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Arrived at surgical center about 9am for preop tests...bloodwork, ECG, chat with nutritionist, cardiologist and surgeons. Surgery around 2 or 3pm. Back in my room by 5pm. Discharged at 9am. Out Shopping by 10am.

I made all kinds of Protein popsicles. I wasn't limited to just one brand of shake, so I had a lot more variety. Made dreamsicles with Syntrax matrix vanilla Protein powder and mio tangerine drops. Syntrax nectar grape, lemonade, cherry and peach also made great pops. Premier Protein chocolate makes great fudgscicles. Muscle Milk cake batter with raspberry mio drops is killer. Even 15 months out I still keep protein "ice cream" in my freezer for snacking. I use Torani and davinci syrups for even more flavor variety.....gingerbread, caramel red velvet cake, vanilla almond, Irish cream, pumpkin pie cake batter, chocolate hazelnut, etc. And if you get sick of all the sweetness (which I did), ask your nut if you can substitute broth with unflavored protein powder added in place of one of your shakes.

I bought krab salad from my local deli and made a stuffed tomato with it..... Here's a picture. I could only eat 1/4 of it per meal. If you made it yourself, I'd say add mayo, Old Bay and chives if your tummy can handle them. This is definitely for the soft food phase, not puréed.

Here's a little info about the Obalon balloon..... http://www.obalon.com They've been doing them in the UK and Mexico for about a year. The surgeon who did my VSG was actually featured on ABC Nightline in a story about the balloon procedure. And I think I read somewhere that they are starting US trials. The problem I see with this procedure is that the balloon is only left in for 2 months. You would probably lose weight, but then you are right back where you started when they remove it. Not sure how this is different than any other "diet".

I LOVE deviled eggs! They are especially yummy with bacon bits sprinkled in the yolk mixture. Have you tried refried beans? Hummus? Avacodos/guacamole? Split pea soup? Greek Yogurt? Deviled ham? Pureed tuna salad? Fake crab meat (Krab)? String cheese? These were some of my favorite pureed/soft food options. I also mixed unflavored protein powder in every soup or broth I could find....French onion, butternut squash, potato leek, tortilla soup, hot and sour, cream of mushroom, asparagus, vegetable barley, etc.

Visit the stall subforum, or use the search function and you will see that your concerns have been addressed a dozen times already. Or better yet, accept my challenge... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/336755-attention--users-a-new-challenge/

5'5", 140#, 10 pounds below goal. I probably get at least 60-80g protein/day (40-60g from my daily smoothie and quest bar) and minimum 64oz fluids. I don't count calories, carbs or fat, so can't give you an answer there. I Simply eat a well balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit and whole grains. Sweets, alcohol and other simple carbs in moderation. Love my sleeve!

I slowly started adding more fat and healthy carbs when I was within 10 pounds of my goal weight. Switched from skim milk to 1%, fat free cottage cheese to regular, 0% Greek yogurt to 2%, replaced some protein bars with whole grain bars and homemade granola, ate more fruit and nuts, allowed myself a few more deserts, etc. I lost another 20 pounds even after transitioning to a "maintenance diet". My body just found its new normal and I can pretty much keep myself within a 4-5 pound bounce range just by altering my carb intake up or down as needed. Basically eat whatever unless I hit the top end of my range then I go back to protein and veggie basics until I'm back to the bottom of my range. I still always get 60-80g protein, 64+ oz water, a variety of veggies and all my vitamins.

It's Naked and Afraid for me....Unless there's Mosquitos, then FTS!!

@@Veronica Page. I wish you all the best in your journey. I'm glad you've found what works for you, and you should continue if it makes you successful. And I'm not saying the scale is necessarily a bad thing, but for those that let it control their emotions, it is certainly not a good thing. There are plenty of people that use the scale as a tool for accountability and to make adjustments to their diet but realize it's normal for the numbers to go up and down and even stay still for long periods. It just makes me sad to see how unhappy some people let those numbers make them.

I invite you all to stop the insanity! And join this challenge.... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/336755-attention-scale-users-a-new-challenge/#entry3798703

A picture journal is a great idea! My sister had met me in TJ for my surgery but we live in different states and didn't see each other again until I was 10 months postop. She kept asking for pictures to see my progress and I'm so glad she did! Looking back at those pictures have been very motivational for me.

I was lactose intolerant after surgery, too. The funny thing is I could tolerate Greek yogurt but not milk. Fortunately the symptoms disappeared after about 4 months. During that time I stuck with Lactaid milk and Soy milk because the alternative almond milk, coconut milk, etc. have almost no protein. Now that I'm in maintenance and have no problems getting in all my protein, I have added in some of those other milks. BTW, I also couldn't tolerate plain water or artificial sweeteners postop, but that passed around the 4 month mark, too.

I'm a mix it up kind of gal, so I always try new and different things. I have a Protein smoothie everyday and have used dairy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk and now cashew milk to mix in my smoothie. It does have a bit of a cashew flavor, but not bad. It's OK with my chocolate and vanilla protein, but I didn't like it with the strawberry. Of all the milks I've tried, unsweetened Hemp milk is the worst. I probably couldn't drink it plain, but the cashew I can. The only problem with the non-dairy milks is that they all have carrageenan added to them. I found just one brand of coconut milk that doesn't add it. So although I do like variety, good old cows milk is my go-to choice because it doesn't have all the extra crap added to it.

An NSAID is still an NSAID. The majority of the GI affects come from the systemic action of the NSAID, not the presence of the NSAID in the stomach. The biochemical mechanism of the drug that reduces inflammation also decreases the mucosal lining that protects our GI tract. This is what causes ulceration, which is what we don't want. And although some of the newer COX2 NSAIDS have reduced GI affects, they have yet to develop an NSAID that doesn't have some risk. And as for Voltaren topical, my PCP had to be rushed to the ER twice after having a severe reaction to it. It wasn't until the second time that they figured out what it was. The first time they thought it was an anaphylactic reaction to a spider bite or something. He had used Voltran dozens of times in the past, then all of a sudden bam...severe allergic reaction. Same thing happened to Another friend taking ibuprofen. An NSAID is still and NSAID and Neither of them can ever take NSAIDS again. So even though I have taken NSAIDS and steroids postop, my first "line of defense" for pain issues has been arnica and traumeel. The Traumeel comes in sublingual tablet form and a topical gel. It's always worked well for me...even after getting bucked off my horse a time or two.

Sorry to hijack this thread (I'm a December 2013 sleever), but It astounds me how many posts on here are about the scale and stalls. You guys are all doing great postop, but you are obsessed with numbers! The batteries in my scale went dead right after my last fad diet....HCG. That was almost 3 years ago. I've never replaced them. I managed to go through the preop diet, VSG surgery, lose over 100% of my excess weight, and keep it off, all without the "help" of the scale. Dropped from size 22w jeans / XL-XXL tops to size 5 jeans/ M tops.....without owning a working scale. I weighed myself maybe 6 times at the doctors office during the first 4 months. After that it was once/week on the scale at work (fully clothed with boots on and after breakfast) so I had something to put on my ticker. Now I might remember to step on the scale once/month. I actually have no idea what I weigh naked first thing in the morning,,because the number doesn't really matter. I feel fabulous, I am out of pain, I have normal BP, and can do whatever physical activity I want without restriction. For me, that's why I did all this. You all may want to try it. It's very liberating and made for a relaxing, stress-free, NSV-filled weight loss adventure!

I had a two week preop diet. 3 Protein shakes/day and unlimited leafy green veggies. I was required to lose 5% of my body weight (12 pounds) but I lost 22 instead. I had no problem following my diet plan because I was 110% committed to my decision to have WLS. A couple weeks of being hungry is a tiny price to pay. You can't expect the great results most of us see without at least a little effort.

Don't weigh yourself for about a month. Concentrate on water, protein, vitamins and healing. I rarely weighed, so I didn't even know I was in a stall unless it lasted 2-4 weeks. Believe me, I was a lot happier than all the posters on here that stress about every little number on the scale. If you are following your plan You will lose weight whether you step on the scale or not. Just enjoy the NSVs.

Sounds like you've got lots of choices. I was VSG, not bypass, but one thing I did was only try one new thing every few days. That way if I had an adverse reaction, I knew exactly what the culprit was. A friend of mine had bypass and there are definitely distinct foods and textures she can't handle with even 8 years out. Try and ease your new GI tract into new thing slowly...like introducing new foods to a baby. "The world according to eggface" and Bariatric foodie are both good websites to check out for recipes as you introduce new foods and more complex meals. And check out the nutrition subforum on BP for good ideas in all stages.

Excellent! Way to go!

What are the things on the list you can't eat? Do you have allergies?

Go ahead! Go ahead and compromise your health. You obviously have no intentions of following your postop instructions. You have no interest in making the necessary lifestyle changes. You might as well start your road to failure now. Go ahead. Get it over with. Too bad all that money was wasted on you instead of someone willing to take WLS seriously.

I had my surgery with Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at OCC. The make all of their incisions below the belly button, except one tiny one just below your breastbone. So even if you did scar easily, they would all be hidden under everything but low waisted pants. These are my scars about 1 year post op. In fact, the worst scar I have is just above my belly button which is where my belly button ring ripped out 4 years ago (got it caught on a hook on the corner of a table). The surgical incisions are barely visible.

Welcome to the other side! Enjoy your stay in TJ, safe travels home and and happy healing!

I couldn't drink plain water for about 4 months. I also couldn't do artificial sweeteners...they hurt my sleeve. Besides my protein shakes I drank regular vitamin water and lifewater, pedialyte, 100% juice, skim milk and a lot of decaf herbal tea, both hot and iced. I diluted the juice and sports drinks about 1/2 and 1/2 with water because everything tasted too sweet to me postop. I did drink V8 sometimes but it would burn my sleeve, so not too much.