7 Bites_Jen

They did this with my mom as well - she has been losing just fine. Just do what you're supposed to and you'll do great. Remember Protein first and Water WATER WATER!

I think we're all just confused over where the hostility is coming from ... You're seriously not making any sense, and little of what you said has had anything to do with what anything else has said ...

There are several wonderful sites for that. Two of the most popular are My Fitness Pal (MFP) and Spark People. I like them both for different reasons.

Leakage is almost impossible that far out - the scar line has completely healed by then, and has even fused together. I'm not sure the surgeon in question knows what he is talking about, LOL. I chose the sleeve over any other surgery because of the lack of risk involved. If you look at the complications that come with every other surgery, the sleeve has the fewest risks. Also, it's not as new as some people think. It's actually the first stage in the duodenal switch. Leaks do occur, but not often and when they do they are caught fairly quickly. With other surgeries, you can have complications sometimes up to 10 years after!

I was on full liquids which is the same as pureed foods. I think most people are :-)

Weather it's required or not is between you and your nut, but it's always a good idea to do so, even if it's not. It keeps you on track and if you're not losing or something you can look back and say, "oh, here I had too many carbs" or "oh, this day I had WAY too much sodium" that kind of thing. It really is helpful!

Sounds like you're doing an awesome job! I love grabbing a pair of jeans or shirt and thinking 'oh, that's not going to fit' and lo and behold it does! It's a great feeling to be smaller than you thought, isn't it?

Okay, this almost made me spit my coffee on my computer, LOL!!

It does sound a little restrictive, but there is always a reason. Is the nutritionist working directly with your doctor? If not, I would come right out and ask your doc on your next appointment what he thinks about it. My pre-sugery diet was two weeks of a packaged Protein shake (we bought through the doctor's office) and directly after was two weeks of full liquids then two weeks of soft foods. Although I don't fully understand the restriction of beef and pork, I do know that leaner meats have more protein, and will also speed up the weight loss, so that might have something to do with it. What about fruits/veggies? Are there restrictions on those as well?

Awesome!! Thanks for sharing this! I'll be watching for it!

I and my mom went to Dr. Frank Veninga at Presby in Carrolton. He is one of those doctors that is very upfront and matter-of-fact with you. The thing I like about him is that he is not a "meat market" doctor. He has many patients, don't get me wrong, but he doesn't do THOUSANDS of surgeries in a year like some of the bigger ones in DFW do. He only does the lap-band and the sleeve (and there's a reason for that) and he is very good at what he does. His nurse, Barbara, is also his nutritionist, and she is absolutely wonderful as well. She is a lap-band patient and will give you a TON of information. They will really take their time with you, walking through every step. Once you become their patient, it's like you become part of the family. I love this office. My last appointment, I almost cried when I was told I didn't have to go back for another year (it was my one year surgiversary)! Whichever doctor you chose, make sure you do your research. Go to their web site and check them out. Read their testimonials. Find some online reviews if you can. You need to be sure that the doctor you go to will be 100% there for YOU not for THEM. Any doctor that tries to pressure you to do something you're not comfortable with is not the right doctor. Good luck!

I was never told not to chew gum. There is nothing wrong with it IMHO. We're grown ups. Most of us know not to swallow our gum, LOL.

Protein is SO important at this stage for sure. It's important to get into the habit of weighing and measuring, but you might not eat everything - and that's okay. Do your best, but don't get upset if you don't get all the protein your supposed to get in a day (60-70 grams). Eat when you're "hungry" (or feel like you should) and stop eating when you're not hungry anymore. Don't wait until you're "full" - that can cause issues. These first few months are complete trial and error trying to find that "full feeling" and knowing what your sleeve will and won't tolerate. Try new things, and don't be afraid to!

Always follow your surgeons instructions - there's a reason for what they do! Some don't worry too much about liver size, mine did - if your liver was a certain size, he'd close you up and not do the surgery. That's the point of the all-liquid diets. There are lots of ways to make it palatable for the two weeks before surgery - and the full liquids stage after. Does he have you on a specific Protein shake? If so, you can add extracts and spices (cinnamon, allspice, etc.) to vary the flavors. If not, you can also make homemade Soups and stews and puree them (just omit any Pasta, rice, or potatoes for the two weeks). If your interested, we have lots of ideas on our first episode. Just click the link in my signature for the YouTube channel, then go to the episode called "Preventing Yuck in a Cup". Hope this helps! :-) Good luck!

Anything is okay in moderation. I agree with the ketchup though. You can find some with no high fructose corn syrup, but it's so much better to make your own. We have a great recipe for it here on our blog this week. It's also fun to make your own mayo, if you're not afraid of a raw egg most eggs are pasteurized now and if you add vinegar or lemon juice, it actually "cooks" the egg and kills any bacteria. Mustard is fine - just read the ingredients - some put sugar or HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) in them. Tartar sauce is super easy to make - just mix some mayo with some pickle relish for an easy one. If you like onion in yours you can add a little dried minced onion. Just make sure you watch sugar and sodium counts on everything!

Same here! I've had mine since 2010 and was sleeved in 2012.

I had one and never even knew it!

I have had similar experiences, the only difference is the person that I had issues with wasn't a "healthy person": I used to be the "fat one" in the group at 300 lbs. Now that I am under 200 lbs, I am no longer the heaviest person in my circle of friends. In fact, I am the thinnest one in the group. They all struggle with diet, exercise, high blood pressure, and diabetes and I don't. Each of them, in turn, has said something to me about going to easy way out and how hard they're working on trying to lose weight - while munching on a donut or pizza. One of them has even accused me of becoming a "health snob" and won't talk to me anymore. It's so hurtful and aggravating when people do things like this and turn their backs on us. It helps to remember that we did this for us and our health - not for them. If they have a problem with it - weather they're already healthy or overweight - it's their own issues, not ours. People that are unsupportive of our healthier lifestyle changes are toxic and not people we need in our lives.

I can pretty much drink what I want, but I limit it to ONE (I get tipsy a LOT quicker now!!). My favorite is organic apple cider and good wine. :-)

I just posted a response on this on another question ... Why lie about it? Why not just be up front and honest? Use this as an opportunity to inform and educate people on the sleeve and the truth about weight loss surgeries in general!

I've always been very open and up front about my surgery. If people don't like it, they can get over it, IMHO, LOL. That being said, if you REALLY want it to be private and personal, here are some thoughts: 1) Most of us had a hietal(sp?) hernia removed during surgery - you can just tell people that you had a hernia removed. 2) Why tell them anyway? If it's none of their business that you had surgery in the first place, it's not their place why you aren't at work, right? Explain it away with, "oh, just took some personal time for myself" - it's TECHNICALLY not a lie ... An alternative, though, would be to be honest about it! Use it as an opportunity to educate people on the sleeve and the truth about weight loss surgeries in general!

Scrambled eggs with cheese. I'd never been so excited about eggs in my life!! LOL

I HATE people like that!! "Can you eat that???" "Yes ... can you eat ..." okay, well I'm not going to go THERE, but you get my drift ... at least I hope you do! Seriously though, there are a TON of misconceptions about the sleeve.

Age: 37 Ht 5'6.5 Highest weight 310 Surgery weight: 285 Current weight: 185 Goal 155 Surgery date 07/11/12 Note: My weight has slowed considerably over the past three months or so. Plus I haven't been keeping off the carbs and stuff, so that's been hurting my loss as well.

Some flavor combinations that I loved: vanilla extract + orange extract SF chocolate + mint extract vanilla extract + cinnamon + allspice = snickerdoodle SF Chocolate + PB2 = Peanut Butter cup Also, there are flavored syrups on the market (Torani makes a great SF version!). They have raspberry, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and quite a few others. Good luck!