Tiffykins

It's along the same lines as some surgeons say no Pasta, rice, potatoes for the rest of our lives. Which in my humble, non-medical opinion, is a big pile of horse manure. I drink soda weekly. I choose to drink non-caffeinated most of the time because it counts towards my clear liquid ounces for the day. I don't drink diet either. I hate stuff sweetened with aspartame, and most diet stuff has it as the sweetener. I do drink a Coke Zero occasionally, but that's the only "diet" drink I can really stomach. My surgeon does not believe it'll stretch our stomachs at all. Liquid is liquid. Water goes in and runs out, tea goes in and runs out, why would soda sit around in there and stretch the stomach? For me, it's common sense, and that's what my surgeon believes. Of course, in the losing stage I avoided them because it's just wasted calories, sodium, and sugar, but now in maintenance, I drink them without issue. I drink, burp, and go about my day. Heck, sometimes I don't even burp. When I go out with my girlfriends, I drink rum and cokes. Again, zero issues.

The easiest way is to upload the picture to a photo hosting site such as photobucket.com Once the pic is uploaded, copy the "DIRECT LINK" code. Come back here, and on the toolbar of the message box by the B I font color choice, you'll see that little box. On my screen it's yellow background with 2 little mountain peaks that are grey. It's right next to the hyperlink globe. When you click on that box, a scripted window will open, and you will paste that DIRECT LINK into that window. Hit OK, and the picture should appear in the message box. If this doesn't work, let me know. The other option is to upload the picture to photobucket.com or other photo hosting site. Then right click the mouse on the actual picture, hit COPY, then come here and paste it in the message box. I've found that this method does not always work so I stick with the first one.

I literally lost half of my hair in volume. No bald spots, but at the crown of my head my hair was extremely thin. I did have to tease, and manipulate my hair to make it not as obvious. People noticed I was losing hair because it was all over the place. My husband, and myself noticed the most. My hair is still considerably thinner than it was pre-op, and I'm fairly sure it'll take a good 1-2 years for my hair to completely recover.

My instructions are to drink until I take the first bite then resume drinking after 30 minutes at a minimum after a meal. With the band and RNY, we have/had to stop drinking 30 minutes before meals as well. It's because the pouch that the band and RNY offers fills up with liquid that has to slowly seep through before the pouch is empty. With the sleeve, we have a normal stomach, no pouch, and liquids hit the pyloric valve and goes right through, no need to wait before eating. Some surgeons still tell their sleeve patients to stop drinking 30 minutes before eating, but "most" do not require this as a normal eating/drinking practice.

Don't settle, you can appeal. Or you can strap some ankle weights under your jeans, and stick rolls of quarters in your bra, to hit the 50BMI mark. Yes, there are people out there that have done this to get approval. Don't do the band, it sucks. I wouldn't do the RNY, but if you really want to have surgery for me the RNY is the lesser of 2 evils between the band and RNY. I know it's frustrating, but many people have won on appeal. Do you have any medical reasons why RNY would not be a good option for you?

I think we all wish it "were more" on occasion. It's natural, we've gone through a drastic surgery, we are eating minimal amounts, and while we're "happy" about the loss, we still want more. It's how we are. I think back to when I would order a medium pizza for myself and son. It would have 8 slices, the kiddo would eat 2-3 slices, and that left me with 5-6 slices. After eating my portion, I would think "I should of ordered a large." At least that's my thought process, and experience. You may not be getting enough calories. If you're active, you're body maybe holding on to the weight. shake things up, or stay the course, and you'll see the scale move. I honestly can't say I understand stalls or slow loss. I lost fast, and never had a true stall, but I've dieted enough in my life to know how frustrating it can be. Don't give up on yourself, and know the scale will move.

Yesterday's menu: Breakfast: 12oz of coffee with full fat french vanilla creamer, 3 slices of deli smoked turkey with 2 tbsp of garden veggie cream cheese rolled up Snack: 2oz of Beef Jerky, 1 chunk of 2% milk sharp cheddar cheese 3oz Lunch: Leftover chicken 3oz, 2oz of broccoli with cheese sauce Snack: 1/2 grilled cheese with 5 Cool ranch doritos Dinner: 2oz of chicken breast, 3 oz of stovetop stuffing, 3 bites of cauliflower with cheese sauce Snack: 1/2 peanut butter/jelly sandwich on whole wheat I had 20oz of Grape juice, about 40oz of Water, and 1/12oz can of Cherry coke. Totals for the day Calories: 1956 Carbs: 241 :thumbup: (over 150gr came from the Grape Juice, Cherry Coke, and the lovely Smuckers Jelly LOL) These are not every day things for me obviously. Fat 72gr (over 50 of my fat grams came from cheese and the peanut butter) Protein 126gr I started eating at around 8-8:30ish am, and 10:30pm. There is absolutely no way I can eat an entire chicken breast, or even an entire salad from Panera Bread. I can barely get the entire 8oz of broccoli cheddar Soup from Panera down in 30 minutes. I have really great restriction to this day, and I don't push it.

Totally depends on each person's starting stats. I lost an average of 6-8lbs a week for the first few months. Then it slowed down to 3-5lbs per week. You've done really fabulous. 2-3lbs per week is suggested. I don't know what your starting BMI was, but the higher BMI people typically loser faster. Also, just from what I've read, many post-op diet differences seem to relate to weight loss and how fast/slow it drops.

Glad to hear you are moving forward. You experienced something traumatic, and I commend you on taking the necessary steps to get the surgery you want. Best wishes and keep us posted.

I'm 13 months out, and still have my raging b*tch moments right before my period. I was never like this pre-op. I was tired early out, but my moodiness was chronic, and constant because I was losing so rapidly. It sucked, and I thought it would never end. Luckily, it did get better and now I just experience major PMS, and I get a little more sensitive than I did pre-op.

Some people's reflux resolve with the sleeve. Others need to be on a PPI. I choose to stay on my PPI even though I can technically wean off of it. I never had reflux before my sleeve, with my band, or before my band. I'm not willing to have it now. So, I pop my little Prilosec in the morning and go about my day.

I'm still taking it, and will continue to do so. The reason to take it on an empty stomach is to ensure that it is absorbed properly, and can start working quicker. It's the same drug regardless of OTC or RX. I just get mine for free on base so I'm not going to pay for it if I get it for free. Most surgeons want their patients on a PPI for 3-6 months. I'm not willing to go off of mine yet. It's a personal choice, and I discussed it in depth with my surgeon at my 1 year f/u last month. He is fine with me being on it, and we will revisit the subject at my 18 month follow up in December. If you eat, you can wait 2-3 hours and then take the Prilosec. OTC meds are labeled for more temporary relief, but a lot of people use OTC meds long term because they can't get an RX from their doctors. I didn't have reflux pre-op, I don't want to deal with it now. The side effects from taking it are so minimal for me, and my current health status, that I am not concerned. I'd rather take my Prilosec than develop Barrett's esophagus or experience horrific reflux.

It's okay to be scared and nervous. It's normal going into surgery. Just go in positive, and trusting your surgeon. Instead of focusing on the "horror stories", focus on all the success stories out there. They far outnumber the scary ones.

Some people take both until the Prilosec kicks in. Just to let you know my RX pamphlet advises that it could take up to 14 days for the Prilosec to kick in. Just make sure you take it on an empty stomach and don't eat for at least an hour after you take it. It did take several days for it to kick in for me. I've heard of carafate, it's used to treat ulcers as well. I hope the Prilosec helps. I really have been pleased with my results with Prilosec.

For protein to be assimilated properly by the body, it needs amino acids, and other ingredients to truly be useful. If it were that easy to get protein to absorb and be useful, we'd all be happy campers. But, the size of the pill for protein to be worth a darn, would be the size of your fist.

I lost 142lbs with the sleeve in less than 11 months. It's very doable, and I honestly believe everyone can make their goal. I was extremely strict with the post op diet guidelines. I hit goal with 115lbs lost in 6.5 months, and continued to fall below goal weight by 25+pounds. I'm still in a healthy weight range for my height, and my labs look amazing. I'm happy, healthy, and living a very normal life at 13 months post-op. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me.

Do the miralax ! ! ! I have only had to use it a couple of times, but let me tell ya, that stuff is fabulous. I've also never had to take a full dose. Congrats on the 8lbs. Water weight is a boogar, and you'll keep losing now that the stall is busted.

Ebay.com I got a brand new set of the Hip Hop Abs for 20 bucks, and free shipping. They arrived in 3 days. I always, always check ebay and amazon before buying any dvds.

Many congrats ! ! ! You've done amazingly well.

Zantac is an h2 blocker, and not a proton pump inhibitor. Zantac will treat the symptoms of acid reflux, but will not stop the acid production like Prilosec or Prevacid that you can buy OTC. H2 blockers, and PPIs work differently, and is possibly why you are still having acid issues.

If you have general anesthesia, you can experience hair loss. With most c-sections, we don't go under anesthesia. I lost hair with the sleeve. Really, it's a small price to pay for the wonderful success I've had. Also, hair grows back, fat has a less likely chance to come back with the sleeve. If you gave me the option, lose hair or stay fat. I'd pick losing hair. Here's an article that explains the hair loss. It's a combination of things. Anesthesia, rapid weight loss, change in diets, and drastic hormone changes with rapid weight loss. Telogen Effluvium: eMedicine Dermatology And, no I do not get the backed up feeling. I eat, get satisfied, and stop eating. If you overeat, you can still throw up, or get the slimies, but it happens with any of the surgeries. You really have to learn to eat with the sleeve. The difference between the puking or sliming with the sleeve is that it doesn't last forever, and your stomach doesn't revolt against you like it does with the band. I don't ever throw up with the sleeve and only did it a couple of times early out when I was moving to more solid foods. Hair is hair. It grows back. Fat is fat, and it'll kill you. For me, it was a far better option to lose some hair than stay fat.

The difference between a 32 and 40 is a mere 2.3mm. So, it's more about our anatomy, how slow/fast we eat, and surgical technique. I can eat more than some that have 36-40 bougies. It doesn't mean anything is "wrong" or broke about my sleeve or theirs, it's just we are all individuals, and our stomachs are not all going to be the same at the end of the healing period. Don't fret right now about liquids sliding through, once you hit solids, it'll change.

I've had both. And, I can tell you that the band sucks, and by the stats that are out, you will only lose 50% of your excess weight in 3 years. It has the lowest and slowest weight loss. 1 in 4 patients (25%) will have another surgery due to complications with the band. If you're paying, think twice, cut once. I was a single mom for 10 years before I married my husband. So, I understand where your concerns are in that department. But, with the band, I had more issues than I've had with the sleeve. I couldn't eat decent foods, foods got stuck, and I puked weekly. It was tough on us as a family because eating out was a chore, and an embarrassing episode. You'll also need to know that you will not have restriction with the band until you get enough fills to hit the "sweet spot". If you don't have a solid sitter, can you really take your child to appointments to get poke with an 18gauge needle every 4-6 weeks until you finally get restrictions. If you get too much of a fill, you'll have to have an unfill. My mom had 22+ fills and unfills in 2 years, and still has never found her sweet spot with her band. She pukes 2-4 times a week, and is approaching 3 years with her band. She weighed 245 pre-op, and she is still hovering in the 170s. She still has 40lbs to lose, and it's not going to happen with her band. But, she's considered a success because of the weight she has managed to lose. Sadly, she can't eat most meat, most lettuces, no bread, and an entire list of other foods that I have zero issues eating. I won't try to convince you because it's a personal decision, but if you want the truth, then the sleeve is by far the superior option here. The band destroyed my stomach tissue severely, and caused complications with my revision. Losing a large portion of your stomach can be scary, but having a silicone band erode into and destroy your stomach permanently is scarier. It happened to me. Read the complications I've highlighted in the box below. I share this information with everyone that asks about the band vs. the sleeve. This is directly from the manufacturers of the band. At the bottom, you'll find some research links for VSG. This gives you reliable, research articles and studies and not just personal experience.

Once I hit mushies/soft solids, I was able to get all my Protein grams from food. I never used Protein drinks because I couldn't tolerate any of them. After over 20 brands, flavors, and varieties, they either made me puke, or I couldn't stand how they tasted, smelled, or were just disgusting, so I gave up until I hit mushies, and never had to worry about using them again. My surgeon generally wants all his patients off of them within 8 weeks. He prefers his patients get their protein from food sources as soon as possible.

Katt, I'm with you on this one. I really don't find satisfaction from getting stuffed anymore. Like that night of that huge, long 4 course meal, I was actually not feeling so wonderful. I didn't feel bad, but it wasn't the same as pre-op. Like I said, I still love, love, love food. But, it's just not the same anymore. I love to eat, and I think part of it for me is that for the first time in my life, I feel in control. It's very liberating to know that after my small portion I'm truly satisfied physically and mentally. There is no need or desire to keep shoveling food into my mouth.