lsereno

One of the first things I ate was the grilled chicken salads from McDonalds. I dipped the chicken in the dressing and just ate a few bites of salad. When you can eat more, the grilled chicken sandwiches are good too. From Taco Bell, I like the grilled chicken tacos. I could only eat a bite of tortilla. From KFC, a thigh - any kind, without the skin. Another good option for the lunchtime desk kit when you can eat a little more is little cans of V-8. Lynda

Breakfast: Yogurt smoothie. Get yourself a bullet blender and blend it in the cup and drink on the way to work . lunch and dinner: Soup, such as split pea or veggie. Lunch meat wrapped around string cheese and a few crackers, rotisserie chicken, tuna salad, hebrew national low fat hot dogs, littie smokies (turkey), low fat cheeses, meatballs, pulled pork. You can buy small amounts of prepared veggies and meats from the deli and then use them for lunch and dinner. At 6 weeks out, if you eat Protein first you will not have enough room to eat much bad stuff. Lynda

I use the scale for almost everything. I use it to ensure I'm getting enough Protein each day and to track calories. I weigh yogurt, meat, fish, and poultry. I also weigh treat foods, such as crackers, chips, pretzels, and ice cream. I don't weigh fruits and vegetables and I measure liquids, such as soy milk. Lynda

I'd buy a couple of pairs of stretchy pants and if you have some dresses, some tights so you can wear them without freezing. I was swollen and sore for about three weeks. If you feel great post-op, you can always return the pants. Lynda

Here's what helps me: Walking Stand up tall, kinda stretching the tummy area out Pound on chest and hope for a burp I rarely get sick, but it does happen sometimes. Just last week I accidentally ate too much because I ate quickly then had some eggnog frozen yogurt. Oops! It's been months since I overdid it, but I was so sorry! Lynda

Well at more than 18 months out, it's all about choices. I could gain all the weight back if I make the wrong ones. So I choose a small soy latte instead of a a medium mocha with whipped cream. I choose to eat popcorn less than once per week. I don't keep my favorite sweet or salty Snacks in the house. I save them for a special occasion. I eat lowfat eggnog froyo instead of cups of full fat eggnog. And so forth. WW helped me understand how to make those choices. l

I love WW (but I know pre-op unlimited fruit would have been a disaster for me. Heck, I overdid it on unlimited vegetables!) WW really helped me understand what healthy eating looks like, how to read a label, how to enjoy an occasional treat, how to be kinder to myself and recognize emotional hunger. It wasn't enough to help me get the weight off and keep it off, but it was the best program I tried for weight loss pre-op. Lynda

People are nicer to me. It kinda pisses me off. I'm the same person. But there it is. I didn't realize that people ignored me or were less helpful as I became overweight because it was a slower process and I kinda chalked some of it up to aging. But the weight came off so fast and I'm not getting younger, so when the process reversed I was able to see that some people had been less nice the fatter I got. Sheesh. Lynda

Everyone's tummy is different after surgery. Mine was swollen inside and it was all I could do to finish an ounce every 15 minutes. If you have a hard time getting liquids down, sticking to that regimen gets you to 64 oz. per day if you do it all day. Thanks probably why your Dr. said to drink that way. Some people luck out and have less swelling at the beginning and can driink/eat more early out. The initial swelling or lack thereof doesn't mean you won't have good restriction later on. Lynda

Hi Drea, I went through Kaiser Fremont and had Dr. Hahn. I met a lot of people at the Kaiser support group who had Dr. Chui and they all loved her. It is hard at the holidays, but so worth it! Lynda

Hi all, This morning I woke up and found a message from Alex (the founder of Vertical Sleeve Talk) in my inbox. It's been two years since I joined VST. What a jolt it was to remember that two short years ago I had just barely learned that a vertical sleeve procedure cut away part of your stomach. I had heard of the procedure, but I thought it was called vertical sleeve because they but a sleeve over your stomach instead of just a band. Getting that message reminded me of the fear and anxiety I had as I began to investigate having a procedure to help me get to a normal weight. I am 5'6" and weighed about 250 lbs. I was so uncomfortable, I worked out and had tried weight watchers online and in person, but I could not get the weight off. I was terrified I would die of a weight-related disease. Reading others stories on this forum gave me faith to continue my journey. It took six months to get my operation scheduled, but I saw that was true for many others, so I just kept plugging along. I read stories of people who had complications, but recovered. That made be braver about the surgery- even those with complications pulled through and were doing well. I saw people who were at goal and happy - I wanted that! When my surgery date came, I was more prepared for how I would feel right after surgery because of the stories I read here. As I struggled post-op to get my fluids and Protein in and to get enough strength to return to my normal tasks, tips I picked up here helped make that journey easier. As I lost weight, the challenges made it more fun and easier to stick to getting to goal. As i learned to deal with how others reacted to a new, skinnier me, it helped to know others had the same issues! Now, two years later, I've been at goal more than six months. I am so happy and feel so much better! I am back to eating normal, small meals. They fill me up and I'm much less tempted to eat sweet treats and salty Snacks. I do have to work on it now. I could eat a bag of popcorn and a candy bar every day, but I choose not to! And I can stick to that choice and be happy with it! On my two year anniversary, I want to thank Alex and all the users on this forum for providing support throughout my surgery and as I learn to live at goal weight. This is my first Christmas at goal. I run around with tons of energy. I'm wearing knee-high boots and they are not the wide calf ones. I have a cute Christmas t-shirt in size small. I am enjoying the season while watching what I eat so I stay at goal, and I don't feel deprived and sad. Life is great on the goalies bench! Lynda

I read while I ate. Kept me occupied :-)

Yeah, I'd prefer not to be organized, but since I can't just gulp several glasses at the end of the day, I have to pay attention to get my Water in throughout the day. If I don't, I don't get enough water in. If your schedule changes around a lot, maybe you can tie it to meals instead of times. So much by breakfast, so much by lunch, before dinner, then some after dinner. I'd let it slip but I'm taking so many Vitamins I'm afraid to not drink enough water to flush out the extras I may not need. Lynda

I'm in NorCal. I went through Kaiser Fremont and you can see the timeline in my sig. In SoCal, the process is different, but there is a thread for SoCal Kaiser where the process has been discussed a lot. Lynda

Are you using a small spoon? I used a demitasse spoon and a baby spoon. Wait a minute between each bite. Use a clock with a second hand or a timer to help. How much in the mug? I only ate 1/2 cup of yogurt or soup at a time during week 2 and 3. It took me about 1/2 hour. Lynda

If you and your Mom are close, offer to take her with you a Dr. appt. The Dr. may be able to help your Mom understand this surgery is your best option for losing weight. Also, if your program offers counseling or an ongoing support group, that might help your Mom feel better about things. My Mom was terrified of the surgery, but she felt alot better after she found out how thorough my program was and esp. after I took her with me to an appt. with the surgeon. She was still scared a little, but she didn't try to discourage me after that. Lynda

I have Kaiser individual insurance (not through an employer) and it paid. Lynda

I've been at goal for six months now and I bought myself a pair of goal boots! They are knee and very slim through the calf. With less weight on me, I can walk in them all day and my feet don't hurt. I love VSG!

Are you taking an acid reducer? Many people report feeling hungry but it's acid and when they take an acid reducer, things get better. Lynda

I waited six months. I was cleared for alcohol at my six month appt. It just wasn't worth it to me to try it before my dr. OK'd it for me. Six months is a blink in the big picture. Lynda

Everyone experiences different levels of swelling. Maybe you didn't have as much swelling so you are having an easier time with liquids. Once you move to solid Protein, you will know what kind of restriction you truly have. If you are feeling a gnawing hunger, it might be acid instead of hunger. I didn't have that issue, but I did take an acid reducer for the first six months. I've seen lots of people with that issue. As for the Vitamins, my program had me taking everything except the Calcium the day after surgery. My program recommends the sublingual B12, so there is nothing to swallow. But I did swallow all other vitamins without a problem. I had to take them one at a time with teeny sips. Best wishes on your journey! Lynda

I had to drink my Water on a schedule to get it all in. Here's what a typical day looks like: 1/2 cup water to take my morning Vitamins 1 cup soy milk in my coffee 1 cup water after Breakfast (start 30 minutes after eating and finish before lunch) 1 cup decaf mid-moning 1 cup water after lunch ( start 30 minutes after eating and finish before dinner) 1 cup herbal tea mid-afternoon 1/2 cup water to take my evening vitamins before dinner 1 cup water after dinner (30 minutes after eating, finish during the night - sometimes I take it to bed with me and drink some during the night) 1 cup sugar free hot apple cider while watching TV I drink my water warm in the winter. During the summer instead of hot tea and cider, I have light lemonade or lipton sugar free green tea. Lynda

At 18 months out, I can eat whatever I want, just less of it. I have to restrict some foods ( such as popcorn, candy, baked goods) because I eat too much of them, so they are special treats instead of everyday Snacks. For everyday snacks, I like 1 oz. pretzels, 2 graham crackers with a little Peanut Butter, a piece of fruit, or raw veggies (sometimes with a dip or sometimes just salted). I also like Special K crackers. Lynda

Dense Protein is solid meat, poultry or fish. It takes longer to digest, so it makes you feel full quicker and you stay full longer. For example, chicken breast or thigh, slice of roast turkey, piece of salmon, or a pork chop. Lynda

Two reasons to focus on protein post-op: We are eating less, esp. at first, so protein needs to be first until we can eat larger portions or you won't get enough protein in. Eating a firm protein first fills your little tummy. You will see later out that certain foods you can eat a lot of, and they can be pretty high calorie: desserts, breads, chips, crackers, etc all go down easier than firm protein. For example, I can eat a medium movie theater popcorn over the course of the day. At first, I could only eat a few bites of popcorn. If I only eat popcorn after eating my sold protein, I still can eat only a few bites of popcorn. Lynda