rebchief

Surgery date 8/22/18. Down almost 60 lbs. Exercise is an issue because of my ongoing sciatica issue but trying to get in as many steps as possible,
Can pretty much eat what I want. Just gotta make right decisions:)

it's Okay, only good news comes out of Georgia, doesn't it?,Macon has always been on my short list of Southern Cities I'd like to visit!

I'm in my early 40's and have dealt with weight issues my whole life. It is now affecting my lower back (sciatica) as well as dealing with BP issues. I'm just tired of dealing with it and am ready for a change. I have dieted, Nutri'System'ed it, and Weight Watched till I'm blue in the face. I enjoy good food but have come to an understanding that enjoying good food and having it in moderation are a problem.
I have surgery with Dr. Bagnato on July 27th. I have started the Sugar Busters plan and will go to my pre-op this Wednesday (July 18). I have been reading many, many threads dealing with this procedure and feel that (along with my doctor) this is the course of action to take.
I have a family that is very supportive but know that I will be on here ALOT to ask and to gleam info from.
Thank you all for allowing me to participate.
DK

Appreciate it, Frustr8 Just been super busy with work and holiday shopping. This site and those within it were a Godsend pre-op and the first couple months post op!!! Just not much of a message board person unless I consciously think about it

Two thumbs up here!!

Overall, I feel much better than I did the day before my surgery.
Energy level-- has increased but I have had sciatic pain even before surgery so I am not able to do as much exercise as I would like. I try to do as much as I can when I am able. I work in a doctor's office so I am on my feet a lot so by the time I get home I am wiped. Though not as wiped as three months ago
food Intake--I have had hardly any issues with food. I progressed as I was told to do and am now pretty much eating whatever I want. Obviously, the type and amount of foods have changed but I still treat myself every now and then with some Chex Mix and a few Hershey's miniatures. The holidays coming up are the first major obstacles I have had. We had our family Thanksgiving last Saturday and with all the food that was spread, my head was saying "Oh yeah!!!" but my stomach was like " Oh you better not...." All in all I did good though i did feel a little stuffed
Beverages--Water, Water, water with a hint of bourbon. Pretty much drink anything. I have had a mixed drink of bourbon and sprite and had no issues. I rarely though sip on anything carbonated. I had a beer this past weekend and no issues. Drank it very slow though. Coffee--no issues
My surgeon said he cut my stomach to the size of a plantain. I gauge everything off of that and so far everything has been good. I will admit that if you eat carbs like above mentioned Chex mix, popcorn, or the like.....it is a slider food with drinking. Speaking of drinking, I will have a sip of water, unsweet tea, or wine with my meals. I don't have any issues with "losing" the fullness effect when doing so however I can see that being a problem if Fluid consumption increased any more than that.
I am enjoying pulling old clothes out of the closet that I haven't been able to wear in a long time and now they fit. Some even a little loose on me. That is most gratifying.

All in all, if I had the chance to do it over again, I would do this surgery in a heartbeat. The first 3 weeks SUCKED but it was well worth it as I continue the journey.

Overall, I feel much better than I did the day before my surgery.
Energy level-- has increased but I have had sciatic pain even before surgery so I am not able to do as much exercise as I would like. I try to do as much as I can when I am able. I work in a doctor's office so I am on my feet a lot so by the time I get home I am wiped. Though not as wiped as three months ago
food Intake--I have had hardly any issues with food. I progressed as I was told to do and am now pretty much eating whatever I want. Obviously, the type and amount of foods have changed but I still treat myself every now and then with some Chex Mix and a few Hershey's miniatures. The holidays coming up are the first major obstacles I have had. We had our family Thanksgiving last Saturday and with all the food that was spread, my head was saying "Oh yeah!!!" but my stomach was like " Oh you better not...." All in all I did good though i did feel a little stuffed
Beverages--Water, Water, water with a hint of bourbon. Pretty much drink anything. I have had a mixed drink of bourbon and sprite and had no issues. I rarely though sip on anything carbonated. I had a beer this past weekend and no issues. Drank it very slow though. Coffee--no issues
My surgeon said he cut my stomach to the size of a plantain. I gauge everything off of that and so far everything has been good. I will admit that if you eat carbs like above mentioned Chex mix, popcorn, or the like.....it is a slider food with drinking. Speaking of drinking, I will have a sip of water, unsweet tea, or wine with my meals. I don't have any issues with "losing" the fullness effect when doing so however I can see that being a problem if Fluid consumption increased any more than that.
I am enjoying pulling old clothes out of the closet that I haven't been able to wear in a long time and now they fit. Some even a little loose on me. That is most gratifying.

All in all, if I had the chance to do it over again, I would do this surgery in a heartbeat. The first 3 weeks SUCKED but it was well worth it as I continue the journey.

Sorry I am just now seeing this. Hope everything is going well. Heard great things about Vaughn!!!

Overall, I feel much better than I did the day before my surgery.
Energy level-- has increased but I have had sciatic pain even before surgery so I am not able to do as much exercise as I would like. I try to do as much as I can when I am able. I work in a doctor's office so I am on my feet a lot so by the time I get home I am wiped. Though not as wiped as three months ago
food Intake--I have had hardly any issues with food. I progressed as I was told to do and am now pretty much eating whatever I want. Obviously, the type and amount of foods have changed but I still treat myself every now and then with some Chex Mix and a few Hershey's miniatures. The holidays coming up are the first major obstacles I have had. We had our family Thanksgiving last Saturday and with all the food that was spread, my head was saying "Oh yeah!!!" but my stomach was like " Oh you better not...." All in all I did good though i did feel a little stuffed
Beverages--Water, Water, water with a hint of bourbon. Pretty much drink anything. I have had a mixed drink of bourbon and sprite and had no issues. I rarely though sip on anything carbonated. I had a beer this past weekend and no issues. Drank it very slow though. Coffee--no issues
My surgeon said he cut my stomach to the size of a plantain. I gauge everything off of that and so far everything has been good. I will admit that if you eat carbs like above mentioned Chex mix, popcorn, or the like.....it is a slider food with drinking. Speaking of drinking, I will have a sip of water, unsweet tea, or wine with my meals. I don't have any issues with "losing" the fullness effect when doing so however I can see that being a problem if Fluid consumption increased any more than that.
I am enjoying pulling old clothes out of the closet that I haven't been able to wear in a long time and now they fit. Some even a little loose on me. That is most gratifying.

All in all, if I had the chance to do it over again, I would do this surgery in a heartbeat. The first 3 weeks SUCKED but it was well worth it as I continue the journey.

I have lost most of my rump cushioning, now I can't abide wooden chairs only for minimal time. Feels like my tailbone is going to burst through or crumble. Wish We Could Choose Where We Want To Lose!

I use the Baritastic app which tracks good, Water, exercise and has a section for measurements. It tells you what to measure and you can track it. The app is free.

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you all for your support.
I was concerned that I was pushing it but have had “knock on wood” no issues except when the fullness sets in and I stop. Eating slowly can be hard when I’m so used to eating in a hurry because of work.
i do enjoy a bi weekly reward at night with some Protein rich ice cream. Can’t remember the name but it comes in a 1/2 pint container and has 12 g of protein. Very fulfilling.

So I am almost 3 weeks postop from gastric sleeve. Tonight at our local touchdown club meeting, there was absolutely nothing I could eat except for some shredded cheese. They had some roast beef and I ate about an ounce of it chewing until it was basically mush. How bad did I screw up? It didn’t hurt going down it didn’t hurt in the stomach but I think I made a foolish decision.....

Time will tell, see how you're feeling... but why don't you bring your own foods to stay on plan when you know there is nothing available for you

@rebchief fwiw I jumped ahead and started eating meat at 3 weeks because I just needed some real food. I just chewed it up really well and are a small portion. I didn't have any issues. But if course that's just my story.

No issues for me either. I started "real food" at 3 weeks.

So I am almost 3 weeks postop from gastric sleeve. Tonight at our local touchdown club meeting, there was absolutely nothing I could eat except for some shredded cheese. They had some roast beef and I ate about an ounce of it chewing until it was basically mush. How bad did I screw up? It didn’t hurt going down it didn’t hurt in the stomach but I think I made a foolish decision.....

Thank you, @sharonintx! Wisdom from a vet is always appreciated! Congrats on 5 years worth of success!

Hello fellow sleevers. I have been on this site very little in the past couple of years but have logged in today to respond to a question. Since I'm here, I feel obligated to tell you all the things I've learned after 5 years.
1. The people that told me my approach to living life with the sleeve was all wrong and that I would fail, gain weight in a few years, stretch my sleeve, and regret my actions are mostly gone now. I have seen a couple of them around but the most are long gone. Do not pay much attention to the know-it-alls. They know no more than anyone else and are just as likely to fail.
2. Obviously you want to follow your Dr's instructions but don't get too hung up on strict rules and diets. If you make reasonable decisions and balance your good and bad food choices, your sleeve will do most of the work for you. I have eaten anything I wanted since day one. I try to pay attention to Protein etc., but I do not deny myself anything. You have the sleeve for a reason. Let it do it's job. Don't force it to hold more than it can and do not deny yourself the things that make you happy. Balance - just do it.
3. WLS is much more than losing weight. It is getting to the bottom of the issues that cause us to compensate with food in the first place. Pay more attention to your mental well being than the numbers on the scale. Your long term success depends on it.
4. Know that even after you reach your goal weight you will still be the same person with the same insecurities. Being thin changes nothing. If you did it for health reasons then hopefully those will no longer be an issue, but the person you are and how you feel inside doesn't change from losing weight. That has to change on the inside. No way around it.
5. Know that once you have made the necessary changes inside and out there will be some people that don't relate to you the same or just plain don't like you anymore. Also know that what they think is completely irrelevant . Physical and mental changes for the better intimidate those with small minds. Don't give them a second thought.
Thanks for reading.

I'm almost 6 weeks out and I agree with this though I'm one to weigh often. Focus on your Protein and fluid goals. I stalled at the end of my 2nd week and it lasted approx 10 days. It was frustrating but after that, I've been seeing the scale go down bit by bit.
I can share with you what my nutritionist has told me starting with the pureed stage which really was part of my first 2 weeks after the first 24 hours (which only allowed drinking Water and chicken broth) and called the Funnel Diet. If it can fit though a funnel, it is ok. Still drink Protein Shakes. Aim for 40-60 g of protein from shakes. Calories were 300-500 per day. It's important to pick low carb and low fat foods. You really want feel restriction on this state or with pureed however, I was allowed to start scrambled eggs during the 2nd week. My weeks 3-4 were textured and soft foods which included anything I had already eaten and I could add 1/4 c of textured foods like ground/shredded meats, fish, etc. The guideline was that if you can mash it with a fork, you can eat it. Chew, Chew, Chew. The calories were 400-700 and still get 40-60 grams of protein through shakes and 64 oz of water. After week 2 is when I was told to start with supplements and Vitamins. The next stage came at week 5 and it really was not much different than week 3-4 except My protein went to 60-90 and I was told to try to get most of my protein from food. I only drink 1 shake per day now. I'm not supposed to drink 10 min before, during ,or 20 minutes after a meal. (some people are 30) I have a list of foods to avoid and am sticking with that at least until I get closer to my goal weight and then I will eat some of the foods from time to time or on special occasions. The other tip I was given is to aim for my carb grams to not exceed protein grams at every meal and snack.
Good luck and you will be moving to real food pretty quickly!

@TX4everLinds it does get sooooo much better. I was sleeved about 7 days ago, no more gas or incision pains, I feel like a new woman. Best decision ever!!

Remember to walk, walk, walk it is KEY to moving the gas which hurts worse than the incisions to me 😆

I wish you a speedy recovery. 🌺

Just my 2 cents, but I wouldn't buy anything specifically designed for "bariatric patients"
You can get normal generic versions of everything for much cheaper and with a greater variety of flavors. Protein Powder, Multivitamins, Calcium, Vitamin b etc.
All the bariatric stuff is, is the exact same crap with a substantially higher price tag. I used bariatric Protein powders vitamin b Multivitamin and calcium at start and realized how obsencely overpriced it was and quickly switched to normal stuff from my favorite supplement stores

This is the mental prep we all go through, hopefully during the preop phase - because it is easier during this phase. You have to stop considering everything as 'food events', take a hard look at why food as recreation should be this important. This has to be a hard realization and has to happen BEFORE you re-introduce any trigger food back into your life or you will be free falling.
You can enjoy food again that you truly like, but be picky. Seriously - cotton candy? Save it for some supremely decadent chocolate cake, cheesecake, the very best strawberry shortcake w real whipped cream. There are no food famines, food will not disappear, but I promise - jeans EIGHT sizes smaller will trump that cotton candy any day. Hang in there.

Protein2O
Premier Protein Water
another can’t think name of. Can’t do the sickly sweet taste. Even if I watered it down:(