Chimera

Ketosis - the place I never want to leave lol.

Right before surgery it is super scary - I was terrified. And my surgery was not without some complications but even with those issues It is hands down the best thing I have ever done for myself - ever.

Yup! We are recovering from our youngests sweet 16 birthday - with a house full of houseguests for a week - lots of stuff in the house that the adults who live here, and who have both had vsg surgery no longer eat, eating out, off of our normal routine etc....For me it is carbs - I have a hamburger bun and I turn into Mrs. Hyde - obsessed with all of the carbs in the house - scheming to eat potato chips etc....I am back to bootcamp now - cutting carbs to under 20. I have found it is a whole lot easier to eat a lot more of the stuff we shouldnt be eating. I get in trouble if i do not plan my meals and drinking - grazing will stall my weight loss quickly.

No staples here - my surgeon uses super glue

Not to worry - I gained 20 lbs in the hospital with all of the shenanigans that occurred after my surgery (internal bleeding + multiple blood transfusions) - You dont really have a choice to lose - just focus as much as you can on healing, hydration, and getting as much protein as you can in.When you look at the numbers after your first month i bet you will be surprised

My husband and I drink the Premier Protein brand you can get from costco or order online. They have vanilla and strawberry flavors as well as chocolate. they are RTD and are about $24 for a case of 18. 160 Cal, 30g protein, 3-5 carb depending on flavor, 3g fat. I pick up samples of shakes when I see ones that look interesting - some are horrid (cannot do Muscle Milk ever! They smell almost like acetone to me) and some are tolerable, but the Premier brand is one we have in the fridge at all times - one case of chocolate and one of vanilla And congrats on your loss so far - you have achieved a lot! Don't forget where you started

My Dr. says it takes 1-2 years - I was not so small when I started (318) with a surgery weight of 274 and I am anticipating it will take me 2 years from my surgery date. I really think there are a lot of factors that go in to it all - genetics, age, patient compliance with the rules we have to follow, moving our body, staying motivated through ongoing support online and in our hospital groups...if you are down 30 and your started at 231 look at the massive milestone you are right on top of - Wonderland Just think, even if it does take two years - would it be happening if you had not had the surgery? I know for myself i would be doing the same old pattern of losing and gaining - there is no way on earth I could take off 188 lbs. and have a chance of keeping it off without my new tool. We will get there!

Sweet! Yeesh I dont think my thighs have not touched since I was about 4 years old lol. Congrats to you

Beautiful! Your post has made me weepy - so good to know that yet another one of us who has long struggled has gotten to their goal. Best of luck with going in to maintenance, I know that this can be one of the most challenging parts, and thank you for sharing you great news

haha! I knew this had to be true - the part about just looking at images causes the production of ghrelin is fascinating. It's like how one tiny cookie or potato chip can set me up for ravenous cravings for carbs and anything and everything else - even after surgery. When I stay far away from them - not a problem. gotta keep remembering food is fuel - not entertainment

I dont have Starbucks often these days - maybe once every 2 weeks. I like to order a grande Vanilla latte - but with 2 pumps of vanilla rather than the normal 4 they use, I dont like too sweet. 250 cals, 12g Protein, 37 carbs, 6 fat. if i have one of these, which I consider a meal and a snack I would most likely have extra lean turkey for the rest of the day as the carbs are pretty high for me during my losing phase. I used to do the whole fat free, artificial sweetner thing in coffee - no longer. I do drink Crystal Lite, as does my husband and that is some eye opening information about artificial sweetners!

It depends on the surgeon. One of my best friends is at a very high BMI - 76 right now I beleive, and the doctors in Mexico have told her that she needs to lose a bit of weight before they feel it is safe to operate on her. I was considered high risk at my BMI of 56 when I started - I think my surgeon considers anything over 50 risky, so i think it varies.

I hear ya! i quit smoking about 10 months ago after a 28 year, 2 pack a day habit. Are you using any medications or nicotine replacment to help? I saw my Dr. and got a prescription for Wellbutrin (which I am still on as I guess it is a positive receptor for weight loss stuff too) and I used Nicotine patches at the same time. I have a hard time with the gums and lozenges, as they burned my mouth and tummy - plus i wanted to break the habit of anything going into my mouth One thing that can help is when a craving hits - notice it and time how long it lasts. The intensity is usually not that long - 3-5 minutes and then it subsides. The longer out you get the farther apart they become. I really think the medication plus the weaning off of the nicitine with the patches helped - stacking multiple aids really makes a difference. Wishing you the best - hang in there!

Everyone has a different experience - but I had a similar experience. I would concentrate on trying to get as much liquid in as possible right now, Vitamins if you can, Protein drinks a sip at a time (ice in everything helped me) - I got a bit dehydrated and was like a wilted plant the first month - I had my husband picked up some regular gatorade - not the sugar free, had a couple ounces of that and it was like the clouds parted and the sunshine came out. I perked up A LOT after that bottle of Gatorade - it did take a bit before my nausea subsided, About 6-8 weeks. As Protein shakes were disgusting to me at that point I drank a lot of protein chicken Soup - the Advanced health systems brand - which is a generic that lots of offices have - the unjury chicken I was excited about but has a taste and smell that was/is utterley repulsive to me.

Mine sure did - at around 8 weeks out for me.

Well done - you look fantastic thank you for posting your experience and pictures - what an inspiration!

Woo - I never thought I would say I have now lost 100 lbs, but this morning I can All my numbers are in my sig and profile - had my surgery May 21, 2012 and have lost 56 lbs. since my surgery, with the other 44 being pre-op waiting for surgery losses. This is the most I have ever lost in one shot. I am a big fan of before and afters but I have decided that I will post pics when I reach my ultimate goal - the difference even now is ridiculous and quite shocking actually lol. Only 19 lbs to go for Onederland, and 88 for my personal goal - yipee My husband is down 115 lbs and it virtually unrecognizable - one afternoon I was driving home with our daighter and saw a man walking towards our house and wondered "who the heck is that walking up to our home" - it was my dear husband, even I didnt recognize him lol. Thank you to everyone here for all of your kindness and support - this is a wonderful community and it feels great to be getting healthy with so many that are and will be going through the same process and finally succeeding. May we all get to where we are going and maintain successfully no matter how long it takes!

Woohoo Happy birthday/surgiversay to you I cant wait to go shopping!

I hear ya - I was lactose intolerant for about 3 weeks and then it subsided and I am tolerant once again - milk seemed to be the one thing that really got me, hard cheeses seemed to be okay.

Indeed you do look great Bean! Surgery: May 21, 2012 Since surgery I have lost 56 lbs - with 44 lbs lost during pre-op - which puts me in the century club this morning - 100 lbs down Husband who had his vsg two weeks prior to my own has now lost 115. Great job everyone! I'm gonna go find something that weighs 100 lbs and look at it - dont think I could lift it lol.

I agree - great advice. For myself, and knowing my tendency to say "oh it is okay if I just have a little taste, sip, what have you" - that got me to 318 lbs...so I am going the abstinence route for the most part. Certain foods that are very sliderish I tend to like a little bit too much after surgery, and now that the taste buds are back I try to be very careful - because I am definetely addicted to a whole host of food and drink I should not have right now

I dont even want to read it because I know what it says Havent we all endured poor treatment by folks who do not, nor have not ever walked in our shoes? Like sure i am going to submit to a major surgery on a whim - until you or someone you know goes through this process and have seen how intense and long the preparation is - how we really have to make changes in our lives post op (or else). I wish the folks who make those sorts of small, unenlightened comments the gift of compassion for thier fellow humans - we all have not-so-pretty stuff that we struggle with. Ours just happens to be very visible and is one of the last bastions of discrimination that is accepted in 'civilized' society. I would rather struggle with this and then conquer it than be small and mean minded any day of the week.

I am not sure about Aetna - but my insurance BCBS of Illinois used my starting weight and BMI.

I wanted to tell you guys thank you for the kind thoughts this past week - which has been bar none -probably the most hellish week of my life. My VSG surgery was last Monday afternoon (May 21, 2012) My husband had this same surgery done on Tuesday, May 9th and sailed through it - we brought him home the next morning. Unfortunately I have not experienced the same kind of luck with my own recovery. In a nutshell, I was supposed to go home on Tuesday morning, but I became tachardic (heart rate off the charts) and my red blood cells counts dropped so low that I was about as white as the sheet on my bed, as it turns out I was bleeding internally. Over the next few days I was given two blood transfusions, the first showed little improvement, then slowly the red blood cells started to return after the 4th unit of blood on the second transfusion. I was finally released on Friday morning - only to come home and have one of the 6 incisions on my belly rupture after I was home for about an hour - bleeding so profusely that it was like I had been hit by a shotgun blast.We ended up back in the ER once again that evening, having soaked through all of the towels, ratty clothes, and absorptive things in the house lol. They took yet another CBC (complete blood count) - which makes about 17 blood draws on someone who has teeny tiny veins, and can barely swallow .5 ounce of water - they were threatening to insert a central line and go back in to find the bleeding - Good news is that the numbers are looking better, so they did not need to. I was also 20 lbs. higher than my surgery day weight from blood pooling in the tummy and the insane amount of fluids they pushed all week. Right before I left the hospital they gave me a shot of lasix and put a Dulcolax suppository in the bum - lets just say I we had to stop a coule of times on the way home - we are not even that far from the hospital. 6 days out and it is the first day that I have actually start to feel okay. Now my stomach looks like a giant black and blue sack of potatoes - its has assumed shapes I have never known it could. Gotta get a picture of it before it goes away - it really is quite a spectacle. After the process I have gone through this past year with the nutrition, psych, and medical counseling and then having the surgery - it is in no way the easy route - merely the most successful in helping people as obese as myself hope to live a bit longer. Yesterday I was able to start getting all of my vitamins in, and am working hard to get my protein and fluids - it really is true, your tastes can really change after surgery. The only things that taste okay now are melted sugar free popsicles, protein chicken soup broth (strained), proti-diet protein drinks and powerade zero. I am very grateful to be feeling better for the moment - it think it might be a while before I have much energy. Frankly I am just glad to be alive - thank you guys for your enduring love and friendship.

Walk girlfriend walk Glad to hear you are doing well - welcome to the wonderful land of the sleeved!