JerseyGirl68

Hi Sue: Congratulations on your surgery. It is normal for you not to get it all in the first few weeks or so. You are swollen and recovering But.. You have to try really hard with your liquids. You don't want to get dehydrated, which you know. I found in the first week warm liquids went down easier, so I had more herbal tea/unjury chicken Soup than plain Water. To this day, I can drink Vitamin water Zero easier than plain water. Find what works best for you. Good luck!

I have been overweight my entire life. I have done every diet, fast, over the counter pill known to man... I have never felt that I had a grip on being able to lose and maintain. Any significant change is "hard" but in all honesty. I was so ready for this change that I don't feel I am sacrificing anything. I'm satisfied with my meal choices and servings.I could not be happier with my choice to go ahead with surgery. You'll do great, I can't wait to hear all about your great success!

I found it much easier to wrap my head around it when the smaller sizes I had just didn't fit any more. I don't see the loss in the mirror, but in pictures I can tell. You have just coined my new favorite phrase, Chubby Girl Mind. I had kept a few pair of jeans from about 12 - 13 years ago, the last time I lost any serious weight. Always hoping for the day they would fit again. I came across them about 3 weeks ago when clearing out my closet, I put them on and they were too big. Getting our minds to stop seeing the old us is just going to take time. I actually find it easier to buy clothes on line, I don't have to hold up the item and think to myself "that is never getting past your knees" I would hold off buying too much ahead of time, you really do drop the sizes quickly. I purchased "in between" clothes off ebay. Brand new with tags items and a fraction of the cost. You may be able to take advantage of some good clearance sales and stock up on some staples before hand. (I replaced every pair of panties 5 times now . ugh) My family all gave me gift cards toward a new wardrobe for my birthday and Christmas. Most fun gifts EVER!! Good luck!!

Molly, have you tried Pure Protein Bars? 20 gms of Whey protein and taste pretty good too.

At 6 months out, I have been able to tolerate everything I've tried. That being said. The only "fast food" I have tried is Wendy's chili once and I was fine. I had about 1/4 cup. I always have Pure Protein bars in my purse or car, just in case I find I'm on the road with little options. Plan the best you can ahead of time.

I am 6 months out today. Not a single day of regret. I had never been in the hospital prior to surgery so the unknown was making me a little anxious. I focused on what I could control. My prep work, my pre op diet etc... Had a notebook with me for questions in the hospital etc. I felt I made the best decision I could in picking my surgeon and I had to put faith in that. Post op, I had minimal anxiety. Again it was related to the unknown... "what was THAT noise coming from my new tummy???" "If I move a certain way will i have pain?" All very normal and expected. As you said, it is major surgery. Trust in your decision, your surgeon and yourself. Best of luck to you!!

When I was pre-op and those type of situations happened, I just went for a walk or ran to the corner store. Just to not make it harder on myself. I even just walked around the building. You can do it! Good luck!

Constant pain is not normal, in my opinion. Call your doctor and/or go to the ER. Better to be safe than sorry. Good luck and be well.

Congratulations!! You can do it, keep a variety, mix up your flavors to keep in interesting. Good luck!!

Maybe try crushing it and mix with some yogurt or Sugar free pudding?

So happy for you! Congratulations!

I had it about 6 weeks before my initial surgical date, but wound up getting sleeved a month later.

LOL I did get your reference. You're a good man Fiddle. I wish your wife best of luck! She's got a great support system.

It will get easier, the hardest part of all of this is resetting our thinking about what we put into our bodies. No judgement here, no one is perfect. Keep reminding yourself why you turned to surgery. A few chips here and there didn't get any of us to where we were. That being said, even though some doctors may differ in their post op instructions, you chose your surgeon and must have trusted him/her. Trust in what they instruct you to do, and follow it. Don't be a test case, you don't want to be the one that isn't ok from advancing your diet before instructed. It is hard to be only on liquids, but you can do it, there are tons of us here who stuck to it and lived to tell the tale. Don't let yourself fall into bad habits early out. Make good food choices early and it gets easier to stay on track. Stay strong, recommit to your plan and you'll be fine.

Have you tried crushing and mixing with a spoonful of sugar free pudding? I took pills this way for about a month. My doc considered SF pudding /jello a "full liquid" Good luck I hope it helps.

I am so sorry you've had so many problems and I hope that they can be resolved without further surgery. There is a "complications" section on VST http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/48-gastric-sleeve-surgery-vsg-complications-support-group/ Good luck with everything, be well.

Good luck tomorrow!! Walk around as much as you can. Follow all your doctors instructions, best advise I took. Congratulations!!

Fantastic!

Fantastic! Congratulations! .

Unfortunately there is no surgical option for stupid... You'll get fit and she'll still be, well ... stupid. Good luck, glad you didn't let it get you down!

Best thing you can do is arm yourself with information. Good luck with your surgery!!

Hi Maria! I'm so sorry that you don't get support from your mother, it sucks. What I was happy to read is that you get that this is her problem and that when you can't get the support from some loved ones you came here. We are all in the same boat in the weight department. Know that you absolutely CAN do this. No one gets to determine your outcome but you. We are all here for you if you hear her voice in your head telling you that you can't... Keep reminding yourself that you can do it. You will be armed with a tool that will help you this time. Best of luck to you!!

For me, without the protein shakes I would not have been able to get all my protein in. At about 2 months I was able to stop using them regularly, but kept some handy in case of a low protein day. Do you have access to an online service like Amazon? I used Premier Protein which was available at several online outlets as well as Walmart, and my local grocery store. Good luck!!

I know I was asked by some why not just eat like you would after surgery. The reality is, without the restriction I would be hungry. How do I know... I've been there. I would not have a built in "moderator" making sure I don't overindulge. I've done every diet know to man, a few times and it never took long term. I always had a big appetite and typically would eat until I was full... Full comes a lot quicker now. Just knowing I chose surgery keeps me very focused. I'm a huge chicken who never was in the hospital before this, so It took a lot for me to get to the decision. Everyone is different and only you can answer that question to satisfaction. Good luck!!

I also have BCBSNJ. When I started the process, last July, there was a 6 month supervised diet. But two weeks after that was changed and no longer required. I do know that some requirements are different within the BCBS system. They did not want to give me that information, I had to have my surgical coordinator find out. I would say unless you are getting straight answers from the insurance company, then the coordinator is a good place to start. Even if it is 3 months, you can be getting your other testing out of the way. It will go by very quickly. Good luck!!