Search the Community

Goodbye Food..hello great new life. The pre-diet is toughest the first 4 days. I am NOT saying it's a walk in the park after, either, but it's much more tolerable. I was sleeved 8/20 and with the 2 week pre-op I am down 72 pounds. I assure, this is worth it. I had my own doubts, but at 10 weeks, I am such the believer.

i am currently 5 months post op. i have experienced 3 stalls. the first lasted 1 week, the second lasted 2 weeks, and the one that finally broke, lasted 3 stupid weeks. i have learned a few things about stalls. 1) we all experience them at some point 2) they suck 3) typically, when i stall, my body is doing other things. like. losing inches. (totally don't understand that one but, hey, i'll take it) 4) when it finally breaks, i start losing again, so, i've learned to trust the program to do what it should 5) they suck 6) they don't last forever and finally 7) they suck so, be of good cheer! this too shall pass! good luck

Oh let me tell you I'm the QUEEN of stalls! I have hit oh so many- but they do go away! They suck I as well feel like I'm a little failure but when I loose again I feel like a total success ya know! How much have u lost? What are you eating? That plays such a role with me?!? Best of luck to you! I'm four months post op and lost 74 lbs! What a success! I'm pleased!

Same thing happened to me in week 5. I am hoping this week will be better but I am told stalls do happen and not to get discouraged. Hang in there, it is sure to catch up.

I'm coming up on my sixth week post OP and have been stalled since week three. Scale did move 3 lbs this weekend. Is everyone else experiencing this? Literally feel as if i have failed:(

SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter Hey Sleevers!The lull of summer is ending, and autumn is just around the corner. How did you do in meeting your goals this summer? We hope you met your weight loss and health goals, but if not, don’t worry. It’s the perfect time to get back into your weight loss routine if you got sidetracked during a summer vacation. Pick yourself up, return to your bariatric surgery diet and, of course, let us help! Here is what you’ll find in this month’s newsletter. Sleever Poll: How Did You Find Out About SleevePlicationTalk.com? Your Sleeve Plication lunch – Packing Your food for a Busy Day Keep the Forums Positive! Take a look at the newsletter and then join us at SleevePlicationTalk.com! We’re always looking for more participation, and we welcome your feedback, so drop us a line whenever you want! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Sleever Poll: How Did You Find Out About SleevePlicationTalk.com? A. Search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc…please tell us which one) B. Friend or family member C. Your surgeon D. Your primary care physician (PCP) E. An offline support group F. Your nutritionist or dietitian G. Someone else from your doctor’s or surgeon’s office (e.g., a nurse or receptionist) H. App store (e.g., iTunes, Google Apps Marketplace) I. Another way. Mark your answer and discuss it in the forums! Your Sleeve Plication Lunch – Packing Your Food for a Busy Day By mid-September, many of us are back into regular routines. If you have children who take their lunches to school, you make sure their lunches are appetizing and healthy. Your own lunch deserves just as much care. These tips can help you create easy sleeve-friendly sack lunches to take to work. Have these helpful items on hand: An insulated lunch bag A small spoon, fork and knife A set of small containers with tight-fitting lids Plastic baggies An insulated beverage container (unless you stick to Water bottles) Once a week: Figure out how many days you will need to take a lunch to work in the coming week. Plan your lunch menus, make a shopping list and get the groceries you need The night before: What can you do so that packing your lunch is easier in the morning? Measure your chicken breast Pack a serving of leftovers from dinner in a small container with a tight-fitting lid Wash and cut some fruit and vegetables Pack your utensils and a bottle of water Count your crackers Portable protein: Just as it does when you’re at home, Protein comes first when you’re on the go. These are some ideas for brown baggers. Tuna or chicken in cans or pouches Hard-boiled eggs (If you have a fridge at work): cottage cheese Fat-free canned refried Beans or low-sodium pinto, black or garbanzo beans Low-fat string cheese or light Laughing Cow cheese Lean ham or turkey breast Leftover grilled chicken or fish Peanut Butter If you’re still in the pureed foods stage, try lentil Soup, Protein shakes, hummus and Greek yogurt. Nutritious combinations: Combine your protein with vegetables, fruits and whole grains for their Fiber and other nutrients Dip and raw vegetables, such as carrot and celery sticks, grape tomatoes and cauliflower florets salad with chicken or tuna and shredded low-fat cheese Peanut butter on whole grain crackers or with apple slices Ham and low-fat cheese rolled up in a small whole-grain tortilla Greek yogurt with high-fiber Cereal or melon One-half small whole-wheat bagel with fat-free cream cheese and canned salmon If you’re post-op and not at the solid foods stage yet, try fat-free cottage cheese with pureed canned peaches, fat-free refried beans with low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and instant oatmeal with skim milk and Protein powder. Have extras on hand. You might get stuck working late or unable to make your planned lunch-time trip to a grocery store. Stash protein-containing Snacks at work for those occasions. Protein Bars and powder, canned tuna and chicken, roasted soybeans and almonds provide protein and do not need refrigeration, so you can keep them at work or in the car. Lunch after weight loss surgery can be a disaster if you opt for fast food or whatever’s in the vending machine, plan, but you can easily pack a healthy lunch that fits into your diet. Plan ahead, have the containers and utensils you need and focus on lean protein and other nutritious choices so that your lunch supports weight loss. Keep the Forums Positive! You come to SleevePlicationTalk.com for information and support. Unlike many other online forums, SleevePlicationTalk.com maintains a positive atmosphere and has zero tolerance for rudeness. We welcome anyone who is interested in weight loss surgery, regardless of their personal beliefs about it. When you see a post that is inappropriate or offensive, please report it using the “report post” link located at the bottom of the post. We realize and appreciate that nearly all members try hard to be welcoming, helpful and polite. These are a few tips to help you avoid avoid accidentally saying something that can be hurtful to another member. Say, “my surgeon told me…,” not, “the only right way is…” Say, “I think I would choose …,” not, “You made the wrong choice.” Say, “Have you considered…?,” not, “You’re not ready for your weight loss journey.” Say, “I have found that …,” not, “The right way is …” Each of these statements let you give your own opinion and advice without accusing other members of doing something wrong. Thank you for keeping the boards positive! That’s what we have for this month’s newsletter. Thank you for reading it and for your contributions to the board! You can always check out the old newsletters in the archive section. Take care of yourself and each other! Sincerely, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers! Summer’s over and we’re into the beautiful days of early autumn. No matter where you live, we hope you’re getting a chance to get out and enjoy the weather! Any activity you do counts toward your weight loss, health and pleasure, so make an effort to get outside and get moving. Don’t forget to take your SleevePlicationTalk.com app with you so you can read the newsletter and keep up with the boards! Here’s what you’ll find in October’s newsletter. Member Spotlight: We’re still recruiting! Sleever Challenge: Lend a Hand! Having a Healthy Autumn: A Few Tips for Parents – and Other Busy SleevePlicationTalk.com Members! Weight Loss Surgery: Not the Easy Way Out! Can’t wait to get started? Neither can we! Enjoy the newsletter and please feel free to let us know what you think! Thanks for your support. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Member Spotlight: Still Recruiting! If you want to be in the spotlight or you want to nominate someone else, let us know in the Spotlight Forum or send Alex a private message. We’re always looking for outstanding members to highlight! Sleever Challenge: Lend a Hand! We like to challenge you to try something new or unusual in each newsletter. The Sleever Challenge is a non-competitive way to push yourself a little further and experience something new while gaining confidence. Why do we ask you to post what you did? It helps motivate others and give them ideas for their challenges! This week’s challenge is pretty simple. Before the next newsletter, we’re just asking you to help someone. It can be any kind of help, from helping an elderly neighbor take the newspaper in to volunteering to give a motivational talk at your local weight loss surgery support group meeting to making dinner for your spouse even when it’s not your turn. This challenge does more than make someone else’s life easier. It makes you value yourself more when you see how powerful you can be just by being kind to others. Don’t forget to let us know how you helped someone! What did you do? How did it make you feel? Let us know how it goes in the Sleever Challenge forum! You can always check out any of the previous Newsletter Challenges and give us updates on those. You can always see the old challenges in the archived newsletters. You’ll see challenges on food, fitness and more! It’s never too late to try something new and exciting! Make It a Healthy Autumn: A Few Tips for Parents – and Other Busy SleevePlicationTalk.com Members! Okay, we know that the autumn is a busy time of year. If you’re a parent, your children are back in school and their activities are in full swing. You may be juggling work with your chauffeuring, catering and cleaning business – aka, taking care of your family! Most of us are pretty busy even if we’re not parents. It’s easy to use not having enough time as an excuse for getting off track with your weight loss. You might eat foods that you know you shouldn’t because you feel you just can’t squeeze in the time to prepare a healthy snack. We’ve all done it. You rush out the door in the morning and are busy all day. Some of these happen along the way. You are starving by lunchtime and grab a few truffles that make you nauseous. you dumping syndrome. You go by the vending machine for a soft drink that’ll make you feel sick within minutes. You realize at the end of the day that you haven’t stopped to drink for hours, and you have a headache and your stomach hurts. You know you should be eating lean Protein, but the closest thing you can find is pepperoni from the company’s pepperoni pizza – so to be polite, you eat the entire slice and it causes an obstruction. You start to depend on Protein shakes because those are the closest thing to a healthy meal that you can find at the company cafeteria. You don’t have to let a hectic schedule get in the way of your health! What can you do about it? Here are a few tips to make the most out of every day Prepare some of your meals and Snacks at the beginning of the week. Wash your fruits and vegetables so they’re easy to prepare when you need them. Cook some your Proteins - chicken breast, fish, seafood, lean beef and/or veggie burgers – and freeze them in single-serving baggies or containers. Cook up bigger batches, put them in single-serving containers and freeze them so you can defrost them when you’re ready to eat them. This is a great option for healthy side dishes, such as whole wheat Pasta, carrots or Beans. (You don’t have to make too much, since your single portions post-surgery are pretty small). Place snacks in single-serving bags if you buy a multi-serving package Plan your Breakfast the night before so you don’t have to think about it in the morning. Take the time to make a grocery list. It’ll save you time in the end. Using a list will keep you from forgetting foods and needing to go back to the store during the week. You’ll be faster in the store because you won’t get distracted. Sticking to a list will keep you from buying foods you shouldn’t. Buy ingredients for breakfast Buy snack foods Make sure you drink enough. Stash Water bottles in your car and at work and keep them filled. It’ll encourage you to drink throughout the day and you won’t have to take the time to run to the kitchen each time you need to drink. Stick a pitcher of water in the fridge so you see it several times a day. Keep healthy snacks at work so you never find yourself starving with nothing healthy to eat. Beef Jerky and canned tuna, chicken, beans, vegetables keep for months. Frozen foods to consider keeping around include grilled chicken and fish, veggie burgers and vegetables. Yogurt, low-fat cheese, cottage cheese and deli meats are high-protein snacks to keep in the fridge for a week or more. The more you plan, the better off you’ll be. You’ll save time and be more likely to eat well. And remember – you’re worth it! We suggest picking one or two strategies and working on them until you master them, then moving on to a new tip. Let us know how helpful the tips are! That’s a lot to chew on for this newsletter, so we’re going to end it here. There’s no end to the news, tips and conversations over at SleevePlicationTalk.com, so come on over via your computer, smartphone or Kindle! You can always check out the old newsletters, too, in the Newsletter Forum. Thanks for coming along in this newsletter and for being part of our fantastic community! We couldn’t do it without you. Have a great month and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

@@Elode do you remember eating it that soon after surgery? I'm just 3 weeks out...

I just made 6 weeks today and I've been eating raw veggies for 5 days with no issues

I dont get much. After a couple of cans of Protein powder and maybe a couple of cases of Soups there's a little left for them to get stuff for the house. Thats only about 2 weeks work of food. And that's being generous. I'm cashing out the rest of the month. Sent while fleeing from naughty food.

Just had my 6 week follow up. Everything is working perfect & I am ahead of schedule. No need for a fill. So it's been 4 weeks since I last saw the Doc & I been trying new/different foods to see what I can tolerate on the solid food phase. Everything I tried has been no problem, I can consume about 4-5oz of protein followed by a cup of vegetables and I am very satisfied (Not full or stuffed) for at least 4-5 hours. My average loss per week since being on solid foods is 2.5lbs. If I eat to fast or swallow to big I have a heartburn feeling that passes within in a minute, & my body tells me when to stop ( I either sigh or hiccup ). No BPing or vomiting what so ever. Can only imagine how much I'll lose when I go back to the gym! Oh, yeah....Im also sleeping better & my blood pressure went from a consistent 120/80 to 107/60 !!! I am so happy that I had this done!!!!

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter By Hey, Sleevers!The weather’s warm, zucchini and watermelons are abundant and the Summer Games are providing inspirational moments for all of us. We hope life is good for you and you’ve been achieving your own goals this summer. To help you stay focused, here’s another newsletter from VerticalSleeveTalk.com. This is what we’ve got for you: Burning Question: What are the Best Sources of Protein? Member Spotlight: Kyllfalcon! Sleever Challenge: Record Your Diet! Life with the Sleeve: What’s Your Emergency Plan? We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and you get inspiration and a few great ideas from it. Of course, when you’re done reading, come on over to the VerticalSleeveTalk.com board and talk about the newsletter or anything else that’s on your mind. Also remember to drop me a line any time if you have comments or suggestions for the boards. Thanks! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder liquid diet after weight loss surgery, Protein shakes and Protein powder can help you meet your needs. Fat-free milk is another good source, and it also has Calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones. In the pureed foods stage, you can add in things like canned flake chicken, extra-lean ground beef and light tuna. Tuna has an extra benefit because of its heart-healthy omega-three fatty acids. Fat-free yogurt is another great option. You always want to look for lean meats and fat-free or low-fat dairy products instead of full-fat ones. That’ll help you limit your calories and reduce saturated fat, which is unhealthy for your heart because it raises your cholesterol levels. By the time you get to the soft (semi-solid) foods and solid foods stages, you have a lot more options. Fish, crab, white-meat, skinless chicken and turkey, and egg whites are almost pure protein – plus some essential nutrients. Be very careful to avoid any bones or gristle in your fish or meat. Some vegetarian options are tofu, Beans and low-fat cheese. Melted cheddar cheese makes a delicious topping for almost anything. Always eat slowly, savor the flavors and chew your food well before swallowing. Choosing Proteins that are lowest in calories and saturated fat will help you lose weight and stay healthy. Did you miss the previous Burning Question? You can always see the earlier Burning Questions in our scale victories has been while clothes shopping. Her old size was a 3x. After surgery, she mail-ordered a 1x pair of pants, and it was too big. She exchanged it for an XL, but that didn’t work, either. She finally settled on a size large – and we bet it’ll be too big for her soon! Kyllfalcon’s also proud and relieved to say that she can still enjoy family parties while losing weight! She can share in the pizza and birthday cake, but now she’s in control and knows when enough is enough – and when the party’s over, it’s time to get back to business. Kyllfalcon’s arthritis has improved a lot, and her blood pressure is under control. Water has been a little tough, but she fixes it up with Crystal Light. She reports a pretty smooth weight loss journey so far, and we think her success is due to her positive attitude. Kyllfalcon counts VerticalSleeveTalk.com as part of her official support group, along with friends, family and coworkers. She visits each day to get and give support. Some of her tips? Keep fighting – if you fall down, “get right back up to fight another day.” She also encourages you to “see yourself thin and healthy.” Thanks, Kyllfalcon, for being such a great role model and sharing your story in our member spotlight! Each newsletter features a different VerticalSleeveTalk.com member in the sleep. You should plan your own diet and exercise so that you always know what to do. Keep a log. An Olympic athlete keeps a training log to record each day’s workout and be able to look back and see what worked and what didn’t. Keeping your own diet and exercise log keeps you on track and lets you look back to see what patterns led to success and where you could have improved your choices. Visualize success. Most successful athletes take time each day to visualize their victory. They think about running that last lap in record time and accepting their medal on the victory podium. You can think about the bikini that you’re planning to wear next summer and the proud look on your spouse’s face when you two go out to dinner in the future. How will you let out your inner Olympian? Let us all know in the member Challenge Forum! Tell us what you did and whether you think it worked for you! The challenge is completely non-competitive, but we’d love for you to share your experiences. You’ll help inspire others to chase their own dreams. Miss a challenge? No problem! Just go back to the old newsletters to see what the challenges were. It’s never to late to try something new and tell us about it on the forums. Life with the Sleeve: What’s Your Emergency Plan? It’s Sunday morning and you haven’t been able to eat or drink all night because of nausea and vomiting. Your surgeon’s office hours are from Monday through Friday. You wait miserably until first thing Monday morning, when you call your surgeon. The receptionist is horrified to hear about your ordeal and says, “Why didn’t you call yesterday? We have someone here 24/7 for emergencies!” This scenario comes up all the time on the boards, and it’s truly heartbreaking because in most cases, the suffering you feel is entirely unnecessary. You should know what number to call when you have trouble. If your surgeon didn’t give you an after-hours number, ask for one. You should never have to wait a whole day just because your emergency happens on a weekend. And with that advice, we’re done with this newsletter. You can always read it again and look through old newsletters in the Newsletter Forum. We’re always happy to hear from you and to see increased participation on the boards, so log in and get talking! Thanks for your support. Take care of yourself and each other, Alex ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=newsletter

That's genius. I was using Protein2O up until about 2 weeks ago. I ran out and just forgot to resupply. Damn why did I forget about that. Thank you!!!!

I'll also add, that this friend hasn't really spoken to me in years until he started selling this stuff, and now he all the sudden wants to talk to me and try to sell it to me. (was probably trying to think of all his friends who were overweight!) Anyway, if I thought there was a weight loss fad out there, trust me, I'd do it, and I might lose the weight, but give me a couple years, and it will be right back on. I feel that I need the surgery to help me keep it off for life. I do not want to be on pills/supplements for life, and I am not one that wants to go to the gym all the time, I work full time, and have two small children who want me at home when I'm not at work. Exersize will consist of what I can do with them at home, or around the block. I can't go to the gym that he works at 40 miles away. This surgery is not a whim decision that I've made. I've been thinking about it for about 2 years now and feel that it is right for me. I ignored him on FB and he seems to have gotten the hint. I did tell him though, that if I hit a stall, I would contact him and see if he could help me get over the stall.

So for those of you that are starting this stage and those of you who have gone through it, What are/were you eating at the beginning of this stage? I am a week in and have not been able to make my protein goal 85g or my water goal 80oz. I saw my NUT on Tuesday and she suggested sipping a protein shake between meals. I tried this the last two days and it's worse. I'm having breakfast then making a shake to sip on. Had to skip lunch and had about 1/2oz of chicken for dinner both days. Have not had anything else other than water and vitamins. I'm just to full. Before I saw her (my NUT) I was having a shake for breakfast, 2oz of either chicken or lean steak for lunch and a shake for dinner. Was closer to hitting my protein goal, about 70 to 75g. Closer with water intake as well. I know in time it will get easier but I was just wondering who was able to meet goals or come close and what they were doing not to get so full? Thanks for the feed back in advance.

Coops, your such a lovely lady, i hate to hear you are down right now! Stalls suck! I have been watching your ticker for months now... actually from about Sept of 2010... and I have seen that number go down... slow but in the right direction. What I hope is that you really ENJOYED that chocolate and that toast... those are just a wonderful part of life, and you deserve to enjoy your life. I suggest you just write down what your eating, in fitday or something like that... even if you feel your in an 'off' time for following the plan. This will help you remain conscience of whats passing your lips. I too have had some chocolate eggs (yes I said the plural) and a half a cookie the other day. I am on a mini stall, but I believe that will end sooner or later. I am keeping my calories in the zone, even if the carbs are a little elevated. Perhaps its time for a little spa day? Facials and toenails? Don't forget to be good to yourself girl. Perhaps some inspired reading or movie watching? Time will pass wether you are working on your goals or not, might as well dig in and do something non weight related every day to move those goals along. Your wonderful! Don't forget it girl.

Hi I'm from Northern California too. Tomorrow we're walking Russian Hill. Go google meet up.com. You will find a private group called San Francisco Bay area WL S. That's where we put our events. We're going to walk angel island in May. We're gonna bike around Angel Island in May. We plan something every other week. Direct message me if you cannot find it. Looking forward to meeting you.

I was a mess. A single mom preparing wills and good bye letters. How do you say goodbye to your kid in a letter? I was crying off and on for the about 3 day before. The morning of I felt calmer. When they took me in I started to get overwhelmed and tears were coming. Next thing I knew I was waking up, it was over. I had a rough time coming out and a lot of pain especially when drinking. Today is day three and drinking is better. Still have some pain. Walking does help... a lot. Like others so glad I didn't change my mind. Although, . Still have moments of what did I just do. I'm not taking as much pain pills so that's a good sign too. No nausea either. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So im on liquids for the next 2 weeks (preop) and ive had my protein for the day but not near enough calories... What do you recommend i have? Sent from my LG-H812 using BariatricPal mobile app

super excited....my docs office called around 4 and I have my seminar appointment next week and then my surgen consult the day after...the only thing is that they are an hour away on 2 dif days... cans someone tell me what to expect and how long for each of the appointments?:cursing::thumbup::cursing::thumbup:

Hello all! I've got my surgery date! Looks like I'll be an April bandster!!!!!! I am the first case on April 24th! I cannot believe it!!!! I was expecting something to slow things up. But, I guess not! Now, I've got to set my sites on the preop diet two weeks out (Good Friday - I guess no chocolate bunnies for me!:sad:). Who CARES! I'm gonna get healthy and lose weight!!!! :biggrin: :biggrin: :w00t::woot::crying: YIPEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Hello All, My sleeve surgery date is August 11th. I'm excited about this new chapter in my life. I've embraced the journey. I'm currently on Day 9 of my 2-week pre-op diet. It hasn't been as hard as I imagined, but it hasn't been easy. I can't wait to eat real food again...no matter how small the amount. lol.

One week post op I felt okay day 3 and 4 were the worst but after that I was back at work and walking 5 miles a day moving around sitting did bother me tho on my incision where they took my stomach out .

Yes! I had one 3 weeks ago and I am so happy I did it! It is worth every penny as well as the pain and for me itching. I cannot wait to have my next body contouring surgery. My arms look 20 years younger and are well contoured. You can even see my cute little biceps that I knew was under there but never thought i would see them again. I was interviewing plastic surgeons and absolutely fell in love with mine. I met her on Monday and was in surgery Thursday morning! I was scared I was moving so fast but I definately don't regret it. Now I have to wait 3 months for the next procedure.

I can't help with the hair loss or A1C, but I can tell you about the last 20 lbs, how that was for me. It was HARD. I had to commit to hand to hand combat with each of those pounds. Here's what I did: --very strict eating regimen. I stayed under 1100 calories per day, no exceptions. Three small meals and no snacks other than protein shakes. No grains, no starchy veggies, no sweets, no tropical fruits, and no liquid calories other than protein shakes. NO EXCEPTIONS to any of this, no "small quantity of good food and occasionally more carbs" -- that's how people in maintenance get to eat, not people trying to lose the last 20 lbs. --weigh or measure virtually all portions and track religiously -- fanatically even -- on MyFitnessPal. --vigorous exercise at least 5 days per week, 30 minutes per day, but do not count calories burned or give yourself permission to "eat back" calories burned. Exercise for me had to include a mix of different types: HIIT, running, circuit training, weights. --if my weight stayed the same for two weeks, I switched over to 5/2 eating for two weeks and that would get the scale moving again. Good luck!