iegal

And it is said that parting is such sweet sorrow...heck no! It is a party. Congrats on the amazing benchmark of loss and yes it counts. Keep up the great attitude. Looking forward to celebrating with you again.

Day 1 is different for all patients. May also depend upon how your selected surgeon does VSG surgery. I was an outpatient for VSG surgery, home same day in evening. No catheder, no pain pump, no drain - since none is needed. Only took pain meds once to sleep since my sleeping patterns were all messed up on day 2 to 3. Slept during the day up at night. Have you had a c-section? If yes, this is nothing as extreme as that. Expect to be really tired, posibbly in some discomfort and don't expect to feel "normal." Rest, walk and sip often ...then repeat is your mantra for the first week. Best wishes!

Before you give up, like Diva said - you need to UP your calories. Listen, I was where you have been. Right now your body is starving and in starvation mode so it is not shedding weight. You are far out enough to consume more Protein, even if it is in liquid form. Up your calories a minimum of 250 calories for a week. Keep carbs to no more than 30 this week. Try this for two weeks and see if what the scale says. Sometimes weight loss is size not pounds. Last four months I have lost 4 pounds total but lost almost two full sizes of clothes. Weight redistributes, so don't get discouraged, okay? Report back and let us know if the scale changes. The sleeve works!

Congrats on your upcoming date! That is a really quick go and how great for you. Good luck and all of you keep us posted on your progress.

It is okay to whine...but not to get discouraged. I am impressed by your weight loss! Keep on track and before you know it the weight will be gone. You will dance naked in front of the mirror, you will hold out an old pair of pants and be thrilled. Wishing you the best and looking forward to a victory post soon. The sleeve works.

DivaDee84; Yes, the pre op diet is torture of the most inhumane kind. But it is needed for a safer surgery. I am here to encourage you - I started on this forum when I had my first meltdown and knew of no one who had had VSG surgery personally except for someone I met in surgeons office. Please be encouraged, this is only temporary. Crazy - but the hunger goes away, really. Seems like a miracle and you can do anything for a miracle, right? Hang in there, you can do this. Lert this be your mantra.

Post op everything was way too sweet. Another VSG buddy said everything was too salty. So yes, you tastebuds change. I used to Water down my G2 (low calorie/sugar) Gatorade, use minicule amounts of crystal light. Hated those Protein drinks, everything was so sweet I was gagging. I tried Isopure clear protien 40 gram from GNC - Apple melon ONLY for flavor. Expensive but I was getting in my protein since all the other shakes were either too sweet or thick. PS- I am back to full strenth for everything again. This is a journey and things are ever changing.

What was the hardest habit for you to break & adopt? I can't name just one. Drinking diet soda. Giving up caffine prior to surgery (dehydrates you so NUT said no more or very limited amounts) Eating fast food....hey post op I eat a taco every now and then in the car. Chewing slowly. Not gulping down liquids. Now is your time to learn new habits - post op it is a matter of survival. Good luck!

Hi - congratulations on your upcoming surgery! Every surgeon is different on when you can start on soft foods. I would stick with what your surgeon says because each surgeon stiches the pouch differently, so you could potentially cause a leak. Yikes, you do not want that. Ask your sugeon for a diet plan, hopefully they have a guide for you. If not, you can goodle VSG post op diet, many good ones out there. If you strike out, you can send me your email address and I can send you what I have gathered over the last several months. Good luck! I love my sleeve.

I agree with other posters...how often you weigh in is a personal choice. I only weighed in once a week since I flucuated in weight week by week due to female hormones. I did not want to sabatoge myself, so I thought of it as like a WW weigh in. I was motivated by big losses and more motivated by smaller losses. Love my sleeve - congrats on your surgery!

Hi - congrats on your upcoming VSG surgery. Preop - I was on a preop diet for 2 weeks and did not cheat once. What torture but the results are incredible. Post op - Ask your surgeon and see if he has guidlines. I followed Tiffykins advice and after surgery limited my carbs to no more than 30 carbs a day until I hit goal with just a few execptions. Goal was reached in 5 months and I credit this to watching carbs, excercising and eating correctly. Do you have a VSG diet for preop and post with recommendations of what to eat and what not to eat? If not, you can send me a private message with your email address and I will forward what I have collected. Otherwise google VSG diet and there are several from good places such as Northwest, Cornell and others. Best wishes!

Glad to hear your surgery is scheduled so soon! Wow, you must be thrilled. Keep us posted on your journey and feel free to ask any questions that you do not see posted already. I love my sleeve!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-05-31-Genetics-drives-obesity_n.htm

Great questions to ask your surgeon. I know there have been a few people who have had leaks on this site with serious ramifications. You might want to post under complications to get more responses.

I am so excited for you and your new way of life. Your day begins now. Please be sure to update us once you are out and able to respond. Good luck!

Hello Mbridgeman; You sound so frustrated, I am sorry. Good news is that you have lost weight. I think your body is in starvation mode and needs MORE calories. Try it for a week or two and see what happens. As others have stated, watch your carbs. Tiffykins mentioned once before I had surgery to have no more than 30 carbs a day. I followed this mantra almost without fail. If you are in ketosis, your teeth feel fuzzy, you have horrid breath (like something died) and you lose weight like a mad man/woman. You need to find this sweet spot. shake things up. Track everything you eat, track your Fluid intake - carbs, sugars, Protein. Come back next week - stay away from the scale until then and let us know how you are doing, okay? Do not give up...the sleeve works. Even if you are a slow loser - look at Coops, I love her, she is almost a year out and is not at goal yet but keeps going, keeps positive and follows the diet. You can do this!

Sometimes it's rotten being a woman. You missed one, now your body is making up for it. Rapid weight loss along with surgery throws your body in for a loop and now it is revenge time. Don't worry, Aunto Flo like all relatives will go away. But...how are you doing besides that?

I hope you feel as fabulous as you look! Congrats.

Welcomee to the losers bench. Sounds like you are trying to get in your liquids which is great. Remember to walk, rest and hydrate. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Looking forward to your future victories.

So glad to hear you are doing not good...but GREAT. Keep us posted on your victories, weight loss and other NSV.

Yep - my taste buds really changed. At first everything was way too sweet as other members mentioned. During the liquid stage this is common. I had to dilute all of my drinks. Unfortunately this fades with time or with eating more sugar. I take a bite of pizza now (8 months out) and think ...yuck... this is what I used to dream about and chow down? Good new is now we can try all the things we used to not like and who knows, maybe new healthier foods are in your future. One of my VSG friends says everything is way to salty. Each of us are different, go out and discover the new you. Enjoy! .

Fly - I am doing a happy dance for you! Know you are elated which your decision to have VSG surgery. Keep up the great weight loss - looking forward to more incredbile victories.

I feel like your icon right now...screaming. Nothing additional to say except what others have said. YEAH to each of you for knowing we worked for our weight loss, we just have help with our sleeve. Even at goal I still make choices to keep the weight off. Easy? Define easy.

Hi Donnie; Glad you would ask for advice. I travel often and there is not much to booking a trip. Be careful, do not book with priceline until you know definate surgerry dates. Once you book, you can not cancel trip to get refund. So, first step is to get your date of surgery. Next, find out how long you will be in hospital. SD airport is very close to downtown so you may want to consider gettting a hotel for one day there becasue I have read two stories on this site of people not making it back for their flight in time...in other words consider buffering one day or a later flight just in case. Do you have a passport? You will need one.and this can take up to 6 weeks. Last time I renewed mine as main Post Office in area. Pictures can be taken a costco or Kinkos. I like travelocity because you can choose +1 days which means you might be able to find a cheaper flight. Depending upon which city you are flying out of - you will choose desination of SAN (San Diego) which is downtown San Diego. Great city to visit if you have never been there with a world renowned zoo, gaslight district, Little Italy, Balboa Park, old town, La Jolla seaside, Naval base with museum and so much more. Back on subject. Okay so once you have your dates/passport/booked trip highly recommend you tell airline when you book (call airline up once you get a travel confirmation code) and tell airline you need a wheel chair upon return. Why? You get through security faster, you do not have to drag your bags (tip a guy a few bucks and they will drag around for you) AND you get to get on the airplane before everyone else. Lifesafer since no one will be pushing you nor will you stand in a long line waiting to get on. Purchase before your trip a wheeled suitcase or bag (size limitations to take on airplane) at a discount store like Marshall/TJ Maxx/WalMart to stuff everything in. Also recommend taking Water flavor packets like Crystal light to put in your water, water which you will need to buy inside airport since it can not go through security. Also if you buy a Lipton Soup - chicken noodle flavor minus the noodles - you can have this with hot water that you can get on plane. Flight attendant will just give you hot water and you can put in Soup Flavor and stir. Take a spoon along if you decide on this comfort food, one is not provided on airplane for return. Take small pillow as this counts as one of your carry on's (you only get two) Next - there is a thread under General Sleeve Discussion titled "offical what you will need for surgery" listing all the great things to take on your trip. Comfortable clothes, pants that do not sit tight around waist, loose shirt, light jacket (planes always seem cold to me) reading material for several days, chapstick and more. Whew - hydrate often and rest often is they goal to recovery. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. Good luck on your journey and keep us posted.