lsereno

I can meet in Hayward. I'd love to see some fellow VSTers face to face! Lynda

Laura, Congratulations! Enjoy your accomplishment - you earned it!! Lynda

Thanks Kelly! I'm hoping a day without solids will give my tummy the break it needs. I hope you are feeling better soon too! And I think I will buy myself a little present today-- haha! Take that cranky tummy!! Just something little like a new lipstick or nail polish color or maybe a trashy magazine :-)

Hi all, So last night I got the slimies for the first time. Boy was it gross! I never threw up food, but I tossed copious amounts of slimy stuff. And I had the worst stomach pains I've had since the surgery. I have already scaled back to 2 oz of Protein per meal, but I added 1/8 c. frozen vegetables. I had eaten 1/2 c watermelon about 2 hrs before. Not sure what got me, or if my stomach was just "in a moood" but I DO NOT want a repeat. I think I would have felt better a lot faster if I would have thrown up and been done with it. After that I waited a few hours before my nightly Protein Drink, but I couldn't finish it anyway. So today I woke up and I am just NOT MOTIVATED to eat solids. I'm sitting here at 11 a.m. drinking 1 c of soy milk with 1 scoop of gold standard. And I'm thinking Soup for lunch later and some unjury chicken for dinner. I have had a really easy recovery compared to so many on the boards, so I feel a little guilty whining about this. Lynda

Hi MLD, I was sleeved at Kaiser Fremont on 5/17. I followed the pre-op diet with small cheats once per week for three months and lost 32 lbs. I did feel hungry when I first started it, but after a while I didn't. I really love Kaiser's approach to WLS with lots of planning ahead of time. I felt healthier and more prepared, which made me a lot more comfortable about having such a radical procedure. Good luck on your journey! Lynda

Hi all, Just wanted to whey in (sorry I couldn't resist!) with the Protein powders I've selected. I chose Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey because it seemed to have the best protein/calorie balance of the protein powders and drinks recommended by Kaiser Fremont. I purchased it at GNC. I am hoping two 5-lb tubs will take me through the period that I will need to supplement solid protein. I have a bit of an advantage over some because I love greek yogurt and like cottage cheese, so I hope to be getting my protein from food fairly quickly. I chose Double Rich chocolate and French vanilla flavors. I've tried them both simply stirred into milk and blended alone and with a little fruit. My completely biased taste test so far: Double Rich Chocolate, blended with 8 oz milk and two ice cubes: Pretty good flavor. I think I can drink this after surgery, but blending the drink makes it foamy. I'm worried I won't be able to get that volume down at first. Double Rich Chocolate, blended with 8 oz milk, two ice cubes, and 1/2 banana: Didn't think the banana added much to the flavor, so I probably won't add it unless i need the extra nutrition. Double Rich Chocolate, blended with 6 oz milk, two ice cubes, and 1/2 banana: Cutting milk back to 6 oz. and blending slower significantly decreased the volume. I could taste the banana better with the smaller amount of milk. French Vanilla, blended with , blended with 8 oz milk and two ice cubes: Yuck! I detected a distinct aftertaste that I really didn't like. French Vanilla, blended with 8 oz milk, two ice cubes, and 1/2 cup strawberries: Strawberries didn't help. Still yucky in my book. French Vanilla, stirred with 6 oz milk: When I simply stirred it, it tasted better to me. Surprise: I liked it! Double Rich Chocolate, stirred with 6 oz milk: When I simply stirred it, it had the same aftertaste I found in the blended French Vanilla. Surprise: I didn't like it! Conclusions: I will drink the French Vanilla stirred with 6 oz milk and the Double Rich Chocolate blended with 6 oz. milk and two ice cubes. Worries: If I'm lactose intolerant after surgery, I will switch to Lactaid milk. I hope it tastes the same! Best regards, Lynda

Hi, I gained 15 lbs. after surgery and suffered with diarrhea for the first two weeks. If you are using any dairy products other than yogurt or cheese, try cutting them out. I found when I cut out cottage cheese and lactaid milk my diarrhea lessened to 2-3 times per day. I use soymilk now without a problem. Try to focus on getting your fluids first and find a way to tolerate the Protein. I used the unjury chicken Soup Protein powder at first. It was about the only thing I tolerated well. Go easy on yourself and remember you are healing and you are losing weight. It's simple math. Your body burns calories. If you eat less than you burn, your body's reserves (fat) will be used. Even a comatose person burns more than 600 calories a day!! Your weight is not budging because our bodies are around 50% Water and that percentage can fluctuate. For me, it took 8 days for the water from surgery to come off and after that I lost at a pretty good clip for several days before hanging at the same weight for several more days. Now, I'm back to losing again but I'm expecting another few days of stalled scale figures anytime. Right now, concentrate on healing and staying hydrated -- everything else you want will follow. Lynda

I'm from San Jose. I attend the support group at Kaiser Fremont the second and fourth Friday of each month (except this month we are not meeting on the 10th). The Kaiser support group is free and open to all. I'd love to meet up with other VST members before or at the support group. Lynda

Hi all, My week's goal and progress so far: Monday: Ride bike 2-3 miles, walk 1 mile with hubby. I walked 1 mile with hubby and we washed the dog at the self-serve dog wash. Tuesday: Walk 3-4 miles with my walking group. I made it about 2 miles. Had to turn back early. Walked another mile with my husband in the evening. Wednesday: Follow along with Sit and Be Fit class that I recorded from PBS. I saw the Dr. today for my first post-op and I am cleared for more activity including working out and lifting more than 1- lbs. Dr. said just don't do it if it hurts and don't go crazy-build back up slowly. I didin't work out today. Thursday: Walk 3-4 miles with my walking group. Walked the entire walk with my walking group: 45 minutes we covered two miles. I know they walked slower for me. Rode my bike about one mile. Had to take a nap in the afternoon. Friday: Follow along with Sit and Be Fit class that I recorded from PBS. Ride bike 2-3 miles, walk 1 mile with hubby. Spent 3 hours walking around the Sub-Zero fest. I only sat down twice for less than 5 minutes each time. I was pooped! Saturday: Day off! Was thinking of working out today cuz I skipped Wednesday, but I've been pooped all day. Napped on and off all day and planning to hit the sack early tonight. Sunday: Longer bike ride with friends. Forgot I have a big community event to organize on Sunday, so I'll be walking and biking all over my neighborhood.

I use my scale because I want to accurately track how much Protein I'm eating each day and that is easiest to measure per ounce. I also use it to measure ice that I blend in my Protein drinks so I can count that towards my 64 oz. per day requirement. . 4 oz. of ice= 1/2 cup of Water. I have a WW scale left over from my many years of WW. Lynda

Hi Kara, Congrats and welcome to the losers' bench! My Dr. also uses a #40 and at 2.5 weeks out, I can definitely feel the restriction. I am managing 3 oz. of soft Protein at lunch and dinner and 1/2 cup of greek yogurt in the morning. I'm so glad you are doing well and I'm happy for you that you made this decision and had this operation available while you are younger and have more of your life to enjoy. I've been obese sine the mid-90s and my only regret is that this operation wasn't available to me sooner. Lynda

Hi Lisa, I'm on my first week of soft foods and I don't want to eat most of the time either. I just set my timer and slog through it. I really want to get away from the Protein drinks so I've been eating 3 oz of protein per meal. I just can't face anything to solid first thing in the morning so I have 1/2 cup of greek yogurt (10 grams protein) for breakfast. I also have a couple of slices of peach, which I enjoy. Then I have a low-cal string cheese (8 grams of protein) mid-morning, 3 oz of turkey, chicken, ham, fish, or shrimp for lunch and dinner, and a Protein shake before bed. I've been making these with 4-5 strawberries, 4 oz of ice, 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk, 1/4 cup Water, and a couple of spoons of splenda. I am eating only my favorite foods, but it is still hard to eat. I'm mot worried though because I've read of lots of people have problems early out and they resolve with time. I feel like my stomach is still healing, so I'm not surprised it's a little cranky when food gets shoved down there. Lynda

I had VSG on 5-17. I was scared before, but I dealt with it by planning: Dehydration: I set up small shot glasses, a measuring cup, a timer, and a pen and notepad on my kitchen counter before I left for surgery. When I came home, I filled the measuring cup with ice Water, set the timer for 15 minutes, and took the measuring cup, shot glass, and pen and notepad on my nightstand. I drank 1 oz. of water every 15 minutes while I was awake. Pain when trying to sleep: I gathered a bunch of pillows and set my bed up to look like the hospital bed (head and shoulders elevated, knees slightly bent up with support underneath. My worst surprise was diarrhea, but I found many others have it too so I wasn't scared, just inconvenienced. I will be thinking of you Monday and sending healing thoughts your way! Lynda

Hi all, I'm not sure I'll make my goal, but I'm trying! SW-223...............CW-206...............July 4th goal-189.................Lbs to goal-17 Lynda

Hi Kelly, I use my food scale for everything. I think it was about 5 shrimp- the big ones from the costco Seafood Roadshow. I buy the 5 lb. bag frozen because you can just take out a handful at a time - perfect for our small tummies! Lynda

Erin, I'm rooting for you today! I', glad you found my info useful. I have gotten so much from this forum. It feels good to be able to give back a little. Lynda

Hi all, My week's goal and progress so far: Monday: Ride bike 2-3 miles, walk 1 mile with hubby. I walked 1 mile with hubby and we washed the dog at the self-serve dog wash. Tuesday: Walk 3-4 miles with my walking group. I made it about 2 miles. Had to turn back early. Walked another mile with my husband in the evening. Wednesday: Follow along with Sit and Be Fit class that I recorded from PBS. I saw the Dr. today for my first post-op and I am cleared for more activity including working out and lifting more than 1- lbs. Dr. said just don't do it if it hurts and don't go crazy-build back up slowly. I didin't work out today. Thursday: Walk 3-4 miles with my walking group. Walked the entire walk with my walking group: 45 minutes we covered two miles. I know they walked slower for me. Rode my bike about one mile. Had to take a nap in the afternoon. Friday: Follow along with Sit and Be Fit class that I recorded from PBS. Ride bike 2-3 miles, walk 1 mile with hubby. I'm going to SubZero fest downtown tonight, so I will walk a mile or so there. Saturday: Day off! May skip this day off since I didn't work out on Wednesday. Sunday: Longer bike ride with friends. Forgot I have a big community event to organize on Sunday, so I'll be walking and biking all over my neighborhood.

Do you have your gall bladder? My doc put me on a gallbladder medication for the duration of my active weight loss period. Other than that, I don't know of any issues with burning substantially more calories than you are consuming. Lynda

I started soft foods Tuesday afternoon. I try to get in 1 cup of Water or other liquids every hour unless it's mealtime. I miss a few because I'm doing something outside the house (even though I take it with me) or when I have an afternoon nap. It is a real struggle to get in 8 cups of Fluid. At this point, I am forcing water and food to meet my hydration and fluid goals. I guess I am lucker than most because I don't get nauseated. I do have to take really small sips though. Basically, as soon as I finish drinking one thing, I get something else going. Here's a typical day for me: Wake at 6 a.m. 6 a.m. : 1 cup ice water 6:45: Head out for walk with friends, take rest of first cup of water with me. 8:00 Have i cup decaf coffee with friend after walk. 9:00: 3 oz. tuna with 1 T mayo and two saltines (45 minutes to eat) 10:15 1 cup ice water 11:00 Shopping with hubby, take rest of 10 a.m. water with me. 1:30 Back from shopping: 3 oz. turkey meatloaf, 1 strawberry (25 minutes to eat) 2:30 1 cup water with crystal lite lemonaide 3:00 2 hour nap 5:00 Wake up and finish drink from 2:30. 5:45 1 cup water with crystal lite 6:30 3 oz shrimp, 1/8 c. baked potato (30 minutes to eat) 7:30 1 cup water 8:45 1/2 cup pureed strawberries with splenda, 1 scoop unflavored unjury, 1/2 c. ice, 1/3 c. soy milk 10:20 1 cup ice water I will go to bed soon with about another 1/2 cup water. Lynda

You're welcome.! Someone else posted it on another thread awhile back. I have a very complete program from Kaiser, but it is fun to see what other programs look like. Lynda

Maybe even further up the Peninsula than Sunnyvale depending on the cities everyone is from. All us post-ops can all get one appetizer and share! I'm off to eat dinner on my second day of soft food. I'm getting down 3 oz. per meal, but it takes me 30-45 minutes and I feel as stuffed as a Christmas Goose after. I just want away from the Protein Drinks ASAP. Lynda

Kaiser Fremont guidelines are 400-600 calories per day during Stage III (soft foods), which generally lasts from Week3-6 and I think 800 per day for Stage IV (All foods) during the active losing phase and then 1200-1500 calories per day when you reach goal. Lynda

For first two weeks, I was restricted to: No stretching, twisting, or straining of core muscles No lifting over 10 pounds Walking and riding bike OK. At my two week checkup, my Dr. said I can begin to resume workouts and lifting heavier weights. He said to pace myself, with the goal of being back to full-strength workouts and lifting in one month (6 weeks post-op). Lynda

I had the best luck with unjury Protein powders. Seemed to cause less gas and diarrhea in the first couple of weeks. Lynda

I just had my first post-op (2 weeks out). I've lost 7 lbs. since surgery, 38 lbs. pre-op diet. I'm averaging between 400 and 600 calories a day. There are some good guides out there. Check out the ones on VSG FAQ: http://vsgfaq.wordpress.com/ I got advanced to soft foods today. I enjoyed 3 oz. of Jennie-O turkey meatloaf for lunch and at dinner and a low-fat cheese stick for a snack. I set my timer and took one minute for each small bite. I chewed most bites in about 30 seconds, but I gave it another 30 seconds before taking the next bite. Lynda