Sullie06

I found food cooked in the crock pot were a big success for me when I got to my soft food stage because the meats were cooked down very tender and the few veggies I could eat (wasn't allowed green vegetables until regular food stage) were always cooked down nicely in the crock pot. I was allowed beef early out on my plan and it actually sat better than chicken for me but it had to be ground beef consistency. This process is very much trial and error so just keep trying things, eat small bites and make sure you chew well. If something doesn't sit well, put it aside and wait a while to try it again.

She said it was rougher in the early days but now she's more used to not eating bread products and she says it helps her maintain but she does miss it. Just goes to show how different this journey is for all of us.

I have to be real careful because I do love bread, especially morning bread products (bagels, muffins, biscuits, flavored breads), but at the same time I like that I can still enjoy these items on occasion. I try and limit my intake but I will have half a bagel or a sandwich from time to time. I have a good friend who is 4 years out from the sleeve and she cannot tolerate bread at all, like even the smallest amount makes her feel awful and she struggles with it.

Bread is almost a slider for me, really weird because you wouldn't expect it to be one but I could probably eat quite a bit of bread with no issue. It just doesn't seem to trigger my restriction when I do eat it on occasion. I say avoid bread as long as possible because it can be a trigger food for sure. How many of us used to love putting back a footlong sub? For me, the bread was the best part.

My surgeon does not use binders. If you want one you have to purchase it youself. I hated it when I had it on during my cesarean so I had no interest in wearing one post sleeve.

I was there in the early stages as well. I had my surgery 12/30 so thankfully I missed the holiday season and just had my first holiday season post op at 1 year out but January was really hard for me last year. I really had some regret in the those early weeks and once I returned to work I was so exhausted I thought I could never make it through the day. I didn't start feeling myself until I was about 3 months out and back on a regular diet, you will get there. Just take it a day at a time. I would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat.

I had issues tolerating protein shakes after surgery but I found that the GNC Lean 25 shakes sat well with me. They taste pretty good and have many flavors as well. I approved them with my NUT before using because they were not on my approved list but she said to go for it. I used them for about 5 months and then switched to a protein water. As for a binder I never used one at all so I think it depends on the doctor and is more of a comfort thing

Walking is key for sure, the gas pain was the worst for me and getting it out as soon as possible was the only real relief, staying on top of the pain is important too. I took fentanyl in the hospital and was discharged on Norco but I hate the way narcotics make me feel so I started liquid Tylenol as quickly as possible and used that for about 2 weeks as needed.

I'm personally not a fan of the protein chips, I'm not a fan of the taste at all. I would rather eat cheese or some beef jerky personally.

Stalls are part of the process no matter what surgery you have, just stay the course and stick with your protein and fluid goals and it will pass. It's the body's way of processing the weight loss. I was stalled for almost 2 months at 10-12 months post op but I went down a clothing size during that time so just because the scale isn't moving, doesn't mean you are not losing weight, you could be losing inches which my surgeon said still counts as fat loss.

Hope your doing better and the vomiting is gone or close to being gone. Just stay on top of those fluids.

My NUT says between 50-100 for me now but I'm almost a year out. Prior to 6 months she said as close to 45 grams a day as possible.

I have no issues with GERD, my experience is my experience which is what OP asked for, why we chose a certain surgery! For me having the sleeve was the best option; I did tons of research prior to having surgery, talked to many people who have had different WLS and their experiences then made the decision based on my own personal wants for my future.

My last name is Sullivan and I was married in 2006 so I've used this as my screen names since I joined a wedding message board back in 2006. Sully06 was taken so I went with Sullie06

For my insurance and program you have to lose 5% of your body weight in order to be approved. If you lose the 5% and get sent for approval then gain it back they will postpone or cancel your surgery. As long as you lose that 5% any weight gain/loss doesn't matter. So for example if you are 300 pounds you need to lose 15 pounds and say you lose 20 but gain 5 back you're okay because you're still within that 5% but if you lose 15 and gain 2 back you are then out of the 5% approval range. You have to lose and maintain that 5%. But like other's have commented, every program and insurance company is different and have different regulations.

My husband got me a package of the little 2 ounce plastic cups with lids and those were really helpful when I got to pureed because I was on 2 ounces 6X a day with protein shakes between. I could make a meal and puree it and store it in those. I used the left over cups later to make PB2 in for when I wanted some peanut butter. Also GNC has lots of protein options so try everything, don't buy in bulk now. I couldn't stomach shakes after surgery well so I drank protein waters. They also have protein Tea as well now. GNC Lean 25 shakes are really good too, lots of flavors and much smoother than most premade shakes. Finally I loved my magic bullet for puree'd meals. I found it worked better than the full sized blender and I could store my left overs in one of the cups. I make smoothies with protein powder now when I'm having a low protein day and the magic bullet cups come with lids that I can take with me.

I know not all RNY'ers dump and everyone is different but I did a lot of research leading up to WLS and from what I understood talking to my doctor there is still a larger percentage you will dump with RNY than with the sleeve, as some sleevers do dump as well. For me, it weighted into my pros and cons when choosing a surgery. I know myself and I have to make the decision on my own to not eat something, not be forced into not eating it, which is why diets never worked for me long term.

I had a 1/2 cranberry pancake (split it with my 2 year old) and bacon at my mother Christmas Brunch and then my family does Italian for Christmas dinner so I had a tiny slice of lasagna but ate mostly the inside and not the noodle and some smoked brisket. At my Dads Christmas dinner yesterday I had a small salad and Chicken Spiedies.

I was at about 1000-1200 calories at 6 months out, my weight loss started to slow down about 8 months post op.

I had the sleeve done a year ago and have lost 115 pounds. I would for sure do it again, best decision I've ever made. I went with the sleeve for a couple reasons. 1) I didn't like the idea of having my intestines messed with and I had concerns about mal-absorption. 2) I liked that the sleeve allows you to eat most anything in Moderation because I didn't want to be "forced" to avoid certain things, I wanted to make the choice to avoid those items and make a lifestyle change.

I did not get any bariatric specific items, I got quite a few last year ahead of my surgery, but my Dad gave me cash so I could pick out the fitbit I want so I will be doing that. I got a lot of clothing and it's nice because I desperately need it, I'm now moving into a small/medium and it's so cold here sweaters were a big hit for me!!

I'm hypothyroid and have been on Levothyroxine since my early 20s (I'm 34), I have never been able to lose a significant amount of weight since I started getting heavy at age 12. The most I've lost was 30 pounds, twice, and both times I put the 30 + back on. I've lost 115 pounds since my VSG on 12/30/16. My thyroid is still underactive but I was able to decrease my Levothyroxine dose by half and my PCP thinks I may be able to decrease it more once I hit maintenance. I'm currently 11 pounds from my goal and while my weight loss has been on the slow side, I've been able to successfully lose. I have no mal-absorption issues personally but I also had the sleeve vs. the by-pass which can make a difference as well.

I'm a year out and I feel hunger but nothing like the ravaging hunger I felt before surgery. I will feel hungry if I don't eat every couple hours but I eat 6 small meals a day so that works for me. As for going out with friends and eating, I've had no issues. I can eat everything I did prior to surgery, though some things I avoid and can always find a meal to eat. When we go out I eat comparable sized meals to my thin female friends so portion size is not an issue, I often like to eat off the appetizer menu for my entrée.

I'm almost a year post op and I've been hearing "you can stop losing weight now" and "don't lose anymore weight or you will be to skinny" a lot lately. The crazy thing is I've only lost about 2 pounds since October (I was in a long stall) but people still tell me to stop losing weight even though Im technically not so I think it's just a reaction some people have. I've just been telling people I'm 10 pounds from goal so I want to get there before I stop and that usually shuts them up.

I will add mine later when I'm home (I don't think my co-workers would enjoy me taking stomach shots at work ) but I have a B shaped stomach so mine looks a little different than yours. Even after losing 115 pounds I cannot get the top part of my belly to go away. My skin isn't super loose but I still have the upper belly/lower belly look.