KS Fort Worth

You misread part of his post. He mention EX-smokers acting superior to CURRENT smokers, not the other way around. Bullying is not an addiction, all the other things mentioned are. IMO anybody who's walked that path and got over their addictions should have sympathy for those who are still stuck.

I'm sure some posts are out of bounds, but from what I've seen here, I think the motivation behind most of the responses to "I ate the wrong thing" etc. are from the standpoint of "tough love." Sometimes we NEED to have our butts kicked when we screw up. Support me, sure, but scold me if I need it too. The OP's example from his own life is definitely out of line though, and I agree, hard to understand.

It sounds like most of you responding here understand the limitations of weighing every day, but I have seen comments in other threads where people lament, "I only ate 600 calories each of the last two days, how could I POSSIBLY weigh two pounds more!?!" That is what the article addresses. Other people have stated the importance of getting the right numbers calorie and protein wise, so if one sees a gain from one day to the next even though the numbers say it should not be so, they might feel like they need to eat even LESS, which can put the body in starvation mode. Most of us know that if we are hitting our numbers for food and exercise, it WILL work, but I thought this article would still be useful information, especially to newbies. It also helps explain the several-day stalls followed by unrealistically fast losses, and the moving averages help even out the inconsistent readings in our non-scientific-grade scales. To those who say "Who says we're not supposed to weigh every day?" that's something I've heard and read many times. I've always understood that weighing once a week was the preferred method.

We all know we're not supposed to weigh every day, yet many of us do and wonder why our weight is always up and down. (Guilty!) Nutrition diva has an article weight fluctuations, and why the numbers we get vary so much. There are links to an iPhone app and an Excel spreadsheet that calculate 7 and 14 day moving averages, which yield more meaningful numbers. http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/weight-fluctuation.aspx

I've been buying some things at Goodwill, so I won't have a huge investment in things I can only wear a month or so. It's a bit of work as they are not organized by size as well as they should be, but shirts for $2 to $5? Hard to beat!

Some guys like to not be 'furry' as well, and I was specifically instructed to NOT shave my stomach before surgery, as they would do that themselves. I also indulge in toenail polish, and had the nail person paint butterflies on my big toes the day before surgery. I thought the symbolism was appropriate, and the floor nurses thought it was great!

LISSA - Thanks for the photo! It's irrelevant for me at this point, but in my pre-surgery research I never saw that photo. It really helps with perspective, seeing them held in a hand. For those interested, Dr. Kim uses an endoscope during his sleeves, operated by his assistant surgeon. He uses that as the gauge as well as for seeing things from the inside, but I don't know the bougie equivalent.

Thank you! I should have done this a few years ago, but I'm glad that most insurance companies cover it now. I also did a consult with Dr. Wade Barker a week before Dr. Kim. I am sure he is also a fine surgeon, and Dr. Kim told me that he and Dr. Barker are friends. My wife went with me to both consultations, and on the drive home, before I could even ask her opinion, she told me that she had a better feeling about Dr. Kim. Since I felt the same way, our decision was made, just like that. Good luck on your journey, I'm sure you will pick the right surgeon for you, and we'll see you on the loser's bench!

I actually like the BariEssentials Vanilla made with skim milk. WAY better than any Muscle Milk I've tried so far. The Special K chocolate is pretty tasty, but it's numbers are not as good as the BariEssentials. The Bari also has fiber. Their chocolate is OK, but to me the vanilla is better. I just started mushies today and will probably continue one of those a day as an easy way to get the protein numbers.

I used Dr. Kim. As far as his bedside manner, I've only seen him twice; first at my initial consultation, and secondly right before surgery. I thought his mannerisms were businesslike but polite, and he answered all my questions in the consultation. His staff is very professional. knowledgeable, and responsive. I have no issues with how little I actually saw Dr. Kim, as he is very much in demand. I selected Dr. Kim because he's one of the very best in the country, and that was the most important thing to me. I would not want to deprive someone else of his skills because I needed to "chat." If you need more one-on-one time, he might not be your surgeon. There are certainly plenty of well-qualified surgeons in the DFW area.

No, it's a fair question. Mine is normal weight.

As far as rules, my NUT says as long as it's not too high in carbs (and they're not) and have a 10:1 ratio of calories to protein (and they are) they should be fine. Their numbers compare favorably with the Atkins bars.

I used them as part of my own diet in the months before surgery. I liked them, and the numbers are good. And they are tasty! Didn't know Costco carried them, I'll have to pick some up for later;. $1 a piece is good!

If you're still recently post op, total liquids and healing is still the most important thing at this point. That said, Protein shakes can still be a valuable tool right now, and in the blended or mushies stage as well. I've heard that a good calorie/protein ratio is 1:10, so if you're getting 70g protein +30g carbs, that's only 400 calories, plus whatever fats you have coming in. So unless you're consuming 44g of fats (WAY too high!) it sounds like you need to eat more anyway. 70g at this stage is not a bad number, but if you want to boost the protein in other foods, like strained cream Soups, you can add protein powder. I prefer to mix it a few hours in advance in my Bullet and allow the bubbles to settle out in the fridge, as it eases the burping. Talk to your nutritionist about your methods and protein goals. They should have some guidelines for what you should be achieving at this stage.

If your surgeon fixed a hiatal hernia while he was in there, there will be some swelling associated with that as well. I found it helps to stand or sit up straight to drink for the first two weeks, to give the esophagus a straighter path into the stomach. I still need to do that occasionally at 21 days out, but it was really helpful early on.

I see Dr. Kim is your surgeon. You should have received a white book with dietary guidelines at one of your last appointments, usually "Bariatric U." All the post-op dietary requirements are in there.

Wow, I thought MY surgeon was conservative! Dr. Kim is 4-7 days Clear Liquids, then 2 more weeks of full liquids, so we can then start 2 weeks of mushies after 21 days from surgery. Transition to solids starts 6th week after surgery. I was sleeved 7/24, so I get to start mushies on Tuesday. I'm SO ready. My tummy's been saying that for a couple of days, so I think the timing's good.

Thanks!

You probably are, but make sure you're getting enough Protein. Also, insufficient sleep will leave you tired all the time. Proper sleep also helps with weight loss. On a side note, my hat's off to you as a teacher. You guys are so overworked and underpaid!

It's the one that can cause ulcers.

My BMI was 42 in February, 35.4 on surgery day (two weeks ago today), and recovery has been excellent as far as I'm concerned. Went back to work today, felt fine. My incision sites are a little tender to the touch, but healing fine.

I have a sleeved friend who's a runner now. she says she used the ones from Old Navy, but says she's small chested. She recommends getting fitted at Luke's Locker or whatever running store you may have where you live.

Like others have said, just concentrate on getting your liquids and proteins. Your body is still healing and that is what is most important right now. You WILL lose the weight, just be patient.

Because I'm still on liquids or chewable medicines, and do not wish to cheat. We were told capsules were OK because we could open them up and swallow the contents.

I don't know about "super drinker," but I hope to be able to chug water by next summer. I'm not ready to "push" my sleeve yet to find out its capacity, since I'm only two weeks out. I get what I need with only occasional slight discomfort, so I'm not worried.