CraftyChristie

I just completed a 5K today! It was a walk called Strides for Epilepsy. Went with a bunch of friends and had a fun time. My hubby took some pics and I will add them to this thread a bit later. I am just so happy that I am already on this track at 3 1/2 weeks post op!!! My excuses are all gone. I did this walk in 50 degrees, raining, brrr.... my feet were soaking. I have a blister the size of texas on the bottom of my foot - have had it all week but it hasn't stopped me from doing 3 mile walks 4 times this week! My calf has been hurting, the kind of soreness you would have the morning after getting a charlie horse.... but I have just kept right on going, and I feel GREAT!!!!:thumbup:

Oooh this is fun!!! Well I have been doing 60 mins about 4 days a week so I am going to go ahead and pledge 24 points. I am doing a 5K tomorrow so I know that will get me off to a good start. Thank you for posting this!! Oh I guess I'm posting for the wrong week though lol.

Way to go!!!!! So far I am only doing walking but it's definitely giving me that feeling you are talking about. It feels so good to be moving my body and it is definitely empowering. I can't wait to get the all clear to do other types of exercise!!

I'm 3 weeks out and I've been hitting my 65-75g/day Protein goal without ANY Protein shake. Very excited because I was so sick of them! Here are my suggestions.

Protein first, extras later. This means crackers probably aren't helping you. If I eat a string cheese by itself (1oz) that's 8 grams right there. I am trying to focus on the chicken, beef, ham/pork, shrimp, fish, etc. I only eat fruits and veggies if I finish my protein source first and can fit a little more. With the exception of edamame which I do eat a little more of, but at least it has some protein.

Meatless soy vegetarian products are super high in protein. The Morningstar Farms brand is delicious. 1 'sausage patty' has 10grams of protein. Top with a little cheese or even egg for even more. I bought the "chick'n nuggets" also and 1 nugget has 3grams. I can eat 2 nuggets plus 1/2 a string cheese (about 2.5 ounces) for a total of 10grams in a meal.

Add unflavored Protein Powder into foods it will mix well with... yogurt, pudding, oatmeal, cottage cheese, anything soft. I actually have not been doing this to get my protein goal though, I've been getting enough from the foods.

tuna is one of the highest protein options so if you like tuna, make up different tuna salad recipes. Again though, I don't eat it on crackers or bread, just alone so I get all protein. This is a big adjustment for me as a total carb lover, but it's not as bad as I would have thought :thumbup: Also shrimp has great protein too. A few cold cooked shrimp and some cocktail sauce makes a quick easy meal (shrimp cocktail) high in protein. I ate 2 ounces and the bag said that was 14grams.

Then there are always Protein Bars. I still haven't eaten one of them yet either but I just bought some yesterday that my doc recommended. They are from costco and they are called Premier Protein bars. They come in a variety pack with 3 flavors. Choc Peanut Butter, yogurt and nut, double fudge. One Bar has 30grams!!!! It's chewy, not hard, so it's okay to eat in these stages. I haven't tried one yet... it says one bar is 2.5 ounces... but even though I eat that amount in other foods, I have a feeling it is so dense I would have to split it into two sittings. But 30 grams!!! That could really boost your day!! I could see possibly even cutting it into 6 pieces and having one piece as "dessert" at each of 6 mini meals throughout the day to help spread the protein around.

I hope these options help.

Oh and as far as the energy for your job... my energy is pretty good at 3 weeks. I need naps, but I always did before. I would say I have the same energy as I did before. I get all my Protein, Water, and Vitamins, and I walk almost every day 3 miles and I think all of those things help. Also eating 5-6 times a day at 2-3 hour intervals and having your protein spread throughout the day helps maintain your metabolism and energy. When you go back to work, you must not neglect YOU. Set timers on your phone or watch and make sure you are drinking water all day long and eating when you are supposed to and that should really help the energy.

I can definitely understand your concern. All I can say is here I am at 3 weeks, not even on full solid foods yet and I already feel more normal than I expected to. Yes I'm eating differently, but I'm pretty darn satisfied, and I haven't touched a simple carb yet. I know on solid food when all options are open to me I'll feel even more normal.

I have an album on flickr for my surgery and I have been posting food pictures any time I eat something new. Again I'm only at 3 weeks so I'm sure the look of that will change, too. But if you are interested you can bookmark my photo set and see whenever I add new foods:

WLS Stuff - a set on Flickr

I also have a blog and I plan to do regular "Things I've Been Eating" posts. Only done one so far and haven't caught up which is why I also linked you to the photos since those ARE caught up. But here is my blog if you want to follow along there too:

Health and Happiness

Also there is a fantastic blog called The World According to Eggface. She does regular posts called "A Day in my Pouch" where she shows everything she eats all day, and she shared TONS of her own recipes. She is a bypass patient so many things are sugar free, and it's up to you if you chose to go that route or not, but I find many of her recipes to be super appealing. Looking at her blog really made ME feel like hey, I can eat normal things. Hopefully it will help you feel that way too.

theworldaccordingtoeggface

I think the visual adjustment is really important. I haven't bought a bento box because when I saw one it was actually quite a bit bigger than I thought. I did buy something similar to a bento box in the toddler section at target! One for me and one for hubby.

I also bought small plates and bowls to eat out of. The bowls only hold 1/2 cup so my 2 ounces fills it halfway and I don't feel like I'm eating so little. This visual trick must really work because when I post my food photos online people say "I can't believe you're eating so much!" when I'm only eating 2 - 2.5 ounces. lol

Here are some relevant posts on my blog if you are interested in seeing what I mean :thumbup:

Health and Happiness: Drastic Change

Health and Happiness: Stocking Up

Health and Happiness: Things I've Been Eating

Awesome!!! What a great NSV. I have never seen one of my rib bones or hip bones in my life lol. The collar bones are around even now at 280 so I'm greatful for that :thumbup: But I know I'll be just as thrilled as you when I see one of the others! Congrats!

Aaaargh, I wrote you a long message and it got deleted Here we go again.

I'm so sorry you have been through such a long and frustrating ordeal!! I am glad you have found your way here though as it's a very supportive environment and there are always plenty of people ready to jump in and answer your questions.

I want to try to answer some of your food questions. I'll share with you what my guidelines are that I've been given if you are interested. This is how our nutrition goals have been explained to me. Protein needs to be the #1 focus because we can eat so little that if we don't focus on it, we don't get enough. Protein is super important to everyone but especially to us because it builds muscle (which burns fat and cals), and it helps trick the body out of starvation mode when we are eating so low calorie, so that our body doesn't hang onto everything. Getting 65-75g of protein a day is the goal. Also getting your min 64 oz of Water a day is important.

On my plan, the first 6 weeks before full solid food, each meal is to be 90% protein and 10% complex carbs from fruits and veggies. At 6 weeks when getting onto solid food, it can be more like 75% protein and 25% complex carbs. Simple carbs from breads, pastas, etc are not recommended especially during the losing phase - but most people do eat them once they are maintaining their weight... or once they can't take it anymore hehe. With the sleeve nothing is off limits, but you are just supposed to try to keep your focus on the right protein rich foods and let other things be occasional.

Salads - they put that on our list of things to stay away from. Not because there's anything wrong with it, but because it doesn't provide too much nutrition for us, lettuce is mostly Water and also hard for the system to digest. They told us when we want salad, stick to spinach leaves, but focus more on the stuff goin ON the salad, and make a protein like chicken, shrimp, or beef a main part of the salad. Again everything in moderation :thumbup:

As for what to expect out of your weight loss - it's anyone's guess. Our bodies are so different. There is a whole sub-forum on here for band to sleeve revisions, so maybe in there some people with similar experiences could give you a better idea... but my educated guess would be that you will lost at least that extra 20 lbs, but it may be slow because your body has been through such an ordeal and may really need time to adjust and to "believe" and let go of the fat that is stored. Be patient and dilligent in your food choices right now until you get to a place where you are comfortable.

Hope this helps!!

Hi Bonnie! Welcome!! Congratulations - both on your decision to change your health for the better, and on your upcoming wedding! Wishing you all the best.

That is amazing!!! And your hubby sounds very sweet. It's nice for him to recognize your progress and tell you to recognize it in yourself too :thumbup: Congrats on the new wardrobe :thumbup:

Awesome!!! I have never been in onederland in my adult life so I know how freaking happy I'll be when this day comes for me :thumbup: It's like crossing into "normal" life in a way lol. You are doing so great and I wish even more awesome things for you!

WHoo hoooo congratulations!

Christie that is great! For Ian, too!

How'd you get your cute name font?

momma... i googled my name in google images and found a few cute ones :thumbup:

I just did a little googling and it seems 500-1000mcg daily sublingual is a pretty common reccomendation for all post wls patients... also saw a Q&A where it was stated overdose on B12 is almost impossible and you can't really have too much. Given this is the internet so who knows how accurate that is.... but just following surgeon's requirements!

Why is that? All I know is my doc puts all of his WLS patients, regardless the type of surgery, on daily B-12 in that amount.

I was told to take a multi Vitamin everyday, and once a week take 1000 mg B-12 get the sublingal which melts under your tongue.

once a week, wow... I am supposed to take the 1000mg b-12 sublingual daily!

Brian - thanks so much for the compliment, I hope we are able to set a good example Best wishes on your upcoming surgery.

Papillon - yes that is exactly why we did it and he has already been saying he's glad we did it together and can understand what each other are going through.

I think you are doing FINE babe, we all go at different paces and you just can't compare yourself to anyone or anything else - even your own expectations. Stay on the sunny side, focus on your achievements and on developing new awesome habits. Focus on the Water, the Protein, the exercise... and the weight loss will just keep on comin'!

I definitely think it was too much too close together and you are beginning to stretch the sleeve while it's still swollen and healing It would take me 3 sitting 2 hrs apart to eat a 6oz yogurt! But it's also possible the Protein bar caused an obstruction if it went down wrong or turned the wrong way. I hope you are able to get some medical attention sweetie

Jerry, that's great news!! Congrats! And thank you everybody

My experience was EVERYTHING had to come out, I dont' have other piercings but do have a 2nd earring hole with studs I never take out and had to take those out... and those are definitely not in the way of my tummy They said everything had to come off. I have the problem of the holes closing up easily but I brought them in my bag to the hospital and put them in as soon as I was coherent.

Sounds like you are doing wonderfully! That's great!

Hey all! Wanted to hop on here and give you all an update. Today I am at 282, that's 28 lbs down in 3 weeks whoo hooo! Still not supposed to do any strength training until 6 weeks just stick to my walking, but I can swim before then if my incisions are all healed up. The pain I've been having is cause by scar tissue supposedly... so hopefully that will keep getting better. Also I'm supposed to go see my regular doc and get a script for Celebrex to try for my ongoing back pain. I hope that helps!!

Overall I am feeling great about the surgery and where I'm headed. Really looking forward to being fully on solid foods and having my pick of anything I want to eat (I get bored so easily with the same stuff over and over.) I miss feeling full... but that's one of those things I have to just get used to.:huh0:

As for Ian, his 1 week appt was today and he is down 16 pounds. He started some select soft foods a few days early also. They don't give sleeve guidelines very well at our place, they just group us with bypass, so we get HUNGRY. So he started on those and I started my full soft diet a week early (with permission). I think that has slowed our initial weight loss results slightly but in the long run who cares, it's all coming off baby! Whoo hooo!

Ian has been walking for 3 days now. As for me I have been walking 2 1/2 weeks now and I'm up to 1 hour & 3 miles now!!! Had to take a break today due to blisters on the bottoms of my feet but we still walked all over the hospital for our appointments.... not to mention, the elevators were down, so we hiked up SIX FLIGHTS of stairs to our nutrition class!!!!!:001_tt2: For me it was hard even with walking so much lately, but for poor Ian just a week out it took all of his energy! We napped when we got home though and we are good as new:thumbup:

Congrats! You are doing so great!! Good luck with the Vitamins, I can swallow it but it makes me almost throw up so sticking with the liquid for right now but since you're at 6 weeks you might have better luck. Keep it up chica!