Bufflehead

I guess if I were in your shoes I would be looking carefully at exactly how many calories and carbs I am taking in each day, and making sure I am absolutely correct on that front by weighing or measuring everything I eat and accounting for every ingredient. You may already be doing that, but I can't tell from your post. Especially since your RMR is low, it sounds like hyper-vigilance about making sure your calorie intake is at a significant deficit would take a lot of work

3 oz grilled chicken breast + 1.5 oz chopped green veggies + 1 T. light salad dressing is my standard lunch. I couldn't eat that much as early out as you are, but that's the general idea.

I would focus on low carb eating to help curb hunger while still losing weight. If you restrict yourself to lean meats and green veggies, most people can eat basically as much as they want and still lose weight. Make sure you prepare the foods in a low-carb, low-calorie way: no slathering them with butter, sauces, highly caloric salad dressings, cheese, etc. Diet is far more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss. But using an elliptical trainer, riding a bike, or just going walking might be options for you.

Yes, it is a default setting and I think it is basically impossible for people to change if they are using the app version rather than the web version.

I have years of dieting, exercising, nutrition counseling, personal trainers, and diet pills to prove otherwise. First off I want to say, you know the truth and you wrote it in the sentence above. This decision is between you and your medical providers, not family members who don't know jack about surgery. - bowel control problems I have had no bowel control problems - vomiting I haven't thrown up once since surgery 2+ years ago - weakness it took me a couple weeks to get through post-op weakness. Since then I am stronger than ever. Come join me in my weight-lifting workout and judge for yourself whether weight loss causes weakness - hair loss this is a temporary, cosmetic issue and there are lots of ways to deal with it - depression because you cannot eat Of course you can eat! You just can't eat as much and if you are smart, you will change the sorts of things you eat on a usual basis. Food is still enjoyable, at least after you get through the first weeks of transition after surgery. If you are someone who uses food as an emotional crutch, I certainly recommend seeking therapy to go along with surgery, because yes, you will have to learn new coping and soothing mechanisms. - can you drink alcohol (if you do) I could if I wanted to, but I've never been a big drinker so this is moot for me. - problems with loose skin I have some loose skin, it doesn't cause me any problems that Spanx and somewhat modest clothing cannot solve. - visible scars I have no visible scars from vsg. My dermatologist had to get out her lighted magnifying glass to find them. Besides that, you can't go through life refusing to do things because you might get a scar. We all have scars. Are you going to decide not to have children because you might end up with a cesearian scar? - will it interfere with social life? Not unless your social life is centered on binge eating, in which case I would recommend re-evaluating and making some changes with respect to your social life, rather than forgoing surgery. - will it prevent me from being a mom one day No, it will help you be a mom. If you decide to get pregnant, losing weight makes it easier for you to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and safely deliver a healthy baby. Pregnancy only requires about an extra 300 calories per day for your fetus, and that is easily achieved even with a post-vsg stomach. If you decide to adopt, you can count on being a healthier and more active mom to your children. Seriously, research obesity and pregnancy and obesity and childbirth and you will see that losing weight is one of the very best things you can do on this front. - when can I return to work? (Not a strenuous job) Probably 1 - 3 weeks after surgery. Good luck!

Body Fortress (at Kroger, Wal-Mart, Sam's), and Pure Protein (Target) are some of the most inexpensive protein powders I have seen and they tend to get good reviews from people who have tried them.

Chewing and spitting is recognized as disordered eating . . . it can also mess up your metabolism by tricking your system into thinking it is going to receive food which it never gets. Personally I wouldn't mess with licking things or chewing and spitting.

Virtually everyone goes through a significant stall starting somewhere around week 3. You aren't doing anything wrong, and neither was everyone else who stalled at week 3 before you. Use the search function here and look for "3 week stall" or something similar and you will see what I mean. Stop stressing and put the scale away for a while. Just focus on following your plan to the best of your ability. The weight loss will start up again, probably pretty soon.

First of all, channel that obsession towards your weight and its corresponding negative effects on your health, both physical and emotional, whether those effects are in the present or will make themselves known to you in the future. Next, excess skin doesn't really feel like anything unless you have vigorous movement with impact and you can feel it slapping around. Some of the vets will tell you, you'll get rid of the chub rub but you'll get flap slap. So, I wear compression shirts and capris when I work out and that takes care of that problem. Does it get in the way of adult things? No more than rolls of fat do, in fact less so. Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you'll probably find sex more acrobatic, adventurous, and satisfying than before. For some people the rashes do get worse.* If that turns out to be you, document it religiously and visit your doctor. For one thing, your doctor can help you. For another, doctor visits and documentation may prove helpful in getting your insurance company to approve plastic surgery, since your (theoretical) excess skin is (theoretically) causing medical issues. And finally, if you believe it is really going to bother you, get serious about a hardcore savings plan so that you will be able to afford plastic surgery in the event that your insurance won't cover it, or won't cover everything you need. Although it is hardly a good thing, excess skin is, for the most part, a cosmetic problem that you can find solutions for. Obesity, not so much. From someone on the other side -- the excess skin is worth it, at least for me. *note -- this is true for some people, not all. I have a fair amount of excess skin and my rashes are much better, verging on non-existent, than they were when I weighed 180 lbs more than I do now.

"that's not fair, you cheated" and "Who was your surgeon? Would you recommend him? I really need to lose 10 lbs" (said in perfect seriousness by someone who is maybe a size 2 at her most bloat-y time of the month).

There are some protein shakes that are considered "clear" such as Isopure RTD or Syntrax Nectar (the fruit/tea flavor lines) mixed with water. But definitely check with your team to be sure.

who are these "a lot of people" and why do you care what they say unless they are YOUR dietician and/or surgeon? If you don't feel up to eating four ounces, don't do it! I couldn't eat four ounces at one sitting until I was well over a year post-op.

I really like Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, unjury, Jay Robb, Chike, Syntrax Matrix, and Syntrax nectar sweets. http://www2.netrition.com/netrition_protein_sampler_pack.html http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html https://chikenutrition.com/chike-variety-pack.html http://www.jayrobb.com/protein/whey-protein-samples.asp http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Bariatric_Protein_Samples_s/35.htm Unjury also sells a sample/starter kit, just Google Unjury starter pack or something like that. I didn't really like any of the RTD very much, I think EAS CarbAdvantege was the one I liked okay that had decent numbers. You have to be careful with the RTD stuff -- many of them have sub-optimal forms of Protein, or terrible numbers on calories or carbs.

Hi Clarissa, I can't provide personal experience with A Lighter Me but I will say I have seen several posts on these forums from satisfied clients. I would suggest that you post in the Self-Pay/Mexico sub-forum to get more responses.

I was still too tired, in too much pain, and spending most of my waking energy on sipping enough to get in my daily liquids and protein at one week out. I also have a desk job. I went back at two weeks, for a couple of half days. I tried to make it all the way through the entire day but I was just too exhausted. After that I was able to get through a full day. So, I could not have gone back at one week out. That said, I know there are people who do. If you drive to and from work, remember that you will have to be off narcotic painkillers for 24 hours before driving.

I pay my housecleaner $120 for a half-day visit every other week. She does all the mopping and vacuuming, cleans surfaces (counters, tables, etc.), makes the bed, picks/up organizes anything I've left lying around, does any dishes I've left, does laundry of sheets/towels/rags stuff like that (not my personal clothes), cleans the coffee maker and other small appliances, cleans showers/tubs/toilets/mirrors. I also give her an extra $20 to change the kitty litter if I don't feel like doing it that week (I have 2 large litter boxes for my cats). Twice a year I have her come in for additional special work, such as shampooing carpets, cleaning the fridge and stove, washing windows, taking everything out of my kitchen cabinets and cleaning the cabinets and throwing away expired food, etc. We just work out a reasonable price for that. I love having a housekeeper. I am a lousy housekeeper but I enjoy having a clean house. I make sacrifices in other areas so I can afford her. Plus I enjoy her as a person and she also helps out on as-needed basis with overnight pet sitting and things like that.

My surgeon has no problem with patients taking pills immediately post-op as long as they are small enough to fit through a standard size wedding ring. I started taking pills the day of surgery and they did not bother me at all.

You need to ask your surgeon his/her protocol. I had no catheter but I did have a drain. No pain pump, my doc gives liquid pain meds after surgery. I've never heard of having an NG tube after this surgery but I guess it is possible? I was allowed liquids within a couple hours after surgery, but of course other surgeons are different. I knew all of this in advance because I asked my surgeon . . . don't be afraid to speak up with your doc and get all your questions answered.

You should be more afraid of dehydration than "over doing it." Just keep sipping constantly, slowly. Especially this early out, your signals about "full" and "hungry" are completely messed up (due to the surgery and your still-healing nerves and tissues), and you can't rely on them. You need to just aim for your targets in terms of fluid and protein and work as hard as you can to get there. Sip slowly, and take small bites of yogurt, and back off for a little bit if you get really uncomfortable.

Mine was 2 oz lean meat + 1 oz green veggies (soft), or a poached egg over a couple tablespoons of refried beans, something like that. Or 3oz yogurt or cottage cheese.

I was on liquids for a month and then purees for a month. No, it wasn't hard to eat so little. I wasn't terribly interested in food or hungry. I had an excellent plan from my medical team about what I was allowed to eat and when and how much. All I worried about was following my plan, getting in my liquids and protein. I never felt deprived. I know it is hard to believe looking at it from the other side -- but tons of us get through this just fine. And after four weeks of liquids, a couple of tablespoons of pureed tuna salad is delicious and nourishing and all that you need. Really!

Hi Marce. Yes, that happened to me once. In fact, I lost NOTHING for almost four weeks, I would have been thrilled to lose a pound a week! I am pretty sure my stall was related to hormones somehow. Once I started dropping weight again, I did lost a bunch really fast, which was nice. I know it is frustrating but it sounds like you are doing a great job following your plan and you should be really happy and proud about that. I will say I think it's dangerous to set goals for yourself that involve losing a certain amount of weight in a specific timeframe -- it's like the weight loss gods can hear our thoughts and laugh at us when we do that. It doesn't seem to end well. This may sound counter-intuitive but if you are desperate to try something, you might try dialing back the exercise a bit. I have found that when I go super-gung ho on exercise, I feel great, but my weight loss slows to a crawl.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/990-clothing-and-goods-exchange/

Your "stomach being mad" sounds more like acid than true hunger. Are you on a PPI? If you are concerned about how much you are eating, then eat less. Stop the "eat until I am full" mindset. Plan how much you are going to eat, measure or weigh your portion, and stick to that. To be honest, the choice to eat eggplant lasagna worries me more than the amount you can eat. Why are you eating carb-heavy foods rather than protein-rich foods? Your weight loss sounds awesome to me. Try to ditch any preconceived notions you have of how fast you will lose weight. You will frequently surprise yourself with how your body loses weight -- sometimes more than you expect, sometimes less than you expect. But it seems like, from what I see here, people start to freak and stress at the "less than I expected" parts and it really gets them down. So just focus on following your plan as best you can and let the weight come off at the rate it wants to. That said, I think you've lost an amazing amount of weight and expecting something different is completely unfair to the surgery as well as to yourself. Be good to yourself

I don't see why you have to have shakes or protein bars pre-op. Stick with lean protein and green veggies and maybe a piece of fruit or (SMALL) handful of nuts for snacks and you will be fine. You will probably end up consuming fewer calories, fewer carbs, more protein, and end up being less hungry than if you tried to confine yourself to shakes and bars. If you do want to try out shakes before surgery, yes, whey protein is ideal, though some people can't tolerate it and use egg white protein, soy protein, or something else. Ready-to-drink or powders is up to you. My guidelines for powder: no more than 130 calories per serving, at least 20 grams protein per serving, no more than 8 grams carbs per serving.