Creekimp13

Nope. The bougies they use range in size from the barrel of a fine point sharpie marker...to the barrel of a large fat sharpie marker. Not sure what the formula the surgeon uses to pick the right one for each patient...but there's usually some method to the madness. Could just be surgeon's preference. It's best for them to err on the larger size, since if there is a leak, they need tissue to work with to fix it.

Best thing to do..is to call your insurance company and ask yourself. Will save you a lot of heartache and you'll get the answers straight from the horse's mouth. My insurance, blue cross blue shield of MI required 6 months medically supervised weight loss with a dietitian, therapist clearance, Upper GI, (I ended up also needing an endoscopy, too, cause my upper GI was abnormal). My surgeon required a support group meeting, a fitness trainer meeting, and a bunch of stuff presurg...blood, EKG, chest films, etc. Also a clearance and referral from my PCP. My first seminar was in May of last year...surgery was in December.

1000-1200 each day since week 3 as recommended by my nutritionist and doctor.

Keep a food journal of everything you consume. Try to keep calories under 1200. Try to keep protein over 60g Try to exercise daily. Try to have patience and understand that stalls are normal.

Note that these are instructions for Phase Four....which occurs for us at week three. The first day of week three we are encouraged to start working on 1000-1200 calories. There are some VERY different ideas out there:)

There are two schools of thought on bariatric surgery nutrition. The old school theory...is that you should take advantage of inflammation and nausea and severely restrict caloric intake in the early months after surgery. The newer research, however, is showing that starvation levels of calories are more associated with metabolic slow-down, more malnutrition, more hair loss, and rapid weight loss is tough on the skin. (there are limits to what skin can recover from...but slower weight loss has somewhat better results) The newer research supports that both groups lose approximately the SAME amount of weight over 18 months. The severely calorie restricted crowd loses more, earlier. People from groups like mine...where there is a focus on returning eating at normal levels earlier...will lose weight slower, but will lose just as much in 18 months. Also...the people fed higher calories earlier will maintain weight loss more successfully at 2 and 5 years. Some clinics are oldschool...and it pays to be oldschool...because all of your clients become drastically noticeable living advertisements for how fast and effective your surgery works. (even though the newer research is proving this is probably not the healthiest approach) But it's hard to tell a clinic...."you're doing it wrong" because bariatric nutrition and endocrinology is an emerging field. You pretty much have to work with the people you choose and their protocol. I'm very comfortable with my clinic...put some research into finding the best fit with my diet preferences, and generally prefer using research hospital based protocol over for-profit private clinic protocol.

Have they given you a calorie goal? What is your typical calorie intake per day? Mine is 1000-1200 calories per day, and 60-80 grams of protein. This is where I'm supposed to stay for 18 months, or until I hit my goal. I also exercise 60+ minutes a day 6 out of 7 days a week. Mostly walking.

Best to get it checked out. Wishing you the best. Please let us know what you learn!

They might just be trying to make you happy. Placating you with proof that nothing is wrong to put your mind at ease. I'm two months out. Yes, I feel restriction after I eat about a cup of food. Less, if the food is fibrous (think steak and raw veggies) or carby (think beans and bread). "Slider" food like oatmeal and yogurt I could eat endlessly with no issues. I can enjoy a couple of bites of sugary naughty desert......but if I continue, I'll feel nauseated like I need a big glass of water. Not true dumping syndrome, but it makes me feel kinda gross.

Intending to be factual....not snarky. I get that you're upset.

Let's review. 18% of your EXCESS BODY WEIGHT.....meaning the weight you have to lose. I understand you would like to weigh 145 pounds. But at 5' 8" you have a normal BMI at 164. So your total amount of excess weight....is about 100 pounds. 18% of 100....is 18. In 18 months...if you have an Average experience....you will lose about 70% of your excess body weight...or 70 pounds. So....by June of 2019....you're looking at weighing around 194 pounds. If you have an Average experience. Some people lose more. Some lose less. Adjusting your lifestyle habits is critical to your success. This is all readily availabe information on the net...and should have been disclosed to you by your surgeon.

I ate 1000 calories per day at week 3. You're not that unusual. On day 3, I drank 64 ounces. 32oz of clear liquids. 32oz of Premier Protien. I drank it 4 ounces per hour as instructed....but I had no problem getting that volume in. Yes, I could have overeaten and gained weight by week four if I were determined to. The average person loses 18% of their excess body weight in the first month after sleeve surgery. You are 5' 8" You have a normal BMI at 164 pound. If you were 264 on the day of surgery, you could expect to lose 18 pounds your first month if you did as well as the average person who gets sleeve. Each month after, you should expect to lose a little less than the preceding month. You should lose weight for about 18 months IF you follow your plan and maintain a healthy diet and exercise.

May I ask, and I truly am not being snarky here.... What did you expect the surgery to have done? How much weight did you think you would have lost at this point?

Yes, you will have to diet and exercise for the surgery to be effective.

Finding surgeons who do BMIs under 35 without diabetes is difficult as many in the medical community believe the benefit is not worth the risk.

https://www.nationalbariatriclink.org/bariatric-blog/gastric-sleeve-surgery-whats-your-bougie-size/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140326142209.htm

Not sure which is worse...nausea or extreme hunger. Those seem to be the two options.

I was in the hospital one night. Had a sleeve and hiatal hernia repair. Was roaming the halls a couple hour after release from recovery room. Walking helps so much.

Have had a few things on my mind about the process I'm going through, don't quite know how to explain, but am going to attempt to, because I think others might relate. Food has changed. And I don't say that like some badge of victory. I say it with a little bit of anxiety and a little bit of grief. Everything still *tastes* like it used to....but the effect of food has changed significantly in my life. (and even my physiology) And my preferences for foods have certainly changed. I really LOVED food. Sort of akin to maybe how a homebrewist loves beer. It was my go-to to relax. It made a bad day more bearable. It took the edge off emotionally difficult situations. It was a source of joy and comfort. Back when I was doing my 6 month diet...I still loved food. I still had my little food love affair celebrations. Every Friday, I'd budget my calories and splurge on a glazed donut. (yes, I know this is pure poison)...but it was a wonderful treat, and I really enjoyed that donut I'd earned by being good all week. With a big cup of premium coffee. And I was losing weight, so why not? I told myself I'd still do this once in a while...obviously I can't eat a whole donut....but I thought....maybe one of these days I'll get a donut and cut off a little quarter of it...let hubby eat the rest...and still have my little donut reward for a job well done. Now here's the weird part. I've found myself standing in front of the same donut case...looking at those damned glazed donuts....several weeks in a row now...and I can't get myself to buy one. Not because I think I'm going to screw anything up hopelessly...I won't. Not because I feel I couldn't control the quantity...I know I could. I just feel sad looking at the donuts. Just this weird grief of knowing it wouldn't feel the same if I ate it. And this is what I'm finding hard to describe... It's like the beer homebrew guy...who would really like like a beer....opening up beer after beer...only to find they all taste like ice tea. I mean...sure, ice tea is great...it's wet, you can drink it and not be thirsty. But what you wanted doesn't exist anymore. Food no longer affords me a coping mechanism. And I'm not sure how to feel about that. Part of me is delighted...because I know THAT is the root problem...food shouldn't be a coping mechanism. Food shouldn't be a love affair. That's a big part of why I got fat. But the other part of me feels a little freaked out by this. Like...damn, what do I use now as a coping mechanism? I can totally understand how crossover addictions happen. And while I don't think I'm really at risk for one because I'm expressing all of this to my support people and trying to come up with some other good ideas for coping mechanisms......I understand the danger, now. I think being aware and talking about it helps a lot. I'm avoiding alcohol and other substances that could potentially be problematic, too....at least until I feel like i've got this all figured out and have settled in feeling more comfortable about it. But yeah....this? This was unexpected. My husband said last night.....OK, for a long time you were trying to make a lifestyle change and you equated all of these fantastic outcomes to that someday mythical lifestyle change.....but now that you have made the lifestyle changes you're noticing the reality isn't exactly what you thought it would be. And that's the thing about any major endeavor, there will be surprises, both positive and negative. I think you're doing great, and doing a great job of taking it all in stride. Keep talking to me. I think I'll keep him. No regrets about the surgery...I'm overall increadibly happy. Just trying to describe something that I really didn't see coming.

We alternated Protien shakes and clear fluids each hour. 4 ounces Protien shake (one ounce every 15 minutes) 4 ounces Clear fluids (one ounce every 15 minutes) over and over....all day...every hour we were awake. I was able to get in 32 oz of clear fluids and 32 ounces of protien shake on day 3. Four whole premier protein shakes. We did this for the first 7 days....then added cream of wheat, thinned oatmeal, strained cream soup and sugar free pudding for another week. On day 14...we added purees. All of my transitions went terrific.

On my program, we did clear fluids for 24 hours. If we tolerated them well, we progressed to protein shakes the next day. I had no problems.

Congrats on being a few steps closer:)

https://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1101-vegetarian-or-vegan-eating/

Eddielarry, I noticed you've got a lotta affection for the ladies. Did you know there's a singles forum here? https://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1180-singles-forum/