Stacy160

Congratulations on your decision! You'll need to take Vitamins with the sleeve too... not because we don't absorb them, but because we don't eat enough food to get them that way (then again, most Americans don't get enough nutrients from their food and should be supplementing anyway). Good luck, and keep us updated! :biggrin0:

HW - 258 SW - 246.4 LW - 225.8 Today - 223.4

I totally agree.... it's annoying as hell, cheapens the site and makes it feel third-rate. It's totally unnecessary, but they're probably getting a kickback for leaving it there.... again, cheap and third-rate.

Well said!!

Isn't it amazing how quickly we change our way of thinking? Pre-op, I'd have considered that an excellent eating day LOL... yesterday I felt like I'd slipped up--how crazy is that? :001_tt2: This thing SO totally rocks!

Exceedingly minimal. My muscles were sore for a few days afterward. I only had actual "pain" when going from lying down to sitting, right at the main scar, and that rated maybe a 4/10. That got better everyday. My surgery was on a Monday and by Sunday, there was nothing whatsoever... the only thing reminding me that I'd had anything done (other than the liquid diet) was that I still had a (painless) drain in.... otherwise I felt 100% normal.

Yesterday was the closest thing to a pre-op day I've had since surgery. My son and I decided to spend the day together running around, and we left the house with me not even realizing that I hadn't had anything to drink other than two cups of coffee, and nothing at all to eat. Stopped by the health-food store and among the neat little things we picked up were a small container of their Kashi -- not the brand, but the salad-type thing with parsley, seeds, quinoa, soybeans... good stuff, but all vegetarian, so all carbs. Ate probably half a cup of that. Then made chili for dinner, ate a whole scoop so there were a lot of Beans, then later I had a date-roll coated in coconut... I think it was all fruit, there were no ingredients listed on the package, but THAT was all carbs! There was plenty of snacking on 'legal' stuff in between too. Just a munch, grazy, snacky day with too many carbs. And I JUST realized it was all a head hunger/bad habit thing. Didn't really realize that as it hasn't been an issue for me up til now. Damn.

If you're following the post-op diet correctly, and staying away from unnecessary carbs, then you're pretty much already doing Atkins. :001_tt2:

I'm sure you didn't mean to, but you pretty much just unintentionally reinforced her point.

Travel safely and good luck tomorrow... we'll be waiting to hear from you on the flip side! :001_tt2:

H. Pylori is the bacteria that causes ulcers. My old stomach tested negative for it, thankfully. It's been a long time since I read anything about it, but if I remember right, it's just treated with antibiotics (but don't quote me on that). I don't think it would prevent you from being sleeved.

I haven't had that overwhelmingly yet, but I time my last Calcium to come after dinner, and it's a chewy chocolate-flavored little bite that makes me feel like I've had 'something' after dinner. In the past though, I've found that just one little square of very dark chocolate (like 70%+ cacao) is fully satisfying and very low in calories and carbs. I take tiny little nibbles off the edges and let them melt, so I can make that one little square last like a half hour LOL... the danger is in knowing that the rest of it is there, so it's hard not to make it a nightly habit, and falling back into the habit of having it just because it's there. But for an occasional treat when you feel like you really want something, it's been very safe and effective for me in the past. There are also sugar-free chocolates that you can get, but they also go down faster and are higher in the calorie and carb department, so I'm not even gonna go there yet!

My SPAM detector is on high alert...

I can't add anything that Tiffy didn't cover above, but I do want to highlight the most important parts that you should keep in mind: - The sleeve portion of the stomach that is left is mainly muscle as long as the fundus is fully-dissected. Sleeve stretching is minimal... the balloon-like stretchy portion of the stomach is gone (that's the part they actually make the RNY pouch OUT of, so the pouch is very stretchy). Your sleeve is more of a soft leather-like material... it gives, but doesn't stretch like a balloon the way the RNY pouch does. - The sleeve has lower regain stats vs. RNY for patients 5 years out... Follow some of her research links. It's true. And I'll add that the long-term weight loss of the sleeve is equal to or better than the RNY. Like she said, if you're determined to "cheat" whatever surgery you have, then you'll gain the weight back. Any surgery is only a TOOL to greatly assist you in following weight-loss rules, and if you follow the rules you'll be fine. Protein first, and lots of Water. If you do that, then during the losing phase you won't have much room in your stomach to cheat anyway; once you're at goal you'll be able to relax and have more variety of food with the occasional treat and be fine. Bottom line is, you HAVE to go into any surgery committed to working WITH your tool, and not figuring out ways to cheat it. To add: Most doctors, unless they're bariatric surgeons, have never even heard of the sleeve and assume that "weight loss surgery" means gastric bypass. I think the doctors you've been talking to don't know what they're talking about when you're trying to discuss VSG. :wink0: Research, research, research, find the answers, and good luck to you!

WOO-HOO!!! For me, that's the post of the day (if not the week) from any forum. Way to live your life, girl!! :wink0:

GOOD FOR YOU!!! A big wedding is SO stressful and SOOOOOO expensive, and it's all over before you know it and you're left feeling kind of deflated, and broke. My hubby and I decided to go down to the Keys to get married (4 years ago next month). We'd both done the big wedding the first time, and it's so overrated. Besides, we were more about BEING married than GETTING married, if that makes sense. Everyone knew, but we went alone and it was awesome. We'd planned on having a reception/party/get-together a couple of months later, but never did, but we didn't miss that either. You'll be glad you're doing this, and everyone will just have to understand. Contratulations!! :thumbup1:

I didn't experience cramping post-op, probably because of the multivitamins/minerals, but I've experienced both before while doing Atkins. The abdominal discomfort might be due to constipation. The cramps, I definitely had a TON of doing Atkins... I found that taking a potassium pill once a day helped a lot with that.

You know what, I really thought I was going to miss a huge trough of nachos, the Chinese buffet, and eating half a pizza plus garlic cheesebread, and I made damn sure I had ALL those things and more before surgery. You just can't believe ahead of time that you'll be full and satisfied with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of food... but it's true. My eyes are still sometimes bigger than my stomach, and I'll dish up a full scoop of chili, or think I'll be able to eat a whole burger (no bun), so I take it, and then can't finish it. But instead of being disappointed, I'm still amazed that not only am I FULL halfway through, I don't even want to keep going. Last night I had a small-medium size slice of pizza (plus the crust, I know, bad me) with bacon, tomato, and green olives. I was just as full -feeling as I would have been pre-op and really felt like I'd had a whole big meal...which, with my new tummy, I actually did! It's just something you're going to have to experience yourself to believe. AND, once you're into solids, you'll be able to have the same stuff (although it really should be avoided as much as possible until you're at goal--last night was my first big cheat). OMG.... LMAO!! I just called one little slice of pizza a cheat?? AHAHAHAAA!!!!! Sorry, laughing at myself... it's amazing how fast you change the way you think about food LOL. Anyway, do satisfy your "last supper" needs before surgery, because it will help you mentally gear up for the surgery and you won't obsess over having to have all that stuff one last time. Just remember that you WILL be able to have it again eventually, but next time it won't make you fat and sick. :thumbup1:

Water doesn't make me ill, but at six weeks out it just doesn't sit well once it's in there. To me it feels "hard" and like it just sits there... I can only take a couple of pulls of a bottle, then have to wait a few minutes before I can do it again. With something in it though, it's fine. Propel, coffee, tea, any kind of powdered mix... then it's great. I can chug back 5-6 swigs and can do it again quickly, and it feels like it just runs right on through instead of sitting there feeling rough. I think I read once somewhere where somebody explained that it's a Ph thing, and something about the water sitting on top of the stomach acid, or something like that, but I don't remember exactly and haven't been able to locate the post where I read it.

Nectar has been my favorite by far, although I have only tried 5-6 flavors and Strawberry Mousse was not one of them. I really like the Strawberry Kiwi and Fuzzy Navel flavors. The Muscle Milk Light is awesome too!

Off the top of my head, truly the only thing I'd have done differently was not bought so much Protein beforehand (I love the nectar and am making my way through 6 lbs. of isoflex, but have only used the unjury chicken Soup twice, the unflavored twice, and have another jar of unflavored unopened). That, and I'd have not bought chicken broth and tomato soup by the case.... I was still in that mindset of eating "pre" portions instead of "post" portions when I got it. Not that it'll go to waste, but still. Other than that, nothing really!

It'll work! The only way it couldn't work is if you don't let it (ie., sabotaging yourself). You won't do that--if and when you do get hunger, you'll know that it'll be real hunger and that a very small amount of healthy food will take care of it. The question was posed on OH a few days ago about post-surgical hunger. Some people have it, some don't... I think those who are surprised by it are the ones like me, who rarely felt true hunger before surgery because we were ALWAYS eating something, without being hungry, just because it sounded good, or smelled good, or whatever. I think if you're one of those people who always really felt hungry before surgery and no amount of eating would calm it, then what little hunger you might feel afterward will probably feel like nothing. I know some people feel it often and others never do, but I also think that our perception of the sensation of hunger is very relative to how much we felt true hunger before surgery. If you get it, be happy about the fact that it's because you're NOT stuffing yourself...you're feeling like a regular thin person feels!! And eating even less than they do to satisfy it! As far as the head hunger goes, I've only had it once in 5 1/2 weeks, and that was last night. I actually felt guilty for having a slice of bread with a little Peanut Butter and sugar-free maple syrup on it... can you believe that? Six weeks ago I'd have had enough dinner for two or three people, then followed it with brownies, or ice cream, or at least a large bowl of Cereal LOL.... anyway, not everyone deals with the head hunger so don't worry about that ahead of time. Prepare yourself for it and have a plan in place as to how to deal with it... find something else to do, have popsicles on hand, remind yourself that you're not eating like a thin person... you'll deal with it! I'm rambling and don't even remember what your original question was LOL... OH YEAH! I know you feel like a failure after years of trying, but guess what..... SO DID THE REST OF US. NONE of us had this surgery because we gained ten pesky pounds over the winter. All those people you see losing 100, 150, 200+ pounds after this surgery? They ALL started out in the same place you are, and they ALL worried about failing at this too!! It's not gonna happen. I know it's so hard to believe, and after a 20-lb loss since surgery I still have trouble really believing that I'll get there too, but I will, and so will you. Just follow the rules, know and expect that there will be stalls in your weight loss (maybe beginning early out) and that they're completely normal, and keep plugging away at it. Be excited, you're gonna love this!!

Another school of thought says that since we store a LOT of hormones in our fat, and we're losing fat so quickly, that rush of hormones can cause mood swings and uber-PMS like symptoms.

WOO-HOO!!! You are a poster child for the rest of us, girl.... soooo inspiring!

Wow, look at you shrinking.... you're doing great!!