iegal

Hi kids05; No matter what you weight loss, you will be a beautiful bride. Don't do the surgery to lose weight rather to get healthy...okay and look GREAT. Can you lose 100 lbs in 11 months? Yes would be for most although some on site are slow losers and not by choice. You must follow nutritional guidelines to achieve weight loss goals. I would look at some of Tiff'ykins posts. While following my surgeons guidelines I also was always on guard to get in enough Water, Protein, take all needed suppliments, exercise (with weights too) and dramatically limit carbs to 30 or less a day. Stop gasping this is a lot easier my friends once you have the sleeve - but it does require will power to pass up the pumpkin pie, cake, Cookies, chips. Caloric intake needs to be adjusted as you move along in journey and not always my limiting calories but adding calories. Yep, I have to now add calories to maintain sometimes. What a cross to bear, right? HA HA I lost 65 lbs in 5 months and 75 by my 6 month sleeve anniversary. Good luck next week and keep us posted on your success.

Dr. Brian Quebbemann in Newport Beach. Most experienced in WLS lapriscopic surgery with documentation to prove it. Dr Q perfomed the very first lapriscopic WLS in US over 10 years ago which took him 11 hours since no surgeon had ever attemped gastric bypass before without opening patient up. By the way - that patient I have met personally and she still maintains her 160+ lb weight loss. He performed the very first SPIDER sleeve surgery last year (scarless VSG) and then went on The Doctors TV show to talk about the sleeve. He placed the first Realize lapband in a patient in US. All of this information can be verified via internet. He is a WLS god and is nationally recoginized by his peers/bariatric surgeons as a the groundbreaker as he recieves award after award from ASMBS - American Society for Metabolic/Bariatric Surgery and ASBS - American Society Bariatric Surgery . If you want the guy who teaches other surgeons, the guy who has the most experience with lapriscopic WLS with the highest saftey record, lowest complication rate (comparied by # of surgeries & # of years with WLS) and offers free life time weekly support groups which he is a part of also, then you to would never have a regret choosing him. Only con...good luck getting past his front office. Persistance pays off. No, I don't work for the office - just thrilled with results better than I ever dreamed.

Happy 6th month anniversary...glad you are celebrating such great success!

I say this with love. First of all, you have just gotten out of a major surgery... your stomach was ripped out less than 3 weeks ago. Think on this. If someone had their leg amputated, would you expect them to be able to run a race in 3 weeks with a prosthetic? You have written the answers down in your post on how to break your stall. You are smart. shake it up. at only 300 cals a day...Up your calories. Double calories, you body is in serious starvation mode. It is trying to heal and needs energy. I am getting in my water, my protein and some exercise. How can you be getting all of your protein at 300 calories a day? How many grams of protein...be honest. What kind of protein, whey or isolate or ? Are you eating any carbs? How many a day? I am jumping on the scale every few days (I know I know too often) Divorce the scale. Stay off the scale for a week, no cheating. Think of this as WW and if scale does not move "skip" a weekly weight in. Yyu are beating yourself up with this pattern. Stop it. makes me feel like a big fat f-ing failure. ARGH - stop talking to yourself like this. You can do this, you did not gain the weight in 2 months, nor will you lose it in 2 months. press on and try to keep the faith that this will work. Yep, keep smiling, you will lose the weight. Or what if you are one of the "slow" losers? We will find this out in 5 months, not 3 weeks or 4 weeks. There are some slow losers on this site. COOP & PamelaAM to name a couple. Look up their posts. They struggle often, but guess what? They keep on plan and the scale moves, not as often as others or they would like, but it does move. I will be here to celebrate your loss, whether it be a pound or an ounce. Either way - the scale has moved in the right direction. Give yourself the grace of time and patience. Start being kind to yourself and take better care of yourself.

Check with your surgeon as each has different guidelines. I was told 6 months for raw vegtables and acidic fruit. I can eat salad but it does not sit well just yet. Besides, it has little nutritional value (unless spinach salad) so I try to get protien in first. After years of chewing lettuce until I thought I was a rabbit, sort of happy not to fill my plate with salad while others enjoy a juicy steak, fish, chicken dish. Gotta love your sleeve!

Disappointed in Dr. Oz especially since so many viewers consider his word the final advice. Obviously his assistants did not do thourogh research with options. Good news - The Dr's talked about Vertical Sleeve Gasterectomy back in Nov 8, 2010. Follow link to watch show which has a disclaimer since is can be graphic (not like YouTube though). http://www.thedoctor...re&init_id=2870 Here is an article about SPIDER weight loss surgery. On an episode of the TV show The Doctor’s, they had as their guest Dr. Brain B. Quebbemann, a bariatric surgeon explaining a new surgery called the Spider System. This new weight loss procedure reduces the size of a patient’s stomach.Conventional laparoscopic techniques and equipment, which have been used in the past requires up to five separate incisions in a patient’s abdomen. With the Spider technique only one incision in the belly button is necessary. Doctor Quebbemann surgical director, of a program called N.E.W. in Newport Beach California, was the first surgeon to perform the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, Spider technique. The Spider System surgery is unlike any other weight loss surgery to date. The instruments used during the procedure are uniquely flexible. The Spider instrument rotates 360 degrees allowing the surgeon to perform the surgery at angles much like those performed during the traditional laparoscopic surgery, with more access and dexterity. The new weight loss Spider System is catching on quickly, with only one incision and a small amount of down time, doctors are starting to recommend the surgery to their obese patient’s as an alternative, to other weight loss procedures. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Congrats on being willing to shake things up to make a difference for yourself. Amazing results and love the determination to get results. WOW!!!

Hello Kurt; Welcome to an "old" pro. Congrats on amazing success with your sleeve! We have a SoCal support group who meets every few months - next one is May 7 in Riverside if you are interested send me a PM so I can give you details. Do I need a medical alert braclet? If yes, where did you get one?

WENT HOME THE SAME DAY. Yep, I had surgery at 10AM and was home by 5PM. But no way I could have handled a toddler, no matter how cute and adorable or well behaved. I had no drain, no leak test, no morphine drip and felt no pain. But I was nauseous first 24 hours. Only took my prescribed pain meds once and that was to sleep longer at night since my days and nights got mixed up. All surgeons are different, especially those outside US. Best to ask you doctor what he/she normally does. Make sure you plan lots of rest and get help in taking care of family as you heal. Best wishes on your upcoming surgery!

Some people tend to talk before they think. Now that you have told everyone, office feels they can discuss your pro/cons of decision. It is your decision, not theirs. You sound like you have already made up your mind, so now when everyone is giving you unsolicted "advice" politely say thank you for sharing and do not discuss anymore. If you discuss youa re leaving room for them to debate thier opinion. No ones opinion matters at the office, right? Furthermore, a new topic will come up and your WLS news will be long forgotten. Hugs to you. Be confident in your choices and others opinions will no longer matter.

Hi lkcraig & virginia; Okay - within 5 years of your age and horrible knee issues. I have had 3 knee surgeries this far with the weight on. I too was scheduled for the shots but ortho doc said with my extra weight shots would not be a significant help. (thanks for letting me know my knee will be sore for a few days afterwards). So, with other comorbidity issues, I self paid for my VSG surgery here in US. Back to today, yes, my knee still crackles and crunches when I move, go upstairs/downstairs, hike or ride a bike. But, I do not have the pain or aches to the severity before. Send a message to Sleeve4me - she also has/had knee issues where she was unable to walk up and down stairs prior to VSG. Two weeks ago sleeve4me was hiking the Grand Canyon. IMO the sleeve with help you simply because you will be carrying around less weight and less stress to the knee for everyday chores. Good luck!

Hi Rodger; If you have been struggling with weight for a while.. won a frequent user award at WW, JC, L or any other diet plan where you really tried...the sleeve might be right for you. Just like Blackberry, I struggled with my weight over the last 15 years, loosing and regaining anywhere from 10-60 lbs each year. Never went in my favor. As you can see below, my pre surgery BMI was 33.1, too low for insurance to cover so I was a self payer in US. Amazing results but I stuck to my surgeons plan with almost no deviations. Best thing I have ever paid for and I have no regrets. Worth every penny in my opinion since I am healthier and more active. Good luck in whatever your decision.

Learn new habits & keep your follow up appts with your own surgeon. Follow their advice but rememeber to: Eat slowly/chew well and Protein first (try to get in 70 grams of protein a day) Hydrate often during the day - no soda/alcohol, limit caffeine such as ice tea, coffee - drink minimum of 64oz a day Take your supplements daily Seriously limit your carbs while trying to reach goal - I followed Tiffykins advice of under 30 a day and met my surgeons weight loss goal in a little over 5 months - my goal in 6 months Don't slip back into old patterns - slider foods can sabotage your weight loss (chips, bread, Cookies, potatoes) Do you see my weakness here? Exercise daily! If all else fails take a 20 minute walk after dinner before you sit down to "relax." Walking is relaxing. Use light weights to tone up those arms - you will be happier Enjoy the journey of change. I was a good lady before but now, I am improved version. Good luck ... no regrets!

Mom always told me to wear clean underwear....and now we know why. LOL Congrats on the weight loss so far. But a job in a bakery = torture

Incredible and easy read. Although you had me wanting to dive inat the tag line even though I am an "old timer" now at goal. Congrats and thanks for sharing your experiences.

Not sleeping on my stomach was the worst. I feel for you. You will be able to do this soon. Try to get some rest, this too will pass. Thanks for the memories of what was on this journey. Now is great...come join me soon. Good luck to you!

Yeah - surgery date ahead. Exicited for you. Maybe your trained felt like he/she failed you? Weight surgery is almost always frowed upon by trainers. I am (was) fat because I am emotional? What about my skinny friends who are high stress people who smoke...aren't they emotional too? If I could have done this on my own, I would have but I needed help. Hence the WLS. So glad to hear you will be continuing your workouts. Good habit to keep. Congrats on the date! Love my sleeve and no regrets.

Sad to hear you are disappointed. Are you disappointed in the surgery or yourself? How do you think RNY would have helped you lose weight faster? Since you did not provide - what are you eating daily now? How much protien daily? Carbs daily? Water daily? Sugars daily? All of these stats are really going to effect your outcome. You are in control now with the sleeve. Make it work for you. Can you answer questions so we can help you move in the right direction...loosing weight. Diva is right though - 26 lbs is a lot of weight to lose. Don't compare yourself and don't beat yourself either. You can do this!

Happy 6th month anniversary to all you fellow September sleevers! Progress report - I am at my goal, but am not eating like I should. I was almost perfect (really) during the loosing stage and then let one or two old habits back in. Still have not touched a soda or In N Out burger but I may be seen eating an occasional fast food taco...all of it and maybe a french fry or two. Dang, need to focus on health right now. Will you nag me? I did not get the sleeve as a self payer to screw this up. ARGH, where is my determination?

Excited is okay...but scared? This is an exciting time. You should have someone you can have take care of you or pamper you for a little bit or at least call you to check in. Recommend as stated before that someone knows you are having surgery. Details for them are not needed but you might want someone to pick up "groceries" or hold your hand. Of course, we on this board are all here for you. Only my DH and closest girfriend knew before surgery. My mom did not know for over three months and she lives less than a mile away from me so I know about secrets. If you truly have no one, please read the thread on what you need before surgery found by scrolling down in the forums to General Sleeve Discussions and then click on "offical what you will need for surgery thread" so you are well prepared. My favorites are g2 gatorade and heating pad. Good luck, you are going to love your sleeve!

Thank you for such great words of encouragement for those of us "younger" sleevers. Congrats on your success!

It's okay...you will be fine. Every surgeon is different so did your surgeon give you a preop diet plan? How long are you on pre-op diet for? I was on liquid protien for 2 weeks - what a nightmare, but I did it since I wanted a sleeve more than I wanted to eat whatever I wanted. Recommend calling surgeons office to get a plan or search through the pre-op diet section here or go to http://www.cornellwe...gastrectomy.pdf Diet is for sleevers, not just any WLS patient. Good luck you are going to love your sleeve.

Congratulations with entering Onederland...and not having to worry about going back. Love this sleeve.