beachgurl84

Congrats!

Congratulations

I stick with Isopure Zero Carb (Alpine Punch & Passion Fruit) or Criosport Watermelon. I can't find the passion fruit Isopure in a store here so I order it online from Vitamin shoppe and usually get a 10% promo code and free shipping. The Isopure usually runs $45 for 12 and the criosport runs $29 for 12. Isopure has 40 g Protein, 160 calories, zero carb, gluten free & lactose free. Not sure of the criosport stats off the top of my head.

I told my doc I had the occasional drink, average 1-2 a month maybe, and they had no problem with it. If you have so few it's almost nonexistent I would just say you haven't had any. I will throw in there that I had GERD and I chose the sleeve. I'm still on medication (protonix) but I haven't had any issues since surgery. Mine was always mostly controlled with diet though and the healthier choices I'm making sense surgery have definitely had a positive influence on my GERD. Sounds like you've done your research. Good luck on your journey!

Check out the forums on the 3 week stall. Many of us went through this.

My surgery was 11/19 and I was a super fast loser. Started my preop liquid diet on 11/14 and lost 10 pounds in the next 5 days leading up to surgery. As a matter of fact, from 11/14 to the end of November I lost over 30 pounds. However, every month since then my loss has dramatically slowed. Here's my total weight lost for each month. November 31.6 December 15.0 January 14.8 February 9.8 March 0.7 I think a lot of it has to do with my work has changed so I'm more sedentary throughout the day now. I also take in more calories (around 1000). I'm also struggling to keep my carbs down. I don't agree with anyone that says you need to avoid carbs or take in less than 50. I aim for 50 but If I have to I'll get up to 75. I actually see myself stall more when I don't get enough calories & carbs. I do need to cut out artificial sweeteners and sugars. Anyways, I didn't mean to rant about what I need to do or not do. I just wanted to point out that the previous post about everyone ending up in the same place is probably accurate. Given that I was a rapid loser to start with and I've slowed to a crawl (average daily weight loss last 30 days is 0.34lb/day), I can definitely start to relate with the slow losers. I am going to do everything I can to change this but for now it is what it is.

Call your insurance and ask to speak to someone in prior authorizations. The first time I talked to my insurance they told me the same thing, no requirements. I questioned it as well and called back to talk to someone in prior authorizations and they guided me to my insurance company's medical policy online where I could see each requirement that needed to be met before it could be submitted for authorization. I also had private insurance so I only had to worry about the insurance company's requirements. If you're going through an employer you'll also have to check their requirements.

Pretty much what I was told too.

I agree with @@Daisee68 There is a reason for everything. You may never truly know why you didn't have your surgery as planned, but it wasn't meant to be at that time. How was your friends surgery? Have you rescheduled yet? Did you get any answers from the office?

@@CowgirlJane In my experience GERD is one of those things that can be extremely different for each individual. There's the usual issues with acidic foods but other things can trigger as well. For example, before surgery, I could drink unsweetened grapefruit juice and have no trouble. One sip of regular orange juice (not from concentrate, regular acid) would send me to the emergency room. Kool-aid would give me indigestion, and so would sweet tea. I could eat spaghetti or manicotti just fine though. I agree it is a risk with the sleeve, it was the only concern my surgeon had with me getting the sleeve but he said it was up to me if I was willing to take the medication for it. Anyways, there's my two cents on why people may be having such different things to say about GERD here. I think every body has certain triggers for their individual GERD. When I first started having trouble years ago, I kept a journal similar to what I do now with myfitnesspal. Only I wasn't counting calories back then, i was analyzing which foods cause me pain.

I had to quit smoking for the surgery as well. My doctor wouldn't even allow nicotine replacement. He requried me to be nicotine free for 90 days, (he tested every 30) before doing the surgery. Other than deciding to do the surgery itself, it was the best decision ever made. I believe I had quit 10 days before I took my first nicotine test. They just did a urine test for me. Congrats on quitting so easily. It actually took me over a month to quit after meeting with my surgeon. I used Chantix. Good luck to you. The difference in quitting smoking is 100% better and then the surgery after that is even better. I feel amazing!!

I have Barretts from years of untreated GERD because I'm allergic to omeprazole and protonix is expensive if you don't have insurance. The only thing my surgeon said about the Barretts is I need to have a yearly endoscopy to watch for changes and I'll be on protonix the rest of my life. He said the damage is already done and the sleeve wouldn't make it worse if I ate healthy and took my medicine regularly.

When was your surgery? Have you been losing weight previously? Is this the first day you didn't lose weight? Is this a long term thing, like have you lost no weight in months? Too many unknowns to offer any suggestions or advice.

I have GERD and I'm allergic to omeprazole so there are very few meds I can take for it. I have actually had less trouble with it after my sleeve. Everyone is different but I think a lot of mine is I'm just eating healthier and certainly the smaller proportions helps.

I didn't have any size requirements on my Protein shake. The only restriction was it had to be 200 calories or less.

It varies depending on the food you are eating. Did your doctors office provide you with any paperwork that discusses what you can eat at this stage? I bet there is info in there about how much of what. And don't forget, the food isn't as important right now as your fluids.

On a somewhat related but mostly random side note, my NUT told me there is absolutely no reason to ever eat a banana again. She said the high sugar & carb content negated all the good stuff enough that it wasn't worth it. I never really cared for bananas in the first place so it's no biggie to my but now I will avoid them. Looked up the nutrition info, and it definitely doesn't rank on my list of foods worth eating. Back to the topic at hand....i would definitely suggest trying different Protein drinks. I can't stand the thicker drinks and definitely none with lactose, so I drink Isopure Zero carb with 40 g protein. They are clear and 20 oz to a bottle.

I bought the Aria scale and it has been worth every penny. It syncs with my fitbit app and myfitnesspal so I can always track my weight lost. It can also allow up to 8 users and it keeps everyone's info private so my husband can use it too and i can't see his weight and he can't see mine (we both know each others but it's nice to have this).

A lot of the reason you're not feeling the restriction yet is your nerve endings are still raw from surgery. They're going to be like this for a few weeks. That is why you are supposed to measure everything in the first few weeks. Because even if you don't feel it, you can damage your sleeve by eating too much or make yourself sick. Stick with your program to the letter. Even if you don't feel full, you are probably full. Measure your food and don't graze. Make sure you are chewing slowly. You are probably experiencing head hunger too. You brain thinks, "we usually eat more than this" and so you don't feel right only eating the small portion your measurement yields. If you are still having trouble, go ahead and call your doc's office or your NUT. No sense in waiting a whole month being miserable.

I agree. The ones I see the most are from newbies posting their questions multiple times. I haven't checked but as I'm typing this I'm starting to wonder if they are perhaps posting their question in multiple forums to make sure they get an answer?? Rant away, you are justified!

What I'm comfortable with and actually what is recommended by my NUT is 1000. My rules, at least 1 g Protein per 10 calories, no more than 3 g fat per 100 calories, and average 4-6 carbs/sugars per servings. If I don't get 1000 calories, I get hungry and I feel like crap enough that I can't work out. Actually, every single one of my stalls has happened when I missed my calorie goal and it always jump starts when I get enough calories and start exercising again. That's why the month of February has been so low on weight loss for me (and quite depressing too). I was either not getting enough calories, or just eating wrong in general. I'm back on track now. Even spent 30 mins on the elliptical yesterday which I could not have done on 800 calories. You need to figure out your happy medium. I personally wouldn't be eating an english muffin and I'm a little over 3 months out. I eat greek yogurt, lunch meat, hummus, cheese, grilled chicken, bacon, tuna salad, eggs, etc. All high protein foods and very very verrrrrry rarely do I eat anything starchy. Oh, I also drink one Isopure Zero Carb a day with 40 grams protein. If you traded the english muffin for something higher in protein, you'd feel fuller longer and be more comfortable with lower calories. Oh, and I know the Quest bars can be great (I eat them occasionally), but there are other ways to get that much protein without packing the 20 carbs they do. Good luck to you. I know everybody handles their diets differently and what works for me may not necessarily work for you.

My surgeon's office told me if I couldn't meet the recommended 64 oz then at a minimum I must get 48 oz. They said I wouldn't have any trouble as long as I got that.

My pre op was 5 days of Clear liquids except for 3 Protein shakes a day. So yes, I could drink broth all day long and the Protein Shakes were really my Meal Replacements but broth can be used for this too. Even post op when eating would wear me out during the early stages, I gave up on dinner and just went back to broth. Everyone's pre & post op diets are going to be different. The best source of information is going to be your surgeon's office. Good luck in preop and try not to get too hangry FYI - I also treated myself when I got too hangry by stopping at the hibachi place and ordering a quart of their clear soup during pre & post op. It was a nice break from regular broth. Oh, and chicken broth taste so much better if you add a beef bullion cube.

Many people have the same argument with themselves that you are having with yourself. Bottom line is this though....while there are plenty of risks associate with the surgery and things that might happen, very few of them are as bad or as likely as all the risks associated with being overweight. I didn't have any health problems either, other than being fat. But I was starting to feel it. Starting to feel the wear on my body and I started thinking about how I would feel in ten years. It was not a happy thought. You say you have two teenage sons, so presumably you may end up with grandkids one day. Consider how you physically feel now, add ten years. How do you think you will feel then if you don't make a change? We all tried many diets, and we ended up here because they didn't work or we didn't work for one reason or another. Taking this risk isn't selfish. It's a huge step to take to ensure you are there for your family in the future. as mentioned above, enjoy your research and make the decision that you feel is right. The risks associated with being overweight are far worse than the risks with the surgery. Diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, amputations from diabetes complications, etc. Good Luck on your journey. I hope you find the path that is right for you.