smg

Which diet? Everyone's plan is completely different. Is your diet from your NUT/Surgeon heavy on dairy? I'm actually surprised to hear that. Aside from occasional greek yogurt, my plan is basically dairy-free. Aside from lean Protein like chicken/fish I try to eat as much "whole-food" based as possible. I try to keep anything processed out of my diet. There are days when I don't eat any meat at all. On those days I may have an extra Protein shake or some tofu in place of the meat. If you don't agree with the diet your NUT is giving you, then you might consider speaking with them about alternatives. I'm sure they'd help if asked. Best of luck!

A trainer is always a good option for beginners as they don't just tell you what to do but show you how to do it...which is just as important, if not more important...especially for avoiding injury. There is also a site where you can either build custom workouts or choose pre-made workouts for various muscle groups and each exercise is illustrated to show you the proper technique as well. Many of the exercises can be done at home with no equipment or minimal equipment if you want to invest in a workout ball, bosu ball, or resistance bands/dumbbells. It's a great resource. It's called workoutlabs.com Best of luck.

If soy Protein doesn't work and whey protein doesn't work, I would look into something rice or pea based. This is a good vegan choice that my NUT actually uses herself -- http://amzn.to/2apwPQu

@@OKCPirate YESSSSS!!!!!! I'm so happy to see someone else does this...lol. Since I've been back on regular food, every couple of days, I cut up some chicken and put in on skewers, grill it with some seasoning and then store it in the fridge so it's there. It has been the best thing to have around when you need a bite or if you don't have time to make a full meal. Really I think that's the best snack for me...lots of lean protein!! Also, I like taking fresh blueberries (not pre-frozen) and then I wash and place them in the freezer overnight. They are soft and slightly sweet and great little Snacks. I don't get the pre-frozen ones because I think they are coated with Water because they are like little ice cubes...unlike the fresh-frozen ones that are really easy to eat right out of the freezer. Others would be almonds, pecans, baby carrots, grapes, apple slices, or just raw veggies and guac or hummus....all really good snacks.

From day 1 post-op and had labs at 60 days...which came back great

I have not used the multi-Vitamin Patches but I do use the B-complex patches made by PatchMD and I absolutely love them. My labs have come back perfect so far and it's so nice not to add yet another pill to the pile of Vitamins I take. They really work for me. I find them to work better if I place them near a bone or area without a muscle or a lot of fat like the back of my shoulder or side of the hip.

I wouldn't worry as much about stretching as I would about damaging your healing sleeve. Everyone's plan is different, and I would definitely suggest you stick to your surgeon's plan. Having said that, my plan allowed for *some* soft foods immediately after surgery. Things that could easily slide through a funnel such as broth (obviously), perhaps sugar free Jello or popsicles, and a bite of yogurt or some runny scrambled egg, but only a bite or two is what we were told and you must chew it extremely well....but again, that was MY plan. You should really check with your NUT/Surgeon before going off of your plan. Most of the hunger you experience at this point is nothing more than "head hunger" because your body is so used to receiving food on a regular basis....it will pass. For me, Water and chicken broth really helped, and if I felt super-hungry, I would make my Protein shakes a bit thicker (less water or almond milk) than normal so it felt more substantial. Best of luck!

That's great to hear you've lost 78 lbs so far!!! Which procedure did you have? From what I understand the "stalls" in weight loss are completely normal. There are several threads on the site that discuss them in detail and how to best deal with them. One of the most popular is the one I've linked below: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/ Sounds like you're doing great. Glad to see that you've made it on the forum! Welcome and best of luck!!

Awesome! Make the best of the journey!!!

Congratulations! Best of luck and keep us informed how it all goes!

You know honestly, I didn't really have any "pain" to speak of. Sure there was discomfort for a few days after surgery, but that's to be expected. I think if you keep the positive outlook and know that you're doing this for yourself and your family, and keep your eye on your goals, you'll get through it just fine! Best of luck!

Congrats on the wedding first of all Not sure (didn't see if you mentioned it) if you've changed your name legally yet. If not, you might consider waiting until some of the paperwork phase is over just to keep things streamlined. You know insurance companies and medical offices....if they do end up making a mistake or losing paperwork because of the change, it may take a while for them to find it or they may even have you retake some tests/courses (hopefully not). If you have already changed your name then I would just pay extra close attention to everything and make sure nothing "falls through the cracks". Best of luck and congrats again on the wedding!

If "wet" foods are allowed, I would look for some Protein rich Soups and things like that. There are some good recipes on here and also on WLSHub and I would also check out the normal sites for soups and other recipes that work for you like skinnytaste or allrecipes, etc. Edit: You could also find some recipes that you like and add unflavored Protein powder as well...just a thought. Best of luck!

Congratulations and Best of luck! Keep us in the loop!!

Welcome to the community! How did everything with your surgery go? Are you losing weight as expected? Which procedure did you do? Glad to see you on here!! Welcome!

Not familiar with the appeals process, but I would definitely see if your current doc will put into writing that the band was "messed up" when installed originally. I would think there would be some weight behind a medical professional making that claim "officially" that could help you in your Quest for an appeal. Hope it all works out for you!

Best of luck to you! Just be honest and open....and you'll do great!!!

It's tough, especially at first, but only because it's what you're used to, not because your body needs it. You can fall in love with food all over again, but this time, do it with healthy food. Nothing is more satisfying than eating something you find both to be delicious as well as helping you reach your goals at the same time!! I'd recommend taking up cooking and/or gardening if you're into that and have the time. Gardening has been a wonderful hobby for me and gives me some great ingredients that are healthy, organic and delicious. Best of luck to you!!

@@Alex Brecher I do understand what you're saying, and it should be expected that users are treated with a basic level of respect as your rules state, and I don't disagree that your examples of what you consider appropriate are much more informative than your examples of what you consider inappropriate, and I never challenged that. My points were more aimed at those who solicit responses from members, only to get offended when some of those responses may not concur with they 'want' or were 'expecting' to hear. While "You will fail if you eat a few french fries" may not be the most productive or informative response, obviously, but that's not the type of response I was talking about, and I don't think it's the type of response some of the veterans were speaking about either. The response I was talking about was to the people who get offended when the responses they receive are not necessarily the responses they want. It's at that point that things typically get heated and "go off the rails" and trail away from the original topics. Regardless, I think we're on the same page here and I just wanted to voice my "fear" as there are many people who read the forum and don't necessarily post or actively participate in the discussions. Ironically, it's that group that could be most effected by a lack of responses because members are second-guessing their responses or simply don't want to respond for fear that it will conjure up some manufactured giant ball of drama that becomes nothing more than a waste of time. Sure, some responses can be quite "short-and-to-the-point" but sometimes, if a situation calls for "tough love" then "tough love" might just be the best way to handle the situation. I realize it's not your intention, nor in your best interest, to scare off the vets on here as they are the fountain of information that draws new members to the forum in the first place. Having said that, I can clearly see that it is happening, intended or not, so you may need to address that at some point, if you haven't done so already. If it were just a few I wouldn't be concerned, but I have noticed quite a few names missing from the posts over the past few days that are typically a staple in the threads on the site and that's worrisome to me as I rely a lot of the information that vets have to offer as I'm sure many (read=most) members here do. Hopefully it will all work itself out and we can keep this wonderful community strong and helpful like it has been for so many of us!

Stalls are pretty normal. There's some good info on here about them like the one below: Embrace the Stall: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/

That's probably a question for your surgeon....everyone heals at different speeds and I certainly wouldn't recommend leaving it to chance.

It's always normal to be nervous and second-guess everything when you're so close to surgery. For me, I can honestly say it's one of the best things I've ever done for myself. You're gonna do great!!! Let us know how it goes tomorrow. Sending prayers and good thoughts!!!

I haven't reached 6 months yet, and luckily I haven't had severe instances of hunger, whether it be head hunger or real hunger, aside from the first 2 weeks post-op. I can tell you that for me personally, Protein drinks will fill me up, but only for a short period (most likely because they're liquid based), but if I eat salad greens or hearty Soups, I get full and stay full for quite some time. Fruit and raw veggies as well....really anything with Fiber in it. Looks like you're losing good weight so I wouldn't be afraid to try some different things to see how your sleeve reacts...but I'd stick to whole-foods and not processed junk. Best of luck!

Hmmm....definitely sounds like anemia, but I would certainly check with doc and make sure. Anemia is pretty common and can be treated. As far as the sleep is concerned, it sounds to me like it may be sleep apnea. Do you use a CPAP machine now or have you ever had a sleep study done? It's fairly common in overweight individuals and it's also something that can be helped from the surgery once the pounds start to come off. The psych eval is typically not as bad as it seems. Mine was extremely easy and only questions that I answered on some forms. I was cash-pay so didn't have any of the insurance companies forcing certain requirements....not sure if you have to meet with someone or answer some questions on a form but it's typically pretty straightforward and simple, and I'm sure you'll do just fine. As far as drinks, I haven't tried the Atkins drinks but at my surgery center they had some Protein based Water called About Time. They have a website called tryabouttime.com and I actually bought 2 cases after my surgery to get me through the liquid phase. They were pretty good and had 20g of protein per bottle. Sounds like you've done your research and ready to tackle the journey ahead! Best of luck!

It's definitely a lot easier to find reasons not to do something. You have to make the decision based on what you want for you and your life. Most of what you see on the negative side are things that pass with time. Sure there are a small percentage of people that have complications and some can be serious, but those are risks with any surgery and if you look at the research, the percentage of complications with gastric sleeve surgeries is less than with other WLS surgeries, and even less than most other elective surgeries as a whole. People tend to talk more about negative experiences because they are looking for answers or encouragement. When people are feeling good, there's typically no reason to ask questions or post because those people aren't really looking for information. Take a look in some of the "NSV" (non-scale victory) threads and see the amazing things being experienced. I have had nothing but good experiences so far...closing in on 100 lbs lost less than 4 months post-op, having to buy new clothes because even the ones I couldn't fit into for years are now too big, being able to be more active with my kids, feeling confident about going out into public and actually being the one wanting to go out for a change, less aches and pains from walking/running/swimming/biking, sleeping better, and most of all, just being healthier and feeling better about myself. It was the best decision I've ever made and the only regrets I have are (1) that I ever let it get that far and (2) I didn't do this sooner. Anytime you're nervous or have questions, speak with your surgeon and team...they will help you understand the risks involved and can help you through the questions. Best of luck to you!