Susanne

I went back and forth in my mind whether I should reply again or not, but I kinda have to.
So, you really think lolli is doing great? Do you really think she should keep doing what she is doing?
I know you are probably just trying to cheer her up, but in all honesty - she isn't doing great and with pretending she is I believe we are doing her a great disservice.
I don't think she wants a pep talk but tips and suggestions on how to do better and improve weight loss.
What the doc says is most likely not just "his opinion" but it is probably based on medical research, years of experience in the medical community and with his patients. No, his words are not the law but I don't believe he is just talking out of his a$$ either.
Pretending we are doing great and doing the same thing is what got most of us to morbid obesity - this journey is all about change, moving into a new direction and figuring out what to do and how to do it.

3 weeks out, no one has much energy. You are eating way too little calories to be a powerhouse, but give it some time. Once you get to more and substantial foods, you'll be fine. How many calories do you eat? Remember, aside from a little bit of stomach, your body is still the same but instead of feeding it 2000 calories, you probably are giving it less than 500 calories. You are still recovering from surgery.

3 weeks out, no one has much energy. You are eating way too little calories to be a powerhouse, but give it some time. Once you get to more and substantial foods, you'll be fine. How many calories do you eat? Remember, aside from a little bit of stomach, your body is still the same but instead of feeding it 2000 calories, you probably are giving it less than 500 calories. You are still recovering from surgery.

3 weeks out, no one has much energy. You are eating way too little calories to be a powerhouse, but give it some time. Once you get to more and substantial foods, you'll be fine. How many calories do you eat? Remember, aside from a little bit of stomach, your body is still the same but instead of feeding it 2000 calories, you probably are giving it less than 500 calories. You are still recovering from surgery.

I am sorry to hear that, I really am. It must be disappointing to hear that you are not doing good.
But on the other hand, I guess the doctor was just calling a spade a spade. He is a medical professional, what is he supposed to tell you? Would he really help you by telling you that you are doing great or even just good if you are not? From what you describe, he was not mean or rude, and I have to admit myself, if I am disappointed, you can see it on my face too - but it also means that he cares. I am only disappointed if something I care about goes wrong - otherwise, whatever...
I remember that my surgeon told me that 6 weeks out, they like to see a result of 25 pounds and up. You are only slightly below that. I am sorry to hear you feel like crap now.
I think there are cases where we need tender loving care and a pat on the back even if we didn't do a good job - but I think in this case, it may actually be a lot better if someone is givin' it to you the way it is so you can realize you have to change SOMETHING.
Does your doctor have a nutritionist? Maybe you should get in contact with her - you mentioned something about that and she said you are doing good. Well, your eating should have changed significantly within the last 2 weeks, did it? You said you didn't have to go through any of the recommended classes where we all learned about the proper eating and nutrition after surgery - maybe you are really not eating right? Maybe you can voluntarily go to those classes. I know if I hadn't gone I would be fairly lost about what to eat and just having a calorie restriction would not work.
Are you getting in 60g of Protein a day? Are you eating all your vitamines (Multis, Bs, Iron and posibly other)? Are you taking your Prilosec? Are you avoiding to drink you calories (aside from a possible low cal/low carb Protein shake)? Are you eating foods that "task" your sleeve or are you eating soft slider foods? Are you journaling your food and exercise - you may not even realize that you are off your goals without that? Can you give a detailed list of what you ate yesterday? There are a lot of people who are very knowledgable about foods and nutrition after WLS and I have the feeling that that is exactly where your problem may be...you are eating too much, not enough or the wrong things. Exercise is good, but first and foremost at this stage, proper eating is where weight loss is at.
Chin up, it'll usually get better but please take the time and analyze what you are doing - maybe with the help of this board - and together we can maybe get you on the right track to the magical land of losers!

How did I miss this? I am here, living in Grandville and also sleeved by GHP!

Well, I think I got a sheet once about it but never thought about it again. And now I just joined the Gazelle Sports training group to train for the River Bank Run. I want to do the 5k and they train Monday and Wednesday night! I'll think about it for after May 14th!

How did I miss this? I am here, living in Grandville and also sleeved by GHP!

Oh, I believe you. And in all honesty, I am horrified. While you seem to consider it a plus, your 145/month freaks me out more than anything else. 145 is about 6 surgeries per day on every day he works. Say he's taking Sundays off, I do not want to be his Saturdays surgery, after he has slaved in the operating room for 6 days straight. Mass does not equal class in any way, shape or form.
Is it even legal in the US to do something as tiresome and demanding as internal surgery for 6 hours on 6 days a week - week after week?
Not sure, check this: http://healthcareers...surgeonjobs.htm
There is a reason why surgeons in the US don't do more - and I am pretty sure if hospitals would feel comfortable in having them do more, they would just to save money. But they don't, and they probably know why.
To simplify: Just because someone bakes a thousand bread loaves a week doesn't mean his loaves are good or better than someone who just does 50, takes there time for preparation, education, service and simply rest to recharge.
McDonald's has sold >100 billion beef-based hamburgers worldwide. Does that make them very good at it? Is a McDonald's burger better than the one they make at the restaurant down the street? I certainly don't think so.

Well, I think I got a sheet once about it but never thought about it again. And now I just joined the Gazelle Sports training group to train for the River Bank Run. I want to do the 5k and they train Monday and Wednesday night! I'll think about it for after May 14th!

Here is a real interesting article about carbs:
http://www.marksdail...rate-continuum/
I was looking for a threshold of what constitutes "low carb". I am usually teetering around 100g. I was never scared of carbs, but I guess since it seems to work for others, maybe I should try it. But then, I just hate the thought of trying to figure out good carbs, bad carbs in my log. I mean, an orange has 20g of carbs, and I don't want to fear those - how do I split that in MFP.
Anyway, I found the below really interesting, here is part of the article that I'd like to share. From that, I will really try to stay between 50 and 100g:
300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
Easy to reach with the “normal” American diet (cereals, Pasta, rice, bread, waffles, pancakes, muffins, soft drinks, packaged Snacks, sweets, desserts). High risk of excess fat storage, inflammation, increased disease markers including Metabolic Syndrome or diabetes. Sharp reduction of grains and other processed carbs is critical unless you are on the “chronic cardio” treadmill (which has its own major drawbacks).
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
Continued higher insulin-stimulating effect prevents efficient fat burning and contributes to widespread chronic disease conditions. This range – irresponsibly recommended by the USDA and other diet authorities – can lead to the statistical US average gain of 1.5 pounds of fat per year for forty years.
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
This range based on body weight and activity level. When combined with Primal exercises, allows for genetically optimal fat burning and muscle development. Range derived from Grok’s (ancestors’) example of enjoying abundant vegetables and fruits and avoiding grains and sugars.
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
Minimizes insulin production and ramps up fat metabolism. By meeting average daily Protein requirements (.7 – 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight formula), eating nutritious vegetables and fruits (easy to stay in 50-100 gram range, even with generous servings), and staying satisfied with delicious high fat foods (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds), you can lose one to two pounds of body fat per week and then keep it off forever by eating in the maintenance range.
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
Acceptable for a day or two of Intermittent Fasting towards aggressive weight loss efforts, provided adequate Protein, fat and supplements are consumed otherwise. May be ideal for many diabetics. Not necessarily recommended as a long-term practice for otherwise healthy people due to resultant deprivation of high nutrient value vegetables and fruits.

Eating 10 Sun chips has never and will never be an issue for you...if you can stop, and apparently, you did :-)
Now, what floored me that on Fat Tuesday, I was able to eat a whole Pazcki!!!
I looked it up, around 400 calories - yikes.
BUT...since it was early in the morning, I just switched stuff around, went for highest Protein density so I can finagle my 60 g of Protein into the remaining 500 calories. I had a shake and 93/7 ground beef and I made it through the day OK. I had some extra Water just for good measure.
Thank God I had spent 40 minutes in the morning on the treadmill and I was able to walk to the bank cause the weather was OK enough.
What I am trying to say is:
1. 10 chips are OK and nothing to worry about
2. being good after being bad is much easier because of the restriction
3. protein protein protein -- OK, that has nothing to do with your post, but it's a mantra for VSG so I threw it in for good measure :-)

Oh, I believe you. And in all honesty, I am horrified. While you seem to consider it a plus, your 145/month freaks me out more than anything else. 145 is about 6 surgeries per day on every day he works. Say he's taking Sundays off, I do not want to be his Saturdays surgery, after he has slaved in the operating room for 6 days straight. Mass does not equal class in any way, shape or form.
Is it even legal in the US to do something as tiresome and demanding as internal surgery for 6 hours on 6 days a week - week after week?
Not sure, check this: http://healthcareers...surgeonjobs.htm
There is a reason why surgeons in the US don't do more - and I am pretty sure if hospitals would feel comfortable in having them do more, they would just to save money. But they don't, and they probably know why.
To simplify: Just because someone bakes a thousand bread loaves a week doesn't mean his loaves are good or better than someone who just does 50, takes there time for preparation, education, service and simply rest to recharge.
McDonald's has sold >100 billion beef-based hamburgers worldwide. Does that make them very good at it? Is a McDonald's burger better than the one they make at the restaurant down the street? I certainly don't think so.

I can tell ya how much I CAN'T eat, 4oz. of lean pork sirloin steak (sans anything else).
How do I know? Well, I just tried to have that as my left-over lunch and it was followed by about half an hour of extreme discomfort and a lot of rumbling in my stomach!
I am 11 weeks out

I don't think there is an exact science behind it, just something that most of us experience.
In my mind, it works like this:
Imagine a big blobby goopy mass in a plastic bag. That's you :-)
Now you squeeze out 3 pounds of the goop in a week. And then another 2 pounds the next week.
Where that gets squeezed out is not under control, it could come from the middle, from one spot or another.
After that, the stuff in the bag just "rearranges", goop moves around, gets re-situated moves from one side to another. The holes in the middle fill up with goop from the periphery etc.
That's how you "shrink" in your waist, your arms, the legs etc.
I am sure that is not how it really works, but for me it makes sense and explains how I can get slimmer when I don't actually lose weight. That's also how I mentally get through stalls without driving myself crazy.
Just think of cup cake decorating - if you have squeezed a lot of frosting from the piping bag, you have to move frosting from the top of the bag to the bottom to be able to squeeze it out again :-)

Oh, I believe you. And in all honesty, I am horrified. While you seem to consider it a plus, your 145/month freaks me out more than anything else. 145 is about 6 surgeries per day on every day he works. Say he's taking Sundays off, I do not want to be his Saturdays surgery, after he has slaved in the operating room for 6 days straight. Mass does not equal class in any way, shape or form.
Is it even legal in the US to do something as tiresome and demanding as internal surgery for 6 hours on 6 days a week - week after week?
Not sure, check this: http://healthcareers...surgeonjobs.htm
There is a reason why surgeons in the US don't do more - and I am pretty sure if hospitals would feel comfortable in having them do more, they would just to save money. But they don't, and they probably know why.
To simplify: Just because someone bakes a thousand bread loaves a week doesn't mean his loaves are good or better than someone who just does 50, takes there time for preparation, education, service and simply rest to recharge.
McDonald's has sold >100 billion beef-based hamburgers worldwide. Does that make them very good at it? Is a McDonald's burger better than the one they make at the restaurant down the street? I certainly don't think so.

I agree with ilegal!
Everyone has fear, the whatifs, the unknown, and this is major surgery, not just a cosmetic touch-up. It is very hard to admit that we need help, and that we can't do it with diet and exercise alone (as just about every doctor or nutritionist will tell you, eat less, move more = lose weight.) Aaaah, if it were only that simple. This is a HUGE committment, you can't decide later that you wish you hadn't been sleeved. You cannot turn back the clock and you must learn to live within the limits that your tool provides you. It is scary and deserves a lot of thinking before jumping in.

That being said I would not change a single second of my pre-op, surgery, or post-op. I was mentally ready for the challenges of dealing with food in a different way, and I am thrilled with my results. As I tell everyone I was not sick before (no co-morbidities, I exercised regularly for the last 7 years, obesity was the only ding in my health record and I've been obese or morbidly so (BMI = 44) for about 2 decades. I had tried numerous diets to find that I could lose the weight but not keep it off. I tried crazy liquid diets, zero carb/zero sugar diets, prescription pills (Meridia), and the "healthy" way of dieting, WW, South Beach, Fat Burning Ratio diet, you name it I've done it. For the first time in my life I feel like a have a FOREVER tool that will always help me control my portions. I LOVE eating small portions and being satisfied with LESS food. Love it. It is so freeing. The hard part is I still have to decide what goes in my mouth. Will it be grilled chicken or chocolate? I decide. I choose to make wise choices because otherwise I did the surgery for nothing. I will succeed with this tool and I will not fail.
Do your research!!! So really it is not your family's decision, or your husbands, or your parents or siblings or friends. That is great that they all love you enough to tell you what they think. But in the end this is YOUR life, YOUR body and YOUR decision.

Best of luck in making your decision!

Hi all,
I apologize if I am nagging, and please don't hit me!
I am wondering if the "Whatcha eating today" topics can be combined a little? I feel like they are pushing other topics out of sight - every third or fourth topic on here seems to be a Whatcha eating.
I know we are all trying to find inspiration and to keep our menu plans "fresh", but I am wondering if we can make that a weekly topic or reuse the Monday/Tuesday etc. topics every week? We have two Mondays, two Thursdays and two Fridays up on the first page. Maybe I am the only one but I feel it pushes other topics out that offer a little more "variety" to the food & Nutrition section.
If this is not a good idea, I was wondering if there is a way to block those or remove them from my feed like on Facebook?
Thanks and my apologies - I am not trying to be trouble, just an idea...
Susanne

I am pretty sure Fage is the original one, I have actually bought Fage in Greece and it was the first Greek yogurt I ever saw in the US (and I jumped for joy).
I get it at some normal stores, but not at others.
Try the store locater on their web site:
http://www.fageusa.com/store-locator/
Or let one of your VSG buddies who love you do it for you :-)
Raley's 4551 Mack Rd
Foods Co 7421 W Stockton Blvd
Target 8101 Cosumnes River Blvd
Bel Air 6231 Fruitridge Rd
Safeway 5021 Laguna Blvd

I was up at 0630 (which is sleeping in now!!) and drank a small glass of milk. Since my tummy seems a little sour in the mornings I wanted something in there right away but didn't want to eat anything before I ran! We took the metro into the district and it was great to ask more questions of my friends who have been there done that a lot with races! We were all happy go lucky just having a good ole time! Get to the race area and of course I have to pee! LOL Hit the ICKY potty and get "in line" to go! We all started together but that didnt' last long! I was SO COLD but so Excited and pumped up! I started to jog soon and then run and then walk and run and walk and back and forth! Felt like I was keeping a pretty good pace (a little slower then what I do on the treadmill)! When I went by the Water I did grab a bottle and take a few quick drinks and then ran with the Water for a little bit. Took another couple of sips and tossed it! Which is so crazy to just throw something on the side like that, hated to do it but couldn't carry it and run! LOL It wasn't until about 4K that I finally started to feel really warm! LOL I had on my AWESOME Compression pants (from Old Navy) and I had on two long sleeve shirts and the run t-shirt and my gloves!! LOL My Ipod tells me it was 4.5K so I was trying to make sure I would be able to stop it and read my time when done and it all messed up and stoping reading my distance! UGH SO annoyed! LOL So I can really see the finish line and I started to run for it! When I got there I threw my hands up in the air and if I could have I just might cried!!!! I was feeling SO Elated! Words can't really describe the crazy happy feeling I had coming across that finish line! Shane didn't get a picture of me I was totally bummed about that but Mark (my roomie) got a kinda okay one that I'm going to steal! We did this run for Sarah's (my other roomie) Grandma! We were team Joggin' for G-Ma so we accented ourselves in yellow because that is her favorite color!!
It was just so Awesome and such a Great feeling to know I DID IT! I have ALWAYS wanted to run a race but even when I wasn't as heavy I never thought about running! This has been a CRAZY 3-4 months leading up to where I am right now and again, it just feels AWESOME!!
I did find a place that they posted the times (since the Ipod stopped working right) and my final time was 37:58!! It's a little longer then what I have done on the treadmill but it's a GREAT time for my first race! I'm trying to not be ALL about my time but it is something to really WORK towards, beating myself!!
Before the race on the Metro

Starting (can't really see us)

Passing by DH at the finish

Walking around to DH afterwards

Our Team (minus one)

Chillen out at the awards

Why does that sound crazy? If you reduce everything else, you'll probably lose weight. You lose weight if the caloric intake is less than the caloric expenditure.
1 g carb has 4 calories, so if you can have up to 300 g of carbs, that's 1200 calories and you should be able to lose on that...but you would have to be on very restricted fat and Protein diet. So yeah, it sounds stupid and definitely not recommended for a VSG patient...so maybe a little crazy :-)
Most people say they have 1200 calories to maintain, so considering that you have to have 60g of Protein (= 240 calories) and probably 50 g of fat (= 450 calories) you end up with 510 calories from carbs which is 127 g of carbs Some people advocate a split of carbs/protein/fat of 50/30/20 which seems a little high on carbs for many.
Here is an interesting article about that ratio: http://www.muscleand...ers-part-I.html

Example: Total calories required 2600 calories per day: * 30% of 2600 = 780 calories for Protein * 50% of 2600 = 1300 calories from Carbohydrates * 20% of 2600 = 520 calories from total Fat
For 1200 calories, you can almost cut that in half.
That said, I posted this article a while back, that shows the different ranges: http://www.verticals...s-should-i-eat/

I think the whole "low fat" and "fat free" is just so wrong in your concoction!
I wish people would try regular cheeses again - I'd rather take 1 oz. of full fat cheese over 2 oz. of low fat cheese any time. The satisfaction you get from normal food is 10x what you get from all the no fat stuff, which needs a ton of chemicals, stabilizers and other artificial stuff that simply doesn't belong in cheese. It so much doesn't belong in cheese that they are often not even allowed to call it cheese anymore - how screwed up is that?
Instead fat free cream cheese and fat free shredded cheese use half the amount of the normal stuff. It is a little less in volume, but 10x the flavor, 10x the satisfaction and keeps you full a lot longer! Good God, the fat free shredded cheese doesn't even melt, LOL

I think the whole "low fat" and "fat free" is just so wrong in your concoction!
I wish people would try regular cheeses again - I'd rather take 1 oz. of full fat cheese over 2 oz. of low fat cheese any time. The satisfaction you get from normal food is 10x what you get from all the no fat stuff, which needs a ton of chemicals, stabilizers and other artificial stuff that simply doesn't belong in cheese. It so much doesn't belong in cheese that they are often not even allowed to call it cheese anymore - how screwed up is that?
Instead fat free cream cheese and fat free shredded cheese use half the amount of the normal stuff. It is a little less in volume, but 10x the flavor, 10x the satisfaction and keeps you full a lot longer! Good God, the fat free shredded cheese doesn't even melt, LOL

Why get a head start? Doesn't make much sense to me. I am not saying you should have a last hurrah, but you have two weeks of pre op diet, then surgery, and after that up to 6 weeks without half way decent food, that's 8 weeks... I wouldn't start a day early even though I understand your enthusiasm.

I'm nearly 42 and I do worry about it, but to be honest I'd rather have a few more wrinkles (which are easy to take care of with some botox if i was really desperate) than being fat!