mistysj

Get a glucose tester at a pharmacy or wal mart. You can send off for a free meter from the major brands (One Touch, Accuchek), just look on their websites. They make the money from the test strips. You don't need a prescription and your insurance may cover some of the cost of the strips. Test your glucose two hours AFTER starting to eat. This is the best indicator of blood sugar control and the impact of different foods on your levels. You can test first thing in the morning before getting out of bed to get a fasting level. Keep track for a month and show your doctor. The strips add up so after the month you can do spot checks or adopt a rotating schedule (fasting one day, after breakfast the next, after lunch the next, and so on). 117 is not really bad for a two-hour reading. Under 120 is considered controlled, but under 90 is considered normal non-diabetic. Anything between 80 and 110 is pretty darn good. You can also test yourself during your "low" feelings. If you are not going below a reading of 70 you don't really need to try to treat it with sugar or candy. It's amazing how we can feel "low" when in fact we are at an acceptable blood glucose level. Our bodies and heads play tricks on us. As for diet, if you are post-op, it will be pretty easy to stick to a diet that is therapeutic for type 2 diabetics or those at risk. Protein first, 60+ grams a day. Try to stay below 150 grams of carbs, spread evenly throughout the day. It seems low, but it's pretty easy for a post-op. If you are pre-op, see if you can stay below 200 grams of carbs, again spread out.

Would you consider easing back in with Couch to 5k? It might not be a challenge for you now but it is graduated, starts very easy and gives you 9 weeks worth of a plan. Whatcha think?

Can we get this pinned?

I have heard you should raise your calories by 100 for a few weeks and then 100 more until eventually you will stabilize. It's not much! Some nuts or peanut butter (carefully measured) or avocado will do it, or the occasional treat like ice cream, or switching from skim to 2% milk. Just don't overdo it and pay attention to trigger foods or sliders. You will find the right balance for your body I am sure!

Gorgeous! Wowza! He must be proud to have you on his arm!

That is so great! Are you able to tolerate fat? If so, you might try adding 100 extra calories a day for a while so you can gain some weight back. Peanut butter or avocado would do it. It will probably help your hair and skin too and help your energy levels.

Alex, I will get you descriptions as soon as I can. It may be a few days as I am still overseas. Is a spreadsheet best or some other way? I truly do think the recipes are one of the most valuable potential resources on this board if they are organized right.

You sound like a sweet guy. I'm glad you are feeling more confident!

Can you send Alex a PM so he can merge your accounts and reset your password? I assume you prefer to keep your old profile.

First, I moved this thread to the May 2013 forum. Hope nobody minds. I've lost 70 pounds, along with losing diabetes and several clothing sizes, since May 14 2013. I went from morbidly obese to simply overweight. I now run over 15 km per week. I can fit in a plane sets with room and half the seat belt left over. I can eat any food. I have excellent restriction. Really I could not be happier. I feel so blessed.

I'm relieved you got to the hospital and you are stable. I hope it is an easy fix, or if not, that you receive excellent care and recover soon.

dawalsh517, sorry I don't understand your question. Are you seeing posts for a different type of surgery than the one you had or plan to have? Or do you want to see only lap band topics?

Hi Alex, I have been hosting the food and Nutrition section for Sleevers and have been thinking it might be good to reorganize the sections a bit. In particular, it's really hard to find recipes unless you already know they are there. I think we have a powerful resource with all of the recipes people have shared. I also wonder if we could consider combining the Sleeve and RNY ones since the needs are so similar. Too soon? Anyway here is a first draft of what might work. Food and Nutrition - contains posts and sub forums like currently Pre-op Diets and Questions Post-op Diets and Questions Protein, Vitamins, and supplements Recipe Sharing - contains only sub forums By Post-surgery Phase - contains only sub-forums liquids (stage 1) Purée (stage 2) Soft (stage 3) Regular foods (stage 4) Special Needs - posts and sub-forums Non-dairy Vegetarian, vegan, raw foods Gluten-free Other special needs I wonder if we could use tags or something to mark things as mains, sides, Breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. maybe in the future there is some recipe database app we could integrate with. What do you think? I'd be happy to slowly tackle organizing the current catch-all recipe sharing area if so.

It's hard hard hard to remember to drink enough when you first go back. I had an alarm on my phone my first two weeks back at work. Also I would forget to "eat" too. I was on liquids for a week and then on purée. when I went to purée it was easier. My purée recipes are still in the Recipe section somewhere.

I take a high potency multi called Elevit with Iodine, that is normally used as a prenatal, in Australia. Also a calcium citrate plus D, and a b12 sublingual spray. The multivit smells and tastes strong. I used to hate it but now I almost crave it. Odd, right? In addition I take nexium 20mg, an estrogen tablet, and Questran (for bile acid diarrhea after gall bladder removal). It can seem like a lot of pills especially when I am packing for two weeks of travel!

Dumping isn't (only) diarrhea. It is flu-like symptoms. A smaller stomach means things just go through faster and you can get diarrhea from high fiber things like strawberries. I am very familiar with diarrhea since it turns out my gall bladder stopped functioning right after I got my sleeve. It took 6 months and heaps of tests to figure it out. I've had it removed and have to take a medication called Questran to control the diarrhea, which is specifically called bile acid diarrhea. Not related to the sleeve and not dumping. I'm just "lucky". It might get better on its own in a few years or might not, but the Questran manages it completely.

I'm May 14 and doing great! Down 70 pounds and gone from 20w to 14 and almost in 12 pants, size medium tops. Running 20km a week and feeling fantastic!

Moved to the October 2013 forum. Doing awesome, y'all!

Wowza!

Mostly. You learn to drink without swallowing air.

I did. My pain was nearly gone if not totally. I work in an office.

Spudsy be patient with yourself! Sip liquids every 15 minutes. It is a full time job for you right now. When you're not sipping? Be walking or resting. That's all you need to do! Your throat is probably sore from the breathing tube used during your surgery. It will ease up soon.

I know what you mean, Lissa. I think being aware is the first step. I think women are really pressured to be helpful!

It's about what you can fit in. Protein first. Very very few Sleevers have dumping syndrome, since it is caused by a shortened duodenum. Lots of surgeons and dietitians use the same diet guidelines for the sleeve and bypass, which is a shame.

Your body can hang onto water while it's healing. This is not the time to stress about your weight. It will be falling off soon enough. You are going to succeed at this. I promise. Just follow the plan and keep your eyes on the prize.