BKLYNgal87

Commercial frozen yogurt (most types you find in shops or grocery stores) has minimal protein and LOTS of sugar, so yes.

Let me ask you something - have you tried to lose the weight on your own? I have been dieting since I was 10 years old. I'd be successful in the beginning but eventually I'd plateau and get frustrated, then gain the weight back plus another 10 lbs! It was a vicious cycle and I decided I needed to try something different. I did a lot of research before I opted for the sleeve. I can't tell you why they gave you an "unimpressive" goal number. It could be for the benefit of their practice stats, it could be something else. You certainly aren't bound to it - if you surpass it and then some then GREAT! My surgeon didn't give me a goal number at all. He said a weight in the healthy BMI range is important but that the number isn't absolute. It doesn't account for muscle-fat ratio. He told me getting my waist size under 30 inches is equally important with my family history of diabetes. As for exercise - working out like a banshee is required for effective weight loss (surgery or not). There's really not much getting around it. Can't think of too many people who got to goal without regular exercise. I know a lot of people hate to do it but exercise has so many more health benefits than just weight loss. For me, I have been off antidepressants for over 3 years because I started working out 4-5x a week. For me it has been much more effective than pills. food for thought.

At about 3 weeks PO I had about a half cup of frozen yogurt. Legit frozen yogurt that skimps on the Protein and heaps on the sugar. I tried to get the flavor with the least sugar but it probably had 20g. I felt so guilty after eating it I developed my own "fro-yo" recipe with greek yogurt. It tastes like pink berry and it fits perfectly into my meal plans. I think it's okay to treat yourself every once in a while but I found that, for me, I have a mental list of foods that are trigger foods - once I have a taste it's hard to walk away. So I try to stay away from them for now until I am more confident I can enjoy them in moderation.

Sugar alcohols [sorbitol, maltitol, etc] always made me "sprint to the bathroom" sick . Splenda and stevia usually don't because they are a very different chemical composition. What sweetener to they list on the ingredients of Protein powder? You could try using unflavored [therefore unsweetened] Protein Powder and add it to Soups or hot Cereal. This is what I have done to break up the monotony. As for regular gatorade, if your plan allows it, my advice is drink a small amount at a time and wait. See how it makes you feel. Don't drink too much of it at once because you may not like the result. Hope you feel better soon!

Totally normal. -52 in 11 weeks is amazing! Great work!

Don't take this the wrong way but sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. No one risk factor alone will cause cancer. Not even smoking. As someone with a lot more than a layman's grasp of how it works and I have to disagree with your interpretation of studies that deal mostly with either total gastrectomy or peptic ulcer surgery (both for alleviation of peptic ulcers - a very nasty condition to live with). I looked at that case report someone mentioned above and I think it's pretty clear VSG did NOT cause his cancer to develop. Pancreatic cancer is very, very slow growing and hard to detect until it has advanced. It does not develop 3 months after a surgery, which was when he was diagnosed. Don't sweat the remote possibilities. Think about how you are taking steps [including this surgery] to not succumb to more real threats - heart disease, diabetes, and the rest of the horrid obesity related diseases.

On week 3 I was still on purees. You can put lentil soup in the blender to make sure it agrees with you. Hmm now I'm hungry...

I applaud your self control! You're making great progress. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-national-donut-day.html ^ Here's a recipe for donuts you can eat, should you ever want to!

I drank coffee up until the day before surgery and picked it up again about 5 days post op. I had no problems. The only reason you may want to taper down at this point is so you can get used to drinking less. I used to need 2 cups a day (not large cups) to get me through but now one cup in the morning is all I need.

Awesome! The countdown begins...

This surgery is for YOU darling, not him. No doubt you have already determined this procedure is the best path for you to take. My fiancé is from a similar culture as your boyfriend but he would rather I have a healthy longer life than worry about what his friends/family think of him or us. But his head is screwed on straight, not everyone's is . A successful relationship mandates both parties support each other through challenges. This is a good test for your boyfriend. Give him as much information as you can about what to expect from the surgery, drag him in to meet your surgeon, don't totally write off his worries and see what happens. The body is a temple, yes, but I believe God gives us [or shows us] the tools we need to overcome our trials and tribulations. It's up to us, for the most part, how we proceed from there to meet and surpass those challenges. This may not fit with your beliefs but it's my two cents as a Jew engaged to a Muslim .

Amazing work! Can't wait for the day I can do this post

Interesting but always beware of small sample size studies. When studies like this are expanded, the results can be quite different.

Wow way to go! Wishing you continued success

I concur with the pillow advice. My 8 lb cat sprang onto me about 4 days post op. Ugh! That re-activated my incision site nerves! I was fine but I considered buying her a collar with a bell on it

It could hurt. Don't risk it. This is what I did - made sure I drank all my protein requirements and every time I felt a pang I'd force myself out the door and walk around the block. The "hunger" subsided.

There are plenty of men who like bigger women. My year living in the UK was the most productive in my life in that department ... . IMO if you did this surgery to get more attention from men you did it for the wrong reason. SMH. OP - as others have said, those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter. I'm willing to bet if he's battling the bulge he will be understanding.

I love it!

If you don't have any issues with your gall bladder, you shouldn't have it removed. Period. Any responsible surgeon will say the same. If you take the preventative medication (actigall) after surgery it's not likely you'll need a second surgery to remove your gall bladder. Some people may still need it removed but it's not common. If it was a likely prospect then more surgeons would be removing the gall bladder pre-emptively. The more they can bill for, the better for them.

OP - I totally get where you are coming from. It's actually my worst fear that the sleeve won't work in the long run. Not everyone reaches their ideal goal and a big part of it is non-compliance but some of it is factors harder to control like genetics or thyroid problems. A great number of us are fighting a constant battle against our own bodies and always being one step ahead of the slump is very hard to maintain. Despite the pontification of some posters on here, I think the battle to maintain effects everyone in some way. I won't say don't do another surgery but I will say I also know people who had gastric bypass or the DS revision you're talking about. A few of them got to goal but struggled with the maintenance and ended up gaining back. I know a woman who lost 150 lbs with gastric bypass but 5 years later she has gained more than 50 lbs back. She is in her 50s and overweight. And she has bad arthiritis now so exercise is difficult. There are no more interventions left for her other than diet and it's a daily struggle. Like the sleeve, DS and bypass are tools, not solutions by themselves. Could they help you get back down to goal? Sure they could. But there's no guarantee you won't find yourself in a similar position in another two years. There are lots of DS resources out there, which other posters shared. People who have undergone DS probably don't post on VSTalk anymore so that's probably why you didn't get a response you'd hoped for. Talking to your old surgeon or nutritionist or a WLS counselor may also help you to determine what options would be best for you at this point. I am rooting for you! Wishing you all the best.

I second calling the practice manager. Every Dr's office has one.

I agree with everyone else here - no regrets. I wish sometimes that I did this sooner though honestly I don't think I could have handled all the changes one needs to make when I was younger. It happened at the right time and place. You have to be ready but you also need to be convinced this is the best way to permanently lose the weight. Trying to prevent eventual chronic deadly disease is one of the best reasons I can think of to get this surgery. Based on my family history and my weight there was no way I wouldn't get diabetes. My grandfather had it and died in his 50s. My father has it and barely manages to stay off insulin. I did NOT want it to happen to me! And on another note, I can drink Water post op just as easily as pre-op. I feel like I can't get enough of it actually because this summer's heat and humidity are making me nuts!

Mandy - Congrats on your success and best of luck on the rest of your journey. I can't wait until I can ditch my CPAP machine!!

Marriage is supposed to be a partnership in this day and age - not a transaction. Common ground can be found best, in my opinion, in therapy. You had this surgery to improve your health and quality of life, so that you could be there for your children longer - am I right? This wasn't a selfish, cosmetic decision. Perhaps the most basic fact in the universe is that things change. People change. This is one of the main reasons why divorce happens. But it doesn't have to be the logical conclusion. If both parties want it enough, a compromise can be reached. Maybe you and your husband can look up new healthy recipes and he can pick what looks good, maybe he can help you prepare dinner, maybe a couple nights a week you can eat something simple that doesn't require prep work. These are things to try while under guidance of a professional. If that doesn't work and your husband still isn't supporting you, then you'll have some tougher decisions to make. But you haven't been married that long and you still have plenty of solid options for resolution. Best of luck to you.

You don't both work full time. He works one job and you clearly work two [homemaking is a full time job - double full time]. You don't feel supported because he's not being supportive. Sorry but it's true. Methinks you two should really have counseling together before your surgery. You and he need to work out a plan that works for both of you so he doesn't sabotage your weight loss. Spouses have been known to do that. SMH.