DrmBig4Evr

Great!
Enjoy this phase as it will be more challenging as you expand your "allowed" foods and your intake increases. You will be craving more variety in the future and the carbs will entice you! But they can be "good" complex carbs that help your energy levels (sounds like you're feeling pretty fine now though!) once you're doing more active workouts, etc.
All the good habits you're developing now around choices, timing and avoidance of non-nutritious or carb-dense foods will serve you well in the long run and especially when you start facing some of the stalls and "slow" periods that are yet to come.
Keep up the great attitude........can you DO this!

Okay, I had done my julian michaels DVD in the morning of the same day so that is part of my excuse, but it was HARD! I loved it. Found out that it works in a cycle and I joined on the hardest day of the month - so I was doing the "modified" version of most of the exercises. The next class is starting a new cycle and I am excited to see what progress I make in the next 30 days. My thing is I want more upper body strength. I can do knee pushups pretty well now but I about die trying to do them from my toes. A woman in that class was doing them one handed - can you imagine - a woman being able to do that???
Anyway, it is fun to find something new and mix it up. I got tired of my YMCA so quit it a few weeks ago and am looking for new adventures.

I go through my closet and pull all the too big clothes out.

I recently had a follow up appointment with my doctor and he said im doing great. As of today I am 5 1/2 months out and have lost 76 lbs. But I told him my weight loss seems to be slowing down. He asked if I am getting my Protein, which I am. Then he asked how much I'm exercising to which I responded everyday thinking that it was a great thing but he said no you have to take 2 days a week off from exercise. He said no one should exercise 7 days a week. Muscle is built during rest. He strongly recommend I start strength training. More muscle will speed up my metabolism and help burn fat more efficiently. His advice was that I spend two days of cardio, two days of strength training, and 1 day of interval training with 2 days of rest per week. I haven't strength training before so I set up appointment per his recommendation with a trainer for her to set up a program for me that I could do at home. She was very nice and gave me great advice she said you should never strength train two days in a row. Always drink your Protein Shakes after you exercise on your strength training days so your body will not take from the muscle you've already built. She also said that my rest days I could practice stretching or I could do yoga or palates if I wanted to do something. So I stared all this 5 days ago and have lost 2.5 lbs since then. I never thought I would say this but I really like the strength training and look forward to learning the palates and yoga. I am learning about my body and I was greatful for all the help and advice so I thought I would share the advice I received. Hope it is helpful to someone.

You look great! I need to take mine still and look for some old pics because I didn't take full body ones!!

http://www.healthche...weightchart.htm
This is a time when I actually look at the charts. Since health is my primary concern I look at the charts and I can get down to 197-155 for a 6'2" man. I am at 217 now and no one thinks I am fat anymore.
I am concerned more with being healthy than looking good. I am quite unconcerned whether anyone thinks I look too skinny. It is amazing to me how easily people grant themselves credentials about any conceivable subject. So they are authorities on what is healthy and what is acceptable in a fashion sense.
If folks would kiss my posterior as many times as it crossed my mind that they should I would need Desitin for the chapping.

Yes, either Atkins or Premier will have the lowest. Also if you get it from smoothie Factory, my favority is the Gladiator, 45g with very little carbs depending upon a fruit you choose.

Why does this 'term' make my skin crawl? Ick!
The term derives from Freudian psychoanalysis
Although the term "anal retentive" survives in common usage, the concept, along with much of Freud's theories of psychoanalysis, is largely regarded as unscientific "pop-psychology" and therefore discredited by the majority of psychologists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[3] Chicago psychoanalyst Robert Galatzer-Levy speaks of how this theory of Freud is mostly a product of its time when indoor plumbing was new and less numerous per household, and families were large, causing "much more control of defecation than was necessary in a world of chamber pots and outhouses."[4]
If these qualities continue into later life, the person is said to be "anal-retentive". Conversely, those who reject anal-retentive characteristics are said to have "anal-expulsive" personality types.

I prefer to tell somebody or I'd just rather someone tell me I'm full of ****, call a spade a spade. That's what we do in Texas....well, maybe we just say "Bless your heart"

I guess I do just need to stop comparing myself to others. Thanks guys. Sometimes I just need a kick in the pants.

Ok. Rules are SOMETIMES meant to be broken. So, Here's the deal. I am 2 weeks post op today. I am one of those who had zero issues and had a smooth ride from recovery room to date!! This post is not intended to mean I am sure I will have a long term good go at this! It also doesn't address the future, but really ONLY the many threads that I have read regarding the preo op and post op liquid diets and the Pre and post few weeks Do's and Dont's!
I have read almost every post on here before and after surgery, lol. Here is the point that I will explain. Your/Our obsession over following diet rules is what got us here in the first place.. isn't it?? I mean, it's great to have black and white rules.. Do's and Don's. can and cant's.. That's why we were ALL great on Atkins (remember the carb counting obsession), and South Beach (remember how carefully we chose the meals), weight watchers, low cal, grapefruit, slimfast , yada yada yada......RIGHT?
Sure, it worked. THEN WE WENT OFF THE WAGON and got sick of the rules and restrictions and put weight back on (and then some).... That's because it was a DIET.. Why do so many of you do that on here? I'm not judging, but trying to help! Yes, it's easier for me, since I have had no issues. I come from a strong medical family (i had bio as a minor,4 docs and 2 nurses in immed family) and I always love to understand WHY the rules are in place. If something doesn't make sense, I want to know why and not just follow a rule because it was put out there.
My surgeon told me that "rules" are on here for the lower end of reaction spectrum. meaning, many need not follow them, but since 30%, for ex, will have issues with some things, they want to make a general rule......
As EVERYONE says on here, as well as EVERY doc, ALL OF US ARE DIFFERENT! We heal differently, We tolerate pain differently, foods differently, weight loss differently, etc..... EVERY SINGLE ONE So, the rules need not be applied to the T!
Now, as a caveat and from feedback so far on this post, this is not an excuse to eat junk NOR stay on bad habits. I don't mean to enable anyone. here is what BUTTERTHEBEAN wrote:
"The only reason I say "enabling" is because I think there are some people waiting in the wings to hear someone tell them it's okay to eat whatever they want. They haven't tackled their food addictions and they are hoping for "permission" to go back to their old ways. I know there are some that can learn to eat "all things in moderation." I have no problem with that. For me, I chose to embrace my inner health nut. It's not fear or weakness or lack of self control...it's the desire to live a long, healthy and active life. I'm not depriving myself, or sacrifing. The things I'm doing and the life I'm leading now feel way better than eating pizza and cupcakes ever did (even in moderation). By that I mean that food did not give me pleasure (never did, I just thought it did), so I no longer look to food to satisfy my needs, except nutritionally."
Ok... Back to the post. Specifically, here is what I have had debunked by my brother (Anesthesiologist for bariatric), My mom (nurse and nutritionist), my bro's good friend and bariatric surgeon, and my surgeon..........
* Yes, the liquid PRE OP diet is not to be messed with. It sucked, but we need the liver to be soft and looking like liver in a supermarket. That will happen in most cases with one week.. Many docs do one week only and many do 2 weeks..... So, if you have a 2 week doc, don't worry if you cheat a little and wants some low calorie food.. It's OK!! have the Soup... etc. I didn't cheat as mine was only a week and I did not want to have a lifetime of liver issues if it was frail and broke a bit/injured while being moved for my surgery....
* Most docs on here POST OP put you on liquids for 2 weeks.. Why?? NOTHING medical. Really? Many docs, including mine, put me on Clear Liquids only day 1 in the hospital and then put me instantly on pureed foods (tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, greek yogurts, ricotta cheese, etc).. Yes. DAY 2! He does this for EVERY patient.. He has had NO MORE COMPLICATIONS than anyone else ever.... It is NOT true that eating this will cause a leak.. It can't get caught in you stitches, lol, as they are on the outside and you can't see them even in your stomach.. The ONLY risk is a)that you eat way too much and thus can cause leaks, so don't do that. and that is WAY too much. Meaning you go out of your way to test the limits. As any surgeon will tell you, stretching the stomach to break the staples is no easy task.... easy enough to follow that rule .. and the risk is that you get nauseated.. Ok.. we are all different. Some take 90 minutes the first time they eat to get down 4 oz of chicken salad.. I didn't . I got it down in 15 min and could have done it in 5..... But the point is, listen to your body. start slowly and if you tolerate it, then screw the rules.....
What does this mean? It means so what if you doc put you on 2 week post liquid. That is soo hard.. so, do it mostly, but don't obsess about cheating. have a friggin plate of tuna salad.. It will taste yummy.. Add some great yogurt. If you can handle it, you are good to go! I did.. They also want you on this liquid to max your weight loss for motivation up front? do you really need that?? I don't care if it takes me 1 more week than you to hit the same goal? Frankly, I decided to keep my calories around 800ish anyway for my first 2 weeks. It was a little hard, but nothing like your liquid nightmare and i lost as much weight... I'm now on 1200 cal full diet plan (less hard carbs and hard veggies) as of last night.
I've heard people say they are craving one Dorito chip.. Then the advice replies were "lick the cheese off" or "take a bit and spit it out...." LOL. Really? This is your diet/lifestyle for the rest of your life. HAVE A CHIP.. See if you get a lot of gas.. Chew it well.. If not problem, then enjoy the one chip. You got here because you at a half bag . One or three chips won't kill you! You need to find a way to eat what you will do.. The docs want you to build your healthy habits now.
*The first year is where you get your max weight loss- Ok. For sure,, so, as noted, build your healthy habits now.. but make it last. So, if I want a Dorito chip. I have one or two.. On my pureed phase, my kids had pretzels at a game. I took 2 small ones....I had a qtr of his hotdog meat.. The point is, if we can seriously lower the number of calories we eat (which, for me, they figured i was eating between 3500-4000 per day and needed to be at 2400 or so.. Now, with 1200, which believe me, with the sleeve is a mini feast, I will be eating half the amount and will lose a lot of weight. So, yes, build good eating habits and i'm working on good food choices that I can live with! Can I eat white bread. Damn right?should I// nO?? it's a waste of calories and spikes your sugar and appetite. But, I sure will if i want a hamburger or great sandwich. A month ago i would have had 2 cheeseburgers and 2 hotdogs at a bbq. .So, guess what, i'll lose weight. Can't make it a daily thing.. But, again, stop obsessing..
*Eating and drinking slowly eating- well, you don't HAVE to eat slowly, but as we have been told our whole lives, eat slowly so that when you are really full, you know it! Also, you need to see what your bod can tolerate and if you eat too quickly, you may not have realized you were about to puke. If you can tolerate it, you can eat and drink quicker than others, but not a good idea for reasons mentioned. so work on it, but don't obsess.. At the hospital, they told me I had to drink in in little tiny medical cups a few cc evry 20 min. I laughed, as Water went down easily in recovery even. ALL NURSES TOLD ME NO. When I saw my doc, i asked why I can't just drink as I can tolerate it at home and get my 64 oz is. HE said dont' chug, but do whatever you can do without discomfort. So, 8 oz bottle of Water went down in 5 minutes... etc....
*Chewing your food- ALL true... We have that banana sized stomach.. So, the doughy breads, and stringy veggies and large pieces of non chewed enough food INDEED often get stuck! Not stuck like a lap band, but rather, they move toward the pyloric valve and are too big to pass through it, since there isn't as much acid, etc in your stomach and, well, the route to the valve is now MUCH shorter.. So, it sits in front of it and as soon as the next item goes there, it waits in line. your body puts out gas and then knows there is a problem, so will signal you to vomit it up. not fun... So, chew! All true! Also makes us take longer to eat and thus enjoy the tastes more than ever and have the full signal sent to our brain while we are still eating or pretty close to that!
*Caffein is bad... Ok. Google whether it's an appetite suppressant or stimulant.. It's hysterical.. You'll get equal replies from GREAT sources that say the opposite. I WANT my one cup a day. I'm not an addict. I asked. I am now sipping on my first REAL one. It is indeed a diuretic for some. So, drink a half cup more water than a day! If you feel it makes you hungry after you have it and you don't want to hold back, then stop the coffee.. It doesn't for me. It does for some... But what will you be doing in a year from now??/ There is NO medical reason why you can't have caffein after a few weeks
*ALCOHOL is a no no for 2 months. NONSENSE.. Again, just there so we don't put empty calories. BUT what if I WANT one drink or two on a date tonight?? I am told, go for it, but just know you will have ingested 400 wasted calories. Ok. I get it, but I WILL drink in my life, although never drank a ton and that was not the cause of most of my weight.. Watch the calories and don't do it twice most weeks.. Or if you will, then cut back a bit on your Snacks, etc. Anyway, looking forward to a martini with my date tomorrow at dinner.. Oh, most people on here for a while, will tell you since there is less food to bind with alcohol, it goes into your intestines/blood stream much quicker and you get a nice buzz faster with less! way cool!
* Most other rules and comments on here are just not universal and again, if you feel the NEED to cheat, then well, cheat! How can it be cheating if this will be your new life! WOrk hard at right food choices and don't make this soooo hard. The harder you make it, the more YOU WILL revolt and end up going off the wagon like the good old days... Since I have had no pain, etc and pretty much eat what I wanted (and cheated on my puree period even), I feel this is just toooo easy. I hear so many of you struggling (not because you have pain, but because you want to break a rul) and so many of you "supporting them" to stay strong, that I just wanted to add this post! Also, again, much of the medical advice that our well meaning friends on here provide, just isn't true. Sorry, but it isnt.
I hope this helps some of you enjoy your Pre and Post diets much more than you may be now!
Best, my friends!

Hey guys, I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it is really yummy, so I thought I would share it with you. Each muffin has 58 calories, 9 carbs and 7 grams of Protein.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Ripe banana (about 1 large banana)
3/4 cup Egg whites
1/2 cup Plain low fat greek yogurt (I used plain Chobani yogurt)
3/4 cup Oats (use gluten free if sensitive to gluten)
2 scoop vanilla Protein powder (I used Designer Whey™, or you could use any flavor you would like!)
1/4 cup Baking stevia OR 1/2 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with silicone or foil liners (spray liners if using).
Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until mixture is smooth.
Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin tins.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
(Note: be sure to use either silicone or foil liners with the paper insert removed because they will stick, as does any muffin made with oats rather than flour!)

Your doing this for you.Forget about your boyfriend.You are more important.You
are going to feel,and look better when you have the surgery. When they see you months after your surgery they will be eating there words. Some people have nothing good to say or there very negative.Don't let anyone change what you want in life.This is your journey,and forget what one says , because they are not your friend.Good luck with your surgery, you'll do great!

You will be just fine. And won't it be sweet when you lose weight and you're looking fine. Then what will they be saying? ha ! Actually, I am sure the negative people in your life will find something else to try to hurt you with. Be strong, be happy !

The next may 2 I have 9 months and I'm so happy with the results
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I just got out of my stall, so keep calm and know that this will pass. I lost inches while I was waiting for my stall to end. Make sure you measure. I stalled from Week 3-6. I am now down 2 lbs. I am so happy its ended and relieved that it is just a phase. Stay on track and keep pushing forward!!!

You look great! I need to take mine still and look for some old pics because I didn't take full body ones!!

I'll start the post off with my before and after pics. I was sleeved May 23 last year. We all love to see before and after pics as well as post them proudly. So post your pics proud sleevers. #Loving my sleeve #no regrets

I've made it past my half way point!

Well I'm going into week 5 and I'm 100g away from 10kgs gone since surgery.
Happy for it to be gone and preying I will loose more before the end of November (as I'm getting married)

Yes, I posted the same exact thing in the nutrition forum, needs to be seen.
Every day/week/month there is an influx of posts raving about these amazing Protein Shots and how awesome they are, you can chug 42g of Protein in a second and it's all good, right? No, I'm afraid not. If you notice, many of the protein shot companies are no longer around. What does that mean you ask? Well, that means some supplement company or big box store bought a **** load of protein tubes for a freakishly low price, and are passing on the great savings to you for your health!!

Actually no, bubble burster ahead. It means they're making a killing off of these because they cost nothing to make because they're all made with such a low quality of products. What happens when BCAA and Proteins sit on a shelf in liquid form? It all becomes chemically unchained, making the product worthless to you. As they are manufactured, sure I'm sure they have MAYBE 42g of protein, but after it's sat for a month? Not anywhere near that much and the BCAA's in there are pointless, the main chained amino acid becomes stale and breaks down, so the vessel that transports the rest of the amino acids no longer exists, so no amino's get anywhere where they're needed.

Actinase [Patent Pending Blend Of Enzymatically Hydrolyzed (Predigested) Collagenic Protein Isolate, whey Protein Isolate, Casein Protein Isolaate
Ever drink any protein that has ^^ that in it? Congratulations you just drank ground cow parts, bones, hair, hide, teeth, and at times even organs if they're not separated at the mill.
Gelatin dessert, and although it might be a fun food, it was not designed to build muscle mass and it won't. This protein has a PER of almost 0. It contains little or no tryptophane, one of the essential Amino Acids necessary for the formation and utilization of all the other Amino Acids. It is a lot cheaper for a manufacturer to purchase hydrolyzed gelatin than the special whey American Body Building uses, which is a natural milk protein naturally extracted during the processing of cheese, after which the lactose, a milk sugar, is removed.
When using hydrolyzed gelatin, the nutritional information panel on the label is supposed to make the statement "Not a significant source of Protein" next to the word protein. But they usually and conveniently forger to include it. Have you been using a product like this and not gained the mass you thought you should on a high protein supplement? Well, you're not getting any protein for it. Whenever you see hydrolyzed gelatin anywhere on the label, even if the label says the product contains whey, check your rear view mirror. Gelatin can cost 75% less than soluble whey, and whey is much more difficult to process. Given these facts, how much quality protein do you believe they are actually giving you in their products when gelatin is listed on the label.
THINK ABOUT IT! For these and other reasons of increased processing costs, some manufacturers opt to go the easy way, and put low quality, low biological utilization proteins in their products.

Your body cannot even being to absorb the protein inside these tubes because of the incomplete BCAA profile. You're literally crapping this protein right out your rear end, might as well just throw your money in the toilet, you'll be doing yourself a favor.

http://www.getbig.co...es/faq-drnk.htm
http://en.wikipedia....olyzed_collagen
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10460913
http://etd.uthsc.edu...reviewright.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/18661536
http://www.journalof...0223-3/abstract

Walking lunges, step ups, deadlifts (check Romanian, stiff legged dead lifts and good mornings), just really watch your form. Squats really are best imho, and you don't have to go heavy. Compound moves build better and squats just really round the butt nicely. You can also have your legs like a lunge, then just squat under the bar. But if you don't like squatting, regular lunges probably better

That if you keep touching it you will go blind!! Oops! Wrong forum.

That you cant take ibuprofen for the rest of your life
That you cant give blood for the rest of your life
That the procedure is new

And ... it's easy. NOT
And ... the weight just melts off. NOT
And ... if you don't advertise your WLS you're a liar or embarrassed. NOT
And ... everyone should compare themselves with others weight loss . NOT

All I can say is stay away from the horror stories unless you have a lot of resolve to be successful or get thrills out of being scared. Hey, i like watching horror movies for the same reason everyone does. However, they don't dig at me in a way that keeps me up at night. Those VSG horror stories should be told, but I can see how scary they are making it for the pre ops. If you are not strong in your resolve to have VSG on your own accordance and get easily spooked about the upcoming surgery and post op experience, be careful how much you read into them and how much you personally need to identify or emphasize with them. There is nothing wrong with giving any one who needs empathy some empathy if it helps them get through their rough experience.
with that being said, every complication is part of the 2 % statistic so there is 98% chance you will have zero or minor complications. Minor complications might be trouble eating for first week, diarrhea, Constipation, etc. stuff you can handle because being sleeved is worth so much more then those small issues. I even had a minor complication that put me in ICU fora few days following surgery, but hardly remember it. It is fading fast because my mind is occupied with all the benefits that have come from taking my life back from the clutches or morbid obesity. We all face the possibility of gall bladder, liver or kidney issues in the future. However, we were not really living before surgery were we? A lot of us had numbered days considering our health issues. Taking the brave step to have VSG is an opportunity for all of us to live and experience the wonders and beauties of life. Isn't that worth it?
Keep a positive mindset about the whole experience. That applies to most endeavors in life. Don't let the negativity floor you. Use the information on VST in making your decision. Both good and bad experiences exist with good experiences being 98% and bad experiences being 2 %.
Always keep those statistics in perspective when researching information about your upcoming VSG experience.