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SetFree2013, I was there in November, if you walk down about a block (or you can get a taxi) there is a casino, also about 3 blocks down is a WalMart in a little strip mall. I found a lot of sleevers hung out in the restaurant. Get out an explore! You'll be happy you did Good luck tomorrow

Rockin Refuel, Muscle Builder, they are made by Shamrock, are found usually in the single serving milk section. 14 oz gives you 190 calories and 30 grams of protein. I drink them for breakfast everyday.

Dr. Lopez, ALighterMe, Dr. Ortiz, Abraham, Eduardo, Rhonda and Janice are all WONDERFUL! Nothing but rave rave reviews here. I was sleeved in Nov. Take plenty of PJ pants with pockets for your drain, I suggest a bandeau bra, or a couple, I took gas X steips and a hot water bottle but didn't need either. All of the broth and popsicles you could possibly need are free. The Jello is delicious at the Marriott, as is the apple juice at the hospital after the surgery. WALK as soon as you can. PM me if you want my full story. All of you will do great!!

It's not always about the total weight, take into account the height/weight ratio, and BMI, and you will find that even though some weighed less than you starting, they technically would have farther to go so to speak. My starting BMI was 46.9, and to get to an 'average' weight at 5'3", I have more to lose than someone who weighed 301 and is 5'8". Also, age and gender are big players too. There are many of us from all shapes and walks of life, so don't worry. You are not alone in anyway on this journey

Of course we all lie on our drivers license! Unfortunately, mine may never be truthful I STRETCH my height just a little as well...and I don't see myself going to Korea and getting my calves lengthened anytime soon...then again, I did have 85% of my stomach removed...maybe having my lower legs cut in half wearing braces and painfully stretching apart the break to introduce more bone growth for a couple inches might not be so bad...lol. Yeah, no.

Each Dr. is different, some put in drains, some do not. I had mine for about 3 days, and then the Dr. came and took it out at the hotel before I went home (I had surgery in Mexico). Ask your Dr. if he/she will use a drain or not so you can know what to expect.

yogurt and banana are very much slider foods. If you are worried about your quantity, and are far enough out, switch up your breakfast with some more solid proteins. Also, are you breaking out the shake because you are really hungry, or are you having head hunger? I think the way to react to what you are feeling really depends on how far out you are. maybe try adding some peanuts or PB2 to thicken up the banana/yogurt, and boost the protein. I always have a shake first thing in the morning because it fills me up so much still. We are all different, good luck.

Your tummy is still enflamed. Yes of course you will eventually be able to eat more. I think I am up to about 5 bites, lol. Actually it depends too on how dense the food is. If I'm eating chicken breast or steak, I'm seriously at the 5 bite mark or there abouts, but if I have some starches or veggies, or like meat loaf, foods that aren't as dense, I am able to eat a lot more. You will find people talk about 'slider foods' also, those are foods that amount to so little in your tummy that they 'slide' right through. Popcorn and chips would be some examples, but everyone is different. I still drink one shake a day because I feel like I don't always get enough nutrients through regular food, and I'm already a little past 6 months. Don't worry, it gets a lot better

There are so many topics just like yours. I know it may not be comforting to hear that many of us do lose our hair despite all best efforts to avoid it. Mine started to fall out around month 3 so before it got bad, I cut it all off into a really short pixie haircut. I then donated the hair to locks of love. That way some good was able to come out of the inevitable. I'm a little past 6 months now, and my hair has started to fill back in, but I'm lovin and rockin this new cut, so I have no plans to grow it again. Good luck whatever you decide, but unfortunately it happens

While the sleeve is not reversible, she may have been getting the sleeve and gastric plication mixed up. Plication is similar to the sleeve in that they make the stomach tiny, but what the plication does is it folds the stomach into itself then they stitch it. technically you can get the plication undone. It is a newer procedure, and is gaining in popularity. I am glad you were able to tell your Dr. sleeve is not reversible and that she will research it. I con't imagine having had this surgery thinking it was reversible based on a Dr. recommendation and info to find out it is not reversible after the surgery, yikes! Good for you for being informed, and Yay for getting an approval!!

Not sure if ever drain is the same or different, but for me it felt really 'tingly' the best way to describe it was that I felt like I was on a roller coaster, how all of your insides kind of tickle and tingle. for me when it was removed I felt a release of pressure that I didn't know was there. I had had a sore abdominal area, trouble bending over etc, but once the drain was removed, it felt a million times better. I also was psyching myself out about it hurting, and was pleasantly surprised and felt a little foolish I had been so scared once it was out. No pain. Good luck!

I remember asking myself this alot, what will I look like when I lose the weight, what will a good weight be for me, how can I expect my clothes to fit, etc. I found awhile ago, a really great and fun website: http://www.mybodygallery.com/ it is just like it sounds — a searchable database of (mostly anonymous) photographs of women, tagged with their self-described height, weight, body shape, and dress sizes. "A recent study found that 95% of non-eating disordered women overestimate the size of their hips by 16% and their waists by 25%, yet the same women were able to correctly estimate the width of a box," explain the founders. "In a world full of images of how we 'should' look it can get difficult to tell how we DO look." I think it's a rally good site to visit along this journey as well. I have been losing so much weight so fast, I still feel much bigger than I actually am, so seeing other people, the same height and general shape as me at the same weight is a really good way for me to guage what I actually look like. It's also excited to check out smaller weights and guestimate what I will look like when I'm done plus a few extra rolls of skin... but you get the point! Try it!

I was afraid too of going to Mexico, what if I had complications, what if my PCP wouldn't see me anymore, what if what if, and I finally decided, what if I don't do this surgery, what if I just keep going down the same road...? What if I keep getting bigger and bigger, and I realized, if I had to change PCP's, so be it! If I had complications, then I would get treatment. I used Dr. Lopez through ALighterMe.com, I had a great experience, I am 6 months post op yesterday, and I am already down 81 pounds. I have not looked back a single time. I didn't tell my PCP until after I had the surgery, and he was actually excited for me! I have had my blood work done several times, it was covered by my insurance, I was lucky not to have any complications, and I have used these boards as a serious crutch/learning place to keep on track. Good luck whatever you decide!! I took the plunge, and am SO happy I did!

Yes, it is. It comes in chocolate too. You just mix with water to reconstitute, and it's rally tasty! You can mix it in with your shakes, eat it plain, it's so good, and really good on the calories and fat compared to regular peanut butter, and I personally can't tell the difference! I got mine from Amazon in a 2 pack with the chocolate, and it came with recipe cards, it's seriously yummy stuff!

I have never been on a PPI, not before the surgery, and I don't need one now. Each Dr. is different, as each person is different also. Hard to say if you will need one or not.

I have a couple of shaper pieces. one is a spanx brand, it goes from mid calves all the way up to under my bra. This one is more like panty hose with a cuff from right below the knee to the mid calf, then gets firmer until the midsection really sucks it in. I just be sure to put my bra on over the shaper, that way it doesn't roll on me. This seems to work well. The other one I have goes from lower thigh all the way over the mid section, then has bra type straps to go over my arms, this stays up with the bra type straps, and allows me to wear my own bra, then the legs have a kind of invisible silicone like banding on the are that touches the skin, it helps to keep it in place. There is also body tape you can buy that will help if you have problems with rolling. The main thing about a shaper I think is to find one you are comfortable in, especially if you will be wearing it all day. My 2 pieces weren't more than $70 dollars each, and do not have boning.

I have tons of mini stashes. I keep nuts and protein bars and jerky in the car. My cars glove compartment is like a mini dooms day prep storage! I have powdered protein pre measured also that I carry. Those little containers for baby formula that hold a pre measured amount of formula powder are perfect for protein. I can get a bottle of water from anywhere add my powder and keep going. Also, freeze dried fruits are good for keeping and stashing. The way I do it is once every two weeks, I stock up my little stock piles. I find that ziplock snack bags are the perfect size for me to fit portions of nut and dried fruit mixes. The key will be for you to pre-plan as much as possible, I find most convenient stores these days will also carry muscle milk and pre mixed protein shakes, so eeven if you are out and about if you can get to a gas station you should be able to at least find some kind of protein drink also. There will be days and times like this one that it won't work out, but such is life, don't worry about it, prepare better next time, and good luck!

Hathery, have you looked into going to Mexico for VSG? I started looking into WLS about 2 years before I had surgery. at that time, my husbands insurance did cover WLS, but then as things go, our insurance changed, and WLS was excluded. I researched and discovered Mexico surgeons are a lot cheaper than their American counterparts. In some cases, the surgeons in Mexico have a lot more experience as well since VSG has been done for a lot longer in Mexico. I personally used Alighterme.com and had Dr. Lopez as a surgeon in Tijuana Mexico. My surgery was $4,750 that included pick up from the airport in San Diego, hotel stay at the Marriott in TJ, 2 night stay in the hospital, another 2 nights at the Marriott, all of the jello and chicken broth at the hotel restaurant, and return trip to the airport. Surgery in Mexico isn't for everyone, but it turned out to be the best thing for me. There is a self pay/Mexico forum on here, check it out! There are many Doctors and many people who have been and are exploring Mexico as an option also. Feel free to PM me if you want more info or want to know more about my personal journey. Good Luck to you!!

Living next to the border, I eat Mexican all the time. Carne Asada is good, Carne al Pastor, Machaca beef, personally my go to Mexican dish at my fav restaurant is I order the taco salad with chicken, they bring it out and the chicken is shredded and moist, I take that off the salad, smash it with guacamole and salsa and it is really yummy. I usually end up leaving the salad and the tortilla bowl. any of the civiche dishes would be fine also. Good luck!

Sodium really is an issue whenever you eat pre packaged foods. I find my sodium to be high as well when I don't prepare my food fresh. I personally eat a lot of chicken and beef. I roast chicken thighs with just salt and pepper, and they stay moist in tupperware in the fridge, I also eat steak and short ribs. I find that if I use a rub to flavor the meat instead of a sauce it keeps the sodium down as well (I make my own rubs so I can limit the salt). have you tried to get fresh seafood, that would help on the sodium levels as well. Any kind of lunch meat is going to be high in sodium and nitrates. Try preparing fresh for a week and see where your sodium levels are. I personally have not had any trouble with the higher sodium levels, in fact I used to be a salt-o-holic before surgery, and I seem to not like the taste half as much after, so even though my levels are still high, I'm not eating half as much sodium as before. I wouldn't worry about it unless it is effecting your blood pressure, just drink plenty of water and green tea to flush it out. Good luck!

I am not quite 6 months, I have lost 78 pounds so far, I do not exercise (I know I should...), and I do indulge in a treat or two every now and again. I don't make it a habit, but I don't deny myself if I have a craving. I figure that this change has to be forever, and I'm not going to deny myself treats forever, so I need to learn to eat sensibly so I can maintain a healthy life style. For me, that includes the occasional treat.

I do it.

The purest and best Lavender Oil that I have found is from DoTerra, in fact all of their oils are locally sourced, and of the highest purest form. You can find DoTerra online, or there maybe someone who sells them close to you. I've never tried the lavender oil for my scars, but I will certainly try it. I personally have had luck using silicone sheets for my scars. I bought a sheet and cut it into pieces, and just rotate them out wearing one set and then washing them and drying while I wear a different set. I have heard some people say bio oil, and also mederma. Good luck!!

Bikermike, What if having the sleeve is the easy way out? In a lot of ways it is, it practically guarantees you success, even if you still continue to eat bad foods, and not exercise, you will still be limited in what you can eat, so you'll lose weight by default of not being able to consume as much. What if having the surgery makes you hugely successful and you don't have to feel hungry, or like you're starving, or miserable and depressed. Is that the 'easy way out'? Maybe. The sleeve like everyone before me has said, is a tool. It's a tool for success. When you tighten a bolt, are you taking the easy way out to tighten it better and harder by using a wrench as opposed to just your fingers? It's kind of a silly excuse to say that something that will help you to do a job better, faster and more efficiently is actually a 'failure', the sleeve is sort of a short cut really, and nothing more. It's not a magic pill, the sleeve won't keep you thin if you don't use it right, just like a wrench won't tighten the bolt without using it properly. I can see in your post, that you're scared, change is scary. You will have to go through a per-op diet probably, which in my opinion was the hardest part, you will probably not be able to consume the same things immediately, and you definately won't be able to consume the same quantities, but you have to ask yourself, are you ready to give up your addiction? If the answer is no, then don't do this surgery. I'm not saying that in a snarky or cynical way, I mean it. If you are not ready to lose this weight, and to give up your bad food choices, and make a change, don't do this surgery, because you will be miserable, you will feel like you were forced into it, and you will probably regret it. We all have to decide what is best for ourselves. Part of the process of this surgery is going to a psychologist, and sometimes a support group. I would suggest you go talk to a psychologist and try to figure out what other issues are behind your food addiction, and why you are afraid to lose the weight. What is the root of making you feel that getting this surgery would make you a failure, when you would be succeeding at giving yourself a second chance at life. Good luck on whatever you decide. This is a long road, and not the easiest of journeys, but if you do decide this is the journey for you, do it for you, do it for success, and do it for life.

I am almost 6 months post op, and yes, it's an every day struggle not to eat too fast, especially if I'm overly hungry or I've gone too long without eating. I feel like I still want to gulp down my food, but it's over so quickly, and then that uncomfortable feeling sets in I am not sure when this will resolve itself, but you're not alone, I still do it and instantly regret it almost daily.