Kindle

Anesthesia and pain meds will both slow GI movement. Not to mention the liquid diet we are on pre and postop. It was 5 days for me after both my VSG and my neck fusion surgeries. I even took miralax starting day 3 both times. You may check with your surgeon about when to start worrying. A dose of Milk of Magnesia might get things moving.

And, BTW, if you don't like the texture of the fiber in your protein drink, I also mix it in my Greek yogurt.

I had VSG with Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Arturo Martinez at Obesity Control Center 17 months ago. They both have impressive credentials, decades of surgical experience, and OCC is an International Center of Excellence with a full staff of anesthesiologists, a cardiac specialist, advanced life support doctors, RNs and a nutritionist all dedicated specifically to bariatric patients. The care I received was top notch, I had a pain free recovery, outstanding postop communication and have been easily maintaining below goal for 9 months. There is a very lengthy thread about OCC in the Mexico subforum with posts from dozens of patients. Pretty much everything you would want to know. Or feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Dr. Corvala is the other surgeon I considered, but in the end I preferred the OCC surgical facility over a regular hospital. Research, figure out what is important to you, ask lots of questions and Good luck with your decision!

@@wascott I used to use Renew Life Organic Triple Fiber (flax seed, oat bran and acacia fiber) which worked great. But now I use a mixture of Bob's Red Mill Ground Flax Seed and Now Foods Apple Fiber. It works just as well but is cheaper and I can buy in bulk from a local whole food store. I used Garden of Life Raw Fiber for awhile and it worked, but it was expensive and gave everything I mixed it with a thick, gummy texture.

I use my 20oz. Blender Bottle every single day. Great for mixing, add ice and then just take it along....no extra stuff to wash and I never had a problem with the powders not mixing well. I especially like it because I add insoluble Fiber to my Protein smoothies and this settles out. I just give it a shake as I'm drinking it to resuspend the fiber. My mom got me a Body Fortress shaker bottle and it sucks. The powders just glom up in the grid at the top and it's a PIA to clean. I also have a Hamilton Beach Dual smoothie blender that I only use when I'm adding fruit or berries to my smoothie. After blending I then pour it in my Blender Bottle and drink it from that.

Please take a moment to remember what today is all about.....

I thought I knew one person who did. About 8 years ago she got heavily involved in kickboxing (even competed semi-professionally) and lost 75-80 pounds. But even after she stopped competing she kept the weight off. After I had my VSG, she secretly confessed to me that she had bypass surgery...her husband is the only one that knew the truth. I have one client that just lost 50 pounds after having knee surgery and has kept it off for almost a year. I guess time will tell....

Yes, you're weighing every day. Stop doing that. Seriously. You won't have any stalls if you don't get on the scale. I stepped on the scale about 6 times in the first 3 months, so I never had a 3 week stall. The scale didn't help me lose 100 pounds. I did that by eating healthy, drinking water, taking my vitamins and being active. That's ALL you have to do.

Stay off the scale. Concentrate on staying hydrated, getting in your protein and learning to eat healthy. Dont worry about the numbers. Seriously!

I had no postop coffee rules, other than what my sleeve allowed. I was drinking decaf tea as soon as I got home, but whenever I'd try coffee, it would hurt. I just kept trying and was finally able to drink it at about 4 months postop. Now I have 1-2 large (20oz) travel mugs of decaf coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 every day. (The decaf part is just my preference because caffeine affects me pretty strongly)

I did a quiet little happy dance in my head and then got back to work. (Literally...I'm a vet tech and I weigh myself on the dog scale at work)

@@VSGAnn2014 I found maintenance to be a bit anticlimactic and then downright boring. My focus had been on weight loss and "new habits" for So long, once I hit my new normal I was like "now what? What can I get excited about now?". But then I came to realize there's so much more to life than my weight and my eating habits. I just began focusing on other stuff.... work, home improvement projects, my pets, fund raisers for the local animal shelter, etc. Even so, I do get a little rush when I step on the scale and see it didn't go UP at least. After losing my friend last month, other things have become MUCH more important than my WLS journey. basically just trying to get through any given day is struggle enough and makes all of my WLS stuff seem very insignificant. Not that I'd recommend that anyone experience this kind of loss, but changing your focus seems to be a good way to better handle the mental aspect of maintenance.

I was adding miralax, Metamucil and benefiber to my Protein smoothies and still had to take MOM every other day just so I could go every 3 days or so. And when I did go, it was rock hard and I would even bleed trying to get it out (sorry TMI). Then I started adding INSOLUBLE Fiber to my smoothies (benefiber and Metamucil are soluble fiber products) and I was able to stop everything else. I use a mixture of ground flax seed and apple fiber. Now my stools are soft but formed and I go regularly every day. I also mix Kashi Go Lean Cereal in my Greek yogurt (it has 13g protein/10g insoluble fiber per serving)

Mixed nuts with craisins (I keep a stash in my house and at work) Quest bar or Natures Valley Protein bar or Kind whole grain bar Jerky Lunch meat and cream cheese roll ups Chicken salad on pita bites Greek yogurt with Kashi go lean cereal Summer sausage and cheese For breakfast I premake a bunch of protein pancakes and freeze them. I heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave and serve with butter and syrup....yum. I also premake crustless quiche squares (eggs, unflavored protein powder, mushrooms, spinach, cheese) and freeze them. Again, a quick 30 seconds in the microwave, grab and go.... Baked beans with chopped ham or pork.

Me and my partner in crime, Kindle. Yes, that's right, my user name is in honor of my horse. Thanks to VSG, she has 100 pounds less on her back every weekend. If you look close at the picture you can see I'm splattered in mud. We had just come through an "incident" involving 4 horses, a dilapidated wooden bridge and a deep bog. It was also the first day with my new saddle I had to get because my skinny new butt was way too small for the old one.

Not sure why you would have an NG tube?

At around 6-7 weeks postop I gained 3 pounds and sat there for a month. I was going through a non-surgery related illness and the meds I was taking made me super nauseous. I could barely eat or drink anything. As soon as I switched medications and started eating again the stall ended. But I wouldn't say this or any stall was "tough". This was just the longest one. I never worried about it too much, because I knew stalls were normal.

I'm 17 months out and have been maintaining below goal for over 8 months. There is nothing complicated about my meal plan.....I simply eat a healthy, balanced diet of protein, fruits, veggies and whole grains. I don't measure, count track or buy special ingredients (except my protein powders). I'm single and don't really like to cook, so I do a lot of simple meals or whatever looks good in the grocery store deli. I eat a lot of soups and chili in the winter. I do still drink a large protein smoothie most days to make sure I'm getting enough protein. Yesterday.... Slice of turkey ham and 1 fried egg 2 large travel mugs of decaf coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 Carl's Jr. Single cheeseburger with tomato and onion wrapped in lettuce, no bun 20oz bottle Vitamin Water Seafood cocktail (fake crab meat with cocktail sauce) Mixed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini) with Italian seasoning and parm cheese 1/4 apple with Peter Pan peanut butter Large cup of Sleepytime tea Chobani Greek Yogurt with Kashi Go Lean cereal Normal work day (I don't get a lunch break so there's lot of snacking all day)..... Decaf coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 Quest Bar or Kind whole grain bar Mixed nuts with craisins Homemade elk jerky 32 oz bottle of water Large Protein smoothie with fruit (banana, peaches or berries) and insoluble fiber supplement Protein for dinner (ham, beef, turkey, seafood, fish, whatever) Either a V8 or a couple servings of veggies, depending on how much room I have Greek yogurt Cup of tea And as for me, it's not necessarily about eating healthy 100% of the time, either. I have an alcoholic drink, candy, dessert, junk food, etc. several times a month. I pigged out over the holidays and then got back to basics afterwards. Just everything in moderation, like any "normal" thin person I know.

I was required to lose 5% which was 12 pounds. I lost 22 pounds instead. 16 days of 3 protein shakes/day plus unlimited leafy green veggies. I lost more on my preop than I did the first 3 months postop!

I was so excited To get going I actually started my preop diet 2 days early my only glitch was 4 days before surgery I had a panic attack in my car on the way to work...." WTF am I doing?!" I had to pull over, breath a bit and then it passed. I spent the day before my surgery scrambling to try and even GET to Tijuana. My flight was cancelled due to a snowstorm and I had to drive 5 hours to another state to fly standby on the very last flight into San Diego, so lots of travel anxiety there. I was actually determined enough to have driven all the way to Mexico if I'd needed to. By the time I got to OCC the morning of my surgery, my only feelings were relief that I made it and looking forward to anesthesia cause I was exhausted!

Had VSG at Obesity Control Center in TJ 17 months ago. 1 night stay at hospital, 2 nights at the Marriot. Spent those 2 days shopping and hanging out with my sister. Drain removed and barium fluoroscopy leak test third day before flying home. Easy, pain free recovery. Back to work at active, physical job in 7 days. Lost 100 pounds in less than 8 months and easily maintaining 10 pounds below goal. OCC provided excellent postop followup and I have had no long term complications. There is an entire subforum on here for Mexico and self pay patients with a LOT of threads you may want to read.

I did not get a catheter for my VSG. They wanted us up walking ASAP, so the getting up to pee was encouraged. I was walking the halls within a few hours of surgery with no problem. I was catheterized for my neck fusion surgery, however. And thank God. Getting up to do anything after that surgery was unthinkable because I was in so much pain. The catheter was not uncomfortable and I LOVED not having to get up to pee. I actually have a friend who is a nurse who catheterized herself every night during late term pregnancy so she could actually sleep through the night. Without it she would have to get up to pee every few hours. It's no big deal so I wouldn't fret about it one way or the other.

BTW, here are some definitions of cheating.... "Cheating is the getting of a reward for ability by dishonest means or finding an easy way out of an unpleasant situation. It is generally used for the breaking of rules to gain unfair advantage in a competitive situation.". : to break a rule or law usually to gain an advantage at something : to take something from (someone) by lying or breaking a rule : to prevent (someone) from having something that he or she deserves or was expecting to get So although you may be "breaking the rules" by eating off plan, you certainly aren't gaining an unfair advantage or getting a reward for it!

There is no such thing as "cheating" in my world. I simply make choices, whether it's a piece of chicken or a piece of cake. And I never feel "guilty". I control what goes in my mouth, not the other way around. During the first few months following surgery, I chose to follow my surgeons orders to a T so I would not have complications. For those of you eating solid foods and unhealthy foods so soon postop, you are simply choosing to compromise your health. But as consenting adults, that is your right.

You can do simple things that won't really change your habits. If you have dairy, make sure it's full fat (2%milk not skim, full fat yogurt and cottage cheese not 0%). If you do Protein bars, switch them out for some whole grain bars with more carbs. Add in just one more healthy but high calorie snack to your daily menu... 1/2 cup of nuts, a banana, tuna or crab salad made with real mayo and served with crackers, whole grain Cereal with whole milk, a cup of raw veggies with dip or ranch dressing, etc. this is what I did when I hit goal and wanted to stop losing. Are you seeing a therapist or have access to a counseling group? Being afraid to eat more in order to stop losing weight is just as much of an eating disorder as eating too much.