mama

I was sleeved by Dr Aceves in Mexico in Jan 2013. I lost weight quickly and within a year was happily at 162 lbs (I am 5"6" tall and large frame). My original goal for myself was 170, and the BMI scale says 154, so I happily in the middle. I have learned that I can eat a lot of empty calories and that carbohydrates are NOT my friends. I try to stay away from fried foods, but do not eat fat free. I still have a protein shake for breakfast everyday mostly because I am not crazy about breakfast. I don't limit anything that goes on my plate, but live by the Protein first, Veggies second and Carbs last rule as much as possible. Late night snacking is still a struggle for me and if I am not careful, I will see the scale sneaking up. I freak out if I see 164 and try to stay between 160 and 162. If I have a particularly bad week, I will spend a couple days on high protein soft foods like chicken, fish, shakes, etc to reset. I still drink more Diet Coke than I should, but no where near what I used to. I do not drink with meals. I struggle with water intake, but do drink Crystal Light. We are retired and do a lot of travelling and cruising so often food is in abundance. Overall, I LOVE my sleeve!!! It is exactly the tool I needed to prevent me from gaining back the weigh I tried to keep off for over 35 years. How is everyone else doing?

No big deal. Flew back to Melbourne FL. Packed Crystal Light and soup broth....asked for hot/cold water on the plane and mixed. Also had pain mess that I got from the hospital, but didn't need them. Slept off and on like I always do. Those first few days you aren't at all hungry, but need to remember to sip sip sip

Hi there. I was sleeved on 12/15/12 @ 210 lbs. on Memorial Day I reached my goal of 154. It is wonderful. I am shopping for my new clothes size 8-10. I have never worn less than a 12 since I was a teenager. Now I am joining a gym to tone up and working on finding the sweet spot to maintain. Good luck to you all!

Post op physically was easy for both of us. I was a low BMIer at 34, but my sister was an accident waiting to happen - over 40 Bmi, smoker, diabetic, psoriasis, arthritis, you name it. Our docs had different postoperative plans, but my biggest advice would be to journal your intake and walk. Even now I write down my liquids, protein and calories. Otherwise it is too easy to wander off track. I bought Isopure unflavored for the clear phase and mixed it in broth and Crystal Light. Both of us tried a lot of the proteins preop to find a tolerable one. I like AdvantEdge and Kimm likes MediFast. I don't think anyone gets in the recommended amounts daily early on. I still have a tough time with getting my protein. I can finally drink liquids instead of just sipping. How much do you have to lose? How is your overall health? Use your nutritionist and VST and you will do fine. Happy journey! Joanne

My sister had Dr Ingram and was very happy. She had the sleeve and a hernia repair.

I was born and raised in Colonie. Had my sleeve done on Jan 15th in Mexicali with Dr Aceves. Down 53 lbs. from surgery, 68 from highest wt. Almost to goal! Loving my sleeve Itsy. My sister still lives in Albany, had hers Jan 14 at Ellis. She is down 88 lbs and loves her little Bitsy. Still have to make good choices and I had hoped to not think about eating all day. Maybe someday. For now I still have to journal to be sure to get everything in each day Good luck with your journeys!

i had mine done by Dr Aceves in Mexicali which is a stones throw from California. He's more expensive ($8750), but a good friend used him 4 yrs ago and I wanted first hand recommendation. The hospital has an ICU and was all the staff was very professional. We joked that there were no goats or chickens. I am an RN and was impressed with the whole process.

i just checked the calendar and I am only 7 WEEKS OUT!! Not 8 as previously posted. Now I am truly thrilled! 30 lbs in 7 weeks - not to shabby!

i had surgery on 1/15/13. My highest BMI was 37, day of surgery was 33.6 Today is 8 weeks out and I have lost 30 lbs. I have days where I worry I am not eating enough and days where I worry I am eating too much. LOL! Only issue I have is trying to get in liquids and still have time to get food in, but the veterans tell me that will come with time. I have been craving something crunchy and salty, but it's different. In the past I would have gone to the grocery store to buy some chips or popcorn. Now, I think about it for a minute and then forget about it. Love the support from this site!

don't have any reservations about choosing this medical team! Arrived at hospital @ 7:30 am. Was in the OR before 9:30am. Received excellent care for 3 days. No complications Today is 8 wks out - my BMI was 33.6 As of today I have lost 30 lbs.and my BMI is down to 28.7 Only downside is the lack of nutritionist support, but I have found lots of help on this site. Good luck

I flew to FL from San Diego too. It was a very long day. I packed a couple of broth packets and single serve Crystal lites. Didn't get too much protein in that day but got my fluids by sipping all day.

How are all the January Aceves patients doing?

Home less than an hour. It's 1 am here. Day 4. Clear liquids. So half asleep I just popped a Tylenol PM. BEEN 15 minutes. Anything I should do? Hope some one is awake :-P

I know I read this somewhere, but now i can't find it. How much cash do I need to bring for tips? I read that the driver expects a tip, as well as the nurses. I know this isn't standard at hospitals here - so how much to I give and do I tip all the nurses or just the one taking care of me the day of discharge? Also, at the Mexicali Hospital (Dr Aceves) is there a restaurant for my husband to eat at or does he have to fend for himself for the 3 days. 10 days and counting!

getting ready to head for Dr Aceves on the 15th. I am concerned about my travel home. I will leave the hospital first thing on Friday morning, travel to the airport and our travel time from there to home will be over 12 hours. i will be at the airport for approx 3 hrs before our flight leaves, the flight is approx 6 hrs, then I have another 1 1/2 hr drive to get home. What do I bring with me for the day? Since I will be leaving from the hospital, it has to be something I can pack at the beginning of my trip? I want to start off on the right foot. The only thing we will get on the plane is water or soda (and that's out). I can pack individual Crystal Lite packets and I thought of using a formula portioning container and putting some protein powder in that. Anyone else experienced the same?

I AM COMING FROM FL

OMG!!!! MY SURGERY IS IN 18 DAYS!!!! That's like a little over 2 weeks from now! Anyone going to Dr Aceves on the 15th?

I am scheduled with Dr Aceves in Mexico on Jan15th. I weigh "only" 200 lbs. At 5'5", my BMI is 33.3. I have no health problems today at 57, but my father died at 59 of a heart attack. My weight at 13 was 150, my highest weight was 230, and I figured out that over the years I have spent over 15K on diets and gimmicks. I cannot guess how many times I have lost and gained the same 40-70 lbs! This will be the final investment of my weight loss journey. I have all my Proteins, juices, Vitamins, etc ready and waiting. I did not have to diet preop, so I have been having lots of "last time I'll eat this" meals. I am so glad to have found this thread . I would love to check out the Facebook page too.

January 15th here