Indymom

that just reminded me that I didn't do my shot at the end of the month like I was supposed to - will need to do it as soon as I get home! I was previously doing a sublingual 1xweek, and my nutritionist wanted me to take daily. I didn't want another daily pill, so I switched to the monthly shot. I don't know if I can really tell a difference in my energy level nor do I think it impacts weight loss at all . . . just my $0.02.

I was only on clear liquids for 4-5 days. Then full liquids (protein shakes, strained soups, etc.) for about 3 weeks. After that I was on purees, but my list of allowed pureed foods also looked like other people's soft food lists (I was allowed to have soft cheeses, refried beans, canned chicken/tuna without pureeing, etc.). That was another month. By month 3 I was released to most food within tolerance, with avoidance of raw veggies and things like popcorn, etc.

chicken - I eat it probably 7-8 times a week between lunch & dinner! eggs (I start nearly every morning with some form of egg - either over med or a 1-egg omelet with ham, cheese, mushrooms & diced tomato) Cheese of any kind - that was a great snack for me early after surgery, I would buy the 2% cheese and have chunks of it for Snacks. Boosted the Protein for the day!

I'm almost 13 months out from surgery. My surgeon told me at my 1-year follow up appointment that he thinks that the sleeve is going to become the new gold standard for WLS, and certainly will likely replace the lap band. He also indicated that at a recent seminar, they indicated that sleeve patients may continue to lose weight 2-3 years post-op, where with bypass patients the bulk of the weight loss tends to be within the first year. As far as food tolerance, I still have restriction but would otherwise never know that I had 85% of my stomach removed. I have no intolerance to most foods (I don't eat a lot of fried foods, but those bothered me early post-op - they probably still would). I've tried to go off my PPI (reflux) medication and my reflux came back with a vengeance, so I'd say that is the only negative side effect I've had at all (no reflux issues pre-op). My capacity is, in my opinion, perfect. I stay around 1200 calories a day, and try to get at least 60 grams of Protein. I do watch my fat and carbs, but not militantly. It's hard to stay within 1200 calories and not make good fat/carb choices anyway - so it all goes hand-in-hand. At a given meal I can usually eat between 3-4 oz of dense protein (meat/cheese), along with a small serving of veggies and a small serving of starch (sometimes). For example, I made a chicken dish with mushrooms in a white wine sauce - I ate about 4 oz of the chicken, a nice serving of mushrooms with the sauce, and about 1 oz cooked Pasta. I was pleasantly full and felt very satisfied. I could have had a small green salad and could have reduced the protein by 1/2 to 1 oz and still been OK (I exceeded my protein targets for that day). I was out of lettuce though.

I'm with you. I'm stalled at almost 13 months and 18 lbs within goal. I've been stalled for a couple months now. I've figured out a couple truths: 1. If you eat too many "mini" candy bars, they will eventually add up to a full-size candy bar - and that is NOT GOOD. If you are going to eat something like that, be true to yourself and track the heck out of it on your nutrition tracker. If I go over by 100 cals in a day, I look over my food log and figure out where that 100 cals came from - it's almost always a snack food of some sort. 2. Avoid your "danger/trigger" foods. I can't keep potato chips in the house. Tortilla chips are OK - I can count those out and have one serving with my salsa (and log it). I'll keep dipping into that potato chip bag, though, so I don't allow them. If my daughter wants chips, she gets a snack-size bag from the convenience store and that's it. 3. Don't stop exercising! I am stalled at between 167 and 170 lbs, and have been for months. When did I stall? When my exercise stalled. I'm still staying right around 1200 calories a day, but apparently my body likes that amount of calories so I know that unless I get back to the gym, I'm likely going to stay here. 4. I don't do this, but it's always a good idea to have lots of healthy snack food prepared and ready-to-eat. Make sure your fruits/veggies are already washed and cut up, and ready to grab on a middle shelf of the fridge (right in your eyeline) - that way instead of reaching for something crappy, you are more likely to grab those items.

Chips are the worst for me. I can have tortilla chips in the house (I measure them out and track them), but potato chips are a huge trigger. I don't buy them anymore, period.

I waited over 3 months. I really worried about those little sharp hulls getting stuck in my staple line. Plus, popcorn is a really nasty slider food (at least for me). It's like my sleeve has disappeared when I get started on popcorn (usually when I buy it for my daughter after a trip to Target). Addicting slider foods = trouble for Indymom.

I only have a sip or two if I am eating something spicy and need to "cool the burn." I don't always wait for a full half hour after eating, but I also don't feel like drinking after eating is pushing food through any faster. If I ever got to the point where I was trying to drink + eat in an effort to eat more, I'd end it completely.

On mushies/soft foods I loved the hungry girl buffalo chicken dip (just google it!). Before I was able to do any chips or crackers, I would dip peeled sliced cucumbers.

If you're not overly carb-sensitive, you might find you can eat more carbs and still lose than others. I tried the very low-carb thing early out, but ketosis made me feel awful so I don't worry too much about my carbs at this point (nor do I worry too much about fats). If I stick to my 1200 calories a day and hit my protein targets, the rest seems to fall into place. That said, I have been picking/grazing a bit more lately, and not tracking very well - and I've stalled at the 168-170 mark for about a month. I'd say that just make sure you're tracking everything, and if you find your weight loss stalls with too many carbs, then drop back until you find your "sweet spot."

Can you eat them? Probably. Is that a great food choice? Not so much. At less than a month out, you can eat so little that it's generally best to focus on your protein and keep your carbs low.

Just measure everything, then you don't have to worry about overeating.

I agree with the others, the first few months are agonizing but you'll get through it and feel like a million bucks soon! I will be a year out in just a couple months and feel amazing.

I loved hot dogs pre-op, but they don't sit well in my sleeve now. I can do a bite or two, but they are generally too greasy. I don't care for the lowfat or turkey dogs, so I just pass on them unless I don't have a choice.

Early out (in the first months) I measured by volume instead of weight, but once I started eating dense protein (chicken/beef/firm cheese) I measured by weight. I made sure that I was getting at least 15 grams of protein for breakfast and 30 grams for both lunch/dinner to be sure I would hit my 75 grams per day. I always focus on my protein first, and then if I have room I have a little veggie or fruit, or sometimes a bit of carbs. Make sure you're tracking!