cmf1267

I think it is because their stoma usually has a hard time tolerating very fibrous veggies. Glad I'm not getting the lapband!!

O.K. so I've been watching banded Wendy on YouTube and she read the rules for lapband surgery patients and I'm wondering if this one rule is the same for lapband and VSG. She said you had to avoid vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower & brussel sprouts. So if I have to do it, I will, but I do really like all three. So I was wondering if that was also a rule for VSG patients? Thanks.

Are there caloric restrictions on the pre-op liquid diet?

It is scary and I have some doubts every once in a while - but I know I've tried over & over to lose weight and can never keep it off and I've never been able to lose enough to get down to a healthy weight. You're doing this for your health. That's what I have to keep in mind (and then I think about all the cute clothes I'll be able to wear when I get to a healthy weight!!).

Juicing is only empty calories if you're buying high sugar juices in a bottle. I make natural juices in my juicer with fresh produce I buy at the grocery store/farmer's market. I only plan to juice once or twice a week once I'm post-op because I know liquid will go right through the sleeve and it is easy to make the juice high calorie if you use too much fruit. I plan to juice my greens/low calorie veggies and keep the juice to only 30-50 calories, but I'd like to try to get as many vitamins & minerals as I can naturally.

my doc gave me my lab work order yesterday at my first appt. I was just told to get it done M-Th. I figured I'd do it the day I have my psych eval 8/28 since I'll be near the hospital and I've got to go into work late anyway. EKG & EGD I think they are going to wait until I get preapproved and have a surgery date.

I haven't had the VSG yet but I had my gallbladder removed laproscopically in 96 and you can barely see the incisions now. 2 of them I can't see anymore.

I know most ppl do some sort of cardio but I was wondering how many started weight lifting as soon as they were cleared to? I plan on hitting the weights and increasing the intensity of my workouts over time in order to decrease any stalls in my weight loss (I know I may see stalls anyway - but it's just a strategy I'm going to try). I also know from past experience that weight training is the only way to really change the shape of your body and you look slimmer with muscles - plus - muscle burns 2x the energy that fat does so your body will burn more calories. I am starting my exercise regimen tonight - so I can get into as good a shape as possible before my surgery to help in my recovery & then plan to continue weight training as soon as I'm cleared. Browsing these forums & YouTube it seems a lot of ppl don't start weight training until after they've lost all their weight or they are close to their goal weight & by then they have a lot of extra skin. I was wondering how many ppl started lifting pretty much once they were cleared to do so? Do you think it helped with extra skin? Did anyone lift before surgery & do you think it helped with your recovery time? Just curious. thanks for any responses. Connie

Thanks for all the responses. PDX I think you are definitely right that it was your working out before surgery that helped in your recovery. So I'm definitely aiming for that. I did P90X a few years ago but I don't think I can support a workout like that on 600-800 cals per day. I'll have to see what I can do once I get there. I haven't lifted in a long while so I'm starting back with the 10 Minute Trainer & cardio at the gym. thanks. again.

All I have is the packet from the informational seminar but they put in the pre-op & post-op diets. I have to be on liquids for 2 weeks pre-op (they don't say this but I'm guessing at least the day before surgery will be clear liquids). Post-op - liquid Protein diet for 3 more weeks soft food (puree?) for 4th week. After 4 weeks advance to regular foods as stomach will tolerate. So by one month out I guess I'll be on regular food. So 5 months seems a little strict - but you can look at it this way - you may lose more weight that way!!!

It's been a while since I had my gallbladder removed laparoscopically - but I didn't think of it as being "stabbed" 4 times. However, I guess that's pretty accurate description. I can tell you that - at least for the gallbladder removal- I had the surgery on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and was back at work the following Monday - very little pain by then. The first couple days at home were a little painful - especially trying to sit down or get up. But it only lasted a couple of days. I think I even had to drive somewhere the day after surgery and I was fine.

I haven't had the surgery yet - but I think if you are constipated & can't keep anything down and this has been going on for more than a day or 2 it warrants a call to your surgeon's office to make sure it's not something more serious like a stricture or something. As far as constipation walking may help get things moving. I'm not sure what's allowed on plan after surgery but maybe a Fiber supplement like Metamucil in your Water. First things first though - call your surgeon - especially if you can't keep water down. You don't want to get dehydrated.

42.

I'm single with no kids - but I honestly feel that as far as support goes - if someone hasn't had at least 80lbs or more to lose, they just don't understand what we are going through. These forums, facebook pages & youtube have a lot of support from ppl going through the same thing we are. I'm not concerned about support after the surgery. I live by myself - but I know I'll be fine. Please go through with your surgery. If you don't - I really think you'll regret it.

@Erin6573 - you're totally correct - it is a big time commitment. I think that is why I never made it through the full 90 days. I'm thinking when I have the surgery and have been cleared for lifting - once I start to see a stall I may add 1 P90X workout into my workout a week just to try to prevent a plateau or get me out of one. I'll see. But definitely - the time commitment is huge!!

I haven't been sleeved yet, but my first appointment with the surgeon is next Thursday with Dr. Harriot of Hawasli & Assoc. in St. Clair Shores. I'm going to have the surgery (if all goes well with insurance etc.) at Beaumont Grosse Pointe.

I have a Breville Juicer and I put a tablespoon of Chia seeds in my juice, put juice in a mason jar & let the Chia seeds sit in juice until I get to work. Chia seeds are gelotanous, meaning they absorb liquid and supposed to be wonderful for your digestive system as well as a good source of Omega 3, 6 and I think they have a good amount of protein (not sure though). I like them way better than Flax seeds. Supposedly they are a better source of your Omegas than Flax and they don't go rancid and they don't have a taste. They absorb the flavor of whatever food you put them in!

I've done P90X a couple times. It is intense - however you can tailor it to you & your level. I didn't even bother with the fit test. If you can't do pushups on your feet do them on your knees, if you can't do pull-ups yet you can use the bands attached to your door. I think it's totally worth it. I've done the program on 1200 calories/day - but I was wondering about doing it on so few calories, but again you can tailor it to your fitness/energy level. Tony Horton has low impact or modified moves for almost everything. So I do recommend the program if you're interested in really working hard. His Power 90 is a pretty good workout as well.

Don't weigh yourself every day. The increase in weight could be from your body retaining a little water after you workout. Yes, muscle weighs more than fat however it also burns 2x more calories than fat. The more muscle you have the more calories you'll burn. So I doubt the muscle is causing the weight gain if you are truly sticking to your calories, but you definitely need to make sure you get in enough protein to support the muscle growth.

Wait til you hit your mid 40s - memory gets even worse. Just something to look forward to, but at least by then - you'll have lost all your weight.

I've been watching some YouTube videos of ppl who are vlogging their VSG experience. 2 have kind of made me nervous. I think they were both pretty young girls - maybe in their early 20s, and during their 1st or 2nd day home they became very dehydrated and had to go to the hospital. Is this common? I know they both said that they were very nauseous so I assume they didn't drink their Water. However, I've been sick in the past and drank few liquids for a day or 2 and never became so dehydrated I had to go to the hospital. So is this common? Also did anyone's surgeon send them home with a prescription for an anti-nausea? If this is common - why is it so easy to become dehydrated after this surgery?

I agree with you Misty - if you're anything like me - if I haven't had the food for a while - I can live without it - but if you eat that kind of food then you just crave it for a few days. Why make it harder on yourself when the next day you have to just go back on the liquid diet? For me - the mental part is sooooo important. And whose to say that you can't enjoy a bite or 2 in a year after you've lost all your weight. Connie

On one of the posts I was reading yesterday where someone asked if the Sleeve or the RNY was better, several ppl said that the pouch in the RNY stretches more than the sleeve. I was just wondering where you got this information, because my surgeon did say we had to be careful not to stretch out the sleeve, and even that one time he had to perform a 2nd surgery to to make the sleeve smaller again after his patient had stretched it out. Also, I couldn't find anything on the internet to verify this. Several ppl posted that as their answer so I was just wondering where they got the information.

interesting!

from what I've read of RNY patients who've had dumping syndrome - it's similar to an episode one might have with a sudden drop in blood sugar. They get sweaty and feel like they're going to pass out - but usually don't. If you go on YouTube there are actually ppl who have filmed themselves having a dumping syndrome episode. One guy was in his car and he said he had horribly painful cramping in his stomach, he was sweaty & felt like he would pass out (he didn't though).