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I'm a dude who didn't care for yogurt. It's something I sidestepped and reached for other unhealthy garbage. Once I entered the diet prior to the pre-op liquid diet, I gave Greek yogurt a try due to it's higher Protein content. I'm a big football fan and had seen Cam Newton's Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt commercials and figured I'd give it a go. I was very impressed with the flavor and thought it was great. Every flavor was really to my liking. I gave other brands of Greek yogurt a try and never found one I liked as much as the Oikos Triple Zero. None were as healthy, either. Give it try if you don't get dialed in on another brand. I'm 7 days post-op, 3rd week of liquids with a few more weeks of liquids to go. I am very much looking forward to the days ahead when I can have my Greek yogurt. It's going to be awesome..

Made a video about you ? F*%K that B!#*h. No way, shape, or form that can be legal. Sorry, I have no advice, but that blows. You should get a free pass on pimp-slapping that worthless piece of crap for as many times as you'd like. Manipulative, petty, low-class heifer. I'm very sorry you had to be subjected to such a spineless piece of garbage.

I can't tell you how much better my knee feels now that she's been laying on it for a while. Therapy dog in so many ways. She's seen me through three surgeries and I've seen her through two of her own. I've been close to all of our dogs......but this one is really special. I hope she lives a long and healthy life. I just leave the pillow across my abdomen and all is well. My first day home she jumped up in the recliner and stood there looking at me. I pulled my shirt up and showed her the new holes....she leaned in....leaned back.....looked up at me and raised her front left paw and dropped her head down. She's stayed off my abdomen ever since. I keep the pillow there to safeguard against the younger dog....she's wide open and full of adventure and wouldn't know any better. Plus.......that pillow feels great as it's warm and provides slight pressure.

I'm mighty tempted to buy one of these things: http://direct.ninjakitchen.com/products/ninja-coffee-bar-cf080/12/cpc/ogxiv/?&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=CF080W_ogxiv

You said a mouthful right there ! I said the very same things, yet there I was....addicted and having to quit. Cigarettes are hugely addictive but just like OKCPirate said.....after a while the desire goes away. I quit several years ago, but were I quitting now.....I'd pursue the vaping thing. I've known some guys at work who quit this was recently with great success. I wish you the best.

I'm truly sorry for your gas pain.....but reading the unedited version had me hurting from laughing. 6 days out, here, and laughing is not fun......but damn that was funny. Laughing may work the gas loose, too. I don't know. Last week when I had my VSG they had me walking within 3 hours as a safeguard towards warding up this stuff. I really feel for you and hope that you can get some relief swiftly.

It's normal to be antsy. I know I sure was. You say it's getting real now. Think back to when you made the decision to have surgery.....remember your rationale then...your motivations. It'll bring things into focus. One thing that made the jitters more for me on this surgery, was that it was the first elective surgery, other than a vasectomy, that I've had. All the rest were to repair stuff I'd torn up through one some misadventure. This one, however, was of my own choice. For some reason this kept me churning until I thought through it all over again and connected back to the "why" I chose to do this. I wish you the best. This surgery, by the way.....has been as easy for me to recover from as the vasectomy I dreaded and delayed on for years.

Wow. I was unaware they had made changes other than adding new flavors. How long ago was this ?

The surgery is a paradigm shift for many of us, I suppose. My passion to grill and cook for my family is still very strong. There is just a much improved menu that I'll be working with. My Grandfathers were both very lean and athletic men. I suspect that their gin & whiskey must have cut through the artery killing stuff my Grandmas cooked. ???? I'm grateful that my generation knows better and I'm really proud my son is lean and healthy. My nephew and my three nieces are each very active, involved in sports and dance and each like my son.....lean and trim. I know they each were never introduced to the Kool Aid monster or Capri Suns or any more of that garbage. No sugar Water. They all grew up eating and drinking healthy stuff and make their own choices. I feel really good about them in terms of healthy weight and healthy lungs.

@@ssflbelle thank you very much. You have come so very far. Clearly you are a determined soul with a winning spirit. I'm glad to have met you here. I am really looking forward to seeing you reach your goals. I know its not a matter of "IF", but simply a matter of "WHEN". You are going walk through every step like a champ. @Blairwithme we are all thinking about you with prayers sent for your success today.

I just had my sleeve on the 13th and heck yes had bad leg pain. The only other pain was the gas they use to expand the abdomen that cause the worst pain I have ever had. I'm going to ask my doc in my appointment this morning what he did to keep me from having gas pain. I'll report back what I find out. It never presented itself. I have no idea how he worked that magic but I do remember a ladies voice with her hand on my shoulder saying "You are going to feel good, Dr Glass was very careful to get out all the gas." while I was in the haze of the recovery room. He told me the first thing he did was perform the sleeve operation and then he went to the umbilical hernia repair. I wonder if the gas was voided during this step somehow. As far as the leg pain.....it cleared up in just a couple days. It was inner thigh region and what I'd classify as heavy soreness. The only cramping or near-cramping that I experienced thus far were both calves. They felt really tight and on the verge of cramping. Again this was something I experienced the first two-three days. The past three days have seen my water intake over 3 times the minimum recommended amount. I think this improved hydration was the key for solving the calf cramps. He told me just prior to being discharged from the hospital that proper hydration and getting my 3 shakes in would solve many, if not all, the complications I may encounter. He was spot on. I really wish there would have been a way that I could have improved my fitness level prior to this surgery. Daily time on the elliptical the month prior to the surgery would have most certainly made the rebound afterwards even easier. I'm trying to rectify that now and not lest rust set in while I sit around. We are blessed with some beautiful weather this week (just cold to this Southern guy). I plan on walking some laps around the neighborhood every day. Now it's all about getting in the best shape I can over the next two weeks so that my return to work goes smooth. I've been getting calls and texts and know it's piling up on me there, but it's just going to have to pile up. I'm very grateful.

I am in no way complaining here nor do I worry about something being wrong. I'd been warned about this happening. I just find the phenomenon to be interesting. I weighed this morning, my 3rd day after surgery. The scales read 6 pounds higher than on the morning of my surgery. I've been getting 2-3 Protein shakes plus 60-120 ounces of Water down each day. I'm trying to get my water intake elevated today (40 ounces already at 7:00am) as well have more mobility than yesterday. I'm sure once my body adjusts and the abdominal swelling goes down so will my weight. Do you remember how much, if any, that you picked up from the surgery? How long before you body flushed the fluids out ? I'm guessing that at some point during his coming weekend I'll have that breakthrough and see a big drop on the scale.

Ask yourself how bad you really want this surgery? Ask yourself why losing weight is important to you? Ask yourself if you understand the pre-op diet is for your safety. Compromising it can be dangerous. You are about to have significant internal surgery. Do I really want to jeopardize it ? Ask yourself if you are truly ready ? You've got this. Through all the candy in the trash to avoid temptation. The rest of the family will just have to understand.

Sorry for her harsh reply. You clearly have a lot of hurdles that you've been jumping over. I guess what you caught was the venom that comes from being asked all sorts of "why can't I have pancakes and ice cream" so freaking often. You didn't deserve that, but you've got your eye on the prize and will be benefitting on your own very soon.

You went through the wringer it sounds like......but you made it !!!!!! We had the same surgery date. Cool. I'll bet you'll give your very best after having to go through so much to get the surgery and then have the extended hospital stay. The Diva will return.

Poor choice of words on my part. I truly love my dogs. They've brought a great deal of pleasure to every member of the family and are great pals. They wouldn't have known any better and it would have been 100% my fault. That being said, it's been easy to take precautions for small dogs. A large cat that can jump........that scares me as sore as I am now. That's why I suggested a crate for those times when your guard is down and you are resting.

Man, that is awesome. It sure is mighty refreshing to read posts like yours where you aren't asking when you can have pizza, doughnuts and Twinkies....... So refreshing to read about you passion for exercise. There is no doubt that you will kill it !!!!!!! Keep posting on your progress. Great motivation for the rest of us.

I have two dogs that I love dearly. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for those two dogs. That being said, I would have choked the life out of either/both had they jumped on my abdominal area during recovery. Sad, because it would have been my own stupid fault they had access to my anyway. I've simply ensured they were on the floor or safety situated. Most of the time when seated or laying down I've had a body pillow over my abdomen. A crate may be a wise investment during your healing up time.

Different bariatric centers, different surgeons and most importantly different patient circumstances. Stick to your surgeon's plan and you won't get barked at by them. Go in there and tell them that you deviated to something you saw on the internet........and you'll see their blood pressure rise.

Most of them have a ramp feature that will start out at a low level and over the next 20 minutes will reach full force and stay there. The difference with and "auto" machine as I understand it is that there isn't a preset max. It fluctuates as needed. My two machines have pre-set maxes that I can't tamper with. As I grew older additional sleep test showed I needed a stronger machine. I want to get a new "auto" machine so I can be done with the aggravating sleep studies and it can fluctuate down as my weight drops.

Thank you. My spelling sucks and spellcheck software seemed to be toggled off when I typed the above post. I'm not kidding about the local food. South Carolina has it all and they pride themselves in killing you one bite at a time. No offense South Carolinians, please. I only poke at you. I mainly grew up in North Carolina and now live in Georgia. At least I didn't get started on 'nanna puddin'. Kool aid didn't kill me as a kid........all my favorite foods didn't kill me as an adult........I was fortunate. Maybe there's hope for me yet.

Outstanding !!!! I'm going to schedule a visit with my regular doctor soon and see about getting a new sleep study scheduled and getting an updated auto machine. I snored horribly since my childhood so I'm under no illusions that I'll be able to give it up in a few months.

Keep focused on the progress. The truth of it for me was the food no longer tasted good nor was enjoyable when I was grossly overeating. Maybe it's just lost it's importance for you. I mean, you need it to live......but you it doesn't have to be something that you hope to get great enjoyment from. Sure, some is good. Some is great. And some is bad. I'll bet your tastes are in a state of change and you'll get dialed in to what is both tasty and healthy really soon.

I can say one thing.......you live in a tough area. I, too, live in this tough area. I'm a two hour drive from almost anywhere in the state of South Carolina. Why is it tough ? Because South Carolina has the best tasting food in the world. Hands down, no kidding, real deal best tasting food I've ever had. Best tasting.....but not best-for-us. Everything that Paula Dean used to cook.....South Carolina's got all that and more and more and more. The good news is that there ARE healthy versions of the state's classics. Paula's son wrote a book, titled something like, "From Momma's Kitchen to Mine" or close to it. He takes her artery clogging recipes and rewrites them in a much lower calorie, healthier way and retains great flavor. Sweat tea. Good Lord.....sweet tea. Who in the heck thought to add 19 cups of sugar to a gallon of tea ?????? Local folks, that's who. That stuff is good as heck, too. I haven't been able to drink it or regular soft drinks for years and years, thankfully. Once I switched over to Splenda & Stevia there is no way I can handle that sugar poison. Even the cocktails down here are highly caloric. It's like they take a sugary child's drink and then spike it with the most sugary based alcohol. Fortunately there are tons of ways you can enjoy a cocktail or two down in due time that don't involve sugary poison. Our age old family recipes......another source of death. There isn't a single older family recipe that I grew up with that is healthy. Even the Soup is death in bowl. I'm grateful that my parents adopted very healthy eating and will be here much longer as a result. The Grandmother's and Aunt's recipes, though......taste great....but you'll die young eating them. Golden Corrals and the like are on every corner. All you can eat death. Now they advertise to-go boxes. What the hell ? All you can eat garbage....with a to-go box thrown in. Our only decision is burial or cremation. For me it was getting to be an easy choice. My prospective pallbearers were all going...."No way, bro. We can't carry yo big arse". "Those freaks that go to the gym". That is how a close family member described a couple of their friends who'd become health conscious. "Freaks" they became. Sadly, it is true. Not many folks in my family and only one in my wife's entire family go to a gym with any regularity. It's the norm among many families around here. Why go to the gym when we can stay at home and have sweet tea ? Bojangles. The folks around this site that don't already know about Bojangles have a distinct advantage to the weight loss game. I know for a fact that I've gained hundreds of pounds in my lifetime from the fuel I"ve chosen to eat form Bojangles. Lawd it was like fried crack rock. So good you wanted to slap yo mamma. Home made ice cream. I don't know if this is a Southern thing or not....but it seams that way. Somehow my dear Grandfather could take something wholesome like peaches or blueberries......and turn them into a semi-frozen treat that was loaded with sugar and fat. It was so good that my cousins and I would sit there an drool while we spelled him cranking the handle on the ice cream maker. Drooling like the little addicts we were. Fried chicken. My Grandmother could fry chicken that would have me eating the bones and all it was so damn good. I can still remember seeing her adding salt into the batter bag......... Homemade pickles. My Grandfather used to make watermelon rind pickles that folks begged for all year long. "When are you going to make another batch, J.D. ?". No kid should like pickles as much as I did. It's because he loaded them with sugar. Seafood. Only around here can we take an inherently healthy food and go screw it up in the name of flavor. Broiled grouper is great......but fried grouper is something else entirely. Flavor for days. her battered catfish.....oh yeah....almost every week. Shrimp 'n grits...........death, death, double death. I"m sure every region has it's share of culinary pitfalls....I'm just familiar with the local versions. Way too familiar Guess what ? All that above are the sins of other people and don't have to be ours. We can have fun through other means than poisoning ourselves just because our ancestors and locale restauranteurs want us to. There is a new theme that is going on in restaurants......virtually every local one, too.....a healthy theme. Bariatric friendly meals can be had anywhere Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The grocery store even has easy microwave bariatric friendly meals in the freezer sections. Convenience can be had. There is nothing fun about food addiction. By definition food ceased being fun is a source of pain, self loathing, resentment, etc. By taking charge and losing the weight you want to lose and living in control you will be able to once again have fun with food. You'll have zero guilt. You'll enjoy the preparation and the partaking. Many new healthy recipes await you. The spice world caters to us now more than ever......sugar free......sodium free.........wonderful tasting spices. We'll be able to get it right. We'll be able to teach our kids a healthier way and they will do it without thought. Imagine how much fun you can have when you are living at your goal weight. Mobility up. Pain down. Looming health issues averted. Imagine how much more appealing you'll find shopping for clothes and how great it will feel to wear the clothes that you've always wanted to wear but were not able to. You are just a couple days away from the rest of your life. Think about how much longer and more fun this life will be at goal weight. You've got this !!!!!!!!!!

5th day out here. I take my time and work through 3 a day. I'll sip on i for a while....pu the lid back on and it goes back into the fridge for a while. I'm sorta behind today. I've had 1.5 of the 3. I've been more pushy on my Water.