My Sleeve experience in Mexico :)

[abetterme4.2 268]

I am going to give a very detailed experience. It was the one thing I would search for and want to read when I began my search for my options of going to Mexico for my surgery. I am not going to give details of my surgeon, as we have all researched (or will) our Dr.'s and make the decision best for ourselves. I have only seen a couple of posts concerning who he is on these forums, and they were VERY vague and people having questions, no information. I am NOT a paid employee, nor do I work for free.

My surgery was on Friday, January 11.

I chose my surgery to be in Cancun. I opted to not to go to a border town, because I wanted scenery and beaches and a mini-vacation. I researched which physicians performed surgery in Cancun. There are several that practice in Puerta Vallarta, Monterrey, and Cancun. Easy enough.

I arrived Thursday, January 10 and was greeted at the airport with no waiting. Took me to my hotel. When I arrived, the hotel staff was extremely courteous and offered me a free upgrade to a villa. YAY!! (I have pics and should really post them at some time if you guys want to see them.)

Met in lobby on Friday at 8:30 a.m. There was someone else going, they were late and we did not leave until 9:30 because she over-slept.

Straight to the hospital. I arrive and greeted by a wonderful staff. I speak enough spanish to understand and to be understood. The best part? When in doubt...they have flash cards they bring to you to translate for themselves. My doctor comes to greet me (perfect english) and the labs/EKG and other stuff begins. Took about an hour, at the most. I had a room to myself. The floor was empty except for one other WLS patient. The hospital was great! My room had a shower, I sofa thatfolded out into a bed, working Wi-fi, and a tv with a blu-ray player.

Anesthesiologist comes in and she was great. I answered a few questions she had and she answered mine.

I changed into a gown and walked into the operating room and got on the table at 11:25 a.m. I remember singing "Proud Mary" and realized the anesthesiologist put something in my i.v.

Woke up in the recovery room, and I really needed to pee. lol the nurse asked me, in her way, if I felt ok to go. "si, si, si."

After that, I was in and out every for a couple of hours. Anesthesia wearing off. Then I was 'OFF!' I began with the laps. I had read about all kinds of major gas pain on here and to walk, walk, walk and that is what I did. Every hour (I timed by the TV shows: when it ended, I walked. repeat)

At one point I heaved a little and saliva/clear stuff came up. I was afraid because of my new tummy. The nurse came in later and I told her about and she came back and put something in my i.v. and I did NOT experience it again while in the hospital. The nurses knew of my one episode of 'nausea' and kept the anti-nausea meds in the i.v. I was checked on hourly, my drain was checked and/or emptied.

Was I not in pain because of the pain meds? I don't think so...I declined pain meds in my i.v. because I was not hurting. I have not taken NOT one bit of anything for pain since the surgery, nor since I left the hospital. Everyone's recovery is different. Walking helps.

Saturday: this is something I had NEVER read about on these forums, my mouth began to Water and knew I was about to heave something. It came up, but I will say it freaked the poo-poo out of me. It was dark. like something from a horror movie. And it came up 3 times total. LOL. I could taste the 'metallic' taste to it and knew it was blood. I WILL SAY THIS: as soon as I got that up, i swear I felt like I could run a marathon. I literally felt that much better. The nurse made her rounds and came in, I showed her and she assured me it was completely normal. My Doctor came by later that day and told me the same thing. I was given ice chips several times throughout the day and was allowed to take the best feeling shower I have ever had. walked, walked, walked. watched NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, etc.

Sunday: The inevitable blue dye is brought to me. OMG. It is horrible. Think of liquid Nyquil, the green one, and about 12 oz of it. Dr comes and gets me and we go to look. I get downstairs and I took a drink of some other clear liquid and watch it go down in to my new little bitty tummy. It's BEAUTIFUL!! lol. No leaks appeared. back to the room and he looks at the drain, no leaks or blue dye in there, either. YAY! He tells me he is going to pull it out and "It doesn't hurt. It just feels funny." Is it going to make me laugh? "No, but it just feels like it." He pulls it out and honestly, it did not hurt. just a quick 'zip' and its out. No stitches, he states. It is natures way of laughing at Dr's because it is going to heal and look the best out of all the little one's you have. I laugh. I "can then shower dress and get ready to go, the driver will be here at 11:30 to get you. We will call the hotel and pay for an extra day because check-in time is not until 4 pm." Great! and he tells me to walk and keep walking. We leave, get to the hotel, and we get upgraded again because they couldn't get a room ready quick enough. Leave my things and went walking on the beach for 1 1/2 hours, then went to the mall for 2 hours.

Monday: I am on soft/pureed foods and really can't hold much at all. I buy guacamole, but please put nothing in it. So basically, a smushed up avocado. Can I tell you guys.. I was scared to death. My tummy loved it. the entire baby spoonful I ate. I ate it for lunch and dinner. So, about a tbsp for the entire day. and only got in about 20 oz. of gatorade for the day. i ate a nibble of a piece of watermelon (it's on my approved list - and it came right back up. scared the poo out of me because i kept thinking i sprung a leak) It's just too much sugar for the new guy.

Tuesday: Leaving today. Pack, leave my stuff at the hotel desk, and went shopping. Drank 20 oz. of gatorade, 2 baby spoonfuls of yogurt and get on the plane with my bottle of Water.< /p>

Wednesday-Friday: Every day has got better and better. I don't eat much. 1/2 a boiled egg and 1/2 tbsp of light mayo blended, water, and a couple of Protein drinks, a couple of bites of yogurt, 1/4 c of blended Beans. nothing chunky, just smooth. I am not hungry and I set a timer on my phone to remind me. Right now, by the time it takes me to drink 12-16 ozs. of water, it's usually time for some kind of Protein. I have got more protein today than any other day. So, when everyone says it gets better and better, it really does!!

I have no pain, I have only heaved the once with the watermelon, and I am walking around and doing okay. (don't want to jinx myself!) I love my new sleeved tummy!!

I have lost 18 lbs total. 6 for the 7 day preop and 13.2 since surgery on Friday, 7 days ago. I am sure it will start to slow down very soon.

Good luck on your journeys and I wish every single one of you nothing but success! Thanks to every one who posts here telling their experiences - I knew what to expect, because of those.

[chocolate_macchiato 23]

Congratulations!!

[amys 41]

That's awesome! Keep the updates coming!

[AngelaBreeden 7]

Yay! Congrats!! It's crazy to me how all surgeons post op Diets are different. I'm 2.5 weeks post op and I'm not allowed puréed foods untill next week. And I've read a lot about people having to be on liquids for 2 weeks pre op but I only had to do it for the day before surgery ( and 2 weeks after surgery). This week I was able to add cream of wheat, yogurt, and creamy Soups.< /p>

[abetterme4.2 268]

Yay! Congrats!! It's crazy to me how all surgeons post op Diets are different. I'm 2.5 weeks post op and I'm not allowed puréed foods untill next week. And I've read a lot about people having to be on liquids for 2 weeks pre op but I only had to do it for the day before surgery ( and 2 weeks after surgery). This week I was able to add cream of wheat' date=' yogurt, and creamy soups.[/quote']

I agree! I was prepared to be on Clear Liquids and regular liquids for a couple of weeks, based on what I had been reading. Then he handed me my post op paperwork, I thought it must have been wrong. The other WLS patient that day, she had a couple of weeks of liquids post op. at least I know he customized it based on the patient.

[HoosierGirl 780]

GREAT info - thanks for taking the time to put all this together! Sounds like you had a great experience....hope to be as fortuante as you!

[Rohler1520 119]

I am going to give a very detailed experience. It was the one thing I would search for and want to read when I began my search for my options of going to Mexico for my surgery. I am not going to give details of my surgeon' date=' as we have all researched (or will) our Dr.'s and make the decision best for ourselves. I have only seen a couple of posts concerning who he is on these forums, and they were VERY vague and people having questions, no information. I am NOT a paid employee, nor do I work for free.

My surgery was on Friday, January 11.

I chose my surgery to be in Cancun. I opted to not to go to a border town, because I wanted scenery and beaches and a mini-vacation. I researched which physicians performed surgery in Cancun. There are several that practice in Puerta Vallarta, Monterrey, and Cancun. Easy enough.

I arrived Thursday, January 10 and was greeted at the airport with no waiting. Took me to my hotel. When I arrived, the hotel staff was extremely courteous and offered me a free upgrade to a villa. YAY!! (I have pics and should really post them at some time if you guys want to see them.)

Met in lobby on Friday at 8:30 a.m. There was someone else going, they were late and we did not leave until 9:30 because she over-slept.

Straight to the hospital. I arrive and greeted by a wonderful staff. I speak enough spanish to understand and to be understood. The best part? When in doubt...they have flash cards they bring to you to translate for themselves. My doctor comes to greet me (perfect english) and the labs/EKG and other stuff begins. Took about an hour, at the most. I had a room to myself. The floor was empty except for one other WLS patient. The hospital was great! My room had a shower, I sofa thatfolded out into a bed, working Wi-fi, and a tv with a blu-ray player.

Anesthesiologist comes in and she was great. I answered a few questions she had and she answered mine.

I changed into a gown and walked into the operating room and got on the table at 11:25 a.m. I remember singing "Proud Mary" and realized the anesthesiologist put something in my i.v.

Woke up in the recovery room, and I really needed to pee. lol the nurse asked me, in her way, if I felt ok to go. "si, si, si."

After that, I was in and out every for a couple of hours. Anesthesia wearing off. Then I was 'OFF!' I began with the laps. I had read about all kinds of major gas pain on here and to walk, walk, walk and that is what I did. Every hour (I timed by the TV shows: when it ended, I walked. repeat)

At one point I heaved a little and saliva/clear stuff came up. I was afraid because of my new tummy. The nurse came in later and I told her about and she came back and put something in my i.v. and I did NOT experience it again while in the hospital. The nurses knew of my one episode of 'nausea' and kept the anti-nausea meds in the i.v. I was checked on hourly, my drain was checked and/or emptied.

Was I not in pain because of the pain meds? I don't think so...I declined pain meds in my i.v. because I was not hurting. I have not taken NOT one bit of anything for pain since the surgery, nor since I left the hospital. Everyone's recovery is different. Walking helps.

Saturday: this is something I had NEVER read about on these forums, my mouth began to Water and knew I was about to heave something. It came up, but I will say it freaked the poo-poo out of me. It was dark. like something from a horror movie. And it came up 3 times total. LOL. I could taste the 'metallic' taste to it and knew it was blood. I WILL SAY THIS: as soon as I got that up, i swear I felt like I could run a marathon. I literally felt that much better. The nurse made her rounds and came in, I showed her and she assured me it was completely normal. My Doctor came by later that day and told me the same thing. I was given ice chips several times throughout the day and was allowed to take the best feeling shower I have ever had. walked, walked, walked. watched NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, etc.

Sunday: The inevitable blue dye is brought to me. OMG. It is horrible. Think of liquid Nyquil, the green one, and about 12 oz of it. Dr comes and gets me and we go to look. I get downstairs and I took a drink of some other clear liquid and watch it go down in to my new little bitty tummy. It's BEAUTIFUL!! lol. No leaks appeared. back to the room and he looks at the drain, no leaks or blue dye in there, either. YAY! He tells me he is going to pull it out and "It doesn't hurt. It just feels funny." Is it going to make me laugh? "No, but it just feels like it." He pulls it out and honestly, it did not hurt. just a quick 'zip' and its out. No stitches, he states. It is natures way of laughing at Dr's because it is going to heal and look the best out of all the little one's you have. I laugh. I "can then shower dress and get ready to go, the driver will be here at 11:30 to get you. We will call the hotel and pay for an extra day because check-in time is not until 4 pm." Great! and he tells me to walk and keep walking. We leave, get to the hotel, and we get upgraded again because they couldn't get a room ready quick enough. Leave my things and went walking on the beach for 1 1/2 hours, then went to the mall for 2 hours.

Monday: I am on soft/pureed foods and really can't hold much at all. I buy guacamole, but please put nothing in it. So basically, a smushed up avocado. Can I tell you guys.. I was scared to death. My tummy loved it. the entire baby spoonful I ate. I ate it for lunch and dinner. So, about a tbsp for the entire day. and only got in about 20 oz. of gatorade for the day. i ate a nibble of a piece of watermelon (it's on my approved list - and it came right back up. scared the poo out of me because i kept thinking i sprung a leak) It's just too much sugar for the new guy.

Tuesday: Leaving today. Pack, leave my stuff at the hotel desk, and went shopping. Drank 20 oz. of gatorade, 2 baby spoonfuls of yogurt and get on the plane with my bottle of Water.< /p>

Wednesday-Friday: Every day has got better and better. I don't eat much. 1/2 a boiled egg and 1/2 tbsp of light mayo blended, water, and a couple of Protein drinks, a couple of bites of yogurt, 1/4 c of blended Beans. nothing chunky, just smooth. I am not hungry and I set a timer on my phone to remind me. Right now, by the time it takes me to drink 12-16 ozs. of water, it's usually time for some kind of Protein. I have got more protein today than any other day. So, when everyone says it gets better and better, it really does!!

I have no pain, I have only heaved the once with the watermelon, and I am walking around and doing okay. (don't want to jinx myself!) I love my new sleeved tummy!!

I have lost 18 lbs total. 6 for the 7 day preop and 13.2 since surgery on Friday, 7 days ago. I am sure it will start to slow down very soon.

Good luck on your journeys and I wish every single one of you nothing but success! Thanks to every one who posts here telling their experiences - I knew what to expect, because of those. [/quote']

Thanks for posting in detail. I am always looking for detailed trip information like you were. It helps u know what to expect and makes me feel better. Hope you continue to do well.

[FABby40 38]

Thanks for posting! I am so excited to have mine done I can hardly stand it!

[abetterme4.2 268]

Thanks for posting! I am so excited to have mine done I can hardly stand it!

I was too!

My entire experience was great. No pain to date, still healing very well, no nausea, and dropping pounds. He has a great pre/post-op plan that I follow to the 'letter.' It's there for a reason.

I was concerned about someone leaving me, or forgetting about me. Lol. Never happened.

Enjoy the journey!

[Diamondeyed 399]

I am glad you are successful......

[FABby40 38]

Abetterme, are you still doing well?

[Karenlrite 4]

I had my VGS surgery two weeks ago Tuesday, Jan. 29th in Juarez through BeLight. My coordinator was Teri. Everything went pretty well. We arrived at the ElPasso airport and our driver met us at the baggage claim. There are a number of men who work for this company. I don't know that all of them would meet you at baggage claim, but he did and he was able to figure out who I was, and came over and approached my husband and I.

The drive to the hospital was quick and uneventful. We checked in, then there was a doctor who spoke pretty good English that acted as a facilitator who showed me to the radiology department where they took X-rays. From there they drew blood. For both things I could really tell that I was not in the US. It didn't look like the person giving me the X-ray put on the led vest to protect themselves. Then when they went to draw my blood the lady dropped one of the latex gloves on the ground after taking it out of the sterile package. She just picked it up put it on and kept going. I had been drinking tons of Water so it would be easy to draw my blood, but I felt like a pin cushion with all of the misses. They didn't seem too skilled in finding a vein. The lady finally after trying in both arms and the back of both hands without luck went and got a helper who didn't bother to use gloves at all. She found a vein, but they took the top off of the test tubes and just let the blood drip into a test tube. A bit of a bloody mess.

The Dr. That was the facilitator came in when he realized they were having trouble finding a vein and said not to worry that the next day they could do the IV in a different way if they needed to. After that he showed me to my room and said that and he told me that I could go out and have a real meal but to make it soft foods like enchiladas. We walked next door to a really nice Mexican food restaurant. I had the cheese enchiladas and could only eat half. I think that after almost a month of being on an almost liquid diet my stomach had started to shrink. Then we went back to the hospital. I thought they were going to come in and give me my EKG that night but they waited till the next morning. Most of the nurses don't speak English, so I had a hard time communicating with them. They brought in a robe and a towel that night, but I always take a shower in the morning so I wore my own nighty and waited till morning for my shower. They came in and put in my IV before bed.

The next morning I took my shower, put on the hospital gown, and got ready for surgery. A young man came in the the EKG machine. This is nothing like any EKG machine that I had ever seen. Instead of little stickers with snaps on them they had little metal suction cups, and clamps that looked they should have been in a wood shop. The metal suction cups were placed on my torso, and the clamps were put on my hands and feet. It only stung slightly where the suction cups were placed. Afterwards the spots where the suction cups were there were little hickie spots.

They came in and put me on a gurney, took me downstairs to where surgery prep was. There were two orderlies who put on compression socks on me, then I don't remember anything till I was waking up from surgery. I don't believe they put in a catheter, but they may have. The next thin I remember was being in my room, waking up and vomiting violently, I think it was a reaction to the anesthesia. The first day of surgery every time I woke up I was vomiting up bloody froth. They brought in lime Jello, chicken broth, camilile tea, and ice chips. i was able to have a few spoonfulls of chicken broth, a few sips of tea, one teaspoon of lime Jello. then it was primarily ice chips till the next day. The next day I was feeling much better, and each day has gotten better and better.

I have been traveling since my surgery and have found it difficult to stick strictly to the diet as prescribed. I also have been very hungry. In order to get in my Proteins I had to tranisition to full liquids sooner and started my Protein shakes. After a week and two days out of the hospital now I have started to eat Protein Bars to get in more protien, and have something to eat. I have not been home and don't know what my home scale says, but a gas station scale showed that I was down 15 pounds from the weight I was since leaving home.

I head home tomorrow, and am excited to see what my home scale says.

Here are a few things that that I have observed...

1. I have had an allergic reaction to the adhesive on the band aids thatbInhave been using to cover my wounds so I stopped them.

2. Bactein has been good to use to disinfect the area.

3. Neosporin has been helpful in the healing process.

4. Get up and walk while you are in the hospital. It helps.

5. GasX strips didn't seem to make a difference.

6. All of the medication they send you home with has.instruction written only in Spanish. The antibiotic that you need to take comes in two bottles. In one bottle is the dry antibiotics in a powder, the other bottle is a suspension liquid for you to mix the powder with. I didn't understand this and took the suspension liquid without any of the antibiotic in it for the first two days. Then I decided to just forgo it altogether.

7. If you have someone coming with you to the hospital you will want to BRING A BLANKET and a pillow for them. There aren't any at the hospital for them to use.

Good luck.

[tami88 73]

Thank you for sharing!

[Amberlydw8 41]

I am going to give a very detailed experience. It was the one thing I would search for and want to read when I began my search for my options of going to Mexico for my surgery. I am not going to give details of my surgeon' date=' as we have all researched (or will) our Dr.'s and make the decision best for ourselves. I have only seen a couple of posts concerning who he is on these forums, and they were VERY vague and people having questions, no information. I am NOT a paid employee, nor do I work for free.

My surgery was on Friday, January 11.

I chose my surgery to be in Cancun. I opted to not to go to a border town, because I wanted scenery and beaches and a mini-vacation. I researched which physicians performed surgery in Cancun. There are several that practice in Puerta Vallarta, Monterrey, and Cancun. Easy enough.

I arrived Thursday, January 10 and was greeted at the airport with no waiting. Took me to my hotel. When I arrived, the hotel staff was extremely courteous and offered me a free upgrade to a villa. YAY!! (I have pics and should really post them at some time if you guys want to see them.)

Met in lobby on Friday at 8:30 a.m. There was someone else going, they were late and we did not leave until 9:30 because she over-slept.

Straight to the hospital. I arrive and greeted by a wonderful staff. I speak enough spanish to understand and to be understood. The best part? When in doubt...they have flash cards they bring to you to translate for themselves. My doctor comes to greet me (perfect english) and the labs/EKG and other stuff begins. Took about an hour, at the most. I had a room to myself. The floor was empty except for one other WLS patient. The hospital was great! My room had a shower, I sofa thatfolded out into a bed, working Wi-fi, and a tv with a blu-ray player.

Anesthesiologist comes in and she was great. I answered a few questions she had and she answered mine.

I changed into a gown and walked into the operating room and got on the table at 11:25 a.m. I remember singing "Proud Mary" and realized the anesthesiologist put something in my i.v.

Woke up in the recovery room, and I really needed to pee. lol the nurse asked me, in her way, if I felt ok to go. "si, si, si."

After that, I was in and out every for a couple of hours. Anesthesia wearing off. Then I was 'OFF!' I began with the laps. I had read about all kinds of major gas pain on here and to walk, walk, walk and that is what I did. Every hour (I timed by the TV shows: when it ended, I walked. repeat)

At one point I heaved a little and saliva/clear stuff came up. I was afraid because of my new tummy. The nurse came in later and I told her about and she came back and put something in my i.v. and I did NOT experience it again while in the hospital. The nurses knew of my one episode of 'nausea' and kept the anti-nausea meds in the i.v. I was checked on hourly, my drain was checked and/or emptied.

Was I not in pain because of the pain meds? I don't think so...I declined pain meds in my i.v. because I was not hurting. I have not taken NOT one bit of anything for pain since the surgery, nor since I left the hospital. Everyone's recovery is different. Walking helps.

Saturday: this is something I had NEVER read about on these forums, my mouth began to Water and knew I was about to heave something. It came up, but I will say it freaked the poo-poo out of me. It was dark. like something from a horror movie. And it came up 3 times total. LOL. I could taste the 'metallic' taste to it and knew it was blood. I WILL SAY THIS: as soon as I got that up, i swear I felt like I could run a marathon. I literally felt that much better. The nurse made her rounds and came in, I showed her and she assured me it was completely normal. My Doctor came by later that day and told me the same thing. I was given ice chips several times throughout the day and was allowed to take the best feeling shower I have ever had. walked, walked, walked. watched NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, etc.

Sunday: The inevitable blue dye is brought to me. OMG. It is horrible. Think of liquid Nyquil, the green one, and about 12 oz of it. Dr comes and gets me and we go to look. I get downstairs and I took a drink of some other clear liquid and watch it go down in to my new little bitty tummy. It's BEAUTIFUL!! lol. No leaks appeared. back to the room and he looks at the drain, no leaks or blue dye in there, either. YAY! He tells me he is going to pull it out and "It doesn't hurt. It just feels funny." Is it going to make me laugh? "No, but it just feels like it." He pulls it out and honestly, it did not hurt. just a quick 'zip' and its out. No stitches, he states. It is natures way of laughing at Dr's because it is going to heal and look the best out of all the little one's you have. I laugh. I "can then shower dress and get ready to go, the driver will be here at 11:30 to get you. We will call the hotel and pay for an extra day because check-in time is not until 4 pm." Great! and he tells me to walk and keep walking. We leave, get to the hotel, and we get upgraded again because they couldn't get a room ready quick enough. Leave my things and went walking on the beach for 1 1/2 hours, then went to the mall for 2 hours.

Monday: I am on soft/pureed foods and really can't hold much at all. I buy guacamole, but please put nothing in it. So basically, a smushed up avocado. Can I tell you guys.. I was scared to death. My tummy loved it. the entire baby spoonful I ate. I ate it for lunch and dinner. So, about a tbsp for the entire day. and only got in about 20 oz. of gatorade for the day. i ate a nibble of a piece of watermelon (it's on my approved list - and it came right back up. scared the poo out of me because i kept thinking i sprung a leak) It's just too much sugar for the new guy.

Tuesday: Leaving today. Pack, leave my stuff at the hotel desk, and went shopping. Drank 20 oz. of gatorade, 2 baby spoonfuls of yogurt and get on the plane with my bottle of Water.< /p>

Wednesday-Friday: Every day has got better and better. I don't eat much. 1/2 a boiled egg and 1/2 tbsp of light mayo blended, water, and a couple of Protein drinks, a couple of bites of yogurt, 1/4 c of blended Beans. nothing chunky, just smooth. I am not hungry and I set a timer on my phone to remind me. Right now, by the time it takes me to drink 12-16 ozs. of water, it's usually time for some kind of Protein. I have got more protein today than any other day. So, when everyone says it gets better and better, it really does!!

I have no pain, I have only heaved the once with the watermelon, and I am walking around and doing okay. (don't want to jinx myself!) I love my new sleeved tummy!!

I have lost 18 lbs total. 6 for the 7 day preop and 13.2 since surgery on Friday, 7 days ago. I am sure it will start to slow down very soon.

Good luck on your journeys and I wish every single one of you nothing but success! Thanks to every one who posts here telling their experiences - I knew what to expect, because of those. [/quote']

Thank you so much for posting this. I have been wanting to see a few different stories to see how everyone has done. It really makes me feel better about everything... thank you so much... I am totally going to write a play by play when I have mine done. It means so much to me to be able to pass it forward for everyone just starting their journey.

[abetterme4.2 268]

Abetterme' date=' are you still doing well?[/quote']

Hi FAB!

Yes...I am still doing well. Friday was 4 weeks post-op for me and I feel great!

I am down 40 lbs in 4 weeks and am in a smaller size. I walk several miles per day, anywhere from 3-5 miles.

I am NEVER hungry. EVER. I set a timer on my phone to remind me to put something in there every 2-3 hours. it takes about am hour (sometimes longer) to get in a Protein shake. I have started adding more variety this week. (Beginning of week 5) I am getting between 50-70 grams of Protein, per day. I am working up to 650 cals per day, but honestly, average about 550-600 per day. (After exercise, I am in the negative) I really want to increase the cals more over the next couple of weeks, this will help with any stalls so 650 is my first goal. Haven't stalled yet (knock on wood!)

I can eat about a 1 1/2 oz of chicken and be full. haven't got sick at all, except for the watermelon experience, a bite, while in Mexico. Lol.

I am here to assist in any way so if any of you have any questions, please let me know. My way of paying it forward, so to speak. I know my recovery has been effortless compared to some and don't want to downplay any one else's experience, just very grateful for my own experience.