Dr. Aceves Gastric Sleeve Surgery Information

[Suzannesh 376]

How do I reach dr.acevez

This is how you can contact Dr Aceves--Nina is the person who can answer ALL you questions. nina_eguia@yahoo.com

This is their phone number also 1-888 344 3916

I highly recomment Dr. Aceves. I know that he charges more--but when it comes to you health--that is NOT a time to price shop. He has done my sleeve's than any of the other doctors have done. You have your surgery in a state of the are hospital and that is where you recovery is too! Do NOT ever have surgery where they send you to recover in a Recovery House. This is ALL about your health and getting the very best you can. If you have anty question PLEASE send me an E-mail: Suzannesh@aol.com

Hugs,

Suzanne

[nursing38 23]

thank you for all the wonderful info you have provided. I am barely starting on this journey. I have yet to contact Dr. Aceves, but he has done surgery on 4 people that I know and all has been great. I know I want the surgery but am still scared as I have never been in the hospital or had surgery for anything. trying to get up the courage at this point to call him.

[Suzannesh 376]

thank you for all the wonderful info you have provided. I am barely starting on this journey. I have yet to contact Dr. Aceves, but he has done surgery on 4 people that I know and all has been great. I know I want the surgery but am still scared as I have never been in the hospital or had surgery for anything. trying to get up the courage at this point to call him.

Hi,

I know it takes courage to do this. I just want you to know the sooner you have this done the happier you are going to be. Don't give away one more day of your life being unhealthy and overweight. You deserve to have a happy, and healthy life. Do it now and do it for you no one else. If you are scared, I am here every step of the way for you. I am happy to talk with you on the phone. There is NOTHING scary about a hospital at all--honestly it is the safest place in the world to be. And you will have a TEAM of highly qualified Doctors and Nurses to take care of any needs you will have. I have never received the kind of care in the US that I received for Dr. Aceves and his staff. Surgery is the ONLY thing that is going to help you achieve your goal of not being fat anymore. You know that for a fact because you haven't lost it and kept it off doing what you are doing.

Please do not waste or give another day away--life is precious so why not lead your life as a nice thin and healthy person. I really urge you to pick up the phone and call Nina. She is fabulous and she will walk you through all the steps that you need and answer any question that you might have.

Hugs,

Suzanne

[sentos 12]

Thank you for the tips. Do you have an idea of the Isopure tastes? Is there a taste to compare it with?

[Suzannesh 376]

Thank you for the tips. Do you have an idea of the Isopure tastes? Is there a taste to compare it with?

Hi,

I hate Isopure. I call it Isopuke, or pond scum. I hope that helps you!

Hugs,

Suzanne

[sentos 12]

Thank you

[sentos 12]

I have been asked so many times on this board about what Protein drinks are good and some sample meals that I used during the first month and things I did after the 1^st month. These are very valid questions and I know when I first started out I had all the same questions. Again this is long so please print this out if you would like.

Protein Drinks.

My all-time favorite is:

Premier Protein Drink. It comes in 11 oz. drink boxes already mixed. There are 30 grams of Protein in each box' date=' 160 calories per box, 1 gram of sugar and 5 grams of carbs. The flavor I buy is Chocolate—that is all I can find at costco. I get mine at costco and I understand that you can get them at Sam’s Club too. You can order these on line at Costco and Sam’s club. They are also available at this Web Site. http://www.premiernutrition.com/product.html

I pay about 25.00 for a carton of 18 drink boxes at Costco in the city where I live. I drink one of these every morning for my Breakfast and nothing else and it has been almost 3 years since my “sleeve surgery.”

The next Protein Drink that I have tried is called:

Matrix 2.0 Mint Cookies made by Syntrax. You can check this out on this Web Site.

http://www26.netrition.com/syntrax_matrix_page.html

The cost for 2.16 lbs. is 22.99 plus postage. Item # 39-0963

My next Protein Drink that I have tried and like is:

nectar, variety pack, you get 13 single servings in a variety pack.< /p>

The cost is 22.95. This is the Web Site and they are made by Syntrax also.

http://www6.netrition.com/syntrax_nectar_page.html

There is one other Protein Drink that I found on Obesity Help.com that was rated really high by 188 people. I have never had it, but you might want to check it out. The name of the protein drink is: Carb Solution High Protein Power—it comes in more than one flavor. They also have cans of it already mixed. The Protein Powers cost 12.99. It has 110 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 4 carbs, and 20 grams of protein. This is the Web Site for Carb Solution at Wal-Mart.

http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?q=Carb+Solution&qs=ti&ga=us7&ts=go

On www.ObesityHelp.com they have a lot of different information about Protein Drinks and they list so many different brands and people have rated the ones they really like check this site out. It has a lot of information about almost all the protein drinks that we find out there.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/nutrition/a,prodsearch/searchtype,1/criteria,11/

I hate Isopure. It does NOT taste good to me—I know that some people like it. I call it Isopuke, and it reminds me of pond scum. I have been told if you buy it at a GNC and don’t like it and still have your receipt they will refund your money if it hasn’t been more than 30 days since you purchased it from them. I guess they will do that with protein powers too—ask before you buy what their policy is about returning something if you don’t like it. So if you want to try it remember this. There always seems to be a GNC in most Malls.

This 1^st month after weight loss surgery is going to be the hardest one to do. You just get tired of what they want you to do. It is for a reason—the doctors know what they are doing. You need to let your new stomach heal from a major surgery, so that is why you have to do these things the 1^st month.

You should try to keep your calories at 800 per day and no more than 20 carbs a day if you want to lose weight. The 1^st month you really don’t eat a lot. So in the following months keep track of everything you are putting in your mouth.

You can track what you eat on this site. I found it to be very helpful to write down EVERYTHING I was putting into my body. If I didn’t write it down I was going over 800 calories per day and would not know I was. It does take time to keep track of it—you are worth the effort, but once you get the hang of it you will know what 800 calories really are. When you exercise this site helps you figure out the number of calories you have burned and that allows you to eat more than 800 calories. It is an easy site to use and it if FREE. http://www.livestrong.com/

The 1^st 10 days for me had to be clear liquids—you had to be able to see through them.

[*]broth. I used and love “Better Than Bouillon.” It comes in a jar and it is like a paste. I like it because it tastes great and you can make single servings. It is located with bouillon cubes and Soups in the grocery store. I had chicken and beef. I also made some home chicken Soup and strained everything out of it and just had the chicken broth. I would try to have ¼ of a cup of it for part of my meal, but sometimes it was just too much for me. Remember you have a new smaller stomach and it is swollen and can only hold about as much as the size of your thumb.

[*]Jello-- sugar free. I might have 2 tablespoons of Jello. That was something I had fixed and ready when I got home from the hospital.

[*]I tried to drink 64 oz. of Water and sometimes I could get it in and sometimes I couldn’t. Do the best you can, and just sip it all day long. I would add Crystal Light to the water—it made Water taste a whole lot better.

[*]Apple juice, white grape juice, sugar free sports drinks, Decaf hot tea, also decaf ice tea.

[*]Veggie broth or the broth from French Onion Soup.< /p>

[*]Sugar Free Popsicles if my stomach was upset this really seemed to help.

The 2^nd 10 days.

This was much easier to do. If I didn’t mention it, it was difficult for me to swallow my medication so I would crush the medication up and mix it with about 1 tablespoon of applesauce and some Equal and mix my meds in the applesauce and take my medication that way. You will have creamy foods the next 10 days

[*] I loved so many of the creamy Soups. I used regular Campbell’s creamy soups that they had. I was only having about ¼ cup or maybe a few tablespoons of soup.

[*]Jello was still good for me.

[*]Sugar Free pudding, maybe 2 tablespoons full.

[*]Yogurt a few tablespoons of it.

[*]Frozen yogurt.

[*]Applesauce a couple tablespoons.

[*]A little cream cheese.

[*]Sugar Free Fudge Cycles.

[*]Premier Protein chocolate Drink mixed in blender with about 4 ice cubes and 1 cap full of Miralax. When you have a lot of protein you get constipated and Miralax works for that. It is tasteless and blends really great in the blender with the protein drink. I use the Miralx daily and it is NOT habit forming.

[*]Soft boiled eggs or soft scrambled eggs—eggs didn’t work that well for me.

[*]Low fat chocolate milk.

[*]Cottage cheese.< /p>

[*]Sugar Free Popsicles

[*]Creamy Peanut Butter.

The 3^rd 10 days and final part of the first month. Yeah the 1^st month is almost over.

I could eat mushy food. This was more of a challenge than I thought it would be.

[*]Mashed sweet potato or mashed yams with a small amount of butter on it.

[*]Mashed up chicken noodle soup.

[*]Mashed up homemade veggie soup.

[*]Eggs that were soft boiled or soft scrambled.

[*]Applesauce.

[*]Cottage cheese.

[*]Premier Protein Drink with miralax blended in the blender with 4 ice cubes.

[*]Mashed up steamed carrots

[*]Mashed up and blended a little tuna with a small amount of mayo.< /p>

[*]Blended chicken breast with no skin on it.

[*]Ham blended with a small amount of mayo.

[*]Water with Crystal Light

[*]Jello with fat free cool whip.

[*]Yogurt and frozen yogurt.

[*] Sugar free pudding.< /p>

[*]Protein Bars chewed up really well—I could never eat a whole one—just a few bites.

[*]Mashed potatoes and cream cheese mixed in with them.

[*]Mashed black Beans they have a lot of protein in them. I would have about 1/4 the a cup and that is about 9 grams of protein

[*]Sugar Free Popsicles

[*]Hard Boiled eggs made into egg salad.

If I went out to eat I found that a cup of soup was about the best thing I found that I could eat. I also felt like I was on display sometimes because family and friends would watch me eat. It used to bother me, but not anymore. I watched them eat and I thought to myself. “Oh my gosh they inhale their food and they hardly chew it.” I was always the last one to finish eating. That is OK too. At first I actually mourned the loss of food. Later on I was thrilled that I had the restriction of a sleeve because I was losing weight.

I found that chicken and fish were easier to chew and I liked them a lot more than red meat.

I said that chicken was one of the main sources of protein for me. I found Kirkland (Costco brand) grilled Chicken breast strips. It is already cooked and I would put one bag (1 pound) in the freezer and use the other (1 pound bag later.) It is really handy to have around and a quick meal to fix if the chicken is already cooked. We also ate more fish. I would buy Halibut or Sole—a mild fish. I would marinate it in OJ or crushed strawberries or blueberries all day. I would also marinate it in law calories Italian Salad Dressing all day. I would cook it in a pan with Pam spray and put garlic or rosemary in the pan when I was cooking it. I don’t eat a lot of red meat and I used to be a real red meat lover. For me it took too much chewing and it just didn’t taste as good as it used to. I will now have a small hamburger and only eat 1/3 to ½ because it just is too much food for me. Ham was something that worked well for me too. I found I could get a large think slice of from the grocery story deli and I would have it for a protein—I would slice off about 2 oz. of the ham. I also enjoy a Taco salad and I make mine with chicken instead of beef. I love Shrimp and lobster too, so those are my treats that I reward myself with.

A typical meal I ate starting the 2^nd month after WLS.

Breakfast: Premier Protein Drink with Miralax and 4 ice cubes in the blender.

Lunch: 2 oz. of chicken or ham with a small amount of cheese melted over it. I would have a bean salad—it has 4 different Beans in it.

Snack: I would have about 10 dry roasted almonds and maybe 10 dried cherries

Dinner: 2 oz. of Chicken or Fish, steamed veggies of some kind.

Sometimes my husband and I would split a small baked potato

I put a teaspoon of butter and sour cream on it.

Snack: Some type of fresh fruit or a Protein Bar.

Carbs and what to eat and what NOT to eat

About the 3^rd month after WLS I would add a little bread in my diet—I could only eat about ½ a slice of bread or ½ of a hamburger bun and they are the “thin” Buns that they have out now. They also make a thin bagel. You just have to look when you are shopping in your local grocery store for these things. Try to find Whole Grain carb products and if you can’t the do the whole wheat. Try to stay away from WHITE carbs. They are white refined carbs and that is how we got fat eating a lot of them.

Rice should be brown rice and only a small amount—NO white rice. Pasta comes is Spinach or Whole Wheat and you can have only small amounts of it.

banana – Medium size has 27 Grams of carbs—I stay away from the banana, and I love them, but I just don’t want to spend all my carbs for the day on a banana. I use a Mexican soft flour shell made of spinach or sun dried tomatoes for making a small sandwich too—you know they call them wraps.

Beverage: They do not want you to drink something when you eat—you need the room for the food so that you can get your protein in firsts. During the day I would have water or decaf tea for my liquid after I ate or all during the day. As I said the Crystal Light Individual packs and different flavors worked well in a bottle of water. It seems like it took me forever to eat and drink all the things I was supposed to be eating and drinking. I was always sipping on the protein drink and water.

supplements you should take.

It is important that you take a multi-Vitamin. I had a difficult time trying to swallowing large pills. Look for an Adult chewable Multi-Vitamin. I also have the Chocolate Chewable Calcium that I buy at Costco. As time goes on it will get easier to swallow larger pills. Do NOT take the multi-vitamin on an empty stomach, it may make you sick.

My Primary Care doctor was very helpful and after I had been home 2 weeks from WLS, she had me come into for an office visit. She ran a full blood panel and made sure all my levels were ok. I knew my potassium was low when I left Dr. Aceves in Mexicali—they ran my blood test before I left and gave me a very detailed report about my surgery to give to my doctor here in the US. Dr. Aceves told me to have it watched when I got home. I now take a potassium tablet prescribed by my doctor and work on eating food high in potassium.

Starting the 3^rd month

I started to eat more salads about here. I had a favorite and still eat it. It is Fresh Spinach, with slices of almonds, feta cheese, dried cherries, or fresh strawberries, a tablespoon of bacon and Paul Newman’s Light Raspberry & Walnut dressing on it. I sometimes add some of my Kirkland (Costco)

Grilled Chicken breast strips to it and then it is an entire meal in one bowl.

Chef’s Salad is a great one meal in a bowl thing to have and I just use any kind of dressing I want on it. This salad has lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sliced hard boiled eggs, turkey or chicken, and some ham sliced on it with some cheese. REMEMBER make this in a much smaller bowl than the normal Chef’s salad comes in. Sometimes I will add a small amount of Whole Grain dinner roll or some bread with it.

Stir Fry is a great way to get meat and veggies all in one meal too. I have a pan that works great on the BBQ grill and I do a stir fry on the BBQ in the summer time.

Have a sense of adventure and take some of your old recipes and see if you can convert them into a healthier recipe. Use veggies that you have never tried. Try some “rubs” on you meat located in the spice section or the grocery store and try to marinate some of your meats all day before cooking them—it really changes the taste of them.

Desert

I don’t want you to feel deprived. I learned that sometime just a bite or two of a desert really satisfied my need for it. Instead of the WHOLE piece of cake or pie, just a sliver of it worked for me to satisfy my need for it. When you want a cookie have just one small cookie and not the entire bag OK. Sugar free pudding with a small amount of Fat Free Cool Whip is good too. Use Splendia to make a desert that you like. So everything in moderation works.

Exercise

I was never a fan of exercise until I started to walk and I found out how much I benefited from it. Now I try to exercise 5 days a week. Find some form of exercise that works for you and do it. Start slow and then add more until you are comfortable with it.

I am sure I have missed a few things, and I will write those down as I think of them and make a Vol. 2 if I needed too.

These are just my suggestions, spice them up and make your food interesting and don’t get in a rut. This is not a diet, you will learn to adapt it and find things that work for you and that you like eating. This is a LIFESTYLE change. Make it work for you. You have the tool of restriction now use your new tool to your advantage. The fat doesn’t just melt off of you. It does require work and effort on your part.

Stalls—No weight loss for a period of days.

Be prepared you may have periods where you lose NO weight. We call those “Stalls.” You will panic and think for sure that you are the “one person this is NOT going to work on.” I know I was sure that was me. NOT true at all. Our bodies just do this. Mine lasted for 9 days—no weight loss at all. Just keep doing what you are doing and the weight will start coming off again I promise you. I can tell you not to panic but most of you will anyway—that is pretty normal too.

Hugs,

Suzanne

Sleeved 10/21/2008

Lost 105 pounds.

I have a question regarding Protein shakes such as slim fast. Can you take them during the first week since technically, it isn't a clear liquid?

[sentos 12]

I have been asked so many times on this board about what Protein drinks are good and some sample meals that I used during the first month and things I did after the 1^st month. These are very valid questions and I know when I first started out I had all the same questions. Again this is long so please print this out if you would like.

Protein drinks.< /p>

My all-time favorite is:

Premier Protein Drink. It comes in 11 oz. drink boxes already mixed. There are 30 grams of protein in each box' date=' 160 calories per box, 1 gram of sugar and 5 grams of carbs. The flavor I buy is Chocolate—that is all I can find at costco. I get mine at costco and I understand that you can get them at Sam’s Club too. You can order these on line at Costco and Sam’s club. They are also available at this Web Site. http://www.premiernutrition.com/product.html

I pay about 25.00 for a carton of 18 drink boxes at Costco in the city where I live. I drink one of these every morning for my Breakfast and nothing else and it has been almost 3 years since my “sleeve surgery.”

The next Protein Drink that I have tried is called:

Matrix 2.0 Mint Cookies made by Syntrax. You can check this out on this Web Site.

http://www26.netrition.com/syntrax_matrix_page.html

The cost for 2.16 lbs. is 22.99 plus postage. Item # 39-0963

My next Protein Drink that I have tried and like is:

nectar, Variety Pack, you get 13 single servings in a variety pack.

The cost is 22.95. This is the Web Site and they are made by Syntrax also.

http://www6.netrition.com/syntrax_nectar_page.html

There is one other Protein Drink that I found on Obesity Help.com that was rated really high by 188 people. I have never had it, but you might want to check it out. The name of the protein drink is: Carb Solution High Protein Power—it comes in more than one flavor. They also have cans of it already mixed. The Protein Powers cost 12.99. It has 110 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 4 carbs, and 20 grams of protein. This is the Web Site for Carb Solution at Wal-Mart.

http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?q=Carb+Solution&qs=ti&ga=us7&ts=go

On www.ObesityHelp.com they have a lot of different information about Protein Drinks and they list so many different brands and people have rated the ones they really like check this site out. It has a lot of information about almost all the protein drinks that we find out there.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/nutrition/a,prodsearch/searchtype,1/criteria,11/

I hate Isopure. It does NOT taste good to me—I know that some people like it. I call it Isopuke, and it reminds me of pond scum. I have been told if you buy it at a GNC and don’t like it and still have your receipt they will refund your money if it hasn’t been more than 30 days since you purchased it from them. I guess they will do that with protein powers too—ask before you buy what their policy is about returning something if you don’t like it. So if you want to try it remember this. There always seems to be a GNC in most Malls.

This 1^st month after weight loss surgery is going to be the hardest one to do. You just get tired of what they want you to do. It is for a reason—the doctors know what they are doing. You need to let your new stomach heal from a major surgery, so that is why you have to do these things the 1^st month.

You should try to keep your calories at 800 per day and no more than 20 carbs a day if you want to lose weight. The 1^st month you really don’t eat a lot. So in the following months keep track of everything you are putting in your mouth.

You can track what you eat on this site. I found it to be very helpful to write down EVERYTHING I was putting into my body. If I didn’t write it down I was going over 800 calories per day and would not know I was. It does take time to keep track of it—you are worth the effort, but once you get the hang of it you will know what 800 calories really are. When you exercise this site helps you figure out the number of calories you have burned and that allows you to eat more than 800 calories. It is an easy site to use and it if FREE. http://www.livestrong.com/

The 1^st 10 days for me had to be clear liquids—you had to be able to see through them.

[*]broth. I used and love “Better Than Bouillon.” It comes in a jar and it is like a paste. I like it because it tastes great and you can make single servings. It is located with bouillon cubes and Soups in the grocery store. I had chicken and beef. I also made some home chicken Soup and strained everything out of it and just had the chicken broth. I would try to have ¼ of a cup of it for part of my meal, but sometimes it was just too much for me. Remember you have a new smaller stomach and it is swollen and can only hold about as much as the size of your thumb.

[*]Jello-- sugar free. I might have 2 tablespoons of Jello. That was something I had fixed and ready when I got home from the hospital.

[*]I tried to drink 64 oz. of Water and sometimes I could get it in and sometimes I couldn’t. Do the best you can, and just sip it all day long. I would add Crystal Light to the water—it made Water taste a whole lot better.

[*]Apple juice, white grape juice, sugar free sports drinks, Decaf hot tea, also decaf ice tea.

[*]Veggie broth or the broth from French Onion soup.

[*]Sugar Free Popsicles if my stomach was upset this really seemed to help.

The 2^nd 10 days.

This was much easier to do. If I didn’t mention it, it was difficult for me to swallow my medication so I would crush the medication up and mix it with about 1 tablespoon of applesauce and some Equal and mix my meds in the applesauce and take my medication that way. You will have creamy foods the next 10 days

[*] I loved so many of the creamy soups. I used regular Campbell’s creamy soups that they had. I was only having about ¼ cup or maybe a few tablespoons of soup.

[*]Jello was still good for me.

[*]Sugar Free pudding, maybe 2 tablespoons full.

[*]Yogurt a few tablespoons of it.

[*]Frozen yogurt.

[*]Applesauce a couple tablespoons.

[*]A little cream cheese.

[*]Sugar Free Fudge Cycles.

[*]Premier Protein chocolate Drink mixed in blender with about 4 ice cubes and 1 cap full of Miralax. When you have a lot of protein you get constipated and Miralax works for that. It is tasteless and blends really great in the blender with the protein drink. I use the Miralx daily and it is NOT habit forming.

[*]Soft boiled eggs or soft scrambled eggs—eggs didn’t work that well for me.

[*]Low fat chocolate milk.

[*]Cottage cheese.< /p>

[*]Sugar Free Popsicles

[*]Creamy Peanut Butter.

The 3^rd 10 days and final part of the first month. Yeah the 1^st month is almost over.

I could eat mushy food. This was more of a challenge than I thought it would be.

[*]Mashed sweet potato or mashed yams with a small amount of butter on it.

[*]Mashed up chicken noodle soup.

[*]Mashed up homemade veggie soup.

[*]Eggs that were soft boiled or soft scrambled.

[*]Applesauce.

[*]Cottage cheese.

[*]Premier Protein Drink with miralax blended in the blender with 4 ice cubes.

[*]Mashed up steamed carrots

[*]Mashed up and blended a little tuna with a small amount of mayo.< /p>

[*]Blended chicken breast with no skin on it.

[*]Ham blended with a small amount of mayo.

[*]Water with Crystal Light

[*]Jello with fat free cool whip.

[*]Yogurt and frozen yogurt.

[*] Sugar free pudding.< /p>

[*]Protein bars chewed up really well—I could never eat a whole one—just a few bites.

[*]Mashed potatoes and cream cheese mixed in with them.

[*]Mashed black Beans they have a lot of protein in them. I would have about 1/4 the a cup and that is about 9 grams of protein

[*]Sugar Free Popsicles

[*]Hard Boiled eggs made into egg salad.

If I went out to eat I found that a cup of soup was about the best thing I found that I could eat. I also felt like I was on display sometimes because family and friends would watch me eat. It used to bother me, but not anymore. I watched them eat and I thought to myself. “Oh my gosh they inhale their food and they hardly chew it.” I was always the last one to finish eating. That is OK too. At first I actually mourned the loss of food. Later on I was thrilled that I had the restriction of a sleeve because I was losing weight.

I found that chicken and fish were easier to chew and I liked them a lot more than red meat.

I said that chicken was one of the main sources of protein for me. I found Kirkland (Costco brand) grilled Chicken breast strips. It is already cooked and I would put one bag (1 pound) in the freezer and use the other (1 pound bag later.) It is really handy to have around and a quick meal to fix if the chicken is already cooked. We also ate more fish. I would buy Halibut or Sole—a mild fish. I would marinate it in OJ or crushed strawberries or blueberries all day. I would also marinate it in law calories Italian Salad Dressing all day. I would cook it in a pan with Pam spray and put garlic or rosemary in the pan when I was cooking it. I don’t eat a lot of red meat and I used to be a real red meat lover. For me it took too much chewing and it just didn’t taste as good as it used to. I will now have a small hamburger and only eat 1/3 to ½ because it just is too much food for me. Ham was something that worked well for me too. I found I could get a large think slice of from the grocery story deli and I would have it for a protein—I would slice off about 2 oz. of the ham. I also enjoy a Taco salad and I make mine with chicken instead of beef. I love Shrimp and lobster too, so those are my treats that I reward myself with.

A typical meal I ate starting the 2^nd month after WLS.

Breakfast: Premier Protein Drink with Miralax and 4 ice cubes in the blender.

Lunch: 2 oz. of chicken or ham with a small amount of cheese melted over it. I would have a bean salad—it has 4 different Beans in it.

Snack: I would have about 10 dry roasted almonds and maybe 10 dried cherries

Dinner: 2 oz. of Chicken or Fish, steamed veggies of some kind.

Sometimes my husband and I would split a small baked potato

I put a teaspoon of butter and sour cream on it.

Snack: Some type of fresh fruit or a Protein Bar.< /p>

Carbs and what to eat and what NOT to eat

About the 3^rd month after WLS I would add a little bread in my diet—I could only eat about ½ a slice of bread or ½ of a hamburger bun and they are the “thin” Buns that they have out now. They also make a thin bagel. You just have to look when you are shopping in your local grocery store for these things. Try to find Whole Grain carb products and if you can’t the do the whole wheat. Try to stay away from WHITE carbs. They are white refined carbs and that is how we got fat eating a lot of them.

Rice should be brown rice and only a small amount—NO white rice. Pasta comes is Spinach or Whole Wheat and you can have only small amounts of it.

Banana – Medium size has 27 Grams of carbs—I stay away from the banana, and I love them, but I just don’t want to spend all my carbs for the day on a banana. I use a Mexican soft flour shell made of spinach or sun dried tomatoes for making a small sandwich too—you know they call them wraps.

Beverage: They do not want you to drink something when you eat—you need the room for the food so that you can get your protein in firsts. During the day I would have water or decaf tea for my liquid after I ate or all during the day. As I said the Crystal Light Individual packs and different flavors worked well in a bottle of water. It seems like it took me forever to eat and drink all the things I was supposed to be eating and drinking. I was always sipping on the protein drink and water.

supplements you should take.

It is important that you take a multi-Vitamin. I had a difficult time trying to swallowing large pills. Look for an Adult chewable Multi-Vitamin. I also have the Chocolate Chewable Calcium that I buy at Costco. As time goes on it will get easier to swallow larger pills. Do NOT take the multi-vitamin on an empty stomach, it may make you sick.

My Primary Care doctor was very helpful and after I had been home 2 weeks from WLS, she had me come into for an office visit. She ran a full blood panel and made sure all my levels were ok. I knew my potassium was low when I left Dr. Aceves in Mexicali—they ran my blood test before I left and gave me a very detailed report about my surgery to give to my doctor here in the US. Dr. Aceves told me to have it watched when I got home. I now take a potassium tablet prescribed by my doctor and work on eating food high in potassium.

Starting the 3^rd month

I started to eat more salads about here. I had a favorite and still eat it. It is Fresh Spinach, with slices of almonds, feta cheese, dried cherries, or fresh strawberries, a tablespoon of bacon and Paul Newman’s Light Raspberry & Walnut dressing on it. I sometimes add some of my Kirkland (Costco)

Grilled Chicken breast strips to it and then it is an entire meal in one bowl.

Chef’s Salad is a great one meal in a bowl thing to have and I just use any kind of dressing I want on it. This salad has lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sliced hard boiled eggs, turkey or chicken, and some ham sliced on it with some cheese. REMEMBER make this in a much smaller bowl than the normal Chef’s salad comes in. Sometimes I will add a small amount of Whole Grain dinner roll or some bread with it.

Stir Fry is a great way to get meat and veggies all in one meal too. I have a pan that works great on the BBQ grill and I do a stir fry on the BBQ in the summer time.

Have a sense of adventure and take some of your old recipes and see if you can convert them into a healthier recipe. Use veggies that you have never tried. Try some “rubs” on you meat located in the spice section or the grocery store and try to marinate some of your meats all day before cooking them—it really changes the taste of them.

Desert

I don’t want you to feel deprived. I learned that sometime just a bite or two of a desert really satisfied my need for it. Instead of the WHOLE piece of cake or pie, just a sliver of it worked for me to satisfy my need for it. When you want a cookie have just one small cookie and not the entire bag OK. Sugar free pudding with a small amount of Fat Free Cool Whip is good too. Use Splendia to make a desert that you like. So everything in moderation works.

Exercise

I was never a fan of exercise until I started to walk and I found out how much I benefited from it. Now I try to exercise 5 days a week. Find some form of exercise that works for you and do it. Start slow and then add more until you are comfortable with it.

I am sure I have missed a few things, and I will write those down as I think of them and make a Vol. 2 if I needed too.

These are just my suggestions, spice them up and make your food interesting and don’t get in a rut. This is not a diet, you will learn to adapt it and find things that work for you and that you like eating. This is a LIFESTYLE change. Make it work for you. You have the tool of restriction now use your new tool to your advantage. The fat doesn’t just melt off of you. It does require work and effort on your part.

Stalls—No weight loss for a period of days.

Be prepared you may have periods where you lose NO weight. We call those “Stalls.” You will panic and think for sure that you are the “one person this is NOT going to work on.” I know I was sure that was me. NOT true at all. Our bodies just do this. Mine lasted for 9 days—no weight loss at all. Just keep doing what you are doing and the weight will start coming off again I promise you. I can tell you not to panic but most of you will anyway—that is pretty normal too.

Hugs,

Suzanne

Sleeved 10/21/2008

Lost 105 pounds.

I have a question regarding protein shakes such as slim fast. Can you take them during the first week since technically, it isn't a clear liquid?

[Suzannesh 376]

I have a question regarding Protein shakes such as slim fast. Can you take them during the first week since technically, it isn't a clear liquid?

Hi,

I would NOT use Slimfast. You are going to have to learn to read the lables on things that you are eating or drinking. Slimfast is loaded with carbs, the one thing you do NOT NEED. Look at the sugar that are in things too. Most Protein drinks are NOT created equal.

For the 1st 10 days I honestly could not find anything that I liked that tasted good. You are going to have to do what is best for you. The 2nd 10 days I could use what I use for a Portien Drink. I buy Premier Protein Drink at costco. I love the taste and it is 30 grams of protein in each drink box. Very low sugar I think 1 gram and low in carbs too.

Hugs,

Suzanne

[amytug 996]

Wonderful!!! I have chosen dr. Aceves and I couldn't be more excited!!! Taking notes.

[Suzannesh 376]

Wonderful!!! I have chosen dr. Aceves and I couldn't be more excited!!! Taking notes.

Hi,

I am so happy for you. You will never regret your choice. Just remember I am always out here to help and talk with you. I know you have tons of things going through your head right now.

Just start writting your questions down and you can always reach me at my personal E-mail too. It is Suzannesh@aol.com

Take care and stay in touch!

Hugs,

Suzanne

[windycitymom 60]

I traveled to Mexico alone and had surgery with Dr. Aceves. He and his team were outstading! Don't worry. Feel free to message me if you'd like more info.

[JenC 90]

Hello, I am glad to find this stream with patients of Dr. Aceves. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat wanting to book it! Maybe just looking for a little reassurance from some of his patients. I'm a little concerned about traveling and having surgery by myself. I worry a little about not having an advocate along in a situation where I will be put under. Also can anyone give me any insight about your experience dealing with any health care follow up issues once you return home. My GP is less than supportive of WLS and I will have to find a new doc, wondering if I end up with any complication how my insurance will cover it. With a BMI of 36 they won't cover the surgery so I'm self paying in MX.

[Foxbins 625]

I went to Dr. Aceves alone and I was fine. Picked up at the airport, taken to the hospital, had pre-op tests, went to the hotel, picked up first thing the next morning for surgery. My surgery went great--I had no nausea or vomiting, slept most of the time for the first 2 days, walked and sipped, talked to the other patients who had surgery. After I came home my PCP ordered some labs for me. Other than labs I haven't needed any followup. There were no complications. One of the reasons I chose Dr. Aceves was his low complication rate-- when I was trying to decide on a surgeon I could not find anyone on the boards who had a bad experience.

I'm 16 months post-op and would do it all again with Dr. Aceves. I'm 5'8 and I wear a size 6. Best money I ever spent.

[JenC 90]

Thank you "Foxbins" for the reply. As soon as they call me back I'm booking it!!. I'm 5'8 and starting at 232 too! I've been just "thinking" about this far too long.