TheSkinnyCow73

Enjoy!!!! Fresh berry Boost smoothie 1 Premier Protein® vanilla shake 1/2 cup Acai juice 1 cup Raspberries 1/2 cup Blueberries Approx. 6 ice cubes Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour into glass and start your day with a boost! Cafe Vienna Shake 1 Premier Protein chocolate Shake 1 serving Cafe Vienna instant coffee 1 cup ice cubes Directions: Add all ingredients into a blender and mix on high until blended. Pour and enjoy! High Protein Peppermint Mocha 1 Premier Protein Chocolate Shake 3 tsp sugar free Chocolate syrup or topping 1 serving instant coffee 1/2 tsp peppermint extract, more or less to taste (optional) 1 dollop of sugar free whip cream Directions: Pour Premier Protein Chocolate shake and sugar free chocolate syrup or topping into a large microwave safe mug and microwave on high for approximately 45 seconds. Note, do not bring to a boil. Remove from microwave and add instant coffee and peppermint extract. Stir to combine. Optional topping, add a dollop of sugar free whip cream. Enjoy! Iced Mocha fusion 3/4 cup skim milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 scoops Premier Protein 100% whey Protein Isolate Chocolate Milkshake 1 serving mocha flavored instant coffee mix 1 cup crushed ice Directions: In a blender, combine milk, vanilla, instant coffee mix and crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glass and serve. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Shake 1/2 cup rolled oats 1-1/2 cup skim milk 1 Tbsp peanut butter 2 scoops Premier Protein 100% Whey Isolate Chocolate Milkshake 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup crushed ice Directions: In a blender, crush rolled oats until they become a fine powder consistency. Combine milk, peanut butter, Premier Protein 100% Whey Isolate Chocolate Milkshake, cinnamon and crushed ice. Blend until smooth and serve. Muscle Monkey Frosty 1 banana peeled and frozen 1 Premier Protein Chocolate Shake 3 Tbsp Peanut Butter Ice for volume Directions: Break frozen banana into pieces, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until lightly chunky. Scoop into large cup and serve with a spoon. Protein pancakes 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour 3-1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 Premier Protein Vanilla Shake 1/2 cup skim milk 1 egg 2 Tbsp melted butter Directions: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter, mix until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter into the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot. High Protein Eggnog 2 Premier Protein Vanilla shakes 1/2 cup egg substitute 2 Tbsp sugar substitute like Stevia, more or less to taste 2 tsp rum extract 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp + pinch nutmeg, ground 2 pinches cinnamon, ground Directions: In a medium saucepan heat on medium to medium high the Premier Protein Shake, egg substitute and sweetener. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens slightly, usually a few minutes. Note, do not bring to a boil. Stir in the vanilla, rum, ½ tsp nutmeg & pinch of cinnamon. Remove from heat and pour into a heat resistant container, cover and refrigerate until the eggnog has cooled (at least 3 hours). Just prior to serving, ladle your yummy high protein eggnog into glasses, and garnish each with an extra little sprinkle of ground nutmeg & ground cinnamon. Blended Peach Pie a la Mode 1 Premier Protein Vanilla Shake 1 cup unsweetened frozen peaches 2 tsp sugar substitute like Stevia, more or less to taste 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch ground nutmeg Pinch ground ginger Ice for volume Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until creamy smooth. Pour into a dessert cup and savor this mid-afternoon treat! Blended Apple Pie a la Mode 1 Premier Protein Vanilla Shake 1 cup Apple Sauce, Unsweetened 1 tsp Cinnamon Ice for volume Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on medium until mixed thoroughly. Pour into a cup and eat with a spoon or sip.

This is a shot in the dark but I really need to find information so here goes.... First off.. HI EVERYONE!! In 1995 I had the "molina band" WLS (I believe Dr. Oria still uses this band to date but was in training when I had mine put on). (Here is the website for it.. http://www.thewatson...machbanding.htm) I weighed in at 285 and got down to around 160-70 in about a year or two. I have yo-yo'd with my weight for the last 13 years and am now sitting at 210 and feel like I am gaining daily. I have lived with this band and all that goes with it for 16 years. It is time for a change!!! I am looking for ANYONE that has or knows someone that had this band and now has a sleeve. I cannot find any information on any of the websites I have googled and from what some of the doctors are telling me, the sleeve is not the best option for "molina band" revisions, the RNY is. I dont want the RNY, period. Dumping? No freaking way! I have "dumped", thrown up, gotten sick or whatever you want to call it for the last 16 years and i am DONE with that!!! I had an EGD last Friday and the band hasnt eroded into my stomach. THANK GOD FOR THAT!! My doc says that he will remove the band but he is sure I will have scar tissue to get around and he might have to leave part of the band in. Since insurance will not pay for a revision (exclusion on policy for ONE WLS per LIFETIME, awesome!) I am going to be heading to MX using my FSA funds to have Dr. Kelly complete the sleeve. Right now I am debating having the band removed here in the USA under my insurance and then heading to MX in January or just having Dr. Kelly do it all in January. I am setting up a phone call with him for next week too. This is why I am so desperate for information from anyone with experience with this damn band! Sorry! I just keep thinking to myself.. how much more different could the removal of my band be compared to the stories I am reading about the lapband removals? Thank you all in advance for your input. I have soooo enjoyed reading and learning from each of you and seeing your transformation is soooo inspiring!

For those of you that are thinking about being sleeved in MX with Dr. Rodriguez, dont hesitate! I researched and chose Dr. Rod because of his ability to work with scar tissue after talking with some of his former patients that had a revision surgery. I had the Molina band for 17 years (had it removed here in the states since insurance was nice enough to cover it!!) so needless to say, my tummy had some scar tissue and i needed a surgeon that could handle this. Dr. Rod did with ease! Here is my detailed journey/experience... My husband and I arrived on Friday, 2/10/12 at 5-ish due to our plane being late. Sergio, the driver, met us at the doors of the airport and guided us to one of his drivers, Alfonso, for the ride across the border. It was uneventful driving across and we laughed and joked with Alfonso about eating real mexican food and what is was like living in MX. He was very open and honest and made us feel less like tourists and more like a long lost relative. It took about 20 minutes to get to Star Medica Hospital from El Paso Airport. Once we were at the hospital, Alfonso grabbed our suitcases and delivered us to Dr. Calderon, the psychiatrist and the first person you meet on staff with Dr. Rodriguez's team. He is very quiet/soft spoken and explains everything to you in great detail. He answered all of our questions about the surgery and paperwork (my husband was asking most of the questions) and then off I went with him to have my chest xray. That took all of 15 minutes total and we were off to our room on the 3rd floor. The rooms are fantastic!! Other than the hospital bed, you get the feeling of a hotel room more than a hospital room. The shower is huge and everything is super clean. The couch/bed that my husband slept on was a memory foam and very comfy for him and of course, I had a hospital bed, nuff said on that! Once we got settled in, the nurses came in and weighed me, drew my blood and did the ekg. We had the rest of the night to do whatever so we went and walked down to Denny's for my "last meal" of sorts... I had a lower bmi so Dr. Calderon said it was okay if i had a healthy last meal as long as I didnt eat or drink anything after midnight. Deal! Something that everyone needs to remember is that not everyone speaks English so using the handout that BeLiteWeight gives you or Google Translator is a must! The next morning (2/11/12), I woke up to the nurses getting me ready for my IV. Martha got me on the first stick and I was so thankful for that! Once she was done, the anesthesiologist came in and talked with me for about 15 minutes asking the usual questions. She was really nice but I cant remember her name to save my life! Then Dr. Rod came in and sat down and explained everything that was going to happen and answered all my questions and my husband's questions too. Didnt hurt that he smells damn good too! Around 1pm, they came in and wheeled my entire bed to the surgery waiting room.. that is when I really got nervous. Hubby was upstairs, I was there alone, hardly anyone spoke english in the surgery waiting area so I broke out into a sweat and the mind started racing. eeek! Then it was my turn... they wheeled me into the surgery room.. I calmed down when I heard the mexican music playing.. the surgical room looked just like the one I was in here in Houston. The last thing I remember was the Anesthesiologist looking over the top of my head and asking if I was okay and telling me that everything was going to be fine. I was out and she was right! I came out of recovery without any problems (I have read where some folks have tubes down their throats when they wake up, this wasnt the case for me) so they wheeled me back into my room where my hubby was.. boy, was he a sight for sore eyes!!! Seeing him assured me that everything was good! By the time I got back to my room it was around 4-4:30pm. I had some gas pains but nothing out of the ordinary. I kinda knew what to expect since I had my band removed a month earlier and went through the same thing. The only thing that bothered me was the drain. ugh! that teeny-tiny incision hurt the worst and still gives me trouble 11 days post op! Throughout the next couple of days they stick my finger for blood sugar and get my bp reading/temperature ever 6 hours or so. You cant drink anything for the first 24 hours and that didnt really bother me. I was too busy trying to manage the drain and walk around to get the damn gas out of me. burping never felt soooo good! Since you have an IV hoooked up the whole time, pain management was really good and any time I felt queasy, they handled it immediately. If you hit the nurse button, they were there within 2 minutes of it going off. Just make sure you are ready to ask them in Spanish if you have someone that doesnt speak good english. Anna and Anna were the two best nurses on the floor for me. The one thing I recommend to everyone is to make sure you have a bowel movement before you leave. The nurses will ask you how much you are peeing and pooping... make sure they give you something to make you go if you havent!! Seriously! We got home and i hadnt had one in 5 days and it was horrible giving myself an enema that soon after surgery! The leak test was cool but awful! You cant have any ice chips/broth/jello/apple juice until you have the leak test with Dr. Elmo... that liquid is horrible tasting but watching it go through your new nanner tummy is amazing and worth the two gulps you have to take! Dr. Elmo gives you Water to wash it down once you are done. They give you a copy of your leak test xray to bring home.. it shows the progression of the Fluid as it moves through the tummy. They even let my husband go in and watch it! How awesome was that! Once the leak test is over and you pass, you get the dreaded drain out ( Dr. Elmo takes it out and does it very well! But dont watch it! LOL) and you get ice chips and broth! Yay! The broth they serve you is delicious and tastes like Ramen Soup chicken broth! The also bring you Jello and fresh squeezed apple juice. YUMMY! you are also given hot water and a cup/ tea bag/ sugar if you want warm tea. Take it slow when you start sipping the broth... the warmness feels good going down but everyone is different. My sleeve sister couldnt handle the broth and hated the jello. I loved them both! Dr. Rod, Dr. Elmo and Dr. Calderon come in each day and check on you and talk to you if you have any questions. The day before you leave they deliver your operative report, leak test xray/chest xray, prescription for the antibiotics, acid reducer pills, and pain meds. On Monday morning, 2/13/12) Dr. Rod came in and said goodbye to us. He offered his phone number or to contact Beliteweight if there are any questions. Sergio calls you when he gets to the hospital and off you go to the airport. Be prepared because that is the bumpiest damn ride ever!!!!! bring a pillow or something to hold close to your tummy! We left at 11am on Monday morning and it took us 1 hour to get across the border bridge (our flight left at 3pm so we had plenty of time). We flashed our passports, they asked if we bought anything, and we were on our way. And tip Sergio well! He was very entertaining and full of stories and information about Juarez and the lifestyle there. If you have time (and make sure you do!), ask him to bring you by the restaurant to get the wonderful homemade chicken broth. for $5 you get a container of the best chicken broth ever!!! All in all, I am sooo happy I chose Beliteweight and Dr. Rod! Beliteweight (JoAnne, Jamie, Amy, and Sharon) helped me with ALL my FMLA, FSA credit card payments and paperwork, and my short-term disability papers. They were very understanding and helpful and i cant thank them enough! I started this journey at 213 and 11 days post op I am sitting at 206. (this includes the 7-8 days (14 lbs of fluid retention from the IV) it took to get back to my pre op weight of 213!) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me! xoxox - Amy p.s. - Dont forget to bring the following! personal pillow - stuff it in a suitcase but dont forget it! chapstick! flipflops for walking the halls although they provide slippers heating pad - it helped with the pain soo much! computer/smartphone for communicating - we have ATT and didnt have any roaming in Juarez and the hospital has wifi too. pajama pants to wear while walking the halls. you are hooked to an IV so the top is pretty much useless until you are ready to go home or take a shower. clothes to wear home that are 2x bigger than what you normally wear... you will most likely gain weight with the IV if you have to be on it more than 2 days, so be prepared!

I found this very interesting and even though I am less than 3 months out with my sleeve, I am going to try this when I get home! I have always felt like I have a bigger sleeve than most since I have no real issues eating anything and havent from the moment I could eat ice chips in the hospital. A4 The Cottage cheese Test So, how do you measure up? Are you accomplishing the feeling of satiety at each meal? Do you know how big your stomach pouch is? Would you like to? Nearly every patient is curious to know just exactly how big their stomach pouch is. The following technique is used by bariatric surgeons and patients to determine the functional size of a patient's stomach pouch. The idea for this technique began with Dr. E. E. Mason, at one of the Iowa Bariatric Symposia in the early 1980's, who suggested that it might be useful to ask patients to eat cottage cheese, in a structured manner, to attempt to determine their functional meal volume at different times postoperatively. Dr. Laytham Flanangan (website: Breakfast on that day. Eat fairly quickly until you feel full (less than five minutes). Note that the small soft curds do not require much chewing. You are eating rapidly so you will fill the pouch before there is time for any food to flow out of it. After eating your "fill" of cottage cheese, you will be left with a partially eaten container that has an empty space where cottage cheese used to be. Measure the volume of cottage cheese you have eaten by filling a two cup (16 fl.oz.) measuring cup with Water. Pour water into the container of cottage cheese until the water level rises to the original top level of the cottage cheese. The amount of water poured into the container is the functional size of your pouch. Dr. Flanagan's research indicates that the average volume of the mature stomach pouch, measured by this method, is 5.5 ounces (163 ml). Additionally, he reached the conclusion that, "sizes ranging up to 9 ounces have NO IMPACT on the person's success in weight loss". This means that unless your pouch holds a greater volume than 9 ounces (267 ml), the exact size of your pouch is not a critical factor in whether or not you can lose excess weight and then manage your weight as time progresses.

Yep! I am going through the hair loss phase too! (I dont remember losing hair with my band 17 years ago) It started at around 3 months post op and I am at almost 4.5 months now. I too have thick hair and it is a good thing cuz at the rate I am going I would be bald if I didnt! I am currently taking extra strength Biotin along with my multi-vitamin. I am going to look into the zink sulfate. I havent gotten any lab work done since I had the surgery so I am thinking that might be needed too. I will say that hair loss or no hair loss, this surgery has been worth every strand that has fallen out!!! I <3 my sleeve!!!

Pammie, I am right there with you on the slow losing! Just remember that working out with weights kinda changes the way the scale works for you... you may be building muscle while losing inches/fat and that makes the scale do silly things! I am doing the weight workout/exercise routine too so I dont rely on the scale as much as I do my clothes and how they fit and also how my body is shaping. I would still rather see that darn scale move though! At any rate, a loss is a loss and you are doing great! Keep on Rockin' that Sleeve!

I am the same way..... only my waiting periods in between weight loss is about 3-4 weeks. I am losing in stalls.... but still losing! Doesnt help that I weigh first thing EVERY morning... This last 50 that I need to lose are going to be a b***h!

That is awesome to hear Lissa! Congrats!

You look AMAZING!!! YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION IRENE!!!!

I was able to get 6 weeks STD (paid at 60%), with my Docs approval. Didnt matter at all that it was in Mexico and they never questioned me about it either. I was able to use my PTO hours to pay for my insurance benefits so nothing was pulled from our pockets to pay for anything. I would also like to add that my Flexible Spending Account (FSA) credit card worked in Mexico and I didnt have any problems at all getting reimbursed. You should be good to go as long as the doc signs off on all the paperwork!! Congrats and Good Luck!!

Yeah, so I am really, really down and depressed about my slow weight loss (3 months out and bouncing between 18 - 20 lbs lost even though I have lost inches). Soooo, I am calling out to those of you that were slow losers and DID meet your goal weight. How long did it take? Any suggestions? I am a revision patient and I have heard that this can play into the slow weight loss? Any thoughts on this? I just joined 24hr Fitness and will start with a trainer next week... I am hoping this will help too! Thanks...

I guess I just feel like I am failing my sleeve and it is hitting home after having that stupid band on for so long and gaining weight with it. Sorry if I am on a pity potty right now... I will snap out of it eventually. It just feels like i have been in a constant stall since having the surgery and it scares me. I can eat about 6-8 ounces of Protein in a sitting and that seems like alot. Thank you all for your responses.. I know I will get there, I just didnt want to be one of those that got there slooooowly. And as far as skin bouncing back, my skin stopped bouncing back years ago. Cosmetic surgery is definitely in my future....

teambrown4, I am right there with you! I am -20 at about the same time frame and soooo disappointed in my weightloss. I hate the fact that I am a slow loser and being a band revision patient it is really scaring me that I am going to fail at this too!

Mexico! They have awesome docs and financing available too with some money down. www.alighterme.com www.beliteweight.com Good Luck!

I just found this website and thought I would share it with you all..... $8k ALL INCLUSIVE for a gastric sleeve in the US isnt bad! http://coastalbariat...16/Default.aspx http://coastalbariat...69/Default.aspx "The self pay option of $8,000* for Gastric Banding and Sleeve Gastrectomy in the Myrtle Beach area results in significant savings and can be advantageous to those looking for affordable weight loss surgery and not wishing to travel outside of the United States. *This price covers any complications that might arise within 90 days of either the gastric banding or sleeve gastrectomy surgery and one year of fills for the gastric band. Hospital, surgeon, anesthesia and radiology fees are all covered for the surgeries." I have chose to go with Dr. Rodriguez in Juarez, MX for $6800 (and many more revision surgeries under his belt) but for those of you that dont like the idea of MX, this may be an option for you. Just remember to always do extensive research on the doc and facility before you make a decision! Sometimes you get what you pay for! Good Luck!!!

I was sleeved on Saturday, 2/11 so I figured I would post a range for those of us that are around 2 months out from surgery. How is everyone doing? Do you have any foods that you can't eat? Anything strange happening at 2 months out? I cannot eat any sweets without getting what I call "dumping syndrome." Also, lettuce doesnt sit well with me... it felt like it got stuck in my old pouch area and I had to bring it back up to get relief... wont be trying that for a while!

Yes, from the original post I found on this board from Tiffykins, it does work and she also used yogurt.... which might be better for those with cottage cheese issues! LOL http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/20941-cottage-cheese-pouch-test/page__hl__%2Bcottage+%2Bcheese+%2Btest__fromsearch__1

You are definitely NOT a slow loser! I am 2.5 months out and have only lost 20 pounds! Keep up the great work!!!

that is exactly what I am going to use when I test my sleevie in the morning. I bought some the other day at Kroger and have yet to try them. I am partial to Kroger's cottage cheese so eating a new kind might be interesting for a morning breakfast!

I changed to Dr. Rodriguez about a month before surgery... only due to Dr. Kelly not having the ability to take my FSA credit card but I am super happy with my choice!

You will LOVE him and the staff! Are you going to TJ or Juarez? My experience is from Star Medica in Juarez and it was amazing! Good Luck!!!

That is very true!!! LOL

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never really noticed a smell to tell you the truth! For me it is the consistency that is messed up but I still love it! It makes my husband gag when he watches me eat it so that is a little fun for me too! ha!ha! Add some sugar, or blueberries, or blackberries or just salt and peper and it is tolerable.... LOL

Here is a great link that explains the bougie......... http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/carmelita/blog/2011/03/31/-2/

You are doing great! Wow! We are about the same weight at surgery but I have only lost about 20. You are still on pureed foods this far out? I can eat anything I want only in smaller portions with no problem and am getting in about 700 calories a day. Maybe I need to rethink my diet and go back to pureed foods? Are you exercising? That is something that I am in the process of working into my daily routine now. Keep Rockin' that Sleeve!!!!