Proud2BMe

The surgery is not that bad. It just feels like you were punched or kicked in the stomach. Theoretically you could begin whenever you wanted or feel comfortable to. Ask your doctor.

You weren't mentally prepared for this journey. Did your insurance cover it? I bet if you self-payed you probably would have succeeded because it would have been something you would have had to actually work to save up and earn for. You can still recover. Go back on the pre-op diet so you can get over your carb withdrawals. Then focus on Protein first, followed by non-starchy vegetables. Go through and throw away all the junk food you have in the house.

LOL...That's how I feel! I'm officially at the same weight I weighed in High School and more importantly, I'm no longer in the obese category of BMI and am now merely overweight. I'm so freaking happy! I can't believe I've lost 151 lbs in 8 months. I just have 49 more pounds to go and then I'll be at goal. These past few days I keep remembering what is was like to be this small. Lots of good memories from my teenage years. I feel more alive and mischievous than ever! (I forgot what a huge flirt I was lol.) I will be eternally grateful for the gastric sleeve and for finding this place. The surgery truly is a life changer. If you are reading this and are considering having the surgeyr, do it! Don't be scared. Take the leap and change your life!

Where do you live? I'm just curious. I'm assuming in Europe but if not then was wondering why you decided to go to the Czech republic for surgery.

LOL And I'll be able to actually fit through it!

800-1200 a day. If you are concerned then talk to your doctor. However, your stomach will eventually heal and you will be able to eat more. In fact, 6 months out and you will probably be anxious about just how much you can eat.

I've noticed quite a few people are setting unrealistically low goals for themselves with regard to the sleeve. Ideally, one's goal weight needs to put them at a BMI under 25. The basic BMI breakdown is as follows: Under 18 BMI - Underweight 18-24 BMI - Normal weight 25-30 BMI - Overweight 30-39 BMI - Obesity 40+ BMI - Morbid Obesity Some people are posting that they've achieved their goal while still at a BMI that either means they are still overweight or even obese. It's their life and they can form whatever goal weight they want but it does sort of send the wrong message to people who assume that by goal weight that the person means they are in the normal weight category.

As another has asked, what exactly are you trying to eat? At three weeks you should be in the soft food stage at most and are not ready for normal food. You should embrace the restriction. That's the whole point of it. That's the sleeve doing it's job. As far as drinking, at this stage you have to take very small sips all day long. With time your stomach will heal. When it does you will be able to eat more and drink more. Did you do a pre-op diet?

Please don't bash the sleeve. For me and countless others, the sleeve has been a godsend. As far as your complaints go, if the doctor recommended a sleeve then either you are officially obese and have a BMI of around 40 or greater or you are below that, say 35 BMI but with co-morbidities. Doctors in the U.S. are really good at not recommending or even allowing the sleeve for patients that do not fit this criteria.

I had mine out at the same time as my sleeve. Back in 2002 I had a string of gallstone attacks and they were horrible. If felt like I was going to die. So I didn't want a repeat of that experience.

I don't currently have one. When I chose to go to Mexico I figured if there was anything major that went wrong that I could go to the ER. As far as blood work/labs, you can get that done practically anywhere. I had zero complications.

They test you for nicotine. I don't know how long nicotine stays in your body. I had my surgery in Mexico so I didn't have to jump through all these silly hoops. I don't smoke but I vape and I vaped up until the very day of surgery then resumed two days later.

Mine was $4,500, including a night at the Grand Hotel and 2 recovery night stays. I also paid $800 to have my gallbladder removed at the same time. I had to pay for 2 first class flights at around $1400 total and then brought $1,000 in spending money just in case. Altogether it was around $8,000, which is far cheaper than the $18,000 it would have cost if I paid for the surgery out of pocket in my state. I had dr. verboonen at Obesity Goodbye in Tijuana.

Have you thought about getting a bypass? I noticed that you said you could eat half a bagel. The problem is that bread is one of the no-no carb items we aren't supposed to be eating. How have you been in sticking to Protein? Do you think you are eating too many carbs? I'm 8 months out and have lost 148 lbs. I drink a Protein shake for Breakfast and lunch and then eat a lean meal for dinner. I avoid carbs, no bread, no potato, no Cereal, no fruits, mostly. I do eat carbs every now and then but nothing on a consistent basis. Exercise is a must. You have got to exercise.

Just order sides. A side of Beans and rice at Mexican restaurant. We go to the same restaurant all the time. I also will order a single tamale. Egg drop soup is great at Chinese restaurants. Even a side of fried rice would be okay. Rice is carbs but if you just eat it every now and then you will be fine.

1. Research surgeons and sites. Find one you feel comfortable with. 2. I'm a success story@ Lol. I was sleeved in Tijuana back in May and have lost 148 lbs so far. 3. Usually you will go home about 2 days after surgery. However, if you want to stay longer you can but will usually have to pay for any additional hotel stay. 4. Yes. Most places allow the patient to bring one guest. P.S. If he has his gall bladder you might talk to him about getting it removed at the same time to avoid gall stones down the line. I got my removed for just an additional $800 at the time of the sleeve. The only other advice I would recommend is to try to fly first class if possible. Try direct flights if available. Good Luck!

The pre-op diet is required by surgeons, not insurance, as has been pointed out here. The purpose is to shrink your liver. Your liver stores sugar in the form of glycogen. Whenever you diet or fast you actually burn this stored sugar in your liver first over a few days before you start to burn fat. Additionally, most morbidly obese people have what is called "fatty liver disease", in which fat begins to accumulate in the liver itself. The results are that the liver of a morbidly obese person are usually significantly larger than what is normal. The liver is extremely fragile and easily damaged. So for safety reasons and to minimize complications surgeons require pre-op diets designed to shrink the liver and make surgery easier for them. As an added plus it will give you a jump start on your weight loss and you will have the benefit of already being over your carb withdrawals prior to surgery. Additionally, those who do the pre-op diet tend to lose more weight than those who do not. It's not uncommon for a person to lose 20-25 lbs or more on a 2 week pre-op diet. I lost 25 lbs on mine. My pre-op diet was: Week 1 Water, sugar free Tea, Crystal Light, etc. All the chicken broth I wanted Sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles 2 Protein shakes a day (Breakfast and lunch) dinner was lean, unbreaded meat on a bed of greens Week 2 The same as week 1 except that dinner was replaced with a Protein shake. So 3 Protein Shakes (breakfast, lunch and dinner). I did not do one ounce of exercise and still lost 25 lbs. Be warned though. The first 3-4 days of your pre-op diet are hell. You will go through carb withdrawals. You will have a headache and be irritable. You will likely feel dizzy and feel like you are going to faint. So take it slow. After about the 4th or 5th day you will find that you feel back to normal as your body has cleared out all the carbs.

So I work with my sister. She actually picks me up and I ride with her to work. Yesterday on the way to work she says that she needs to talk to me about something. She said in that concerned tone of speech, "I'm concerned about your weight loss. I think you are losing too much weight. You are basically a stick. You are nothing but bones at this point and I feel you need to get help." I about died laughing! You see, I'm still 52 lbs overweight! I did lose 148 lbs from the sleeve so far and I'm still losing. However, my BMI still puts me in the obese range. Shortly I will move down to just the overweight range of BMI. I can't believe my sister actually said this to me. On one hand it's a great compliment. However, I'm now concerned that she may be a tad bit jealous of my progress. I'm actually concerned for her because she definitely needs the surgery but I'm afraid she won't save up enough money to get it via self-pay as she doesn't currently have insurance.

It's not that big of a deal at your stage. As long as you get your Protein requirement in then you will be fine. 800-1200 calories a day is the normal range for where you are at. When you heal more and can consume more then you can try things like nuts to give you a boost.

I'm literally laughing my a** off right now because I was just joking about this last night. I've lost enough weight that I can sit like a European man does, with his legs crossed. If I dared trying that before I would have broke my leg or dislocated my hip. In fact, the last time I tried doing it when I was huge my leg ended up going immediately to sleep and it took me a long time before I stopped walking funny. LOL

This is almost always caused by carbs, at least for me. If I allow myself to eat carbs then my hunger goes through the roof. However, if I go back to the pre-op diet for a few days my hunger goes back to be non-existent. This may be a warning sign for you to watch your carbs.

Yes but I don't think she understands BMI. She remembers what I looked like when I was at my goal weight back in 1997. So I don't understand why now she thinks I'm too skinny, 50+ lbs away from goal weight.

I have on multiple occasions but she is in denial, like many of us formerly were.

So let me tell you about my holiday experiences. I will admit that over the holidays I ate some bad stuff. I had a few Cookies, a couple of pieces of candy, a small glass of eggnog and booze. I'm not concerned over that stuff. What concerns me is something that I would have never dreamed possible. You see, I was given a fruitcake as a gag gift. I always hated fruitcake. The smell, let alone the taste, was usually enough to make me gag. This was not a full blown cake but the rectangular slices sold in Walmart. Anyway, I found myself opening up the package and taking a bite. To my shock I loved it! I kept eating until I couldn't eat anymore. I repeated this for 3 days until I finished the entire thing. What the hell is wrong with me? The only thing I can think of is that it's because of all the nuts. Has anyone else noticed any wild food taste/preference changes post sleeve? I know that before the sleeve I loved cream of mushroom Soup but now it just tastes like dirt to me.

Your situation is very common for married women who want weight loss surgery. It could be your husband is either very insecure and is paranoid that he loose you after you lose the weight. It could also be that he has a fetish for large women. Or he may simply be ignorant and may fear that you will die in surgery. I would recommend couples counseling. However, if you are truly dedicated to the surgery you may need to prepare yourself that you might have to divorce your husband if continues to try to sabotage you doing what is best for you life, health and happiness.