Kindle

Spend some time on here, reading posts and you will see this is normal. EVERYONE experiences this. Use the search function and type in "stall". Or go to the "don't sweat the stall stuff" subforum on here. They created it just for you. http://www.bariatric...tall-stuff-new/ Oh yea, and GET OFF THE SCALE! you will be a lot happier.

I've had day old protein smoothies. Don't think anything happens to the protein. But milk -based ones that have had fruit (especially citrus or pineapple) added can sometimes start to taste sour.

I was still on liquids at two weeks out. Didn't start things like eggs until 3 weeks and even then it was 1-2 teaspoons. (and no crackers till a couple months because they are just empty carbs). Even if your surgeon has approved these foods, it may be a little too soon for your tummy. Maybe slow down and go back to liquids for awhile. You are very early in the healing process and vomiting is hard on that fresh staple line. I transitioned through each food stage super slow, ate tiny amounts very slow and I've never vomited.

Totally normal. You will not ever get full on liquids....maybe not even puréeds. They flow right through your sleeve. Besides, your tummy is swollen and numb, so you have even less feeling in there. Just keep following your surgeon's plan...including PPI's/antacids.

Even my surgeon in Mexico turned down a patient for not losing her required preop weight. Following your doctor's instructions is the best thing you can do to reduce risks and have a safe surgery. And if you do follow plan, you WILL lose your preop weight and shrink your liver appropriately. I was supposed to lose 12 pounds on my 16 day preop....I lost 22, no problem.

HW 238 SW 216 CW 145 TPL 93 TGP 88 Down 1 pound this week and finally bought new underwear!

Really no secret, just your basic, healthy meal plan..... For the first 6 weeks I followed my surgeon's meal plan and transitioned slowly through the food stages (very good restriction did not allow for "skipping ahead"). As hard as it was, I met Protein and Water goals 90% of the time. Once I was on regular food I focused on protein and non starchy veggies. Steak, burger, ham, ribs, pork, chicken, BBQ, tuna, refried Beans, eggs, milk, Protein Bars, PB2, Greek yogurt, avocados, cheese, cottage cheese, mixed nuts, beef and turkey Jerky, broccoli, spinach, kale, green and yellow beans, mushrooms, red peppers, edamame, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, Chinese mixed veggies, you name it.... Now at just over 7 months out I have a 24-32oz protein smoothie with 30-40g protein everyday and eat 4-5 meals and Snacks. I get a MINIMUM of 64oz water daily and I take whole food based Vitamins. I have had sweets, deserts, chips, fries, alcohol, bread, Pasta and rice, but in moderation and probably not even once/week. As I got close to and passed goal, I started adding more fruit and whole grains. Besides protein bars (Natures Valley Protein, GNC Lean Bars, Fiber One Protein) I added whole grain bars like Kind, Kashi pumpkin Flax, and Pure Ancient Grains. I snack on mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds, edamame, Peanut Butter and apples, frozen pineapple, melons, and plain Fage or Chobani Greek yogurt flavored with Protein powder. I add berries and other fruit as well as Metamucil and benefiber to my protein smoothie. But really, the simple answer is I eat a healthy, balanced diet of protein (always first priority) veggies, fruit and whole grains. I eat when I'm hungry and only until satisfied, not full. Besides protein and water, I never tracked anything. I have no idea how many calories or carbs or fat I eat. As for exercise, I've got no magic formula there, either. I haven't been to a gym in years. Immediately postop I walked a lot but that was pretty much to help with digestion and to decrease the bloated feeling I had. I rode my recumbent bike 20-30 minutes/day for awhile but I haven't been on it in a couple weeks. I actually just have a very active lifestyle. I work 60+ hours/ week. I am a vet tech, so I'm standing, squatting, bending, lifting and walking all day. On the weekends I ride my horse, sometimes 15-20 miles/day (which is an excellent Pilates and thigh master workout if you are riding "correctly"). And along with the horses comes chores...shoveling shit, fixing fences, hauling water, feeding and stacking hay. Last weekend I got 42 bales of hay. Each bale weighs 80 pounds and I had to lift and move each one 3 times (big stack to truck; truck to shed; stack in shed). So essentially I lifted 10,000 pounds in 2 days....and at least part of that over my head (Basically lifted weights and did stair master for a couple hours). I got another 21 bales yesterday and the day before went whitewater rafting and rowed a boatload of friends 8 miles (more Pilates and push-ups). Anyways, everyone's journey is going to be different. What works for me might not work for you. Just figure out what you are most comfortable with (establishing a workout routine and tracking everything is not a bad thing, it's just not what I did). And if you are still reading this, let me say my biggest advice is don't compare your weight loss to others. Concentrate on being healthy, don't torture yourself with guilt, keep a good attitude, and look for NSV's for validation, not the numbers on the scale.

I have arm flabbiness, tummy sagging, major boob sagging, and a lot of loose, saggy skin and lumpiness on my butt, thighs and knees. (I carried excess weight from the waist down for decades...I didn't get big on top till the last few years). I've already noticed the arm skin is tightening up a little and my tummy is nothing I can't live with. My butt and legs still make wearing shorts unattractive, but I don't think anything but plastics would help those (or my boobs) Not sure if that's something I'm going to do, though. I guess time will tell how much everything tightens up and how I feel about it. Damn gravity! Best of luck to you!

You will be very well taken care of at OCC. Everyone....Dr. Ariel Ortiz, Dr. Martinez, Dr. Jimenez, Dr. So, the nurses and rest of the staff are attentive, kind and skilled at their jobs. The facility is clean and well equipped to deal with anything unexpected. If you haven't already, check out the OCC/Ariel Ortiz thread in the self pay/Mexico subforum. It's very long...over 1000 posts, but it has all you possibly need to know from people who have "been there, done that".

Garden of Life Raw Fit and Raw Protein are both vegan. Spiru-tein has a huge line of vegetarian protein products, but they aren't marketed as vegan. I can't tell what's not vegan from the ingredients, unless it's the spirulina. Or maybe the bee pollen? Hey, just found this site when trying to find out why Spirutein isn't vegan.... http://veganproteinpowder101.com/vegan-protein-brands/

Thanks for the compliment. But just so you know, my after picture has an element of strategic posing and flexing. If I slump, I've got extra skin on my tummy. My boobs hang halfway to my belly button (I went from DD to B cup), and my butt and thighs and knees have lots of loose skin and lumpiness. But no one wants to see a picture of that. As for exercise, I really don't have a formal program. Haven't been to a gym in years (used to do Curves). Immediately postop I walked a lot but that was pretty much to help with digestion and to decrease the bloated feeling I had. I rode my recumbent bike 20-30 minutes/day for awhile but I haven't been on it in a couple weeks. Basically my life is my exercise. I work 60+ hours/ week. I am a vet tech, so I'm standing, squatting, bending, twisting, lifting and walking all day. On the weekends I ride my horse, sometimes 15-20 miles/day (which is an excellent Pilates and thigh master workout if you are riding "correctly"). And along with the horses comes chores...shoveling shit, fixing fences, hauling Water, feeding and stacking hay. For example, I got 42 bales of hay last weekend. Each bale weighs 80 pounds and I had to lift and move each one 3 times (big stack to truck; truck to shed; stack in shed). So essentially I lifted 10,000 pounds in 2 days....some of it over my head. Workout equivalent of weights and stair master. This morning I got another load of 21 bales. Yesterday I went whitewater rafting and rowed a boatload of friends 8 miles. Basically more Pilates and pushups. My advice is to find something you enjoy doing. Some people love the gym or get a personal trainer or train for 5K's or do martial arts, etc. But if you don't like it, you probably won't keep it up. Good luck! You are always welcome to come help me stack hay...or shovel snow!

I hated having my picture taken, too, but I'm very glad I took that horrendous before picture (day I started my preop diet). It is my motivation.

45 years old, 5'5"; HW 238; SW 216; CW 145. I never wrote down what my weight loss was as I went, so I don't know what I lost 1 month, 2 months out, etcetera. According to my ticker I met goal weight on 7/7 ( 6 1/2 months ). I STRONGLY suggest you don't weigh yourself daily or compare yourself to others. The unhappiest people on these boards are the ones that do. I only weighed about 2-3 times/month in the beginning, then weekly, now a couple times/month, mostly to have something to put on my ticker. Gauge your success by how you feel, how your clothes fit and all the other NSV's that matter way more than numbers on a scale. For me, my milestones and highlights were my rings fitting (but now they're too big), being able to shop for clothes in regular stores, crossing my legs, not feeling obsessed by food, not drinking alcohol, my knees and feet not hurting everyday, and having to buy a new saddle because my butt got way too small for my old one.

Great job!

Ditto to everything Raven and B2B said. I, too wanted to be at a surgical center where all they do is take care of bariatric patients and everyone is on the same page instead of a hospital where the staff may not be entirely aware of your individual requirements or where cross contamination issues can arise. I've read too many posts from people with postop incision infections and they ALL came from a hospital.

Mix your powder in a protein shake or yogurt or cottage cheese. I was taking capsules and I just opened them and sprinkled them in my protein shake or Greek yogurt. They had no taste.

Your surgeon's postop diet plan will dictate when you start solid foods. And I suggest following his/her instructions to a T. I only introduced one new thing /day through every stage. I transitioned very slowly, ate very slow and chewed chewed chewed. Had no problems.

I was on liquids for 34 days. Protein shakes (Muscle Milk, Premier, Syntrax Matrix, Syntrax Nectar, Garden of Life). Also added Unjury unflavored protein powder to every broth, cream soup and bisque I could find. Diluted and strained any of the cream soups that had little chunks in them. It's all just part of the process and worth every sip and spoonful.

I drove myself home from the airport 3 days postop....5 hour drive. Never took any pain meds. Was back at work after 7 days which involves driving a 6 ton vehicle all day.

You're right. These long term studies were done several decades ago on individuals that were HIGHLY unlikely to have been taking supplements. It's studies like this that show us what and why we need to be taking supplements postop. Eating healthy, Daily/weekly supplements and annual bloodwork are very easy things to avoid the deficiencies seen in previous gastrectomy patients. I am actually thrilled with knowing my health will be much more closely monitored than if I had never had VSG.

Nothing too funny for me, but funny for many others.... Apparently upon waking from surgery I had a FaceTime conversation with my sister. I sure don't remember but she said it was quite entertaining. Then my belly was so swollen she took pictures and sent them out telling everyone I got knocked up in TJ. And the creme de la creme.... I got C. diff from a dental procedure 1 1/2 months postop. This caused severe, uncontrollable diarrhea. One day at work ( I'm a vet tech) the " feeling" hit me and there was no time to get to the bathroom. I just grabbed a litter box from the cupboard and squatted. NOT a nice scene, yet highly entertaining to my work partner and anyone who heard the story ( which is most everyone in this small town). Some people still say "meow" when they see me.

It looks like you are good with the Protein, but I see very little veggies, fruit, whole grains or Fiber. What about Vitamin supplements? What about Water? Seems like when you lowered your food or carbs it did no good. Not sure how eating less being on phentermine is going to help, either. How about upping your calories by adding more healthy, balanced meal items? I try and get 3-4 servings of fruits and veggies everyday. I drink V8 a couple times/week if I feel I'm falling short. I eat plenty of "good fats" and take a whole food based Multivitamin with enzymes and Probiotics. You never know what micronutrients you may be lacking from being on such a protein-heavy diet for so long. Not trying to preach, just trying "different" suggestions for a more long term solution than just an appetite suppressant. BTW, have you had your thyroid checked?

WLS Success is 10% physical 90% mental. It's up to you to decide if you want to succeed. No one can do it for you. And if you are looking for someone to tell you it's OK to ignore you're surgeon's instructions....sorry, that is not something I can do. If you don't care about risks and complications, then there's nothing I can say to change your actions.

You never mentioned anything about your diet. What are you eating? How about changing your diet? Maybe you need more Protein, more Water, more carbs /less carbs, more fat/less fat. More veggies, more fruit, more Fiber? Try eating different things. Mix up your protein sources. What is your water intake? What Vitamin supplements are you taking? Probiotics? Are you getting regular bloodwork, including full vitamin assays? Changing how you eat seems to be the more logical answer since whatever you are currently doing isn't working for you. I think your doctor is incredibly irresponsible by putting you on drugs. Is he just trying to up his stats or what? Starving your body by eating less because some drug is making you less hungry is only going to fu.. K up your metabolism and cause you to rebound and gain it all back once you start eating "normal" again. If drugs like this actually worked we wouldn't need WLS.

You look fabulous! Congrats. Also looks like you've been on some nice trips.