Finding Myself

Sweet! Great to know! Seems like perfect post op food!

Was wondering if anyone knows anything about the healthy aspects of home made Bone Broth? I've read that the collagen in it is super healthy for the gut. Thoughts?

I would be curious to know which doctors in Mexico were tied to the patients with the leaks.

I would be curious to know which doctors in Mexico were tied to the patients with the leaks.

I'm almost a year out and went through that. It gets better with time! Just take good care of yourself. I've exceeded my goal and feel great, celebrating my one year surgiversary in two weeks. Hang in there!

I'm almost a year out and went through that. It gets better with time! Just take good care of yourself. I've exceeded my goal and feel great, celebrating my one year surgiversary in two weeks. Hang in there!

I'm happy to have found this thread - I consider myself a lightweight with a BMI of 34.9 and about 60-70 lbs to lose. Dieting over and over again and sometimes successful in the short term but always gain it back. My body likes weighing 190 lbs! But I'm only 5'2 and this cannot be good for me in the long run. I've basically been a size 16 for about 12 years now, and I'm just *waiting* until I develop problems secondary to carrying around this extra weight!
I also have a weird self image problem. I know I'm overweight, but I "feel" normal. I don't "see" myself as overweight as I am, then I'll have my picture taken, look at it and go, "WHOA! Who is THAT?"
I think that if this surgery ends up being so successful for a lot of people, that it should be considered a preventative measure in the U.S. But of course the U.S. healthcare system doesn't do prevention. Blah.

Fine....I sent this today to a friend on MFP....I copied it from there.
Ok...so the green shakes... Well, I bought a vitamix, that thing will liquefy anything. The blendtec is just as good and some people like the ninja as well, and it's much less expensive....... Anyway, there is no limitations on the recipes. I do put a lot of stuff in mine. I start by filling it up with kale/mixed (collard) greens (you can use spinach). They say kale and spinach taste less bitter than stuff like mustard greens. Plus chopped up whatever veggies I may have. A little broccoli, asparagus, mini carrots, mini cucumber and 2-3 cups of cold Water. The more water the thinner it will be, less water....thicker. Adjust to taste. Blend that up. Then I add 2 cups mixed frozen fruit/berries/whatever. 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt. 2 scoops Protein Powder (I use chocolate and you can't taste it). I also add a few little things like a tablespoon of spirulina, 1/4 cup goji berries, a dash of cacao....this stuff is optional but super high in nutrition. Blend again and add a little bit of water if its too thick. That makes about 50-60 oz of shake. I put about 12 oz in my shaker bottle with 2 tablespoons of chia seeds and let that sit for 25 minutes then drink. It's good. I'm getting in a lot of nutrients most sleevers can't get on the typical low carb plan. The carbs are all low glycemic. I honestly made 4 or 5 batches before I figured out the exact recipe I liked. You make a batch, adjust it, make another. It gets better. I have never felt better....but I'm craving salads now all the time.

I'm sure some fit people do. I will never be one of them. I eat almost paleo now and I've never felt better. I'm convinced that overly processed and additive laden food make for a poor quality of life. I also think that combined with genetics, this stuff is at the heart of autism, certain cancers and a host of other diseases. It's bad enough that the meats, milk and produce is tainted. Thank goodness I have my own hens. A least my eggs are clean.
Sure, we are all going to die, but I want to be ambulatory like my German grandma that grew up on a pig farm, fried everything in lard and made everything from scratch. I want to live as long as she and my Italian grandfather who ate sparingly. Neither ever ate fast food or packaged food.
'Sides, most fast food sandwiches are from 500-1000 calories. I eat around 800 right now. It takes too much space away from other things. My tastes have changed considerably. I'd rather sink my teeth into a rare slice of tri-tip.Greek yogurt with pineapple is better than any slice of cheesecake to my tastes.
So I've turned into a bit of a health nut and food snob, but "I'm loving it!"

I'm happy to have found this thread - I consider myself a lightweight with a BMI of 34.9 and about 60-70 lbs to lose. Dieting over and over again and sometimes successful in the short term but always gain it back. My body likes weighing 190 lbs! But I'm only 5'2 and this cannot be good for me in the long run. I've basically been a size 16 for about 12 years now, and I'm just *waiting* until I develop problems secondary to carrying around this extra weight!
I also have a weird self image problem. I know I'm overweight, but I "feel" normal. I don't "see" myself as overweight as I am, then I'll have my picture taken, look at it and go, "WHOA! Who is THAT?"
I think that if this surgery ends up being so successful for a lot of people, that it should be considered a preventative measure in the U.S. But of course the U.S. healthcare system doesn't do prevention. Blah.

Hey Guys, wanted to chime in, too... I was sleeved down in Mexico in June - 4 months out yesterday! I'm about 10-15 lbs away from goal (I say that because I'm at 140 right now and looking lean and mean so my original goal of 125 may be too much). I am finally at the point where I love my sleeve! It was a journey, for sure... and still is! Like Louisianagirl said, you will learn a whole new set of rules for staying healthy along the way!
Good luck to everyone!

That's so funny, just this last weekend I got on the scale and I've been semi low carbing it for about a week or two, and I've lost a couple of pounds... made me feel good, you know? Then I got dressed and worse a nice pair of capris and a nice blouse, looked at myself in the mirror and was like MY GOD I want this weight off!!!!
Yes I was just talking to a friend of mine, too, who was telling me the same things... she's tiny.. and I looked at her and told her that what she isn't taking into account is that she and I are the same height, she weighs about 120 lbs. I told her that I am HER size if I'm healthy and she just stared at me. People don't really grasp that 50 or 60 lbs really is REALLY overweight.
I'm lucky in that I have this opportunity NOW instead of waiting until I get diabetes or high bp or whatever... right now I am somewhat pre-diabetic in that my fasting blood glucose is elevated. So I can sit back, keep this extra 50-60 lbs and WAIT till I get sick or try to do something about it now!!
Fingers crossed that surgery goes off without a hitch and that I can lose this weight and enjoy my remaining "young" years being active and healthy, and not enter seniorhood as a fatty that's developing disease.
Somebody on here said, "you ever seen a healthy, fat older person? Yeah, cause they don't exist." That stays with me!!!!

Boots who is doing your surgery? I'm scheduled with Dr. Kelly on June 14th.
I am just under 5'3 and weigh on average 187 lbs. People are CONSTANTLY telling me, "you look fine!" "You don't need to lose weight!"
Baloney. I see the fat rolls around my midsection. True... I am not morbidly obese. I am simply... obese. Discount the BMI and all that, say it's not accurate... still, I should weigh no more than about 130 lbs. How can people not see that????
I find it very frustrating. I know this is only a tool and may not work for me. I plan for it to work though, and in my mind I just don't envision it NOT working. I'm being positive. I'm being proactive. And, I'm sick and tired of being a size 16 when I know I should be a size 7 or 8.
I'm so glad I found this group!!! Most people on here seem to be morbidly obese and I think they wonder why we are doing this, too. Maybe that's just my own head saying that, too. I have a friend who lost about 60 on her own, then needed to lose 60 more and just got sleeved. So she was my size after losing a lot of weight and then got sleeved to finish it off... she has never been happier.
My body has stayed at my current weight for YEARS. I want to feel better about myself, too.

Siren, I was so glad to read your post! I'm the same way... just over 4 months out and I'm doing really well. I am about 15 lbs from goal! Finally feeling "normal" and loving it.
I went to a party last night and saw people I haven't seen in 15 years - and it was GREAT to be the THIN one for a change!!! And listen to comments from people who remembered the "fat" me. It's a great feeling to be comfortable in your own skin!!!

Dr. Kelly is my doctor and I could not have gotten better care through ANY other doctor or hospital.
4 months out, almost to goal, not one complication and still have terrific follow up by Dr. Kelly. Be wary of what you read on these forums as there are a lot of lies and back stabbing. Contact individual patients if you can.
I quit using Obesity Help because it was nothing but a bunch of gossip that made a hard decision even harder. Make an informed decision for sure.

Dr. Kelly is my doctor and I could not have gotten better care through ANY other doctor or hospital.
4 months out, almost to goal, not one complication and still have terrific follow up by Dr. Kelly. Be wary of what you read on these forums as there are a lot of lies and back stabbing. Contact individual patients if you can.
I quit using Obesity Help because it was nothing but a bunch of gossip that made a hard decision even harder. Make an informed decision for sure.

Some of this just makes no sense to me. First, we don't have a pouch. We have a sleeve, which means we have a fully functioning stomach with a fully functioning pyloric valve. Bands and Bypass patients have a pouch that doesn't utilize the valve like we do so it's different for them. But we have very little room in our stomach now, and Water does make the valve open which will allow food to pass out of your stomach more quickly.
Someone described it on here as the more solid foods without so much liquid will allow you to feel full longer and you will be less likely to overeat. But also because we can only hold about 4 oz of food in our tummies now, and if you drink a lot of Water you aren't gonna feel like eating your nutrition/protein so it's not as good for you.
I think this is more about developing good eating habits than anything! If you go back to drinking a giant glass of water with your meals, then you will likely start to feel hungry more often and more likely to overeat.
The reason it sort of doesn't make sense is because... what about when we eat Soup? There's a lot of liquid in Soup. It doesn't HURT us to eat soup, it just isn't as filling, right? So I think of drinking with my meals as creating soup in my tummy that is going to fill me up with less food thus not allowing me to get enough proper nutrition.
I'm 3 months out, and I don't drink with my meals. It's become normal to me now, and it makes me realize that all those years of drinking a ton of water with my meals was probably really affecting my digestion in negative ways.
Much of what we do in the first 3-6 months after surgery is DEVELOP GOOD HABITS. Eat high quality Protein and veggies; drink when it's appropriate but mostly learn how to eat in ways that maximizes our nutrition - these things apply when we are a few years out so that we can maintain our weight loss.

I had my first sashimi meal yesterday and it was SO good. It was VERY gentle on the sleeve!!! I had two small pieces of tuna with wasabi and ginger, and several small pieces of scallops with some spicy mayo. It was my most satisfying, best meal since being sleeved. It will be my go-to food for a while.

I had my first sashimi meal yesterday and it was SO good. It was VERY gentle on the sleeve!!! I had two small pieces of tuna with wasabi and ginger, and several small pieces of scallops with some spicy mayo. It was my most satisfying, best meal since being sleeved. It will be my go-to food for a while.

pics?????

I would be curious to know which doctors in Mexico were tied to the patients with the leaks.

Hi Everyone,
Seems we all want to share our journeys, me included... being a writer at heart, I finally got the nerve up to start a blog about my own journey. I know there are many many out there but if anybody wants to read, please feel free.
www.drmcsleevie.com

I've told people repeatedly on here.... don't get pulled into the thought process of this being anything BUT major surgery. Do not worry about coordinators, family members, or whatever.... worry about Dr. Kelly. He is ultimately the only one who matters. I can promise you all... as they were wheeling me down the hallway to the OR, all I cared about were the people in that surgical suite.
I concur with Cissie, and while not everyone is going to have a super stellar experience, at least see how you recover first... because that ultimately is all that DOES matter. 9 of us were there in the same week and we are all just doing so well. No skin infections, no complications, etc. THAT IS WHAT MATTERS.
Bringing a lot of family members is great for you, and a good support system - but yes I'd rec. they stay at the hotel and rent a car. It CAN be a mini vacation for them, but it won't be for you. My husband was with me the whole time, except for when he'd walk out of the hospital to go get some good food! We really didn't want Omar focusing on anyone but ME.
I don't think anybody should be bashed, or whatever, and I think all patients should care ONLY about the quality of the medicine. Nothing else really matters.

I've told people repeatedly on here.... don't get pulled into the thought process of this being anything BUT major surgery. Do not worry about coordinators, family members, or whatever.... worry about Dr. Kelly. He is ultimately the only one who matters. I can promise you all... as they were wheeling me down the hallway to the OR, all I cared about were the people in that surgical suite.
I concur with Cissie, and while not everyone is going to have a super stellar experience, at least see how you recover first... because that ultimately is all that DOES matter. 9 of us were there in the same week and we are all just doing so well. No skin infections, no complications, etc. THAT IS WHAT MATTERS.
Bringing a lot of family members is great for you, and a good support system - but yes I'd rec. they stay at the hotel and rent a car. It CAN be a mini vacation for them, but it won't be for you. My husband was with me the whole time, except for when he'd walk out of the hospital to go get some good food! We really didn't want Omar focusing on anyone but ME.
I don't think anybody should be bashed, or whatever, and I think all patients should care ONLY about the quality of the medicine. Nothing else really matters.

KeepingMySoul, have you talked to Dr. Kelly or Omar and given this feedback? Please do. They are running such a small family business and feedback, good or bad, helps them make improvements. If they need to hire someone else, then they need to know that...