sirensiren

I drink 2-4 drinks a week, and my BMI is down to 22......22 My BMI hasn't been under 25 since 6th grade! =0 So I say, enjoy responsibly.

It may be a great way to get nutrition in considering fluids are much easier to go down with the sleeve than solids. My concern is weight gain from the sugar content of fruits. I know not all sugar sources may be equal, but fruit sugars can certainly put on weight for those of us prone to gaining. I'm really considering getting one, but I'll be getting creative with the discounted fruits/veggies for sure!

I'm completely thrilled with my surgery, and the concerns are nothing that should trouble us now that we're fine. Garcia seems to check out well, I'm happy for her to go to him, and he's at florence Hospital which is a big bonus. I think ultimately if Dr. Kelly is truly ever not a good choice, he wouldn't be working at a place like Florence/Oasis of Hope. I'd be happy to discuss things with you privately, feel free to PM me!

I think Oasis of Hope/Florence hospital has since corrected this major problem of them not "allowing" patients with a BMI of under 40 to go through with a procedure- in my case, I spent 2 months prior to surgery eating 1200 calories a day and I had a personal trainer- I was already looking good! But Dr. Kelly encouraged this healthy behavior, as it would only help my surgery, and he had verified paperwork from my pcp that I was indeed obese at the time I booked surgery. I was a BMI of 30-31 when they weighed me in at Oasis of Hope/Florence. You should be fine, florence is a nice hospital and I was well taken care of.

My experience with Dr. Kelly was great like yours, but when my friend was encouraged to cancel, I was confused and honestly pissed off at ALM, but also freaking out about the implication of "safety issues", considering I was recently sleeved by him. The verified information that concerned me was provided over the phone by a real patient with a trackable history on this site. I asked this person to call me, the phone number was not from any where near where the coordinators are based out of, and the conversation details checked out in terms of my experience. It's not impossible people with agendas go to great lengths to smear someone's name, but I just really don't feel that is the case. Regardless, I had a great experience with Dr. Kelly as do many patients. There is no such thing as a perfect surgeon, what they do is so intricate and with as many patients as they see, I think every doctor has a few issues throughout their career. If there's validity to any real safety concerns, it will come to light. If it's false, it will die off with every thing else in the rumor mill.

I wrote this post before I heard back from Sandy at A Lighter Me, she called me within an hour of my e-mail and was very forthright with what information she could give me. I had a positive experience from beginning to end with Dr. Kelly, my surgery was great and I was taken care of. I can tell you though, there are some (verified- not coordinator claims) things I've found out about Dr. Kelly recently that would make me personally proceed with a lot of caution and do my research. I love Dr. Kelly, and my experience was great- some of the reasons ALM and other coordinators are not working with him may be trivial business issues, hearsay etc. but some things are genuine concerns regarding things that would concern a patient on his table. Ultimately, the truth always comes to light, especially when everything is virtually permanent and traceable on the internet. I still stand by the only experience I can truly verify, which is my own good one merely 2 months ago. Things are rarely black and white in these situations- it's unlikely there's a perfectly honest side, and a purely dishonest side going on here. I don't trust anyone trying to sell me anything- but if a coordinator (be it Trish, Sandy or any other one we talk about on here) outright lied about something major to patients, it's going to take a huge amount of credibility away from their business. I actually used ALM and had my surgery at Florence Hospital and stayed at Lucerna- so this isn't quite true- ALM gave me options back in November, I did my research and went with Florence/Lucerna. Gorgeous hotel!

I had my surgery by Dr. Kelly at florence Hospital just last November, it's basically similar to any average U.S. hospital in terms of set-up and appearance. The care was excellent, and most of the nurses who visited me spoke English fairly well. My room had two comfortable beds, my own bathroom with a nice shower designed for post-surgery showering (handles, yay!). There was an issue for me with one doctor on staff there, 10 minutes prior to my surgery she came in and told me Florence Hospital will not authorize a WLS on anyone under a BMI of 40, she told me this coldly and then proceeded to inquire "why didn't you just get liposuction?", after that, Dr. Kelly advocated for me and I ultimately had my surgery. Everyone else there was lovely, that one female doctor (don't know her name, she was thin with short dark wavy hair) has no business interacting with patients in a hospital, the fact that she works at a hospital that treats terminally ill cancer patients is appalling. Everyone else was kind and helpful, I was visited almost every hour and checked on- even in the middle of the night. I had a buzzer next to my bed, and every time I buzzed it I was tended to within less than a minute, even at 3 a.m.! Florence Hospital is in a nicer area of TJ, right near the ocean. If you're doing really well, you can leave the grounds and look at the Water. I didn't try, my gas pain was a bit annoying and I'm prone to anxiety so the nurse gave me medication for it that made me a bit loopy/high. There is a small courtyard at the entry way you can walk around (this is essential for walking off the gas), it can feel a bit awkward moseying around aimlessly, but all the staff are used to it.

**To be clear, my topic says "Alightme", I meant A Lighter Me, which are primarily managed by Sandy and Linda**

I was being a good girl and following the "no Water 30 minutes before or after" eating...but I would get hungry during that time period, and it would not stop until my 30 minutes were up and I had water. Water helps me get and stay full. I did what research I could to determine if water would be harmful, but all I could find is that it essentially just pushes food through more quickly, thus enabling you to eat more. True? I now incorporate fluids around (not with) meals and I am doing a LOT better with fullness. Is this a huge no-no? Is it true water + food can "stretch out your sleeve"? (I doubt this highly, but I've heard it, and it's the last thing I want to do). Does anyone else only avoid water with the meal itself, rather than before and after? I find water so useful for feeling satisfied, it's weird. Water had helped me avoid snacking after meals, and it's helped me avoid "desert" (usually a small piece of chocolate, but still!). Am I bad?

I hope that is true! I find that a little bit of fluid after my meals makes me feel satisfied, and then I feel ready to just drink water by itself 15-20 minutes later. I don't understand how a stomach could be stretched out by merely adding water to the food equation.

I specifically said I am not trying to discredit her experience, but rather it would help her (and all of us) to really do a lot of research before choosing a surgeon and a surgery. A bad surgery can happen whether you do your research or not, but it certainly can help to do all the investigating you can. I was considering plication myself, but decided against it based on seeing a lot of people who were unhappy with the results.

With all due respect to your situation, it seems like you didn't do much research. You indicate you had plication done, but this is a vertical sleeve gastrectomy- these are very different surgeries. Did you know what you were having done? You also call him Dr. Rod and Dr. Rodregus- his name is Dr. Rodriguez. Perhaps living in Los Angeles makes me more familiar with Mexican last names, but I felt like I practically knew my Dr.'s entire life story before I got surgery from him- I read his name so many times just from my internet research. I'm not trying to discredit your experience, but it sounds like you were very misinformed and didn't really do much research.

You're not alone- I was honestly frustrated when posing the alcohol question prior to starting this thread (with lots of helpful responses, thanks everyone!) because the unanimous response was the "it's empty calories!" or people simply chiming in that they lost the taste for alcohol after surgery. I think it's the sort of thing to be enjoyed occasionally and not as a very regular thing, if you have a tendency to gain weight it's obviously not smart to indulge in something like alcohol regularly. I've always detested soda, and I'm not a fan of candy (except dark chocolate) so perhaps thats why I have gotten away with it for now.

Since I've posted this topic, I've been (honestly, I know I'll get some ridicule for this) having drinks 2-3 evenings a week since my 30 day mark. I do not drink mixed drinks, just hard alcohol on the rocks- no tummy troubles here, but everyone is different! I am also the same weight I was at age 13....13!!! I am aware of the empty calories etc. etc., and this month has been filled with Christmas parties, family in town, and my husbands 30th birthday- I don't intend to keep it up at this rate. I also am "good" about my eating aside from alcohol. I do intend to drink once a week or so.

Since posting this, I've been (some may ridicule me for this behavior) drinking 2-3 nights a week since my one month mark. I am still losing significant amounts of weight- does not seem to be a problem! I do not drink mixed drinks I drink alcohol on the rocks, and the pure alcohol has not hurt my tummy whatsoever- but everyone is different in that regard. I do not intend to drink more than one evening a week at this point- Christmas parties, my husbands birthday, and family being in town has kind of made me a bit of a drinker this month. I'm aware of the empty calories etc. etc.- I am also 131 lbs which is the same weight I was at age 13...it's hard to feel like I've failed myself in any fashion!

My surgeon, among others recommends limiting meals to 3 times per day once you are on solids. This conflicts with every nutritionist and personal trainers recommendations I've got pre-sleeve- the rule has always been to eat smaller meals (obviously the sleeve takes care of that) consisting mostly of Protein every 3 hours (roughly 5-6x a day), because beyond that point your metabolism can drop. Is there a reason we are typically recommended to limit our intake of food to 3 "meals" a day and avoid the snacking? I don't ask this because I wish to nibble throughout the day, but because I'd like to be on a track that will keep my metabolism as high as possible and get me to my goal the quickest. Obviously, these people with normal size stomachs who adhere to eating 5 small balanced portions get results- I do work with celebrities and people in the fitness community here in LA, and they look great and all adhere to small frequent portions. So, what is the theory? Are we now wired a bit differently because our body can only take in small portions? Does anyone have a surgeon who encourages eating every 3 hours? I am at week 3 right now, I've yet to get to the point of "meals" as everything I consume is blended or liquid. The concept of a meal or being full is still foreign to me.

I had the sleeve 3 weeks ago 4 weeks ago- some time has passed since the original post. Not a dumb question! My surgery was November 7th. I don't know of a surgeon that would perform it on a non-obese person, but my BMI was 31 at surgery (164 lbs), I was obviously on the lighter side of obese. I lost about 20 lbs prior to surgery as well, a 31 BMI for me (164 lbs) was me at the lightest I've been. So at 131 lbs with a normal BMI now I'm ecstatic!

Good to hear! I find myself compelled to eat 4 tiny "meals" a day, some days I'll have a bite of something (some Babybell cheese, some cashews etc.) when I'm too busy to sit and eat. I work out a lot, and I just find it impossible to wait for a "meal" right after. I am still getting under 800 calories a day, 50+ grams of Protein, and all my Water. I'm also 131 lbs according to the scale at my gym...I can't be doing everything wrong!

The stretching this is what scares me, as the size of the sleeve is really the basis of how it all works. What is the physiological/scientific explanation behind how Water + food = stretching of the stomach? I don't see how that combination could somehow cause the tissue to expand. The concept scares the #%^}* out of me!

TBH I do not always follow my surgeons advice and often check out what the concesus from other surgeons is in some cases, such as Water and eating: my surgeon says to not drink water a full hour before eating, and to not drink water a full hour after eating.. I can't do it! I wait 30 minutes and 30 minutes, which seems to be what most surgeons recommend. I also find water makes me more full, not less, so I am not so strict about avoiding it. I'm not suggesting you do that with cheese, but I doubt (unless there are special medical situations with you) that enjoying occasional cheese would be an issue?

Those are a great thing for us Amanda! Imagine yourself looking at those cute glass dishes pre-sleeve, those would never look like a "serving" of food to you then, right? Me either! I have to say I love my sleeve. MissAMcCoy: A lot of people experience the dreaded "stall" in the beginning due to their bodies recognizing the severe calorie deficit and therefore shutting off the ability to burn stored fat as a survival mechanism. This is a long proven theory in the fitness world when it comes to metabolism stimulation- this is why fitness models and body builders insist you MUST eat every 3 hours and have the proper amount of calories each day to burn the fat while keeping the muscle. It's a very high Protein low carb diet. The same rule applies here, calories in actually make your metabolism work harder- and too many calories in cause weight gain. It's a tricky game for people with normal sized stomachs, but we all have a sleeve advantage here- so don't be afraid you're eating too much, and get your protein is my advice. At 500 calories a day, your body is bound to eventually recognize that it's starving and slow down on the weight loss. I find the Protein shakes to be amazing for weight loss and getting my needed healthy calories in from protein. Nutritionally, I find iSatori's Eat Smart Protein powder to be the best out there- they do not promote on here like other brands, but if you read the nutrition on them vs. any other product, they win in the protein/fiber category and have virtually no sugar. Your sleeve is pretty strong, I doubt you can stretch it with mere eating to fullness at this point. If that were the case, people would be "popping stitches" all over the place and this would be an incredibly risky procedure.

Thanks! I'm quite thrilled with my progress! I eat 8-12 oz of cheese a day. I love it. I probably should cut back. I used this recipe a while ago, and now I remember it from memory: http://cheese.about.com/od/homecheesemaking/ss/making_ricotta.htm Most cheese from the store is crap with xanthan gum, preservatives, thickeners etc. from my investigation. My family is from Europe so I'm a bit of a cheese snob I figure with as little as we can eat, we might as well eat the best stuff possible. I probably do need to watch my fat intake. I have been snacking on cashews and I saute my husbands veggies in butter each night, and have a small amount of those with my Protein.

It does not sound like you're eating too much at all, I think it's fine! In reality, if you are eating slowly and paying attention the first signs of restriction and backing off when they happen, you're doing all you can to avoid stretching. I worry about this too, and VSG is still a fairly new procedure- the ability of the stomach to expand isn't impossible, but it seems unlikely. We have a fairly good understanding of the stomach, bariatric and stomach surgery has gone on for years and years now. If your weight loss was only significant in the beginning, then slowed way down, perhaps look at what you are consuming now. Are you drinking sugary drinks at all? This was a huge downfall I had, I drank gatorade thinking it was my only option for electrolytes. How many times a day are you eating?

You're just 2 months out, and you've lost 32 lbs?! That is GREAT! It's very easy to get discouraged when you see other people losing more weight at a quicker pace, but you are an individual, and if you started out at a lower BMI than some, you are naturally going to be a slower loser pound per pound. If you do it by percentages, you'll likely be right on track. 32 lbs in 2 months is still 4 lbs a week on average. The general recommendation among doctors and weight loss experts is that ideal weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week, obviously with a sleeve you lose much more than that- but look at it that way! My surgeon said it is virtually impossible to "stretch" out the area of stomach left after VSG. They remove the portion that is prone to stretching, and in addition to that if you follow people who have had VSG the longest, they all still have restriction similar to what they've had since they have healed. How much can you eat? Have you eaten so much you felt uncomfortable or gad to vomit? I manage to get through an egg I scramble up with a couple tablespoons of whole wheat flour, once I'm done I feel quite full. My meals are all about that size, I eat roughly that portion size each time. I don't measure out my food, I simply eat slowly until I feel the first signs of restriction. When I've taken it passed that point or eaten too fast, I get that "ughhh I'm fullllll" feeling.

I'm virtually veggie too. cheese is my addiction. I find myself going for high quality high Protein cheese (low fat mozzarella, cottage cheese, home made paneer, home made ricotta) and adding it to almost every "meal". I am still losing plenty of weight on it, in fact I'm down to 135 lbs!