Richard Foor

congratulations. Enjoy the journey it keeps on getting better as time goes by, good Luck.

This will very depending on what kind of work you do. I went back to work at about 2 weeks post op and I am a paramedic, fortunately I do primarily command level instead of front line so while I had to do a little physical work that first week mostly I was doing desk and giving orders so it was fine. Good Luck.

I had very similar goals in mind when I had my surgery and I will tell you that as I have met most of them already, it is such a wonderful high feeling when these things happen. Now I find myself staring at my fingers, ankles, or wrists and thinking wow I have normal body parts for the first time in as long as I can remember.

No other person can make you feel bad unless you let them. That is my outlook on life, if others don't like your decisions oh well, in a couple months when it has worked and you are feeling great they will realize they were wrong. Unfortunately when you are at the early phases with all the emotions running around in your head you are more likely to be bothered by it. My suggestion would be if someone gives you negativity post on here or talk to someone you know will be positive and bask in the positivity that comes. Good Luck and enjoy the journey it just keeps getting better.

At 4 weeks out 700 calories should not be a problem. You do need to try to do more water in my opinion, I have always tried to do a minimum of 60 oz a day and currently get about 120 oz but I am at 7 months. I personally eat between 700 and 900 calories a day and have consistent weight loss having lost 134 lbs in 7 months. You should also note that a lot of people have a stall around the 1 month point so it could just be your body adjusting. Good Luck.

It is probably just a little to early for it. I have had five guys burgers without any problems but I was at about 5 months out when I did. I didn't try eating hamburger patties at all until I was about 3 months out. So try again at a later point and you may be able to handle it. Good Luck.

I was sleeve 7 days before my birthday.

Another option is if you use a smart phone you can sign up for a free photobucket account and at a folder and then upload the photos directly from the phone to the photobucket folder.

As has been said by other posters, the majority of the programs don't really require you to lose any weight on the preop diet, it is more designed to help you build new habits and to give you time to be sure you are ready to have the surgery. Good Luck.

I have to agree with the others who stated that tracking food and exercise and getting the protein in first are the most important lessons. Good Luck.

I believe the main thing to being successful is choosing the plan that works for you and sticking to it, it is way to easy to get discouraged especially when you go through the inevitable stalls but know that if you are doing what your supposed to be the weight will come off. As for exercising, during the winter months while the kids were going to school I was going to the gym 3 or 4 days a week, doing 20 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength each day. Now that the kids are in summer break I don't get to go as often now only making it 1 or 2 times a week, so I increased the cardio to about 30 minutes and the strength to 45 minutes. I also find that I am now moving around and walking more then I ever did in the past which helps. Good Luck.

I did, that is why I tend to weigh in on the medical scale at the gym instead of trying to use a home scale.

I personally weigh in when I go to the gym. Now during the winter months I was going to the gym a minimum of 4 days a week but now I only make it once or twice a week. I will say it is less frustrating to go once a week because I see the progress easier and don't see the fluctuations.

Yes you can drink more as you get further out. I personally did not have much trouble all along but now at 7 months I drink a minimum of 120 oz a day.

Are you taking a ppi(Prilosec, nexium, etc) having acid reflux is very common for the first couple months post op. You should definitely check with your surgeon or PCP. Good Luck.

Heart palpitations can be a serious problem, and should be checked asap by a dr or in the er. I find it odd that they don't have you doing any protein yet as well as the flat 7up since even flat 7up has some carbonation which i wouldn't think would be good for you healing stomach lining. But if you can't get a hold of your own dr, you should go to the e.r. to get the palpitation checked.

Having comorbidities makes most insurance companies approve at a lower BMI then if you didn't have any. I have never heard of comorbidities changing the amount of time necessary, however with some insurances like UPMC PPO which is what I have a higher BMI gets you out of the 6 month wait time. Hope this answered your question, good luck.

Well my surgeon asked me what I was thinking of for a goal weight and I told him I didn't care the least about the number I just wanted to be healthy and I believe that is more of a feeling then a true measurement. The problem with all these weight scales is every person on the planet is different, so what works for one won't work for anyone else. My surgeon actually liked that answer and told me it was the best answer he had ever had to that question, and we have never discussed a number goal again. Now unfortunately I get asked all the time what my goal is and since I got tired of trying to explain my theory on it, I now just say I am currently shooting for under 200 lbs and when I get there I will reevaluate where to go from there. Sorry not a real answer but how I feel about that.

As the others have said a nasal cannula for oxygen is common but it just sits below your nose with 2 prongs barely entering your nostrils to blow oxygen in. Now if what you saw was 1 tube that actually goes up into a nostril, it was probably an n.g. tube which is passed through the nose down the esophagus into the stomach and is then attached to a suction unit to remove contents from the stomach, this might be used if there was excess bleeding in the stomach or a large build up of air trapped in the stomach. But it is not common to the best of my knowledge.

The reason I recommend the laughing cow over the regular shredded cheeses is because it is a creamier,less dense consistency which is easier in the Early stages.

It is very common to have a stall around the 1 month mark, stick to your plan and try tracking measurements a lot of people find that while there weight isn't going down there measurements are. There are also many posts out there about trying to increase this or that to restimulate weight loss, I don't know if these things actually work or just give you that sense you are doing something but hey it couldn't hurt to try I guess. But if you are getting your protein and fluids in and keeping your calories and carbs in the proper ranges for you then your weight loss will catch up. The most important thing is to not give up. Good Luck.

You should be able to handle a little ketchup but remember ketchup does have carbs so if your doing the low carb approach you may not want to. Salsa is probably a better choice. I personally add a laughing cow cheese wedge to my eggs when im cooking them, this way it adds more protein and a little extra flavor. Good Luck.

I started at a size 54 pants( and they were tight probably needed to go up but refused to do it) and a size 4x shirt. 7 months and 135 pounds later i'm wearing size 40 pants, which would be lower if it wasn't for the skin apron. and size Large or XL shirts. And now I love to go to the mall and walk through the normal people stores and know that I could find my size in anything I like. Of course I don't like to spend the money at those stores so I only buy stuff when it's on clearance at those stores, but just knowing I could if I wanted to is a big win.

The different insurances have different policies, and the only way to know for sure is to check with your insurance company, if you call there 800 number they should explain it to you.

You should try not to buy a lot of different foods or proteins prior to surgery because you will find that your taste in foods will change post op, so if your going to buy any of the protein shakes or any foods you should stick to smaller quantities to avoid being stuck with an excess of something you just don't like once you are post op.