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I was advised that the frequency of the walking was crucial, too. Surgeon said, sure, going on a long walk is great.....but it's important to get up and move every couple hours, too. Stay active is what he emphasized. I'm not sure what the normal time window is for the post-op concerns.

Good news on your revision being approved. No more ports to worry about. No more fills. I've found my sleeve to be extremely easy to live with. The only times I've had heartburn has been when I've had coffee and Advil on mornings following a spicy food for dinner. I was a frequent adder of jalapeño & habanero peppers to a great deal of what I cooked & grilled. I love some spicy rubs, too. I've had to tone things down a small amount and realize that those spices are even more concentrated as I consume them without the carb loaded side dishes I was accustomed to eating along with them. At my 6 month check in I was encouraged to slowly add in vegetables in smallish amounts to my meals. Perhaps this will help me keep on spicing up the meats. Sleeve has been trouble free. I hope that yours and your husbands are equally agreeable. I think it is awesome that you are doing this together. Once you both get back to what normal eating is (was around 2-3 months for me) you will be in sync. You'll go out for dinners and be ordering some very small quantities and laughing about it. Food prep at home will be simple and easy. You'll have those same post-op wonderment feels, too. Shared awesomeness !!!!

I skipped the puree stage and just stayed on Protein shakes during that time. I kept reading about the dreaded 3-week stall from many posters. I also see what some of them were eating during the pureed stage and could't help but see a correlation. Too many carbs for what my goals were. I knew there were certainly healthy pureed choices that I could have....but I just was scared to open that door.....yogurt one day may lead me to ice cream the next. lol. I just didn't trust myself enough to go there. I'm simply being honest. If I had it to do all over again.....I'd proceed in the same way as before. That 4 weeks....following the 2 weeks of pre-op Protein Shakes only....that month and a half really helped me cement the changes in how I viewed food. I was done with cravings....done with food as an answer. All I wanted was to burn off as much fat as I could and take in the fuel that my body needed...not what my mind may be compelling it to do. The sleeve is a powerful tool for weight loss.....but I see now that it's only there as a parachute when we lose our willpower. Our minds are the most effective tool we have....but not always in the game, obviously. I do feel that we gain considerable mental toughness as a result of our wls. I'll bet that many of us could take our post-op mental strength......and lose considerable weight without the wls......and keep it off. I really do. It's that toughness and confidence that keeps me grinning all day long.....even when job stress or other stressors conspire to steal a brotha's grin.

Best wishes for you. See you on the Loser's Bench !!!!!!

I herniated T-12 disc 13 months ago. The MRI's and x-rays showed arthritis, stenosis and even where I'd broken a bone in my spine and it had healed. Funny....I knew when it happened....but never realized I'd done damage like that. Hunting accident...fall. The pain from that herniated disc is what tipped me over the fence into the bariatric world. I had sleeve surgery 6.5 months ago. Just prior to sleeve surgery, I had another round of steroid injections in my back. This, combined with whatever I was given in the hospital for sleeve surgery found me coming home and feeling great in all aspects. The back issues have returned, but nowhere near as bad. I'll feel them developing, too. I will begin to get shooting pains and know that the spasms will return if I don't take corrective action....which in my case is two-fold: 1) quit sleeping on the new tempurpedic bedding which I freaking hate but bought because my wife fell in love with it.....horrible mattress choice for me at 478.....and now at 296....horrible choice 2) get on the floor and do my stretches on a daily basis. Learned these in physical therapy and they work to keep things loose and in the right place. I should add that it's a compounded problem as in I become less active when it flares up. Inactivity is not good. It can allow it to stiffen and ache. Frequent walking is the key for me. I will be so damn glad to get my abdominal hernia repaired again (4th time doing so) and letting it heal....so I can finally do some direct muscle training on my abs. Core strength is going to be key.

The dieting we do leading up to surgery is done so under the watch and mentoring of our doctors. We are cutting out carbs and living with an extreme calorie deficit. It's certainly a shock to most of our systems. I would cation her to consult her primary care physician prior to jump starting such an extreme diet. I think it's very cool, though, that you'll have a person close to you living the diet with you. I hope that all goes well.

There is nothing about the changes that I don't gladly welcome. The weight comes off....the physical burden.....the physical stress.......the threat of pending developing health scares.......all of that going away.....leaves one with a better frame of mind to embrace life and take on each day in much better manner than before surgery.

No....I never had such worries. I was in great hands. The surgeon I chose was top notch and a master of his craft. His surgical staff were all very experienced with bariatric patients....the wing of the hospital my room was in was 100% wls patients. This is what they do.....we are who they help on a daily basis. The risks for my sleeve surgery were pretty much the same as with my prior hernia repairs, ankle surgery, knee surgeries, etc. There wasn't much that concerned me about the surgery. There was, however, a great deal that concerned me with the physical state I was in BEFORE sleeve surgery. I was a wreck......a heart attack waiting to happen. Losing 50+ pounds during the pre-op time frame that led up to surgery had my confidence up....and actually feeling a bit better. I would go back and have the sleeve done again and again. It was a piece of cake. Now is the time to push aside any drama and relax. Focus on working hard on the pre-op diet and get in as much exercise as you can. You'll feel better for it and be able to sleep much easier. All good things are going to happen if you allow them to. Work hard.......rest hard......be at ease.

I feel like you'll be great in that time frame. You'll be feeling rock solid and ready for the world by 3 months for sure. You've given yourself plenty of time. That is going to be a fun trip. Have fun. I would simply make sure I had follow-up appointments scheduled just prior to the trip.....share your concerns with your pcp and your sleeve surgeon......perhaps they'll write you a proactive prescription for antibiotics and such to take along with you just in case. The traveling....airports and handrails and such are where you'll be most exposed to foreign germs. I really wouldn't fear the food so much. You'll be presented with a wide array of of tasty eats.

Everything by Chike has been golden. Their Mocha and their coffee Protein powders are outfreakingstanding. My next try will be the new powders by Quest Nutrition. I love their bars and chips......hoping their powders are great, too.

Holy Hell.....I'm lacking badly in fiber intake it would seem. Do any of you supplement with Metamucil or the like ???

You look great !!!!!!!!

Watched Deadpool with Teenage T-Rex yesterday.....funny flick. Watching Sicario right now. Great movie. Excellent acting. Benicio Del Torro plays a killer role. Really killer. Mile high club thoughts ?

Outstanding results !!!!!!! You have done great. How did it impact your golf game thus far?

This is a great question. I'm looking forward to seeing their daily menu as well.

My insurance would only cover 1/2 the cost....which would have left me out of pocket $24,000. By simply self-funding the surgery....my bariatric center only charged me $20,000. Evidently the drop the rates severely for self pay folks. That $20,000 also included a insurance policy against any type of sleeve related complications that may occur.

I was coached by my surgeon to eat a 1/4 cup of food per meal....3 meals a day at that point....moved up to 1/2 cup meal size by the time I'd reached 4 months. No real snacking. Just the 3 meals. I try to either measure it out with the cup or simply portion out what I feel is the correct amount....then eat just that amount and no more. I seldom have room for side dishes.....just the Protein.

On my days off I'll take time to cook some eggs, bacon and such. May even have a piece of leftover steak on hand, too. Work days.....I'll mix some Protein powder and Water in a shaker bottle and call it good.....that or a Quest bar.

Wow.....I used to love pancakes. These may come in handy when I overshoot my goal weight and am trying to maintain or add a couple pounds back on. Right now the carb count in them is just not to my liking. One day, however, I'll give these a try.

I've been enjoying coffee since my second month post-op. Real coffee, too. Very grateful for it.

You are going to do great. You are in the toughest days of it.....that first month. After that you'll kick off those training wheels and really start to coast....and in no time at you'll be jumping ramps. Much respect for your fast return to work. Remember to have fun along the way and do things that interest you.

Wow !!!! Wow !!!!!!!! You are killing it. Looks like your activity level is tremendous. Huge respect for the changes you've made and the health concerns you've headed off with your efforts. Great Job, sir.

Taken the day before my October 2015 surgery: Take a week or so ago....at the 6 month point:

Never been a big gum chewer. I did use it wen I was quitting smoking many years ago.....it helped then. Now.....I have mints or even the mint flavored chewable Vitamins.

She sounds like a petty childish pain in the arse who isn't worth the time of day. Who says stuff like that? She needs to get a life.