ShrinkingPeach

@betterliving- as for what to take to the hospital. Maybe your cell phone and charger, some take chapstick ( I did but never used it) I wore home what I wore there. Take a pillow for putting between you and the seatbelt for the ride home. Other than that I didn't need anything, I was done as an outpatient so I had no time for anything else. @sleeve- you have already done the hardest part in my opinion. Don't back out now. You will do amazing, just get to the other side! @Cognorati001- the headaches will get better, you are detoxing in way. Hang in there and make sure you are drinking plenty as it helps a lot!! I am absolutely a member of the "I wish I had done it sooner club" Good luck ladies!!

I also didn't have to do a pureed phase. My surgeon's office only does puree for RNY procedures. If you are sick of your shakes try dressing them up, add a tsp of sf pudding mix or sf torani syrups or PB2. Sometimes just changing the flavor helps. I do one that I love that is like a starbucks frappuchino, I use 8 ounces unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop vailla Protein powder, a tbsp. of sf torani caramel syrup and a squirt of Folgers latte drops (just like Mio but coffee) blens with ice and voila! Makes a 24 ounce shake and has only around 150 calories and the Protein Powder I use is 27 g protein. Good luck!

Could be the hernia repair but could also be gas. Walk as much as you can and if you can, take Gas-x.

I take chewables from Bariatric Advantage. A Multivitamin with Iron, sublingual B-12 and chewable Calcium citrate.

The diet required by my surgeon's office was 2 weeks but I had researched the surgery and knew what I would be expected to eat after. My consult was on January 29th of this year and 2 weeks before I decided to go ahead and switch to a higher Protein lower carb way of eating. I had made my mind up that I wanted the sleeve and would do whatever I had to do to get it. I lost 34 pounds before my pre-op visit and have lost 33 pounds since surgery on May 15th. I am glad I made that change as the pre-op diet went smoothly and the whole change has been less of a shock. I didn't do the food funeral that so many do. I didn't cheat on my pre-op plan or my plan now. This is it...my chance to lose the weight and I am trying my best to take it. I expect to be human and I expect to make mistakes...I took one too many bites 3 weeks post-op and paid for it with severe stomach pains for about 15 minutes, won't do that again. The statistics say that one can expect to lose 80% of their excess weight with the sleeve. With what I lost prior to surgery and what I lost so far after, I have lost 34%. I want to be on the high side of that average. @@ssflbelle add me if you like. I will always be honest but nice about it. I will say to you both, take your measurements now. There will be times when you don't see the scale moving but the inches will still be coming off. I am so glad I took mine at the beginning so I can see it on paper and not just in my clothes. I have lost 43.5 inches so far...it is incredible and humbling all at once. I just took my measurements today and compared to June 5th I had lost 13 inches. Good luck to you both and message me any time!

Welcome and good luck with your upcoming surgery. I had to do a 2 week pre-op diet and did fine. I was resolved to make this a success story and decided I could do anything for 2 weeks. I was also excited to lose a bit on the diet so that was a win! My only advice is to watch who you take advice from. You will see everyone's plan on here is different from all the different surgeons and nutritionists. Follow your own surgeon/nutritionist plan. It will work, they have lots of experience at this. Stick to your plan and you WILL make it. When it gets tough, think about why you are doing this, for yourself and your kids. The first few days after surgery can be trying. Hang in there and drink as much as you can, it gets better every day. Every day gets better and soon you will be sailing along amazed at how you feel and almost forgetting what a radical surgery you had, so don't forget to get rest for healing. Good luck and wishing you a smooth surgery! You can do this!!!

I don't have UHC but if you know the requirements of your plan and you can meet them then you should have no issue. Good luck!

I don't remember exactly but it was high. It runs high and I was of course a bit anxious. They did have me take my hbp med the night before surgery. They still did my surgery. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids, it helps. Good luck!

Congrats!!

You mention your carb and calorie limits but didn't mention if you are hitting your Protein goal and hitting it first. You must get your fluids in, I notice I don't lose if I am not drinking enough. Good luck!

Almost 8 weeks out here and every holiday is different so far. Surgery May 15th so on soft foods Memorial Day. Regular foods today but no bread, Pasta, rice, etc makes it a challenge. I just remind myself I am grateful for the surgery and the changes to my life. I don'[t think July 4th will be as big a challenge as Thanksgiving and Christmas, will have to see. I agree to stay away from the pics that are just reminders and next year will be easier. Next year you will be close to or at your goal weight, how amazing will that be? That will be a whole new reason to Celebrate YOUR independence! Good luck!!

That could be any number of things. When I did my 2 week pre-op diet I was losing weight and as I understand it, hormones get released from the fat cells and can swing your moods. Also at the same time, not eating all the bad things I used to eat, I was in a sort of mourning for the foods and eating I would no longer do. I knew I had made a decision to get healthy and change my eating habits and I had done so for the 5 months prior to surgery but I guess it was the reality of I would never again b able to eat the way I did before. I don't know if that makes sense because I was committed to this new lifestyle but something about those 2 weeks shook me up. I stayed on track but as the two weeks went on, I lost the desire to eat even the free foods I was allowed. I ate every 2 hours as instructed but no joy. I will say it helped me to begin developing a new relationship with food. It really is true I should eat to live and not live to eat. Since I have been overweight my whole life that was a hard lesson learned. Now I am almost 8 weeks out and can eat anything. I look at this as an amazing tool s it really helps me to decide what I want to eat. I only have an opportunity to eat 3/4 cup of food so it has to be good for me to feed my body not just my head. Good luck to you on this journey. You will find it is not just about the food but about your head. The surgery may help our stomach but the head needs work also. I wish you the best and know you will do great. Once you get to the other side and back to regular foods you will see why you did this. You will Celebrate every milestone and success and be glad you did.

First and foremost, seek advice from your doctors office. Second, Pasta is not a good idea and can cause problems in your new tummy. What kind of meat are we talking about? You are only 4 weeks out...what is your surgeon's meal plan and are you following it? At 4 weeks out I was still on soft foods. Soft meats and cooked veggies. Regardless of what stage you are in, you must make it a priority to drink. I know you said you are hungry every two hours but sometimes that is the body telling us it is thirsty. How much Fluid are you getting in daily?

I don't have any personal experience with the issue you are having but I will say this. I know athletes who train and put a lot of duress on their bodies stop menstruating for a time. It stands to reason the rapid changes your body has gone through would do the same. If your doctor sees no cause for alarm, I would be patient and give it a few months for your body to reset. If after a few months you see no change, then you can pursue other advice. Maybe also a call to your GYN for some feedback? Maybe they have seen this before. If they can help it will put your mind at ease. I think we lose the weight so quickly that it makes our entire body freak out a bit. Just as there were stalls along the way, I think your body is resetting and catching up. Hope you get the answers you want and good luck!!

My nutritionist had Tricuits and wheat thins on the list for soft food phase. They break down differently than regular crackers. I tried the 100% whole grain wheat thins and they were great, had great flavor and are very small. A serving size is 15 crackers but I usually eat them with a tsp of Peanut Butter so I only eat 7. For me I do want to stay away from breads and Pasta but the crunch of these crackers is very satisfying.

Agree with @Bufflehead. A serving for you will be small anyway. You should be fine. Glad you found some!!

My nutritionist says caffeine dehydrates. She didn't say we couldn't have it but she said not to count it in our fluids for the day. I quit caffeine many years ago so that was okay by me. As always I would follow the advice of my own surgeon/nutritionist!

Kitchen scale, I even got a travel pocket size scale for travel A blender, one that crushes ice I got Bento Boxes from Walmart for small portioned lunches for work A lunch bag and blue ice I got the veggie spiralizer but so far can't eat much to use it lol A good bathroom scale if you don't already have one A measuring tape, take your measurements to see progress even when the scale isn't moving Lastly, a couple good Water bottles so you always have water handy

Congrats on your success so far. I also have had to forge a new relationship with food. I knew my life was revolving around it in many ways (dinner with friends, dinner out period, Snacks, junk food) but this decision really pointed that out. I like the new relationship my sleeve forces me to have and I am coming to respect that I need to eat like a skinny person. Good luck on your journey to health! You will be amazing!

I try to be patient but the repeat questions over "when can I do all the things that I am told not to?" or "when can I go back to eating anything and everything?" Those get me and drive me insane. Also not gonna mention any names but the post I see every week that says something to the effect of "I walk 2-3 miles a day and only eat 500 calories but I don't lose" What a lie, not even possible. I look at my husband and read them to him and he says "walk away" but it is like a train wreck and I have to look lmao

Way to go!! Congrats on your success so far! Keep up the good work! I bet you feel amazing!

Everyone heals differently, so hard to tell. I didn't have any issues but I have heard of some having continual issues after surgery. For most it seems to be around the 4-6 week mark when significant improvement happens. Hang in there and it WILL get better every day until you suddenly look around and it is all better. This too will pass, Good luck!!

8 weeks post op here and I average about 750 a day, sometimes less. That seems high to me too. I could not have eaten that many calories and stayed high Protein at that point. I agree that @@VSGAnn2014 sounds perfect.

Ball game and fireworks after. Hoping it doesn't rain lol. Have a wonderful 4th with your family!