Proud2BMe

You can get a second opinion if you like. However, I'm kind of concerned about you stating you can't lose 50 lbs in 6 months. I hope you aren't looking for a miracle cure because if you don't eat healthy then you will regain the weight, even after having the surgery. Many patients are required to do pre-op diets for about 2 weeks. Most people on them lose a great deal of weight. I lost 25 lbs on my 2 week pre-op diet and I've heard of other people losing 30 lbs on theirs. So yes, you can easily lose that much weight in a 6 month period.

Most doctors are moving away from bypass because sleeve produces nearly the same results but with less risks of complications. However, you need to decide what is right for you. I would research both and find out what would be best for me.

Is it just me or does anyone else have the sneaky suspicion that the doctor is making excuses in order to give the patients sleeve gastrectomies instead of bypass? It seems like every case now he goes in saying that he had to do a sleeve because they were too big or what not.

I'm dreading plastics. The sleeve surgery was a breeze but it's plastics that will be the real major surgery. My excess skin is just now starting to show on my belly. It's gross. My thighs are getting floppy as well. My butt is gross. My back and arms are good though, which I guess is a plus. I'm just really paranoid that I'll come out looking like Frankenstein's monster with all the scars. It would suck if even after surgery I still was not able to take my shirt off to go swimming or do normal guy stuff.

Have you tried the Body Fortress chocolate Protein powder from Walmart? I love it. Chocolate is the only flavor I can stand. eggs and nuts are good sources of protein.

Hopefully it's just acid reflux. Keep us updated.

Pain in conjunction with fever cold indicate a serious complication. Please call your doctor immediately. I'm so surprised by just how soon people progress with food. I personally think people are rushing things with trying to eat foods when they aren't properly healed yet.

It's usually patients whose weight is considered too risky for surgery that are required to lose a specific amount of weight. Also, some surgeons won't operate if the patient is larger than 400 lbs as they claim that the instruments aren't big enough for such people. I know in my area I checked and was told that I still qualified as I was 370 but if I gained weight and broke 400 that he wouldn't take me on as a patient. However, I ended up going to Tijuana even though I didn't gain anymore weight.

If nobody has suggested them yet, nuts, especially peanuts. They are great. I know I have a problem resisting them.

Sleeves are "sized" by using what is called a bougie which comes in different sizes. Most doctors shy away from using a smaller bougie because they are associated with greater risks of complications.

I was sleeved in Tijuana last May. I stayed at the Grand Hotel. It was great. As others have pointed out, it's just like being in the U.S. There are so many fast food restaurants that it does make you chuckle. The only difference I noticed was that a Dominoes pizza restaurant had it's drivers ride bikes. Going to Tijuana for the sleeve is perfectly okay. You will be fine.

Usually no food. Although my doctor allowed lean meat on a bed of greens for dinner for the first week. The second week was all liquids. Feeling irritable and dizzy are normal side-effects. They go away after a few days. You are basically in carb withdrawal. If you eat carbs now you will defeat the purpose.

The boyfriend of my friend's mom may be thinking of getting the sleeve. The problem is that he is vegetarian and nearly all of his food is carbs. My biggest fear for him is not being successful because of his inability to replace carbs with Protein. Are there any vegetarians and/or vegans here who have had success with the sleeve? If so, how do you manage to make the switch and how difficult has it been for you?

You are still in the obese category with your BMI of 37. Plus your co-morbidities would imply that the sleeve may be good for you. I had a great experience and the sleeve saved my life, as far as I'm concerned. I would do it again in a heart beat.

Thank you. Merry Christmas to you as well.

OMG, not not normal. Yes, check with doctor and fast.

Losing weight will always be harder the closer you come to your goal weight. Just looking at your BMI tells me that you are just barely overweight and are almost normal weight. So you will have to struggle to lose the remaining pounds. Don't worry. It's something we all have to face. Just know that you have come a very far way and even if you dont lose another pound you are still a great success. It's okay to treat yourself. Remember the motto: "Everything In Moderation". You can treat yourself from time to time. Just make sure it's not an everyday thing and that you aren't over-indulging when you do treat yourself. Now you should feel no guilt at all about eating normal, healthy food. If this trend continues of feeling that all food is bad then I really think you should talk to a professional. Because if not checked this could turn into an eating disorder. Your dizziness may be from not eating enough calories. It's normal to experience it during the pre-op diet and on the liquid diet but after a year this could indicate that you are not eating enough. Not eating enough calories will actually slow your metabolism down.

Stalls and weight gains are not the same thing. Stalls mean no movement, no weight loss. I don't think I know it all. Far from it. However, when someone makes a post about gaining weight it's only natural for someone to bring up the topic of possibly eating too many carbs. Because that does happen. It may not be apt for this situation and that's okay. But it's a perfectly reasonable response. I'm not sure why people interpreted my post so negatively. It definitely was never meant as such and I would never attack or dump on a fellow sleever or even a person thinking of getting the sleeve.

Since I was self-pay I think I pretty much knew this was what I wanted. I didn't regret anything. I consider the sleeve and quitting smoking to be my two best decisions that I have ever made. I feel reborn.

Congrats! We are actually quite similar. We have the same goal weight and we both started around the same beginning weight. I was 10 lbs heavier than you though. I don't think I'll be at goal as fast as you got to goal though. Thanks for sharing. It's encouraging and will help spur me along in my own weight loss.

You are trying to argue against opinions when the article itself is an opinion. You are not the be-all of Bariatric advice. As we are all (former) fat people we should all know the ability we have to deceive ourselves as to what we are consuming and the quantity thereof. I'm not laying into this poster at all nor am I throwing blame on her. I am just stating that if the problem is weight gain then too many carbs may be to blame. It may not be. So what? You are not an expert anymore than I am. Opinions are opinions and nobody here should be claiming there's is fact while someone's else is mere opinion. They are ALL opinions. So back up and take some time to think before going on the attack.

@@Proud2BMe It is wrong that you assume I am sitting around eating crap. The only carbs I have eaten in the last week have been a Tablespoon of banana apple puree and 1 melon ball of honeydew, besides the carbohydrates that are in veggie broth, spinach, tofu, and other veggies (which are very minimal). I have been religiously logging my food and measuring for every meal. Fruit based carbs are the only high carb food in my home (and raw seed crackers that I can't eat at this point). That is the reason I am worried about the weight gain. When I came on this forum expected for people to be helpful and uplifting, but reading your comments is disheartening and very negative. Side note: After consulting with my doctor he said the culprit is constipation and Water retention. **************************************** I never said you ate crap and I do not appreciate your implying such. I have not once been negative to you. It's only naturally to bring up the subject of ingesting too many carbs on posts where people are complaining of weight gain. FYI: Fruit based carbs are no different from other carbs. Just so you know. The sugar in some fruits can be on the same level as candy and fruit juices are worse, about the same as drinking a regular soda. I'm not saying you can't eat fruit or anything like that, just keep that in mind.

With all due respect, no. Just...no. Gaining weight this early out is COMPLETELY normal. It's not possible to gain 6 pounds of fat by overeating as early out as she is. You could be eating McDonald's shakes at this stage with chocolate chip Cookies and still lose weight. You are dead wrong. It's part of the 3 week stall. She is just one of the lucky ones that gains while the body adjusts. She will start losing weight again once it passes. You just stay the course and let your body do its thing. Don't get discouraged! You're doing great! i completely disagree with your statements. You are entitled to your opinion but the surgery itself does not cause fat to melt. It's the severe restriction of calories. The truth is the scale doesn't lie but we can lie to ourselves. It takes like 3,000 extra calories to gain a pound (not including Water weight). So if someone is gaining weight they must be sneaking in extra calories and most likely through carbs. The poster in question has admitted she is a vegan and on top of that is not even able to eat vegan Protein. So I'm guessing her diet is mostly carbs at this stage. These are my opinions, of course, take them or leave them as anyone seems fit. The flaw in your logic is that you aren't accounting for water weight. We are advised to drink a minimum of 64 oz. of water a day. That's four POUNDS of water a day. Retaining any amount of that can cause large fluctuations on the scale that have nothing to do with calories or gaining fat. To gain 6 pounds of actual fat, the original poster would have had to ingest 21000 EXCESS calories in 4 days (PS: it takes 3500 excess calories to gain a pound, not 3000 as you said in your post). That's an average of over 5200 EXTRA calories a day at only a week post op. I don't know about you, but I was struggling to get in over 400 calories a day at 7 days post-op. There is no way the original poster is physically capable of consuming something like 7000 calories a day this early out. Unless she's hooked up to a milk shake IV or something. This is clearly her body responding to the trauma of surgery and retaining water. No, I actually addressed water weight. Drinking 4 lbs of water a day is nothing because most of it goes right out. Hint: You know you are fully hydrated when your urine is clear. I know what you are trying to communicate and I fully know about stalls as well. It's just that a stall means no movement, not regain. If the poster had edema or heart and circulation issues then this may factor in to the excess water weight. However, the poster has already admitted to her diet habits. In the long run 6 lbs is no big deal. However, if it is from consuming too much then it's better to catch it at the beginning.

With all due respect, no. Just...no. Gaining weight this early out is COMPLETELY normal. It's not possible to gain 6 pounds of fat by overeating as early out as she is. You could be eating McDonald's shakes at this stage with chocolate chip Cookies and still lose weight. You are dead wrong. It's part of the 3 week stall. She is just one of the lucky ones that gains while the body adjusts. She will start losing weight again once it passes. You just stay the course and let your body do its thing. Don't get discouraged! You're doing great! i completely disagree with your statements. You are entitled to your opinion but the surgery itself does not cause fat to melt. It's the severe restriction of calories. The truth is the scale doesn't lie but we can lie to ourselves. It takes like 3,000 extra calories to gain a pound (not including Water weight). So if someone is gaining weight they must be sneaking in extra calories and most likely through carbs. The poster in question has admitted she is a vegan and on top of that is not even able to eat vegan Protein. So I'm guessing her diet is mostly carbs at this stage. These are my opinions, of course, take them or leave them as anyone seems fit.

I won't lie. I considered it. However, I've heard that unless you are super popular most people won't give much for such. Probably better to just save up money yourself.