PdxMan

Since this is such a common syndrome, do you have any advice for newbies?

Talk to your NUT regarding the kind of Protein is best for you. Do a search on this site for Protein shots. A lot of folks on here have said their (and mine) NUT directed them towards whey protein. It is the quickest absorption. Protein shots usually contain very little whey protein and are mostly casein protein, which is a slower release and good for body builders, but not so much for us. I had to go through several brands of Protein shakes before I found one that worked for me. I settled with Premier Protein from costco. You can also get them at Sams. They are not too sweet and are ready to drink. They work for me.

Hello and welcome to VST. After reading your post, my first thought was ... you have researched the band and are convinced that is the best bariatric surgery for you? Really? I, too, started my research thinking lap band as I didn't want to have things re-routed (RNY) or stomach removed. But as I researched the band, I learned that would have been a disasterous choice for me. All the stories about slipping and having to constantly go in for adjustments. Needing adjustments because I would have been throwing up, having reflux or the other extreme, not losing weight because the size was too large. Then to top it all off, the band scars and damages the stomach. Permanently. How was I going to fix that? Bypass (RNY) wasn't ever a choice as I did not want my intestines re-routed. God laid them out the way he wanted. I wasn't going to argue that point with him. Also, the pyloric valve doesn't operate naturally, either. Yes, it passes stomach excretions through, but that doesn't help the body decide when to pass food into the intestines. Malabsorption issues for the rest of my life ... no thank you. Bowel obstructions ... not for me. Pouch stretched back to large enough size so I gain most if not all the weight back ... well, I think you get my point. So, I researched the sleeve. In it's most basic form, all that is being done is making my stomach smaller by taking the stretchy part of the stomach out. I could argue this point with God. "Hey, love the stomach, but I am having issues with the amount of food I am eating, so I'm just going to make it a bit smaller ... well, maybe more than just a bit." But it works for me. That is all that happened. Take the existing stomach and make it smaller. Leave all the plumbing in the right place and have everything functional. Sounds perfect, eh? For me, it is. I can eat anything and everything, just in smaller portions. Pre-sleeve, my thing was feeling full. I love feeling full. I always ate until I was FULL. You know what? Same is true today, I just get full a whole heck of a lot faster. I go out to dinner with my wife and we split a meal. And take home leftovers. Recovery time for me was pretty quick. I had outpatient surgery on Friday and was back to work three quarters time by Wednesday, full time the next Monday. My pre-op diet was a two week "Lean-and-Green" plan. I had a Protein shake for breakfast/lunch and a salad with some lean meat: chicken/shrimp/pork ... whatever. And I'm not talking about a side salad, either. I was using mixing bowls and loaded it with carrots, broccoli and everything. Huge salads and sometimes a whole can of tuna. Hey, my doc said lean and green, he never mentioned size. For snacking, I was allowed a shake. I lost 10 pounds pre-op and afterwards he commented on how awesome my liver looked and how easy it was to work around. So, I know you're scared as this is a huge decision. Myself, I needed a permanent, fundamental change with my relationship with food. I was/am addicted to food in an unhealthy way. The band may provide a quick fix for awhile, but the health cost would have been enormous and my weight loss, well ... who knows. The sleeve is a permanent change which helps me to eat "normal" portions. That is something I have always wanted, but never had the ability to maintain. I love my sleeve. Don't look at this as a setback, it actually is the best thing that could have happened for you ... I know it. Continue to research the band and the sleeve. There is a forum here addressing band to sleeve conversions. Talk to everyone including the Dr who held the class. There is a reason he is doing sleeves now.

For me, when I ate too large of bites, didn't chew enough or ate too quickly would result in pain. As long as I avoid those 3 old habits, I'm OK. This is as true today as it was at 2 months out. 19 months out and last night, during the football game (Go Ducks!) I ate a chicken leg soaked in wing sauce and blue cheese dressing. Tasted wonderful, but I ate too much too quickly and I was hurting for about 15 minutes afterward. 19 months out and old habits are still present. But, for the most part, I am able to stay with my new habits.

07/08/2011 - It was outpatient with Dr Umbach in Las Vegas (baby!)

Really depends on your activity level and size. A couch potato is going to need far less than someone who is in the gym 5 days a week. What do you consider "losing weight"? 10 pounds a month? How active are you? How active are you willing to be?

Surgery on Friday, back to 3/4 time on Wednesday, full days the next Monday. Desk job as well.

Once you get your carbs back up and get out of ketosis, the whole taste thing begins to mellow out until everything goes back to normal. Like feedyoureye, there are some textures that I choose to avoid now because they don't agree with me.

When you say a "normal" stomach, do you mean the one that allows you to make 3 trips through the all-u-can-eat trough or the one that "normal" people have where they eat a well balanced, correctly portioned meal? If it is the first, I don't want that anymore and if it is the latter, than the procedure has given me a "normal" stomach, so ... I, too, had a hiatal hernia repair during my procedure. I had terrible reflux, but now, I do not battle it at all. Zero. It solved my problems with reflux and there is a good chance it will for you, too.

I was outpatient. In at 7:00, out at 11:30. My surgeon had me drinking Muscle Milk on my way out the door of the surgery center, so, I think you are fine.

It is a very emotional time right now. For me, this was one of the biggest decisions of my life right up there with marriage and having children. Perhaps even bigger as it is a permanent, life-long change. I did not take it lightly. I was fortunate, though, that from decision to surgery was about a month and I had a two week pre-op diet, eating a lean-and-green diet. shake for breakfast/lunch and a salad with lean Protein for dinner. Snacks were limited to another shake. The two weeks prior to the pre-op diet was basically a food funeral. Going to favorite restaurants and gorging down. The first two days of pre-op diet I cheated a bit having a slice of pizza and some of my daughter's birthday cake. But after that, I hunkered down and got serious about the journey I was embarking on. I had made a decision to change my life and I wasn't going to let myself get in the way. You can do this, too. Just try to stay focused on the end goal and when the pre-op diet starts, follow it closely. Get the funerals out of the way now and don't beat yourself up over it. I'm guessing we all have our personal issues with food, but if you are willing to address them and are determined to conquer them, you will do great.

Discrimination

I agree completely with CatTracks. I make these things myself from scratch and are not sugar laden, but rather healthy, nutritious meals. This can be done.

Is it possible you mis-understood them? Maybe got it backwards? Soups have been the mainstay of my diet since being sleeved. As long as they are (as I like to say) nutritionally relevant, soups and smoothies should be fine. Being liquid in nature, the pyloric valve should open relatively quick to move said contents in through the intestines, so I can't see where they would take up much space for long ... My soups are packed with Protein and good carbs. I love them. My blood work is fantastic with everything being within the "normal" range. And I mean everything, which has never been true for me pre-sleeve, so ...

Are you looking for a quick fix for your Protein intake or has your Dr suggested these for other nutritional purposes. Like Jersey points out, there is little protein and it is casein protein, too, which is not the quickest absorption suggested for VSG'ers, unless you take it before bedtime. whey protein is your best bet for protein suppliments. It takes some time to figure out what tastes and works best for you, but take the time to do it. This is about your health and you are worth it. Don't short yourself by looking for the silver bullet. Speaking of bullets, avoid the protein shots as well. Lots of posts here about them and talk to your NUT about them. They do us VSG'ers no good at all.

Yes, weight can fluctuate by pounds in a day. I'm sorry to say this is very normal ... you are not unique. Are you wanting to lose weight or lose fat? Stop using the scale as it only measures weight. Your real barometer should be how clothes feel on you, measurements and how you feel overall. I weighed myself once a month and always saw a loss so I didn't get that head-spin, what's wrong with me discouragement. That type of thinking will only sabotage your effort, so stop torturing yourself. Your body converts calories to glycogen which is stored in your liver and muscles. Glycogen has weight. When glycogen is stored in your muscles, it must bond in a 4 to 1 ratio with Water, so if your body stores one extra pound of glycogen than it did the day before, with the water, it will actually be 5 pounds. As far as fat and all that ... 1 pound of weight = 3,500 calories. If you burn 3,500 calories more than you take in, then you lose a pound. Eat 3,500 calories more than your burn, you gain a pound. So, you gained 4 pounds in one day. Do you think you consumed 4 x 3,500 = 14,000 more calories than you burned? Most likely not. Do you believe that those 4 pounds are 4 pounds of fat? Most likely not. If you have been reading the boards I'm sure you have seen this over and over again. Get rid of the scale. It can only hurt you.

Are you doing honest tracking on MyFitnessPal or something similar? Just keep following the guidelines as close as you can. It will happen.

Months 6-9 were my hair loss months. Started growing back after that. I was diligent taking my vitamins, protein and biotin. Didn't matter ... I lost at least 50% of my hair. To be honest, I am harrier (sp?) after. I think all the biotin. So, just keep following your guidelines the Dr laid out for you. It will come back soon.

I'll have a sip of root beer occassionally, but the truth is, I just can't handle that much. There's lot of talk about how it will stretch your sleeve ... empty calories ... blah, blah, blah. I can only speak for myself, so your milage may vary. I don't consume enough calories each day where I am going to stress out over an additional 100 or 200 calories. I have some carbonated beverage MAYBE once a week and it is MAYBE about 4-6 ounces. Now, if you're trying to suck down 5 or 6 Mountain Dews a day ... then there is another problem going on which needs to be addressed. Stretching. I am almost 19 months out and have excellent restriction. I asked my Dr about stretching right after my surgery and he laughed. He basically told me that I would have to put in a real effort to stretch my sleeve and it would NEVER be stretched back to the size it was pre-sleeve. Just can't happen. Period. So, I think the occassional sip or four is fine, but if we are honest with ourselves we will know what our motivation behind what we consume. If you are wanting to drink several carbonated beverages a day, then you need to realize this is a problem for you. In these cases, no, you should not consume any carbonated beverage. It's like an alcoholic only having one martini a day. It just doesn't work that way.

Your third question may get skewed results. Insurance did not pay for my surgery, but being a "Center of Excellence" was MY requirement. I chose Dr Umbach in Las Vegas (baby!) I'm not sure why someone would go with a facility that didn't have this certification.

Not sure if you realize this, but you posted this to your personal blog, not as a question to the forum, so you won't get the same exposure. But, to answer your question, you need some perspective. Pre-sleeve, your stomach could hold, let's say 80 oz fully distended. You just had most of your stomach removed and it now has a capacity of around 6 oz and can't distend. So, before, you would take an 8 oz bottle and chug it down, no problem. 8 oz into an 80 oz container ... you used 10% of the space. Now, fast forward to post-sleeve. 8 oz into a 6 oz container ... hmmm ... it's not going to be the same result. I'm over 18 months out and no, I cannot guzzle water the way I used to. I can't eat food the way I used to, either. But that is the way I wanted it and needed it. Once you get used to it, it is no big deal. I actually appreciate the fact I can't inhale food and/or drink now. That is part of what got me into trouble.

You really can't compare yourself to anyone else. There are too many factors. Men lose faster than women Higher BMI lose faster than lower BMI People with a larger muscle base are going to lose faster than those with less Have thyroid issues? To what degree? Diabetic? Exercising? Following the guidelines loosely or strict? One thing to know, though, which I believe is true for all, is the first week is going to be about your biggest drop as this is when your body is utilizing the glycogen stored in your muscles which is stored there with Water. As your body burns it, it is also releasing water, which weighs a lot. 1 pound of weight = 3,500 calories. If you burn 3,500 calories more than you take in, then you lose a pound. Eat 3,500 calories more than your burn, you gain a pound. So, you lost 9 pounds. Do you think you burned 9 x 3,500 = 31,500 more calories than you consumed? Most likely not. Do you believe that those 9 pounds are 9 pounds of fat? Most likely not. Don't mean to be discouraging, but informative. Just keep following the guidelines your medical team gave you and you will do great. Oh, and know that you will have stalls, but that doesn't mean you aren't losing fat or inches. Read about stalls.

I know there are a lot of new and soon-to-be sleevers out there and many are wondering if they are ever going to be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner like days gone by. I know it was a concern of mine. So, I though I would post about it. I am nearly 19 months post sleeve. Yesterday, I made a turkey with stuffing ... gravy, mashed potatoes, green Beans ... you know the drill. I had about 4 bites of turky (first) then about 4 green beans, 2 bites of stuffing and 2 bites of potatoes. Gravy slathered across everything. I put it on a salad plate and it was about half full. I was one of the last ones to finish eating (guy across from me had 3 platefulls) and I was stuffed. Had ice cream and peanut brittle and a sliver of apple pie about an hour later. I ate about one fourth of the meal I would have had 2 years ago and didn't attack the refridgerator 4 hours later like I used to do. Didn't even think about it, to be honest with you. Crazy, huh? THAT'S a new behavior. Oh, I almost forgot ... Breakfast ... I made French toast, sausage and bacon and a double batch of carmel sticky buns. I ate a sausage and some bacon and half a sticky bun with butter. I sent half the sticky buns over to my sisters home, a quarter of the batch to a neighbors home and the rest to my in-laws (Merry Christmas!) I did keep one big one for the kids for today (I'm sure I'll have a bite), but I am better off having those kinds of things out of the house. It was a great Christmas and no food hangover. I love being sleeved and how it helps me to be accountable for what I put into my mouth.

The bottom line is, as Geaux points out, is you are putting yourself at great risk for complications. I'm guessing your medical team instructed you on this point and that may be one of the reasons you feel guilty. You had this knowledge, yet, you still took the risk. There could be dozens of reasons for this and you may want to talk to a professional to address this.