PdxMan

Wow, beef at 3 weeks? This is OK with your Dr? Give it another 15 minutes and then have a sip of Water. Keep sipping until you feel better .I'm thinking trying to force your pyloric valve open and clear out the stomach as quickly as possible. I just can't see how the stomach can mechanically break down red meat at 3 weeks ...

Hmmm ... There are always risks in surgery, but dying because of not having a sleep study done ... I feel pretty confident putting that at zero percent. The reason I can say this is you are intubated (A tube is stuck down your thoat, but don't worry, you're asleep) to keep you breathing throughout the procedure. You have an anesthesiologist right there monitoring everything including your oxygen levels. You'll be fine.

Yea!! Congrats. Just keep doing what they tell you to do. Tomorrow, it's all about walk, sip, walk, sip.

Well ... what was the post that almost made your heart stop? Kinda hard to talk you down from the ledge if we don't know which ledge you're on This is a big step and one not to be taken lightly, for sure. You should be scared if your not scared ... a little.

Might be time to sit down and have a heart to heart chat. "Honey, I love you and all the great things you do for me very much, but I am about to embark on a life altering journey and I am going to need your help. Part of the reason I am at this point in my life is the poor food choices I have made and the presents you bring do not help. The sleeve is going to help me, but it only a tool. I still have to make these choices and it would help me sooo much if theses gifts weren't even an option." This is a tough conversation for us to have as it draws a line in the sand saying you are making a change in your habits. But, it is a change you are going to have to do if you want to be successful with your sleeve. There are healthy options out there in the fast food world, as you pointed out. I ate salads from McD's 3 times on a recent trip. They were tasty and healthy. There are options out there, but you also need to find the time to prepare options. I am a big proponent of Soups frozen in pint jars. Grab one on my way out the door about everyday. I make a large batch on Sunday evenings. As I have posted in other threads ... things only change when things change.

Check out this post: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/28153-protein-shakes-as-meals-to-avoid-the-no-fluids-thing-smart-or-bad-idea/page__p__239465#entry239465 There are many threads about stretching the sleeve. Your sleeve is going to stretch a bit over time, but it is not going back to its previous size. Search more threads on this topic for more details.

My width changed from a wide to a regular, but not my length. I have heard of others, though, who have.

I think it is important to know the weight loss process and have realistic goals. I think that was one of my failings in my pre-sleeve life. From my research, this is how I understand it. (extremely simplified for the purposes of this post) Your body converts calories you consume to glycogen. Glycogen is what is burned for energy. It is stored in your muscles and your liver, drawn first from the liver. Glycogen needs to bond with Water in order for it to be stored in a 1 to 4 ratio, meaning 1 pound of glyogen bonds to 4 pounds of water. Your body can store about 2 pounds of glycogen, so bonded, you have 10 pounds. Each gram of carbohydrates is 9 calories, the highest gram to calorie ratio along with Proteins. So, drop your carbs, you drop your glycogen reserves and voila! A week later you have lost 10 pounds!! YEA!! ... well, no ... you haven't lost any fat and now you have no energy (glycogen stores depleted and not being quickly replaced because you aren't eating much carbs) So, now, you are in the next week and you are not losing any weight. You get discouraged and say, "Screw it, give me a bag of Doritos." And, wow! You feel so much better! (carbs coming in ... glycogen stores re-filling) Let's say you don't do the above and stick with it ... you're not losing weight! Why!! So frustrating! Well, the process to convert stored fat to glycogen is occuring and this is not going to happen as rapidly as you might like. Also, your body may not necessarily convert stored fat to glycogen. It may look to your muscles and feed off of them. Remember, they are Protein. 1 gram = 9 calories ... a great source. So, why do I type all of this? It is about setting realistic goals pre-sleeve for a pre pre-sleeve diet. Are you thinking you are going to lose fat? Are wanting to start healthier habits? What is your attitude going to be when you drop the 10 pounds after a week and then don't lose anything more until the surgery? This is an individual journey and I just want you to set yourself up for success. I do wish you the best.

I would fill out a survey.

For pre-op, I did shakes for breakfast and lunch with a lean and green dinner. I was working out and would get hungry in between meals, so my Dr said it was ok to have a shake for a "snack". It worked for me. Pre-surgery, I used powdered Protein from Vitamin Shoppe. Combined with yogurt and berries, they were great. But then post-op, they were terrible. Couldn't stomach them. I tried a few powders and some ready to drink (RTD) varieties and settled on Premier Protein from costco. They are $25 for a case of chocolate or vanilla. In my neck of the woods right now, Costco has a coupon for $5 off a case, so I'm stocking up. They are great. Best tricks ... hmmm ... Get all the cr@p out of your house immediately. There's an old saying ... "Sit around a barber shop long enough, you're going to get your hair cut." Talk to you family and explain that the Cheetos are going to have to leave the house for awhile. Just dump all the stuff you know you shouldn't have. Throw it away. Don't gorge on it. Exercise. Start now. It will help with the hunger now and it will help with your recovery, too. Exercise is something most of us want to adopt post-sleeve anyway, so you might as well start now. Things to stay away from ... well ... let's focus on what you should eat instead, because that is a far smaller list. The bottom line, though, is to follow your medical team's dietary guidlines. My biggest tip would be to read, read, read this forum. There is a search area in the top right if you are viewing this on a web browser. Believe me, the chances are pretty high any question you have has been answered by dozens of people and you should tap into that repository of experience. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

I've been told I have lost 10 years ...

I believe Lissa would be the obvious choice for a Member Highlight. She posts honest responses to so many topics and her insight is spot on. I think she defines the role of a dedicated forum member.

For most people at this stage, you don't know when you are full and eating too much has negative consequences. So, the best bet is to eat measured amounts and stick to it. A half cup at the most or a quarter cup to be safe. Don't push it beyond that.

Wow ... Not being able to wear my favorite fat pants is a downside ... Having to take leftovers home from a restaurant is a downside ... Believing everybody hates me not because I am fat ... Uhhh ... there are other issues in that poster's life. But they are correct. Losing weight does not fix all of your issues. It would appear they thought they would.

French onion Soup, minus: onions, cheese & croutons. I strained Campbell's veggie beef soup. It was yummy.

Nice! Keep on keeping on!

And both of you folks are taking stuff for stomach acid?

$10,400 for VSG in Las Vegas (baby!) No hoops at all.

Pink, did you have a hiatal hernia repair?

Mamamia, I suggest going to a running store and have your gait analyzed to ensure you have the right shoe to support you. It can make all the difference in the world as far as injuries, comfort and ability to go that extra mile. Having the right shoe not only impacts the feet, but the knees and hips, too. They can ensure proper alignment during walking or running. You don't have to buy them there, either. They will analyze your gait for free and tell you whether your feet: pronate, supinate or a neutral gait. Then you can go online or whereever you want and get the shoe you need.

Do you think you have changed how you eat? I have to take smaller bites and chew really well. I also wait about a minute or so for the last bite to go down before I take the next bite. Basically, I set the fork down. I think if I took the same size bites and chewed the way I did before, I would feel the same way.

I was in the same boat. The Protein drinks I loved pre-op were intolerable a week post-op. I tried several and settled on Premier Protein drinks from costco. I hear what you are saying regarding spending the $$ to find a drink that works for you. I probably dropped $100 in my search, but, I found one that works. You have Costco not too far from you. Give them a try. They are very light-weight and not sweet, IMO. I usually tell people not to worry about protein the first week or so and to concentrate more on the liquids, but you are getting to the point where protein is a necessity.

Seems they should be able to do some kind of x-ray/sonagram/scan thingy to see exactly where the staples are in relation to where the VSG stitch line would be ... seems a prudent course to take. I would ask him if there was any way to scan externally to see where they were at. Don't ever feel bad for questioning a Dr. They are still human and don't always think everything through. I could tell you stories ...

I was about 8 weeks post-op when I started. Probably could have started a bit earlier, but that was when it felt right.

Well ... it depends. Tell us about your calories. If you are getting 1200 calories eating ice cream, chocolate and potato chips, then yes ... there is a problem. If you are getting them eating chicken, shrimp and tuna, then that tells us something entirely different. Are you exercising? Are you drinking with your meals? Are you eating lean Protein first? What are you eating on an average day?