biginjapan

From Australia here!!... I've had my sleeve already but I see a lot of American s and some others go to Mexico for surgery. Is it cheaper ?.. different qualifications u need or not? Just interested that's all. I paid around $26000 out of pocket no insurance Mexico is significantly cheaper - most doctors are between $4000-$6000 dollars, with a few high end ones pushing closer to 8 or 9 thousand. You don't have to go through any tests, but there is an extensive health form you have to fill out to be approved. Only one doctor had some concerns about a pre-existing condition of mine, but no others did, including my specialist here in Japan who thinks the surgery will be good for me. Anyway, I'm assuming you paid in Aussie dollars, which, with the current exchange rate is about $20,000 US. I'm travelling from Japan - business class the whole way - and my flight + surgery all together will be less than $8000. If I had the surgery in Japan, it would have cost me somewhere between 20-25,000 dollars, which I absolutely don't have.

Wow - you have some really beautiful photos, and your story is an inspiration to all who are nervous about getting this done. We all only have one life to live - as many people have said throughout the years, it's not the things that you did do that you'll regret, it's the things you didn't do. I'm having my surgery done two weeks from tomorrow, and while I wished I had done it earlier, I'm going to live my life to the fullest from this point onwards.

Good question! I'm on 2-3 Protein shakes a day and 2 small meals of lean protein and vegetables (for 3 weeks). However, I will only have clear liquids 3 days pre-op. I've been in contact with my nutritionist about what I've been eating so far, and she recommended staying above 1200 calories a day to avoid my body going into starvation mode. Which makes me wonder about extended clear liquid diets that some people have to go through. My BMI is not low...I am (or was) pretty close to 50, after which doctors often recommend bypass and/or it becomes much more expensive. Here's my question about the liver shrinking part: do they measure your liver before you start your pre-op diet? How will they know that you've been successful? You might have a huge liver on the operating table, but maybe it was even bigger to begin with. I saw an episode of Fat Doctor on YouTube with 3 sisters - one had a perfectly normal liver, and the other's was huge (they didn't say about the 3rd). What was the difference? Compliance? The amount of drinking done in the years beforehand? The interesting thing too about the surgeon is that he recommends a milk diet for the pre-op phase, and I know others here can have dairy products as well, but I can't (because of the extra sugar). Why? Why!??!?! Doctors, please come up with something standard, or at least explain what your decision making is. I sort of feel like we are all guinea pigs for the surgeons who do bariatric surgery.

Here's the rub though... Throughout my ups and downs with my weight, I mostly always thought I looked the same, or was a little heavier, or a little lighter. I really couldn't see any big changes. I wonder how it will be going in the opposite direction, if I'll be able to get out of a "fat brain" mentality, not only in the physical aspect of losing weight, but the mental part too. I've been heavier for a much longer time than I've been lighter. I haven't been here that long, but I have noticed a few people on these boards, who, after having had their surgeries and are clearly losing weight, can't "see" their weight loss, still think like a big person, etc.

Good luck! I'll be in Mexico in 2 weeks!

I'd like to get a tattoo too, but since I'll probably need plastics down the road I want to wait until that's done before I do any permanent inking.

Bill my kik username is biginjapan17 (apparently biginjapan is already taken )

And...I really need to say this to everyone posting their email addresses on this site: You are totally opening yourself up to being inundated with spam by posting your email in a public forum. If you want to share, it's best to do it privately, and/or break up the address so spam bots can't recognize it.

I'll be going a little earlier than you - my sleeve is scheduled for Feb. 9th with Dr. Cabrera. Like you, I'm keeping my surgery private from everyone, although I may be more public about it afterwards. I guess you could say I had some emotional anxiety between choosing to get the surgery and actually booking a date. That took 6 months because I could not figure out who I wanted, but really, it was just a stalling technique. Now that I'm less than 3 weeks out I feel impatient to have it done already! I'm sure though, that I'll be a bundle of nerves in the days leading up to surgery. I haven't joined any Facebook groups either, specifically because of privacy reasons. However, I use this site for advice and support and so far it's been good to me.

Dr. Cabrera will be doing my surgery in just a few weeks - so I'll have more to say about him (and the experience in general) then.

No advice as I am still pre-op, but good luck! You'll get through it!

(I hate this edit function! I keep deleting things I don't mean to delete). I'm pretty sure any kind of carbonation will not be on your diet plan either pre- or post-op. The carbonation will not be a friend to your sleeve, and artificial sweeteners are just as bad for you as real sugar. That said, some people have mentioned that they have had a couple of sips of flat soda to deal with their cravings, and others have gone back to drinking soda ONLY when they were in maintenance phase. I was addicted to Diet Coke/Coke Zero for almost 20 years when I decided to quit cold turkey (weaning myself off never worked). I'm now 3+ years "sober" from my soda addiction, and I have to say, I don't crave it one bit, although I have had other sodas (ginger ale or Sprite) maybe once or twice a year since then (but no addiction problems with them). And, unlike others who seem to have lost their sweet tooth after quitting, mine just got worse. I craved sweet things (especially chocolate) all the time. That never really went away. I have to admit that now that I'm on my pre-op diet, I don't crave anything sweet, although to be fair, there's plenty of sweetness from the Protein shakes themselves. Remember too, that your tastes may change after surgery, so you may not want or like soda at all afterwards. I've made a promise to myself that I'm going to eat "clean" until my weight loss phase is mostly finished and then transition to maintenance. And I know there may be some foods I may not want to eat (or possibly handle eating them) ever again (but never say never). However, I have an addictive personality, so I really don't want to get back to eating or drinking trigger foods and drinks again. It's a slippery slope.

I'm having my surgery in Tijuana and will fly back to Japan a week later. A month post-op I will be on another flight to Europe. I've been cleared for both trips - the only things to worry about are weight restrictions (but it's easy enough to get someone to help you), obviously walking around during the flight, and planning what you'll do about your meals ahead of time. There are some people on this site who do a lot of business travel and were travelling on major flights 2-3 weeks out. I guess a lot depends on your particular condition and doctor.

Hi, and welcome! What procedure are you thinking of getting?

@@Walter.Sobchak Well, I have 2 degrees in History but wasn't interested in teaching at the secondary level, and I was burnt out after my Masters so wasn't gung ho about doing a Ph.D at the time. But it's pretty hard to find a job that's not teaching when your specialty is history. I found a recruiter for a conversation school in Japan at a job fair, and 5 months later I was there. It worked out for me since I had always wanted to live and work in another country, and I thought this would be the way I could travel around the world. And 40 countries later, it has. However, in the 13 years I've been in Japan, I've gained 140 pounds - just under 11 pounds a year. And that has been consistent every year I've been here, no matter how much I lost throughout the year, I'd always end up heavier in January than I was the previous year. I blame it on the rice, mostly . Well, and the fried chicken too (not KFC) and the chocolate that I (used to) continue to eat, even though Japanese chocolate isn't that great. And drinking too. I never really drank before I came here, but soon enough it became a daily activity with my friends (since there really wasn't much else to do here). And of course, the more you drink, the more you eat. So I'm glad to be rid of the alcohol and fried food and chocolate, but I hope someday I may be able to eat rice on occasion (but not daily, like I used to).

I started my pre-op diet on Thursday and I've already lost 10 pounds in 3 days! I'm on 3 Protein shakes a day (which I make myself) and 2 meals with lean protein and veggies. No dairy, no fruit, no alcohol, no caffeine, etc. I've been averaging about 1100 calories and about 120g of protein per day. I find it interesting that some programs allow for dairy and fruit, as they are both quite high in sugar. I love the Syntrax nectar protein powders - they taste like regular juice when mixed with Water. I have 2 of those a day. I also have a Protein shake in the morning where I mix almond or soy milk (and sometimes a block of soft tofu) with either flavoured Protein Powder (like vanilla or chocolate) or unflavoured. I have both Syntrax and Isopure for those, plus the PB Peanut Butter powder, which mixes in great with the chocolate protein powder. Edit: I had a bunch of links posted, but this site overruled them. Amazon carries a lot of good protein powders, but for unjury you may have to buy directly from them. I also shop from vitacost and iHerb, as they ship to Japan and many other countries (whereas Amazon will not).

Welcome and good luck with your journey! I'll be having gastric sleeve surgery in 2.5 weeks, and I can't wait for that date to arrive. I've found a lot of useful info and support on this site, and I hope you do too!

Yeah...Japan. In the summertime, during vacation, elementary school students often meet in a local park to do their exercises at 6:30 in the morning! Daily! That used to drive me nuts because the music would wake me up when I wanted to sleep in. In the last city I lived in, I lived directly across from a large park, and it was the same thing, only with old people. Every morning, 6:30 start, through all seasons except winter. I always watched them as I did my laps around the park. JHS and HS students who are on the track team are expected to run to and from school (from home) - they have a friend who cycles along them to carry their school work and regular clothes. So yeah, exercise is definitely a part of daily life here. Yet Japanese food is very carb (and protein) heavy with few, if any, vegetables. I try telling my students that Japanese rice is not healthy and they are in shock - it's so contrary to everything they've been told. The first time I realised I was morbidly obese, I went into a deep denial about that. I always thought morbidly obese meant people who were so large they couldn't walk 10 steps, or used a cane, or used a mobility device, that sort of thing. I've had friends (and relatives) who were that large and had so many health issues, that it was hard for me to make the connection that I fell into the same group. But, my weight is what it is, and the truth is there in every picture of me. I tried to avoid pictures for so long, but since I started on this journey I've been forcing myself to really look at myself objectively and there's no avoiding the fact that I am a long way away from the days of being somewhat overweight and active.

I'm now on day 4 of my pre-op diet and as of this morning I have lost 10 pounds! I mean, I know what the scale says, but I still can't believe it. Even though I'm allowed to eat 2 small meals a day, I'm still hungry all the time, although I notice the hunger goes away after I eat a calcium chew (I was saving those for post-up, but I needed something solid to chew). And guess what? The hunger went away. Maybe it's stomach acid that's mimicking hunger signals, and since calcium is alkaline, it shuts it right down? Regardless, I'm going to keep experimenting with that over the next few days and see if that helps on a regular basis, or was just a fluke. @@bill1130 - I'm interested in the Kik group, even though I don't know what it is. I'll download the app and set myself up soon.

I took a bunch of before photos too. I have two sets - one in me in just my underwear, the other of me in leggings and a tank top. Front, side, and back, plus close-ups of my face - front, and both profiles. Oh - and my armpits too, because I want to see how much weight I lose from that area as well. I did these photos on January 1st (and all my measurements) since I'm pretty sure that's when I was at my heaviest, but I'll do some again right before surgery. I was kind of prepared for what I look like from the front, but the back was a shocker. Who knew my a$$ was that big?!?!?!?!?! Honestly, I think my hips are bigger than shoulders (ah, the joys of being pear-shaped....). I'm not a scrapbooker, but I kind of want to document my weight loss journey in a scrap-booky way (not just online). We'll see how long I can keep that up!

@@Newme17 - I had this feeling for a long time too. I was the jock in my family, my brother was not. I was on multiple sports teams throughout my teenage years, but even in my 20s I was active with dance lessons, hiking, and other activities. That said, the weight came on and off throughout the years, but it wasn't until I went to see a new doctor, that he referred to me as "obese," that once I got over that shock, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was, in fact, obese. Even here in Japan, I've felt "fit fat" because living here kind of forces you to be. I don't have a car, which is pretty normal, as you really don't need one in the city. Which means I walk a lot. On a normal workday, I can easily hit my 10,000 steps a day without trying. There aren't a lot of escalators or elevators here, so people constantly take the stairs. You know that when you realise everyone, from small children to the super elderly, are taking the stairs, all the time (usually 4-8 staircases sometimes) that they are doing something right here (Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world).

Hey Walter, Like you and many others here, I've had a few "double-takes" when I've seen photos of myself in pictures. Usually I could avoid looking at them, but now I work at a school, and with "selfie" culture popular with my students, I often get asked to be in pictures with them. But the first time I saw myself in a photo with 2 18-year old students behind me (with room to spare), that shook the last of the denial I had about my weight. One of the reasons I have to have surgery is that I am an expat living and working in Japan, which means I do some pretty big trips once or twice a year. But my 22-inch "seat" (butt and thighs) just doesn't fit well into a 17-inch economy class seat for 10-16 hours at a stretch. And depending on the airline, I often cannot put the tray down, which means no meals (the first time this happened I cried on the plane out of embarrassment). Plus, I don't like making the other people around me uncomfortable. Earlier in 2016 I realised that I was choosing not to go on certain trips specifically because of my weight. Since travel is something I love (and sometimes have) to do, I needed to do something to fix the problem. My surgery is Mexico, and I'm flying to L.A. (train down to San Diego). I knew I might be able to handle the flight to L.A. squeezed into an economy-sized seat, but not on the return journey post-op. So I actually bit the bullet and bought a business-class seat for my international flight, which could almost buy another surgery! But I wanted to make sure that I would be alright with room to stretch and to be able to put up my legs (really helps keep the swelling down), so I figure the money will be well spent. Hopefully I'll never have to worry about that again after surgery.

@PrelyHernan: Good luck with your surgery! I'll also be in Tijuana for my surgery on Feb. 9th. Dr. Q was on my shortlist but in the end I decided to go with Dr. Cabrera at MBC. I live in Japan, so, (probably) like you, have to deal with a lot of things in a country which does not have a lot of the same support, food, medical care, or other issues for bariatric surgery patients that those in the US/Canada/UK/Aus have access to. I know post-op care is important, but I can't imagine any doctor here refusing to give me care because of my surgery elsewhere.

@greenwithenvy: So far so good. Because of my high BMI, I have to do a 3-week pre-op diet. I have to drink 2-3 Protein shakes a day, and I'm allowed two meals of lean protein (min. 4 oz per meal) and all the non-starchy veggies I want, plus 1-2 tbsp of healthy fat, like olive oil or avocado. In theory, I'm not allowed any fruit, but 1/2 c. of berries or 1/2 a banana is okay for one of my shakes. While I have mild feelings of hunger throughout the day (mostly in the afternoons), I'm surprised at a) how weak that hunger is and how satisfied I am from the food that I eat. I've been tracking my nutrition and so far I've been consuming over 120g of protein per day. Plus, I've already lost 3kg in 2 days! It really makes me wonder why I was eating so much before, when I could get by with so much less. It may be kind of early to draw any conclusions, but so far this is what I have noticed: - I need my Breakfast Protein shake to be "full" - that is, just Protein powder and Water is not enough to keep me satisfied until lunch. I tried that the first day, and it was a disaster. I ended up eating part of my lunch (grilled chicken breast over baby leaf lettuce with olive oil/lemon dressing) as a mid-morning snack to keep the hunger pains in check. That helped a lot. Yesterday and today I made full shakes and they have kept me satisfied so much longer! (For example: 8oz. of soy milk, 200g of tofu, 1 scoop vanilla bean protein powder (syntrax), and 1/2c. diced frozen strawberries. - OMG - so delicious! It's like a milkshake). -I've been drinking Syntrax nectar Protein drinks during the morning and afternoon (16 oz. each). They taste really good and I hope I still enjoy them post-op. They don't have that really sweet flavour of the more traditional flavours like vanilla and chocolate. Plus, you don't need to mix them with anything except water, which is a huge bonus. -I've now rediscovered the art of poaching - last night was poached salmon (w/green beans), and the night before was poached chicken (w/zucchini and mushrooms). I had to find a way to cook meat/fish without using oil (since I already have it earlier in the day with my salad and/or use it for my veggies) and poaching is a nice alternative that leaves the meat really moist and tender, which I think will be essential post-op. -I have to remind myself not to drink 30 min before/after eating. It's not that hard, just hard in the sense that I'm trying to start a new habit, since I'm so used to coming home with something from the supermarket and sitting down and starting to eat/drink right away. But since I can't do that anymore, I know that once I start preparing food that there is no more drinking until 30 minutes after eating. That said, I do a light "swish" of water or tea right after eating to clear away any bits - it's less than a tablespoon worth of liquid, and after that I don't feel the need to drink at all (in fact, I can go over an hour without drinking). Of course, I want to get to the point where I don't need that swish at all. In fact, I want to get down to one meal a day by week 2, and maybe all liquids by week 3, just to help kickstart my weight loss a little more. But, for the moment I'm taking it day-by-day to see how things go. I started drinking protein drinks over two months ago (but one daily since Jan.1) just so I could get used to them, discover which ones I like, and also because it may benefit hair/skin down the road. I've also been taking a lot of supplements - Probiotics, Calcium, Multivitamin, B-complex, Biotin, and Vitamin C, and I have to say I've noticed that I have a lot more energy and feel better since I started taking them on a regular basis. Since I live in Japan, I have a lot of tofu/miso/edamame and fish options for me, so I want to incorporate more of that into my diet, since it will help with getting protein from real food, rather than drinks. I know there are some people who are not fans of soy/tofu, but they are good sources of protein, and will enable me to keep up with my nutrition goals. I don't have the same options for low-carb, high protein foods and drinks that are more readily available in the US. Anyway, sorry for the long post! I hope it helps.