M2G

WOW, amazing difference! And great advice for pre-ops who are on the fence about having surgery. It is well worth doing this for yourself!!!

Yes, absolutely follow your surgeon's guidelines. The trainer's guide is about what I can eat (except make the 4oz down to 2oz) but I'm almost 4 months out. Also I don't do very many Protein shakes as my surgeon is absolutely against using shakes after the 6 week post-op mark. I have to eat at least 6 times a day to get in the required protein. Sometimes more. But there is a difference between snacking and grazing. Grazing means you are eating food all day long and not sitting down at an appropriate meal time to eat an appropriate meal. Make sure you understand your surgeon's intention when he says no snacking. There is NO WAY that I could get 65-90 grams of protein a day with 3 meals and nothing in between (an no shakes either!) Definitely call your surgeon or NUT for advice. Although I don't think the trainer's plan is a bad post-op VSG plan but it probably is better suited to someone who is farther out from surgery. Just my 2 cents!

Okay, Paul, I really don't want the dollar...but here you go. The pegged jeans are NOT pictures of ME, but the big hair is. Oh and as you can see back in the dark ages, we didn't get color yearbooks (I scanned these from my HS yearbook). Circa 1990

OMG, you are going to make me dig. lol. I will try to find it...no promises. I know I can find photos of the big hair, though. :shocked: So I guess pretty soon we have to move to the 40's board. For me not until Jan 2012!!!

Congratulations on being at ONEDERLAND (even with the camera!) :photo: I am so sorry that you have had such a hard time wtih the leak and now a second surgery and drain. My thoughts are with you, and I just know with your amazing positive attitude you will make a full 100% recovery. I hope Monday gets here SOON for you! Hugs!

Best of luck with your removal (s)! Keep us posted on how things go and definitely pamper yourself with some rest following surgery!

You are right. I should have said that it can increase the production of acid, and the stomach acid can contribute to inflammation and ulcers. It is very simplified to say "caffeine causes ulcers." Again that is what many NUTs will tell you, but in my research there is no clear definition of linking ulcers to caffeine usage. With that being said I clearly don't NEED caffeine in my life, but do like coffee. If pushed I could give up coffee too. Everyone is different and every NUT/surgeon has different rules, so I just tend to follow the advice of my personal NUT and surgeon.

The statement that you can eat around any type of WLS is soooooo true. Every WLS still requires effort and I truly believe that we need to keep working sleeves, even after we reach goal. The losing part is so easy to focus on and it does require a lot of effort, planning and it is a huge lifestyle change for many people. But maintaining is always going to be an effort too. Nothing worth having is ever effortless. I agree with Rootman...I will never be one of those naturally skinny people who can claim "oh I can eat what I want and never have an issue" ...that simply does not apply to me. So, Doug, thank you for posting this an reminding us that you can out-eat any type of WLS. I hope the person you met can get some help like Irene mentioned. Oh and I bet is was cool to meet another RL sleever.

OMG, that is hysterical!! Not just *any* box, but a box that only us women would be interested in. I'm sure whoever opened it got a little surprise...certainly no what they were expecting in that type of box. :embaressed_smile:

Congratulations!! You are doing an amazing job! Great face shots, your whole entire face has changed...what a transformation!

Well, I'm glad you complained and glad they did what they could to rectify it. I hope you did just get a bad batch. I have a bunch of the old ones (with the arrows) so the only "new" one I have experienced is their vanilla flavor and I love that. And just my opinion, I did see chunks with their old formula (again haven't tried the new yet) so if the new is chunk-free I'm thinking that would be an improvement. I don't use them much anymore, but DH is getting sleeved next so I have been stocking up for him. I hate it when I love a product and they go and change things.

Yay! The jeans thing in combination with getting checked-out is definitely NSV worthy!!! :thumbs_up: I've been married for almost 15 years...not sure I would "recognize" getting checked out anymore. But I'm thrilled for you! And the Ensenada chicken platter is my all time FAVORITE Red Robin dinner. I used to eat it pre-op (yes, all of it) but now I only pick at the salad and order one chicken breast, and save half of it for later. :wink_smile:

Oh my goodness! That is indeed scary, but I'm so thankful that you caught this early. Having the right attitude and frame of mind will give you the ability to fight this. Thank you for sharing this with us, and please keep us posted on your progress! I will be thinking of you as you go through this all! HUGS!

CONGRATULATIONS IRENE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are looking fabulous from all angles! And I am seriously thankful for bandsters who dared to share their stories, it is because of those brave souls that I became a virgin sleever...I too was headed down the band path and I'm so thankful that today I didn't have to endure what you did to get to where we are today. I'm positive that everything happens for a reason, and I know all the experiences you have had play a part in who you are today. Even though you had to go through a torture device to get where you are, I know you learned something about yourself along the way. I'm so happy for you, keep rocking that sleeve!!!

SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Mommy2Girls............229..............229............210................19 I am going agressive on this as well, we shall see. I've been stalled for 3 weeks now and it's getting on my nerves! lol

I drink a cup of decaf every day (I used to drink reg. but made the switch prior to surgery.) The other thing (besides it being a diuretic) is that caffeine can *sometimes* cause ulcers. I think the last thing that anyone who has been sleeved wants is an ulcer. However, from my own research it seems to be inconclusive that caffeine can cause ulcers. But for me, I would just rather not take the chance. I buy "flavored" decaf to help combat the flavor difference and I use full-fat cream (half and half) and splenda.

You and me both. Class of 1990....seems like forever ago! LOL, if I dig hard enough I might be able to find a photo of those pegged and rolled jeans. I know I had big hair in the 80's. :mullet: I plan on living up my last year in the decade of my thirties!!! My forties are going to be so much more fun since I plan on having a healthy BMI.

No calorie guideline...just 65-100 grams of protein a day, all from meals (not shakes) and 75% of my intake is to be protein with 25% coming from complex carbs (veggies, fruit, whole grains, etc.)

SN................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.....Lbs to Goal Avilda...............275.....................187............177..............10 BlackBerryJuice.........208..........145..............145................0 Brendasgonnalose...335............224.............225................-1 BonnieEJune . . . . . 325........................271.............275............-4 bugwitch....................291..............286.4...........283..............3.4 Cherice95405..........248...........177............ 164...............13 Chilo1.....................216...........158.............154................4 Cludgie................235..............210...............209..............1 Coops ...................238...........183...............177..............6 Cwalker.................250...........180...............170...............10 Daisy......................237..........138...............130................8 DJackson..............229.............213..............215................-2 HollyW...................259............214..............215..............0 Ibejjo.....................249...........249...............229.............20 Juliarh...................230............211.2..............215................-3.8 Kimmes................239.............197.8..............200..............-2.2 Kgremmy.............225.............190.8..............199...............-8.2 Laylasmojo...........242............180...............170...............10 LeslieH.................212...........204................199..............5 LilMissDiva...........235............221.8.............220.............1.8 livelovelaugh.. ...236............ ..207........ .....189..............18 Mellifrits...............210............132..............125................07 Meriteri................240............177..............170...............7 MichelleLee..........252...........222................199...............23 MINI-Me...............203.............124.6...........125...............0 & holding! mlr777................200.8...........174.6...........160.............14.6 Mommy2Girls.......275...............240............228..............1 Moniluv.................190.............181...........178...............3 MRSKOUBIK...........317............252.............255..............-3 NannieG . .............250. ..........153........... 150............... 3 OregonDaisy . . .. . . ................135 pattimomof3nj......203.4...........157.3............155................2.3 missed it by that much! PlannerGirl………..…327…..……..275…….........255………….....20 Sailorgirl................240............220.............200..............20 Secret Surgery34....205............174...........165................9 Seniorsleever........290.............279.............260..............19 Sleeve 4 me.........166...........159..........159....................0 Sweatinitout..........245............170.............160..............10 tlang262 - Texas.....240..........240..............230..............10 Yolanda240.....236.................191..............170..............21 CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE GOAL!! And to everyone who participated and lost something. I missed goal by 1 stinkin' pound. Oh well. I've been in a 3+ week stall that normally would have me off the wagon (before the sleeve on a regular diet, I would give up at the 3 week mark with no movement!) But thanks to my little sleeve, I'm just plugging away and hoping that someday soon this stall will break!!! :bored:

Happy Valentine's Day to you as well!

I saw this gal posting on OH and in this video (towards the end) she shows her excess skin and some of the shapewear she uses. I don't think she mentions brands though, sorry!

That is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You look fantastic and I love love love the happy dance. You are rocking that sleeve!

Oh that drain sucks. I think of everything I went through for surgery, the drain was the WORST (IMO). I was so happy to have that thing gone from my body! I'm glad you are talking to your doctor, everyone heals differently, so it's good to get one-on-one advice from the person who you are paying to keep tabs on you! It will get better, I didn't have one moment of regret, and a very easy recovery. I don't think I slept well until the drain was gone for about 3 days. But each day that passes you will notice that you start feeling better and better. Rest, sip, walk. That's my advice for the stage you are in right now. Hang in there!

I used to eat Peanut Butter just fine, but post-op, I've noticed that the times I have tried it, well it just doesn't sit well. I don't feel sick or nauseated, it's just odd. So now I tend to stay away from it. I will eat an ounce of deluxe mixed nuts and those bump up my calories a lot. The only reason I'm posting this is just to be careful. A couple of other sleevers have said the same thing about peanut butter, so I know it's not just me.

So glad you are better!!! And yes being one of the "few" would suck, unless it was the lottery, lol!