Scylla

I would not recommend weighing yourself daily, because you are just going to drive yourself crazy! So many things can affect Water retention, etc. I know we've all heard the advice before, but I would suggest weighing yourself just once a week. I was allowed raw veggies on my pre-surgery diet. Maybe you could ask your doctor if you could have raw veggies? I don't know what your spinach salad consists of, but I know that the one I used to eat was not just raw veggies. The point of the pre-surgery diet is generally to shrink the size of the liver to make it easier for the surgeon to operate. If you have an enlarged, fatty liver, it can make surgery more difficult. Pardon my saying so, but VSG is a serious surgery--it was basicly my last resort. if you only have 30 lbs. to lose to reach the BMI you need for breast reduction surgery, VSG may not be the right weight loss method for you. Also, the reason I lost 30 lbs. during the liquid diet phase was because I was 350ish lbs. when I started the liquid diet prior to surgery. Clearly, you have much less to lose than that, so you likely won't have such a dramatic loss.

I had to do a liquid diet for a month before my VSG, but that liquid diet consisted of only 4 high Protein drinks a day from a specific list (I used Myoplex Lite) and raw vegetables (no dressings, etc.). I lost 30 lbs. in a month. The first 2-3 days were very hard, but after that it was surprisingly easy.

You can do it! The first 2-3 days are tough, but after that it's pretty easy. I did it for 30 days prior to surgery and could only have 4 meal replacement drinks, Water and raw veggies. You've got this! Plus, it's really important before surgery to help shrink your liver (to make maneuvering around near your stomach easier).

I'm so glad you were able to confirm that you were in fact sleeved. I hope your surgeon was at least apologetic about the coding error and the stress their mistake caused you! Good thinking bringing your lawyer friend with you! Best wishes for a stress free, easy recovery.

I can relate, nprcowboy. I started Wellbutrin and Paxil in May and have gained 20+ lbs. Paxil is the most notorious SSRI for causing weight gain. I am now off of it and am losing weight again, but it just feels so unfair that a medication can throw such a monkey wrench into someone's weight loss! Best of luck to you!

My favorite by far is the chocolate chip cookie dough Quest bar. Also, costco recently started selling a version of these Protein bars under the Kirkland Signature brand, at a much lower price. You get 24 bars for about $18 versus 12 Quest bars for $25. I like their version of the chocolate chip cookie dough Quest protein bar just as much.

I use the Lose It app It was recommended by my surgeon's office and they had me track my Protein on it for like 6 months prior to surgery. It is very user friendly.

You've gotten some good advice. Definitely demand to see your admission report, surgical report and discharge summary. I can't believe the nurse told you you had to come in for a swallow test to be sure! The surgical report should have a "play by play" of your surgery and the admission report should specify the type of surgery. The sleeve is the "easier" surgery. Sometimes people who wanted to have a gastric bypass end up with a sleeve due to individual medical situations. But I have not personally heard of anyone who intended to have a VSG and wound up with a bypass. (Incidentally, my bariatric nurse made some snide comments that I should have a bypass instead of VSG also prior to my surgery. I understand that the success rate is higher with bypass, but I just couldn't deal with the "frankensteining" of the intestines and the possibility of nutritional deficiencies because of it. Hence, why I wanted VSG.) Best of luck to you! Hopefully it is just a clerical/coding error. That happened to me with my recent mammogram--I got an EOB from my insurance company that said X-ray of the legs. Um, NO.

Thanks for the heads up. My teenage son drinks it as a post-hockey drink also, so I always have at least one 18 pack in the house. I've never seen the caramel or banana flavors. I will have to keep on the lookout for them!

I had to do 30 day diet consisting only of Protein drinks (Myoplex Lite) plus raw vegetables. The first two or three days were rough, but after that it was pretty easy. I am finding post-op to be much more challenging.

I take Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate Chewy Bites - 500 mg. They are pricey (about $30 a month), but they are very tasty and almost like a treat. I noticed a bunch of people are taking calcium carbonate rather than calcium citrate. For what it's worth my NUT told me that calcium carbonate is not as biologically available to bariatric patients, which is why they advise us to take calcium CITRATE. Tums and the Kirkland SF calcium chews are calcium carbonate. I made that mistake at first and my NUT instructed me to give the Caltrate I bought to a friend and invest in a calcium citrate supplement. She recommended the Bariatric Advantage chewy bites.

I have not heard of that! The hair loss is mostly due to the effects of anesthesia. Maybe that person had problems with nutritional deficiencies? I know scurvy (exteme Vitamin C deficiency) can cause tooth loss, but there is no reason for scurvy in this day and age in our society.

Excellent food for thought! I think I, too, have become a little too comfortable and complacent. Here's hoping your "challenge" will give me the kick in the butt to see bigger losses again.

Wow!!! Congratulations!

I know what you mean--I was expecting bigger weekly losses also. But look at it this way--if we hadn't had the surgery, we'd probably be gaining (or staying the same, for sure). My NUT told me that the average weight loss for sleevers is 1-2 lbs. a week and for bypass folks it's 2-3.

I had a similar issue with my weight stalling despite increased exercise efforts. It was very frustrating! I met with my dietician at my 3 month checkup, and it turned out my Protein requirement was higher and when I increased my daily protein from 50-70 to 80-100 the scale started moving again.

My NUT said the same thing re the Premier Protein shakes. I love them, so I was bummed to hear that! I had also bought a large bag of Syntrax Matrix Protein powder and she also said that one was not as good as Syntrax nectar because it is a blend of Proteins. She wants me to only use powders that only contain whey protein isolate as the protein source. I'm not going to toss out the Maxtrix powder or Premier Protein Shakes, but I won't repurchase them if my NUT thinks they are not my best source of protein.

I've been there! Take your meds--and talk to your doctor. There might be a better antidepressant option for you so you don't have to split those pills. Bet of luck to you!

The Slim Fast High Protein was one of the shake options on my pre-op plan. It has much less sugar and more protein than regular Slim Fast. Maybe your doctor meant that version? I had to do 30 days pre-op diet, and I opted for Myoplex Lite, which was 20 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. It is a Meal Replacement that is also quite filling.

@@Katnice - how are you doing? Did you talk to your doctor / go to the pharmacy?

@@mcherder - This early out I think I would stick to whey Protein powder for your protein needs. I did not add Quest bars until I started eating a modified general diet.

My surgeon recommends Peri-Colace, which is a stool softener and senna-based stimulant laxative. I had terrible problems with constipation when I was doing my 30 day pre-op liquid diet. OMG--I felt like I was filled with cement! The Peri-Colace did the trick in fairly short order. I still have issues occasionally, but one dose usually takes care of it. Tip: I buy the Walgreens version of Peri Colace, which is called Stool Softener Plus. It is much, much cheaper!

I'm 10 weeks out and the hair loss is starting, even though I've been taking my regular Vitamins plus Biotin and folic acid. It's not handfuls, but pretty much every time I run my fingers through my hair a couple strands come with them! It reminds me of the hair loss after pregnancy. My hair is pretty thick, so hopefully I won't have to seek out the Topix or Eufora products, but thanks for the recommendations!

Hi Meg. Have you had your 1 year follow up with your surgeon and/or nutritionist? If not, you should probably schedule that. They can be invaluable in figuring out why you are stalling/gaining and can help tweak your eating and exercise plans. Best of luck to you!