SnohoGal98296

Somehow I am imagining this: I LIKE BIG BUTTS AND I CANNOT LIE! YOU OTHER BROTHERS CANT DENY. .. surgeon and nurses shaking it while working. .. :-D

Hi BryBro63, Yes, Phentermine is a common appetite suppressant - I was prescribed this medication while on a medically supervised diet about two years ago. It worked great, I lost 60 lbs, but when I went off the medication (as they don't want you on it forever or some folks develop a tolerance to it, like c4l describes above) I gained back the 60 and put on another 20-30 lbs. I have my initial consults this week and I was wondering if for the pre-op diets, of which some are severe if a prescription was provided, so far the consensus is No. Just like your nut mentioned - so of these diets are pretty tough. I like what Truck said though - the peer pressure of the Surgeon reviewing your progress is enough to keep you on the diet :-D

Oops, you are a month out, not three days, sorry 439 am and still lurking and posting :- D

You go super fatty! 3 days tip a new you! Just think, you will be a true vet by the time I get my appt, hoping for a March surgery date, I may have to go to Australia for meetings in February, otherwise I would be pushing for a Feb date ( I am self-pay and can fast track, assuming no surprises).

RJ - I have read your amazing story, you amaze me, your hubby is a white knight in shining armour!

To be honest, I never thought of anyone else. All sense of mystery left during birth of our first child ( 20 years ago) and he is my knight in shining armor (well ok, jeans and a t-shirt). It did occur to me that my Mom may want to help too, but that will probably be after only. Daughter is 6 hours away at college and 17 yr old son hasn't really accepted this plan yet...

Hi! 242am Pacific and here I am, I kind of have an excuse though, I just got back from a business trip to Singapore and keep waking up at 2am. Aww, who am I kidding? My first surgical consult with surgeon 1 of 2 is on Thursday and this "s" is getting real!

LMAO "butt wrenching" bwaa-ha-ha oh please stop, I can't take it! FUNNIEST. POST. OF. THE. YEAR. SO FAR!

I have my consult with them this week! I am so excited!

Yes, it covers a lot of post-op topics from what to expect, diet phases and progression, and exercise, even recipes. Although everyone here will tell you to follow your surgeons plan for best success and use the forum and books for back-up. .. So does the Big Book of Gastric Sleeve btw.

My fitness pal has this functionality and it is very popular on bariatricpal :-D

Third vote for Dummies, great book with details and covers all types of surgery. I also got the Big Book of Gastric Sleeve Can you get a ton of information from forums for free? Absolutely! But I really like having these books on my Kindle for reference and non-anecdotal info.

Both options for me include a leak test as well, both packages are nearly identical, all the pre- and post nutrition and medical plus support groups. It will come down the surgeon I am most comfortable with...

I am pre-op/self-pay, the two surgeons and their respective surgical centers I am currently considering have both stated possible same day outpatient, assuming no surprises. They did say that if my BMI is 50 or higher that it would be in a hospital with at least one night (also more $$). My BMI is 48 or so...

I have been buying Syntrax protein powders from Amazon - the price was lower than purchasing it at the Doctors office, who recommends it for both his medically supervised and surgical weight loss patients.

And Sherman knocks it down for the win! GO HAWKS!! On our way to the big game!

I am pre-op and researching my options - OK here is the boring part: I have a genetic blood disease commonly known as "Iron Overload", medically known as Hemochromatosis. Essentially my body absorbs iron until it becomes unhealthy, damages your organs and can lead to organ failure if untreated. Long story short - I have to have phlebotomies (1 pint blood draws) regularly (every 2 months) for the rest of my life to keep my blood iron levels low (unfortunately they will not use the blood for the community blood supply - not because it is "bad blood" but because it is expensive to manage :-( ). When I mentioned to my current Doctors (yes that is plural) that I am considering Bariatric Surgery they all mentioned that a malabsorptive (sp?) procedure might actually decrease the amount of iron my body absorbs. My Doctors both indicated that RNY (they didn't mention DS) would do the same but I think the sleeve with DS is the better option as it removes a portion of the stomach rather than just detaching some of it...I have been scanning the DS forum because I am interested in DS above and beyond the vertical sleeve, and noticed that a member shared that they need iron injections following DS. So I am curious - is that a regular result of DS? Maybe it is more normal to have to take iron supplements? In either case it would probably just make my iron levels normal and that would be a good thing for me :-D Please note that I am self pay - so I am betting I can't afford DS - I am thinking it is around $20-25K...

Thanks Sleeved&Hopeful, I am keeping an open mind for all options, my first quote for DS was $28k, and being practical I have to keep looking. I am very jealous of all the folks who have insurance coverage but not so much that I am willing to go work for company that provides it. Onward!

Sending warm thoughts your way Carlos! Go get ' em and keep up the good fight!

Thank you for working on this, even though I am presurgery, I have been using MFP for awhile and have been thinking about getting a matching device. While doing my research on WSL I realized that the logging apps recommend minimum calories counts that far exceed recommended plans for WLS patients for both pre-op and post-op. I think an app directed at WLS patients would allow the User to program in their surgeons specific eating plans, it is a constant on these forums to follow your surgeons directives, most are very similar but some are quite different especially between the different types of surgeries. I think they do this for liability reasons. WLS levels for Protein, hydration, and supplements tracking would be great. I agree with exercise database immaturity comment above, some apps have great excercise but terrible food databases. A successful app would have both. I really like MFPs User generated food database. I very rarely cant find something that I have purchased at my local grocery store. I also like the recipe option. I also agree with measurement options comment, options for smaller measurements would be key. Having a WLS specific app would be AWESOME, I look forward to hearing about the launch!

Thanks everyone, I was put on phentermine for a medically supervised diet 2 years ago. I lost almost 60 lbs. The diet was similar to some of the pre-ops, 1-2 shakes., high Protein low carbs, the weight was coming off and I felt really great. I thought I could persevere on my own and ended up gaining back 80 lbs. I actually take solace in seeing the pre-op success stories, recognizing the eating plan that worked for me during that time. I think I can learn from you guys and be able to do it on my own when it comes to my time. I look forward to the sleeve being a tool I can use to lose weight and keep it off. I am selfpay, wrapping up my surgeon selection in February and hoping to schedule in March...

May I ask if any of your Doctors prescribed phentermine or similiar to help you with hunger on your preop diets?

Snohomish here, investigating all the local Docs

Thanks, I live in Washington where VSG trends $16-18k. I am looking into tourism but domestically only, my family has unilaterally rejected Mexico (or any non-US location). I lived in Prescott for almost 9 years and have family there and in the Phoenix area.

I am ok with it - but I didn't start this thread...