former_vbg

I just responded to someone else on the same thing. Just like all things, there will be medical professionals who have different opinions. A surgeon who says carbonation is not allowed may have developed an opinion based on his personal experiences - there is no medical evidence that carbonation causes any issues with the sleeve.

It's not allowed by some surgeons, not all. My surgeon says there is no evidence that carbinated beverages cause any issues other than it takes longer to drink- but there is no medical evidence that it has any side effects for sleeve patients.

My surgeon's nutritionist said no salads for 3 months, but I tried a small salad finely chopped with minimal extra's and was fine. I LOVE salad and couldn't stand not having a salad any longer. It never created a problem for me.

Amy, There have been MANY MANY threads in the 2 years I have been on this board about drinking soda or not. I for one have been drinking diet soda since I had surgery. For one, I hate regular Water, got tired of drinking crystal lite ALL the time, hate tea, don't like the Protein water stuff, etc... It has not affected my restriction what so ever. Some Dr.'s have the opinion that it will stretch your stomach, others don't believe in that theory. There is no medical studies to prove one way or the other. So, I guess what I can tell you is that if your Dr. tells you not to drink it- then don't. But, LOTS of people do drink diet soda and have not had any problems, myself included. I can't drink a lot of anything w/carbonation. Often, one 20oz soda will last me an entire day at work and I don't takes swigs- couldn't if I wanted to.

Too funny!!! I'm single, so I can toot at home as much as I like. Sometimes though when I can feel one coming, I have this fear that I won't make it out of hearing/ smell range quick enough. Then, god forbid it just sneaks up on ya. This actually happened to me when I was in a guy's cube at work. I was doomed. I was sitting down and he was showing me some stuff on his computer. I knew if I stood up, I wouldn't make it out of the cube, so I was hoping my butt would keep the smell in the chair--- yeah, that didn't work. He didn't say anything, but I know he noticed. I was quite embarrassed but pretended like nothing happened. Those poor office chairs..... I tell ya.... sure makes a person think twice about getting a used office chair for one's personal use... LOL

I concur 200% with everything you wrote. I do have one question though, if you were to eat strictly lean Protein, like say baked/ broiled chicken or some other form of meat (not in sauces), do you think you would have more restriction? Just curious since you said you have little or no restriction- if this would still apply.

Thanks NannieG. I'm 5'3", so I'm a shortie... LOL I haven't seen my surgeon since a few days after surgery- he's in TX, I'm in MO. I've worked w/my PCP during the past year and he set the goal of 120# for me w/the reasoning that it would give me 5# of wiggle room. He has seen me struggle for years on the weight thing and so I am going for it. I haven't been 120# since probably junior high... 140's probably early high school. By the time I graduated h.s., I was probably knocking on 200#...

Ok, I'm in... a lot of life drama for me the past month and a half. I'm ready to get with it and finish this journey! Starting Surgery Weight: 271 Current weight: 142 4th July Goal weight: 130 Final Goal weight: 120 Let's rock n roll!

The honeymoon phase is the first 3 to 6 months after surgery where people by and large experience the fastest part of their weight loss. The first month tends to be fairly good weight loss and then there is the transition from liquids to mushies (most have the 3 week stall when they transition to food because your body is adjusting to the change), but the it usually picks back up because at that point you should be able to incorporate some form of exercise into your routine to help facilitate your weight loss. But basically, its' the first 3 to 6 months after surgery. I hope that helps.

I would agree with GeauxForIt's interpretation of what you posted. I would STRONGLY recommend you find out what the TOTAL cost of your surgery will be and then try to get it in writing. That might be difficult because they will try to say, subject to .... (complications, etc).... The hospital where I had my surgery submitted a bill for $83K and change, and that was JUST for 2 nights stay and I had NO complications. I have the same type of policy as your husband, but don't have near the limitations as that policy. (The employers get to customize the policies according to the premiums they want to pay on behalf of their employees) Then, my surgeon submitted bills over $20K which was ridiculous if you ask me. Aetna ended up paying $53K for the hospital bill. You probably already know that there are contracted rates between your surgeon/ hospital/ etc and Aetna. The tough part is there are so many "extra's" that they try to bill for like blood work, medications, use of equipment, etc, etc.... I would be REALLY careful before you schedule your surgery and find out what you might be signing yourself up for because I would hate for you to get stuck w/a bill that could be in the thousands or tens of thousands. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I will try to help however I can.

How much have you lost? How much more do you want to lose? Are you saying you eat well all week and then come Friday, you lose control?

No need for the attitude. I was just trying to offer some advice- what you do with it is up to you.

Well, I am almost a year out from my surgery and I have LOTS of flatulence, but they are mostly noise makers. I suppose I could take Beano, but have difficulty with pills. It doesn't matter what I eat, I probably fart5 to 10x a day on average. Once in awhile they have a noxious odor, and there have been a couple of times when I couldn't move to another room where I was alone before it slipped out. The ones w/odor are usually silent. The sharts as being referenced here also happen to me, but that is almost always associated with eating food too greasy or has lots of milk product. I too have become lactose intolerant since surgery. I don't even think of drinking milk anymore. Yes, I know there is the soy stuff, but I can't get my head around how that would even taste. Maybe one day I will try it.

Thank you for your kind words. She was my buddy and companion and is sorely missed. As for you having to be perfect? Well, not everybody responds the same. It sounds like you know your "demons" well, and so given that then it is probably best not to tempt yourself. I like that my body reacts so quickly when I eat the wrong things. It's like touching a hot stove, after awhile you start to associate certain foods with SUCH discomfort that the thought of eating or drinking them is enough to cause a person to make other choices. One thing I have noticed is that sweets has always been a huge downfall for me and now because they make me feel horrible more than not, I have found myself moving towards crunchy and salty stuff. Not really any better to be honest, but I just try to be aware of these trends so that I can stay in control. The concern I have for you is that we aren't robots and so I'm not sure it's reasonable to think that you will never cheat. Perhaps you might consider seeing someone who specializes in working with people with food addictions to help you reframe how you view food so that at some point down the road you can learn to allow yourself an occasional treat without allowing it to get out of control. Just a thought.

Very interesting. Anymore updates?

Please know that it is MOST DEFINITELY possible to gain any weight back that is lost at any point. The sleeve is a tool and it is up to us to use the tool to the best of our ability. Yes, it does restrict us, but depending on the choices we make that restriction can vary. Watch the processed foods, stick to lean Protein, veggies, etc. Get your exercise program in place and stick to it. For me, I became lactose intolerant almost instantly after surgery. I honestly didn't mind it because that meant chocolate (my favorite "food group") would make me ill and have me in the bathroom with exploding diarrhea within 10 minutes. I am still moderately lactose intolerant, but I now can have small amounts of chocolate and other milk products, but very small amounts. Too much makes my stomach cramp badly for hours, sometimes an entire day depending on what it is I ate. I have about the same amount of restriction as I did after surgery. You are doing the right thing by reading other posts and asking questions. The first few months are probably the most difficult while you move through the liquid stage to the mushy stage and then figuring out what your body can tolerate and how much. Just remember to try and make the best of the honeymoon stage of your surgery.

Well, try to remember that this is a journey. But, also you CAN eat what you want if you do it in moderation. If it's potatoes and carrots you want, or even a slice of pie, it's not bad to treat yourself. Banning yourself from things you really want only makes people want them more. I treat myself from time to time. In fact for the past 1 1/2 months I have been basically eating whatever I want but because I can't eat much of it, I am able to keep things in check. Granted some of the junk goes down too well. At the end of March, I took a 2 week vacation to Europe, gained 10# which I fully expected because I wasn't going to restrict myself to staying "on plan". It was my first trip across the big pond and I was going to experience all the different cultures while I was there. Since getting back I have spent the last month and a half getting caught up on "life", my dog got sick and passed away, etc... So, I just gave myself permission to "be human". Fortunately, I have basically maintained since getting back and last week made the commitment to get back on track so I can make it to my final goal. I have since lost 7 of the 10# I gained in Europe and I am going to stay focused until I reach my goal. We can't be perfect all the time. I hope you do get a point where you do love your sleeve. I see you had your surgery last September. How are you doing with your weight loss?

ReallyRose can chime in, but my guess is that carrots have natural sugars. It's not that carrots are bad, but depending on what state someone is in with their journey, sometimes its best to just totally stay away from sugars if they are a trigger for them or might be really carb sensitive. There have been NUMEROUS threads discussing whether the low carb vs low cal is the best approach. At the end of the day, it's what works best for you. There isn't really a one size fits all. The beautiful thing is our sleeve helps to guide us to stay on the right track. I LOVE my sleeve!!! It does get harder towards the end though. Just takes more persistence.

Ok, so I've lost a lot of weight and yes I'm proud of it. I appreciate the compliments, but twice now I've been pushed to answer, "so how much have you lost?" My standard answer is "a lot", and I stick to it. Today marks the 2nd time I've been asked again and even a 3rd time, "how much?" This last person was a Senior Director at work in another dpt during a conversation. She is a nice lady and I know she was happy for me, but I just came back without flinching, say, "a lot and that's all I'm going to say". I only tell the closest of my friends the actual #, as it really isn't anyone else's business if I choose not to say. The 1st lady said, "I want to know so I can congratulate you". In my head I was like, "you don't need to know that to congratulate me." I don't need people whispering, "you know how MUCH she lost...???" I've lost 137# so far and still a few more to go. Even though I was heavy and looked it, I have always been pretty muscular so it is misleading to people how much I always weigh- even now. People guess me to be 10 to 15 # lighter than what I am. That's good, but I guess I'm not angry, just sort of venting cuz I don't get why people think they are entitled to know something like this.

Oh, I LOVE that. I do like to be a smart ass sometimes, this situations give me the perfect opportunity to do it too (gently of course in the work place). I might look up some Tijakistan or Russan conversion, only if I really want to be sassy, I can mix it up. Like the number converted in Russian, but given in the Tijakistan conversion. I love your example about the sharing of the name of your daugher. That sounds so very special!

Yeah, it probably wouldn't be a big deal, except that as hard as it might be to believe the majority of the people in my building fall into the skinny, average or mildly overweight category, but only 1 or 2 people morbidly obese and I don't have any occasion to speak or work with them. The only exception is our call center which they are also on different floors and my work never crosses paths with them. I think call center jobs are so difficult because they are practically tied to their desks to meet their call quotas. We have roughly 450 employees in my building, but our company does a lot to promote fitness which is probably one reason why the stats are this way. I'm just a very private person, and I just don't share my personal business with people except those I'm close with. That's just me.

Oh, you made really laugh on that one... anticipating the "hit". LOL Have a great day!

That is much bigger than what I think most surgeon's are doing these days. That being said, the differences could be compared to say a pen, marker, sharpie, etc... (just for examples) and many will say it doesn't really matter- there has been MUCH debate on that already, so I'm not going there. Personally for me that was part of my requirements up front was to have the smallest sized stomach possible without having risk of health complications. My surgeon used a size 30 bougie. Now, there are other things to keep in mind that have to do with how your surgeon did your surgery because every surgeon has their own "technique". Some will just use the bougie as a guide and sew just a little outside the bougie, others just inside. It's supposed to be used as a guide for them to know how to size your new stomach. Again, lots of debate about whether having a larger size bougie affects long term success. I guess at the end of the day, if you have a larger stomach, then you can eat a little more than someone w/a smaller stomach- simple physics. I don't know that there is enough solid long term data that proves what size bougie has what types of success rates. I have seen some research, but it's not comprehensive. You have had the surgery, so just focus on staying on track with your Dr.'s eating plan and don't worry about it. You can't change anything at this point. If you are still curious, ask your dr. to explain to you a little more about how he used the bougie as his guide in creating your new stomach.

Ok, so I bought nylons for the first time in years a couple months ago. Never got the courage to wear something though needing them. Mostly because nobody at work has ever seen me in anything but slacks, so I didn't want to get the million questions, "are you going on an interview?" "are you going to a funeral?". But, also because I have always had large calves even when I was thinner. I always felt a little self conscious wearing skirts/ dresses because of it. Anyhow, I just decided to go for it today. Wearing nylons is actually kind of neat. For you ladies, I was able to slide into the size "B"s with no trouble at all. Once I reach my final goal, I may even be able to wear size "A's". Attaching a picture from last week at a friends house, the blazer was actually a little big on me. Sorry, no picture of me in my dress suit today. I've waited so long to wear many of these dress suits that I will either have to have them re-sized or give them away. I just felt like going for it today. It's so weird having the issue of having clothes always being too big... A good feeling though! It is actually more fun getting ready for work in the morning. The winter time picture was taken Jan 12th of this year, the other one 5/6/12.

You might not be eating much in terms of calories or carbs, but it sounds like you are drinking them. If you are going to quit or greatly reduce the drinking this should help. But, like others have said- go back to the basics to start out. You should start to see results just in doing that and then you might get motivated to start incorporating even some basic exercise a few times a week, even if its just taking brisk walks in the evening. You can do this. I actually gained 12# when I was on my trip to Europe just recently. I went over there knowing this would be likely. It wasn't that I planned on it really, but I also was planning to experience all that I could including different types of foods because this was my first trip outside the states and I have no idea when I will get to go again. I have no regrets honestly. First, it's a great feeling knowing that even if I "fall off the wagon", that I can hop right back on and do what needs to be done. Since I'm so close to my final goal, this is comforting knowing that maintenance is just around the corner. I've already taken all but 3 of those # off now by getting back to the basics and pumping up the exercise. Just remember how motivating it felt when you saw progress in weight loss and inches lost.