FocusOnMeNow

Also they pump you full of liquid at the hospital it can take a week or two for it to flush out. Ironically the more liquid you drink the faster it flushes and you start losing.

Btw I'm 11 months out and I still ship Premier Protein shakes with me wherever and whenever I travel. I bring quest protein bars in my suitcase and/or ship a box of those too. Go to the grocery and buy yourself some protein drinks. Surely they have a grocery store there. If you want to avoid the extra trip to the store in future then ship your protein to the hotel in advance[emoji4]

2 words: squatty potty ... Google it

Just cut the bananas in half and freeze them. Blend 1/2 a banana and some PB2 with a premier protein rtd or the powdered shake mix of your choice. The frozen banana blended well makes it thick and frothy like a milkshake. I also liked frozen mangoes from trader joes in the bariatric advantage orange cream shake. In addition I always used unsweetened almond milk instead of water to make the shakes "richer". As for a few carbs in a half a banana... You need the potassium. My nut actually told me to add the banana (1/2 that is).

Chicken broth puréed with sautéed yellow squash was divine. Yum yum. If you don't care for yellow squash then go for the soft veggie of your choice cooked well. I would stay away from broccoli or asparagus (even if puréed for the first few weeks). And yes baby food is disgusting.

You are eating too much too fast. Belching is natural and normal and even more so after a VSG. My guess is that you are pre portioning softer lunch foods and eating more dense foods for dinner and or not measuring out your two oz. 11 months out if I try to eat a dry chicken breast or salmon it sits like a rock compared to almost everything else I eat (eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc). Ironically pan fried bacon goes down easier (perhaps because there is more soft fat than in the chicken breasts).

Bone broth has WAY more protein. You can get some pacific bone broth and bone stock on Amazon.

I paid out of pocket as my employer specifically excluded it from our insurance coverage. It was worth every penny and more. I wouldn't change a thing. And after all this I'm glad I didn't have to wait even longer for an insurance approval and just got on with it[emoji4]

Cannot relate. Never regretted it for a minute. BUT I'm 11 months out now and I can honestly say that this too shall pass. Are you on anti nausea meds for the nausea? That should help. I know that you are on liquids now but this too is temporary. In a few short months you'll be able to eat whatever you want BUT you won't want what you used to. As for burping and sipping, small price to pay and also temporary. You will feel better soon ... MUCH better.

Moisturizer and use sunscreen. You're in your 20s you should be fine. Do NOT worry about losing weight too fast. That does not impact it.

I'm at 11 months out as well and have only lost 95 lbs, only about 1 pound in the past month. One thing I have noticed is that my body fat percentage has not decreased as much as my BMI so I think I need to do more strength training.

Please do NOT drink. You know you shouldn't and are only cheating yourself. 48 hours beforehand is WAY too late for a last hoorah! If you don't have any guidelines then please google BRigham Gastric Sleeve guidelines and follow theirs.

My doctor told me 3 weeks. TEgraderm or no, please follow doctors orders. And just remember you will have to leave it on until it falls off. Otherwise you will pull off your glue/strips when you pull off the TEgraderm.

Premier Protein is the way to go. Walmart, Sam's Club, Amazon. Bariatric Advantage is THE BEST powder which you can get on their website.

Fat, particularly visceral fat, is an endocrine organ. You're losing it so you are having hormonal fluctuations.

Wow you must be doing much better than I was to be attending BBQ three days out. I barely left the house for an entire week. In a few months you will be eating "real food" again. I used to just bring my vitamin water zero with me (chilling it in a beer cooz) wherever I went so I never felt weird without a drink in my hand. Within about 3 months when going out to eat, I realized that I was eating like a normal skinny person (most of them don't eat very much). The liquids phase is temporary. Enjoy it while it lasts[emoji4]

I have done nothing but use regular moisturizer on my skin and within a few months my "scars" looked like perhaps there was a mosquito bite there. 11 months out and I have difficulty identifying where the incisions were. I expect in another year I won't be able to at all[emoji4] Btw the glue should fall off in about 3 weeks.

You look great and must feel great too. What an amazing transformation! It takes time but your brain will eventually catch up to where your body is. I just visited "Model My Diet" myself today to get an animated picture of what losing the 95 lbs I have lost looks like to others.

@Christinamo7 - Very sorry for your loss. A lot of major losses and stresses have been the reason why many of us became emotional eaters in the first place. @@VSGAnn2014 - Wow...that is the perfect list for the OP and for all of us.

Its the staples. I have been getting patted down more frequently in the past few months than right after surgery 10 months ago. Not sure if its heightened TSA screening or maybe the swelling has gone down and so the staples show up more now. It may be that we need a card for the TSA (I'm getting on the "Pre" list soon its only $85) just like some people get a card that will allow them to order off the kids menu in a restaurant.

I actually did try a few sips as in a few tablespoons of alcohol about 2 months out and my stomach did NOT care for it. At about 3 months out I tried about 1/2 a glass of wine and it came back up. I would NEVER try ANY alcohol without food for the first few months. I am about 10 months out now and only drink about once a week and then even just a glass or two gets me a LOT more tipsy than before. Long story short...you can't even eat FOOD right now. FORGET about alcohol. Trying to drink alcohol now will only delay healing and progress and potentially cause trauma to your new tummy if you vomit. Also, I guess I should put this in the Pre-Surgery section so that people stop posting questions about their Disney vacation and other post op plans. Post op is for rest and recuperation, not jet setting and vacation. Also, as far as I know you can't swim a week out so why oh why your husband planned a likely all-inclusive vacation that you cannot fully partake does not seem very supportive or helpful. Maybe he did not realize that. Also you need to know that about a year from now you will be able to eat and drink more like a normal skinny person but always with VERY limited portions.

First of all everyone's body is different and everyone will react differently. If you want a "real" education these boards provide a good one. You may also want to check out "Clusie" and "K-Star" on you tube. Long story short though you should follow your doctors orders. Most of what they tell you is for good reason. If they took the time to explain "everything" you would potentially need 4 years of Med school and residency. Just educate yourself on how to deal with side effects, follow doctors orders and you'll be fine.

I had zero complications from surgery. I did not take one single dose of opiate painkiller since I woke up from surgery but lots of Tylenol and anti nausea meds. My hair actually has grown in THICKER due to all the extra vitamins that I am taking. There was Some thinning from around 3-6 months but it was minor and now it is thicker than EVER. Even my neighbors notice so it is "noticeably" thicker. I do consider myself VERY lucky, but I also researched the heck out of the surgery, started my vitamin regime two months in advance of the surgery and followed Drs orders to a tee. NO COMPLICATIONS here[emoji4]

I would also ask an in law to go with you even if they take a break while you are actually in surgery and you send them home after you wake up. Believe it or not, it is VERY nice to have a familiar face when you wake up kind of out of it. I am single as well but had my sister come with me and I'm glad that I did. Just tell them in advance that you probably won't need them to be with you the whole time so that they won't be offended when you send them home. Just say that you need to get some rest and that they can come visit tomorrow. My sister left on day 2. She brought me back home from the hospital. I took a quick shower and then she caught a flight an hour later. So I recovered "home alone" for the next two weeks. Just because we can do things on our own alone doesn't mean that we have to[emoji3]

Just take ALL your vitamins ALL the time. Be sure to take your iron at least 2-3 hours apart from any other food especially anything that contains calcium. And take 10,000mcg=1000mg of biotin every day and your hair should grow back within about three months. Since you are only four weeks out, if you are not able to take pills yet. BOD Smith prenatal liquid vitamins which you can find on Amazon are a good bet. They don't taste the best, but if you mix a serving into some vitamin water zero (rise orange is my favorite) then you should be able to get them down pretty easy. Just take 2 hours after you have anything else and wait 2 more hours after you drink it before any protein shakes most of which have tons of calcium. Good luck!