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Puppy- Yes! I've found a good body cleanse/detox once or twice a yr is a good thing. makes me feel lighter, more energetic, better skin, no sugar/fat / junk food cravings. The Vitamin stores have them. Basically, it's a box with a few pill bottles in it and some instructions. Some come with a disc. I get the regimen that detoxes heavy metals (aluminum, mercury) out as well as a general body-cleaning of chemical micro-junk we eat like pesticides on foods. Besically- cleaning out all those environmental and food toxins we breathe or ingest. You can't drink coffee or alcohol during the course (takes about 2wks) and you have to really follow the eating/drinking program and take all the pills on a schedule. The metal detox also detoxes Iron, copper, zinc, selenium- so you have to re-introduce them with a good quality multi-vitamin Afterwards, you have to get GOOD bacteria back into your gut- Probiotics. I get Acidopholous (sp?) and yogurt with LIVE cultures. It's a good idea to get these in regularly anyway, but the detox kills all the bacteria in your gut so you have to be extra diligent about replacing the probiotic bacteria. For the 1st week or so, you'll feel like absolute dog-doo doo! Really Tired, aches and pains, head fog, headaches. Just overall, lousy feeling. This is basically sugar/ caffein/ etc. withdrawals combined with lifting those toxins up out of your systems & organs: blood, renal, brain, liver, kidneys, glands, etc, and eliminating them through your urine and excrement. You'll pee & poop like a champ! lol After that, your energy comes back the aches and pains go away, no more headaches, you'll feel mentally sharp and eliminate regularly. No cravings either. The return to natural, (non-caffeinated) metabolic energy and overall feeling great is amazing.

Is anyone else just counting calories and protein like me? I get about 900 to 1000, exercise 4 days a week and still am slow losing. I don't eat junk food, or sweets but will have carbs occasionally but not a lot of them. I am wondering if your nutritionist have put you on some sort of restrictions? I have even had alcohol a few times, and actually have had losses those weeks. Go figure!

I think you'll probably get different answers to this question, much like is caffeine ok, is alcohol ok, etc. I think your responses will be varied. I can only speak from my experience. I do think that as my sleeve has "healed" and the internal swelling has gone down, etc there probably is a little less restriction than there was initially. With that being said, the kind of food you are eating matters. If you are eating foods that are high in carbs, they tend to slide pretty easily through, not fill you up, and give you the sensation that you your sleeve is "broken" or "stretched" and you can suddenly eat more. However, if you go back to dense Proteins you'll realize pretty quickly that your tool is still in tact and you still have the restriction that you expect to have. So, is it possible to stretch your sleeve? I'm not terribly sure. Is it possible to over-eat or binge eat with the sleeve and have the feeling that it is stretched? Absolutely. So that was kind of a long response to a short question. And my official answer, I don't know. Lol.

My 14 day preop diet is 3 meal replacement shakes a day with 3 zero calorie snacks. I had to do a lot of research to find shakes and vitamins that don't contain artificial sweeteners because I'm allergic. Anyone else have artificial sweetener allergies? In particular Splenda and sugar alcohols.

I started at 238 and wanted to lose 88 pounds. My surgeon's goal was to lose 78. I lost 22 pounds on my 2 week preop diet so I went into surgery at 216. I reached his goal at 6 1/2 months, reached my goal at 7 1/2 months and then lost another 12 pounds. At 10 1/2 months out I am down 100 pounds and have been maintaining here (give or take about 4 pounds) for a couple months. So far maintenance has been easy for me. It just comes down to being committed at this point because I have no food intolerances, a lot less restriction than a few months ago and I could eat a lot more than I let myself eat. I eat when I'm hungry....at least 5-6 times/ day but make good food choices. I don't exercise at all, but I have an active, physically demanding job and have a very active lifestyle. Still making sure I'm getting in all my Protein and Water and take my Vitamins religiously. I still have a large protein/fiber smoothie everyday, and eat a healthy balance of protein, veggies, fruits and grains. I Stay away from processed food and simple carbs, although I will have desert or alcohol or other "bad" things a couple times a month. I'm not on a diet, after all! ????

@@Ronab My surgery isn't until 12/18 but I started prepping a few weeks ago. Here's what I've done. 3 weeks ago I slowly weaned myself off caffeine. 2 weeks ago I gave up alcohol and started chewing each SMALL bite of food 30 times. 1 week ago I started REALLY pushing getting my Water in. This past weekend I had my last carbonated beverage and am now water or decaf tea only. This week I also started a liver/kidney detox tea. This week I am also replacing 1 meal a day with a Protein shake, just to get in gear for my 2 week pre-op diet that starts on 12/4. On the Monday after Thanksgiving I am going to start 2 shake replacements a day. Another thing I have done is I took a cardboard box and covered it in a really pretty paper (the kind with the sticky back) and I'm keeping all my pre-op and post-op items in there. I have several brands and samples of Protein shakes, a new thermometer, GENEPRO, Biotene mouth spray, Gas-X strips, lip balm (for hospital), a Glade plug-in (for hospital), a brand new water bottle, and other things.

No alcohol since July 4th. No processed foods, carbs (except for a spoonful here and there of veggies and fruit), soda, sugar for 3 months. It's weird and wacky, but I LOVE MY SLEEVE! :-)

Hi everyone, I am coming to ask all who has been sleeved if my fears are irrational or not normal. did you have these same fears? I am so scared of not waking up after surgery I am scared the surgery wont work. I am scared I will wake up and for whatever reason, come to find out the docs had to stop surgery and I am not sleeved. I am scared that after going thru surgery, my body will just have a major freak out and I will have a heart attack and die or that my body wont like the changed and just give out. I have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (heart arrhythmia that causes the heart to quiver instead of beat. It can cause blood to pool in the atria of the heart which rises my chance of stroke by 5 fold. I have an "attack" about once a year. otherwise im fine). my cardiologist has cleared me for surgery. I have zero other health issues. I am 28, and very healthy. im just obese with my a-fib. I have never smoked and my last alcoholic drink I had was when I was 19. (not one word of a lie). for a big person I have oretty good stamina when it comes to exercise also. my cardiologist wrote a clearance letter for my surgeons and anesthesiologists. in the letter is says : "Aliesha's chances for serious perioperative cardiac complication is 1% and her Lee Index for a serious post operative cardiac complication is 0.4% equivalent to low" I know that pretty much sums up that I should be ok for surgery, but I cant help now that surgery is 2 weeks away, be absolutely terrified. TERRIFIED. I just want to live a life where I am healthy, lighter, and free from this prison. But I have to ask..........what is the risk? is it worth it?? Any insight would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Um nerd alert response ... the problem is that everyone I know who has smoked or is smoking is skinny. Alcoholics, they can be skinny even though they eat (drink really) a lot of sugar. I would suspect the issue has more to do with taxation than anything else. They can earn $$$ in Colorado from pot. You can't earn it (as in show it going directly to state coffers) in terms of WLS. The payment for WLS is like 5 years or more to earn back what you paid for it (used to be 2, this is another study done more recently). Pot is going to get more in the coffers in terms of taxes that you can measure, its quicker, and you can invite people from the surrounding states for it. Remember, this is medicine. Follow the money. Congrats on your surgery. I don't care where people get it as long as they are healthy and follow up on what they need to. If insurances are rotten and cheesy enough not to see that it helps their bottom lines, then I'm all for people being able to get it safely. I support the mess out of it actually. I personally think it would be worth it to send signed return receipt letters to the heads of the groups saying no and asking what their basis for not saving $$$ are since that's all they care about: the bottom line, its obviously not about health.

It's tough, but something you are just going to have to deal with. Those of us who have issues with food have it harder than some other addictions. When you are an alcoholic or addicted to some other drug and in "recovery", you are encouraged to steer clear of any "bad influences" you associate with so you aren't tempted to use. With food, people still have to eat. You can't force others to adhear to the strict regimen that those of us going through this process have to do. I'm 2 and a half months out, and there have been many, many times I watch my friends and family eat and drink things I cannot. Instead of feeling "sabotaged", I feel empowered knowing I'm doing what I need to do right now to get healthy. Once you start looking at it that way, it becomes second nature to be around others who are partaking in things we know we shouldn't.

*************** Thanks so much @ria☺️???????? Eating wise: I'm not perfect, I do eat chips crackers and vegan Protein Cookies more often than I should (a little just about everyday ????????) but I'm human. I make sure I get at least 90-100 grams of protein daily, take all my Vitamins and strive to drink at least 8-10 cups of Water daily. I focus on lean protein such as chicken, fish and turkey. I also pretty much don't ever touch or even think about or miss bread, rice, Pasta, decadent pastries, creamy drinks, soda or alcohol. I probably consume a bit too many calories for someone a little less than a year out but I am committed to fitness. Typically average around 1700 calories per day ...I still get most of my protein from Premier Protein shakes, Greek yogurt and protein bars such as balance bars, Think thin and premier crisp. I eat often, nearly every hour or 2 I'm nibbling on something. My hunger is back but it's not raging. I guess I just like the taste of food ???? Exercise wise: I'm very committed and really enjoy pretty much all low impact fitness. My favorite things to do are group fitness classes: spin ????, hot yoga, power yoga ????☺️, Pilates and barre. My confidence has soared and I feel and look so much stronger. Can't believe I am actually loving fitness. I think it's a combination of the fact that I took pretty extreme measures for weightloss and I fear the "devilish animal" known as constipation ????. early on when I wasn't very active and not getting in enough water I suffered so much with that and hope to never EVER EVER EVER revisit that experience again ???????????????????? Best of luck to you during this very unique wls journey of ours ????

*************** Thanks so much @ria☺️???????? Eating wise: I'm not perfect, I do eat chips crackers and vegan Protein Cookies more often than I should (a little just about everyday ????????) but I'm human. I make sure I get at least 90-100 grams of protein daily, take all my Vitamins and strive to drink at least 8-10 cups of Water daily. I focus on lean protein such as chicken, fish and turkey. I also pretty much don't ever touch or even think about or miss bread, rice, Pasta, decadent pastries, creamy drinks, soda or alcohol. I probably consume a bit too many calories for someone a little less than a year out but I am committed to fitness. Typically average around 1700 calories per day ...I still get most of my protein from Premier Protein shakes, Greek yogurt and protein bars such as balance bars, Think thin and premier crisp. I eat often, nearly every hour or 2 I'm nibbling on something. My hunger is back but it's not raging. I guess I just like the taste of food ???? Exercise wise: I'm very committed and really enjoy pretty much all low impact fitness. My favorite things to do are group fitness classes: spin ????, hot yoga, power yoga ????☺️, Pilates and barre. My confidence has soared and I feel and look so much stronger. Can't believe I am actually loving fitness. I think it's a combination of the fact that I took pretty extreme measures for weightloss and I fear the "devilish animal" known as constipation ????. early on when I wasn't very active and not getting in enough water I suffered so much with that and hope to never EVER EVER EVER revisit that experience again ???????????????????? Best of luck to you during this very unique wls journey of ours ????

*************** Thanks so much @ria☺️???????? Eating wise: I'm not perfect, I do eat chips crackers and vegan Protein Cookies more often than I should (a little just about everyday ????????) but I'm human. I make sure I get at least 90-100 grams of protein daily, take all my Vitamins and strive to drink at least 8-10 cups of Water daily. I focus on lean protein such as chicken, fish and turkey. I also pretty much don't ever touch or even think about or miss bread, rice, Pasta, decadent pastries, creamy drinks, soda or alcohol. I probably consume a bit too many calories for someone a little less than a year out but I am committed to fitness. Typically average around 1700 calories per day ...I still get most of my protein from Premier Protein shakes, Greek yogurt and protein bars such as balance bars, Think thin and premier crisp. I eat often, nearly every hour or 2 I'm nibbling on something. My hunger is back but it's not raging. I guess I just like the taste of food ???? Exercise wise: I'm very committed and really enjoy pretty much all low impact fitness. My favorite things to do are group fitness classes: spin ????, hot yoga, power yoga ????☺️, Pilates and barre. My confidence has soared and I feel and look so much stronger. Can't believe I am actually loving fitness. I think it's a combination of the fact that I took pretty extreme measures for weightloss and I fear the "devilish animal" known as constipation ????. early on when I wasn't very active and not getting in enough water I suffered so much with that and hope to never EVER EVER EVER revisit that experience again ???????????????????? Best of luck to you during this very unique wls journey of ours ????

*************** Thanks so much @ria☺️???????? Eating wise: I'm not perfect, I do eat chips crackers and vegan Protein Cookies more often than I should (a little just about everyday ????????) but I'm human. I make sure I get at least 90-100 grams of protein daily, take all my Vitamins and strive to drink at least 8-10 cups of Water daily. I focus on lean protein such as chicken, fish and turkey. I also pretty much don't ever touch or even think about or miss bread, rice, Pasta, decadent pastries, creamy drinks, soda or alcohol. I probably consume a bit too many calories for someone a little less than a year out but I am committed to fitness. Typically average around 1700 calories per day ...I still get most of my protein from premier Protein shakes, Greek yogurt and Protein Bars such as balance bars, Think thin and premier crisp. I eat often, nearly every hour or 2 I'm nibbling on something. My hunger is back but it's not raging. I guess I just like the taste of food ???? Exercise wise: I'm very committed and really enjoy pretty much all low impact fitness. My favorite things to do are group fitness classes: spin ????, hot yoga, power yoga ????☺️, Pilates and barre. My confidence has soared and I feel and look so much stronger. Can't believe I am actually loving fitness. I think it's a combination of the fact that I took pretty extreme measures for weightloss and I fear the "devilish animal" known as constipation ????. early on when I wasn't very active and not getting in enough water I suffered so much with that and hope to never EVER EVER EVER revisit that experience again ???????????????????? Best of luck to you during this very unique wls journey of ours ????

I don't count my calories, but definitely don't eat too many. even if that was the case, I burn a ton of calories at the gym! I have always practiced no drinking 1/2 before or after a meal (or more). It's like no matter what I do....I'm stuck!! No alcohol !

Are you counting cals? Try using my fitness pal and log EVERYTHING. There has to be a missing link somewhere. Go back to basics. No drinking while eating. Protein first. Do you drink alcohol?

My surgery is Dec. 18th. About 2 weeks ago I came off all caffeine and started practicing eating very slow. One week ago I stopped all alcohol and made a conscious effort to chew each SMALL bite at least 30 times. This weekend is my last weekend to have caffeine free carbonated beverages and to start a high protein diet. Next week I will start replacing one meal with a protein shake. I'm also pushing water, water, water. Start now making changes. I for one didn't want to be detoxing off caffeine and soda while trying to do my 2 week pre-op diet. I would go postal!

Hi - I was disappointed that the video did not include anyone who had been overweight their entire life. I think that is the most common profile of obese adults. Everyone I currently know who is obese has been so since high school or before, I went on my first real diet at age 6. I am 56 and this week was the first time in my entire life that I did not shop in the plus size (or, as it was known 50 years ago for children, the "Chubette" department). And, at 207 lbs now, the only reason I am now a large in some things and not plus size is because Americans are so big that they've made the sizes larger! The video made me feel that I don't have a legitimate reason to be fat. I didn't have fertility treatments. I was never a professional athlete or military person who had to learn to eat for a new lifestyle. But I do know about nutrition, about exercise -- I am smarter than the average bear and it didn't do me any good! No one has worked harder or longer at weight loss than me -- except for the millions of other regular people who have also been fat all their life! Can I blame genetics? Sure, why not? But this video message said that you had to have a good reason to be fat and the implication is that only those people, those legitimate obese people deserved weight loss surgery. How about recognizing that life is different now for most Americans - there are less physical jobs, even school is more sedentary as less kids walk to school, flavor enhancers in our food has altered our tastes, etc, etc. I don't think we need to showcase only those weight loss surgery patients who are deemed presentable enough to be spokespeople for the cause. This attitude plays right into the crazy and punitive insurance policies around WLS. Denying so many people who need it, yet paying, without question for rehab for alcoholics or drug users. Or denying people if they go below a BMI of 40 while they are in the pre-op phase, or cancelling surgery if they gain a single pound! It's the same judgmental, condescending, belittling attitude that predominates society in general, and the medical profession in particular, around obesity. A colleague of mine at work had her VSG surgery scheduled earlier this week but it was cancelled because they found a cyst in her lungs. She has been complaining to doctors for ten years about pain in her chest - to the touch -- not just simply being out of breath. The only answer she got was "loose weight". Not a breathing test or even a simple X-ray - just a lecture. Now she is facing thoracic surgery and G-d knows what else! If doctors had treated her like a grownup instead of a non-complaint child, she would have had this taken care of years ago. it's the same attitude as this video -- some fat people are worthy and some are not. I am very happy that I had the surgery, but I am truly regretful that I didn't have it when I was much younger. I have suffered in my personal life and in my career and while I take responsibility for my decisions, I do not take responsibility for the cavalier and cruel attitude of the medical profession that for most of my life, did not give a damn. Regards, Ellen

How much do you usually smoke in a day? I quit by decreasing the number of cigarettes I smoked over a two month period. I slipped and had a cigarette last Christmas and it stalled my chance of beginning the process to get surgery. I think the medication Zyban (Wellbutrin) helped a little. I think the hardest thing is the fact that you have no reward system when you have to give up food on top of smoking. I think that is why the statistics say there is a high rate of addiction and alcoholism among many that had bariatric surgery. I've been in therapy so that I don't start going down that slippery slope. I wish you the best of luck. Like you said, you can't lie about it to your bariatrician because it will cause problems later down the road. Smoking interferes with your body's ability to heal after surgery. The thought that you will never get to smoke again for the rest of your life is hard to swallow. Think about all the positive things you will gain by quitting; a new, healthier life.

Animal protiens are best if you have any leeway in your choices. Also, Greek Yogurt has a variety of flavored. Dannon Light and Fit is low in carbs too. It helps with any desire you may have for fruit too. You can also get goo protein bars (whey protein). Again make sure they are low in sugar. Sugar alcohol as a sweetener is okay in the bars. Atkins and other some other brands are good.

It's called trichotillomania and I am not in the position to diagnose people but my guess would be that before surgery you would have been living with an underlying anxiety or stress issue. Maybe your mode of coping mechanism was eating, cooking or planning meals previous to surgery? Now that you are unable to use that coping mechanism, you are pulling hair... That's OK and well done to you for picking up on it. People develop very sophisticated means of directing their attention energy into tasks, chores, hobbies etc and can quite successfully 'cope' through this. Meaning that they can continue to live quite happily.... but if the coping mechanisms are noticeable to others or you are prioritizing carrying out the behavior without the ability to anticipate negative impacts on yourself, others or your lifestyle; drugs, alcohol, obsessive behavior like shopping, eating, gambling or even self harm etc ... Then the means of coping has become toxic to you, not helpful at all. We all carry 'baggage' and most people aren't aware... Just look into some cognitive brain therapy, counselling or whatever form of help you feel most comfortable with. Above all, remember that you are human and humans are strange, complex and amazing animals . . . we all need a bit of help figuring out what is really up with us. Xx

Oh my.."protecting our kids from alcohol" Alcohol kill more people with the diseases it causes, drunk driving, fatal drunken fights, domestic violence than all drugs put together...and that's not mentioning broken homes, child abuse and permanate mental issues for children of alcholics

I recently had a girls weekend. At one of the bars, I noticed they had small cups (like the ones you buy for your bathroom to rinse your mouth). I asked the bartender to use those cups instead of the larger ones. The large cup just exhausted me to look at it. To know I had THAT MUCH to drink overwhelmed me. I had about 2 1/2 of the small cups. Mostly vodka with a splash of cranberry. I got a little buzz, but not too bad. Definitely could not have eaten and drank all of that. I opted for alcohol instead of food that weekend. lol...I didn't gain any weight and wasn't yacking either, so all in all, I guess I handled it pretty well.

Some fell off, and some I picked off (I'm terrible I could not resist. More tempting than any scab) , and the rest I used rubbing alcohol on to remove the sticky stuff.

My dr gave me some sort of gauze pretreated with some oily stuff. I think it was at my two week follow up, when it was time for the tapes to come off. They were in packets like the alcohol swabs. He also gave me alcohol swabs to use. Susan.