Escape_Pod

The bariatric advantage chewy bites (caramel, chocolate, raspberry or lemon) and the calcet creamy bites (chocolate or lemon) are both calcium citrate. They're probably a bit more expensive than other options, but they're very tasty - sort of my "dessert" at the end of lunch and dinner.

Just a quick reminder that what you like pre-op and what you like post-op may be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, so it's a good idea not to stock up. And if you find something doesn't agree with you post-op, give it time. I went through phases - lots of nectar in the early months, moved to morning protein hot cocoa in the later months, now I occasionally use other flavors to blend with greek yogurt, or with ice to make into a smoothie, or with tofu to make into a pudding. I haven't touched the nectar in a LONG time. Another site to try is Vitalady - she creates sample packets from all sorts of different brands. And be aware that some shops like GNC will let you return a product you don't like, so that can be a good place to shop post-op.

Unjury's really good about refunds. I imagine they'd email you the packing slip / invoice if it needs to be included in the return, and I can't imagine they care what box it comes back in. They'll even take back opened product if you just don't like it. Might be worth a call! Are you lactose intolerant? I mix mine with warmed almond milk and a little unsweetened cocoa for a morning Protein hot cocoa. I also use it to make a chocolate "milkshake" with about half a cup of almond milk and some ice in the blender.

Try finding a site that will sell you a sampler pack. (BJs Bariatrcs lets you select the flavors you want). I went through a lot of Nectar post-op, it was a relieving change from the chocolate / vanilla routine. Did a lot of cherry, and lemon iced tea. I did NOT like the chocolate though, and wasn't terribly fond of the cappuccino either. Also, that one does have caffeine in it, so it might by too acidic for the early days while your tummy's still healing. I know I wasn't allowed to have coffee for several weeks. I also strongly recommend the Unjury chicken broth flavor, just for something not-sweet!

I think there are SO many factors that come into play when it comes to maintenance. I think it's very different for people who have been overweight since childhood vs people who didn't get heavy until their childbearing years. I think it's very different for people who had 200 or more pounds to lose vs the lower-bmi patients. I think your pre-op eating habits also play a huge role - I'm back to battling binge eating habits now that the "honeymoon" stage is over. I think that's why we see such a huge range of experience when it comes to regain. But to me the biggest advantage we have over non-ops is that we can get by on around 1200 calories a day without being truly miserable. Does anyone else read Dr. Sharma's blog? I could swear I've seen studies referenced on his site that people who've lost a large amount of weight on low calorie diets actually don't see long-term metabolic disadvantages beyond the decrease you'd expect simply due to lower body weight (by which I mean, it takes fewer calories to maintain a 130 lb body than a 300 lb body). Which suggests that a lot of it may really be due to ghrelin and other chemical factors. If you look at Debra's blog, there's a lot of info about how there's a lot more going on than just leptin and ghrelin. I dunno.... it seems like when I look at Dr. Cirangle's successful maintainers, a lot of them are living off a LOT fewer calories a day than seems "normal", and I can't help but wonder if a year at 600-800 calories, effectively brought lower by whatever's burned in exercies, doesn't have a real impact long-term. But I haven't really seen the science to back up the idea that it's truly a reduction in base metabolic rate compared to someone of the same bmi who hasn't had a history of obesity and weight reduction.

You might enjoy reading Debra's Just Maintaining (justmaintaining -dot-com). Her blog is no longer active, but she's left it up, and I found it a wonderful resource for insight into what goes on with our bodies after a substantial weight loss. She's not a surgical patient, but it's a great resource, and if you check it out, be sure to read the comments as well - she really had a great group going, and I wish she was still actively blogging.

My morning protein hot cocoa doesn't seem to keep the morning hunger at bay any more, and though I miss it, I think I'm better off with something more solid - usually a hard boiled egg and maybe a little low fat cheese. You can get a lot of satisfaction for the same number of calories. But I do still occasionally have one when I'm on the go, and I've noticed that the premier ready-to-drink shakes fill me up a lot more than my Unjury. A little online investigating suggests it's because they're a combination of proteins, including casein, not just whey. I wonder if a casein-based product might work better for me. I generally avoid yogurt, and to some extent cottage cheese for the same reason. Somethink like chicken breast or eggs fills me up much faster.

When I was on the preop diet, I blended my lunch shake with ice to make a sort of frappuccino - gave it more volume anyway. Hang in there, you're almost there!!

Whoa .. that's the craziest "pasta" recipe I've ever seen, but I'd totally try it - just have to get a squeeze bottle! Aside from sweets, which have always been my downfall, I generally have a pretty easy time keeping low carb. I've found some really wonderful recipe blogs to create the occasional treat (pancakes, muffins, biscuits) with almond flour or other substitutes, but I generally don't miss bread, potatoes, rice or Pasta. I did get a spiral cutter to make "spaghetti" out of zucchini, though that's definitely better with heartier sauces. I used to make pasta carbonara once or twice a year, and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be so great with zucchini. I might have to make it for my husband and have something else for me. Popcorn's another weakness - I have no self control on portions with popcorn, and no restriction. Not sure whether it awakens the carb monster for me, but I generally try to just avoid it.

It's good to see everyone here doing so well, and Coops - so awesome about your TT! After getting a good solid 6 weeks of on track eating and exercise in, I was utterly derailed by free cupcakes at work in mid-February, and I've been battling the sugar monster ever since. I've regained everything I lost in 6 weeks, plus a few more. Honestly, I just don't know what the best approach for me is. On the one hand, after about a week on track things get SO much easier for me, and I don't really miss the sugar and carbs, but I wonder if I'm not setting myself up for a binge by cutting those things out completely. I'm really not an "in moderation" kind of girl though, most of the time "just a little" will awaken the sugar monster and send me into a spiral of weight gain. Ack.... All I know is, at the moment my clothes choices are getting REALLY limited, and I've had to start digging the larger sizes out of my closet. So time to climb back on the wagon.

For me, the cause of rapid weight gain when eat things I shouldn't is what I call "carb bloat". My body retains massive amounts of water - the areas around my eyes get puffy, my ankles swell, etc. It's the reverse of the rapid loss of a few pounds of water weight most of us see in the first week or two of low-carbing.

I guess I'm lucky, I always thought that girl scout cookies were an overpriced disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I'd eat them if there was an open package around, but they don't "call" to me. That said, I found a recipe online for no-bake "thin mint cookies" made with protein powder that I'm seriously considering trying! http://www.nutritionistinthekitch.com/2013/01/27/raw-protein-packed-thin-mint-cookies-can-be-vegan-gluten-free/

Shortly after surgery I happened across a fabulous blog by a weight maintainer (major loss, maintained for years, no surgery). She likened weight loss and maintenance to skiing. The losing stage is like a downhill event - very exciting, cheering crowds on the sidelines, lots of fanfare and progress. But then, eventually, you coast to a gradual stop. The cheering crowds are gone, and you're on your own, and you have to strap on your cross-country skis and get down to the hard work - maintenance - which is a journey all its own, solitary, and never-ending. Ok, the post wasn't quite as grim as it maybe sounds, but I always liked the analogy. It's definitely an adjustment. No more exciting rewarding drops on the scale, no more constant trips to the outlet mall and the clearance rack for smaller sizes, just the everyday work of keeping it off. But the exciting thing is, you have a new life you can create for yourself, with new challenges and changes, without health or weight limitations. But for today, I'm happy to act as your cheering section. WOOHOOO!!!! 302 POUNDS!?!! AWESOME!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!

If you're not seeing trouble until the next day, I don't think you're "dumping" per se, it may be more your body's reaction to the kind of foods you're eating, or inconsistencies from day to day (really high carb one day, low again the next), but that's not really so important, right? The point is, you're overeating, you know you're overeating, and chances are, down the road you'll be seeing regain if you don't get it resolved. I got sloppy with my eating at about 9 months out, with a "treat" here, and a "treat" there, and it got progressively worse over time, and I ended up with 20 pounds to try to take back off again! It might help if you can pinpoint exactly where you're having problems. Are you eating too much at a meal? Go back to weighing and portioning. Add veggies if needed to feel more satisfied. Make sure when you're eating that you're focusing on your food, and eating slowly. Are you snacking between meals / grazing? Try to drink more Water or tea, chew gum, brush your teeth, or switch Snacks to veggies. My guess is if you can get yourself back on track with a diet that doesn't vary so much from day to day, the digestive issues will sort themselves out.

You might try looking at theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com - she has lots of super simple recipes, and also "a day in my pouch" posts showing what she's eating, even if it's not really a "recipe" - lots of great ideas there.

I'm still on track, coming up on six weeks (hooray!), but feeling a bit frustrated by the stubborn refusal of the scale to reward me for my efforts. sigh.... The good news is, after months of physical therapy on my neck and back, I'm easing back into running again. I've been signed up for a 12K in my home town for awhile now - it's not until May, and I'm getting more optimistic I may feel up to running it!

I had a banana Protein pancake this morning myself, but it was ... umm... not so great. My recipe: 1/3 c. egg whites 1 scoop banana Protein Powder Mix, cook like a pancake. This most definitely needs some tweaking, it was pretty tough, but with a bit of sf syrup drizzled over the top, still not a bad way to use my protein powder.

Some people are able to eat anything in moderation, focus on protein first, and reach a weight they're happy with and stay there. I'm NOT one of those people. I have a serious problem with sugar and carbs. When I was on the pre-op diet, I was shocked when my sugar cravings disappeared after about 3 days - that's what high protein, super-low-carb does for me. At about 9 months post-op I started letting more sugar and carbs slip into my diet, and quickly found I had a problem again. The snacks called to me, and I wasn't satisfied with just a little. And this far out, I don't have much restriction when it comes to carbs. Chicken breast - yes! Fish - yes! Chocolate ... yeah, not so much. I can definitely eat enough to gain weight if I'm eating the wrong things, and sugar and carbs send me into a spiral of more carbs, and more sugar, and a major case of the snackies all day. I was perfectly capable of eating cake and cookies and peanut butter until I literally made myself ill pre-op - you think I can't or won't do it post-op? It took me a long time of messing around with it, but I finally decided it wasn't worth it. I want to be skinny more than I want to be able to eat those things. This is why many of us low carb. It it a diet? Maybe some would call it that. For me, it's just a way of eating that lets me maintain some sanity around food. I don't miss pasta, or rice, or potatoes. I rarely miss bread, and I have a few substitutes. I do miss popcorn, but again, I've found substitutes, and maybe at some point I'll decide I'm willing to try it again to see if it's something I can manage with moderation. It's all a matter of being willing to do what it takes to achieve what you want. I've decided what I want, and for me, this is what it takes to achieve it.

When I get a daily posts digest, the link in the email is wrong. Here's a typical link: This is the digest of posts in topic "Weight Gained Since Having Gastric Sleeve Surgery" for today. Topic: Weight Gained Since Having Gastric Sleeve Surgery (Forum:POST-Operation Gastric Sleeve Surgery (VSG) Questions & Answers) http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?topic/23110-weight-gained-since-having-gastric-sleeve-surgery/ It won't work - the "index.php?" needs to be removed - this works: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/23110-weight-gained-since-having-gastric-sleeve-surgery/ Is this something you can fix? It's not new - checked my email history, and the malformatted links were there last September, but correct in late April.

There are a couple other things that can factor in to feeling "down" after surgery. The anesthesia can really mess with you, and it takes weeks before it's all out of your system. The other thing is, apparently a lot of hormones are stored in our fat cells, so as your body burns fat, those hormones flood your blood stream making you more emotional than usual. It's very common! It gets SO much better - hang in there!

Yes, you'll see posts about huge losses in the first months, but I'd say for your starting weight 15 pounds / month is excellent! Everyone's body is different, men tend to lose faster than women, younger people tend to lose faster than older, higher-bmi people lose faster than lower, and there are a zillion other factors. I know it's hard not to compare, and it's really hard not to envy those who are dropping weight faster, but I think you're right on track!

Popcorn was one of the hardest things for me to give up. Even at 18 months post-op, I almost never have it. I was always pretty happy even with the light popcorn, but I watch my carb counts pretty carefully these days so I stay away from it. Also, it's a bit of a trigger food for me - I have a really hard time stopping with just a little, and it gives me a bad case of the snackies for other things. These days I'm pretty satisfied with soy crisps. I can find them at Whole Foods or Fred Meyer (in the health food aisles). They're a bit like little rice cakes, but they give me that light, fluffy, crunch texture like popcorn, and the salty aspect, and at least they have a little protein in them. Still mostly carbs though, but a half a serving makes a nice popcorn substitute for me.

You could make them in a lettuce wrap too, and skip the carbs from the waffle fry! Just be aware that beef, even ground beef, can be one of the more difficult meats to eat in the earlier weeks of solids, so proceed with caution!

One of the things that concerned me about the band was the need for regular visits for "fills". I do see my surgeon regularly to make sure I'm on track, but I didn't like the idea of needing to make constant adjustments to a band for it to work well for me. Some of the patients in my support group who have a band talk about having trouble when they fly - possibly the change in air pressure? I have no idea. Sounded like kind of a hassle, but I guess whatever surgery you pick, post-op life is work, right? The other thing that really concerned me with the band was the rate of complications down the road. Before I had my sleeve, I knew one person who'd been happy with her band. A year later she was in the hospital for an emergency revision to a sleeve. But again, any surgery comes with a risk of complications. It seemed to me in my research that a lot of surgeons are recommending against the band these days, or have stopped doing band surgery. If you live in a fairly good-sized metropolitan area, I suspect you'll find most of your local hospitals offer bariatric surgery seminars where their surgeons discuss the pros and cons of the various options. I went to several, and found it very helpful. Might be worth looking into for more input! Good luck - it's a hard choice picking the right surgery!

I gave up wheat products simply because I found eating low-carb reduced my sugar cravings dramatically. I can't say I notice any other side effects of wheat on the very rare occasions when I do eat a few bites of waffle or pizza crust, but I know a lot of people find eliminating wheat to be very beneficial. For most of us, I think the weight loss is more a matter of adjustments in water retention that our bodies make when we change how we eat, but that's just my guess. I wonder sometimes if my husband would find some health benefits to going lower carb, but I don't think he's ready to make that change.