OneManWolfpack

Arcus, I don' t think malabsorption is as much of an issue with the sleeve as with the bypass / DS procedures since most nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine, which remains intact with the sleeve. But, for the original poster, like others have said, the most important things post-sleeve are to maximize Protein intake during meals and keeping hydrated throughout the day. Remember just how small your stomach will actually be post-op. ANY non-protein volume taken in during meals (whether its Water, breads, veggies, etc) will decrease the amount of space left for protein. From a satiety standpoint, protein keeps you feeling fuller longer relative to the other nutrients. As for Soups, like OTR sleever said, measure out the total volume and stick to the limits given by your doctor. I agree this is really tough, and I've just started practicing this pre-op, since I used to enjoy a (large) diet soda with most meals..... Ugh, bye bye diet coke

Zenoosh, Aimstergal, hsirk (and everyone else), Thanks for the words of encouragement, and the reality check. I'm back on track, heading full steam to my Oct 25th day of forever change. And I'm also happy to report that Mr. Scale still managed to post a loss of 3lbs for me this week, so obviously I've still been doing much more good than bad. My best to all having surgery today. Please check in with us early and often!

Fellow OctoSleevers, I just wanted to share this because I am inspired by all of you and feel a little weak, shameful, and pathetic right now. I had a rough weekend. Mistake #1 was inviting a bunch of friends over for football this weekend, none of whom know I'm having WLS Mistake #2 was making sure there was plenty of pizza, wings, chips, and beer available, you know, to be a "good host." Mistake #3 was, after staying strong for a few hours, having "just one small slice of pizza" Mistake #4 was having that one slice turn into 3 slices, a half dozen wings, and half a bag of chips Mistake #5 was having "just one" beer Mistake #6 (as I'm sure you can guess by now), was beers #2, 3, and 4. Mistake #7 was not insisting that everyone take home leftovers, or having failed that, not throwing away leftovers Mistake #8 was eating another 2 slices of cold pizza later last night / early this morning. I can only hope this hasn't completely derailed the small gains I was making. I hope that I can get back on track, and stay strong. I hope this is the sort of thing I will be able to control post-sleeve. I have been leaning on this community's support, and yet having read through many more posts of success today, I don;t know if it made me even angrier at myself, more embarrassed, or what. I have known for so long that I have to change. I started today by throwing away everything "bad," prepping my Protein Shakes and healthy Snacks, and hate-walking 30 minutes uphill on the treadmill. I'll find out tomorrow how badly I've betrayed my scale (who had been treating me so well these past few weeks). Thanks for letting me vent. Congrats again to all those already sleeved this month, and good luck to the upcoming losers (60+ ppl getting sleeved this week, according to Susan's list!)

Well said Butter.

I also got the bariatric fusion chewables (multivit and an iron + vit C tab) for my post-op. I had the option to get it from my doc's office but I found it online cheaper for a three month supply. My doc said after that I can go back to my regular multivit. Maybe the high price you were quoted was for the "tests"??? Is that a self-pay cost or an insurance co-pay?

3yrssleeve, Based on the info you provided in your profile, it looks like you lost 120 lbs at 18 months post-sleeve, then by 3 yrs out had gained back 100 lbs. Is that about right? If you don't mind sharing with us, what do you feel most contributed to the re-gain? How different do you things things would be now (weight and health-wise) if you had decided on a different procedure initially or no procedure at all? I ask with great personal interest since my sleeve is scheduled for Oct 25th. And yes, I am aware of the lack of quality, peer-reviewed published long-term outcomes data with the sleeve relative to band or bypass. Your comments and story would be most helpful. Thanks.

Way to go brother! Hope to be joining you on the losers bench soon... Oct 25th for me. Good luck to you and keep us posted. Congrats also to all the other OctoSleevers who were already sleeved, and thanks for sharing all your stories.

I also have a 180+ pound weight loss goal. When I first went for my info session and initial surgeon consult, I thought I would be considering bypass only and even then I wasn;t sure. After a discussion with the surgeon, PA, nutritionist, and extensive review of this and other sites, I decided the sleeve was a better fit for me. Not everyone would come to the same conclusion, and you have to weigh each option for you and your health. I personally was swayed by the slightly lower overall complication rate of the sleeve (compared to RNY bypass), less concern for malabsorption syndromes, and no dumping. The figures quoted to me were expected 70-80% loss of excess weight with the bypass, and 60-70% loss of excess weight with the sleeve. The bypass with the duodenal switch might have slightly different pros/cons, but overall, again it comes down to what might seem like the best fit for you and the nutritional and overall lifestyle you will have post-surgery. I am now both excited and nervous as I have just over 3 weeks left until surgery. Good luck to you and use these forums and this community as an excellent source of info and support system though this process!

My heaviest was over 370. I have a little over 3 weeks left until surgery and hope to be under the 340 mark by then. At 351 as of this morning. All of the big losers here have definitely been inspiring, especially considering I want to visit Onederland twice to reach my goal.

I completely agree with ShouldBlittler. When I made the decision to move forward with this, I weighed the small possibility of a surgical complication against the much greater risk of what will happen to me and my health if I continued down my current path. After that (and these forums and amazing community), it was a no-brainer. Now I only have two and half weeks to go!!!! Yes I'm nervous/anxious. But mostly I'm excited to become a better, healthier me. Nicci, my advice is use this community as your virtual hands to hold... you will not be disappointed with the response! Good luck!

I've seen this question on some other forums. From what I gather by the replies, the whey protein can denature when heated as you would to mix up the gelatin. So best to add it to a cooled down jello liquid before it fully sets in the fridge. You'll have to stir well, and it may turn the jello to a slightly creamy color, but should still set. I've tried it with sugar free pudding mixes and it works great. Haven't tried it with jello yet.

Congrats fellow OctoSleever! Hopefully you'll have TONS of great, fresh-in-your-mind post-op advice (and weight loss to report!) for us who are not until later in the month (Oct 25 for me) Looking forward to join you in Loserville!

Susan, everytime I look at your updated lists and see more and more names I want to yell out like Doc Brown in Back to the Future.... "one point twenty-one- Gigawatts!!!!" (Except picture it downright giddy instead of flabbergasted) So here goes: Two hunderd fifteen OctoSleevers!!!!

Happy Sleevetoberfest everybody!!! Looking forward to it more and more every day. And getting more and more anxious/nervous every day too. But mostly, just finally want to be a big loser and get my life back. 2 week pre-op is this Thursday....

Congrats and good luck to all the Oct 1 sleevers who are kicking off Sleevetoberfest with a bang!!!! I can't believe how many of my fellow OctoSleevers will be three or more weeks out from their surgery when I finally get mine on the 25th. I hope to join all you guys and gals on the losers bench soon. Happy losing!

Sue, you just go on and keep doing what you're doing for you. Never mind anyone else. In a few months that fat gossiping co-worker of yours is going to be coming to the thin & sexy new you asking for advice and info for herself (....and probably will ask you "not to tell anyone")

Susie, I think you're right on point. This is a tool to help us do what we should be doing all along: making better choices. I haven't had my surgery yet, but pizza is one of my favorites... like, weekly. Too many times in the past I've told myself I'd have "just a slice" which invariably turned into 3 or 4 in one sitting.... plus another one or two the next day. I may be just telling myself this, but I kinda like that I won't be able to do that anymore. I haven't had any pizza in over a month now (but I do miss it...)

Stae, Thank you for sharing. Very encouraging and motivating. Fattymcfatterson (love the name!), your comment in your signature above your ticker rings so true with me. I have TONS of great photos with me in them from 10 yrs ago. Over the past few years....not so much. I tend to avoid the camera now. But I do want to be in the pictures again!

Well, in theory hunger should be reduced some just from the removal of the portion of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone ghrelin. But in the end, emotions still do play a role in what we eat. Ultimately, it comes down to choices. Most of us simply haven't made the right ones in the past, which is what got us to this point. Our mindset simply HAS to change for us to succeed with this. Looking at all the successful stories on this site, it's clear so many have made a dramatic change in their lives, and the results are evident. As I've seen written in several other places on this site and others: "No food tastes as good as being thin feels" (although pizza, burgers, and ice cream sure do taste mighty good!)

So sorry to hear your bad post-op experience. And thank you for sharing with us all. We are all sending positive thoughts your way. Please keep us posted on your progress. In the end, I hope it all will be so well worth it.

Thanks Susan! You really are going above and beyond. You're back in the wolfpack. Funny thing was that not seeing my name on the list was like fulfilling a bad dream of my surgeon telling me my surgery will need to be cancelled or postponed indefinitely for some reason....

oldmusicbox, Wow, your pre-op numbers are really close to mine! My surgery is in about a month, and stories like yours and countless others on this site give me such great motivation. I know it will still be hard work, but with this community's and my family's support I know I will succeed. WE will succeed!

Susan, you dropped me off the list And after I had added you to my wolfpack..... 10/25... only a month to go!

These are all great reasons and awesome personal and community motivation tools for us all (great topic, Lovex5!) I'll add a few of my own to the above... sorry if these are duplicates: -so I can stop using my evil CPAP machine! -so I no longer fear getting kicked off an amusement park ride because the safety latch won't close over my big gut -so I can sit in coach comfortably again.... and without a damn seatbelt extender -so that I'm not the one everyone in the elevator is trying not to stare at when the doors close too slowly or do that close-open-close thing -so that I don't need to take the elevator to go up two stinking flights of stairs -so that at my HS reunion I can prove everyone wrong that voted me "Most likely to become a fatass" (OK, that one's made up...) -so that I can take my name off the "Single Sleevers" group members list

Mmmmm.... COOOOOOKKKKIEEEES!!! (Wait, is it too late to switch from the sleeve to the cookie diet????)