VJSlim

Hi all, Can you please share with me what is your favorite brand of Protein Bar and how many gms of Protein in one bar? And also the flavors that you enjoy most. I'm growing sick of my Protein Shake and would like to try the bars. Thanks! ______________________ Edit: I want to try the Oh Yeah bars - the only brand that was mentioned on our forums that I could find in India. Do you guys know how many bars are there in a pack?

Hi friends, I was sleeved on Jan 11, 2012 and have lost 132lbs in total (including pre-op). Now, after almost 18 months, my breasts, arms, inner thighs and tummy are all saggy and droopy and need reconstructive surgery. I was planning to get the brachioplasty, thighplasty and breat lift (no implants) done at the same time. It was first scheduled for Feb of this year, and then a tummy tuck after a couple of months. But the surgeon's visit to India was postponed (he is of Indian-origin, living in USA now). He is visiting India only in June - so my surgery will be on 4th of June. I'm now seriously considering having the Tummy tuck done on the same day.I know this sounds crazy - but because the surgery was postponed a couple of times, I'm growing impatient and feel that getting it all done in one shot may be the best thing to do. The main reason I want to do this all at one time is so that the pain from the first surgery doesnt put me off from getting the second done. Does this make any sense? And I really really need all these procedures. The next reason is the lack of recovery time due to my work. I already had to take time off from work because of the VSG surgery, then some time off due to some minor complications in recovery. Now I'm taking a month off for the reconstructive surgery. My boss has been very understanding, but we are short staffed and I feel bad having to ask for another time off for tummy tuck. The next reason is that it may be months before my surgeon visits India again - I dont want to wait so long. I'm planning to get married this year and I dont want to have droopy tummy at that time So what I'm trying to ask is - has anyone been crazy/brave enough to get more than 2 or 3 procedures done at the same time? How was the pain? Any complications during surgery/recovery? I would love to hear all your feedbacks (including strong advises against any of the procedures based on your experiences). Thank you all in advance! _________________________________________________________________ EDIT: I forgot to add that my mom and sister will be with me for 2 weeks to take care of me. I know mobility is an issue when we do both arms and thighs at the same time (like pulling up the compression garments and everything) - so I'll stay in the hospital for the first week, and then my mom and sis will take care ofme at home.

M2G & Amazon13: Thank you both for the replies. I have asked for a time-off of 4 weeks initially. I'm hoping that I'll feel better by then and can go back to work without any issues.

M2G, DEZ1975 and CowgirlJane: Thank you all very much for your replies and advise. You are right - it is a LOT to cover in one surgery. I was just so frustrated with having the surgery postponed twice - I wasnt probably thinking straight. I guess I'll have to stick to my original plans and have 2 surgeries. Can I ask one more Q : What is the approximate recovery time for a TT? How soon can you go back to work? I'm a Software Engineer, so I pretty much sit all day. Will it be too hard to go back to work in say 15 to 20 days?

130 is my goal too! I'm exactly 5ft tall. I was 29 yo when I was sleeved on Jan 11, 2012. I started at around 272 lbs, and on the day of surgery I was 261lbs (lost 11lbs in 3 weeks pre-op). On my first surgiversary on Jan 12, 2013, I weighed 152 lbs - which was a 120lbs loss for the first year (including pre-op 11lbs). Today I weigh 143 lbs - which is my surgeon's goal weight for me. Having come this far gives me hope that I can cross that finish line and be at 130 some day. Somedays, I think I probably wont care if I dont lose a lb anymore. Somedays, I think I will be ecstatic if I lose one more lb. But currently, I'm a happy satisfied woman With this experience behind me, all I can say you is this: I know it sounds too unrealistic, but really - you can lose how much ever you want to lose. Will you lose it all in one year? a year and half? Probably - if you try hard enough and are lucky with the stalls. Who knows - maybe you would reach 130 sooner than me :) ALL THE BEST!!!! PS: I dont have many tips as such -- I regularly and religeously kept track of my food intake. And I haunted this forum for any sliver of wisdom these great folks share But if you would like to talk about my experience, send me a message and I would be happy to share my experiences.

WOW! Neil you look great! What an amazing transformation! Keep up the good work and all the best to you to reach your goals soon!

AWESOME! You've done a fantastic job! You look amazing! And you look very much younger now. Congrats on the successful weight loss and all the best to reach your goal soon!

My advise would be to get rid of all those tempting foods and other sliders from your cupboards. I know it sounds totally unhelpful - but in my experiece, whenever I feel that I dont have the will power to say no, I just try to avoid temptation. Dont give up - this is a golden chance to improve our health and lifestyle. All the best!

Awesome! You look wonderful! Congrats on your weight loss! Love the new hair do

I'm so sorry that happened to you! And for the record, I dont think I would have been in the right mind to throw up into a clutch if I couldnt find a waste bin or paper bag near me. You should be applauded for your civic sense. I have to say, even after a year out, I still sometimes dont listen to the 'signals' and suffer the overly stuffed feeling. But luckily, going out for dinner has worked out well for me. I, my sister and cousin go out atleast once a week. Maybe Indian food is sleeve friendly, probably! I ALWAYS have unfried items - I get grilled or tandoored items or those cooked in a mild sauce. Dont worry and dont write off dining out. Give it some more time, and start slowly. The one thing I have learned from this sleeve experience is that, you need not give up on all your culinary tastes. You learn to moderate and pick what works for you as time goes by. All the best!!!

You look amazing! Congrats on your weight loss and the NSVs! Livinglifeout is right - your happiness is evident in your words! Congrats on your relationship! I'm in the last stretch to goal too - have about 20 lbs to lose. Isnt it the hardest? I'm truly hoping I get to goal within the second surgiversary. Have you been doing anything special now that you are more than a year out? If it is okay to ask - did you have any lose skin issue? Is it manageable? Would love to hear from you!

Great job! Keep up the good work!

I dont eat red meat either. The only staples in my diet are milk, chicken and fruits. I like veggies and try to add veggies atleast twice a day in my meals. Mostly, it is just chicken, fish or fruits. I cant live without milk My fear is about carbs. It was hard to learn to stay away from useless carbs, and switch on to more fibrous variety (to be honest, I'm still learning this). I haven't had ice cream since after the surgery. I let myself have a tiny bite of chocolate every now and then (maybe once a week). But my only weakness now seems to be milk rusks and Cookies. This past week alone, I have had three cookies. Though the pieces were small, I sensed the same pattern of reaching for sweets after dinner. Once I realized that, I stopped opening 'that' cupboard in the kitchen LOL!

Awesome work! You look amazing! Congrats on your weight loss! I hope I reach goal soon and go into maintenance. I realize its going to take a lot of hard work and patience from my side to shed this last 20+ lbs. Do you have any tips? Did you do anything special when you were close to goal? How do you feel in the maintanence phase? Did you have any ups and downs or have you been maintaining pretty much at goal? Would love to learn from a veteran like you! I know the excess skin issue is totally personal - but if mine looked like your's does in the picture, I'll be thrilled! I have HORRIBLY saggy skin in my arms and thighs. Around my belly - it is somewhat tolerable, but the stretch maks are awful! I'll be getting an arm and thigh life in a month or so (fingers crossed!). I'll get a tummy tuck a year later, probably.

It is very much possible. It takes hard work and commitment - but if you follow your surgon's guidelines, and commit to a new life style it is surely achievable. Holly, a very inspirational member in this board, is on a journey to lose 300 lbs. I think she has already lost nearly 200+ lbs now. You should take a look at her blog: http://www.300poundsdown.com/. I always go back there for inspiration whenever the goal weight seems too distant for me. When you see such committed people, I think it motivates us to not give up. All the best in your weight loss journey!

Amazing! Congrats on your surgiversary and awesome weight loss! You've done a great job!

WOW! You look amazing! What a stunning transformation! It must feel awesome to reach the goal weight. I cant wait to reach my goal weight!! PS: I'm a bit mad that my 92 lbs didnt make such a hot difference LOL!!!!

You've done an amazing job! 100+ lbs in 9 months is stunning! Congrats on your weight loss and all the best to reach your goal soon!

You've done an amazing job! Congrats on your weight loss! Welcome to the forums!

Great job! You look great! Congrats on your weight loss and all the best to reach your goal soon!

Wow! Thats awesome! Congrats on your weight loss and all the best to reach your goal soon!

Wow! Incredible NSVs - especially the last one with your student. Congrats on your weight loss!

WOW! WOW! WOW! u look ultra cool! amazing transformation! hearty congrats on your weight loss!

Congrats! I know how awesome this feels coz I moved to the 'overweight' category only this month. I started at over 53 BMI, so getting down to 29.7 was nothing short of miraculous for me!

WOW! You guys look amazing! Congrats to both of you and thanks for being such a great inspiration to the rest of us!