light_lady

I'm looking for fellow Bandsters in the San Francisco area. I will be having my surgery in late April/ early May and would love I have some close by band buddies to chat with!

Started losing hair at 3.5 months post op... Hair loss has definitely slowed down, but hadn't stopped altogether. A sleeved friend of mine suggested French braiding my hair, instead of leaving it down or in a ponytail or bun, and somehow that has helped? I think it probably had to do with less interference and tugging all the time? Anyway, French braids and less frequent brushing have helped a lot.

I had an uncharacteristically smooth recovery process as well, no complication and very few issues since then ( surgery on June 14th, 65LBs lost as of last week)..... BUT, and this is a big but, be careful of the hair loss. I took all the supplements, including Biotin, and followed all of the recommendations and started to drastically lose my hair around 3 1/2 months postop. The good news? I seem to have lost a bunch of hair in a short period of time, but the hair loss stopped after a few weeks, which is the same experience many of the ladies in my support group have had..... Hopefully this won't happen for you, as it sounds like you are doing great so far! Keep up the awesome work

I am so sorry, acid reflux is the worst! I hope you're feeling a little better now that it's a few hours later.... Cold milk, lukewarm water, and my acid meds have helped me a little bit but, sadly, sometimes I just can't get rid of it. My Dr. told me that sometimes one acid medication won't work as well for every person, so you might need to change acid meds? She also recommends eating much smaller, but more frequent meals and making sure to constantly sip water throughout the day! I hope you feel better!

You go girl! Congratulations on your hard work paying off

This is an amazing idea! We have so much to say

You look wonderful! Amazing job, keep up the great work!

I am so sorry to hear that you've been struggling recently, I think you've definitely done the right thing by posting on here for help. Most of us, me especially, wouldn't have been able to power though the first challenging weeks post op if it weren't for the amazing men and women on this site! As for the "judgement".... some may judge but, honestly, most of us have been exactly where you are right now and know that love and support makes much more of a difference than self righteousness and judgement. Great move downloading my fitness pal! It helped me turn eating into a little game, when I was struggling to get in all my protein! unjury chocolate Protein powder has made a hue difference for me! I mix it with Lucerne nonfat Protein Plus milk, for a protein packed mid morning drink. 8 oz of the milk had 12g of protein , so even drinking it alone can help you hit daily protein goals. Protein shots are gross, most of them anyway..... BUT if I find myself falling behind in protein, it's worth it to drink one and be grossed out for 30 seconds. I bought a bunch made by Sunkist, the grape is the least disgusting in my opinion, and they have 40g of protein per shot! I turned drinking Water into a game too.... I was really having trouble getting my oz in because I have a ton of restriction and fill up quickly, so I make sure to drink 2oz from my water bottle every 30 minutes. That way it's more manageable to keep up. Oh! One more thing Egg white omelets made with the protein plus milk are pretty great! I add low fat cheese for a protein heavy Breakfast that's light on the belly. Keep up the good work, we're all cheering for you!

My IBS has DRASTICALLY improved post surgery, I can't say this enough!

I've been checking my "hump" everyday to see if its shrinking..... and at 35 lbs lost, I'm definitely starting to see a difference!

I was sleeved on June 14th and have lost 35lbs, so far! I drink Water or zero carb Isopure, coconut flavor, pretty much constantly. Chobani and Yoplait Greek yogurt, Lucerne Protein plus milk w/ unjury chocolate Protein powder, and split pea Soup make up most of what I consume every day.... Occasionally I'll have a poached egg or some salmon sashimi, but my diet is still pretty basic. I walk 1- 1.5 hours everyday, with 3 lb ankle weights on both legs, and and am doing some light strength training 3-4 times a week. If I'm watching TV or working on the computer, I sit on my stability ball to try and strengthen my loosey goosey stomach muscles.....

Absolutely no regrets! I truly believe that being sleeved is the best thing I've ever done for myself and wouldn't change it for anything. I was worried worried about buyer's remorse too, I think it's a pretty natural pre-surgery anxiety. Spending time reading other's stories was very comforting for me; Don't be afraid to message veteran sleevers and ask any questions you might have.... That helped reinforce my resolve as well

Whoa, right on @kristy26! Congratulations on your awesome weight loss

I'm 5 weeks post op as well and I'm in the same boat! I don't have any advice, but I can certainly sympathize... The nausea seems to be a little better when I drink some skim milk or eat some yogurt first thing in the morning, but that doesn't always work.... I hope you feel better soon! *hugs*

@LittleDooker, I'm so sorry that you aren't feeling well and can totally relate to the nausea! I seriously struggled with nausea until I was 4 weeks out, it's rough... especially when you're trying to keep up with your Protein. The absolute best thing I did was call my Dr and get my nausea prescription renewed. Once I started taking a low dose of the med, I was able to drink my protein and I started feeling much better! Also, when I was feeling really awful, my Dr. told me to constantly take very small sips of room temperature Water, with peppermint extract mixed in (About 2 drops per 32 oz). Hope you feel better soon!

Well.... I don't have a complication story but Dr. Garcia was my surgeon! I was sleeved by him, at Florence Hospital, and had absolutely no complications. I am 3 1/2 weeks out from surgery and feeling pretty great! You can also email Dr. Garcia and request information about his complication rates, he has always been more than happy to provide information when I ask I believe most of his complication rates are 1% or lower though?

Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm about 3 1/2 weeks post-op and struggling, just a little bit...., to consume more than 500 calories a day. I would love advice from more experienced sleevers on how to increase calorie intake at this stage! On a typical day I am able to eat the following: 1/2 Fage O% Greek Yogurt 6 oz non-fat steamed milk w/ 1 scoop Isopure Protein powder 2/3 Isopure Zero Carb 1/2 cup Miso Soup 1/2 cup Tomato Soup 1/4 cup non-fat shredded cheese OR 1/2 cup Split Pea Soup This amounts to about 84 grams of protein, but only 400- 500 calories! I eat or drink pretty much constantly to try and consume more calories, but there just doesn't seem to be any room! I know everyone is different, but it would be super helpful to see what you were eating at 4 weeks out! Thanks everyone <3

@TES, I worshiped Morningstar Farms pre-surgery! I will definitely try the meatballs

Thanks for the input everyone! I'm definitely not feeling hungry at all, it's difficult for me to even finish the foods I am getting, but I've been pretty tired and was wondering if that was connected to my low calorie intake? Also, a lot of people listed 600-800 calorie intake at 4 weeks out and I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong Due to some..... drama within my surgical team, I haven't been receiving responses to my post-surgery questions very quickly, or at all. Because of this, I guess I've been a little anxious? I really want to make sure I'm using this tool and my time wisely... you know?

Topic title is pretty self explanatory, I think..... I'm only 3 weeks in and am looking for advice from more experienced sleevers in regards to the changing of habits. A lot has changed for me, for all of us I'm sure, post- surgery and I would love to hear from some of you about the the best changes that have taken place for you and/ or the greatest habits that you have learned.

I have 3 pairs of scrub pants, size 1X, and 3 scrub tops, 1 X as well! I can probably fit them all into a fairly small flat rate box for only a few dollars! Message me if you want them

That's why I was so confused.... Nothing I saw seemed to break any of the forum rules, but I didn't get through all the posts so I couldn't be sure. For whatever it's worth, I had no problems with Dr. Luna while I was there for surgery, but that doesn't at all mean that someone else couldn't have experienced issues. I have a few friends who are having surgery with Dr. Garcia in the next few weeks and I guess I just hope this gets figured out before they go down there.... I would hate for them to have to worry about any drama or scandal, on top of the general worries that most of us experienced before and directly after surgery... you know?

The thread was removed right when I was in the middle of page 3.... anything else a gal should know? A friend sent me the link this morning, but I guess I was just too late to read the whole thing!

I could really use some advice... I am 12 days post-op and have been trying to progress to full liquids for a few days now, but everything makes me nauseous. I have been pretty side effect and complication free on the Clear Liquids diet; great restriction, no hunger, 20.2 lbs lost already, which is all great..... but I need to be able to progress to full liquids without wanting to vomit! I have tried SF Popsicles, SF Jello, SF pudding, cream of chicken Soup, pureed vegetable soup, tomato basil soup, and nothing seems to work.... Anyone have this problem? I'm worried that not being able get my Protein will slow my weight loss! Any recommendations of gentle foods to try that might help ease me into the full liquids stage? Any help would be wonderful....

Thanks everyone! I am already taking a form of Prilosec, I haven't had any reflux issues, but my GP prescribed it as a preventative measure. I will definitely try the walking and drinking and will ask my GP about Zofran. Hopefully taking an anti-nausea medication will make it a little easier to sip thicker soups