VSG-LLL

Hey March people, I could use some help. I was sleeved in March 2012. Absolutely thrilled with my decision. I'm down 70 lbs in the 8 months. I've never felt better. I've been on a stall for the last month and not really worried...but ready to get rolling again. Any thoughts from you on how to move out of this stall? I've actually gained about 8-10 lbs in the last month. Again, not worried or stressed about this...just looking for input. Thanks all VSG-LLL

I had my surgery on 3/2/12. I lost 15 lbs prior to surgery & I'm down 70lbs total in 5 months. I feel great. No aches & pains in legs & feet anymore. I don't get out of breath taking the stairs. Fit in airplane seat great and seatbelt is "no problem". Went to Disneyland with my son last week and was able to go on any/all rides..."no problem". Gave away all my 3XL shirts Waist size on my pants are down by 7 sizes Did the Warrior Dash 5K a couple weeks ago..."no problem" I've experienced a 2 different stalls on my journey...."don't sweat the stall..." I actually enjoy running...which is a shocker to me. (I don't run a lot...but I don't hate it like I thought I would). New complements every day. Best decision in my life.

loran17

Update as I approach week 4 post-op. Lost 15 lbs pre-op VSG surgery on March 2nd with Dr. Umbach in Vegas. Lost 27 lbs post-op...total loss 42 so far. I moved to mushy foods at about 9 days post op. That is earlier than they suggest. I moved to soft regular foods last week. Again, earlier than they suggest. At all times, I'm very careful and really feeling my comfort level as to what I'm eating and how much. I'll still do mostly soft & liquid foods...but I've tried things like small pieces of chicken, small pieces of cheese, crackers, peanut butter, and even a chicken strip. No problems at all. While still in Vegas...my wife & I went to the local casino/mall & walked around for about 2 hours the day after Surgery. I was getting a little stir-crazy. I was very careful to stay on the liquid meds prescribed. Then, the next day (Sunday) we actually went down to the strip & walked a few miles through a few casino's. I wouldn't recommend that for all...but I think that activity aided in my recovery. I started walking (about 1-1.5 miles) the day after I got home (4 days post op). Taking it slow. Walking the dog. Then at one week post-op I started going to the gym and doing some cardio (elliptical machine) for 30-40 minutes a day. Felt great. Believe it or not, last Sunday my wife & I went on a bicycle ride with some friends and we rode 22 miles. That was quite a deal. I'm still sore today...but absolutely no issues with my surgery or sleeve. One thing I did notice was that at mile 15 I started to feel a little weak so I ate a protein bar and that helped me finish strong. I think I'm at somewhat of the 3-4 week stall right now. I think that has to do with introducing solid foods from the liquid diet. My plan is to keep exercising every day for at least 40 minutes and burn around 415 calories. I expect the rapid weight loss to kick back in over the next couple weeks. Not going to stress though....it's clear that if I keep my calories intake (net after the exercise) to around 500....I'll loose. I'm doing great with my protein intake & water. No problems at all. I have the Premier protein drinks from Costco. Best tasting that I could find. I also purchase the 20 oz isopure drinks from Amazon.com (best price). It actually comes from the vitamine shoppe I believe. They have 40 gm of protein. Good stuff. Another staple I have is the greek yogurt from Costco. Both the plain kirkland brand and the individual FACE brand. Good yogurt. My wife bought the Bullett last week from Costco I believe. Great for blending foods & smoothies. Be careful of the frozen fruit smoothies...they tend to get high in calories. Once you have surgery...the work has just begun. Eat right & exercise...that's the key. Loran

Yea, meeting him the day before is just fine. Be sure and pay close attention in the nutrition class. Very good information. I'm 10 days post-op and feel great.

I don't live in Vegas. I live in Seattle. A friend of mine was sleeved by Dr. Umbach about a year & 1/2 ago and had a good experience. I had a great experience with Dr. Umbach last week. Feel free to ask specific questions. Even if you have questions about the hotel stay & recovery. Loran

I love this app for my iPone. I'm sure you can get it for other HH devices. It's really handy as I'm 1 week post-op and tracking everything that goes in my body. I'm currently in the post-op liquid phase. The app is called "MyFitnessPal". Search for it in your app store. A couple things I really love about this app. 1. There is an option to scan the UPC code on the side of ALL items you eat and it will login the food & all nutrition facts. So, when I have a cup of Greek Yogurt, I simply scan the bar-code & it logs everything in. Really cool. 2. It summarizes your input for the day so you'll know your calories & Protein for the day. Makes the tracking thing really easy. The app is also for iPad & you can login through your browser to use on all platforms. Maybe I'm repeating something someone else already mention....but I couldn't find this...so here ya go. Hope it helps. I was sleeved last friday and I'm down 28 lbs from the start of my pre-op liquid diet. Excited to be on the journey. LL

Hi I was sleeved last Friday (3/2) with Dr. Umbach in Las Vegas. Great experience. Best of luck to you on your journey. LL

Lissa What protein bars work best for you?

Today was the day i had my VSG surgery. My doc is Dr. Umbach at Blossom Bariatric in Henderson, UT (Vegas). He did a great job. His team and their process was very professional. My wife has been an RN for 21 years and she was very complementary of our experience. Twelve hours post-op I feel pretty good. Breathing & Walking. Taking some med's & slowly drinking some Water. So far, very happy with my decision to take this step & choose Dr. Umbach in Las Vegas. First day of the rest of my life.

Day 3 and I feel great. Water, tea, & protein drink. My wife has been with me this weekend and she has done a great job helping me stay on track with my walking & meds. It does help that my wife is an RN. Dr. Umbach really did a great job preparing me for the weekend and dealing with the pain. No more gas pain & very little surgery pain. I walked a couple miles today. Feel great. Going home tomorrow. So far...so good.

Hi Nikki I'm also getting my sleeve on Friday. Best to you. LLL

I'm scheduled for March 2nd. Started the liquid diet and going well. I'm ready.

Just pay the regular rate? Problem solved? Good luck.