MyGastricSleeveLife

have you tried fiber supplements instead of laxatives? I know they work for some people. You just have to be careful they don't bulk you up too much.

I haven't tried Bariatric Advantage stuff other than the Calcium citrate chews. I was given samples of unjury chicken Soup, strawberry sorbet, unflavored, chocolate, and vanilla & actually liked all of them. I just mixed them all with Water. I also like Chike & that is what I used for my pre-op diet mainly. You can find out more about it and order a sample pack for $6.95 at www.chikenutrition.com My surgeon's office had the Chike in stock, which is why I originally bought it. Just make sure whatever you get that you don't get too much because your taste buds might change after surgery. My taste buds didn't change right away, but they changed about 2-3 weeks out. The Chike is too sweet for me now. I tolerate it okay, but I'm not buying it again after this. I'm actually going to be buying Intek Evolution Protein that a guy in my surgeon's support group told me about, which has an extended release protein & has less calories, less carbs, & more protein, and costs less per serving than Chike & it's not as sweet. Their site is http://inteknutrition.com/PRODUCTS/PROTEIN%20EVOLUTION/protein.html if you want to look into that too. I was able to get a scoop in a baggie at a local Total Nutrition store to try before I bought it because at my local store they only carry the 5 lb container. Online they have a smaller one too. I emailed Intek & unfortunately they don't do samples online. They were nice & told me where their closest distributor was though & that's how I got a sample of that. Do you just have to do shakes for the pre-op diet?

From what I was told from my surgeon and from research I've done on my own, it can be stretched A LITTLE bit, but it will never be able to be stretched out to the size it was before surgery because the more elastic part of the stomach is what was taken out. What is left does not stretch much. My surgeon said that throughout time, it will stretch a little and you might be able to eat 2 cups of food instead of 1 cup, but it won't get huge again. That being said, my plan is not to push my limits. Just because it will stretch some over time does not mean I have to eat more. If I can eat 1/2 cup to a cup at a meal now, I'm going to stick to that & not eat more just because I can possibly eat more. Although the sleeve will not stretch much, it is still possible to gain weight again with constant bad choices in foods - at least from what my surgeon told me.

Honestly, it's just your body getting used to all the changes. I had the same thing happen. It could be water. It could be gas. It could be if you haven't had a bowel movement in a while. It could be lots of things. You need to just relax (since stress makes us hold on to weight too) and go with the flow & keep following your post-op plan. The scale will eventually follow. Also, make sure you're taking your measurements. Sometimes I've had the scale stay the same for 4 days or so in a row, but I've lost inches when I do my weekly pictures & measurements. Check out the following post on my blog - My Thoughts About the Dreaded Scale - it might help somewhat.

I had to bring my CPAP machine, so I put my glasses in my CPAP case for surgery, which they put on my bed with me. However, everything else went home with my husband. My paperwork said to bring a glasses or contacts case since neither could actually be on/in for surgery.

I don't know where the post is now, but I remember reading a post last week or so where someone said she only lost 2-4 lbs the first 4 months after surgery, but then started losing a lot. Everyone is so different, it's hard to know what's going on. Have you had your thyroid levels & other blood levels checked? Have you tried increasing calories and/or activity? Have you tried alternating your calories each day to trick your body so it's not used to the same calories every day? Have you tried having breakfast for dinner & switching up meals like that?

It depends on if your incisions are healed with no scabs. My doctor said most people take 2-3 weeks.

It depends on the doctor. Mine actually said cottage cheese was considered a full liquid. As long as you didn't have too much & chewed it well, you should hopefully be okay.

If you go to the "Fitness" section of the forums, you can find the official MFP thread with lots of names there. I'm mygastricsleevelife there too. I'll add you.

At my Walmart, they're in the freezer section with other popsicles. They might be in different spots in different stores, but I've always found them in the freezer section & just buy the pre-frozen ones. I haven't found any that aren't already frozen that are sugar free.

One thing is that our bodies get used to routines & we sometimes need to trick it. Try eating your meals differently. Even if you eat the same thing, if you eat breakfast for dinner or something like that, it can trick your body. Also, if you eat 100 calories or so more one day & then drop back down the next day & keep alternating calories, you'll keep your body guessing. I also agree with tracking your calories so you know that you're getting the right amounts of Protein & limiting your carbs & getting enough Fluid. I use MyFitnessPal & so do many people here. If you make your food journal available for friends to see, you can get advice and ideas from others & from looking at other people's journals too. I would also suggest adding in some weight training to your exercise routine. Cardio is important, but weights are too for overall health & weight loss & muscle strength & definition. You could also try going "back to basics" with Protein drinks for a few days if you're not drinking them anymore or just to trick your body some by having more of them for a few days and less actual food.

Congrats!!! I'm at my one month mark today & feeling great too! I hope your recovery continues to go easy! I was thrilled to bring 2 bags of clothes that were too big to my hospital's support group last night because they have a clothing exchange. It was so great to get rid of things that were falling off already!! Make sure you do your measurements too! I had a few times where I stayed the same weight for a 4-5 days in a row, but when we did my weekly measurements I lost inches! Good luck moving forward!!

What does your OB/GYN suggest? There are some no-hormone type IUDs out there. Other than those, I don't know anything that doesn't have hormones in it. I was on the Nuvaring for years & loved it, but just switched back to a pill because I think my body was finally sick of the Nuvaring because I started spotting in the middle of cycles about 6 months ago. I'd really suggest talking to your OB/GYN about it. They are usually very knowledgeable about the options out there, especially if hormones are an issue for you.

Last night we had a plastic surgeon at my surgeon's support group meeting. He said that most insurance companies will not pay for it. However, sometimes they will if there are medical issues (like yeast infections in the pannus area) associated with the extra skin. I read an article the other day that said that it can actually take 6+ months for skin to rebound after weight loss, so that's another thing to consider too. It might take time for it to change even after getting to your goal weight.

when I asked my surgeon, I specifically asked about abdominal exercises & he said it was the same as weight training, which for him is between 4-6 weeks. I'm planning on trying some crunches next week & I'll be at 5 weeks then. I just plan to go slow & stop if it hurts at all. I would say to go with your weight training time, so for you I'd think it would be 6-8 weeks. Call your doctor to make sure though!

Sometimes it's not even necessarily "starvation mode" so to speak, but is just your body used to the same amount of calories each day. My surgeon told one patient to alternate between 800 calories one day & 900 the next & back and forth so her body didn't get used to exactly the same amount each day. Sometimes even changing your nutrients - like increasing Protein and lowering carbs for a day or two can make the body lose weight again. One lady I know that is fairly close to her goal & was working out a lot every day was told by her trainer to limit herself to 3 times a week & she lost 8 lbs in a week! Sometimes it's very interesting the things we need to do to make our bodies do what we want them to do! More than anything, we need to be willing to try different things and also be patient. I do weekly measurements too because the scale does not tell the whole story. I've had a few times when I've been the same weight for a few days in a row, but I've lost inches when I do my inches every week.

I was self-pay, but since I did it locally my surgeon wanted my PCP's clearance. She wasn't too happy with my choice since the sleeve isn't reversible, but she knows I've struggled with my weight loss for the last 2 years I've been seeing her. She did an EKG in the office that was abnormal, so she wouldn't clear me right away, but as soon as the cardiologist did a stress test & said I was okay for surgery, she gave her clearance too. I was kinda upset after the EKG especially since I was self-pay & didn't really need her approval as far as insurance, but I'm glad it all worked out in the end. I'm not sure if my surgeon would've done it otherwise.

I couldn't justify going to Mexico because we just couldn't work it out for my family to come & I wouldn't want to be away from them. I also decided to go with a local doctor because I didn't want to just see my PCP for aftercare, especially if there were problems. I also financed my surgery & some financing companies do not cover Mexico (but some do). I never asked mine because I knew I was going to do it locally. I ended up paying $15,100 after some fees. Because of the way we financed it and the fees of the financing companies & interest rates, we will end up paying about $25,000 when all is said and done in 4 years - unless we end up being able to pay it off sooner. However, for me it was worth it for my peace of mind of knowing my doctor is right here. I know some of the doctors in Mexico are great from things I've read about them. It just wasn't for me though.

I burp more than toot. Even taking Prilosec twice a day to help the acid in the stomach, I seem to burp first thing in the morning when my sleeve is empty. I've only been gassy first thing in the morning though for the most part. I don't think it's all that bad. At least for me it's no different than before surgery except the early morning burping.

I'm not creative, so I didn't have any recipes during that stage. I just did protein drinks, crystal light with Beneprotein, Isopure clear, broth, SF jello & SF popsicles. I didn't mix them or do anything special except for mixing crystal light with Isopure clear liquids to decrease the aftertaste.

I just hit 4 weeks yesterday. My goal for myself on MFP is 850 calories. I normally end up between 700 - 900 since I tend to get a little more in depending on exercise. I'm on full liquids/pureeds now. I normally have protein shakes, refried black beans, ricotta with marinara sauce, Greek yogurt, & tuna most days. If you are on MFP, my name is mygastricsleevelife there too if you want to add me as a friend. I have my food diary as public so everyone can see it. I was doing more creamy soups, grits, cream of wheat, SF pudding & SF popsicles, but I've been trying to cut those out as I transition to pureeds and also to limit my carbs. Depending on what stage you're at though, you might have to use those things still.

I remember reading one post where someone said they decided against the surgery because of research they read about that issue. However, when I tried to research it myself, I couldn't find much about it. Vitamin B12 is really important for memory & from things I've read, as long as we keep up our B12 levels we should be fine. The body does still make ghrelin in another part of the body (I forget where) although it's not as much as the stomach. I'm 4 weeks out now & I'm taking B12 daily because my levels were low before surgery. I haven't had any memory problems & actually feel more alert now than before surgery.

I take Miralax every other day (sometimes daily). I never actually asked my surgeon, but talked to others in his support group. Some mentioned fiber and said that helps them, but others said fiber bulked up their system too much and made things worse, so they use Miralax and/or Colace. I tried fiber for a while, but felt worse, so now I'm doing the Miralax thing & have been doing fine with it. Sometimes I find I don't need it, but if I start feeling I need it I start using it again.

Date of surgery? 5/14/12 How much weight lost? 29 lbs since pre-op diet with 16.4 being since surgery. I've also lost 14.25 inches throughout my body since surgery. How many calories intake per day? My MFP goal is 850. I'm usually within 100 calories either way of it. I don't eat more than it unless I exercise & then sometimes I eat a little into my exercise calories. I'm still on full liquids/pureeds right now. How much Protein per day? My surgeon wants 70-100 g per day. Currently, I have been getting 50-80 usually depending on what food choices I make. I'm trying to make better choices recently for more protein & less carbs because I've been getting 100-150 g of carbs & I'm only supposed to be under 60 g of carbs. I'm not stressing over it too much as long as I'm getting the protein, but I've heard from others that weight loss slows some if there are too many carbs. It's hard not to have the carbs if I have grits or cream of wheat or creamy Soups though since I'm still on full liquids/pureeds. I'm getting better at lowering the carbs as I move to more solid foods. I'm also planning on changing my Protein Drink to one I found that is only 2 g carbs per serving instead of my current one that has 11 g of carbs per serving. Plus, the new one has 34 g of protein instead of 28 g. What supplements do you take? Celebrate Multivitam Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate chews B12 Iron Biotin Prilosec Are you exercising? Yes. I have been getting in the pool for 30-75 minutes at least 3 times a week (sometimes more) since I was about 2-1/2 weeks out because my surgeon said it was okay as soon as my incisions healed. I'm planning on starting to go to the gym again next week in addition to the pool. I will probably do at least 30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week & add in some weights. I still have some sessions with a personal trainer that I had paid for back in January that I'll start using again too & those are an hour of weights.