TracyBar

@@TracyBar - I only mean for the pre-opt diet (which in my case was 2 months) and then the majority of the weight lost phase. If it doesn't bother you to be around others in a social setting overeating, drinking beer, and raving about all their homemade Desserts, GOD BLESS YOU - go! Not me, I was much happier staying home, watching football or a movie and following my diet plan in peace. A lot of women in my support group mentioned that they came from families with lots of obese women who took strong offense if someone didn't eat all their Pasta salads, mac & cheese, lasagna, cake, Cookies, etc, etc at a family event (and there were usually 2-3 family events a week). Well that makes sense then - I'm not sure I'd be very successful either if I had to be around too much food when I'm trying to lose weight. I've really paid attention to how many food commercials there are on tv these days. Think I'll be watching Netlix and reading instead of watching t.v.!

1. Everyone is different. I've seen some maintain on 1000 calories and some on 1800 calories. It's important as you get further out from surgery that you INCREASE calories in order to achieve a set point so you aren't having to maintain on 800 calories the rest of your life. I personally maintain on 1200. Anymore than that and I gain. 2. Protein is most important early out because you're healing, losing weight and losing muscle, and you have such little space in your tummy, that's really all you have room for. As you advance stages and can naturally eat more as the months how by, you CAN incorporate fruits and veggies into your diet. But protein always should be first, and then if you have room the others. Protein also helps stave off hunger and keeps you satisfied longer, which can be key if you're prone to snacking. 3. The amount of food you can eat in one sitting is totally depending on how far out you are from surgery. In the early weeks, you can sometimes only eat literally 4 bites. As things heal and loosen up, it goes to 4 ounces. At 2 years out, I can eat 3-4 Oz of chicken (dense) 4-5 Oz of beef with a bite or 3 of veggies. I can eat much more seafood (not as dense). As the years go by, you will naturally be able to eat more and more. It's normal and inevitable. I drink right up until I eat, never but a tiny sip with food, and even after 2 years still wait 30 minutes after I eat to drink. You get used to it. I can drink 16 Oz of room temperature Fluid in a matter of minutes now, instead of an hour like early out So helpful :-) I'm feeling more and more confident - especially after reading all the great replies. Taking that last big step and booking the surgery - so hard!

Thanks! 4 oz is 1/2 cup of food. Not a lot! I guess I was imagining you'd eventually get to a point where you are eating what we all SHOULD have been eating in a meal in the first place - but I didn't imagine it to be quite so little. The one good thing I see about it is that food will become so much less important! Right now entertainment is around food and wine when I go out with my husband - I will miss that as we do enjoy it. But even he is all for the surgery if I want to do it - I told him when we go out to eat, he'll be eating his meal and most of mine - maybe that's why he likes the idea of the surgery! lol So really, I guess that really won't change - after I'm healed and on solids we can go out for our anniversary or whatever, I'll just be eating less :-)

Thanks -I realize that some things in life as I know it now will change - and for good reason. But if it meant that I would have to drop all the good things in my life like parties, friends, etc. then I would have a hard to time seeing the positives of the surgery!

Good for you! There comes a time when we women need to put ourselves first. I'm at that point in my life. I have 3 kids and my youngest just turned 11. But my older kids are 25 and 22 so I've been parenting a long time! And have given over my life for a long time - time for me! (and it's not easy doing it but I know it'll be worth it)

I saw my doctor yesterday and asked her about possibility of Gastric Sleeve. She seemed ok with it - hard to tell her real feelings. But she is a GP and has seen a lot in her career. She has patients that have undergone the surgery and she seems to understand the battle obese patients have with weight and the issues that accompany it. She knows me well - I've been her patient since about the time she began her practice. I think she 'gets' me. She referred me to this doctor in my city. Can do self-pay, so can bypass the very long waits for surgery paid by our provincial healthcare, and the surgery is done in a hospital, not a clinic. She said this guy was a GP originally (so she said he has a good bedside manner), but decided to pursue surgery after a number of years as a GP. She said she highly recommends him. His office is close to home for me, as well as the hospital he works out of. Here's the clincher: I looked him up on RateMD and there are mixed reviews, although I have to say his support staff gets very low marks compared to him. Some people were very happy, one guy wrote the worst review as he had a terrible outcome (he doesn't just do WLS - other surgeries too). Some say he thinks he's a god and acts like it, some say he is great at explaining things. Perhaps it depends on whether or not the patient is obese and there for bariatric surgery as to how he treats the patient ??- just going by the following tweet I found on him… what do you think? It's the best option I have in my city - and I'm going to go see him and get an opinion for myself - but this tweet made me VERY uneasy. Even more so than the bad review or two on him. https://mobile.twitter.com/kristalK55/status/403369637087178752/photo/1

Hi Cape Crooner - great post. One question - when you say drop out of any or all social events - do you mean forever or just in the losing phase? I'm a very social person, especially love hanging out with my girlfriends, so not sure what to think of that advice! As for who to tell - if I can pull it off, only my husband will know I've had WLS.

@@AmiLou - I'm also 54 and looking at getting this surgery. Having a hard time finding a surgeon in my area - the one place that can do it (SmartShape) charges $6,000 more than a top sleeve surgeon in Montreal. SmartShape is mostly Lapband and I'm not interested in that - and reluctant to get the surgery with a surgeon without a ton of experience. Benefits are it's close to home and so post-op follow-up would be better. It sounds like all went well with you at age 54 and having the surgery which is great to hear. I keep asking myself if I'm too old for this now!

I left an email message for Smartshape here in Calgary. My only issue is that they do a lot of lapband and although they say the do the sleeve, there was only 1 testimonial from a person who had the sleeve op - all the rest were lapband. I saw some reviews on Smartshape - some good, some bad - but that's often the case with any place. How much were you quoted (for the sleeve?) - I'm hoping they'll tell me without issue, or without going to see them.

Hi - I've looked at the CRA website and can't find WLS listed as an eligible medical expense. I was hoping I could claim it - on the website for the Mexican clinic I'm considering they say it's a line 330 medical expense. Would really like to see it for myself and also, to find out how much they'll cover - the surgery as well as travel expenses. Anybody here claimed this as a medical expense on their income tax?

Thank you!

I assume you mean June 2017 for surgery? (wasn't sure if this was an older post). I haven't had it done yet - but seriously looking into it. Throwing up - I was going to ask this question in here somewhere - vomiting is violent and comes from the stomach so I'm feel squeamish thinking about it should it happen right after the surgery!

Hi - it's helpful to read your message - simply because I haven't had the surgery yet - still looking for a surgeon - and knowing that you must stick to a plan after is important - and is a good thing. You had told me about the surgeons in Richmond (I'm orig from Vanc) and I did contact them but have to be resident of BC and 2 year wait. I finally saw my doc last week and she referred me locally - but referral was declined due to the fact the surgeon doesn't do sleeve - just band. Not interested in that. So until I hear back from my doctor about other possibilities I may have to go to Montreal after all. She didn't like the idea as no after-care and I agree. There are topics online about all the people going out of province or country for this surgery and then coming back home and having to fall on the system without having a local surgeon to help if there are issues. Quite confused now - I don't want to wait 2-3 (and that's the lowest wait, Alberta has longest waits in Canada I believe) so want to do self-pay. I don't think the Richmond clinic does self-pay. How are you doing with the surgery now? Do you feel back to normal? Has it been difficult?

Hi Leebick - really sorry about having to delay your surgery but I understand why. Family is worth it. Are you in Canada? And if so, where do you live and where is the surgery? The surgeon in Montreal prefers out of town patients stay 2 days in a hotel after discharge from his clinic (there for 2 days). It's in order to make sure you are not experiencing issues and because it's also more comfortable to fly at 4 days out. I do want a surgeon that has a lot of experience with this surgery. I'll have to wait until I hear back from my doc I guess

For a couple of reasons. Mainly, the stomach tissue that is removed generates a number of "hunger hormones" and with it gone, those hormones aren't there to tell your brain that you're hungry. The stomach is smaller and gives signals that it's full faster as well. Also, for reasons we don't know yet, the surgery seems to re-set the set point. When you gain weight, your body decides that the new weight is the one it should keep, and it will flood your system with hormones and other things to make you crave high fat, high calorie, high sugar foods in order to maintain that weight. That's referred to as set point. When you lose weight normally you are fighting against this, and it gets worse and worse the more you lose. Theoretically, through just diet and exercise it will eventually reset, but it's an uphill battle. Surgery seems to short circuit this somehow. I learned about our body set-point not too long ago and spoke to my doctor about it. She said "yup, pretty awful isn't it". It is - it's why we lose and gain it back with an extra few pounds each time, the body fighting to get up to that new set-point. I knew that the reduction of the stomach removes the grehlin hormone (although not sure if there is still some left?). It's a good thing though to have this gone and love the fact that the set-point is re-set with surgery :-)

Well now I'm feeling pretty crappy. My doc's office called me today and said that this particular surgeon doesn't do Gastric Sleeve! I can't believe it. When my doc recommended him and referred me to him I expected she knew he did do sleeve. He only does lap band and I'm just not interested in that. She said that I can go through the 'system' and get it for free - in about 3 years+! I said, no, I'm self-pay because at 54 I'm not waiting for years to get this done. So she said my doc isn't back until next Tuesday (she wrecked her back on her holiday) so she'll spend today and Monday trying to find another option. There are two other big cities in my province that may do it - don't know yet for sure. If not, I'll be flying to Montreal where I know a surgeon will do it and pretty fast - 1 month from phone consultation (Montreal is a long way away from me so it'll be a phone consult for $250.). My doctor didn't like the idea of me going out of province and I don't want to either - but if it's my only option then I will. She said - "who will take care of you post-op? It's better to see the actual surgeon". I agree. But a lot of people go to Mexico and they have to do long distance post-op - and I'd rather stay in Canada if I have a choice. Sigh... this is a big let down for me....

Why is that? Why do people have no cravings (or a lot of people) after this surgery? That's something I don't understand as yet. I don't know why, but it's sure been helpful! I'm amazed by some of the immediate outcomes of this surgery: I was on lisinopril for my hypertension, came off of it the day before surgery and haven't had to start it again. I have fibromyalgia and my trigger points are GONE. This is huge for me, as I was taking meds AND going for acupuncture once a week with only some success. And I'm not hungry, not envious of what others are eating, and I'm not at all inclined to eat more than my sleeve can handle. I have a ton of energy and have since about 2 weeks out...it's been marvelous! Well! You bring me so much hope! :-)

You are all so smart! I actually did find the joke funny - but then started feeling uneasy about it. I'm pretty sure that after you all have brought me back to reality, that I was feeling overly sensitive. I had just faced my doctor with the idea of Gastric surgery, thereby admitting fully to myself that I'm pretty overweight and have no control over my weight gain. I was shaking when I told her so I think my feelings were a bit raw. thanks to all of you!

that thought did cross my mind of course - there were pictures of him with friends, etc. and I told myself he has a life outside of work. It just made me feel uneasy. Good point - and I know that he wasn't the send but the recipient - it's just i would have expected him to just ignore a Tweet like that? Anyway, I will be going to see him. Just wondering how long it'll take!

Why is that? Why do people have no cravings (or a lot of people) after this surgery? That's something I don't understand as yet.

Thanks ChaCha77 - that does help! How long are you on purees before you can add regular food? And are there certain things you can and can't eat when you do go on regular food? Is chewing thoroughly a new lifelong habit to gain?

Hello all - I'm probably at the 80% sure I'll get this surgery so I'm starting to think and prepare for Protein powders for after surgery. I've discovered that egg white Protein Powder is an option for those that can't have soy or dairy. I also read that whey protein is low in lactose and could be an option. Is there anyone here that has tried the egg protein powder? Is it good? And if anyone is lactose intolerant has whey protein been tried successfully? Thank you! (I'll be self-pay so I believe that I may not have to wait as long to get the surgery - therefore preparing ahead of time)

@@chicagorocks - they're so little - you can say that Daddy has a boo boo and a nice doctor is going to fix me up. I'll be in the hospital for 2 sleeps and then be home again. But Daddy won't be able to lift you up or hug you too hard until the boo boo is all better. Keep it simple and don't say anything to worry or frighten them - and you'll be golden!

Just want to say I love your post! If you have kids one day, you're going to be awesome at it :-)