Dairymary

That's great, @@LipstickLady DC is definitely on our list. I've been there a couple times, but with my husband the kids, not with my ladies group... It would be a totally different experience As for the poor little organic milk girl, I've come to realize just how emotionally and mentally ill she is, so any sort of reaction to her is pointless. Besides, her comments are made out of ignorance and low self esteem, they don't really have anything to do with me.

BTW, Lipsticklady, where do you live? My girlfriends and I try and take a theater/museum trip every year. We've been to Minneapolis, St. Louis, Las Vegas, New York, Tampa, Nashville, Indianapolis, Atlanta and Seattle, but we are always looking for new adventures.

Of course! Thanks for the support.

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Glad to meet some other country gals, pup and Valentina. I'm so blessed to have been able to raise my own kids on a farm with good old fashioned work ethics, responsibility, accountability, self confidence and reliability. My dad was actually a potato farmer, but we had a little "hobby farm" with some chickens, pigs and large garden....very self sufficient. I went to college for my nursing degree and worked for several years, thinking I was finally moving up in the world. Then I went and fell in love with and married a dairy farmer....geez! Our daughter followed in my medical footsteps but our son is all farmer, like his dad. Wouldn't change a thing ???? (Except the part about getting so fat)

I never had any followup with my surgeon, other than letting him know how great I was doing. My daughter is a gastroenterologist, and lives in a neighboring state, but she didn't need to do anything. I simply have my primary care doctor run blood work annually. I also saw a therapist for 2 years and attended local bariatric support groups up until about 8 months ago. Unless you have medical complications, followup psychiatric and emotional support is where you should focus your resources. As for food, there are dozens of bariatric friendly cookbooks and recipe websites. Just google and you'll have a hundred different options within minutes.

Had my surgery at Obesity Control Center in Tijuana. Excellent experience, quality medical care, easy recovery, no complications, and still maintaining my 160 pound loss 6 years later. My daughter is a gastroenterologist and she sent me to Dr. Ariel Ortiz based on recommendations from her colleagues in the bariatric community. VSG was still considered experimental in the US at that time so my insurance wouldn't cover it. GOOD LUCK!

For the first couple years postop, I was a model patient. Drank my decaf tea like a good girl. But after reaching goal, I experimented with ALL of the rules, including caffeine. These days I drink 40-60oz of coffee or tea pretty much every day. Mostly caffeinated, some decaf (no, there is no difference in taste, people) As for soda, it hasn't been a big deal. I drank gallons of Mt Dew and Dr. Pepper as a kid, but not much soda as an adult. I can count on one hand how many times I've had soda in the last 6 years since surgery. But I can't tolerate carbonation, so I had to pour it over ice and let in get flat. Satisfied those random, out of nowhere Dr. Pepper cravings.

I just saw that post and was going to ask if it was a joke. It's got to be a joke, right? I think there are a bunch of surgeons out there who need to do a better job screening their patients, because clearly the message is not getting through. Either that, or there are doctors out there who have no regard for their patients and are doing a half-assed job of preparing people for life after surgery. chicken 5 days post op. . . . I just can't . . . I agree. My doctor sent me home with the post-op diet sheet and at the top it basically says "follow this diet or you could die!" In bold letters Now that's funny! I like your doctor. I gotta say, the craziest scenario I've seen on here so far is the gal that weighs 115 pounds, but wants WLS to "cure" her BED. Not only did she find a surgeon (in another country) to do the surgery and has a mother with unlimited financial backing, people on here continue to enable her! This poor girl is not getting the help she really needs and is likely going to end up seriously ill WITH THE HELP AND SUPPORT OF BP MEMBERS!!!

In the beginning it was milk, pedialyte, tea, broth and protein shakes. Now it's milk, tea, LOTS of coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 and ice water.

You need to treat your Water intake like a prescription medication. You HAVE to get it in no matter how hard it seems. Sip sip sip from the moment you wake up till the second you fall asleep. Stay up an extra hour, doing nothing but sipping if you have to. Try different things to see if they go down easier....soups and teas were my goto's. Don't get distracted by kids or work or even meals. Set mini goals through the day....x amount before getting the kids to school, x amount before lunch, X amount on the drive to/from work, x amount after dinner, etc. Set a timer on your phone. staying hydrated is the most important thing you should be doing, not only for weight loss, but for your overall health and organ function. I remember foregoing eating if it was going to interfere with getting my fluids in. And you don't have to sacrifice Protein for fluids....that's what Protein shakes are for. If you are feeling thirsty, you are already dehydrated. The 64oz they talk about is minimum for a normal size person. Being bigger, we actually require a lot more. 16-32oz is not nearly enough to maintain and you will end up in the ER from dehydration. Good luck all, it's tough, but you should make it your #1 priority.

I drink my milk straight from the cow's udder. And I delivered my neighbor's baby in her bedroom. I was an RN, working in OB at the time. Really bad snowstorm, her husband was gone, and the baby came before the paramedics could arrive. It was a girl. They named her Maura (kind of like Mary, right?) She's a civil engineer now. Sorry, that's two facts.

Hmmmm...6 years out and here's my complaints.... i can no longer get my money's worth at all you can eat buffets. I can't drink carbonated beverages (kind of miss beer) I had to spend a bunch of money on new clothes There's not enough gigabyte space on my computer to list the positive side effects.

This might be only "rule" I follow. But mostly because I have no choice. Carbonation causes severe pain for me. A couple sips and that's all I can tolerate. However, if I really really wanted to drink something carbonated, I could manage it if I poured it over ice and let it sit until it was mostly flat. But then it wouldn't be a carbonated beverage anymore, would it? As for all the rules, the only ones you have to follow are the ones that allow you to lose however much you want, maintain that loss, and promote long term health. The great thing is you can make up and change these rules as you go along, as long as they continue to get you where you want to go.

1/2 and 1/2 or whole milk for me. I've also heard of people using chocolate or vanilla protein shakes as creamer if you like sweeteners as well as creamer.

I told you what worked for me, but everyone has different experiences when it comes to therapy. The important thing to realize is that while the surgeon gives you a physical tool, you need psychological tools, too. And they can come from a variety of sources....psychiatrists, counselers, online or in person support groups, addiction recovery programs, self help books, etc. Seek help wherever and whenever you need to.

I didn't find the dietician all that helpful. For me, eating high protein/low carb was pretty much common sense. But my therapist has been invaluable....probably more vital to my long term success than surgery itself. I stopped seeing her around 2 1/2 years out but started again after a severe accident left me bed/wheelchair/walker bound for many months. She helped me work through the depression of feeling useless and regaining some weight. Been on my own almost two years now, though.

Long term maintenance has definitely been the toughest. Looking back, Those first couple years were so exciting and easy. It may not have seemed that way at the time, of course. There was the liquid diets, the diarrhea, the constipation, the fatigue, missing out on eating a lot of good foods, struggling to stay hydrated, the emotional break downs, etc. But these things were all temporary and the perceived sacrifices were rewarded with weight loss, lots of NSVs and a new wardrobe! But maintenance is forever. Its boring, NSVs are nearly nonexistent and the scale doesn't really move unless it's in the wrong direction. You have to be diligent and stay on plan day after day after day. Like Bufflehead said, the way you eat to lose is very close to how you will have to eat to maintain....for the rest of your life! I have no doubt I Would not be able to do this without the psychological tools I got from my therapist and from the support and advice from those that went before me. You are doing exactly what you need to be doing....asking lots of questions. The better prepared and informed you are, the better you will be able to deal with all the little negatives along the way. A good attitude and keeping your energy focused on the long term rewards will go a long ways in making everything easier.

I'd actually like to make a disclaimer about the hard boiled eggs. Everything you read will tell you they have to be refrigerated. We used to take them with us hunting and camping without refrigeration and never had problems. But considering you have a newly cut and stitched stomach that is still pretty fragile, I guess I wouldnt recommend it for your trip after all.

I'm pretty new to the online forum world, but I'm coming out of 5+ years of fairly regular support group attendance. I can't begin to express my astonishment at the ignorance, non compliance and stubborn attitudes of so many newbies on here. A surprising number of them choose to disregard advice from a successful veteran because someone 1 month out is enabling their bad behavior. I'm starting to understand why the success rate for WLS is not higher. So many people are clearly not taking it seriously and don't seem to appreciate the kind of commitment postop life requires. Kudos to those of you who do....you will do well. But I will just keep trying to help....no matter how many newbies I piss off with my "tough love". Just ask my kids

Not knowing what food stage you will be in a few things cone to mind.... Protein powders that mix well with Water and a Blender Bottle to mix them Protein bars Canned tuna or crab meat and individual packets of mayo that don't require refrigeration Peanut Butter or other nut butters Hard boiled eggs - these surprisingly keep several days without refrigeration. Spam String cheese Jerkey (if you are allowed) You can pre slice apples and store them in a ziplock with a bit of lemon or lime juice so they don't turn brown. No sugar added fruit cups Kashi go lean Cereal (with or without milk that you can probably snag from the continental breakfast) Bring a small cooler (even soft sided) and some zip lock bags. You can fill the bag with ice at the hotel and keep things cold in the cooler. This opens up all kinds of possibilities including Greek yogurt, lunch meats and cheese, raw veggies (if you are allowed) and deli salads.

You're right. No ethical surgeon would touch her and she certainly would not qualify for surgery in the US. No mental health professional would OK her for surgery. So she is flying to South Korea, where they have no psych requirements and they DO just hand out weight loss surgeries. All you need is a plane ticket and plenty of cash. She's already had a Lapband, stretched out her pouch from overeating and ended up in the ER with a slipped band after going out to a bar drinking with her friends. Do any of you really think VSG is the best answer? http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/379038-bmi-of-21-getting-gastric-sleeve-thoughts/ And yes, organic milk, I do care about the fact that you are taking a path that will cause permanent damage and likely result in serious illness or death. Its very frustrating to watch because you have no intention of taking any real, constructive advice. But I can get the word out to others so maybe one of them will be able to say something that will click with you. You need help, not more enablers. You have a serious mental disorder and are refusing to seek the proper treatment. PLEASE reconsider your decision to have surgery.

@@Dairymary, I don't think it's right for you to be on a support site telling someone that what they are preparing to do is unnecessary. I personally do not want to lose my hair either. However, I do want to be healthy. For me, surgery was necessary, I couldn't do it on my own. Sent from my LGMS428 using the BariatricPal App Like you, I had surgery to become healthier. Like you, it was necessary for me to be able to lose my excess weight and keep it off. But this poster has described herself as having a binge eating disorder which she is not addressing with a psychiatrist. She has a BMI of 21 and does not need to lose weight. So yes, what she is preparing to do IS unnecessary.

If you don't want to lose hair then don't have an unnecessary surgery.

What a horrible disease. Have you undergone a fecal microbiota transplant? My daughter is a gastroenterologist and she told me they have an over 90% cure rate with it. No. It's not easy for me to get treatment for it. I need a referral to a consultant specialising in infectious diseases but currently haven't been able to persuade my GP to do this. I am using kefir and other probiotics to try and kill off the infection while I wait for further treatment. I have come to terms with living with C diff. I am in tremendous pain with it but can't really do much about this. So for now, I am learning patience and praying for treatment. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App That's CRAZY. How frustrating!!! Knowing there is a cure and not being able to receive the proper treatment. I'm so sorry. People in the US go to Mexico for medical care due to healthcare costs all the time. And Canadians often travel to the US and Mexico due to the limitations and time frames associated with their national healthcare system. If you are well enough to travel Have you looked into getting better treatment in another European country?

I feel your pain (literally) I had a hysterectomy years before my VSG due to endometriosis. It's the only thing that helped. Is this something you have discussed with your medical team? Did your surgeon mention anything about what things looked like in there when he did your sleeve? I know all my old adhesions made things a little tricky.