BKLYNgal87

Everyone has different tastes! I have used Jay Robb since the beginning of my pre-op diet and I tolerated it for 2 weeks pre-surgery, but after my surgery I cannot stand it . Stupid me for buying it in bulk! I have several different extracts I use like almond, raspberry, mint, etc. - it's not cutting it anymore. But since I'm cheap-o I'll finish what I have and maybe try Isopure. I have bought Jay Robb at the Vitamin shoppe and also Whole Foods (much cheaper at WF).

What does your surgeon's office say? Before taking any new medication I always pick up the phone and ask.

First off, it would be good for you to determine what your insurance will and won't pay for, and generally unless they specifically say they will not pay for elective surgery complications or complications from surgery done outside the US, you'll be fine in terms of coverage . I'd check your policy handbook to rest your worries. Secondly, I am also in the pureed stage and I've been able to eat about 1/4 cup of fat free refried Beans and a little cheese. I eat about 2oz of meat Protein. The only food I can eat about a half cup (4oz) of is greek yogurt. I have been trying to gauge the full feeling too, and since my surgery that has manifested in the gut feeling that I've eaten enough. I don't know how else to explain it! I eat pretty much exactly what my nutritionist outlined and no more and usually about 5 minutes after I eat I stop thinking about eating entirely and go on about my day. I'd say always measure your food because you don't want to inadvertently eat too much. Personally, I'd go to the seminar because I am one of those people who needs guidance. You may only need a few sessions with a nutritionist before you have the skills you need to move forward. In the meantime, use whatever take home guidelines you got in MX and eat the recommended protein each day so that hair loss will be less of a worry!

I slept every night the first week with a heating pad under my back because my chronic back pain flared up after surgery. It helped immensely. No, heat is not going to hurt your belly in any way.

Everyone is different and heals physically and emotionally at their own pace. I am 10 days out and some days have been better than others but I keep up the hydration and walking and I just believe firmly I'll be back to normal soon. Can't wait to get back to the gym. You should ask your psychiatrist (or whoever is prescribing you Zoloft) if there is any way to get the meds in liquid or capsule form (with granules/sprinkles, not a whole tablet). Sprinkles can be mixed into Jello to make it more palatable.

Chili can have a lot of fat. You certainly don't want the dinner celebration to turn into a dumping syndrome nightmare. You need to ask for nutrition guidelines at the restaurant if they are available, before heading to dinner. If you can't find something suitable, get your son the dinner he wants and sip water. Better than sabotaging yourself or getting sick at this stage.

Well according to my surgeon who has been a bariatric surgeon since 1996 and some small patient studies drinking and eating can overload and eventually stretch out the sleeve. There is at least a correlation. Drinking before eating can also quell hunger pangs so you eat less. I'd say it's important.

My nutritionist allows us to add in fruit to our diets starting in the pureed stage. But it should only be one serving. One serving a day is really all you should need. And there should be no skin or seeds so I actually bought baby food fruit stage 2. The goal is to reduce carb intake as much as possible, but you do need a little carbs just to get through the day! I think disallowing fruit is extreme. It's a better carb choice than many other things. There are fruits out there that are less sweet but still satisfy like melon and watermelon.

Congratulations! I'm almost 1 week post-op and glad to hear it gets better!

I told quite a few people, my direct relatives (mom, dad, brother, fiance), some select friends, and some select colleagues because I knew they would be supportive and knew I would need that support in the coming months. There were people though that I purposely did not tell because I knew they would say insensitive things and not be supportive - my extended relatives. It's mostly actually because they do not like my fiance. He is from a different race and culture and they can't see past that. I fully expected they would say things like "well, when you're skinny you can find someone else to marry". They already make similar comments. As if I am doing this for vain reasons and not to improve my health and quality of life. I'd tell the people you already lean on in your life for support because most likely they will continue to be. The unsupportive ones will also most likely stay that way, you'd just be adding a new dimension to their callousness.

At it's highest mortality can be 2% in the US. At lowest .1%. Why the range? Because that's the nature of mortality statistics. Oftentimes when you have a large N number (sample size in statistics) making an absolute average is impossible because there are too many conflicting factors. Hence the range. I have no clue about Mexico or whether they even keep such medical tourism stats. But you have a right to ask your surgeon how many of these cases he/she has performed and their mortaility and complication rates. Surgery is a scary prospect for everyone, and the best way to get the best outcome is to be screened properly for underlying conditions, choose your surgeon, anesthesiologist, and facility wisely, and get as educated as possible. That's how to become an informed patient! Good luck!

Ladies all this talk of guac and beans is making me so hungry here in pre-op diet land >_<... 5 days to go until surgery!

Unless you're on an H-M-O that makes moving to a new PCP difficult, what is keeping you with this woman? Doctors can have opinions, yes, but that doesn't mean it's an informed opinion. The fact is, many PCPs don't keep up with medical research. They don't have the incentive. Yes there are risks and you have to weigh them against potential benefits. The VSG mortality rate in the US is somewhere between .1-2%, which isn't nothing. But since more than 95% of people who lose weight without surgical intervention gain it back, simply advising someone to "eat salads" isn't sufficient medical advice. Ditch this doc and find someone who will be more supportive. After all, this is a permanent procedure and you will need a lifetime of specialized follow up and care. My PCP became a royal pain when he refused to write a medical clearance letter because my surgeons office was the one who ordered all the precertification labs and tests. He wanted more to bill for. I told him I would leave his practice if he didn't do what I asked so he acquiesced .

Awesome! Congrats! I have also lost about 6 lbs and have 6 days to surgery.

LOL yes. I lived in Bensonhurst/Borough Park for many years. I'm living in Manhattan now because I work way uptown! But I still go down to my old haunts for ethnic food

There is new study evidence linking carbonation to sleeve distention, but correlation doesn't yet mean causation. I think they need more studies before they can say definitively that carbonated beverage intake stretches out the sleeve, or how much intake puts you at risk of distention. My surgeon advised me no more soda after surgery and I intend to abide by that, not just because of the studies, but because I find even diet soda to be, somehow, addicting. I will go months and months without it and then pick up one can of diet coke, drink it, then march down to the grocery store for a case. It's better to err on the side of caution, especially since I know soda is something I can live without. That being said soda is not the only food/drink item we should be distancing ourselves from after surgery. I am opting to not eat trigger foods at all until I can be sure I have gained enough will power to enjoy in moderation. I agree that this surgery/lifestyle change is something you have to be ready for. This is why I'm glad I didn't do it when I was younger because I wasn't settled in my life. I was in college, then traveling internationally for work, etc. It wouldn't have worked. But that's me. Being "ready" means something different for everyone.

I'm guessing you're on an all liquid diet. I can tell you with my [tenuous] medical knowledge it's probably fine. The main point of this diet is to shrink your liver. Besides, cottage cheese is probably one of the better choices you could have made, if it makes you feel better. Don't dwell on it and just focus on and try to stick to the diet for the rest of the week until surgery. It's coming up soon, good luck!

My mom and I did Medifast. The food was, frankly, gross. But then there is only so much you can do with soy. We stopped after about a month. The only diet plan I was ever able to stick to was the new Weight Watchers. The problem was - I didn't lose any weight! They let you eat too much! I think it works well for people who are already in maintenance, or who want to only lose 5-20 lbs. With every other diet I tried over the years the result was the same as everyone else's. I hit a plateau, got frustrated, ended up gaining back what I lost and then some. It's a vicious cycle. But I'm not giving up. I want to have a better quality of life and be healthy. The way I see WLS is that it was the next thing for me to try since the non-surgical solutions weren't a solution for me. I'm trying not to worry about "Will this work? What if it doesn't?!" because the defeatest attitude is woefully sabotaging. Put one foot in front of the other and say to yourself I am worth all of this effort!! Whichever diet or lifestyle change works for you, stick with it until you get to your goal.

Constipation could be part of it. Are you able to exercise at all? I am one week down, one week to go of pre-op diet. I force myself to go to the gym even though I'm tired and woozy during the day. I guess every surgeon is different. Mine is not so concerned about pre-op weight loss so much as liver shrinkage.

I guess I am lucky because my surgeon allowed me to do the combo liquid / food diet. I still start to get hungry and woozy every 3-4 hours after I have a shake. It's really hard to deal when you're at work all day! I don't know what the criteria are for each individual patient that decides what diet they follow but I know that your priority number one right now is shrinking your liver before surgery. Think about it this way - if your liver is too big and restricts access to your stomach the surgeon will do one of 2 things - patch you up and not go through with the surgery or go ahead with it and run the risk of damaging your liver. I know you don't want either of those things! It's totally fine to vent. I've been doing that myself especially today because a Chipotle just opened up near my work. Bad timing! I'm thinking 3 days down, 11 to go.

If the vomiting hasn't subsided you may need stronger antiemetics. Ask your surgeon's office for a scrip of orally dissolving ondansetron (zofran), granisetron (kytril), or something similar. They will know the dosage. I agree with the others, get as much protein in as you can. It will help you heal up and prevent greater hair loss. It seems for most average patients patients the pain subsides within the week, if not sooner. So I hope you are feeling better soon! In 2 weeks I'll be in your position!

My surgeon explained this to me - the rationale behind the pre-surgery high protein low carb diet is to shrink your liver as much as possible. This makes access to your stomach easier. If you lose some weight then that's great, but if you don't, don't stress about it now. You haven't been sleeved yet, after all. Just stick to the diet as best you can so you can be in the best possible shape for surgery. You don't want your surgeon to get you on the OR table, incise and stick the lap cameras in only to say "patch her up!". Or worse yet, have him continue with the surgery and damage your liver. That would be VERY BAD. Good luck!

I am on day 3. My surgeon's office gave me the 3 shakes / 1 dinner meal option so I'm lucky I guess. I've taken to eating my meal at lunch time so I have enough energy to go to the gym in the afternoon after work. The first day I was really starving and lightheaded. Today I feel pretty good so far and found drinking a lot of Water helps - though it makes me run to the bathroom a dozen times at the office . Newat52 you are so right! I am going to keep that in mind as well.

Hey Ruby, Awesome. We're in good hands! I didn't get the scripts filled yet but probably over the weekend. I am starting the liquid diet with the dinner meal option tomorrow. I bought a smoothie shaker bottle and $250 in Protein powder so I'm ready to go! Wishing you all the best!

Well... I have fluctuated the last 2 years between 38-40 BMI. Aetna approved me because I have obstructive sleep apnea. Not all obese people have sleep apnea but it wouldn't hurt to get a sleep study done to rule it out. Many people have gone to get surgery down in Mexico but you need to be careful which surgery practice [and surgeon] you go for. Make a well informed decision. Wishing you the best, PCOS is awful.