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Are you getting enough protein? If not, your body will stop losing because it is conserving what you have as a defense. Drink protein shakes - Premier Nutrition from Costco. 30 g protein per shake.

Don't worry! I had a band and it was TERRIBLE. Now that people have had them in for several years they are finding that MANY are slipping. Go with the Sleeve. I LOVE it. I'm 3 months out, and have NO problems except getting enough protein. Take protein drinks with you on the boat and you should be fine. I drink 1 a day - Costco's Premier Nitrition protein shakes. If you don't get enough protein you will lose muscle mass and lose hair. Seriously. You will also get saggy skin.

Try Premier Nutrition Protein shakes from Costco - 30 g per shake.

Get your regular doc to prescribe a reflux med for you. I'm on Protinix and it's a life saver. Can tell if I miss it for even a day or two. With it -- wonderful, no pain, sour stomach, reflux, burning. Without it -- awful. There are other meds for it, so see what your doc recommends and what your insurance covers.

I have received batter care from OCC than from ANY American doc.

Don't do the fries - or anything else!! You paid a LOT of money and went through so much to reach your goal.. If you wanted to stay fat and eat crapy foods then you never would have had the surgery. Be your best friend, not your own worst enemy! Trust in the process - it works. Keep your protein up - I take Premier Nutrition protein shakes from Costco - 30 g per drink. You won't feel as hungery if you have high protein foods. You also won't lose your hair as badly. I'm down 45 lbs in 3 months.

You will also want to take the Gatorade powder packets - found near crystal light in grocery store. You have to have the electrolites. You will want some sort of real food - take medifast or some other brand of meal replacement soup or drink. You will only take SIPS the days after surgery, so don't worry about feeling hungery. You will need to keep hydrated, so focus on water and gatorade. Also, the only discomfort I had was from the drainage tube. The minute they removed it, all pain was gone! Trust me on this. The only drawback at the Marriott is only 1 English tv channel, so take a few books or magazines. AVOID the popsicles. Nastiest things you will ever taste! Good luck! I'm down 45 lbs in 3 months.

I'm in the same boat. I figure that one I start soft foods it will feel "heavier" in my stomach and I'll feel more satisfied. I am also upto a bowl of soup, rather than the 4 oz. from last week. I am able to drink the protein shakes in under an hour, but don't feel full afterwards. 5 more days until soft foods! Hang in there!

How did you add the weight loss ticker to your site? I've looked but couldn't figure it out.

I imagine you can, but it would be more difficult, I think. Right now I am pretty restricted, and can eat about as much as with a band (4 - 8 oz. depending on what I'm eating). Broth about 8 oz, creamy soups about 4 oz., yogurt about 6 oz. The line of staples would make stretching the sleeve difficult to do. A year or two down the road it might be more flexible, but I am to the point that I don't WANT to find way around the restriction, or to fool my body. When I had the band I did all of that. I also paid the consequences with my health. So this time I am doing what I am supposed to - for my health as well as because I'm worth it. I have had a HUGE mental adjustment over 5 years ago. I did have "head hunger" the other night, chewed a bite of cheese for about 4 minutes to get the taste, then spit out all of it. It was jsut enough to have the taste, without sabotaging myself.

How are you doing now? What's the update since May? Hope you have been healthy and successful!

Struggling with getting enough protein??? Me too!! I recently discovered Fage Yogurt Total 0 (0% fat) - it's a Greek yogurt and it has 120 cal. and 20 g of protein per 8 oz., compared to 180+ cal. and 8 g protein for Yoplait, Activa, etc. It has the consistency of sour cream before you stir it. It is plain, so I've added 1 heaping Tblsp of honey to sweeten it and it's pretty tasty. You could also use Stevia or Agave nectar (both sold at Costco). I've seen the Fage at Costco and Safeway, Costco is cheaper (<$6 for a 35 oz. container). I also found Premier Protein high protein shakes at Costco yesterday. 30 g of protein per drink, and only 160 cal. Slim-fast (and the generic brands of it) only have 10 g of protein and are 220 colories. PLUS, the Premier Protein drinks taste MUCH better than the weight loss shakes, and have only 1 g of sugar. Hope this helps!

Struggling with getting enough protein??? Me too!! I recently discovered Fage Yogurt Total 0 (0% fat) - it's a Greek yogurt and it has 120 cal. and 20 g of protein per 8 oz., compared to 180+ cal. and 8 g protein for Yoplait, Activa, etc. It has the consistency of sour cream before you stir it. It is plain, so I've added 1 heaping Tblsp of honey to the big container to sweeten it and it's pretty tasty. You could also use Stevia or Agave nectar (both sold at Costco). I've seen the Fage at Costco, Safeway and Sprouts; Costco is cheaper (<$6 for a 35 oz. container). I also found Premier Protein high protein shakes at Costco yesterday. 30 g of protein per drink, and only 160 cal. Slim-fast (and the generic brands of it) only have 10 g of protein and are 220 colories. PLUS, the Premier Protein drinks taste MUCH better than the weight loss shakes, and have only 1 g of sugar. Hope this helps!

When I was at OCC last week there was a lady who had her band placed over a bypass. She was there getting her first fill. I would call the center and ask to talk with one of the docs about it. I know they do them!

I had a band placed in 2005, and it ended up being terrible. Terrible for ME. I thought if I could get food down it was okay to continue eating. I didn't realize that stretched the pouch, and eventually caused the band to slip. At my 2nd fill Dr. Martinez told me my pouch was already the size of an orange, instead of a golf ball. After 2 years I got a fill, was able to eat an entire steak dinner and was convinced I needed more, so I went back for more saline. I got a little more, but it turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. I started having difficulty with eating, was throwing up (PBing) all the time, etc. My band eventaully slipped so far that I literally kept no solids down. In addition, I was having terrible reflux (GURD), was vomiting bile even while sleeping, etc. It was really bad. During all of this, I was trying to get a doc in Phoenix to see me, but none would since I had surgery in Mexico, not even the doc who knew Dr. Ortiz, because of his malpractice insurance requirements. Finally, I called OCC, spoke with Dr. Martinez and scheduled surgery to remove the band in Oct. 2008. It was SO good to be healthy again!!! After a year and a half I had regained all of my weight (80 lbs), and knew I needed something. I called and actually scheduled surgery for another band. Then I remembered about my scar tissue and Dr. Martinez telling me it was the worst band slip he had ever seen. I really didn't want problems with slipping or errosion since there was already weakened tissue on my stomach. I decided on the sleeve after seeing it as an option on the OCC website, researching it, etc. It gives the same restriction without the foreign object in your body. I feel really good, but I am following the post-op diet/requirements religiously this time, and intend to continue doing so. My health isn't worth pushing it, and I made a major change so I can be healthy, so I figure I may as well work WITH the sleeve, not against it. Post op and recovery last week was long, especially seeing band patients come and go each day, but I am glad I was there a week just to make sure everyhting was healing and I was safe to go home. I've seen several you tube video logs from people who went home 2 or 3 days after surgery and I can't even imagine it. OCC requires you to stay for good reason, and I'm glad they did. By the time I went home Saturday I was ready to travel, and knew I was safe to do so.

I got an email from Lori today asking me to join and share my experience with my Sleeve surgery, so here I am. A little background: I got a band in Oct. 2005, and did not follow instructions very well. I thought the band was going to be the miracle cure; I still wanted to eat, and did eat too much. I eventually got over-filled and ended up not being able to keep down solids. I tried to get help from a gastric doc in Phoenix, but none would see me since I had surgery in Mexico. I even had one tell me he was trained by Dr. Ortiz, but his malpractice insurance wouldn't let him see me. After 6 months of throwing up I finally called OCC. By then the band had slipped, and I just wanted it off! Dr. Martinez removed my band in Oct. 2008 and I have let my body heal and, of course, went back to eating. In a year and a half I re-gained all of my weight and knew I needed help. I opted for a Sleeve because I wanted the same results but feared the band issues I had before. I scheduled surgery on July 2nd, and had the Sleeve operation on July 12th. I was 272 when I scheduled, and 259 the day of surgery. Today I am 255, but have been on a steroid for my asthma. I anticipate that when I finish it in 4 days the scale will show it. But I am losing inches as evidenced by my clothes. Surgery was uneventful, except that I was nauseated coming out of anesthesia. I think I needed more zofran! I had pain from the drain tube, but once they removed it Saturday morning, life was good!! The tape they used to close the incision came off the next morning, and I had to go the the ER to get the incision closed up, but that is the only issue I've had related to the surgery. Today is day 10 post-op and I feel GREAT. But I have to say that I am doing EVERYthing I am supposed to. I am being diligent about getting enough fluids, drinking only clear or creamy drinks/soups and yogurt, and getting enough protein. I am taking a chewable childrens vitamin (for now), Viactive (calcium), and just added the B12 complex (a liquid from Spring Valley, found at Wal-Mart) and iron today. I realized today that Viactive has less than half the calcium Dr. Miranda recommended, so I will be replacing it soon. Dr. Martinez called this morning (have you ever had a US doc call to check on you, or give you his cell phone number?). I told him I am taking in about 700-800 calories a day, and about 25 grams of protein. He said to increase my protein, which I did today by adding another slim-fast. I also saw my primary care doc in the US at his recommendation for blood pressure meds he discovered I needed during my stay last week. My typical food intake right now is 4 oz. Activa yogurt for breakfast, slim-fast late morning, broth or creamy tomato soup for lunch, gatorade in the afternoon, and broth/soup for dinner, then another slim-fast in the evening. I am also drinking water and tea all throughout the day. I have been so blessed to find OCC, the doctors, nurses and staff there. I have had 3 surgeries with Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez, and trust them completely. I have received exceptional care on every visit, whether it was surgery or fills, and from everyone I have interacted with. Dr. Ortiz is so positive and outgoing; he puts any pre-op concerns to rest. Dr. Martinez is the kindest doctor I have ever met. And Dr. So -- well, he's great, and those dimples! I am happy to share my journey with you because I believe in my choice to have the surgery, and especially to have it at OCC.

I got an email from Lori today asking me to join and share my experience with my Sleeve surgery, so here I am. A little background: I got a band in Oct. 2005, and did not follow instructions very well. I thought the band was going to be the miracle cure; I still wanted to eat, and did eat too much. I eventually got over-filled and ended up not being able to keep down solids. I tried to get help from a gastric doc in Phoenix, but none would see me since I had surgery in Mexico. I even had one tell me he was trained by Dr. Ortiz, but his malpractice insurance wouldn't let him see me. After 6 months of throwing up I finally called OCC. By then the band had slipped, and I just wanted it off! Dr. Martinez removed my band in Oct. 2008 and I have let my body heal and, of course, went back to eating. In a year and a half I re-gained all of my weight and knew I needed help. I opted for a Sleeve because I wanted the same results but feared the band issues I had before. I scheduled surgery on July 2nd, and had the Sleeve operation on July 12th. I was 272 when I scheduled, and 259 the day of surgery. Today I am 255, but have been on a steroid for my asthma. I anticipate that when I finish it in 4 days the scale will show it. But I am losing inches as evidenced by my clothes.

Surgery was uneventful, except that I was nauseated coming out of anesthesia. I think I needed more zofran! I had pain from the drain tube, but once they removed it Saturday morning, life was good!! The tape they used to close the incision came off the next morning, and I had to go the the ER to get the incision closed up, but that is the only issue I've had related to the surgery. Today is day 10 post-op and I feel GREAT. But I have to say that I am doing EVERYthing I am supposed to. I am being diligent about getting enough fluids, drinking only clear or creamy drinks/soups and yogurt, and getting enough protein. I am taking a chewable childrens vitamin (for now), Viactive (calcium), and just added the B12 complex (a liquid from Spring Valley, found at Wal-Mart) and iron today. I realized today that Viactive has less than half the calcium Dr. Miranda recommended, so I will be replacing it soon. Dr. Martinez called this morning (have you ever had a US doc call to check on you, or give you his cell phone number?). I told him I am taking in about 700-800 calories a day, and about 25 grams of protein. He said to increase my protein, which I did today by adding another slim-fast. I also saw my primary care doc in the US at his recommendation for blood pressure meds he discovered I needed during my stay last week. My typical food intake right now is 4 oz. Activa yogurt for breakfast, slim-fast late morning, broth or creamy tomato soup for lunch, gatorade in the afternoon, and broth/soup for dinner, then another slim-fast in the evening. I am also drinking water and tea all throughout the day. I have been so blessed to find OCC, the doctors, nurses and staff there. I have had 3 surgeries with Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez, and trust them completely. I have received exceptional care on every visit, whether it was surgery or fills, and from everyone I have interacted with. Dr. Ortiz is so positive and outgoing; he puts any pre-op concerns to rest. Dr. Martinez is the kindest doctor I have ever met. And Dr. So -- well, he's great, and those dimples! I am happy to share my journey with you because I believe in my choice to have the surgery, and especially to have it at OCC.

July 12th also. L???

I am starting a new blog following the results of my Sleeve surgery. Come check it out!