alwaysvegas

Best of luck on your surgery and a speedy recovery! Keep us updated!

Well done everyone on your pre-ops!! Aside from the liver shrinkage, it's hard now to see how important the pre-op is psychologically, but you will once you're on the other side and look back on it! So keep fighting the good fight! You're off to a fantastic start to your healthy lifestyle post-op!

I've been buying from netrition for years. I've bought much of what you have bought plus the sugar free davinci syrups that I use for coffee, shakes, and puddings. The flat $5 shipping is great for larger orders. I enjoyed Carbquik many times, but I don't completely trust all thins labeled "low carb." But in moderation, it certainly is delicious. A hint on cheese crisps...you can make them in your microwave in about 2 minutes. Sprinkle an ounce of shredded cheese on parchment paper (works best) and nuke for 1:00 to 2:30 minutes. It varies with the cheese (mozzarella browns very quickly). You can sprinkle the cheese before cooking with any spices that compliment it such as cumin/cilantro with cheddar or italian seasoning with mozzarella. You can also create the baked cheese in the oven: http://www.joyfulabode.com/low-carb-snacks-homemade-baked-cheese-crisps-recipe/

You might try the Isopure Protein drinks. They're not shakes, they're more like Gatorade. Many people loathed the taste, so just buy one to see. But each drink is 20 ounces and has 40 g of protein. I drank half in the morning and half in the afternoon to space out the protein. http://www.theisopurecompany.com/en/drinks Vitamin Shoppe and GNC both sell them. I liked all the flavors more or less. I wouldn't drink them now, but for pre-op/post-op liquids they were great.

I'm so sorry you have such a bad therapist with regards to bariatrics. I'm sure all of us here can lose the weight. But the sleeve also helps us with long-term success, which is where I'd venture to say that all of us have failed, which is why we're having/had the surgery. I do hope you find better support on your journey! You know we're here for ya! Best of luck!

I've been using them for six months. They've been great! I've had no problems with the OptiSource chewables. And I have about 8 boxes of protein shakes in the closet, so I'm stocked up for quite some time!

Many of us experience a plateau/stall near-ish three-weeks post op, though it can vary. It's very normal and your weight loss will resume. You body went through a major surgery and nutritional changes. Your body is adjusting. Hang in there and best of luck!

Double-post, sorry.

You're MUCH better off preparing your own meals with clean fresh Proteins and vegetables. Frozen meals are processed and loaded with carbs, salt, and preservatives. Rather than frozen meals, you'd get much better Protein from baked chicken breast, baked fish, cottage cheese, or turkey.

Hi and welcome! You can also check the Insurance and Financing forum for specific insurance information.

People's negative opinions aren't going to put back on the 140lbs I've lost. Their negative comments aren't going to make me re-suffer pre-diabetes, severe sleep apena, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. Those with the most negative opinions...well, the psychology of those folks is rather simple.

As everyone has said so well...you still have to do the work between your ears. The more lifestyle changes that you can make pre-op, the more habitual those changes are post-op. If you go in thinking the sleeve is going to do all the work, then you need to research people who have failed post-op and why. Eating sensible meals and exercise will work. Sitting around eating Cookies and milkshakes will not. That was true before surgery and that's still true after surgery. Best of luck on your journey!

I didn't have alot of emotions until I was just getting prepped for surgery, but before the happy shot that made the world sparkle. I just thought, "How did I come to this?" But I had done so much research about the surgery, been through so many consultations, nutritionist appointments, psych appointments. I knew what I was in for and why I was doing it then. Then the pre-surgery happy shot came and I was in happyland. But, seriously...The head-hunger is on me still post-op, but having the hunger hormone removed and the stomach capacity diminished have been life-changers. I can still eat wonderful foods, but now in reasonable amounts. Best of luck on your journey!

I was able to eat about 2-2.5 ounces of protein at a a time after about a month, but men's sleeves are generally a smidge big than women's. It also depended on the protein type. Chicken seemed to fill me up less quickly than turkey. Within 3 months I could comfortably eat 3-3.5 oz. Now at about 7 months out I can eat 4-5 oz comfortably.

I found that the Bariatric Advantage Vitamins made myself (and several people in my support group) feel nauseous. So after taking with food as @@Elode said, you can also try different brands and see if your frankensleeve doesn't grumble quite so much.

Non-scale victory! Congratulations!

I loved the happy shot they gave me before wheeling me into surgery. I asked for one of those to go. The anesthesia itself happens to fast that it's like a comedy. The last thing I heard was "Go ahead and deep breaths..." and I was in sleepy-sleepy land. The thought of the drain is worse than the drain itself. I was a bit freaked the first time they drained the drain (snicker) but then I got used to it. It's all for better health, so it was a minor thing to go through in the grand scheme of my life.

I'm just over seven months out and I am having more of a battle with my head hunger and with grazing than at the beginning. However, the battle is much easier than pre-op. I can't say I forget to eat like others do, but I can tell when I really do need to eat rather than just wanting to eat. I tend to eat something every 3 hours. My heating habits are still lower-fat/low-carb and about 4.5-5oz and 200 calories per meal. I usually eat 4-5 meals/snacks per day.

These are the pre-op and post-op liquid diets from my surgeon that I followed: http://www.360bariatrics.com/360tools/360BariatricDiets_Preoperative.pdf http://www.360bariatrics.com/360tools/360BariatricDiets_PhaseI.pdf

shakes, pudding, and liquids all went down easily just after surgery. I was easily drinking over 100 oz of liquids a day after the first week. I also thought something was wrong, like my sleeve was too big or it was leaking. But once I started on purees...HUGE difference. I felt fuller faster and stayed fuller longer. I found every phase to be increasingly satisfying and of course great for letting the sleeve heal. The phases are also great to become familiar with eating with a small tummy. The puree phase is where you will see what it's like if you "overdo" it a bit. Great learning curve there! Best of luck on your journey!

"3 week stall"...do a quick search. It's all over these message boards. Many of us hit that stall. Mine lasted a month. Very common and nothing to get distraught over. Your weight will fluctuate a bit throughout the week and the day, so you're only introducing anxiety by weighing yourself daily. Stick to the nutrition plan and exercise plan and the weight will start coming off again.

Unless that breaded mushroom was on your surgeon's pre-op, then you did slip. Yes, it was minor, but don't make excuses that it's okay because you got sick. The pre-op can be mentally rough and it sounds like you're looking for the group to say it's okay so you can eat a hot dog. No one can stop you from eating the hot dog but you. Eating the hot dog may or may not get your surgery canceled. So is the hot dog THAT important to you that you're willing to risk losing a surgery that could potentially save your life? And so you eat the hot dog and it doesn't cancel your surgery. So will eating a slice of cake be okay a few days post-op? Or maybe a slice of pizza two weeks post-op? You're giving in to your head hunger. Not an easy battle to win! I know the pre-op is tough, but the pre-op is crucial for shrinking your liver, and it's also a jump-start to your weight loss and to a healthier lifestyle that you will need to maintain post-op and for the rest of your life. Hang in there and don't give in to the cravings. You'll get through this and be on a great start to your new sleeved life!

On my ticker, though I'm not quite at a year yet...

That's great that you called your insurance! As a second step, I would get the surgery requirements in writing from the insurance company or ask them where it is online. Best of luck on your journey! Sounds like your insurance company is an easy one!

I had mine in for 2.5 days. She removed it in about 3 seconds. For me, the idea of having a drain in was much worse than having one in.