Bufflehead

Disclaimer - I have not used these myself but everyone I know who has used them has said they love them. Chocolate peanut butter chewy bites from Bariatric Advantage: http://www.amazon.com/Bariatric-Advantage-Calcium-Citrate-Chocolate/dp/B00GAMSKUE If those don't appeal to you, their lemon and caramel chews also get high marks in general from what I have seen. Good luck!

Make sure your current doc has your complete file from your previous doc, and make an appointment to see your current doc to discuss everything and see where he stands. I think as long as he has your complete file and talks to you about it, the chances are good he will sign a letter for you. If he won't, talk to your surgeon's office and see if they can recommend a new primary doc that they work with and who they think should be more realistic and flexible in terms of signing off on surgery. Chances are your surgeon works with lots of local primary care physicians on a regular basis and will be able to refer you to someone who will help your health care instead of hinder it. Good luck!

I wasn't allowed raw veggies until six months after surgery. Fruit I could have only if it was something I could cut easily with a fork. So a ripe banana, yes, a raw apple, no. I haven't had any food intolerances.

All natural peanut butter (and other nut butter such as almond butter) was approved on my plan at the puree stage, but no more than 1 tablespoon per day. I liked it stirred into Greek yogurt or cottage cheese.

For a lot of people getting LBL, having the genital area lifted up is an important part of the surgery. So I think it is great that at least some of the pictures show the results there as well!

For multivitamins, for the first four weeks after surgery I did a double dose of Wellesse liquid multi-vitamin. After that I switched to Trader Joe's High Potency chewable multivitamins. Did a double dose for a year and have recently switched to a single dose since I can eat more now. I think both of them taste fine. They are both cheaper than specialty bariatric vitamins -- especially the Trader Joe's chewable, which is about as cheap as you will find any high potency chewable multi anywhere. Plus lower calories and carbs than most vitamins. I have my labs drawn regularly and the results are always excellent. For protein shakes, I like to use powders to make my own shakes, I don't like the ready to drink stuff like Premiere Protein or EAS. I think all of them (the ready to drink protein shakes) taste disgusting, like industrial sludge. I'm not terribly picky with respect to the powders to be honest. I regularly use HealthSmart cappuccino and hot chocolate, Syntrax Matrix, Syntrax Nectar Sweets, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, Chike, Unjury, and Jay Robb. My absolute favorite is the Chike Iced Coffee for sure. I would suggest trying some samples before surgery, then getting some more samples to use after surgery. Don't stock up on tubs of protein before surgery because even if you like it now, you may hate it after surgery. Places to get samples or small quantities: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html https://www.chikenutrition.com/chike-variety-pack.html http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-starter-kit.html http://www.jayrobb.com/protein/whey-protein-samples.asp http://www.vitalady.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&keywords=protsamp&SortKey=sku&SortOrder=ascending&template=Templates/ProteinSampleQuickorder.html http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-drinks/healthsmart-hot-drink-cappuccino-7-box.html http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/hot-drinks/healthsmart-hot-chocolate-variety-pack-7-box.html http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Bariatric_Protein_Samples_s/35.htm

By my calculations that puts your BMI at just over 37, which means a lot of insurance companies will cover your surgery if you have co-morbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. So be very sure that you are not covered before you decide to go elsewhere. If you are truly not able to get insurance coverage, there are many excellent surgeons in Mexico who will happily do this surgery for you. Check out the self-pay/Mexico subforum and perhaps ask for recommendations and prices there - there are many forum members at your BMI or lower who go to Mexico and will be happy to share their experiences and recommendations, plus you can get a good idea of how it works by reading back threads in that forum for a few weeks. Good luck!

You will eventually enjoy food again but right now you need to focus on not making yourself sick. Worry about enjoyment later. Eggs and meat are two things that are notorious for causing problems early on. Try other things that might be easier on your stomach. If you are not lactose intolerant, try a few bites of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Maybe some refried beans. Try the ricotta bake from TheWorldAccordingtoEggface's blog. If eating solid food is still giving you problems, go back to lots of full liquids (protein shakes) for a couple of weeks and then try again. Not everyone is ready for solids so soon after surgery. You may also want to discuss with your surgeon if you are still having problems tolerating soft foods after trying different things. Good luck!

Hi, Dr. Capella has a great gallery of photos online. For the lower body lift pictures, look at the "body lift" gallery, but he also has other surgeries as well. He specializes in post-wls patients. Most of his photos are from 1 - 2 years out. Hope this helps! http://www.capellaplasticsurgery.net/photo_gallery.htm

Maybe check and see if your PCP or an urgent care facility would be willing to pull it for you?

Hey, you are losing faster than I ever did and I think I did pretty well overall. And remember - comparisons are the killers of joy. You are doing fantastic. Don't let anyone -- even yourself -- take that away from you.

@@VioletAura it is considered a clear liquid under my plan. You mix it with water and it mixes transparent, not milky.

A runny nose when you have eaten too much is pretty common, as are things like sneezing, hiccups, etc. It's because the food in your tiny stomach is pressing against and irritating the vagus nerve, which controls a lot of those involuntary upper-body type functions. The NP at my surgeon's office stressed that having a runny nose or hiccups or anything like that doesn't mean you've eaten enough and should stop. It means you have eaten too much and should be careful to eat less of that type of food the next time!

ketosis and the accompanying horrible breath are notorious for going with a high protein, low carb diet. Don't be surprised to get sour B.O. and funny smelling urine, too (sorry to be the bearer of bad news).

I worried about this too but honestly I have never had someone comment on what I was eating, or how little. Other than a few waiters who asked if my food was all right (because I didn't eat much of it) and I just say something like it was delicious, could I have a doggie bag? And then sometimes throw in an excuse such as, I ate a late lunch so I'm not really hungry, or I'm watching my calories. If your friends/family do comment (rude btw) just reiterate that you are on a diet and your doctor has given you strict guidelines about what to eat and how much. It's true!

@@Wishfull.shrinking I had the gastric sleeve

Do you feel tired all the time? No, I have more energy now than I have ever had in my life. Being obese is what makes people tired, not getting healthy! Do you get sick a lot? No, I got a cold last month and had one around last Christmas, but that's it. That would have been normal for me before the surgery too. I don't ever get sick in terms of stomach sickness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or anything like that. Any surgery complications? Nope. Do you regret the surgery at all? Never. If I had to have this surgery again every year for the rest of my life in order to stay the way I am now, I would do it gladly. Thankfully I don't have to though! Any tips for those who haven't had the surgery yet?? Trust your surgeon and his/her team. Follow their directions and if their directions conflict with what strangers on the internet tell you -- follow YOUR surgeon, not someone else's! Get up and moving, and keep moving, as soon after the surgery as you can. Buy lots of Protein powder samples and an immersion blender before surgery (unless you are committed to RTD shakes) but don't stock up on tubs of protein flavors - your tastes will very likely change. And look into savory protein options such as unjury chicken Soup, HealthSmart Soups, stuff like that. Get a myfitnesspal.com account and learn how to use it to log your food, customize your goals, etc. Ask your team and the folks here lots of questions! And do a lot of reading on all the sleeve forums here -- not just the ones that apply to you right now. That way you'll know things like "what is the three week stall?" and "why don't I feel any restriction on full liquids?" and "why does my stomach keep making those weird noises?" -- information is power! Are you able to drink soda post surgery? I haven't tried soda, no reason to. But I did try champagne and I have to say the carbonation felt a little weird and uncomfortable.

Evidently my body didn't get that memo as I ate under 800 calories a day for over a year after surgery, and am still eating under 1200 calories a day, have lost 185 lbs and am still losing weight! And I am healthier than I have ever been for sure. Good luck to you going forward!

coffee is not going to dehydrate you. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts?page=2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11022872 My dietician wants patients to wait a few months after sleeve surgery as it can be a gastric irritant, particularly to people with an existing history of stomach ulcers.

I think beef jerky is great as a snack choice if it is approved under your plan and you don't eat so much of it that it puts you over the recommended sodium guidelines.

My team's rules were no grains period for the first six months (also no starchy veg, no sweets, etc.). So yeah, bread crumbs in a burger were out for me. There are different ways to make burgers though! A lot of people use almond flour or coconut flour as a binder in place of bread crumbs, but I prefer using an extra egg plus chopped dried mushrooms and veggies. You can get lots of ideas and recipes by Googling "Paleo burger" "paleo meatballs" and things like that, since paleo eaters don't use grains either. Now, your surgeon may permit things like bread crumbs, so you may not even need to go there!

@@3in1wOL I live alone with a large dog and three cats and had no problems taking care of myself after surgery. In fact I was glad to be alone and not have to worry about entertaining other people or taking care of them. I was able to take my dog for progressively longer walks without any issues. Do be aware of how much your dog weighs and whether you will be allowed to lift him/her after surgery, assuming that is something you ordinarily do. Good luck!

@@GummyTummy the idea that coffee will dehydrate you is a myth: http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts?page=2 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeinated-drinks/faq-20057965 http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/12187618/reload=0;jsessionid=4JJ2WCAlb24kzKm0E3ce.4 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11022872

First off, I am pretty much an advocate of always following your surgeon's rules. That said -- the hospital staff brought me a nice big mug of steaming decaf the day after surgery and told me to drink it. I had no problems with it. It was definitely on my surgeon's plan! And btw, regarding caffeine - there are mixed opinions out there on whether it stimulates the appetite or reduces it. The Mayo Clinic says evidence shows caffeine may reduce your desire to eat: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/expert-answers/caffeine/faq-20058459 But they also say there is no good evidence that it helps with weight loss long term.

Agree with everyone else above, you should stick to your surgeon's rules. Also, I'm concerned that you say you "think" you are sticking to two ounces. You need to be weighing/measuring your food, not guessing. People are notoriously bad in estimating the size of their portions.