Hi, Everyone,

What can you expect before you have weight loss surgery?  What can you expect once you arrive at the Hospital?  What can you expect the 1st month after having weight loss surgery?

First before you have weight loss surgery you can expect a basket FULL of feeling and emotions. You will have a bag full of MIXED feelings along with emotions.  This is quite normal for most of us.  I think the biggest fear is the unknown.  We are excited that we made the choice to have weight loss surgery.  Then the closer you get to having WLS you feel all of these feeling and emotions.  You will think I can’t wait to have the surgery; I am scared to have the surgery. You will have all these feeling plus a lot more. Some of the feelings and emotions I had were: happy, sad, scared, excited, fearful, alarmed, anxious, nervous, worried, pleased, blissful, ecstatic, delighted, content, glad, lucky, and fortunate.  And some I probably didn’t mention.  You will second guess yourself, and ask yourself, is this what I really want to do? Yes, it is!!!  You may think I should be able to do lose this weight myself without having WLS.  If we could lose the weight on our own and keep it off, believe me we would have already done it! So I want you to know having all these feeling and emotions are very NORMAL, because most of us have had all these feeling and emotions before we actually had weight loss surgery.

Now when you arrive, I can only speak from my experience, because I was a self- pay patient, and went to Mexicali, Mexico for my surgery.  I know flying there on the plane, and I kept asking myself “am I nuts going to Mexico to have Weight Loss surgery?” Believe me I had done a lot of research before I made my choice and I actually worked with some who had been there before me. Then I arrived in San Diego, and I was waiting for the driver Ernesto to pick me and others up, and I kept think, what if he doesn’t pick me up and here I am sit in San Diego?  Well here he comes walking down where you pick up your luggage with a BIG sign with my name on it—I felt so much better when I saw him.  There were about 4 other people in the van all going to have Weight Loss Surgery too.  We had a great time talking, and the 1.5 hours of driving went by fast, as we all got to know each other. I have remained friends still with these people, and that was 4 1/2 years ago.  We went through a lot together and we were all very successful at our weight loss and have kept it off.  Once I got the hospital and actually saw the hospital, all my fears went away.  I was greeted by the nicest and warmest caring staff I have ever met in ANY hospital.  This was a Sunday, and they were doing all our tests that afternoon so we would be ready for surgery the next morning.  After we all got our test taken care of we were driven to an extremely nice and beautiful hotel.  We were each given a really nice room. They told us that we could eat anything we wanted for dinner that night. We got together as a group and ate dinner that night.  So of course we all ate just want we wanted that night.  We had a small amount of paper work to fill out that night too. One of the Doctors came to the Hotel and spoke with us as a group and answered any and ALL of our questions about the surgery we were going to be having. We were also given some medication to take before we went to bed, so we would sleep well.  I was so excited, I really didn’t sleep that well.  We were picked up the next morning at 7:00 AM—NO food that morning because of the surgery.  The driver took us back to the Hospital, where we were checked in with our own nurse who speaks excellent English. We all had private rooms that big with a TV. Our rooms were all close to each other and that made it nice too.  They didn’t tell us the order we were going to surgery, but that we would have surgery that morning.  The nurse gives you some nice drugs to relax you while you wait.  After surgery they tell you that you can get up and walk when you feel ready once you get back to your room.  I was up and walking around 2 hours after I went back to my room. I felt good.  They manage the pain extremely well.  They only pain I felt was in my shoulders and that is from the gas that they pump into your abdominal area, so that they can do the surgery.  They did 3 tests on my new stomach to make sure I had NO leaks and that everything was working well before they let me go home on Friday morning.  I have never received such excellent care as I did at the hospital I was in.

When you arrive at home please prepare to have the foods that you will need when you get home after the surgery.  The 1st month is the hardest month that you will EVER have to do.  It is retraining your brain, and learning to eat a small amount of food. Your brain was so used to eating large amounts of food, and now you are not able.  This is what my doctor had me do.  Please follow the directions that YOUR doctor wants you to do when it comes to eating.  For me it was 10 days of NOTHING but clear liquids—that is the worst stage, but it does get better after the 1st 10 days.  The next 10 days were creamy foods, and the last 10 days is mushy foods.  You do this to give your new small stomach a chance to heal.  Look at your thumb—the size of your thumb is about all you can hold when it comes to food or liquid in your new stomach. They made your stomach small, and now it is swollen from the surgery.  It will get better as time goes on, and you should be able to hold about 6 to 8 oz. of what you are eating or drinking.  You REALLY need to learn to sip water ALL the time you are up and awake.  You do not want to get dehydrated.  It truly is a job trying to get the amount of water in that you need. Carry the water around with you so that you remember to sip it all the time.  I remember thinking to myself “what in the world have I done to myself?”  That only lasted about 2 hours when I realized that what I did was save my own life. This will be the hardest month you will ever have to do, but it is only for 30 days, and you can do anything for 30 days to get to where you want to go! 

You have done the right thing.  It is pretty normal to mourn the loss of eating all the things you used to eat. In time you will be glad that you can't eat all that food.  I NEVER FEEL HUNGER anymore. I am so glad I do not feel hunger.  I know I need to eat something, so I eat.  As time goes on, you will discover that the lifestyle changes that you are making are pretty easy.  I never feel deprived.  I just eat small amounts of food and now and then YES, I have a treat. Sometimes just having one bite of something satisfies my need for that food.  If I have a desert, I don’t have a large piece of cake, just a small amount is all I need; only 1 cookie, not the whole bag full.  I have learned to bake things that taste yummy and don’t have all the calories and sugar that I used to think I needed to make it taste good. Your taste does change a bit after having Weight Loss Surgery, and that is good, because sometime things just taste too sweet; so your taste does change some.

Just remember I am always out here to help and support you.  You are making the right choice for you.  This is ALL about YOU and NO one else.  If you have any questions please just send me a note and I am more than happy to answer any and all your questions. NEVER look back, you are going to love who you are about to become!

Hey are you trying to make up your mind about having Weight Loss Surgery?

What is the scariest part about having Weight Loss surgery?  The UNKNOWN is the biggest factor about having weight loss surgery for most of us.  We know that we have failed in one way or the other at trying to lose weight from our past experiences.  We may have lost it, to only regain all the weight back again.  Then we beat up ourselves up emotional because we feel we have failed at another attempt of weight loss AGAIN.  I have been just where you are right now. You are sitting out there trying to figure out if weight loss surgery is going to work for you? 

Well, I want you to know that I am in my 60’s, and I had tried for at least 30 years to lose the weight on my own after having two children.  I could lose it, but I would regain it back again.  I felt like such a failure.  Here are the things I know for a fact now.  I had an addiction to food, and I had a disease.  If you went to the doctor, and he said you have a disease, and we have a cure for you, you would do it right away. What are you waiting for this is your answer to have WLS.

For me, my cure was weight loss surgery.  It is NOT the easy way out. It requires work and effort on your part!  It is the tool that allows you to get to the right weight for you and to keep it off.  You will make lifestyle changes in how you eat and what you eat.  You will need to do the same thing for the rest of your life; and it is so easy to continue to live like this.  Do I feel deprived?  NO, not at all; I eat healthy and I have yummy things to eat.  I eat small amounts of food and feel good about what I am eating.  I do treat myself to some desert now and then.  I have also learned to bake some great deserts that are health things that I can eat and are very yummy. You will always have to watch what you are eating.  This is NOT a miracle cure. I also exercise. I walk for my exercise 3 to 4 miles, but I sure didn't start out walking that much at first.  Some people don’t exercise.  I used to be the person who hated to exercise; now I really enjoy it.  Here is the best part about have WLS, I never feel hungry! 

So if you are sitting out there contemplating having weight loss surgery, I urge you to make the choice to save your own life and have a whole new life as a thin and healthy person.  If I can do this, so can you.  I am always here to answer any and all of your question if you have any!  You are slowly killing yourself with food and a fork!

I went to Dr. Aceves, and he is an amazing surgeon who has such as big heart!  His skills are superior and so are all his staff’s. I can’t speak about any of the other doctors because Dr. Aceves is the only person I have had experience with. The hospital far exceeds anything I have ever experienced in the USA. You will do your recovery in the same hospital you had your surgery in.  I highly recommend Dr. Aceves and his staff if you want the very best care you can have!

Hi Everyone,

I found something that is great to use for making wrap sandwiches & it avoids a lot of carbs.

               They are called “Gem Wraps” and are made by NewGem Foods.

What are some health benefits of NewGem Foods’ products?

In addition to tasting great and creating a world of new culinary options, their products are good for you. Here are some of our main health benefits:

• - No artificial ingredients, colors, or flavors
• - No preservatives or sugar added
• - Gluten-Free
• - Fat-Free
• - Vegan
• - High in antioxidants
• - Low Carb: 2-3 grams per average serving
• - Low Calorie: - 10-15 Calories per average serving

How many calories are in a NewGem Foods wrap?

Between 10 and 30 calories.

 Where are NewGem Products currently available?

Wegmans, CostCo, Trader Joe’s, the CIA, and RedEye Grill and HSN—Home Shopping Network Item #210675 .

 Are NewGem Products produced in a HACCP certified facility?

Yes. They are made in Stockton, California.

I purchased my Gem Wraps at HSN and got a variety of wraps, I paid $35.00 for 48 which makes them about 79 cents per wrap.  I received 12 Carrot, 12 Barbeque, 12 Tomato, and 12 Mango Chipotle wraps.  They are easy to use, and you can put almost anything in them, roll them up in a wrap and you are good to go.  I made a whole wrap and ate ½ of a wrap for lunch and saved the other ½ for dinner.  My husband liked them too.  It is a really nice alternative to bread or conventional things we use for wraps. It is another way to get fruit and veggies too when you put them in these wraps.

Suzanne

Hi Everyone,

How many excuses can you come up with why you will not or have not had Weight Loss Surgery? Aka (WLS).

1. I am a failure at everything I have tried why will WLS work for me? I have been on every kind of diet there is out there.
2. I don’t have the money for WLS
3. I hate myself I can’t do this because I know I will fail at this too.
4. I don’t want to fill out all the papers only to find out that my insurance will not pay for it and I have to go through the appeal process
5. I am scared to death to do this.
6. Are you crazy, you want me to go to Mexico to a doctor I have never met and have surgery.
7. Is it safe to go to Mexico? And is it clean in their hospital? Do they speak English?
8. How do you know what doctor is the best for WLS in Mexico if you are going there?
9. My doctor doesn’t think I need WLS; I should be able to lose the weight with diet and exercise.
10. My family does not support me in the fact that I am thinking about having WLS.
11. I will just wait until they come out with the “little magic pill” and all this fat will fall right off me.
12. Maybe I can get on the “Biggest Loser” and lose all my weight!  LOL!
13. I can’t take time off work to have the surgery and time for recovery.
14. I like to eat a lot of food and I wouldn’t be able to do that if I what WLS.
15. I don’t like the foods that you should be eating after having WLS.
16. I will have too much extra skin and then need more surgery.
17. I HATE to exercise and they say I should exercise.
18. I am an emotional eater, what will happen if I have WLS?
19. WLS is the easy way out and it won’t work for me.
20. It will cost too much for all the special foods I will need to buy
21. My family will not eat what I have to eat and I don’t want to cook two different meals.
22. It is easy to hide behind being fat and I don’t want to face my emotional problems.
23. I am in denial and I don’t need to lose weight so why should I have WLS?
24. I have very low self-esteem and can’t do this.
25. Who cares if I am fat, I am happy!
26. I have a very slow metabolism and this will not work for me.
27. I am too old and to have WLS.
28. I suffer from depression.
29. I am too obese and they won’t do WLS on me.
30. I am scared I will die during WLS.

I could have come up with more excuses, but I thought this covered most of them.  Feel free to add any I left out.

I can give a reason why you should have WLS for every one of these excuses that are posted above.  I am the person who had a lot of these same excuses for many years.  4 years ago I had WLS and was very successful. I lost 105 pounds and have kept it off.  My insurance would NOT pay for it and I was lucky enough to have some money to be able to pay for it myself.  I made the choice after about 6 months of asking questions to go to Dr. Aceves in Mexico who I highly recommend.  I feel he was the very best doctor for me.  He is highly skilled and has done many “sleeve” WLS with great success. He does the surgery in a top rated fully equipped hospital and not a clinic. You do your recovery in the hospital. I checked him out in every way I could. 

STOP giving days away of your life.  Become healthy and love and care for yourself enough to want this for you and NO ONE ELSE.  Losing weight is ALL about you and NO one else.   

 This is just a thought.  You may have heard the saying “What I do today is important because I’m trading a day of my life for it.”  But have you ever really thought about what is means? It’s probably impossible to plan every 1,440 minutes of the day.  But, give it a little thought.  What can you do part of that time to make your life happy, healthy and how can you benefit from your choices?  Life is so very short and so make the most of the day that you are trading of your life for. We all stumble and fall along the way, don’t beat yourself up over it. Move on and have a better day the next day.

If you have any questions please ask away.  I am here to help and support you and answer any questions that you might have.

Hugs,

Suzanne

Hi everyone out there,

Are you happy with being fat or obese?  I don’t think so, at least I wasn’t. I hated how I looked and felt all the time.  So what are you going to do about it?  I hope that you are reading this now because you want to do something to change you entire life.  If you are thinking about having weight loss surgery (WLS) then you are on the right track.  If diet and exercise worked for everyone, there would be NO fat people out there.  You must have 100’s of questions.  Well start asking.  That is the only way you are going to find out what you want to know. 

I had WLS with Dr. Aceves 4 years and 3 months ago.  I lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. I asked 100’s of questions, it took me about 6 months to make up my mind that I wanted the sleeve and I wanted Dr. Aceves to do the surgery.  I knew he had a great reputation, and is a highly skills doctor with a team just as skilled staff members as he was that worked with him.  I knew the Almater Hospital was incredibly clean and so this was where I was going to go.

How about you being you’re very own HERO and for a change do something for yourself.  This is a life changing event, and you deserve it and have earned the right to change your life to being healthy and happy!  You are slowing killing yourself with your bad eating habits.  This is NOT a miracle cure, but it works and with some work and effort on your part you can be successful too.  I am here to help and talk with you if you have questions.  Please feel free to ask me anything you want to know.  I will be honest and open with you.  If you do not want to talk on this board, my private E-mail is:  [email protected]

Take Care,

Suzanne

Hi,

Welcome to this site.  It is an excellent place to meet people, ask questions and share what you are thinking.  We are here to help and support you in any way we can.  I had sleeve surgery over 4 years ago.  I love my sleeve.  I try to answer questions, and help you in any way I can.  You are in the right place.

Hugs,

Suzanne

Hi Everyone,

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.

Please remember these were the things that Dr. Aceves wanted me to do.  You should do what your doctor wants you to do.  These are only suggestions. I had "Sleeve Surgery"

 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, 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  

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Apple juice, white grape juice, sugar free sports drinks, decaf hot tea, also decaf ice tea.
5. Veggie broth or the broth from French Onion soup.
6. 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

1.  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.
2. Jello was still good for me.
3. Sugar Free Pudding, maybe 2 tablespoons full.
4. Yogurt a few tablespoons of it.
5. Frozen yogurt.
6. Applesauce a couple tablespoons.
7. A little cream cheese.
8. Sugar Free Fudge Cycles.
9. 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.
10. Soft boiled eggs or soft scrambled eggs—eggs didn’t work that well for me.
11. Low fat Chocolate milk.
12. Cottage Cheese.
13. Sugar Free Popsicles
14. 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. 

1. Mashed sweet potato or mashed yams with a small amount of butter on it.
2. Mashed up chicken noodle soup.
3. Mashed up homemade veggie soup.
4. Eggs that were soft boiled or soft scrambled.
5. Applesauce.
6. Cottage cheese.
7. Premier Protein Drink with miralax blended in the blender with 4 ice cubes.
8. Mashed up steamed carrots
9. Mashed up and blended a little tuna with a small amount of mayo.
10. Blended chicken breast with no skin on it.
11. Ham blended with a small amount of mayo.
12. Water with Crystal Light
13. Jello with fat free cool whip.
14. Yogurt and frozen yogurt.
15.  Sugar free pudding.
16. Protein bars chewed up really well—I could never eat a whole one—just a few bites.
17. Mashed potatoes and cream cheese mixed in with them.
18. 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
19. Sugar Free Popsicles
20. 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 i****ched when I got home.  I took 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.

Hi Paul,

I think what you want is just perfect.  There is NOTHING wrong with having a dream and never giving up on it.  I hope for you that you DO get to experience it.  I admire you for wanting to do something like this.  For me just walking 7 days a week has been great.  I just finished walking this morning and I have walked 62 days in a row and NEVER have missed a day.  And I am 67 so that feels good for me.  Keep me posted if you get to complete your goal!!!  And you are NOT crazy at all.

Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Kathy,

I wrote an article about is is NEVER to Late to have weight loss surgery.  Here it is. I hope it helps you.  And YES we will stay in touch.  My personal E-mail is: [email protected].  Feel free to send me any questions that you might have.

Hugs, Suzanne

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It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery).  I was 63 years old when I had weight loss surgery.  I never had a weight problem until after having two children.  And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight.  I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have.  I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success.  But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle.  My top weight was 235 lbs. and I am 5’3” tall.  My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time.  So I must have had a high tolerance for pain.  I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions.  Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD.  She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me.  She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site.  I researched WLS for about 6 months before I made a choice.  I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime.  Now I have learned that is pretty normal.  Then I was sure I want to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.”  So that is the start of my Weight loss journey.

I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October I am going to have WLS.”  I went through a process of getting here.  I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful.  I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else.  So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends.  I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is.  But this is about YOU and NO one else.  You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this.  Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again.

About 6 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man.  I had been single for 16 years.  He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight.  He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way.  I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he give me.  I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob and I were married in May 2010.  We have the most wonderful life together and he has been very supportive of me and my journey—we have changed how we eat and without really trying Bob has lost 25 pounds too. 

My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself and food.  Food is no longer my driving force.  I eat to live not live to eat!  When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body!  What a thought.  I look for the protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein and then my veggies and some fruit each day.  I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I have always liked who I am, but I love my new improved body.  Bob and fabulous and goes for walks with me almost every day. We are making the last part of our life the very best part of our life. Love yourself enough to want to change your life and to become healthy.  I remember the first time someone called me skinny—I thought to myself who are they talking about—OH it is me I am skinny.  That is a moment that I will always remember.  It was a life changing moment!

Suzanne Beaty

Sleeved 10/21/2008

Starting weight 225

Goal weight     125

Weight now     120