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A lot of sleevers have episodes of the foamies. It usually occurs if you eat too fast or too much or something that is too dry/coarse. Dumping is less common with sleeves than bypass. (Dumping occurs if you eat too much sugar or fat.) Both side effects can be managed simply by being careful about how & what you eat. I’m three years out & I had a bout two days ago. I ate too quickly because I wasn’t eating mindfully (I was having a ‘discussion’ with my mother 😉) & cough, spit & up came that last bite. I know you said your reflux developed as a complication with your band & once it was removed the gerd stopped, but I’m wondering if this may make you more likely to develop gerd post sleeve. I don’t know but it may be worth asking your surgeon if bypass might be a better option. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I guess my lunch was a little to big or I drank it a little too fast. I have an ache on my left side that's been hurting since this afternoon. No interest in having anything else since. This is my first eating-related pain or discomfort since I started (have had zero nausea). It's not fun. I'll slow down tomorrow.

I have the same thing, 5 months P.O. I figure it's because the food goes through so fast? EIther way, I just take Imodium or gas pills, depending on which I need at the moment. I hope it will straighten out on it's own.

I was surprised it was so fast, I only had to do one intro zoom seminar, a zoom nutrition seminar, a psych eval, and some paperwork before they submitted it to my insurance. There was optional support group meetings, but the times were all when I was at work so I couldn't attend. Then it was about 3 weeks from the time I got approved to when they called to schedule my surgery. My theory is that I have a history of dieting and working with a dietitian on my medical records, so they didn't have me take 6 months of classes. I don't know if that's the reason but it's the only thing I can think of. I also did call them to bother them a few times.

Sorry you got covid, but I'm glad time passed fast! My June has gone by pretty quick so I'm hoping the rest of the summer does too, as funny as that may sound haha.

if you're eating 1000-1300 kcal/day and exercising and weigh 248-291 lbs, you're not in maintenance - you're stalling. Unfortunately, stalls are very common. And a 91 lb loss at this point is amazing. You're losing a lot faster than I did. Stick to your program, and quit weighing yourself so much. The weight is going to come off as long as you stick to your program, whether fast or slow. I was close to a year out before I'd lost as much weight as you have, and I continued losing for almost two years. Be patient and just stick to your plan.

I had an extended period of time off. I healed really fast BUT I had a little issue with passing out which they had to figure out. Once they took me off my medication I was fine and I went back after a month off. if I didn’t have that issue? One of two weeks would have been sufficient

I can't believe how fast time is flying! I created a countdown timer until my surgery and I often forget how many days are left. It won't be long until I'm 30 days out. I'm nervousxcited! But this week I finalize all my supplements, liquids, and support items so I can be prepared for any last minutes. I started EFT tapping on successful Pre-Op surgery to help relieve the jitters and to continue relearning my new relationship with food. I no longer want food to be the center of my life, just a part of it

That is very stringent. Although, not drinking clear protein drinks wouldn’t bother me…I couldn’t even get a sip of those down. My advice is always to err on the side of compliance. Too many people play fast and free with the guidelines and run into issues. You are almost there! Good for you! I found that the stricter guidelines helped me meet my hydrating liquid and protein goals. Also, beef broth (low sodium) was a godsend for me. Just rest for now, your stomach is still healing! ❤️

I, too, was told I could drink up till I eat. The minute I finish my last bite, is when the 30 minute rule kicks in. There are times I set a 30 minute timer if I feel particularly thirsty. It always seems to go fast though. It's a small sacrifice, and I have been practicing this for many years. I read a book on successful wls patients, and this particular rule was stressed for long time success. The longer the better too, as long as you can get 64 ounces in a day, of course. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

It’s a process, it sounds like you’ve figured it out! It’s a real learning curve, I’ve found, but not a difficult one. When I have been tired, or not as hydrated as I should be, I’ve been giving myself time to recoup with rest. I’m using the Baritastic App with the drink reminder set up to silently vibrate every 5 minutes to gauge my liquid intake and stay on top of it. I had tried to do it without he reminders but 5 minutes goes by too fast. Good luck and keep up the good work!🎉

My surgery was 6/14. Doesn’t feel like 12 days ago. Healing fast. I did clear fluids until day 6 post-op (plus 3 days preop). I went to stage 2 a day early because I was getting really light headed. It’s so crazy how different programs are. Now I’m on Fairlife Elite, strained soups, s/f pudding, baby meats & cereals, thinned cottage cheese, yogurt, probiotic, etc. Had to start a half pouch baby prune purée to promote BM. It all digests fine. I can feel the restriction around 1/4 to 1/2 cup. I lost 17 lbs (6/11-6/20) then have been stuck the past 6 days. Wondering if it’s too few calories? I never made it past 550/day so far. I have been meeting protein and water goals in stage 2. I walked 6 hours today (farming). Maybe it will un-budge me.

I only lost 16 lbs the first month - but my weight loss continued for 20 months. I lost 235 lb altogether (have regained 15-20 lbs, which is unfortunately very common after you hit bottom, but I'm OK with that now...). Anyway, my point is, the weight WILL come off, whether fast or slow, as long as you stick to the program.

I'm a month out now. Down 18 lbs since surgery. I didn't come out of surgery at a higher weight and I continued to lose weight the first week or two. Then the stall hit. It's hard not to get frustrated when the weight isn't dropping. Especially since I saw it drop so fast on the liver shrinking diet. The pace of loss now is not nearly as exciting. Even knowing in advance that I won't see the same rate of loss and that there will be a stall. I just have to remind myself that the 19 lbs I've lost in the last month is still a greater weight loss than I was able to do on my own in the last 10 years. And I have to remind myself that even at a relatively slow weight loss of 5 lbs per month I can reach my goal weight in a year. That's really pretty fast when you think about it.

Let me preface tis by saying I'm not a Christian. I have nothing against Christians, I just happen not to be one. Kinda like I'm not Jewish, Buddhist, or Hindu. I'm just not. ANYWAY.... so I'm talking with a few people that I went to school with back in the day, and I told them I had the sleeve done and you would think I just burned down an orphanage or something. I just defiled God's temple, I should have had more faith in the Lord to guide me through this tough time and not desecrated His temple, I should have talked to my pastor about it and went to God in prayer before making a decision like that, and if God brought me to it He could have brought me through it. Ok, WHAT???? How did I become sinner #1 just by having a surgery that is literally saving my life and helping me to be healthier? There was no way I was getting into a holy war with them over this (oh, there's a lot I COULD have said, but it really wasn't worth it) so I dipped out of the convo and came here to rant about it. Things went so sideways so fast that I'm still confused how we even got there.

Ok all which would you recommend protien powder vs Slim Fast? I like the Slim Fast because it seems to fill me up more then the powder but I like the powder cause there is less calories and more protien. Which is better for after surgery? Sent from my SM-S908U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am still losing, but already have a good bit of lose skin/squish. I will tell you without reservation, that I would rather have a little extra skin jiggle than be fat and miserable and unhealthy and on the fast track to early death. Do I wish things were super toned and tight? Sure, don't we all? But the reality is, I've carried around over 100lbs of extra weight my entire adult life, I'm not ever going to have the body of a person who was always thin. But what I do have is my life back, a healthy relationship with food, a body that I've learned to love and be grateful for, and YEARS of my life given back. For me, the skin is a reminder of how far I've come and what I've done for myself as an act of love. I would suggest to anyone considering surgery, that they focus on their mental and emotional health first and foremost. You have to be in a good place INSIDE before you are ready to make the OUTSIDE changes. Truly, this is a life long journey and you will only be as successful as you're willing to be, which starts with the head work. I think having done a ton of therapy and getting myself into a good headspace before surgery is what has allowed me to accept the less desirable parts of the process and not get hung up.

Now that we got those un-inspiring rest stop fast food options behind us, bring on the Degustation!! One of many things I ordered last night that Mr had to eat the rest of after I took my obligatory tasting bites: Plogue à Champlain Foie Gras: a small pancake, topped with melted cheese, roasted fingerling potatoes, fried egg, think cut Canadian bacon, crowned with a slab of seared foie gras, smothered with a maple syrup reduction. Omg im drooling just writing out the description. 🤤 I have no idea what the calories are…but definitely not for the calorie watchers, nor those prone to heart disease. P.S. i/we also ordered a bunch of other stuff from our night of venue hopping, but the picture quality of these progressively decreased as our alcohol consumption increased.

yes - definitely don't stress about it. There are so many things that affect your rate of weight loss that you have little to no control over - age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic rate, etc. The only two things you do have a lot of control over is how closely you stick to your program and your activity level. Do well with those and the weight will come off, either fast or slow. I was a slow loser from the get-go, and I lost over 200 lbs. So it can be done..

There are slim-pickin’s for healhier-choice fast food, huh? Am currently on a road trip and after 2 circles of the food options at the rest stop, i ended up ordering this: Subway’s sweet onion chicken as a Salad. They say 230 calories, but the lady doused my salad with what looked like 1/2 a cup of dressing, so probably double that. Ate less than 1/4 of it cuz that sweet onion dressing is waaaaay too sweet, and i just tried to eat the greens at the bottom that were dressing-free. Tried to wipe off the sauce from the chicken but gave up afterwards 2 pieces. I’ll get some beef jerky at the next stop.

Question - I get sharp pains in the top of my stomach when I drink anything. It's intermittent. They don't even last a second but I was hoping they would get better a week out, but it's the same. I'm thinking it's the hernia repair I had at the same time, or could it be common to the sleeve?

Hi yalllll, So I’m rlly just wondering if I’m fucking this surgery up 😞 I am able to eat a yogurt (6oz) in like 20 mins and I don’t feel gross after. My brother who also had the surgery two/three years ago is telling me I’m eating way too fast, but I don’t like understand how or what he means? He won’t rlly help me understand either 😞 I just don’t want this all to be in vain, I’m a worry wort as you can probably see but I have lost 12ish lbs and I wanna keep the momentum, and make sure I’m not doing anything dumb to jeopardize my success. Any input would be helpful! Xx

I had VSG in Tijuana, Mx. at HospitalBC with Dr. Illan, so I can only speak to my own personal experience. I did about 200 hours of research before my surgery and based on that research, finances, and other personal considerations, decided to go the Medical Tourism route and have been very happy with that decision. These hospitals ONLY do bariatric surgeries and are geared towards medical tourists. They run a VERY well oiled machine from intake to discharge. The process was so smooth, I was completely confident going alone. The surgeon I chose is highly accredited, has done thousands of WLS procedures, has relationships and mentorships with some of the most well known US bariatric surgeons for continuing ed, is board certified, etc. He is just as qualified, if not more so, than many of the bariatric surgeons in my area. The reality is, there are amazing surgeons in the US and just as many in Mexico and other places. Conversely, there are terrible surgeons here and everywhere else. There are pros and cons to each, and every person has different needs. Ultimately it boils down to doing your research, finding a surgeon you trust, and a program that fits your needs. Regarding your questions above: 1 - No, it was a combination of finances, timeline, convenience, and other factors. 2 - No, I did not get an option. My surgeon uses a 32 as his standard and will only deviate when appropriate for the patient. 3 - I met with my PCP before I went and she was extremely supportive. She does all my post-op labs, checked my incisions, offered dietary support, etc. She now recommends my surgeon to other patients who are interested in going out of country for the procedure. 4 - The hospital I chose was staffed with additional medical personnel in case of emergencies, but that really wasn't a consideration for me. The instance/risk of major complications DURING surgery is essentially nil. 5 - Complications aren't usually the result of a surgical mistake, so there is generally nothing for the surgeon to "fix" they typically are just the result of a person's own body's healing. For instance, a stricture is one of the most common (though still extremely rare) post-op complications, and they are almost never a direct result of surgical error. They just happen. 6 - My hospital offers lifetime nutritional support, which is great. That being said, I HIGHLY recommend some serious counseling before & after to deal with the emotional/mental work that has to be done. I was really well informed pre-op but still felt like the extra support would be critical, and it was. I would also suggest ongoing community support - either here, or something like BariNation (which I LOVE), or a local support group. I am a card carrying, people hating, highly independent introvert and have still found community support to be vital to my success. 7 - I wish I had known how ridiculously kind and accommodating the staff would be. I went alone and really kept to myself, but the one time I needed the staff they were incredibly responsive and very kind. In hindsight, I wish I had been more engaged. *going out of order* 9 - It takes time. Most people will NOT be able to hit their protein and water goals right away. It took me probably 3 months before I was able to get there consistently. It just takes a crap ton of work. I keep water handy at ALL times, and drink, drink, drink like its my job. I was never advised to drink warm water or to adjust my intake in any way. Just drink, all the time. 8 - I am going to say this as gently and with as much love as I possibly can - This is not your journey and you would serve your wife best by keeping your opinions to yourself. Unless you have lived in her brain and her body, you cannot understand what she is going through, what is driving her behaviors, or what toll it is taking on her mental health. I can guarantee you, she feels plenty of shame already and doesn't need you second guessing her ability to be successful. The best thing you can do is research, report back, support her, and shut up. My husband is thin and has the metabolism of a hummingbird. He has never struggled with his weight and as such has no frame of reference and no ability to understand. He recognized this early on, and has thus deferred to me on every diet, every fast, every medication, and ultimately my decision to have surgery. His unconditional support, free of opinions and judgment, was the kindest gift he ever gave to me. I know you love her, and you clearly want her to succeed. But the baggage you are forcing her to drag around is entirely unhelpful. A much more valuable way to help would be to help her find a therapist so she can do the work that would set her up for success long term.

These are good tips. I wonder if these menu items mentioned are still available or if anyone has any new items to add to the list. I admit I haven’t tried a lot of fast food yet. Just fresco tacos so far. But I do love Chick-fil-A salads. I just bring my own dressing.

Thanks, I will check her out. My favorite so far is Katina Eats Kilos. She doesn't eat too fast and talks a lot during it. And does all kinds of food. So much fun and satisfying to watch.