Lee

Hello MB, I think every program is different. I went to an orientation where the Doctor mentioned that Kaiser in my area now performs the VSG. I haven't met with a surgeon yet, so I don't know how many they've done, or how long it takes from orientation to surgery. May I ask how you decided on the sleeve? I'm still in the research stage. I didn't really know anything about the sleeve until I started reading the verticalsleevetalk website. I'm sorry your patience is wearing thin, but your weight loss thus far is terrific. I know that every pound lost makes the surgery that much easier. Congrats on your success!

Riley and Nicollie, Thanks for responding about the food plan. You each did it a little differently and it worked! Ashley, I'm a bit intimidated by the portion size as well. I too am not a snacker, nor do I drink caffeine or soda. Just water and herbal tea. Doing low carb, I got out of the snacking because I'm not generally hungry between meals. Breakfast looks easy, lunch and dinner a little harder, but I'm going to give it a try. I really just want the protein and veggies but if I'm too hungry, I'm going to do fat free Fage yogurt along with it. I'm still healing from my gallbladder surgery on 11/2. For the last two weeks I've been eating sprouted wheat bread and also fruit. The funny thing is that I haven't been able to budge a pound in so long and since surgery I've taken off 7 pounds. Maybe I need to completely rethink this 1200 calorie plan and make it work for me. I'm grateful for guidance! Thank you all. That's funny about the bridge. I hope I can join you all next time. Any besides me from the Oakland/Berkeley area? How often do you change your tickers? Only when weighing in a Kaiser or what? I weight naked at home when I wake up. At Kaiser I was wearing clothes shoes etc.

Ashley, I'm wondering the same thing. I'm doing an even lower carb than Atkin. Basically induction without much veggies. I asked Robin at orientation last week. She said that I should start with the protein (3 servings) at each meal. If I omit the carb/dairy/fruit, I can't substitute anything else instead. Her fear was that I would be hungry. She thought that 9 servings protein a day was already a high protein diet. I have to admit that I eat a lot more protein than that in one day. I'd love to hear if others have followed atkins to lose.

Good Morning, It sounds like all of you had a terrific time yesterday. So is someone going to spill about the bridge? :wink2: Do any of you go to the Wednesday night support groups at Kaiser? I want to start going but I'll be in NY next Wednesday. I've been eating very low carb for the past two months and loving it. Did you all adopt the 1200 calorie plan exactly as written or just keep your food to 1200 calories? I'm only two weeks post-op from gallbladder surgery but did get down to the gym yesterday for 10 minutes on the bike w/no resistance and 20 minutes on the treadmill to walk slowly. I see my surgeon on Wednesday and hope to be cleared to do anything I want. Have a fun Sunday everyone!!

Hello Everyone, I wanted to thank you all for writing about how you came to decide on the LB. I appreciate all the input as I'm just starting on this journey. I have a lot to learn and to think about. I think that the time that it will take to lose weight before surgery will be a great opportunity for me to think about everything. Do you all update your signature when you have official weigh-ins at Kaiser? Have fun on Saturday everyone!

Good Morning, Did any of you research the Vertical Sleeve surgery or the RNY while investigating WLS? If yes, how did you decided on the LB? I've been reading the VS forum and people there are really liking that surgery and having fantastic results. The thing that scares me about that is the amount of staples they put in, and chances of leaks along the staple line. I do like the idea of not going for fills etc. I'd love to hear about how all of you decided on the LB. Do the doctors try to push RNY over the LB? So many questions from a newbie. :biggrin: Maria, have fun at your class today! Jes, what part of the East Bay are you from? Anywhere near Oakland? I should be back to walking very soon after my gallbladder surgery and would love to find someone close to me for walks around Lake Merritt or other places in the East Bay. Have a fun day everyone! Let's all stay on track.

Hello everyone, It was so quiet here yesterday and today, BAM! It's nice to see all of you. Maybe I can start putting names to faces to personalities. Maria, I'm very excited for you. You've done great in getting prepared for this surgery. People talk about the gas after surgery. I got a homeopathic remedy for my gallbadder surgery on 11/2, called Carbo Vegetablis. I took a dose (5 tiny balls under the tongue to disolve) a couple times a day and never had the gas pains. I gained 10 pounds in gas from Monday morning pre-surgery until Tuesday night, so I know I was filled with gas. I guess everyone really does get a different weight goal. I'm not concerned because I have a lot of thinking to do. I was given an appt with Dr. Parks for 11/6 but called the office and requested Dr. Baggs as my surgeon. I said I didn't care if I had to wait a month and the gal changed it for me. I've read so many raves about Dr. Baggs and decided I wanted him based on reviews here. Heather - you're really rocking that weight loss. Are you following the 1200 calorie diet as written? Tamra - what can we do to help you stay on track? What if you wrote your daily food intake here in this thread. I know for me it's very helpful to be accountable about what I'm eating. You can do this!! Canolie - have the heck have you lost 7.8 pounds in a week? You're doing great. I love walking, but I'm not ready to take on a long walk since my gallbladder surgery last week. Just getting into my office all week has been enough for me. I know you all are going to have a great time Saturday! I'll hopefully be able to join you soon. Lee

Hello Everyone, I changed my name from Oaklander. I set that name up when I was just looking around the site and decided I didn't like it. I went to my orientation in Richmond this morning. It was a good experience. Dr. Fisher gave the doctor orientation part, then both Liz and Robin spoke. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. Maria, it's very exciting that your surgery is coming up so soon. Are you feeling ready? What was your weight when you went to orientation class? Is it typical for Dr. Baggs to require 10% weight loss? Today they talked about losing weight, but not the requirements. I look forward to getting to know everyone.

Is anyone going to the Kaiser Richmond Orientation meeting on November 10th at 7:30 AM?

Hello again, I'm full of questions! How did you determine your goal weight? Did your doctor decide for you at your consultation? I'm 5'4", small bones, 59 years old. Any idea what a goal might be for me? Anyone close to my stats? I see that most on here are much younger than I am. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice! I wanted to say that I had my gallbladder out this week. I was so afraid of the gas so I went to the homeopathic pharmacy and asked what to take. They gave me a homeopathic remedy called carbo vegetabilis. Slip 5 small beads under the tongue. They also said I could add some to water and sip it. I had operation on Monday and started to get shoulder pain on Tuesday. I immediately took another dose and the pain disappeared instantly. I definitely recommend it. I was filled with tons of gas. Gained 10 pounds from Monday morning pre surgery until Tuesday night, all gas. I had zero gas pains. I would highly recommend this for everyone's surgery kit.

Hello, is anyone going to the Orientation at Richmond on 11/10/09? Do we get weighed there? When do we get an appt with a Surgeon? Who's the best surgeon to go for? Thanks!!