LilMissDiva Irene

WOW!!! Thats some great numbers there. Congratulations to you!!

I needed one, but no not every single Doctor uses this. You can ask your surgeon if they do or not. It's not really a big deal. It's pretty uncomfortable, but to be honest I forget I even ever had one now unless someone asks.

What Susan said... pretty much word for word.

I find it incredibly more so post op then pre op that I can go back to good mode eating a lot more easily. I mean I'm not perfect by any stretch (though Ive been really good for the last week and a half now) but when I want to go on my marathon being super good, its very easy to do this. Post band it was harder for me than pre-band. What does all this mean? I really don't know. I guess I'm just not as turned on by food as I once was. I can see a commercial and think, hmmm that looks good - but then not give it a second thought. I guess because I reason that there's no way I can eat an entire portion, making it not worth it to buy it. I don't even think about dinner until it's dinner time and barely enough time for preparation. I get really excited to think of foods like Salmon and Spinach... it's pretty incredible to me. In fact, I think that's what sounds good for dinner tonight!!! ;o)

Welcome to VST Elfie! Well, I'll keep mine short and to the point. My band gave me issues from day one. I never got the "not hungry" as promised, I never EVER found my elusive "sweet spot" in 1.5 years in search of and over 20 fills/unfills -- so here I am. I'm sleeved now for 2 months. I'm losing so fast I can't keep my wardrobe straight and EVERYONE is noticing. Funny that I chose not to tell anyone this time, so I just say I'm doing the Atkins diet... which is true. I don't regret this decision for one second. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, and so glad my band is gone.

Have you tried costco? I could have gotten them two mixed up. They are in the 11 oz individual ready made drinks. They are in a Silver looking box. They have chocolate and vanilla. It's not the lite, its called EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control - 110 Cals. I hope you can find it! I can't stand the Atkins shakes, way too thick for my taste.

Brian Congratulations!!! I'm embarking on the two biggest mini goals right now. The first (the one I'm doing now) is to get below my lowest LapBand weight. The next one will be ONEDERLAND!!! I can't wait to make this post.. seriously.

Nikkey, great job!!! You're breezin right through. Congrats, and glad to see you back! Juliah, no big deal. It happens to me every month too. This is my week now, and I didn't even weigh this morning. I knew I'd just get annoyed. I'll check next Wednesday. You're doing amazing... hugs!! cherice, feel better soon! Congrats on your loss this week.

I get mine from Sams Club. I believe WalMart also carries it

EAS Myoplex Carb Control is an excellent choice. It's not super thick, is good on Protein levels and very low cals and carbs. You can also add an unjury Unflavored packet to it to add 20g extra protein per serving. It will still have less than 200 calories per drink. Good luck!!!

Welcome Michelle! I'm sorry to hear you are having some health issues. I can tell you though that the sleeve is going to help with a great deal of them. You are making the absolute right choice! Good luck on the days to follow!!!

Mommy, the www.5daypouchtest.com website will help you with this. It's not a myth, it does work to help shrink up our tiny tummies. It also help curb the carb demon that seems to pop outta no where sometimes. Our sleeved stomachs won't stretch out a whole lot, but it certainly can stretch. If you feel it's stretched enough that you are concerned you're eating too much, I highly recommend doing this diet. Besides it's only 5 days right?

Like DJackson, the only thing that is going to help mostly is time. It looks like you're only about a month out of surgery. I still had trouble eating much at that time too. Those are also the most common weeks for folks to experience the dreaded stalls. If you have to, try to fit in a few extra meal times, if you can't supplement with protein shakes. They certainly aren't for everybody! I don't mind them but lots can't stand them. Maybe try to add in some full power Gatorade too. That will help get your electrolytes, some extra calories and adds to your Fluid total. Hope your stall breaks soon! It will, just have to give it some time.

I'm taking my multi Vitamins and mineral supplement in liquid form. I got 2 big bottles from The Vitamin Shoppe and I've been taking them since 2 weeks post op. I'm only half way through the first bottle. I also bought a bottle of liquid Iron supplement too. I've just run out of the iron and taking my pills again now. They are not that big though. Vitamin in pill form tends to be rather large, which is why I bought 2 bottles of the liquid. It should get me through the first 6 months post op. Hopefully by then I can stand them a little more. If not I can just crush them, but not into powder. The bad thing about the liquid supplements though is no matter how much they try to mask it, the flavor is pretty awful. However, I do take it while drinking some Protein shake. So once I get the vitamin down my throat I can chase the taste away with a drink of chocolate flavor or whatever. Not only that, vitamins and iron supplements can make you very nauseated. I tried to take it on an empty stomach the first time, and never again. I became very sick from it. I haven't since though since I started coating my stomach with the Protein Shake.

Well, I suggest you read the Atkins and/or the South Beach Diet book. You will be doing a lot of low carb. Not because you SHOULD (which you should... lol) but more because your tiny tummy will force you to. You won't have a lot of room for very much, so likely you will want to choose the healthier choices. You need so many grams of Protein per day so the majority of your foods will be high protein. Start your low carb eating now, so you won't have to deal with the cravings as much post op. Good luck!!

WELCOME Cheryl!! We love all our new members! It is very true that WLS is NOT easy at all. We still can fall into bad habits and cause ourselves to not lose - or worse... gain the weight back. Some surgeries are easier to gain back than others. Me being a easy gainer I had to choose a surgery that isn't as easy as others. The sleeve and DS I believe are the best at keeping the weight off or very minimal regains. Continue reading as much as you can here. You are going to find out things you won't hear anywhere else. Hugs!!

Hello there Bon! Congrats on your date! Do NOT worry, you are in absolutely the best hands. Dr. Aceves and everyone that works with him is excellent - good for you!! Dr. A will give you a very nice tight tummy -- and will start your journey to a new you. Check in once you're up to it!!!!

Hi camera! Congratulations on your recent new sleeved up stomach!! I personally would stay away from anything acidic like lemonades or orange juices right now. If your surgeon said it's ok however it's clearly your own personal decision. Did you mention there are particles in it as well? That would be an important detail to express to the surgeon. Anyway, IMO it's always better to be safe than sorry. No need to rush anything. If it makes you feel more secure, wait a few weeks before trying it. When you do take tiny sips and wait awhile in between each one so you can guage how you feel with each sip. All the best!!!

Hi Tracy! Wow it sounds like you have a very exciting life! Two beautiful daughters, and them being your motivation to get your health in order. Congratulation to you!! You're truly are very lucky!! Hang on to your hat lady, because once you make that final decision to do the surgery - the time absolutely flies!! Looking forward to hearing more about your story.

Hello Rose, welcome to VST!! It sounds like you are determined and ready to go! I admire your enthusiasm very much - and I wish you all the best in your upcoming tests! Please check in and let us know how you did

Hello Sarah, I do not have the Plication surgery, and have a sleeve - however I find it very interesting you are able to eat an entire pizza... have you asked your surgeon about this? Were you able to eat it all at once or did you sparse it out? I personally would not have been able to eat an entire pizza like that even pre-surgery or pre-band. That's a lot of pizza. Also, surely you will NOT lose weight eating pizza like that anyhow. I would suggest getting some help to solve some other issues going on. No one surgery will ever cure what you're eating, only how much. Even then, there will be some things you can eat a lot of. Usually things like candy, popcorn, chips... you will be able to eat quite a bit of this. Only your brain is going to stop you from eating that. Hugs, trust me in a way I know what you're going through. Talk to your surgeon ASAP. Please check in and let us know you're doing. You have to be honest with him and yourself, or nothing is going to be fixed.

Hi vickie, As far as the yogurt, our bodies will pick things out that we're not quite ready for yet. If it's making you regurg, you should just not eat it and go back to it at a later time. You're still healing and its better to wait it out rather than to keep trying to force it. I never ate any of the cream soups to be honest. I didn't like what was in them so I never ate them. You don't have to eat it. I pretty much just prolonged my clears stage and drank the full versions of the Protein shakes during that stage. Try taking smaller spoonfuls in and wait awhile between sips. Take it easy, its a learning curve. I personally have not had many issues with my sleeve as in comparison to my band. I'm STILL learning too... be patient with yourself - please let us know how you do from here.

It really just depends, as everyone reacts much differently to anything. Some have been able to go back to work after only a few days. Your job sounds very demading. If it were me, there would be no way I could do that on day 4 after surgery. I really don't know... You can either chance it or pick a better day to have your sugery if you're very concerned.

Hi kimb, well - try to remain positive first of all. I still think you're doing very well for yourself. Averaged out you are losing 9 Lbs per month. That's great! You did mention the trail mix, well - that might have to go. When we go on stalls, which sounds like you genuinely are in one, we need to assess all that we are doing, eating and NOT doing. Cut the carbs out, and maybe only get them from your veggies for a few days. Drink plenty of Water and definitely get your workouts started! I see a major difference in the amount I'm losing from when I'm getting my workouts in and when I'm not. Good luck, and try not too stress too much. Negative feelings lead to negative outcomes, IMO. Hugs!!!