joatsaint

I only had to do a 1 week liquid diet. I lost 10lbs.

Congrats. I still remember the day I realized I could reach my toes without having to sit on the bed and turn my leg sideways. :-)

You are completely normal. I continue to go through the same thing. 30lbs in 2 months is great. I had a hard time losing more than 12lbs a month after the 1st 2 months post-op. My doc wanted me to stay on track to lose an average of 10 -12lbs a month. So even though I felt like a slow loser, he was happy. It will be very difficult for you to stretch your new stomach. It can be done, but from the research I've read, you really have to work at it to permanently stretch your stomach. At 13 months post-op, I still get mental cravings for food - nothing in particular, I just want to eat. I especially get them if I've eaten Pasta, fruit or sugary stuff. So I try to stick with things that don't trigger my head hunger and keep me filled. Stuff like pork loin, chicken breast and Beans.

Frequently Asked Questions - How long were you off work after weight loss surgery? The length of time off work post-surgery is going to vary on your ability to recover and any effects of medications you are taking. When I began researching weight loss surgery types, I read many accounts and watched lots of videos over how quickly people recovered from weight loss surgery. Some had extraordinary recoveries and were back at work within 3 or 4 days, others were not able to return to work for 4 weeks. I was back at work on day 10 post-op. I have a desk job that does not require heavy lifting, squatting or bending. I would recommend wearing the abdominal binder if the hospital gives you one. I wore mine everyday for 4 weeks post op. If you like/dislike my videos, please thumb up or down, and leave a comment about how I could improve the content. Your input helps me become a better Youtuber. :-) Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve! Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102076899634252886094/102076899634252886094/posts/p/pub Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankensleeve-Vertical-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-VSG-Community/289332951205311 Twitter https://twitter.com/frankensleeve

I was 50+ lbs overweight during my senior year. If I hand known that I'd spend the next 28 years being fat and miserable, I'd have done almost anything to get the surgery. But keeping the weight off may be a challenge if you don't address the reasons for being overweight. It might be psychological/emotional issues or like me, my parents systematically over-fed me every day, and I became addicted to food. Having a good post-op support system in place really makes a difference.

Let the countdown begin. Weighed in at 305 or less 2 days in a row - so it's official, 305 lbs. (I don't officially call it until I've been at a weight for at least 2 days!). Weighed in at 304.8 this morning, 305.8 at 5pm., let's see if it happens two days in a row again! Just a matter of days until I'm below 300 lbs - 1st time I'll be that low in almost 4 years. Hard to believe I'm losing weight. Been too many years hoping the dream would come true, and this actually happening to me are too difficult to accept as real. I keep thinking I might be in a dream or I'm being punked. I'll wake up and POOF, I'm still in my old body. The thoughts of it not being real and being disappointed again keep crowding in. Don't know when I'll let myself accept the reality of being at a lower weight. Oh well, I'll just keep drifting down the river Denial. Maybe I can deny myself right into 190 lbs. :-P

Here's my recipe, I ate this concoction for weeks and weeks without getting tired of it. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

Yeah, the pre-op diet was the toughest part for me as well. I'd rather go through all the post-op gas pain again, rather than be pre-op and have to go through the pre-op diet again. :-P

I was allowed back on full foods after 4 weeks post-op. My doc didn't put any limitations on what I could eat.

Frequently Asked Questions - Why did you choose vertical sleeve gastrectomy over the Lap Band or Gastric Bypass (RNY or Duodenal Switch)? I looked at three weight loss surgery options before choosing the sleeve. I chose the gastric sleeve because it seemed to be the one with the fewest complications. I wasn't thrilled with the gastric lapband because I have a friend who had the lapband, but had complications including scarring on the outside of the stomach where the band rubbed. And he learned how to eat around his band. After losing over 150lbs, he resumed his old eating habits and gained it all back, plus some. I was creeped out with RNY. I couldn't handle the thought of being required to take supplements for the rest of my life, plus the whole rerouting of my intestines didn't sound good. If you like/dislike my videos, please thumb up or down, and leave a comment about how I could improve the content. Your input helps me become a better Youtuber. :-) Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve! Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102076899634252886094/102076899634252886094/posts/p/pub Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankensleeve-Vertical-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-VSG-Community/289332951205311 Twitter https://twitter.com/frankensleeve

I woke up in the recovery room asking, "Am I thin yet?" I don't think I started losing weight until the 2nd week post-op - and then only slowly. I still had lots of fluid in me from surgery. And I was very swollen. You will lose the weight, just hang in there and stick with your program.

Here's a quick review of one of my favorite candies. Russell Stovers Sugar Free Pecan Delights. I like these as an occasional treat, but not for everyday snacking. They do contain sugar alcohols and may cause gastric distress. When I first tried them, I was on the Atkins Diet. I learned the hard way, you shouldn't eat 6 of them at once. I was making a bee-line for the bathroom about 30 minutes later. :-P I don't recommend them to anyone that is still eating less than 1000 calories a day. If your caloric intake is that low, you need to pack as much nutrition into every bite as possible. And candy is not nutrition. If you like/dislike my videos, please thumb up or down, and leave a comment about how I could improve the content. Your input helps me become a better Youtuber. :-) Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve! Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102076899634252886094/102076899634252886094/posts/p/pub Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankensleeve-Vertical-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-VSG-Community/289332951205311 Twitter https://twitter.com/frankensleeve

I can only answer #1 as I never bought any books - this forum was all I needed to answer my questions. I had tried on and off a few months prior to month 10, but my sleep quality was still too poor to go without the machine. But I completely stopped using my CPAP at 10 months post-op. I had lost around 130lbs from my highest weight. A few months previous to completely stopping usage, I started noticing that I was having lots and lots of air pumped into my stomach from the CPAP machine. I was passing so much gas during my sleep that it would wake me up and my sleep was interrupted a lot. So I started testing how well I slept without the CPAP. And after a few days I noticed that my sleep was just as good without the machine.

Weight loss surgery before and after: Saying goodbye to 130lbs 10 months post-op. I usually avoided the camera pre-surgery, but I must have made this video sometime around Nov or Dec 2012, just before weight loss surgery. The vertical sleeve gastrectomy was the best decision I have ever made for myself. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been a smooth ride every day, but I would do it over again in a heartbeat. If you like/dislike my videos, please thumb up or down, and leave a comment about how I could improve the content. Your input helps me become a better Youtuber. :-) Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve! Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102076899634252886094/102076899634252886094/posts/p/pub Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankensleeve-Vertical-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-VSG-Community/289332951205311 Twitter https://twitter.com/frankensleeve

You didn't say how far out you are post-op, but I think we all have had this problem in the 1st few months. I believe it's because our systems are used to handling a lot more food daily. And from personal experience with the Atkins diet, I know that a high Protein diet can make it tough to poop. It felt like I was passing jagged rocks. I had to resort to Milk of Magneia to get things moving until I started eating high Fiber foods like: green Beans, lentils, yellow squash and spaghetti squash. Up until about the 6 month mark, it was tough going simply because I was not able to eat much more than 1/2 cup of food per meal. Now a days, the majority of my meals are 1/2 meat and 1/2 beans/lentils and a few vegetables here and there.

I haven't found any desire to watch those shows post-op. I used to watch them religiously pre-op. I was always hoping for that miracle cure that would rid me of my fat. But I never really believed that WLS would really work for me. I had to get to a very low point in my life before I took the plunge and committed to WLS. I only wish I had this surgery in my 20's instead of my 40's.

I am in the middle of month 13 post-op. But I still remember my 1st trip to a restaurant post-op. I had a tablespoon of guacamole, 1 chicken fajita strip and a table spoon full of re fried beans. Ahhh, memories. I was so happy to be eating so little.

Awww, that's cute, little baby pancakes. How could you be so mean as to eat a baby pancake?

Something new I tried after a 2 month stall - interval training. I watched some Youtube videos about interval training. What I gathered is that interval training is giving maximum effort for a short period, rest and do it again. Interval training does not allow your body get used to the exercise, like it does with normal daily exercise. And you continue to burn fat for hours afterwards - as opposed to regular aerobic exercise. I have no proof that it works but I noticed that my weight started falling again once I started walking the stairs at work as fast as I could. Here's what I am experimenting with: I try to climb 5 floors of stairs at the fastest pace I can. One time a day. It is really exhausting and my legs feel rubbery afterwards. I can't climb all 5 floors without stopping for 10 breaths on the 3rd floor and 10 breaths on the 4th floor. When I can do it without stopping, I'll move to doing it 2 times a day. But if I didn't have stairs, I would use a jump rope or Zumba or Insanity Workout - 3 minutes going full out then stop. Wait 1 minute then do it again. The goal being a 30 minute workout. You might check out this article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/interval-training/art-20044588

Just saw a commerical for a free Atkins starter kit that included 3 free Atkins bars. I signed up, they only wanted my name, email and address - no credit card or any other requirements. http://community.atkins.com/registration.aspx

--Anyone else worried about long term risk, since it's still fairly new? Like I wonder if in 40yrs from now (I'm early 30's) I have some other issue and this will affect it? This surgery has been around for a long time, it was part of the surgery process for gastric bypass on the morbidly obese. It was the 1st step to help them lose weight and get small enough to have the full bypass operation. My doc said that so many patients were successful at losing weight with this 1st phase that they didn't come back for bypass. So it has become it's own spin-off of WLS. It's only in the past few years that insurance has started recognizing VSG as a proven weight loss tool. My doc has been doing VSG for over 10 years and it's the only WLS he recommends. I don't have the experience to relate to all your questions, but I will share what I've gone through. --I know my diet will be mostly Protein and veggies and rarely room for carbs...does that mean no more carbs or fried food ever? Or ethnic food? (I'm asian so some food from my culture but I could focus on protein stuff first...for example, can I have curry?) I just hit month 13: At the 6 month mark, I was able to eat anything I wanted. Sugar, fried foods, candy, chips, cake, bread, Pasta. Prior to that, my stomach wasn't big enough to allow me to eat things that weren't nutrient dense - so I had to get the most nutrition for every bite of food. I could hold about 1/2 cup per meal. Surprisingly, it was the high carb processed foods that were the easiest to digest. I severely limited myself on those. After 6 months, my stomach seemed to "relax" a bit and I could hold more - about 1 cup of food per meal. So I allowed myself the occasional treat or fried chicken strip (just 1 though), usually on Sat night when I go out to eat. So you most likely will be able to eat anything you want eventually, but you may not want to - my tastes changed post-op and I don't like some of my old foods. I had to give away a case of chicken noodle Soup post-op - I can't stand it now. So don't stock up on any one thing pre-surgery in prep for your post-surgery life. --I know no soda or carbonated drinks anymore...was this hard to give up? I switched to Crystal Light years ago, so I didn't really have to give up sodas. But carbonated stuff isn't off limits forever. I wouldn't drink any for the 1st 6 months, but after that I did have the occasional sip of Sprite and I drink Mike's Hard Lemonade (it's carbonated) with no ill effects - just drink slowly. --Is the first week of just liquids extremely difficult? Thinking about it and it seems pretty hard to do only liquids for a whole week. It was very tough for me. I cheated and had some meat occasionally. But no carbs of any kind outside of what was in the shakes. --I'm a NYer...no more bagels ever? I can eat bagels and breads, but Frankensleeve tends to grumble (even after a year) if I eat flat breads or whole wheat bread. --I love ice Water and not drinking near meals sounds tricky...does it get easier? It does get easier and becomes a habit pretty quick. I had to retrain myself to take the smallest sip (just enough to wet my tongue) if I needed to drink during a meal. --How do you explain to others what you did? Did anyone make you feel badly? I never told anyone I didn't have to tell. They were all very supportive. No one ever asked me why I couldn't lose the weight on my own. If I do get that question, my answer will be - I'm a food addict and I needed the extra help that WLS gave me to lose the weight and get healthier. --What do you do when you're on vacation or near the holidays etc, just try your best to stick to plan? It was surprisingly easy to stay with my diet during the holidays. After all, Frankensleeve is still pretty small. So it limits how much I can eat of anything. I always eat my healthy stuff first and let myself have a bite or two of dessert - if there's room. I carefully monitor my weight and if it starts creeping up, I know to back off the junk. It is surprisingly easy to do. Whatever it was that caused me to eat and obsess over food pre-op is gone. My relationship with food is completely different. It might be the reduction of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) or it might be that I was forced to go cold-turkey from sugar and processed foods for 6 months. You just don't know how much differently you'll relate to food once you're on the other side.

Weight Loss Surgery Frequently Asked Questions: How has shaving changed after (VSG) weight loss surgery? Plus, how to make your razor blades last longer. A few years ago I was researching how to make razor blades last longer, after all, disposable razor blades are becoming really expensive - especially the 4 and 5 blade ones. I read an article that said most razor blades cause irritation not because they lose their edge, but because of dead skin cells and salts that dry on the blades between shaves. I make my blades last much longer by keeping them submerged in plain old tap water between shaves. If you like/dislike my videos, please thumb up or down, and leave a comment about how I could improve the content. Your input helps me become a better Youtuber. :-) Keep Pimpin' that Sleeve! Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102076899634252886094/102076899634252886094/posts/p/pub Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankensleeve-Vertical-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-VSG-Community/289332951205311 Twitter https://twitter.com/frankensleeve