Tiffykins

It's really not difficult at all. Greek Yogurt with splenda was a staple in my diet. Broths, herbal tea, Water got me through the clears. Once you start mushies, and pureed food, you can't eat a lot, so eating 2 tespoons to 1 tablespoon of mashed potatoes is not even close to getting in more than 30 grams of carbs per day. Avoiding white carbs, flour, rice, Pasta, decrease the your carb count. What are you eating that is carb filled?

Below 30 grams of carbs per day where my instructions.

Your probably have that reaction to the Naked Protein drink because of the sugar content. I realize it's sugar from fruits, but it's still sugar. I know I couldn't tolerate anything that sweet, or sugary early out. Bodybuilding.com - Optimum 100% whey Protein - With Faster-Acting HYDROWHEY! On sale now! On the right hand side of the page, you can order a sample pack of 16 flavors for $18.99. This link above is the only protein I could tolerate. No gritty texture, no protein smell, or taste, and believe me when I tell you I am passed the point of picky when it comes to texture and smells. The extreme milk chocolate is the only flavor I tried, and liked it. Another member on here posted that she thought the Caraml Toffee fudge flavor was really good as well. This protein mixes in Water, no clumping, no foaming or frothing. I just put a scoop in 4oz of water and shook it in a water bottle. I tried, and hated 22 different brands, flavors, and types of protein drinks/mixes. They just didn't work for me. The ladies at GNC really hated to see me come in.

I had my revision on June 3rd, leak repair on June 5th, on June 10th I had the pic line and TPN started, and I was released on the 1800 calorie TPN bag fed to me by a pic line in my left arm June 12th. I had the TPN until June 25th. So, I didn't lose a lot of weight the first month. Because I was being force-fed 1800 calories a day. In July when I was hospitalized, I ate a mushy diet with some soft meats. So, I would say that from the day I was released from the hospital, and recovered after the TPN episode is when my weight loss really started. I did battle with getting in more than 400 calories some days, but I did stick to the "program" for the first 4 months. I forced myself to be very strict because I wanted to maximize the "honeymoon" phase of the weight loss. Once I realized that I was still losing more than 3 pounds a week consistently (around mid-September), my surgeon and I decided it was time to start eating whatever my body would tolerate. That's when I started introducing carbs, and a more balanced diet. I've been able to get my weight loss to slow down to 1-2 pounds a week, and now I haven't lost anything in about a week because I'm at goal. I've actually lost and gained the same 1.5lb over the last 3-4 days. Gotta love the Water weight pre-period. I consider myself making it to goal in 6 months with the sleeve.

I want to add that during the initial weight loss stage those foods should be avoided, but once you reach goal, incorporating some of these into your diet is NOT completely out of the question. I just don't want everyone to think that those foods are completely off-limits for the rest of your life. The sleeve is about portion control and moderation. I enjoy tiny portions of rice, potatoes, and Pasta about every other day. When I say tiny portions, I'm talking just a couple of bites here and there. I'm also attempting to get my weightloss to stop because I'm at goal, and need to focus on maintaining. I also do not suffer from the "eat carbs, crave carb" syndrome so that little tidbit is NOT true for every sleeve patient. Even at 7 months out, I still never feel true hunger pangs or actual hunger. Just my 2cents. If I enjoyed Tuna, I'd probably enjoy this recipe, but I don't eat tuna unless it's one of my weird craving days.

Hey Marci, I don't know how I missed this thread, but welcome ! ! ! A big driving force of me having WLS was the desire to have a baby with my husband plus the other 100+ reasons why I needed to have it done. My surgeon told me that once I reach goal (just did it yay), if I can maintain my loss for 3-5 months that we can start trying for baby. We're all here for you, and your date will be here before you know it ! ! !

Hi Amy, and welcome to VST. I still have mental "fat" days, and I'm down to 149lbs, wearing a size 10 jean/slacks. There is a lot of mental/emotional changes you'll experience with weight loss. Most of my experiences have been great. About 98% of my journey has been positive, and the other 2% has been ups and downs. I had to learn that every day brings a new challenge, and some challenges are more difficult than others. Also, there are many successes that are too many to count. I had my revision surgery this summer while my husband was deployed, and he wanted to be surprised when he came home. Well, he was so surprised that he didn't recognize me at the airport when I picked him up. I had lost about 75-80lbs from June to October, and he hadn't seen any pics from the neck down. My husband always thought I was beautiful, and sexy because of who I am, and not my pant size. Since you have some mild depression, I would recommend some counseling with someone who deals with bariatric patients. I kind of went through a mourning phase because I couldn't eat my emotions anymore. I didn't really miss food, but the friendship and bond I had with food. But, now 7 months out, today my relationship with food has completely changed. It's pretty liberating, and exhilirating all at the same time. If you need anything, or have questions, post away, we'll be able to help support you through all of this. Congrats on getting your date ! ! !

Nikki, everything you are feeling is perfectly normal. I still catch myself automatically grabbing size 20W shirts, and pants, and I'm in a size 10, and in between a small to medium top. I don't understand it, I can't wrap my head around it some days. I think my head has a lot more catching up to do. People don't even recognize me who have known me for over a year, and I just laugh at them. I can't really see it myself, but did have an "ah ha" moment yesterday when cleaning out my closet. I got rid of 8 (yes 8) of the 39 gallon lawn and leaf Hefty bags full of clothes. John (the husband) was like "baby, are you sure you can't wear ANY of these clothes?" I picked up a random pair of jeans size 24W, slid them on, and I could look down inside of the pantsand see my toes in the leg of the pants. They were so big on me, and I have no idea why I was holding onto them. My clothes brought me lots of comfort, and I took pride in my appearance even when I was 270lbs. Getting rid of those clothes, help me purge those feelings of being fat. Trying on those size 10's today felt great, and it was a moment that I won't forget. Hang in there. You'll see the results. Try on some of your old clothes, and really see the difference. Numbers on the scale only do so much for me, I need those little NSV's to get me through. Also, have you tried different brands of jeans. If not, I highly recommend trying some different brands, you'd be surprised with how different some of them are cut.

Increasing your calories can be simply adding another protein drink. You are staying the guidelines of caloric intake, and unfortunately most everyone hits a stall around the 2nd to 4th week. Increase your water intake and see if that helps get the scale going. Don't get too discouraged, stalls happen, they suck but stick with your program.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi - All Recipes This one is super yummy, read the reviews on how to make it a bit more "healthy". I prefer baking this one as well. This is similar to the one my mom makes Orange Roasted Salmon - All Recipes

I stocked up on sugar-free pudding (butterscotch, and boston cream pie flavor was my favorites for the full liquid stage), SF popsicles (clear stage), chicken bouillion cubes (clear stage), Crystal Light (Early morning sunrise was the only flavor I could tolerate) sugar free Jello, cream of Soups (strained through the full liquid stage), chicken/tuna salad ( soft solid stage) and babybel and laughing cow cheese for the soft solids. I also bought the packages of SF jello and puddings that I made myself, those pre-packaged ones would go to waste. If I made the instant jello and pudding, I could just eat the whole amount over the week, and the kiddo helped eat it as well. I would be careful stocking up too much because our tastebuds tend to change drastically after surgery. I could not tolerate anything with Aspartame for quite some time. Crystal Light was out for awhile. Celestial Seasoning's decaf/herbal tea were not too sweet for me, and added a great variety to help me get my liquids in.

Hey Courtney, I only had to do low carb/high protein a week pre-op with my sleeve revision. I was morbidly obese with a BMI of 47 the day of my revision. The pre-op diet is supposed to help get you accustomed to lower caloric intake, shrink the liver, and help with the transition to the post-op diet of Clear Liquids. I honestly can't answer if the "cheating" will postpone your surgery, but I advise you to discuss it with your surgeon. If you have access to a dietician/nutritionist, definitely ask them for some direction. Feel free to email me as well tifjb1@yahoo.com you can also find me on Facebook with that email address.

My instructions were the same with the band, but with the sleeve, I can drink right up until I take the first bite. I do wait the 30-45 minutes to drink anything after eating. Because our stomach is still fully-functioning, the pyloric valve opens up and the Fluid empties quickly. Now, once we put food in there, it fills up and it takes time for the food to digest. If you drink once you're eating more solid food, you will flush that food more quickly therefore you'll lose satiety/that lovely full feeling. It also hurts if you drink something while eating. Your stomach is super tiny, so food, especially dense Protein should take up the room first. Now, with that being said, I'm at 7 months out, and I can take tiny sips with a meal. When I say "tiny sips", I mean just enough liquid to "wet my whistle" like when eating chips/salsa, or something super spicy. I never take a full drink while eating.

I was told to not worry about protein my first 2 weeks of clears. Then try to introduce more protein supplements into my day as the weeks progressed. Maybe someone else can chime in that got in more protein during the clear stage.

My periods were pretty irratic immediately post-op. I would make a call to at least your PCM or ob/gyn to make sure you are not having any issues. When we lose weight (especially quickly), the estrogen that is stored in our fat cells is released into our bodies. It could be the shock of surgery/anesthesia, or the estrogen throwing off your hormones. Since surgery, my periods have become more light, and more regular.

Nerves are completely normal. I don't think anyone could walk into surgery and not have some degree of nervousness. Just remember, you're doing something fabulous for yourself, your future, and your family.

WOW, I can't believe it's 2010, and I can only hope this year is going to bring many blessing to all of us. As for our NYE out, we had a great time. John and I went out to dinner last night for NYE. We had Logan's steakhouse. John ordered a steak entree with 2 sides, and with their menu, if you order an entree you can order 1/2 rack of ribs for $6. I'm such a cheap date ha ha ha. Anyways, I decided to have a glass of wine, and it was so yummy, but I think I drank it too fast, and I actually caught quite a bit of a buzz. My lips were tingly, and my arms felt heavy. It wore off about 1/2 hour later, and I just felt relaxed. I ate 2 ribs with lots of barbque sauce, 4-5 bites of his mac-n-cheese (do you see a pattern I love mac-n-cheese), I ate part of the inside one of their yummy yeast rolls, and then drank the rest of the wine after my dinner settled. We then ventured to a local sports bar/grill, where I had 2 more glasses of Chardonay, and least to say I was feeling quite fabulous, hence the goofy pics on my Facebook ha ha ha. I woke up this morning to a 1lb increase on the scale. I figure it'll drop back off once I get more fluids in my system considering I slept like a log until 11:30 this morning. I got up this morning, and made pancakes for John, Caysen, and I always make an extra pancake for the Hank monster. Today to celebrate the new year, we'll have cabbage rolls (John's favorite, I've never had them), and I'm boiling the cabbage right now. IT STINKS ! ! ! We'll also enjoy some black-eyed peas for good luck. Pretty much, we'll spend the day watching college football bowl games, relaxing in our PJ's, and just enjoying each other's company. Here's some pictures of us last night. John thought I looked "hot" last night, he is so sweet. Of course, by the 2nd glass of wine, I was looking pretty rough. Ignore that icky spot on John's eye, it's a reflection from one of the neon signs in the bar ! ! ! 3rd glass of wine is well on board by this time, notice the blurriness much.

There is always a "what if" with any surgery, even just a simple tonsil removal can have complications. You have to remember that particular woman, weighed 900 pounds, was bed bound, and her heart was stressed severely from the excess fat that encased her heart. Complications happen, but you have to trust your surgeon. They knew about her heart issues, so the heart attack was NOT out of nowhere. You have to know that your surgeon is doing all the pre-op testing for a specific reason. They are looking for indicators that may lead to a complication. I know it is a nervous process, but honestly what are your long term risks of being obese for the rest of your life? For me, those risks outweighed the risks of surgery.

I think there is an MTF that is in Kentucky that is offering and covering the sleeve. Keep us posted ! ! !

You can have super mushed up or pureed chicken on mushies. So, chewing the heck out of it, probably did the trick. Just use caution adding foods, I remember trying to add foods in, and it sent me back to mushies pretty quickly. Everything feeling "right" is good, but don't get discouraged if you have a bad day. I still have an "off" day at 7 months out. I can, and do eat anything I want, but some days, things just don't work. Like italian dressing worked really great for a long time, then a couple weeks ago at the Christmas part, it made me gag. I don't know if it's the brand or what, but I wasn't happy about it. Your staple line is still technically healing, your tummy is still super swollen, and you just have to give it time to heal.

Thought I would chat for a bit tonight, I'll leave the window open while I peruse the OH boards for a bit.

Hey there Dawn, and welcome. Your surgeon should of given you a post-op diet regimen, and it's advised to stick to that and progress only when you are supposed to do so. As for weight loss, every person is different. There are many factors that contribute to initial weight loss i.e. your starting weight (people with higher BMIs typically lose faster, men lose faster, lower BMI patients may lose it a little slower), what type of post-op diet your surgeon has you on, how much you start walking, and light working out you do early on will all help decide how much weight you will lose. Every person is different so try to not compare yourself to others. Good food happens when you can tolerate it. I was on 2 weeks of clears, a week of full liquid then progressed to mushies. I stayed on mushies for nearly a month, and only incorporated solids once a week or so after that, and even then I went back to mushies a few times. Early on, you may experience some fatigue because of the lack of calories you are consuming. But, as your post-op diet progresses, your energy level will bounce back. There is an entire forum dedicated to Post-op questions and concerns. You may find other answers here at these links. Feel free to post any questions or concerns you may have, or you can scroll through the threads, and read any that may pique your interest. POST-Operation Vertical Sleeve Gastric Surgery (VSG) Questions & Answers - Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum Here is a link for "Tell your story", you can post your experience, and your history. Tell Your Story - Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum Here's a good thread for different Protein supplement options: Protein Drinks/Powders - Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum Here's a Recipe sharing thread, there's many recipes in here for different stages of the post-op diet: Recipe Sharing - Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum Here is a thread dedicated to December sleeve patients. You can find other members who had their surgeries around the same time, and y'all can share experiences, and tips and tricks. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/2009-sleevers/1620-december-sleevers.html If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to post or if you would like you can message me on here. You just click my name on a thread, and it will show you several different options. You can send me a private message anytime, and I'll respond ASAP.

I don't mean to freak anyone out, but what a lot of people do not realize is that they may be laproscopic sites, but they are still incisions. They cut through many layers of tissue to get inside your abdominal cavity. Hernias can appear at the incision sites especially the larger incision site where they remove the large portion of the stomach. Plus, your staple line is healing, and you do not want to stress that staple line by doing too much lifting and stretching of the abdominal muscles. I'm sure other people can lift more sooner post-op, but during my revision, my surgeon removed large amounts of scar tissue, and adhesions therefore leaving my abdomen probably more vulnerable than most patients. I'd err on the side of caution during the first month with any lifting over about 15lbs. I would not want anyone to go through another surgery due to hernias, or even abscesses forming at incision sites from overdoing it.