PdxMan

Did my pre-op testing in Portland, but the surgery was in Las Vegas (Baby!) ... no problems or delays.

You need to get shoes that match your gait. People fall into one of three categories. Pronate, neutral or suppinate. There are other terms for these, but it basically means the angle at which your feet make contact with the ground. The article I linked to will give you info on it. This is relevant to walkers as well as runners. If you don't have the right shoe, even walking will put undo stress on the knees causing pain. This, of course, will lead to abandoning the excercise completely. How do you find what you are? Every running store I have ever been to will do a gait analysis for free. You can try some shoes on there, but you don't have to buy them. Since you are looking at some "off road" movement, I would then search the internet for a trail shoe for your gait. Zappos is great because they take returns, no problem. Check them out and good luck with your routine.

Link doesn't work ... But I did find THIS article.

Good point. This is true. If you take awhile to drink them, things tend to "settle" to the bottom. If I find I am taking 15-20 minutes to drink one, I have to put my thumb over the top for a quick *shake*, otherwise, I just dump it when there is one drink left. If you drink the whole thing in 5 minutes, which I do post work-out, then its all good. BTW, Wheetsin, I think you're yummy, too.

IMO, these are the best. I have tried dozens and have settled on these. You can get them at Costco or Sam's Club. Do a search on the site (upper right hand corner of web page or under Options on mobile device) for Premier Protein. You will get a lot of threads to read about people's opinions on these. 99% of them are favorable. I happen to be drinking a chocolate one right now. Yum!

If you are feeling irritation further down, I would wonder if you feel you really chew, chew, chewed your food well? Especially meats, I find I get the same sensation unless I really grind it down before it enters the stomach. As far as your quantity, a couple days before a race, I eat a 4 oz filet with some fried potatoes. Again, I have learned I have to pay more attention to chewing this even though it is a tender cut of meat. I think the mechanical aspect of our stomach just takes awhile to get back to full functionality.

Not a dumb question at all. Very good questions to know the answers to. Will life always require a pill box of Vitamins? You will get to the point where you are able to eat anything and everything. I got to that point at about 7/8 months out. If you eat a balanced diet, no, you will not need to supplement with the exception of B12 as that is something which is absorbed in your stomach, which 85% was just removed, so ... Also, depending on where you live, you may need Vitamin D, which is better absorbed when you pair it with Calcium. I am in the NW where the sun comes out twice a year for 15 minutes, so as long as I am here, I will also need these two. Will I ever be able to take the refreshing gulp of Water? Well ... your stomach capacity is going to be about 8 oz after all the swelling has gone down, so, no ... you are not going to be able to chug a 12 ounce glass of water. I was worried about this, too, as I was a HUGE water drinker. Trust me, it isn't a big deal. Will energy always be low (B12)? For the first month my energy was low. My nutritionist suggested I increase my carbs and that did the trick. I take my B12 every few days and all my levels are great. Will I ever be able to get strength back again with such low intake of essential nutrients? You will lose some muscle mass during the first few months. That is where you have to do some work. Ensure you get your Protein in and hit the gym and you'll be fine. There is a whole sub-forum on fitness and exercise. Can I ever do a tough mudder without a supply of protien bars? Yes. I am a competitive runner (just took 1st place in my division two weeks ago at a 5K) There are some challenges, but if we all work together and learn what works, it can be done. No problem.

Congratulations. That is awesome. One of the things I have noticed, which never was a problem for me before, is the whole: For Dockers, I where a size 32 waist, but for columbia, it is a 34. Gap is 33 and Levi's I fit in a 32. Before, I just threw on my 40s/XXXL and went. I never noticed a difference in manufacturers sizing, but now, it is a factor. I guess it was easier for the fat to just squeeze around, but now, I'm down to bone so there is no give.

Thanks rdo, Let me tell you ... I have been able to pay down my loan so much in part due to the savings since being sleeved. My food bill is less, medical expenses are less ... This surgery will pay for itself.

Don't worry ... you are totally normal. Crazy like the rest of us!

I'm really sorry this happened to you. I can understand your frustration when you thought it was covered. But all may not be lost ... When I researched VSG and checked insurance coverage, mine was the same. Covered everything up to the surgery ... nothing post-op, either. Blood tests, EKG, blah, blah, blahs ... covered. So, I had that all done and then went to Las Vegas (Baby!) for self pay surgery. Cost me $10,400 for the procedure and probably another $400 in extraneous expenses, but it is worth it. I took a second on the house to pay for it and just about have it paid off. One consolation to self pay is that you do get add a portion of the expenses to your deductions come tax time. Whole lotta threads on that topic on here. Again, I'm sorry to hear this, but it doesn't mean you can't still have it done. All is not lost ... just more $$ than you thought it would be.

Don't worry about stretching the sleeve at this point. It isn't going to happen. There are lots of great threads on this topic on this board. If you are viewing this on a webpage, go to the upper right corner on a page and there is a box where you can put in a search term. If on a mobile device, the search functionality is under Options. Try using the search term stretch and check out some of the threads. Just keep sipping and walking. You'll do great. Boots may be swollen more or less than you, so it is difficult to gage. I don't think there is a 'normal'. If you can do 8 oz in 30 minutes, great! Keep doing it. Liquids pass through your pyloric valve very quickly and is one of the reasons why, when you are on solids, you don't drink when you eat.

Yes, people can fail with the sleeve, but I really think this is something so much different. This is not like being on the Atkins Diet for 6 months, your spouse yells at you and then you say, "Screw it!" (As I had done a few times) and grab a bag of Doritos. It just doesn't work the same. Hunger isn't the same. The restriction I feel comes so much quicker I couldn't do a binge even if I wanted to. I think it would take a real concerted effort to fail in the manner to which you may be thinking. Even so, you still have a greatly reduced stomach which would make it easier, I think, to get back on track. 85% of the stomach is removed. There is NO WAY you will ever be able to stretch it back to previous size.

You know, everybody is going to have a different level of swelling, so this is a difficult question to answer. I also had a hiatal hernia repair, so swallowing was really difficult early on which just added to the restriction I was feeling. Some folks have little to no swelling of their stomach and they can drink 4 oz of Water straight away. I was drinking 1 oz every 15 minutes or so ... With 85% of your stomach removed, your stomach capacity without swelling is going to be around 8 oz, so you will probably never be able to drink that much at a single sitting. Add to it the post-op swelling and, well ... 1 oz every 15 minutes immediately post-op was all I could do. I just kept on doing it trying to increase it as I went. All we can do it the best we can do. Just keep trying and do what you can.

Nice Brat! Congrats. You look great.

I didn't have any until I found them! And then, like Wheetsin says, you can't un-go there ...

Yup, what MinaT said. I also decided water/Gatorade on the day before surgery as I had done for previous procedures. For me, pain meds really constipate me so the last thing I wanted was to have that issue after stomach surgery. I don't know if it helped/hurt me, but, as others have mentioned, it was at least a week before I had my first BM and then needed Milk of Magnesia to keep everything moving. Good luck on your big day and keep us posted

May I suggest not trying to find them ... I have found mine (I'm not going to tell you what they are) and I wish I didn't!

I've shared on this forum alchoholism is something I went to rehab for over 10 years ago and with the help of a 12 step program, I have been able to keep it at bay. I basically lost all of my friends from that time. One of them shared with me, the last time I was with them, that nobody feels comfortable around me anymore. He said I was like a mirror that, when put in front of their face, they see where they are and their struggles. They don't really want to confront their issues so it is easier if I wasn't around. They hated seeing how good I looked sober and dealing with the horrors in their closet wasn't something they were prepared to do at that time. I totally could appreciate this and that was basically the last time I made contact with any of them. I also had to let it go so I could grow. In a way, they were also a mirror showing me what I once was and I knew to be like them surely meant death for me, so, I had to move on. I can easily see how this could also be true in our circumstances.

Oh yeah, we all have those moments. This is a major surgery and a major change to our lives. I think we're entitled to freak out every once in awhile. We just have to keep it real, believe in ourselves and embrace our new lives with a new mindset. Our old way of thinking is like fitting a square peg into a round hole. If you do it, there is going to be a lot of damage on all sides. Ditch the calculator and the scale. We can do this.

Keep doing the right things and you will continue to lose. Your excess weight hasn't read the packet, so it doesn't have to follow that guideline. I have lost 100% of my excess weight, so there is no rule there. BTW, on mobile devices, if you tap on the heading of your post, a pop-up menu will come up and you can select Edit to adjust your post.

You can TOTALLY make your goal of 200 by Christmas. I KNOW you can. It is going to take work and the biggest step is, like you said, don't buy the things you know you shouldn't be eating. The reason you can eat the Cookies so easily is they are quickly made into the mush that easily passes through the pyloric valve and into the intestines. They quickly leave the stomach. Lean Proteins, in contrast, take far longer to break down and remain in the stomach longer. Remember, the stomach is the mechanical part of digestion. It is the grinder. Foods that grind easily, move through quickly. Just one of the reasons why we are supposed to eat the lean proteins first. If you follow the rules: Proteins first No liquids before, during or after eating Exercise I have absolutely no doubt you will meet your goal. Please keep us posted on your progress.

The thing that I notice most is when I go to get on the train to commute home. A year ago, I would say I had about a 25% chance of having to wait for the next train because the train was packed. The doors would open and people would look at me like, "Yeah, right ... you're not getting on this train." So, at least once a week I would have to wait. Now, that I am "thin", even when the train is packed, people step aside or squish together to make room for me. I haven't had to wait for the next train in months. Not once. This isn't a sign of attitude adjustment on my behalf ... there isn't enough time. That door flies open and I start to move on. Before, I was met with a solid wall of people. Now, they smile at me and perhaps make a joke as they make room. But I do agree there are things that are definitely attitude related. As I walk down the street women smile back at me and even initiate a, "Hello". I know that I am carrying myself more confidently and have a smile on my face. I am more approachable, I am sure. Plus ... maybe a little cuter, too. Who knows. Bottom line is things are different. For whatever reason, I am treated better "thin" than I was "thick". Oh, and put me down for a size medium when you print out those shirts.

Well ... I'm sad/happy to say that yes, thin people are treated differently. But to echo what Lissa said, it is hard to blame people on the way we have all been conditioned. To be honest, it is on my list as one of the reasons to have the surgery. It has always been obvious to me in the work world that I was discriminated against. How was I going to change this? It is profiling, yes, but that is the reality of it. I challenge everyone on here not to profile in one way or another. It is just hard not to do.

Pookey, have you checked out the Equipment section under my blog? I address this very thing.