MumtazG38

I'm going to try the 5 day pouch test starting tomorrow! Even though I've been eating super strictly and have no problems overeating or anything, or eating junk or anything. I'm eating super clean. But I think maybe 2 days of straight broth might throw this stall off some. I'm willing to try anything right about now...$7000.00+ is far too much money to have wasted on another failed weight loss solution!!!! Here's the link to all the info on it if you want to give it a try: http://www.5daypouchtest.com/index.html

Wtf is going on? Why are we all stalling? JEEZ!

Yes, I've had those weird fiber stitches poking out too, mainly in about 3 of my smallest incisions. The weirdest is in the incision smack dab between my breasts, its like a golden colored plastic stitch just poking out all long like lol. Super annoying to say the least. I don't mess with them, or pull on them though. Not interested in ripping myself open and visiting anything behind them ya know. Recovery was a cinch. I think day one post-op pretty much sucked. I was off meds by day 3 and haven't popped a single pill since. Fully pain free and flexible as normal. Honestly can't tell I had surgery at all. Was back to normal activities by day 4-5 and was running around after the boys (3 and 10 months) as usual by day 6. All incisions healed right up by day 8. Now they're just scars. Except for the drain incision, which stayed wide open up till day 14-16 (creeepy). Than sort of sealed up overnight and has since healed over exceptionally well. Not a scar yet though. I also fear loose skin.... I honestly didn't pre-op, but now that I can see that I've lost a ridiculous amount of inches (haven't measured yet but clothes are real loose around the waist and overall abdomen) I'm getting really scared looking at the skin, it's not tight around where my stretch marks from my pregnancies are, strange though....I never looked pregnant (no stomach whatsoever) and wasn't that big either...but it is what it is. I've been on my period pretty much ever since 4 days post op. And was on my period the day before I left for the hospital on the 24th. So I got real lucky and didn't have my period for the 5 days I was in the hospital and the hotel. Came home, and started immediately. Went on for 6 days, had spotting for 5, then started once more with an evil vengeance and we're at day 12 today. It's so heavy that I'm changing every 40-45 minutes, on the clock. Super strange! I lost about 10 lbs the first week, including the 3-day pre-op diet. Than have only lost 5lbs in these past 3. Which is sad at 500 calories a day, and watching everything from sodium, to sugar, to carbs(net or otherwise)and Proteins and fats. UGH! I'm having heartburn for the first time too...it doesn't make me hurt or anything but it always makes me feel like I'm super starving 5-30 minutes after eating. I deduced this fact only recently, about 2-3 days ago lol. I thought I was going nuts at first...how could I be so hungry after having 80% of my stomach removed?!? I have felt nauseas rarely due to it too. I'm going to start the 5 day pouch test tomorrow. Honestly, I didn't think I'd be needing it this soon. Anyone else stall for the last 3 weeks in the first month after surgery? Gosh!

Was sleeved on 07/25 and have lost 15lbs since, including the 3-day pre op diet loss. Thats about 3-4 lbs a week. But I have only lost a pound or two in the past 2 weeks. Don't know what's going on...but I guess something is better than nothing. Weight loss seems to be slowing significantly at an average of 500 calories a day. I average around 13g of (good/pure) carbs a day, and about 49g (sooo low...waaah) of Protein a day. And fat is controlled too, and only to the good and saturated variety. Meh...the story of my life. LOL

Exactly! The way I see it is, if you're going to be active that day then a good carb is a must. But the problem lies here for most people. What "is" a good carb? Or more so, what is a good carb for me? That's where all the choices come up, and honestly it depends on the person mainly...but there are still general guidelines relatively. For example, potatoes and sweet potatoes....carby...both are considered great for weight lifting etc....but there is a choice yet to be made. Which is healthier, which is the better carb? Obviously it's the sweet potato! Far less starch, far less chance of spiking ones blood sugar levels! The same theory applies to Beans and lentils...yes you get a minimal amount of Protein with it, and they seem to be a good carb source....but those phytonutrients screwing up the actual absorption of any good nutrients coming from them.....that's a huge downer for me! Even after 8+ hours of prior soaking...you still have well over "trace amounts" left. It's really too much of a hassle...and the canned variety.....YIKES! I steer clear! Goodness knows the amount of "unnamed" ingredients they put in there to keep the stuff fresh for centuries...ummm...no. For me, if it's carbs I need....a sweet potato will do it. Broccoli is GREAT! But I'd rather just have a satisfying sweet potato with a higher carb content, no doubt...but a far more rich and satisfying taste. Not to mention...I don't like broccoli all that much lol. I avoid beans and lentils if I can. Not like the plague or anything. I just try to see if I can have something else first. They are full of things that need to be broken down for several upon several hours of fermenting first, then cooked away....and well, honestly they make a hassle of a meal if you really want to enjoy the protein in them and not ruin everything you've been doing for weeks. But that's just me, and my reaction to them. I do tend to gain when eating beans more than twice in a week. Meh.

However, for vegetarians or lactose intolerant people there is plenty of room to safely say that beans can easily be one of the very very few things they can truly depend on for their protein intake. Dealing with the high carb and phytonutrient nature of them would be another story. But I guess, with enough intake of the proper healthy (green) vegetables one could overcome even those issues...minding to keep the carbs low. Even good carbs can be bad...if you eat say over 150 grams of them......too much of a good thing....might even make you stall...

Hmmm...anyone ever give a thought to all those phytonutrients? I don't say Beans are bad by any means. I love them. Just saying that the carb content is high and the Protein content low in comparison. I think beans are the type of food you should add in "on top" of your daily nutrient goals...as sort of an "allowance" for pleasure. Not so much depending on them for your protein goals, seeing as if you had the same measure of say...cottage cheese...you'd be knocking the high protein content and low carb content out of the ball park! That's about 28/30 grams of protein per cup of cottage cheese to 8/18 grams from the beans relatively. Then the carb content....that's approximately 50+ grams of carbs per cup. Just seems like there are better choices is all. I won't even go into the effects of phytonutrients and the role they play in nutrient absorption. Lets just say....it's not a very good one. But....like nuts, dairy....dark chocolate etc etc....I let myself have them when I really want them, if I'm not replacing a "better" source of protein in order to enjoy them. So...they're not bad. I just like to find better options if I can. Meh...just my opinion though. Based on the facts that is

First day on pureed today...made some ground turkey chili....needless to say was not ravenous all day today. In fact, I had the chili twice today (6-8 tsp each time) and less than a 1/4 cup of lowfat yogurt sweetened with xylitol. That's all I had to eat all day. Not bad at all. I'm the happiest (and least starving) I've been in weeks lol.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

For anyone who's interested...a preview of the trip is up on my vlog channel!

It tasted UH-MAZING!!!! lol. There are pretty much no carbs in it as the egg noodles were thrown out. I'm sure there are at least a few, but hardly anymore than 8g, if at all. Otherwise, there is no sugar....I just worry about all that soy lecithin!!!! Either way.....I'm transferring to home made broth/stock post-op from the bouillon variety (there's no Protein....wtfudge). Gonna go make some and freeze it in cup sizes for that exact use today. I have 4 quarts of the good stuff on the freeze but.......it isn't portioned so it's pretty unrealistic to try and unfreeze that, unless I'm making a large batch of something. That's actually what I'm saving it for. Anywho....first day of pre-op diet today. So far I've had (last night after 12am) 1 Premier Protein, a whole cucumber in lemon and some spicy chat masala goodness (Punjabi's in the house? ), and (this morning for breakfast) 1 1/2 cup of broth with the ramen noodle shrimp flavored sachet, and 1 scoop unflavored unjury! MAN that ish was gooooooooood! LOL. Haven't been too hungry honestly. Just the normal "mmm...that looks good, can't have it" mentality kicking in LOL. Even things I normally wouldn't care for are looking good now I know I've got three days of nothing but broth and Protein shakes. But honestly, if it stays this way it'll be a cinch. It's hunger that I can't handle.........no mental hunger really phases me anymore. However....I think that was my last experiment with ramen noodle flavor sachets lol. I don't want a little thing like that possibly causing issues with my surgery because of all those "unknown" ingredients.....

I'd kill for dal right about now. I tried some of the clear soup from a chicken shorba curry and it gave me the usual...err....bathroom problems LOL. Sorry for that bit. But in any case that's as far as I've ventured in desi ville as of yet. Otherwise...can't wait to try some chicken chili blenderized when I get to the pureed part tomorrow. Will cook it up and blend small portions to see how well I do. Ugh....I want me some Pakoras though!!!! lol

NOTE: I just noticed I wrote 2 weeks out. I meant 2nd week in. Sorry. Okay this is the strangest thing. I was sleeved on the 25th last month and I only noticed the first 2 days of honest to God fullness, where I didn't want to eat or drink anything. That includes surgery day. I'm not having issues with eating to be honest. At the very very worst I notice something almost....just almost stuck in my throat for a minute if it's too dry but even that'll go down with a sip of Water. I'm not trying carbonated drinks, no veggies yet, haven't tried beef or turkey yet. Not gonna lie, I HAVE tried chicken in my Soup. It was tiny thin strips (thinner than pulled pork thin) and it was very very soft in the soup....but needless to say it went down exceptionally....wasn't too much either. Only about a tablespoon (in all, tiny tiny bits at a time though), didn't want to make a proper meal of it. I've tried fish...no problem. I've tried cheeses, non melted...skim mozzerella string cheese for example (low cal, low fat) not an issue. Actually....so far there is very little I haven't tried...and nothing is causing me any sort of discomfort whatsoever. I guess that's a great thing for some.....but it sort of defeats the purpose of the procedure. Not to mention...I feel like a complete idiot staying on a full liquids diet trying to get my Protein out of these lousy premier Protein shakes I'm gagging on (which happens to be the ONLY thing that hurts my tummy aside from getting punched in the gut), when I have tried and tested for days all of these much better and healthier ways to get in that protein. Chicken causes no issues for me, fish hasn't either. Milk, in all it's different forms (yogurt, cheeses hard, melted and soft etc) are not a problem. I've even tried tomato Soups and cream of mushroom soup in the very first week....went down easy as can be. The only thing that is causing me a bit of trouble lately is this tiny little bite of seafood mayo salad type thing I just had...and that's because of this bit of underchewed celery that made it's way through by accident, if I chew like I should...no issues there either. Basically...1. I think this sleeve is ridiculous. Because I can tolerate everything pretty much, and the fact that I don't get full off of the smallest amounts like I should and am still ravenous if I stop at just 1/4 cup or 2-3 oz (but I still stop myself, and pay for it later with added weakness and lightheadedness) is defeating the whole purpose! 2. 2 weeks out...and only barely 10lbs down. Honestly now...I've lost more eating primal on a regular stomach (meat,fish,poultry with veggies, high protein/high fat/0-50g carbs). And never starved on that. 3. What's the point of "not" eating proper healthy non-sugar laden, non gross, sources of protein like chicken, fish, eggs etc when I can easily digest it all. I've not had a single problem this whole 2 weeks. I despise drinking those protein shakes or powders....they're so ridiculously unnatural!!! It sickens me! Sigh...yes, I did talk to my nut...got the pretty much pre-generated auto doctor response. Stay on the diet we set blah. Doesn't it just suck that the diet they set is actually making me weaker and hungrier...and lose less weight than I normally would and have on a protein(meat/foul/fish/eggs) diet. I digest it all well. UGH. To end....I'll just say that yes of course I'm sticking with the diet they've set. Can't help that I've tried a few things here and there throughout the 2 weeks...but if I'd noticed even a slight bit of discomfort from any one of those things...the testing would not have even gotten this far! Thats the whole problem....is this just me....or does anyone else have a stomach of steel?

I've used quite a few. Premier Protein chocolate and vanilla both make my stomach hurt. The other ones do that AND make me vomit. The GNC zero carb protein powders make me vomit too, and so do the unjury protein powders. I've also tried whey protein and that makes my stomach burn also. I am pretty much out of options right now....ordered those protein shots (sunkist 46-48g protein)....waiting on those now.

Yes, I think I'll have to get those Protein shots. They're my only hope right now. I've tried loads of brands of Protein shakes and powders so far and they all make my stomach burn like hell!!! I can't handle that kind of pain....even the vomiting pains are easier. I think I'll amazon a few brands to test them out. Thanks everyone for the comments.

I know you're completely right. Both of ya! I think it's just these Protein drinks and powders. I avoid them like the plague because of the vomiting fest afterwards....and the acid-burning stomach ache type pain in my lower abdomen (where you can feel a bowel movement coming on) almost immediately after drinking them. They simply are not working for me. And after I vomit even once I get this horrible empty/pulling feeling in my stomach for a day or two which feels a lot like hunger....minus the ravenous growls of death. I am staying on the diet...it was just those few lapses I mentioned above. I plan to stick to the diet strictly though, no more tests and try outs etc. Sticking to full liquids for 3 more days. Than it's onto pureed foods. Meh, I'll blend me some chili when the time comes. I guess it'll just be yogurt sweetened with xylitol now for me....3 more days. I'm NOT touching those Protein Drinks though...not in hell. I've got plenty of chicken Soup stored away....I'll make it up however I can. YUCK...hate that poison!

Oh and both times, they told me there was no reservation for me and were pretty much kicking me and my mother out. So I called Nissi and she ran right over and handed them copies of the same paperwork they already had on their desk and she spoke some super quick spanish to them and we got real lucky. Yeah, they felt like idiots!......so I thought. They did it again the next time.....shmur.

In fact, when I got there from the airport they told me my room was ready. Then I waited an hour and a half before they told me that they were still "cleaning it". Then another half hour later they told me that room was gone and I can have a smaller "internal" room with no windows and almost no room to move. Basically a storage room with two queen beds shoved inside side by side. That's where I stayed. Bull!

Just fyi, my stay at the Marriott was alright and all, however they kept messing up my reservations, kept billing and re-billing me things they weren't supposed to and couldn't even provide me shuttle at proper times to take me to the hospital. When I talked to Nissi from medicaltourismco and my coordinator about this they told me that's why they choose the pueblo over the Marriott for their patients. I guess it's cause medicaltourismco is new with the MArriott and the Marriott has so many other clinics hospitals it's working with they are basically all over the place. The benefits of the pueblo are that it is relatively close to the hospital so the doctor can come see you there to, you won't get that post-op at the Marriott...that and they don't bill you extra for anything and they also send you your meals and popsicles etc etc to your room without you having to go down to the cafeteria/restaurant and order yourself some...and then have the waiter bring you an unbelievable bill each time and argue for another hour and a half about who is footing the bill in the first place yada yada. I'm going to be disputing the $50.00 + bill they billed me both times I stayed. So that's $100.00+ for two lousy nights. Wish I'd stayed at the pueblo. Just letting you know what the company told me, and my own experience. P.S. This isn't the first time it's happened, if you read around just this forum alone you can find a few posts about the same experience with the Marriott in Tijuana.

Same here. But I'm 7 days out....so I'm confident it's expected.

Hmmm....you could always make you're own ice cream. Ice cream makers nowadays aren't too expensive. Try searching online for one you like. This way you could add whatever it is you like to it. Like, soy milk, lactose free....ummm...coconut milk etc. Add pieces of nuts or fruits....even chocolate (70-80% dark) etc. Skies the limit and you can keep your calories down by sweetening with stevia or xylitol or the other REAL non-sugar sweeteners. If not.....have you tried frozen strawberry (or any fruit really) sorbet in the blender. I've done it before to smash on instead of ice cream. Served it's purpose. Was even better covered in shredded unsweetened coconut! Loved it! Good luck.

Very true indeed! But honestly I don't think it would have sunken in what I was doing was wrong and why it was wrong if I hadn't seen your post in the first place. So I thank you bunches and bundles for the slap back to reality!

Omg! I'm doing the same thing. But on a smaller scale.......more like 2-3 small bites of protein high meat/beans or two a day. I need to stop this. I haven't even lost much the first week...I so don't want to not lose weight....I PAID FOR THE SURGERY....GAAAHHHHHH! haha

Oh bless you sarsar! Bless you! I'm so glad someone said it! LOL!

Okay, so second blog is up. If anyone is interested in going more into detail about my recovery process day by day for the first 6 days, just click the link to my blog below this post (Hint: it's in my signature ). Thanks everyone for being there with me through it all!