I am not really a strawberry fan but am getting used to the strawberry flavor that seems to be in EVERYTHING!!! I'm still iffy on the Unjury in the yogurt, but if you like strawberry, you would most likely really like it. It mixed perfectly, no clumping. I have vanilla unjury that I may try instead of the strawberry.
I feel like I'm rambling on and on...but IF any of this info helps someone else who may be struggling with the same thing...I'm happy to ramble more! LOL

Hi there,
I recently found Fairlife Milk from another post- it has more Protein. To make a great shake I use
8 oz Fairlife milk (13 gm protein)
1 5 oz cup of greek yogurt (I use Dannon Light and Fit coconut/vanilla 12 gm protein)
handful of raspberries
Blend until fully liquid. Very yummy and 25 gm of protein!

When on another liquid diet I also used sugar free Jello pudding to flavor vanilla Protein Shakes. Experiment with flavors. All flavors of jello pudding work well. I used 2T. Ice cubes in blender makes it better.

@@virgogirl67 From what I've heard my surgeon is the best of the best!! Even my gynecologist told me that if I was going to "do this thing" at least I was going with the very best surgeon. That made me feel better. It made Dr Hoehn feel better too, when I told him that. But, Dr Hoehn is a VERY confident surgeon. He just oozes confidence, and kindness. And he isn't too bad on the eyes either. (oops...did I say that outloud?!) ha!

@@wannaBthinsoon I will have to try that. Quite honestly I haven't thought about putting unflavored into something I all ready like. btw..my friend has the same Dr. as you. She had a great experience with him and has done extremely well! I'm a self-pay and am off to Mexico in June for my surgery. I have another friend who went to the same Dr in Mexico about 8 months ago and is doing great! And these friends are actually folks that I "know" know...like one is my neighbor and the other is my BFF's hubby....not just internet-land friends In fact my neighbor was the one who got me off my butt about gettin' with it with my surgery! She said "I only wish I had done it sooner"...and we go waaaaayyy back...20+ years doing "diets" together! LOL
I tried the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury strawberry Sorbet today! My first "sniff" of the powder, before mixing it, reminded me of Lucky Charms marshmallows. The taste was very good...and that's saying alot from someone who isn't that fond of strawberries in general. I was pleasantly surprised. I love the way that it mixes up the FIRST time! ...and for all of you out there "shakin" things up, you will know what I mean. I really really really like the consistency! I'll post later about whatever else I decide to try today.