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My surgery was the 24th. Phase 1 From 8/25- 8/27. Phase 2 from 8/28- 9/11. Phase 3 from 9/11- 10/9. Phase 4 from 10/9 - lifetime. I am still on Phase 2, so maybe you went into phase 2 too soon?? Here I will upload a picture of my Post-Op plan. Thanks for the patch and headache info. That's what I thought since I haven't introduced anything new but the patches. So maybe liquids it is. Like you said anything is better than this massive pressure headaches. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m 48 and just accepted by the medical team after losing 10 kg and holding for 6+months. See the surgeon in a couple weeks and looks like surgery around end of October or into November. It’s been a hard road to keep it off but has to be worth it in the long run. Wish I had been able to do it years ago but even now the family isn’t supportive. I still weigh 140kg even running on the treadmill for 30 mins 4 days a week. Whoever said guys can lose weight easy wasn’t looking at me. Just been watching YouTube vids for the first time. Any tips appreciated

I was sleeved 8/2, though it feels like its been months. I had early nausea with water, and SF drinks were hard, but I got through it without getting dehydrated. My surgery was complicated by the fact that the surgeon found a GIST tumor on my stomach. She removed it, and the oncologist said it was unlikely to return, so I guess I was very lucky in that sense. Food has been hard. Soft foods have been pretty dull, and I still do not get in all of my protein daily. It has been a month now, and I have only lost 20 pounds, so feeling disappointed, quite frankly. I was very tired the first couple of weeks, but more back to normal now. Another complication were very tender spots all over my pannus area where I was self-injecting Lovenox for 2 weeks (as I am on Warfarin normally). The areas got very hard, tender, and red, but the surgeon said they weren't infected, and so now no longer tender, but still hard, and the skin is discolored. I had a few incidents of eating over my 1/4 cup and felt it immediately. It was NOT a fun feeling. Lately I have not even wanted to eat because it is so boring and tasteless, and there isn't a lot of actual hunger, just head hunger, mainly for pizza and Coke, lol, but I am being good. Over all, I wish things were moving faster. I guess I expected to lose, like 10 pounds a week.

Lol, congrats! I’ve been laying low with my progresss because of the same reason (of getting my hopes up) but today I got the call and I have my surgery date for 10/24 and my pre-op appointment is 10/4 .. I’m excited, nervous, and anxious. But I’m mentally and physically ready to get this done and over with so that I smash my goals and get my life back! :) When do you start you pre-op diet?

@ellie123 I have Pinterest and basically just look up low carb versions of my fav foods. Actually I currently have a recipe in my notes too for a low carb crab cake and remulade sauce, and paleo “fried” (baked) green tomatoes for the future too 😂😂😂 I’m pretty sure you can find my Pinterest if you search Megan sadler. The pic is me laying in my husbands arms like 10 years ago lol actually I’m going to update that now so it might be one of me and hub In winter

Cheesy Keto Garlic Bread - using mozzarella dough The BEST recipe for cheesy keto garlic bread - using mozzarella dough. At only 1.5g net carbs per slice, this is an absolute keeper for your low-carb recipe folder. Course Bread, Dinner, Side Dish Cuisine Gluten Free, Grain free, Keto, LCHF, Low Carb, No Sugars, Wheat Free Keyword Keto garlic bread Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 25 minutes Servings slices Calories 117.4 kcal Ingredients 170 g pre shredded/grated cheese mozzarella 85 g almond meal/flour *see recipe notes below 2 tbsp cream cheese full fat 1 tbsp garlic crushed 1 tbsp parsley fresh or dried 1 tsp baking powder pinch salt to taste 1 egg medium Instructions Place all the ingredients apart from the egg, in a microwaveable bowl. Stir gently to mix together. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir then microwave on HIGH for a further 30 seconds. Add the egg then mix gently to make a cheesy dough. Place on a baking tray and form into a garlic bread shape. Cut slices into the low-carb garlic bread. Optional: Mix 2 tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp parsley and 1 tsp garlic. Brush over the top of the low-carb garlic bread, sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 220C/425F for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Recipe Notes UPDATE: Nutrition values are for EACH slice. Garlic bread dough makes 10 slices. Mozzarella dough can also be made by replacing the almond meal/flour with 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) coconut flour. Nutrition Facts Cheesy Keto Garlic Bread - using mozzarella dough Amount Per Serving (1 slice (makes 10)) Calories 117.4 Calories from Fat 88 % Daily Value* Total Fat 9.8g 15% Total Carbohydrates 2.4g 1% Dietary Fiber 0.9g 4% Sugars 0.6g Protein 6.2g 12% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

So, I've had my surgery time changed now three times for tomorrow. It started at 10:30 am, then at 10 am, and now I'm scheduled as the first procedure at 7:30 am.

Can you vape it at all? The biggest concern I would have is that you may have a coughing fit from smoking... and that might be painful/damaging to the stitches you have internally. I vaped 1 month post op and didn’t have any issues. But I am a casual/social participant in such things. My usage is generally between 3-10 times a year depending on the situations I’m in, people I’m around, and how I’m feeling. I would just be really careful to not cough. And yeah- smoke isn’t so hot for your insides at this point (or ever really) so maybe check out other ways to enjoy it.

Ok ladies, just cuz I'm trying to get in touch with my inner-selfie-ho, LOL, I have to confess to having Size10 envy from Silly's size 10 jeans. So I went and tried on my size 10 Gap skinny jeans and then remembered my sissy had given me her old size 8P brown jeans as an inspiration to "grow down to"! And here are the photos! LOL. I should add, I actually wore the Gap jeans last night. And this morning--they were so tight, I have bruises on the front of my kneecaps where they bound me in. Who need spanx with this guys! And I might add...no way would I have gotten these past my thighs if it weren't for the impressive and enormous amounts of lycra in the fabrics!!! ROFLMAO! I found the Old Navy Tshirt for $1, and think the Gap jeans were either $1 on sale, or they were like $3 or something with senior discount at the thrift store. Gap Jeans Brown jeans (were so tight I might add that you can see my muffin top of loose jiggly puff skin at my waste!) ROFL! Oh I might add, in the depths of my deep body dysmorphia and self-hatred-ish, I find it almost unbearable to look at these photos. Cuz I CAN see how far I've come, but rather than being proud of that, all I can think when looking at these is, "DG look at big my thighs are! And why don't I look like I'm a size 10 or 8? When my sis had the brown jeans on, she looked so tiny!!! She's about 1 1/2inches shorter than me and so petite. I still feel like Godzirra. UGH!

Hi, I'm having the Gastric Sleeve done in TJ on Wed 9/19 and plan to fly back after 2 nights in the hospital on Sat 9/22. I'm curious to know how soon after surgery did others travel. Thanks!

Gosh, I'm sorry to hear that you have so much going on. Hopefully once you get your parents taken care of things might slow down for a bit? You really can do it!!!! For me, I've found out that walking is the key. I got a Fitbit and I seriously walk as much as I can. I started at a simple 4000 steps per day and upped it every week until now where I'm currently at 9000. It does take some time, but for awhile I could complete most of this within 30 minutes as I did a few thousand and then when I added the steps I do just in a normal day, I would hit my goal. I've found that the best time to do this is in the morning. If there is any way for you to work this into your day, you won't regret it. And this is the most physical activity I've had in 10 years since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I had an appointment today, and since someone on here had freaked me out with their story of repeatedly throwing up Prilosec-sprinkled-in-applesauce, I asked about it. My surgeon allows pills the following day. (I don't remember if it's his rule or something I read somewhere, but "10 minutes apart" is stuck in my head.)

It’s strange but my shakes go down pretty easy but with water I feel the restriction immediately. Take an hour to do 10 oz of water but 20 min for 8 oz shake

@Mel86 ME!!! I was sleeved on 7/31 and stalled for 10 days from 8/15 to 8/25. This week, I've only lost .8 lbs. But, I'm staying on my plan. I have lost 28 lbs since pre-surgery and 21 since surgery. I'm trying not to get down about not loosing more because I have never ever lost 21 lbs in 5 weeks. I know more weight loss is coming.

Mine lasted 10 days. Then, I lost a 4 more lbs and had another stall that lasted 6 days. I've just stayed on my plan. It will happen so hang in there.

Just got the email..... SURGERY IS APPROVED AND SCHED FOR 10/25/18!!!!!!!!! Gah, I'm so nervous and excited and idk what else I'm feeling hahahahaha. Any suggestions , like anyone pre shop for vitamins or foods? Or prepare their kitchen? Like did you throw out unhealthy food to resist temptations?

Ok, I'll remain optimistic. It will be interesting to see what I look like when I meet my goal. The last time I weighed close to 200 pounds was when I joined the Navy. I entered boot camp at 196 pounds with a size 37" waist and left boot camp 10-weeks later at 196 pounds, but with a 34" waist.

I'm a huge fan of Dr. Ryder and the rest of the Lifespan Baratric team over at the Collyer and Dudley street offices. Been going to her for almost 10 years now, they did my band in 2011, my revision to bypass this past March. Just a great group of folks! Glad to see so many great doctors in such a small area!

I’m only about 10 days out myself and dreaming of foods I can’t have. Some of them are things I rarely ate! As intense as these feelings are right now I’m assuming they will diminish some over time and be replaced by a feeling of accomplishment as we watch the scale go down and our health improves! My last Dr. visit before surgery there were some food magazines in the exam room, one featuring a beautiful dessert. When the Dr. came in I held up the mag, looked at him and said: Seriously???? He laughed and said “ Look. Your life is not over after surgery. You will be able to enjoy some of the things you Love now in moderation. “. We’re so new to this right now all we know is restriction. I’ve heard that your taste will sometimes change after surgery so once you try the foods you’re craving once again you might not even like them as much. For now focus on this wonderful opportunity we’ve been given and what we can do, not what we can’t have. I bet there’s some savory bites of a samosa in your future after which you will drink your water and hit the treadmill !!!Hang in there!!! I know it will get easier!

So, I have promised to share my story with anyone who is interested. I’m not simply a bariatric surgery patient. Feel free to ask questions about what I have gone through. I am not shy about talking about my travails and have lots of experience with surgery in general. The photos I am sharing may be disturbing to some people. I am scarred and have an ileostomy. If you are squeamish, you may want to skip the photos. Here we go… Get your popcorn, this is a very long post. My name is Andy. I turned 52 in early July. I am single and live alone with my dog. I’ve been heavy most of my life. But, my journey is about my chronic illness and the effects it has had on me and my body. I have Crohn’s Disease. I started having symptoms when I was 15. It got really bad when I was in the Navy, but it was in 1990 that I was first hospitalized because of it. I was, at first, diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and started on medication. This seemed to help for a while, but it kept getting worse. In 1995, when my doctor said I had to start taking Prednisone again, I opted to have a radical surgery to “cure” me by removing the organ of choice for this autoimmune disease. On April 20, 1995, I had the first of three major abdominal surgeries at Northwestern University Hospital, in Illinois. I had my entire large intestine removed and an internal pouch was made out of my small intestine to take the place of my large intestine. The surgery took almost 12 hours to complete. It was done open incision; laparoscopic surgery of this type was not perfected until the early 2000s. (My youngest brother had this exact surgery performed in 2012 laparoscopically. Crohn’s disease runs in my family.) This pouch was connected to the exit and I had a loop ileostomy for three months while the internal pouch healed. Yes, I pooped into a bag hanging from my stomach for three months back then. Then, after the three months, I went back in for another surgery where they closed the ileostomy and dropped my intestine back inside. Things went well for a couple of years, then I got sick again. I moved to California and started a new job in 2002. When I found a new gastroenterologist in southern California, he did some tests and said I did not have ulcerative colitis, but Crohn’s Disease. (The difference between these two irritable bowel diseases is ulcerative colitis only attacks the large intestine, but Crohn’s disease can attack any part of the digestive system.) This doctor started me on an infusion medication called Remicade. This was the first medication that ever really worked. I took it for about 14 years until I developed antibodies to it. I kept taking it even though it was not working because the doctor never had me tested for antibodies. In 2014, I moved to Idaho. I found my current gastroenterologist, who is the best doctor I have ever had. He put me on Humira. This is a self-injectable medication that also worked for a while, this time about two years. When he saw that the Humira was no longer working, he ordered a blood test that would see if I had antibodies to it. This is when I found out that I had antibodies to both Humira and my previous medication, Remicade. I was then switched to Cimzia, which never worked. I just keep getting sicker and sicker. (The worst part of having Crohn’s disease is there are no outward signs that you are sick. I looked fine but felt like crap all the time. No one at work believed I was sick) One of the side effects of my surgery in 1995 was scar tissue in my small intestines where the ileostomy was. Because of this, I periodically have small bowel obstructions that usually require hospitalization. To date, I have had 17 small bowel obstructions. These usually clear themselves while I am in the hospital, by not eating anything (NPO) and having an NG (Naso-gastral) tube inserted up my nose and down into my stomach, to remove any contents using suction. Let’s jump ahead to last year – May 2017. I had yet another small bowel obstruction. I was hospitalized as usual, but this time it did not clear. I had been in the hospital for two weeks and then they decided I needed surgery to clear the blockage. When I was talking to the surgeon before the surgery, he said I had a 90% chance that I would come out of surgery with a permanent ileostomy. This was not the case. In this second major open abdominal surgery, the surgeon was able to remove scar tissue strictures from the outside of my small intestine and they immediately inflated and the blockage passed. I got lucky. The surgeon told me that if I had another small bowel obstruction, he would be forced to remove my internal pouch and give me a permanent ileostomy. In August of 2017, this is exactly what happened. A bit after 4 am on August 21, 2017 (yes, the day of the total solar eclipse – I’ll say more about this in a minute), I went to the emergency room and was admitted about 8:30 am for yet another small bowel obstruction. I had been up all night throwing up and getting sicker, so I was exhausted by the time I got to my room. About 10 am, the nurse came in and asked if I wanted to go out to the parking lot and watch the eclipse. I was so sick and exhausted that I said no and slept through the entire event. (I live in one of the areas where people came to view the event (eastern Idaho) and I missed the entire thing because of this damn disease…) When the surgeon came in later that day, he said that he had scheduled me for surgery on Wednesday, August 23, 2017,, for the removal of my badly diseased internal pouch and give me a permanent end ileostomy. So, again, I poop into a bag. So, on August 23, 2017, I had the third major open abdominal surgery. One thing to note here is this was the third time I had been opened up in the same place – from just above my belly button, vertically down into my groin. My wound had barely healed from the surgery in May and the surgeon was cutting me open again. This ended up being a long recovery. There were two issues with this surgery: the first was the placement of the ileostomy. The surgeon placed it in the scar tissue from my ileostomy that I had back in 1995. This has caused issues with the seal on my bag. The second issue was the surgical wound. While I got much better since the badly diseased part of my small intestine was surgically removed, the wound did not want to heal. I was in the hospital for over three weeks and eventually sent home on with a wound vac. This device keeps constant suction on the wound and removes any blood and body fluids from the wound, preventing infection and speeding healing. The problem with my wound this time is it was not closed properly and it took over four months for it to close enough for me to stop using the wound vac. I was able to finally return to work in January of 2018. Back to my gastroenterologist. I went to see him in Februar 2018 for a checkup and an intestinal scope, called a sigmoidoscopy. This is basically the same as a colonoscopy, but they use a much smaller device. It is about the same size as an endoscope. When this procedure was over, he said to me that I needed to lose weight. (He basically says this every time I see him, about every three months) This time, I was sick of hearing about it so I asked him for a referral to see a dietician to help me with my weight and my eating. About a month later, I get an unexpected call from a bariatric surgeon’s office near where I live and was invited to a seminar. I went and after the presentation, I went to ask the surgeon a couple of questions about whether or not I was a candidate based on my surgeries. She said that it was not out of the question, but she would need me to make an appointment to be sure. I was seen in late March 2018. When I met with the surgeon, she asked me to lift my shirt and show her my abdomen. She took one look at my scars and said she could do nothing for me. She referred me to a bariatric surgeon at the University of Utah, who I met with on June 29, 2018. Because I had already started the journey, according to my insurance, back in March, the doctor placed me on the fast-track to get everything done. Since June 29th, I have had 14 appointments in Salt Lake City, about 210 miles south of where I live. During this first appointment, I also talked to the bariatric surgeon about my other issues and he referred me to a colo-rectal surgeon, also at U of U. I met with him on July 20, 2018. We discussed revision surgery on the placement of my ileostomy and the removal of internal scar tissue around my small intestines on the left side of my abdomen. He said that these things need to be done and that he would coordinate with the bariatric surgeon. The bariatric surgeon was more hesitant and needed much convincing. I finally was able to talk him into performing both sets of procedures during the same operating room visit. I was finally approved for everything and am scheduled for surgery on September 6, 2018. In early August of this year, I was finally approved for yet another Crohn’s medication – Stelara. This, by the way, is the second most expensive medication in the United States, behind only Harvoni (which is used for hepatitis C). Stelara costs about $20,000 per dose and I have to inject one dose every two months. So far, it is working. So, to recap – on September 6, 2018, I will be having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, performed laparoscopically (prepped for open, but he is going to attempt laparoscopically first) by Dr. Volckmann as the first procedure performed. While I am still under and after Dr. Volckmann finishes, Dr. Pickron will come in and perform a revision on the location of my permanent end ileostomy and attempt to remove as much scar tissue from my small intestines as he can. This will be performed open, through the same incision location and scar tissue that has been used now three previous times. I am also posting photos of what I look like without clothing, with privates blocked out. Since my surgery on August 23, 2018, only my doctors have seen me this way. And the last photo is of my "surgery" haircut. I hate to deal with my hair in the hospital so I just cut it all off before I go in. If you have made it to this point, thank you for reading my story. I have never written it all down before and as such, have never shared everything with anyone.

No, not really, but its all good! Edited, but in hindsight - probably appear as higher percentage, in that if someone weighing 100kilos lost 10kilos that would be 10% loss, but if someone weighing 200kilos lost 10kilos that would be 5% loss. It would probably take longer for the lower weight person to lose 10kilos than it would the higher weight person though.

October 3rd! I'm nervous! And also excited! Btw, thanks for labeling this thread "2018." There are two other October threads that don't have the year marked, and I really hope some of us stay in touch through 2019 and 2020, at least. No sense in confusing next year's sleevers!

I couldn’t get enough protein in eating the small portions throughout the day like my surgeon’s office wanted so I had to go back to drinking 2 protein shakes a day. My blood work showed that my protein was low around the time where I was trying to eat my protein. I was eating chicken breasts, ground chicken, ground turkey, shockingly my tummy is fine with lean ground beef. Also I would use low fat or fat free cheeses. Still wasn’t meeting my protein needs though. I’m 10 weeks out and eating more than once a day is still challenging for me. Good luck! I hope you can do better than me in that department

I am two weeks post op. Down 27 lbs. went back to work today. Work in an orthopedic office placing casts, splints and braces on patients. Gotta a little winded, arms are sore and was a little low on energy a couple times today. Had help and am glad I did!!! My surgeon said that soft, scrambled eggs, refried beans, smooth peanut butter and grits are fine on my plan now. I was one week clear liquids, one week full liquid and purée /soft foods. He said to start reprogramming my chewing mechanism. Question is what else would be appropriate during this time? I have no NUT so I am relying heavily on you all. I also asked him how I was eating 1/2 cup at a meal (eaten with 10 min) and able to sip water afterwards and he said he made my sleeve about the size of a plantain. He said not to worry so much on tablespoons and amounts but again to relearn my chewing mechanism.

Actually that was me, not @AshAsh1 If you are fine with slow weight loss, then that's fine. But don't complain about it and say that the surgery didn't work. You realize that most people on this site are super motivated to make this surgery successful? So most of us don't think that 96 servings of Raisin Bran, or mega boxes of Cheez-its, or 10 lbs of dates are good ideas. So when you post up these purchases and then defend them as good choices, you are not likely to get many people agreeing with you.