Chimera

Feeling great now I can absolutely identify with the folks who are having a rough go of it post-op. My weight was 318 when I started - and this morning I was 219, one more lb. and I am in the century club - then another 18 down and I will be under 200 for the first time in a looooong time. My husband was the same starting weight (we really are twins lol.) and this morning he was 207 - and is now just overweight, no longer obese. We had no idea that these great changes would happen so rapidly.

It gets better - I was a train wreck for weeks. The not being able to get more than a tiny sip of liquid down at a time was terrible - but that improves a lot within the first few weeks.

You are already breaking it - it takes time but eventually the craving WILL subside. Take it from one who quit a 28 year 2 pack a day smoking habit, and a serious diet coke and coffee addiction prior to my own surgery. I just keep telling myself it is something i used to do. I never want to go through having to quit any of these things again - that idea alone helps me when I get cravings for the stuff i should not have. My NUT says that drinking carbonated beverages is one of the most detrimental things you can do post WLS - I have even heard that some docs recommend it to stretch out your sleeve when you want to eat more (i.e. stop losing).

I can go 10-15 days unless I am on top of things with fiber supplements, Mirilax, Colase, Milk of magnesia (blech) when needed. My husband and I joke about when it is "poop day" lol - he has the same issues after his own vsg as well.

Costco - Premier Protein RTD, 160 cal, 30g protein, 3-5 carb (depending on flavor) fat 3 g. A case of 18 is around $24 - less if there is a coupon Usually for pre-op you want carbs as low as you can get them - I did 20g and under and did Atkins 72 - which strives for zero carbs in the induction phase - My doc only had is do clear liquids the day prior.

My surgeon doesnt do them - he says they can cause leaks - go figure.

The bladder changes are awesome - I used to call myself "princess bunny bladder" because i had to pee like every 20 minutes - even when i wasnt drinking oceans of water. Now i can go hours upon hours and not have to go - fabulous

Statically for all sleeve patients? One can expect to lose 50% of one's excess body weight in the first 6 months post surgery, another 25% in the next 6 months, and the final 25% over the 12 months following that. Now mind you your mileage may vary - there are folks on this board who started with very high BMI's who lost all of the weight in 6-9 months - others who lose much more slowly - it is all over the map. Age, genetics, starting weight, compliance with surgeon's and nutritionists guidleines, how much you move your body are all factors that contribute. Personally, I hit 50% down around my 3 month mark - thanks to pre-op losses.

Folks are usually cleared to bathe, swim, and lift objects at 6 to 8 weeks - your incisions must have no scabs. For the insides, it is three months, sans complications, to be considered healed - least that is what the staff at my surgeon's office states. And the reasons they have us on PPI's is to help with reflux, insure that we dont form ulcers, and help that staple line heal.

My first meal was a one egg omelette with sharp cheese - think I made it through about 1/4th of it and was stuffed to the gils and in heaven lol. Ate lots of eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, refried beans, chicken, tuna, and eggs salad - chopped very fine. chicken in the crock pot is nice as it stays very moist. another favorite is a slice of avocado wrapped in a bit of deli turkey - delish! Sometimes when I get tired of eating the same old thing I will pick up some lean cuisines or Smart ones frozen dinners (only the ones with meat and vegetables - i dont do rice, pasta, or much in the way of potatoes during this phase of my life - maybe when i get to goal) One of those dinners can last me 3-4 meals dpeneding on what it is. Same thing with a can of refired beans - 4-5 meals. I loooove soup but it can be a bit sliderish for me - as can the beans once I got onto dense solids. The three turkey meatball dinner (add salsa or condiment of your choice) leaves me packed to the gills. I still do protein soups, shakes - love string cheese and bonbels - we go through a lot of those around our house, and canadian bacon.

Hmmm I am not sure on those - perhaps someone here as tried them. I would see what your NUT has to say. I know for myself that those types of foods are a huge trigger for me (especially if they are made from flour) so you may want to watch it there if those types of foods tend to do that to you as well. Now for when you are onto eating more solids - a great cheesy crunchy treat is the faux cheese nip - take a Kraft single, slice it three times in each direction to get 16 little squares, place them on a piece of parchement paper and microwave them for 45 to 60 seconds (mine are perfect at 50 seconds) - they puff up and have a nice crunch. 60 cal, 4 g Protein, 2 carb, 4.5 fat. There is a whole thread about these types of Snacks in the recipe section. Best of luck !

219 this morning - down 2.5 from last week. 99 lbs down, one lb to century club

Indeed I have One more lb. and I will be in the century club - that is not something I ever thought I would see. Congrats you guys - we will all get to where we are going eventually.

My doc also wants us off all vitamins 3 days prior to labs so they have accurate results.

Sweet! I am so in for this challenge. This morning I am 221 - by January 1 I would like to be under 200 lbs.

Wonderful! Best of luck with a speedy recovery - I was 318 at the start - 221 this morning and had my surgery May 21, 2012.

woohoo! you are doing great I had surgery on May 21st as well and also am excited to get into the 100's in the hopefully near future.

The fabulous faux cheese Nip~ Take one Kraft single (I like sharp cheddar), slice it 3 directions one way, and 3 the other to make 16 little squares - place them on parchment paper and microwave them for 45-60 seconds in the microwave. Mine turn out perfect, puffy and crispy at 50 seconds. It makes a nice, light crispy snack that mimics a cracker Nutrition: 60 cals, 4 g Protein, 2 carb, 4.5 fat

Shelley the recipe goddess from The World According to Eggface will have a segment on the premiere of the new Ricki Lake Show on September 10th. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-ricki-lake-show-premiere.html

It doesnt have to do with one's weight. The pre-op diet which is always high protein/low carbs is specifically to shrink as well as firm up the liver. When the liver is large with fatty liver syndrome - it is also spongy and weak, my surgeon told us prior to surgery that it is so soft and spongy that a retractor can rip it apart if it is lifted - which would be a complication so severe one would not even want to contemplate the consequenses. The high Protein very low carb pre-op diet works quickly - in 7-10 days remarkable changes occur. My surgeon said that if he went in laprascopically and saw a fat liver he will either convert to an open surgery (yikes) or sew us back up until we make it smaller. Scared me enough to follow that pre-op diet religiously. I am so sorry that you could not have your vsg as scheduled, but things could have gone very wrong if your liver was compromised in any way. Drop those carbs to below 20 a day - up the protein, drink oceans of hydrating non-caloric beverages and your liver will shrink to a tiny little thing very quickly - and that 20 lbs will be history. Best of luck!

Holy Cannoli you look fantastic! Well done

Keep reading the boards, practice the techniques you will need to be doing post-sugery - Dr's vary but no straws, no gum, wait 15 mins to eat after drinking and 45 after eating, start cutting carbs, stop smoking, stop coffee (some do some don't - I myself did not want to recover with a caffiene withdrawal headache) stop all carbonated beverages. Start taking your Vitamins, and start all of the testing that needs to be done prior - which is pretty significant. I went to my first seminar in March 2011 and did not have my surgery until may 21, 2012. I worked on trying to eat better and prepare best I could - now that I am on the other side - losing the 44 lbs. prior to my vsg is one of the things i am VERY glad I did - it simply ups the chances of success. Hang in there - it can take a long time, but the time will pass anyway. use the time to educate yourself, and take great care of yourself

Like Rootman I didn't start to feel better until I was 6-8 weeks out - I felt like a wrung out rag, was nauseated, everything tasted like a** - had some serious complications right after surgery, then more at home, then screwed up my knee and couldnt even stand up three weeks out - what a mess it was, just misery. I too think I was dehydrated, had a heck of a time getting enough in. I think are bodies are pretty much WTF did you just do to me lol. I feel a whole lot better now

I did not experience the 2 week stall that many do - some weeks the weight seems to come off a bit faster than others - right after my 100 day checkup I seem to have stalled a bit - I honestly am surprised it hasnt happened sooner, our bodies are changing so rapidly that it seems that it would be normal.

I wasnt quite sure either until I was onto solid protein - I absolutely knew when enough was enough when I tried to get through 3 oz. of ground turkey. The beans for me are a bit sliderish - I tend to be able to eat more volume of them than other things, even though it still takes about 4 days to get through one can lol.