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Good luck with everything. I've been on prednisone a few times since my VSG for cervical nerve impingement, but it's only been for short (2-4 week) durations and my doctor always puts me on Prilosec and sucralfate while on the pred.

Not bad at all. Very similar to quest bars in calories/protein and like quest, most of the carbs are fiber. And as far as I'm concerned, the more fiber the better....I don't even consider them carbs when making my food choices. Thanks for sharing the link.

I went to Mexico for surgery and had a very easy recovery. Surgery Friday afternoon, Shopping and sightseeing Saturday and Sunday, traveling by plane Monday, drove 5 hours and plowed my driveway when I got home on Tuesday. I was returning emails, making phone calls and doing paperwork from home on Wednesday and back to work on Thursday. I am a vet tech with an active, physical job on my feet, bending, kneeling, squatting all day. I was planning on taking two weeks, but we got busy so I went back after just one week. I was on liquids for 3 weeks so the biggest thing was making sure I had plenty of Protein shakes and fluids to sip between appointments. I was tired, but felt fine otherwise.

Expect and prepare for the worst but Hope for the best. You likely won't be disappointed.

It feels awesome! No more pain. Epic energy, endurance and strength. And I look amazing. I stare at myself and turn this way and that to admire my image in any reflective surface I walk by. My hotness never gets old.

I wished I'd known how easy it would all be. Luckily I was blessed to have no major complications. But even the preop diet, surgery and anesthesia, postop diet, stalls, diarrhea, constipation, food intolerances, learning how to eat, eating healthy, being able to control head hunger, etc has been much less dramatic than most of the posts I read on these forums. Sure, it takes effort, but if you are committed and truly embrace the WLS lifestyle with a good attitude it is not that bad. The fun and exciting NSVs far outweighed anything negative I went through. I also wished I'd known I would get gallstones so I could have had my gall bladder removed during my VSG.

@@Andrew0929 I really like your term, "controlled grazer". I would say that is a very good description of my eating behavior. For one, I don't get any kind of break during work, so I pretty much have to make it through 10-12 hours on whatever I can snack/graze on while driving in between appointments. In the evenings and on weekends I rarely eat a "meal" consisting of Protein, veggies and whatever else. Mostly because of my restriction. I could force myself to consume 3/4-1 cup of certain things, but I feel much more comfortable eating just 1/4-1/2 cup (or less) at a time. I don't like feeling full at all. I end up eating my meal components separated by 1-2 hours, all day long. My eating style is why tracking would be so tough for me. It's always a handful of this, a couple spoonfuls of that, a few bites of something else. Fortunately I've found a nice balance of intuitive eating that works for me and measuring/tracking/counting hasn't been necessary.

2 years 3 months out. Maintaining 10 pounds below goal. I don't measure or track anything, (except fluids cause I know how big my mugs are and the sizes of bottles) but I'll do my best.... Couple spoonfuls of full fat cottage cheese with my Vitamins this morning Natures Valley Protein bar 1 beef stick Couple small handfuls of pumpkin seeds 2 pieces of Tombstone 4 meat pizza (toppings only...dog got the crust) Couple forkfuls of seaweed salad 1/3 apple Small cup of chili with mozzarella cheese raw broccoli and cauliflower with ranch dressing Plain Greek yogurt with 1/2 scoop Protein powder, ground flax seed and blueberries 20oz rooibos tea with 1/2 and 1/2 20oz Vitamin Water 16oz protein hot chocolate 12oz decaf chai tea 32oz water with a scoop of Syntrax nectar peach

Very good point. We specifically take our patients off steroids when possible before doing surgery or they just don't heal.

I eat 6-7 times/day. Sometimes it's tiny plate of Chineese take out. Sometimes it's Greek yogurt, or a piece of pizza, or a couple handfuls of pumpkin seeds. Sometimes it's a Quest bar or a bag of Protein chips. Sometimes it's a 1/2 an apple, or fish and tartar sauce, or deli turkey and cheese, or steamed veggies. I just eat when I'm hungry, get in all my protein and fluids and don't get too hung up on the semantics of "is this a meal or is this a snack?" Besides, compared to what I ate before surgery, everything I eat now is "snack size"!

What are you on steroids for? Is it a condition that may improve after weight loss, allowing you to discontinue the pred? Even if you have to remain on pred the weight gain from steroids is something you can control. Steroids dont magically make you gain weight.....it happens due to Water retention (which isn't "real" weight) and eating too many calories. Steroids increase sodium and decreases potassium, thus causing you to retain water. To help with this, you need to eat a sodium restricted diet and either take potassium supplements or eat potassium-rich foods. Since steroids can increase appetite, overeating is the other main reason for weight gain. Obviously this is the reason everyone gains weight....eating too many calories. The sleeve surgery will help with your portion control, but in the end it's all up to you how much and what you eat whether you are on steroids or not. Has your surgeon or gastro talked to you about being on the steroids post VSG? They can cause gastric ulcers just as easily as NSAIDS which are "forbidden" by many surgeons after bariatric surgery. If you haven't already, I would discuss precautions to take for to help protect your sleeve from ulcers.

Everyone's recovery experience is different. I had a very easy recovery and never needed any pain meds. I have a physical, on my feet all day job and I went back after 7 days. , I was actually making phone calls, doing paperwork, ordering supplies and returning emails from home day 5 and 6. I was out shopping and sightseeing and walked two miles the day after surgery, traveled by plane day 3, drove myself home 5 hours and plowed my driveway when I got home day 4, got my nails done and ran errands day 6. So technically I could have worked from home that whole time. I was on liquid diet for the first 3 weeks, but just made sure I had protein shakes and other fluids to sip on all day in between appointments. I was meeting fluid and protein goals by day 5. I was tired when I got home from work for the first couple weeks, but working was very doable. I would have been bored to death sitting around "recovering" at home.

I would say it's probably whatever is left on your your max OOP. For me that would have been $6000. But despite paying over $4000 in premiums my ins doesn't cover WLS in any way shape or form, so I was self pay in Mexico. A hell of a lot cheaper than Obamacare....I agree with @@LisaLouBop , there's nothing affordable about the ACA.

Yuck! . I'd join you but I'm bringing my own whiskey.

Sharp cheddar. REAL sharp cheddar....aged 5-7 years, not the "sharp" cheddar cheese BS in the grocery stores. And of course cheese curds. But only when they are still warm and squeaky, straight from the factory. Again, the curds in the grocery stores are nothing like the real thing.

Inverting the staple line and oversewing with suture is the way my surgeon has always done his sleeve gastrectomies.....over 1600 last time I checked. I had mine done over two years ago with no issues whatsoever....no nausea, no problems with digestion, no discomfort of any kind. I've also never heard of any leaks from any of his patients. And @WLSRecources/ClothingExch surgical staples are utilized in many abdominal surgeries (gallbladder, appendix, hysterectomies, etc). The beauty of the stapler is that it cuts and seals in one quick motion. Makes for a much quicker, cleaner surgery rather than cutting open the organs with a scalpel and exposing the abdominal cavity to their contents while a surgeon sews it closed. I also have several friends who's shoulders are held together with long lines of internal staples. You should check out one of the many VSG videos on You Tube for a better idea of how stapling works.

I'm a vet tech with an active job... On my feet all day with lots of kneeling, bending, squatting and lifting. I wanted to take two weeks off but went back to work after 7 days because we got so busy. (I was actually doing paperwork starting day 5). I was tired, but felt well enough to work. I couldn't lift more than 20 pounds for three weeks and I just had to make sure I had plenty of protein shakes and other fluids to sip on in between appointments.

Over 2 years out and maintaining 10 pounds below goal. I work 10-12 hours/ day with no breaks. I take my Multivitamin, D3, and B12 with a couple spoonfuls of full fat cottage cheese 1st thing in the AM. I have a 20oz travel mug I fill with decaf tea with 1/2 and 1/2 and drink on my way to work. Depending on our schedule I may refill that with decaf coffee and creamer at a local convenience store at some point in the morning. Anytime from 10 to 12 I eat a Quest bar and take a Calcium supplement tablet. Throughout the afternoon I will drink a 24-30oz Protein shake and snack on nuts, Jerky, beef sticks, pumpkin seeds or popcorn and take a second calcium supplement tablet at some point. On my way home from work I start a 32oz bottle of Water and drink that through the evening. For my evening meals, I pretty much eat whatever I feel like, making sure I get protein, fruits and veggies. I always have Greek yogurt with ground flax seed and Kashi go lean or all bran Cereal for dessert. (Gotta have my fiber!). I will take a third calcium tablet in the evening. Usually have 12-16oz of decaf tea at bedtime. Weekends are much more of a free-for-all. I eat 6-8 tiny meals thoughout the day. I don't usually have a Protein Shake on my days off because I actually have the time to eat my protein. I also try to get in even more fruits, veggies and whole grains. If I'm driving a long distance or going on a horseback ride, I do take a Protein Drink with me.

I got sick of all the sweet stuff, too. unjury, Isopure and Syntrax all make 100% whey isolate unflavored powders. I'm not sure of the soy or plant based powders, but I know they are out there....check at local health food stores, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe or google online. I added unflavored powders to every kind of soup I could find. Broths and cream soups during liquid stage and then most anything pureed in pureed and soft food stages. Works best if you mix the powder with a bit of Water and shake in a Blender Bottle to make a slurry. Heat the soup separate then add the Protein slurry. Watch the temp of the soup, cause if it's too hot the protein can clump. Premixing it with water helps limit that. BTW, no powders are "flavorless", just unflavored.

Glad you made it through and that you finally found a doc that was able to help. And if it makes you feel any better, I pay over $300/month in insurance premiums that DOESNT include dental or vision (or WLS), so there are a lot worse places you could be spending a lot more money....."Affordable" Care Act my a$$ !

Overeating (even the good stuff) is also a changeable behavior. But like what I've said before and what @@VSGAnn2014 said, it's not the eating that's the problem. It's the reasons behind the eating that need to be addressed. And before I piss off anyone else, I fully acknowledge that there are certain medical diseases and actual physiological ailments that can interfere with weight loss/gain. Some of these things are manageable, but some things are out of a patient's control. My comments are not directed towards those cases. However, most people that post about regain do not fall in these categories. In most cases it is a matter of choices.

All complex behaviors are changeable. Especially those involving obtaining foods that make us fat. Think of all the effort that goes into the behavior of eating a few Oreos.......Driving to the store, getting out of the car, walking in, going down the cookie aisle, picking up the bag of Oreos, checking out, driving home, putting the Oreos in the cupboard, getting up later, walking to the cupboard, opening the Oreos, and eating them is a VERY complex set of behaviors that can be changed at any point if the one doing the behavior wants to. It may be difficult to do alone, but there are many forms of support to help if a person truly wants to change, And yes, willpower and discipline play an important role and shouldn't be cast aside with "it's too hard" It takes effort to prepare and eat any type of food. It's everyone's individual choice what type of food that is going to be. No one thinks chips are good for them, and anyone who eats them is choosing them over a couple carrot sticks, knowing it's a poor choice. Choices and behaviors are what define our success or failure. There are very few exceptions where regain is not the result of the individual's choices and behaviors. You do not have to be a victim of your immutable factors.

Check out Nashua Nutrition for sample packs of dozens of different brands/flavors.

Hot and sour soup, spring rolls, Buddhas delight, Mu shu pork and veggies (without the pancakes), chicken in garlic sauce, beef and broccoli, chicken satay, egg drop soup, egg foo yung, Szechuan chicken, sweet and sour shrimp, curry anything.

I eat Chinese and Thai food all the time...just stay away from the rice and noodles. Except when it comes to sushi then I throw the rice "rule" out the window! In fact, I had beef and broccoli today and snacked on some seaweed salad.