Lee

Chrissy, Pat and Donna are right. They operate on our stomach and not on our brain. Long term success starts in our brain and ends in our brain. Our stomach's can't walk to the ice cream shop alone. It's what we do with our tool that counts. Getting the tool is just that, a tool. I count every calorie, fat and protein and make sure to keep my carbs pretty well under 20 a day. I track it all in Myfitnesspal.com . Early Sleeve from what I've learned is being on a very low carb diet, but that said, it's so much easier because with my Sleeve, 1/3 cup of dense protein will keep me full for 4-5 hours. I notice with shrimp that I get hungry a little sooner. Of course 3 big shrimp are a meal. I'm loving the savings at Whole Foods!

Hi Cindy, welcome to VST! You've come to the right place to ask questions. First, congratulations on an incredible weight loss thus far. I'm a little envious. :thumbup: I take Protonix 2x a day and haven't had a bit of heartburn after day 3. I've been getting in 64 oz of fluids since Day 5, as required by my Kaiser plan. I would definitely ask your doctor if there's a physical reason you can't get in your fluids. I stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal and start again 30 minutes later. I start my day with a 16 oz mug of hot herbal tea and try to have another before lunch. After lunch I'll have a 16 oz bottle of Water or crystal light or something like that. Then it's just one more bottle or mug of tea before the end of the day. I eat 3x a day. I'm on soft foods right now. I eat 1/2 to 1/3 cup of dense Protein at each meal. Generally that's around 2-3 oz of protein. If I try to eat more it hurts. I'm not eating much anything else because I want to optimize my protein intake. My plan calls for 1/4 to 1/3 cup protein and then either a bite or two of fruit or veggies. I'm pretty much skipping those for now. I think sugar is tough on our small sleeve. We absorb things so much faster now. We didn't come all this way, have surgery, just to go back to old eating habits. I see some people that can occasionally have some sugar, but most don't even try it until they've reached goal. Go check out that Cornell guide. I think it's really very good. Good luck and keep asking questions!

Meesa, Welcome to VST! You're no stranger to WLS and I know you're going to do just great. We're starting at just about the same starting weight! I was Sleeved on 2/17/2010. Good luck and please let us know how you're doing!! :thumbup:

Hi Missy, I never had a band but others have and I'm sure they'll answer you. I just wanted to welcome you to VST. This is a wonderful forum with lots of caring people.

I'm 59 and had my surgery a month ago. I would say go for it! I think it takes longer to heal as we get older. I found the surgery to be fairly easy. I didn't have any complications and went back to work on Day 7. I'm loving my Sleeve. Please feel free to send me a PM if I don't see your questions.

Chrissy, just so you're not too disappointed, I was in orientation class with around 25 others and nobody got to see a surgeon that day. I would highly recommend you request and wait for Dr. Baggs. I had to wait a month for an appointment with Dr. Baggs but I had to lose the weight anyhow so it was no big deal. He's delightful and I am thrilled that he'll be doing my followup for the rest of my life. I totally trust him. He did my surgery but Dr. Fisher was also in the room as they always double up in the OR. Dr. Park is just starting to do the Sleeve so I'd shy away from her. I don't know much about Dr. Im. Overall, I just love Dr. Baggs. He loves dogs! :thumbup1: You'll get weighed before you're allowed into the orientation meeting. Eat Breakfast and don't take off your shoes. Hi Ali! Who is your surgeon?

Hi Chrissy, All of us at Kaiser are put on Protonix post-op. I never had heartburn pre-op but Dr. Baggs discovered and fixed a hiatal hernia during my Sleeve. I had acid reflux for three days post-op, then the Protonix kicked in and I've had zero symptoms since. I'm so glad you found your way over here to VST! Welcome welcome welcome. PM me anytime!

Hey John, Dr. Baggs told me that he would be using the mesh buttressing on me. I wonder if he changed that between my first visit with him in December and surgery in February?

Pammie, I know a lot of people online that have had their Sleeve for 1+ years and they are still just as happy with it. I saw a woman yesterday at support group that is 18 months out and 1/2 her initial weight. She become an athlete. It looks like she's a 6 or 8 and very athletic for a 53 year old. There seems to be little regaining. Many are losing 100+ pound in less than 6 months. One of my revision friends lost 133 in 6 months once she switched to Band. I see some who struggle a little bit with maintaining and have to add in more carbs to keep from losing too much. I really haven't seen people who were not pleased with the Sleeve. It's an initial adjustment just as the Band or RNY are. I'm very lucky that I had 0 complications and went back to work on Day 7. I'm a month out now and walked over an hour this morning and swam over an hour on Friday. Energy is pretty good. I'm able to teach classes that are 8 hours of standing up on back to back days. I just need to get more sleep than I did pre-op to re-energize myself. I know that the Band can be equally as successful, I'm just being devil's advocate with the other side of the surgery coin. :laugh:

Laurel, We're saving you a spot on the Loser's Bench. You're going to do great tomorrow! Let us know how you're doing. Tamra, 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month. I marked my calendar so I'll always know when it is.

Good Morning! Cloudy but not raining so I'm going for a long walk this morning with my best friend and her two dogs. I love going to the dog park because it's on the bay and there's lots of dogs running free, swimming and playing together. Always really joyful. Not sure about the rest of my day yet. Does anyone live near Elk Grove? I'm going to be up there tomorrow (Monday) night at the Holiday Inn Express off Hwy 99. Anyone want to meet up for dinner at Mimi's (next door to Holiday Inn) at around 7pm?

Chrissy, I accepted your friend request at verticalsleevetalk. Start reading over there and you'll find lots of good information. Put the word "revision" into the search box and you'll find banders that had to be revised to sleeve because of malfunction etc. I think it's good information to have when making your decision.

Hi Everyone! It sounds like a wonderful time was had by all. I'm so so happy to hear that! What a gorgeous day for a walk too! CoCo, how sad for us that you're moving and how great for you that you're getting this fresh start that you're wanting. Your hubby having plenty of work is always a wonderful thing. Wishing you all the best of everything in this move. Chrissy, You can email or send me PM's anytime you want to ask about the Sleeve. I think you should also go and join verticalsleevetalk.com where everything is about the Sleeve. Obesityhelp.com also have a forum completed devoted to the Sleeve where you'll find lots of information. I'm Lee~ on both those sites. John is a great resource as well! I had a fun day. First my friend Bonnie (whom some of you know from Kaiser support group) and I went to the Contra Costa Obesity Help luncheon out in Concord. It was fun to see people, eat good food on plan and participate in the clothing exchange. After that we raced over to San Leandro to the Obesity Help monthly support group. That was my first time there and it was a big group of very nice people. So my day was filled with lots of WLS support as well. I came home pretty wiped out. It got late so swimming today was out, but I did get to swim for an hour yesterday. It felt really good to move and to get some sun. I'm in my first weight stall but I'm not very concerned as it happens to so many transitioning to soft foods. I'm eating 1/4 to 1/3 cup of food three times a day so I know my respond soon. I have a feeling patience goes a long way on this journey, as does exercise so I'm going for a long walk in the morning. Sweet dreams everyone and someone please post pics from today!

Good luck with your surgery! Please don't worry about the fluids. Since Day 5, I've been getting in at least 64 oz a day.

This is so cool that the two of you have matching Sleeves! Welcome to VST. This is a fantastic forum with wonderful people. Ask any questions that you may have. There are always lots of answers. I had my Sleeve exactly one month before you! :lol0:

Tamra honey, we are on different plans. If yours calls for 3 oz of meat, then that's what you should be having. I go by measuring cup, not scale weight. I really like weighing on my food scale better, just because it's easier. I'm getting where I can eyeball that meatloaf. Let us know how your meatloaf turns out. It seems to be very dense when it's done so remember to only eat until you're full. I get the hiccups when I've had one tiny bite too many. :frown:

Great job with the exercise Tamra!!

Hi Tamra, Do you have a measuring cup? Use that. It's impossible to tell by weight because meats weigh differently and take up more/less room in the measuring cup. Are you at 1/4 or 1/2 cup at this stage? Fill that with your meatloaf and that is your portion. I'm finding that 1/4 cup of meatloaf is perfect. I just ate 1/4 cup with a sprinkling of cheese melted on it and I'm stuffed. I hope you get filled enough to feel satisfied. If you're interested, Robin cautioned that refried beans are a slider food and aren't on our program. Whole beans are ok. I'm off to the pool. This is my first time of the season. Wish me luck! I hope I'm warm enough to get in. I'm still a little nervous about my incisions but Dr. Baggs said I can go for it, sauna, hot tub and all!

Hi Tamra, I think there's a reason they want us to eat three meals a day. Pammie is right, statistics show that people that start with a good breakfast do well during the day. The old saying is "eat like a king at breakfast, like a prince at lunch and like a pauper at dinner". I've yet to master it as all three of my meals are pretty much exactly the same. I think the saying is geared more towards American type overfilling of our plates. I love ground beef and ground turkey. I feel like I could eat it three times a day. Right now I'm working my way through a Trader Joe's turkey meatloaf. I had to freeze half of it last night. It's just so much easier to eat the same thing and not have to think about it. So back to ground beef. My fave is to fry it up in chunks with just a tsp of olive oil (I get the 95% fat free beef). I throw some mexican spices like cumin in there while it's cooking. Once it's done I top it with a little sour cream and salsa. For whatever reason I could eat that three times a day and not be sick of it. I also like scrambling an egg over it while it's still hot in the pan and adding some hot salsa to that. If you have enough calories left, you can add just a touch of melted cheese for flavoring. YUM, I just may need to get a turkey burger out of the freezer!

Ash, some people like the unflavored protein. It kinda makes me gag. If you put it into hot liquid, you need to make sure the liquid isn't over 130 degrees or the protein will clump. Mix the protein in a little water first before you pour it into the hot liquid. I had some in chicken broth and could tolerate it and also put some into hot chocolate once. Overall just the thought makes me gag so I don't use it. I may need to start again. I've never had it in water because while it's unflavored, it still smells like protein. I'd rather just mix the flavored with water or organic unsweetened soymilk (trader joe's 3 carbs for 8 oz) because at least it tastes ok that way.

Hello everyone, Tamra, you did great with your food today! John, Robin said to start with 1/4 cup when on soft foods. When I tried 3 oz of meatloaf I was way too full but didn't slime. Today I ate 2oz and it was perfect and kept me full for 4-5 hours. Are you measuring your food? I think you are. If yes, cut back the portion size and see if that helps. I kept my portions really small today and did great. Maybe I have a bigger sleeve than you! It looks small in the pics but who the heck knows. I'm really concerned about the very low protein at this stage. Sweet dreams everyone!

Wow Marie! I had surgery the same day as you and I'm down 18 pounds. Did you lose any of those 40 pounds pre-op or all since surgery? I'd love to know what you're eating and what your exercise is. Do you do Protein supplements? Curious girls want to know!:smile1:

Diane, I'm so excited for your surgery! Keep us posted on how you're doing please. :smile1:

I was on liquids for the first two weeks post op. I ate a lot of no sugar added fruit juice popsicles. When I went to full liquids I mostly ate 1/4 cup of greek yogurt. I sometimes had a cup of chicken broth. I mostly just tried to get in my 64 oz of fluids after day 5. I felt zero hunger until Day 10, then started to get tiny little hunger pangs. Hang in there. It all gets better very quickly!

Hi Ruby, I was wondering where you'd gone off to! I'm so happy to read that the problem is resolved. Keep us posted on how you're feeling please. How exciting that you're going to see your DH. I bet he'll be delighted to see you!