Aries

Got mine done on 4/1 with Dr de la Cruz- Munoz at Univ of Miami as well. Hope you all get quick replies regarding approval. I was self pay so the entire process only took like 3 weeks.

Congrats! That's awesome! Keep it up! How are you feeling these days? Any complications? Any food you can't eat?

How much have u lost so far? If u don't mind me asking, of course.

Are you pre or post op?

Yea, I figured as much. Some people on here swear by them. I was popping those things like candy and got nothing from them. Walking is your best bet. The gas pains usually begin to subside by day 3 or 4 and the spasms are usually gone by the 1 week mark.

6 weeks out Breakfast: 100 cal cottage cheese doubles Snack: 7(?) crackers with hummus Lunch: chef salad Snack: 2 baby bells Dinner: 3-4 oz chicken Snack: Fiber one brownie Water in between of course

Anyone have any suggestions for protein bars that aren't so dense? I got the quest bars after surgery (I'm 6 weeks out) and they are just so dense, I can handle only a quarter of the bar until I'm full. On the other hand, I bought some of nature valley peanut butter and dark chocolate protein bars (10g protein) as a treat and they go down great. Any suggestions on a not so dense protein bar? I like having it as an "on the go" option when I don't have time to make a shake

Yea, I think as long as you stick to the diet, your liver should shrink and it should be fine for surgery. Some people also retain water and I'm sure our bodies go into shock with the sudden change in diet. As long as you follow the diet and don't cheat you should be fine!

My pleasure! 10am isn't bad, just make sure you don't eat or drink after midnight the night before (that was tough for me because I felt like my throat was sooo dry the morning before surgery). Congrats on your first week of shakes! That was the hardest part but it got easier afterwards. One more week!! Feeling the nerves yet?

Mine was also $16550 with Dr. De la Cruz-Munoz at Univ of Miami but that includes the hospital stay, surgeons fees, etc. good luck with your surgeries and post op diet girls!

I'm so sorry to hear about your son!

So I just saw that your date is for May 21st. You must be on shakes then. This might be a little long so grab some Water I went in bright and early (I was self pay so I made sure to be the first one in thinking it would be more sterile, etc). I felt okay directly afterwards. Very nauseous though, but that's normal. I think the surgery was at 8am, it lasted about 40 minutes and by 11 I was already in my room, and I was walking by noon. I made it a point to walk every hour. sleeping is impossible only because the nurses are constantly coming in and checking bp, pulse, IV, etc. I was honestly ready to go home that afternoon. I felt great. They wouldn't let me leave since I had to get the test for leaks done the next morning so once that was cleared, I was on them about leaving, lol. Dr. Cruz came in around noon to check up on me and cleared me to go home. Once I got home I felt okay (no more round the clock morphine, lol). I spent a lot of the day sleeping, walking, and drinking. Water was the devil for me. It wouldn't go down AT ALL. I stuck to diet snapple, crystal light, and diet iced tea. Day 2 was a little worse because the gas, combined with the tenderness at the incision sites. I also barely took any of the pain meds. Every little step felt like my insides were moving around- it was bearable but to pleasant. I think on day 4 or 5 I felt fine. Not 100% but just fine. I think I was like 7 or 8 days out when I finally felt like my old self. I was active, running errands, just doing everyday activities like nothing had ever happened. Yogurt was a life saver for me. I had a lot of yogurt starting off. I also feel like I bypassed the purée stage a little because I just kept eating yogurt until one day I had a bite of chicken salad, and I was golden. I asked Noel and he said it was fine as long as I was tolerating it well. Not at 6 weeks, I'm going great. No complications, eating pretty much anything (with the exception of eggs- for some reason, after the surgery, eggs don't sit we'll with me anymore). Since starting the shakes, my total weight loss has been 45 pounds in almost 6 weeks. Let me know if you have any questions! Dr de la Cruz is awesome. I loved him!

Sorry for the late response, I just saw this! I didn't really do a lot of shopping prior to because I knew a few people who had their surgery done with him and they had fabulous results. I'm feeling great. How are you feeling? Have you had the surgery yet? Still on the shakes?

Im in Susan's boat. I'm 26 and had the sleeve about 6 weeks ago (4/1/13) and I think my total weight lost is about 45 pounds so far (that's including the pure op liquid diet which I only lost 11 lbs on). Ill be honest, it gets tough sometimes when people want to invite me out to dinner because 1) I can't eat a lot and 2) I don't really want to deal with questions of why I'm eating so little (I'm keeping my else on a need to know basis. Therefore, many people don't know I've had it done). All of these rules about not drinking while eating and waiting to drink before and after every meal is hard, and oh goodness, the amount of supplements you have to take... However, I would have done it again and again and again. I would have never been able to lose 45 pounds in 6 weeks. NEVER. I do hear it gets better with time so keep your head up. Also, a benefit of having the surgery while you're young is that the chances of you getting sagging skin is dramatically decreased as long as you follow an exercise plan. Good luck with your decision. If you have any questions, I'm always glad to help

Florida doesn't have weight on their DL either

I'm curious too. I'm about 6 weeks out and all I feel sometimes (and I should emphasize sometimes) is more of a feeling of emptiness. If I'm running around and completing errands, Ill forget to eat for hours. on the other hand, while I'm at work (usually bored), I start to get that empty feeling every 3 or 4 hours or so. Maybe it's head hunger? Anyone know the difference?

I smoked for the entire time. My doctor knew about it and said if I quit, it would be more of a stress on my system than if I cut back so we agreed that I would cut back and it hasn't slowed my progress one bit. I smoked once I got home too. Not saying smoking is good for you, but if you're not ready to quit, it's okay too.

My experience was great! No complications, I was walking an hour after being in recovery, and I was ready to go home that afternoon. They kept me overnight as a precaution but finally released me by 11am. I was self pay also, so make sure you tell the girls or UPAC that you want to be the first surgery. That way, you're the first one in (everything is clean and well sterilized) and you don't have to sit around with a rumbling stomach since u can't eat or drink from the night before. Once I got home and was off the hospital pain meds, I felt uncomfortable from gas pains and soreness for maybe 3 or 4 days but after that I was good to go. I know a few people that had the surgery with him and they're all doing great. Good luck with the shakes! The chocolate one tasted the best for me but I hated the strawberry ones and the vanilla were so-so. Sorry for the rant! Good luck with everything! Let me know if you have any questions! I'd be glad to help!

I'm sorry to hear that! What are you eating at 6 weeks out? Maybe the things you're eating are still too heavy for you? I'm only a month out however things like scrambled eggs don't go down so well while grilled chicken goes down just fine. Definitely make an effort to get your vitamins in! I got the fruity chewables from the start so vitamins were never a problem. Water is still an issue for me as well but it's definitely getting better! I hope you feel better soon!,

Have you started your shakes yet? They were a killer in the beginning for me! Got sleeved with Dr. Munoz on April 1st

I live in South Florida also. North Miami to be exact. I also got sleeved at Univ of Miami by Dr. Munoz. Surgery was April 1st, and I'm pretty much back to normal

I feel the emptiness too, but it never lasts. If I get stuck doing something and don't pay attention to it, it goes away until I'm sitting on the couch or driving in the car. It's more of an empty feeling than anything else. I don't even remember what hunger feels like

I'm exactly a month out in a few days! My snacks include cheese (baby bell, string, muenster cheese) or a cold cut. My go to are the baby bells because you can throw then in your pocket (purse in my case) and forget about it until you remember you need to snack. And they're 6g protein!