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Tina, I only know what Dr. Baggs gives me so the answer is no, this is the first time he's given me a goal. When I asked him, he said he doesn't go by numbers (protein etc). It's probably different for Banders because you need the follow-up care for fills. Sleevers just get blood work every three months and I guess a visit with the surgeon every three months. I have a feeling that's until Year 1, then it may change to every 6 months or once a year. I like seeing the doc because he inspires me to really go for it. I understand the challenge of vegetarianism. I was a vegetarian in my 20's then vegan for 9 years in my 40's, raw vegan for 3 years in my 50's. You can do this! Are you getting in all of your vitamins? I never took them before surgery until the month pre-op but now I'm all over them to try to stay healthy. Let me know if you're in and I'll send you a PM. Have you ever been over to Obesity Help forum?

I used the homeopathic remedy after my gallbladder removal in November, then again in February for VSG and didn't have trouble with gas from either one. That said, I had my VSG during the Olympics and my son proclaimed my ability to pass gas my own private Olympic event!

Hi Tina, I didn't get to choose my goals for the challenge. This is what Dr. Baggs set for me. I like that he pushes me to do more than what I think I can do. As far as your personal challenge, take time to figure out where you would like to see yourself in three months. That said, put some oomph into it, not just drink 64 oz of fluids a day but something that will personally challenge you. I need to add the 64 oz a day to my own challenge. :thumbup: I need my challenge to be menu, miles, 64 oz fluids and daily vitamins. Summer is the easiest time because the weather is good and it's easier to be motivated. Come up with what works for you. Set mini goals along the way if that works. I'm going to really think about mine.

Hi Ash, I bought the GasX strips but really didn't need them. I use a homeopathic product called Carbo Vegetabilis which you pop a few tiny balls (homeopathic) under your tongue and it works great. You can put a few balls into your drinking water and just sip it. Health food stores should carry them. I also use a homeopathic remedy post-op to promote healing.

Happy Saturday everyone! I just finished my 3.5 mile walk so now I can relax. It's windy and beautiful on the lake today. I'm gearing up for the 25 pound challenge Dr. Baggs laid down for me. I have until my 6 month checkup around August 20th to shed 25 pounds. I'm going to need more than an hour a day of exercise and perfect eating. ACK! I've always given up before the challenge even started but this time I'm going for it. His goal for me is a 30 BMI which is 174 pounds. I was 198.6 on the Kaiser scale yesterday so I have 25 to get there. Anyone up for a good summer challenge? Pick your goal and plan how you're going to achieve it. Anyone want to play? 2010 Summer Challenge 1. My goal is 25 pounds by August 20th 2. Exercise a minimum of 1 hour a day at least 6 days a week to include walking, hiking, biking, swimming, gym and anything fun I can come up with 3. Weigh Daily - except while in France 4. Track on Myfitnesspal.com Calories - 800 Carbs - under 40 Protein - over 70

I saw Dr. Baggs today for my three month follow-up. He was really pleased with my progress and said that at 30 pounds down, I was ahead of the game. I asked him for a goal for my next three months which he refused to say, then later changed his mind. He said he wants me to be "overweight" for my 6 month visit. Owie, that's another 25 pounds in three months. He said that the weather is good and I will want to exercise more than 60 minutes a day. He attributes my success to following the plan and exercising. I told him that I'm adding that occasional protein shake to keep my energy up. I didn't want to feel like I was hiding my eating behavior. All my blood work looks great and he said to just keep up my routine. I thought that I was producing too much stomach acid and that's why I've thrown up and had some problems. He said the Protonix was the best thing for me but he did a liquid med 4x a day to sooth my Sleeve. He thinks it irritated and that's why it's complaining at me. I was glad to hear that it's most likely not actual hunger only a short time after eating. So now I guess it's up to me to kick butt the next three months! :thumbup:

Reggie, I'm so glad you came to say what's up for you. Please keep coming back for a few reasons, first we all miss you and second that it can be helpful to share what's going on and realize that you're not the only one. You might read something that clicks for you and helps you move on in your journey. The problem with the surgery is that it works on our insides but not on our heads. I spent over 15 years in OA. There are other groups out there. You might like to check out one. They're anonymous and free. Good luck and please keep coming back.

WTG Chrissy! ASH, you're so close. How are you doing? Riley, how did your surgery go? So many upcoming surgeries... so exciting for everyone! YAY!!! The conversation yesterday was great. Pam, I loved the small goals that you posted. I haven't been below 189 since I was in my 20's. That's my next goal. This morning 196.8. I'm hoping to see it before vacation on 6/11/2010 because it would rock my world. As far as the pouch test. What I have been thinking the last few days is that some/many of us spent years dieting. If we screwed up the diet, first we'd binge, then we'd punish ourselves with the strictest thing we could do, like the pouch test. It's not really a pouch test because we can't break our tool. What gets broken is our eating, not the tool. It feels like another punishment for being obese and needing something to please work for a change. I think the change has to be internal. It has to be that for once we have a plan and we trust that if we work our plan, it along with our tool, will work for us. I've punished myself with food for close to 50 years. I'm done with that. I pray to just be able to continue to log my food, eat the right combination of calories, carbs and protein to do what my body needs to do and exercise doing fun things. I hope that one day, these calculations will include how to maintain the weight because it will be gone. Our journey's are so different. I feel like my 15+ years in OA gave me the foundation to follow a plan and ask for help when I need it. So if you ever see me talking "pouch test", please remind me that nothing is broken and that I just need to go back to basics if I get off track. :laugh: Wishing everyone a great "planned" day.

Good Morning! Just a reminder that tonight is the Kaiser Support group meeting. I hope to see some of you there! :w00t:

Good Job everyone!! HW 249 SW 229 LW 200.2 TW 197.6 Gotta love that Onederland 1/2 way to goal and ready to enjoy the journey

Jes, have you read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy? Only two are out with the third coming out next week. I like it for vacation reading. I'm going to read the third on vacation in June. What sort of things do you like to read? You're more than 1/2 way to goal!!! :thumbup: I'm celebrating 3 months out from surgery today. I'm happy with my progress. scale was 197.6 this morning so I averaged 10 pounds a month. Month 1 18 pounds - month 2 - 3 pounds - month three 10 pounds. It's taking a lot of exercise and determination but I'm not comparing myself to others and just accepting that this is my path. I see Dr. Baggs on Friday for my 3 month followup. My son is coming home from NY next week. I haven't seen him since 3 days post-op so I'm looking forward to it. He's promising me 1-2 hours a day of exercise. I'm ready! Sweet dreams!

Tina, I'd rather eat alone or with close friends too. I'm not a big fan of going out these days. It seems like a lot of fuss for a few bites of food. I tend to eat that one bite too many if it's not food that I prepared myself and then I feel sick. So much easier to just have my 1/3-1/2 cup of measured food and eat it and be happy and feel good.

Tina, I find that the Morningstar Veggie Sausage Patties are still too dense for me at three months out. Regular pork sausage - awful UGH UGH UGH. I'm sorry it got you. I hope you feel better and that your fever goes away. John, I knew you were a Sailor and drink like one too! I haven't tried alcohol yet. I may have a taste of wine when visiting the wine country next month. I've only been to the champagne district several years ago when visiting Paris so it might be fun to try vineyards in the south.

Hi Mo!!! Ali, I've used every online tracking program over the years. Fitday, Sparkpeople, Daily Plate. The one that I switched to at surgery time is call Myfitnesspal.com I find it to be incredibly simple. All of the foods that I eat are already in their database. I can track my daily exercise, fluids and food as well as write myself a note on daily happenings if I want to. I haven't gone to their forums etc. I already spend enough time online!

Good Morning! Pam, I loved reading your post. You've always had your mind pointed towards recovery from the emotional eating. I'm happy that you've found something that takes care of the body/mind/food connection. Tina, sorry you've been sick. Hi John, tomorrow is our three month surgery day! While my weight release has been slow, I've averaged 10 pounds a month so I'm going to consider this a big success. Jes, glad to see you back. The very best appetite suppressant that I've found is eating all protein. When I eat ground beef (substitute any meat) three times a day without veggies or fruit, my appetite just goes away. I still get hungry but it's at the appropriate times. Adding just a little carbs creates cravings. I've been wired this way for a long time. Even those Atkins products create cravings in me. I'm doing good. I think I've been almost 5 weeks of at least 10k steps a day, most days more. Last week I had several 13k days and a 17k day. I rope anyone into walking with me that's willing. I realized last night when I had to drive to San Leandro that I hadn't been in my car since last Sunday. Walking to work is great for stress relief walking home. Sometimes I feel lazy but I've given myself the rule that if it's not raining I have to walk. It takes a lot of effort but I want to reach my goal this year. If anyone is close to Oakland and wants to walk... come on down. Pat, someone from our Kaiser Richmond group would love to be the recipient of some of your fabulous clothes. I saw her at the San Leandro support group yesterday and she's ready for some 18's. She too has to dress professionally everyday. Do you care who they go to? Please let me know. Have a fun Sunday everyone. I'm hoping the sun will come out for an afternoon at the pool. I want a good tan when I head to the French Riviera next month!

Ali wrote: I was kinda of confused on the pill thing to so I emailed the doctor and she said it was fine to take them. They sent me home with a liquid stomach coater and a pill for hearburn. Both my heartburn pill and my vitaman go down good. That is so strange. I was told no to the stomach coater because that's for RNY and not Sleeve patients. They told me that I don't have a pouch and wouldn't need it. It really seems like every doctor is different, even at the same facility. Kinda crazy making, don't ya think? :redface:

Hi Everyone, I had to catch up on around 5 pages of posts and don't remember what everyone wrote! :redface: Dex is adorable, congratulations! Ali, don't you have a sleeve? I was told no pills at all until after my 1 month checkup. They said not to risk injuring my staple line, even at three weeks. OA - I was a member till a few years ago. I started in 1989. I think that my years in 12 step really prepared me to deal with surgery and following the rules. I find the food plan to be the easiest part of post-op. As far as Higher Power, mine was the Bay Laurel tree in my front yard. Power bigger than me. I looked at the tree and said, yup, you're bigger, you're it! You don't have to have a sponsor to be in OA but finding the right fit is wonderful. For years I worked with a woman in her 80's who was a retired drug and alcohol counselor. It was fabulous. I think the 12 steps are a great way to live. I still have all of my materials and look at them on occasion and talk program with my best friends that I met 20 years ago in OA. John, Monday is our 3 month anniversary. I have an appt with Dr. Baggs on Friday for my three month checkup. My lab work looks good but they didn't do some vital tests. I still struggle with the weight loss. Sleeve is not an easy fix. I have to exercise 60-90 minutes, 7 days a week to be guaranteed a 1 pound loss. Eating 600-700 calories, every bite logged in myfitnesspal. com. Less than 30 carbs a day which come from dairy and calcium chews. I go to at least 1 support group meeting each week, sometimes 2 a week to stay connected to my plan. I walk at least 1-2 times a week with other WLS folks. I'm still barfing up my vitamins and sometimes my food which is all protein. If I attempt 1/3 cup protein and then a little lettuce or spoon of fruit, it gives me a little surprise of saying hello again. As far as the question asked about hunger, I've been hungry since Day 10. I eat and I'm hungry a couple hours later but not so bad that I can't wait until 4 hours to eat again. It's a different hunger, not head hunger but stomach hunger. 200 calories 3x a day isn't that much food. I'm careful to keep it to meat, dairy or seafood because it offers the most protein per 3 oz serving. It's nothing like being hungry pre-op and it takes so little to satisfy my physical hunger. For those of you getting your fills, big big big congratulations! Wishing you so much success. Pat, those 16 and 18's that I got from you are getting too big, but some fit and I love them. :smile2: Ash, congrats on your surgery date! Can't wait till you're on the Loser's Bench. I read somewhere on Obesity Help that Kaiser Southern California is discontinuing the LapBand and going to RNY and Sleeve. Who knows, Richmond may follow suit at some point. I wonder if they'll be more open to revisions at that point? There's very few banders at the support group these days. Time to walk the lake, have to run. This afternoon is the Obesity Help support group at San Leandro Hospital if anyone is interested. I'm planning to be there. Have a fun weekend!

Ali, month two was the most difficult for me. What sort of foods are you eating? I still can't eat eggs unless it's poached. Hardboiled come back up, scrambled aren't good. They don't have enough protein anyhow to waste the space. I can't do tuna because it sits like a brick. Find a few things that work for you and stick with it. If you're hurling all the time, try greek yogurt because it's soothing on the stomach and add some protein powder to it if you can. I'm trying to remember what I lived on. I still hurl often if I'm not very very careful. Cottage cheese sits ok with me. I eat a lot of small shrimp because they are so tender. At your stage I could eat 2 oz. Today I can manage 4 oz. What I've found is that the wetter the food is, the easier it goes and stays down. Shrimp cocktail sauce works. I eat white fish like Tilapia. Again, at your stage I tended to weigh things and 2 oz was plenty or too much. Chicken thigh with BBQ sauce was ok. I ate a ton of lean ground turkey with a spoon of sour cream and a spool of salsa. Ground beef the same way. Coat everything to help it go down. I can keep food down much better now. Just really test what works and what doesn't. I just started eating some lettuce this week and it's fabulous! :smile2: Last night was my worst experience since surgery. I take Twinlab multi vitamin capsule. Last night I took one when I got home from work. About an hour later it had already dissolved in my sleeve, then came back up. I don't think I'll ever be able to face that bottle of vits again! Small bites and stop as soon as you start to feel full, even if there's still part of that 1/4 cup on your plate. I think I got sick so much because I wanted the rest of that 1/4 cup of food. I promise that it gets better!

Thanks Ali! That's so cool about moving on. Month two was my most challenging with food. Advice I'd offer is, carefully measure your food or weight it. Over 2 ounces and I'd be throwing up. Chew 30 times, it's really no joke with the soft food stage. Eat very slowly. Anytime I rushed a bit I was sick for hours and of course, throwing up again! :scared2: I'm nearing the end of my third month and I still have to follow those rules so carefully. You're going to do great! Congratulations on all of your success on this journey.

Good Morning! I just wanted to share my great news this morning... My body's in Onederland and half way to goal!

I haven't checked in for awhile but wanted to come read everyone's great progress. HW - 249 SW - 229 TW - 199.6 YAY

Pam, Sleeve isn't a quick fix either. Wish is was, but like you, I'm learning about myself along the journey. Things like cookies (ate one and didn't feel it in my sleeve), chips (ate a few on Cinco de Mayo) etc slide right through the Sleeve so it's possible to just stay fat. Amazing that I can't get down 3 oz of chicken but don't feel a cookie. Those Slider foods are deadly. I personally love eating low carb because it takes care of food cravings. I learned from the 1 cookie and few chips that carbs are dangerous for me. It's definitely my crack. What I've discovered is that surgery didn't fix my dead metabolism, didn't change me from 59 to 29, didn't take away the menopause and didn't suddenly make me the perkiest person on the planet. This is such an inside journey. There's so many things to discover. Like you, I didn't get fat in a day and I won't get thin in a day, but I'm enjoying the journey and the exploration that comes with it.

Happy Belated Mother's Day! Tina, so great to see you back here! I'm really happy that you are finally on track for your fills. It was so great to see Pat and Beatriz at the support group. Pat and B, thank you so much for my new wardrobe! You both look incredible and astoundingly svelte! John, wish you were home too. Sleeve is treating me well. Down to throwing up only a time or two a week and sometimes it's my multi vitamin that causes it. I'm up to around 3 oz of protein and if it's shrimp I can eat almost 4 oz so getting my protein in. I had my three month lab work done early so that it will be ready for Dr. Baggs on the 21st for my 3 month check up. Everything looks within range and hasn't changed much since my last bloodwork pre-op. I'm still sticking to basically all protein with a bite of lettuce or pineapple at times. All my carbs are from protein powder, dairy or calcium chews. I was in Pinole at Vitamin Shoppe yesterday and took myself out to lunch for Mother's Day. I don't think a cheeseburger protein style (lettuce leaves no bun) ever tasted so good! I was surprised that I could slowly eat the whole thing. Ali, I haven't tried a fry yet. I dread carb cravings. I'm hungry often. The Sleeve doesn't guarantee the hunger will leave. I get hungry about 2-3 hours after I eat, depending on what it was, but it's so not like the hunger pre-op. I'm staring down Onederland. Walking 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day and enjoying it. Trying to get myself bathing suit ready for the South of France in June. That's all from Oaktown. I hope all of you are doing great. While I may not post often, I love seeing everyone's progress, trials and tribulations along the journey.

Good Morning! I hope to see some of you at Kaiser tonight! Sleeve hunger: Yes, around day 10 my hunger returned, but not like pre-op. Then it went away again when i got to pureed foods. Not at eleven weeks out, I do get hungry between meals. I think my acid reducer may not be working properly. The thing about the hunger is that it's not like I used to be hungry where I'd get that "I have to eat right now" feeling. Now it's more like a subtle hollowness. I think I'm very unique in that many Sleevers never feel hunger. It takes so little to satisfy the hunger. A 1/4 - 1/3 cup of dense protein at this point fills me up. I'd suggest wandering over to Obesityhelp . com and check out the Sleeve forum and also go to verticalsleevetalk . com which is devoted to the Sleeve so you'll get lots of feedback before making your choice. Dr. Fisher did John's sleeve and Dr. Fisher assisted in my surgery with Dr. Baggs. :thumbup:

Pam, thanks for sending that link. I got it in my email and enjoyed reading it. I'm having a good week and enjoying the weekend. I just walked the 3.5 miles around Lake Merritt and now I'm heading out to go swimming for the afternoon. Just a reminder that the Wednesday Kaiser Meeting is having a clothing exchange this week. Only rule is that we have to take home any clothes that we bring that people don't select to take home. Yay for Spring! Have a fun day everyone. :thumbup: