PdxMan

I've never been able to hold myself to one of anything, and I'm sure not going to start now! (Congrats on the jeans, BTW!)

{hug}

Are you getting your liquids in like Big suggests? Are you trying to do low carb? If so, now is not the time to be on a low-carb diet as your intake is so small compared to where you were a few weeks ago. My NUT suggested pureeing vegetables in broth soups. It worked for me.

OMG, isn't that the truth! I have given servers the same "look" I give my kids when they are doing something wrong and just like my kids, the server stops dead in their tracks. "Oh, would you like me to leave the bread?"

Dr Umbach in Vegas was $10,400. Has financing options. I would highly recommend him. ** Edit ** Just wanted to add that I took a second out on the house to pay for it. With the money I was saving from eating less, medical costs, etc. ... I was able to pay off the loan in just over a year and today I now pocket the savings. So, long story short, for me, this surgery is saving me hundreds of dollars a month, so don't forget to remember these aspects of the surgery when deciding what to do.

McButterpants, thank you for telling my story about bread. I love bread, too. Give me some of that garlic olive loaf from costco and it's on, baby! It would talk to me as it sat under its cute little napkin on the restaurant table. "dinner won't be here for at least 2 more minutes ... sure, I'm the last piece in the basket, but the server can bring another FRESH batch of my friends." And God forbid if the waitress tries to take the basket when they remove the plates. "Hey, there's still bread in the basket! Leave that there, please." Let's not even talk about Pasta ... ohhh ... good pasta with good bread ... I am happy to report, though, I now have a MUCH better relationship with my carb laden former BFF's (bread friends forever). I can have a bite or two and am satisfied. I no longer am obsessed the way you describe. It is so nice to have that burden lifted. Just one of the many miracles the sleeve has worked for me.

I have a packet of hot chocolate in a large cup of coffee just about every morning. I think it just depends on how far out you are and how aggressive you want to be in reaching your personal goals. I think for some people, even doing the sugar free alternatives are possible slipping points back to sugar enriched foods. But it all depends upon the person and their history. Myself, I was never able to do sugar free. It just made me want the real stuff even more, so I just avoided it as much as possible until I reached goal. But others have been doing sugar free for years, so I don't think it would be as much of an issue for them. As always, moderation is the key, but know that the first 6 to 12 months is going to be your optimal weight loss window. These items will be there for you next winter, too!

I know not everyone who gets WLS is addicted to food, but as my last comment on this thread: I totally understand what you are saying Madam, but I know, in a group of alcoholics, the person who walks in with a bottle of vodka is going to be popular and the person who says, "Hey, maybe we should put that away" is going to be demonized. I'm OK with that. If my message resonates with one person, that is all that matters. To those who find me high-minded, I apologize. My comments are not related to you. But there are those out here in the forum who truly struggle with food issues and sabotaging their efforts. I wish everyone well on their own journey with VSG. God bless.

Again with the defensiveness. It would seem you have no ability to read my responses objectively. Nowhere am I asking you to police your own thread. In my posts I have talked about issues with food, not necessarily food addiction as I know that causes a lot of people distress, but Montery, if you believe eating once a day is not having a poor relationship with food, then that is your own story. I am not here to judge. I merely pointed out that having a population of people who may have issues with food possibly glamorizing their dirty little secrets could potentially be a dangerous thing. To them, a newbie reading this thread and someone researching VSG. If you honestly cannot see this, then God bless you and good luck on your journey. If, for some reason, you find yourself in a forum dealing with sex issues, I would post the same type of response to a thread, "Tell us who you banged since joining the forum" As far as my tone, you are the one who is reading it with tone. http://www.wired.com...s/2006/02/70179 This applies to pretty much all forms of electronic communication, not just email.

You will find your way. The first month was the most difficult for me. Food wasn't appealing, I couldn't use food as a comfort, I was irritable and when I did eat something, it hurt and tasted like a cat's rear end. Good news is that you will find your groove ... clothes start fitting looser ... people look at you in the eye ... women hold the door open for you ... And then you're like, "Wow, this is cool" and you get re-invigorated and re-committed to your journey. Just stay focused and try to follow your medical team's suggestions as closely as you can.

You just don't get it Madam. Your thread is nowhere near your original post, but your pride has blinded you. I am not judging anybody. As I have stated in other posts, I have my cheats, too. We all do. Hopefully nobody goes into this thinking they will never be able to have their indulgences. But if you cannot see the thread has strayed into what appears to be an enabling thread, then well ... The responses on this thread are quite distressing as new folks and those researching the sleeve may interpret this as validation to resume previous poor eating habits. Many folks here go undiagnosed with eating disorders and issues with food and it would appear the thread has jumped track from your original post and intent God love you, Madam ... I am not your or anybody else's enemy here.

I believe this to be a normal reaction. The reality is often much different from the expectations. I think a majority of people have a point of where they say, "OMG, what have I done!?" What matters, though, is how long that lasts. For me, it was about a day, then I pulled up my big boy underwear and dedicated myself to this journey. Others, can't get past it and wallow in self-pity for longer, usually accompanied by an ice cream shake from McDonalds.

I did not miss the point of the thread ... I think you missed the point of my response. Are you unable to see the point of my response objectively? You seem to frequently think I am attacking you, but nothing could be further from the truth. So, let me ask you ... how well are people responding to the last paragraph? Like you said, it was patently clear, but can you not see that the responses have strayed away from the original post? Have you been reading the responses, even? Madam, I am not attacking you or your original post, so please don't get so defensive. Objectivity, please.

A couple years ago, I believe, I made a comment about how I feared as the sleeve gained popularity, there would be less research done by folks researching this option of WLS. They only know that their friend did it and lost weight, so they are going to do it to. They never address the issues that led them to being morbidly obese and then are shocked when, post-sleeve, they cannot abuse food the way they used to. I'm afraid this is only going to be more and more prevalent as more and more people blindly get VSG. I jumped blindly into the Atkins, South Beach, Cabbage but could easily pull the escape cord. That is not an option here. You have to know that when you get the VSG, you are going to have to make a fundamental change with your relationship with food. If you are not ready to do that, then you are not ready for the VSG.

So, I understand this is a venting thread AND this is something done RARELY and not a habit, but remember, people only change when they make a change. Bottom line folks, I don't want to see any of y'all crying 6 months from now that the scale isn't moving, yet these same behaviors are continuing. If someone is struggling with weight loss 6 months from now, I'm going to point them to this thread. Just like I wouldn't advise an alcoholic to just have a shot on a rare occasion, IMO, this is a dangerous thread. Yeah, we don't have issues with food, do we? OK, y'all can flame me now.

No, it took me to the seminar schedule, but the only thing happening while I am there is the Blossom Bites (Post-Op) seminar which, I am assuming, is the post-op diet planning on Oct 29th.

Soups were my standby. I pureed them well, then as I progressed, pureed them less and less until I didn't puree them at all. Be careful with cream soups as some people find some lactose intolerance issues for a bit post-op.

Yup, thanks. Nothing but the post surgery diet plan, it appears. Oh well. But if anyone wants to get together for a Protein shake, I'm buying!

Give THIS thread a read. I think you will find many, if not the majority of folks have a pretty smooth experience, but they just don't post about it. As far as the pre-surgery diet, different surgeon have different plans, so it is difficult to compare. Without the assistance of the sleeve, being disciplined to follow the pre-op diet can be difficult compounded with the stress that you are about to have 85% of your stomach removed ... I'm not going to kid you, for some people, it can be a difficult time. Myself, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired so I was quite determined to get the sleeve and would have walked across hot coals to get it done. The first 3 days of the pre-op diet were the hardest, then I found my groove and all was well. Good luck and keep posting your thoughts and questions. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/96538-confused-feel-the-same/

I believe 68 is the upper limit for VSG, but confirm with your surgeon.

Oct 26th-30th. I looked for the schedule online, but couldn't find it. Could you provide a link, please? I'm staying at the MGM. If we got 4 of us together, I could expense a meal as I'm sure 4 sleevers could probably share one entree!

My surgery was in Vegas ... outpatient. In at 7:00 am, back at the Golden Nugget by noon. Took a 4 hour nap and then out and about for a walk. Went to a nice restaurant with my wife (nothing for me, thanks, my stomach is a little restless), then played blackjack for about an hour. Back to the room about 9:30 and slept great. Next day, walked no less than 5 miles out and about Vegas. Laid out at the pool (with a towel over my belly area) and read. Took a nap. I agree with Ms. I believe the majority of folks fly right though this procedure. As the OP pointed out, because of the folks having issues, you hate to post these easy-breezy stories because you may come off as bragging or some other negative interpretation.

8 oz of chicken pot pie soup. Basically, the insides of a chicken pot pie sans potato. Delicious. Protein ... veggies ... what's not to love about that?