alwaysvegas

I recommend taking off as much time as you can get. Recovery times vary alot as you'll read on here. I took off two weeks, which I felt was perfect for me. In addition to resting up, it allowed me enough time to get used to my new sleeve. I was still on liquids the entire time, but I did get a feel for how much I could drink and how often. I was afraid I'd want to snack with all the time off, but I really didn't. I was pretty much overjoyed at not feeling hunger. I spent quite a bit of time walking and napping. My energy was good, but I still burned out easily, which is understandable after major surgery. I also went clothes shopping for some clothes "down the road," which was really fun and also got my walking in at the mall. Best of luck to you!

LOL! That is a wonderful line! I quit smoking also. Strangely enough, the hardest lifestyle change I made was quitting the Diet Cokes. I craved that more than the ciggies, which is odd. I drank at least 2 liters a day. But now it's been over a year since I've had any. Can't say I miss it anymore. I do have an inkling for a ciggie at least once a day, but it's only a minor nag. Quitting smoking did teach me the difference between a physical craving and a mental one.

Contact your insurance directly. We all have insurance variations even from the same provider, so even if I had the same provider I may be covered and you might not. If covered, ask them to direct you to the requirements for surgical approval. Those will detail all the steps required to get approved...and there can be alot. Best of luck to you!

Your recovery gets better every day. The first few days can be rough. Just remember that it gets better and your life is changing for the better! Name your sleeve something. Frankensleeve is a popular choice! Best of luck in your recovery! Keep us posted!

Each of us has a different recovery rate, so you may or may not be up to presenting a week later.

Hmmm...I'd run through those wedding vows online and think about what you're getting into.

After surgery I was somewhat afraid to like food again. I was actually hoping that I'd be one of those sleeved people whose favorite foods made them sick just so I wouldn't have a desire for most foods. Buuuut, everything goes down just fine. But it worked out well. My all-things-tolerated sleeve turned out to be very positive because I was delighted to find that I very much still enjoy food and look forward to eating. I enjoy the taste and satisfaction out of a small amount of food much more than the large amounts I ate before surgery. I've never had a great relationship food, but I think we're reconciling our differences a bit.

Warmest congratulations on your new life! Welcome to the losers' bench! The right buttock pain is certainly a mystery. Did they give you the sedative injection there?

My surgeon cleared me for cardio after two weeks, but no heavy lifting until a month. Even then, I wouldn't take a chance with my new sleeve on any fast or Jerky Six Flags rides even a month out and if my doctor cleared me or not. That doesn't seem worth any sort of risk after a major surgery. Best of luck to you!

In many cases, you can simply cook the heaviest carbs (rice, Pasta, potatoes, etc.) separate from the protein/sauce. You can also try substituting things like cauliflower for potatoes, zucchini shreds for pasta, and so on. Cooking your own food from scratch makes this much easier as most prepackaged foods are loaded with carbs. Keep in mind that you will be eating such small portions to start with that you won't have room for more than the Protein for a few months anyway. So even if you make something like spaghetti with meatballs, you would just eat a few meatballs.You'll be on purees soon after surgery and you can make those with any protein and broth or a light sauce. Just remember that it's all about moderation, just as it was before surgery. So just think about being more restrictive on your diet until you get close to your goal weight then start adding back in carbs such as bread, pasta, etc. Try and find that balance that keeps you at a healthy weight. Best of luck to you!

I had quite a bit of constipation for the first 4-5 months because I was simply not eating very much other than Proteins. Straight up psyllium husk Fiber (no sugar/unflavored) works wonders. 3 teaspoons per day works wonders for most people. I actually gulp 1 tablespoon three times per day with Water, but not everyone can stomach that. Metamucil has quite a bit of sugar, unless you opt for the sugar free, which is orange flavored. You can also try Benefiber or any of the generic forms of powdered clear fiber, which you can add to any drink or food. As long as you're taking enough plenty of liquids, which you appear to be, fiber is your buddy.

Waiting is never easy when it's something we really want. Hang in there! Better to wait a bit then having a surgeon who rushes!! You won't be hungry for long.

Best of luck on your surgery! The anticipation was so exciting!

Anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks are the ranges I've heard. It will depend heavily on how backlogged the insurance company is and if all your surgeon's office has all their ducks in a row. Don't be afraid to give your insurance a call every day and check on the status. You insurance will give you a certain number of months to have the surgery if you're approved....like a six-month range (or at least my insurance was). So you can certainly plan the surgery around the wedding, assuming your surgeon has availability. My surgeon was booked for several months. Best of luck on your approval!

That's going to be your own personal choice whether this surgery is right for you. I lost about 50 lbs before surgery (stats below), but I'd lost that before. The sleeve is a tool for both weight loss and long-term healthy weight maintenance. Don't forget that they remove the part of the stomach that generates the hunger hormone, which I've found to be hugely beneficial. I see the sleeve as a long-term solution, but still requires my effort to make it happen. I can tell you that eating 4-5 oz meals as just as satisfying as eating 4 cups of food in one sitting and I'll never regret having the surgery. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you!

How lazy can you be? You should be running a marathon four days post-op! I'm joking, of course. You should walk if possible, but listen to your body. My surgeon's instructions were no lifting more than 10 lbs, which I followed. I did casual walking between 1-3 miles a day. I did nap almost every day and I'm not a napper. I did lots of mall-walking and clothes shoppin' for "down the road," which was totally fun! I didn't spend too much because I didn't know what my ultimate low weight would be. I was cleared for full cardio two weeks after surgery and full weights a month after surgery; however, I did not return to weights for about 2 months. Best of luck on your journey!

About 25 lbs! It was glorious and the pre-op was awesome on so many levels.

I was faithful to the pre-op diet, but cheated on my spouse. I'm kidding! I've never even been married. I guess that's why.

(See graph below! You can click the picture to make it larger. I also added as an attachment as some people seem to have trouble viewing picture.) Oodles of people have asked what the weight loss is like before/after surgery. I've been keeping track on MyFitnessPal for over a year. Unfortunately, I can only show up to one full year back. My starting weight is Dec 13/Jan 14 was 315lbs. I began changing my eating/exercise even before my first weight loss surgery consultation. My weight on my surgery date (July 28, 2014) was about 245lbs. I had lost about 50lbs before surgery (about 20 during the pre-op!) The weight loss after being sleeved is pretty darn rapid. I've been eating about 1,000 calories per day and exercising 3-5 times per week and burning (according to heart rate monitor) between 400-700 calories per workout. As you can see...stalls happen, they're normal, and they do end. I typically weigh myself once per week. I hit the dreaded three-week stall right at three weeks post-op and it lasted about a month. It sucked, but ended. I am now around 165lbs. That's about 140 lbs since I started my healthier lifestyle in mid-January 2014 and about 7 months since being sleeved. Best of luck to everyone on their journey.

As I was hoop-jumping through insurance/surgeon approval I saw value in the process (initial surgery seminar, monitored nutrition program, psych evaluation, endoscopy, EKG, PCP clearance, nutrition class, wellness class)...and I felt I took them all very seriously. Post-op I see the value of those hoops ten-fold. I can see nothing wrong with a process that: Educated me about the surgical options. Evaluated my eating/exercise program and advised on improvements. Evaluated my psychological readiness for a permanent life-changing procedure. Evaluated that I was a low-risk for surgical complications. Taught me which foods were healthy choices, food preparation techniques, coping skills, lifestyle changes. There are several others that will come to mind. And I get that when the goal is to get the sleeve we want to get to that goal. I did. I wanted to get the sleeve done ASAP, but I'm also grateful for the fantastic process that helped to ensure my success before, during, and after surgery. I understand what the original poster is saying. Why go through all this when I can do it myself? That would be fantastic if s/he can without the sleeve. If I thought I could be successful long-term without the sleeve, I never would have had it done. But I was 44 with pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, sever sleep apnea, and high cholesterol. My time was running out. Best of luck to everyone on their journeys...no matter which path you choose! Unless that path is to a fast food joint, then you need to check yourself.

This is such a great topic! Everyone has stated just what I was thinking as I read the original post. But my summary is: Becoming familiar with all phases of your surgeon's eating plan is essential for knowing which foods will be healthiest for each of us down the road. Learn to cook/prepare your own meals. Log food if it helps with your weight loss or keeps you on track. Otherwise, consider logging if you start gaining. Long winded response: I've read many posts on here from people who come out of surgery and don't have a clue what their eating plan should be. Of course, I can't know if their surgeon/nutritionist didn't provide enough information or the people just ignored it. There's so much good information on the internet that I find it really hard to believe that people couldn't find any information. I read through each phase (pre-op/post-op/purees/semi-solids, etc.) of my surgeon's plan so many times that I pretty much had it memorized. I understood the foods that were allowed on each phase and I was able to look up great meal ideas in advance. Also, if people don't know how to cook that's a huge problem. Most prepackaged food isn't going to be nearly as nutritious as from-scratch food. Most pre-packaged foods are loaded with carbs, fat, preservatives, and other chemicals I can't pronounce. Eating out...well...same problems...most carbs, fat, and sodium. The sleeve is a fantastic tool. I love that my hunger cravings are so much less than before and I love the feeling of fullness after about 4-4.5 oz of food. Everything else is on me, though. I knew that going into surgery. I knew what I had to do and did my best to plan for it. Many people may not need to plan as extensively as I did, but it seems that those who complain about not knowing what they should eat might invest some time in learning how to prepare healthy foods. That was true before surgery and it's true after.

Check out the topic I started with a graph I made of one year of weight loss. You will see that stalls are very common. There can be other reasons for long-term stalls (1+ months), but if you are following your surgeon/nutritionist's prescribed nutrition/exercise plan, then you weight loss should resume within a few weeks after the stall has started. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/335141-one-year-of-weight-loss-graphed/

I think by "out-of-pocket" you mean "self-pay" as opposed to the out-of-pocket required after insurance has paid. http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/gastric-sleeve-cost.html http://obesitycoverage.com/insurance-and-costs/how-much/average-cost-of-gastric-sleeve-surgery

Sorry to hear about your weight gain. It's a lifelong struggle for sure. What triggers you to eat? How do you think getting a second surgery is going to help with your head hunger?

That depends on your surgeon/nutritionist. What plan did they give you? My surgeon/nutrionists' plans are here: http://www.360bariatrics.com/360-process/bariatric-diets/