joatsaint

I eat the full fat re-fried beans, there's only 10 extra calories per serving vs the fat free version. But the taste is worth those extra calories! :-) I've been eating them since my Puree food stage. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

Here's my favorite Mexican recipe. I started eating this when I was released to the Soft Foods Stage/Puree Stage. And just pureed it in my food processor. I lived on this concoction for months post-op. :-) http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/ And here's my favorite low-carb BBQ sauce. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/33646-bbq-sauce-low-carb-my-new-favorite-sauce/

My doctor's guideline was 75% protein 25% low glycemic carbs (meaning vegetables and fruit). Following those guidelines has helped me lose 170lbs and keep it off. For my 1st year post-op, I was fanatical about following this rule. Once I hit my goal weight, I tended to be a bit looser about the rule. But if I see my weight creeping up, I go right back to the tried and true. Works everytime for me. :-)

I think that's a great idea. I would use it, but I don't tell people I've had WLS. The few times people have tried to push food on me, I just told them, "No, thank you. I can't maintain my weight loss if I eat food like that." I feel so lucky to have gotten a 2nd chance at life, that I don't worry about hurting people's feelings or explain why I won't eat certain foods. I just say, "No thank you." And leave it at that. I had one lady try 6 times to get me to eat a piece of cake. 5 times I politely refused the offer. On the 6th time, I couldn't take it any more and just had to walk away from her.

Congratulations on doing so well. I would call that an NSV! I often wonder if I would have done as well with my weight loss if I didn't live alone and had to live with tempting foods laying around? I don't have to exert much will power as it is, I don't buy stuff I know I will be tempted to eat, so it's never in the house.

Honestly, my first year post-op, I primarily ate refried beans with my meals. I would get the occasional bite of broccoli or cauliflower when we had catered events at work, but I just didn't have the space in my sleeve and Frankensleeve HATED anything with fiber in it. We came to a truce over refried beans. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

I too wish I had known about the gas pains. My doc said to expect, "some discomfort" He didn't say it was going to feel like the critter from Alien was trying to burst out of my chest! :-P I wish I would have known to bring my own CPAP Water to the hospital - they gave me sterilized water, talk about nasty! And I wish I would have brought my favorite pillow to the hospital. It would have made sleeping easier and helped on the ride home.

My doc submitted the papers before I did any tests. I have BCBS of Texas and they are very bariatric friendly. My approval was completed within the week.

It does get easier. For at least the 1st month post-op, it didn't matter what it was. I could only take in about a teaspoon full - Water, Jell-O, Soup.... anything and everything threw Frankensleeve into a tantrum. I felt like he was turning and twisting into knots. I realize your blood work indicates the chance of dehydration. This is only a temporary situation. If you aren't feeling the effects of dehydration, I would not push my limits on how much or fast I could drink. As long as I felt okay, I never worried about getting enough calories or water during my 1st month. Everything just hurt Frankensleeve too much. I did focus on staying hydrated. I kept a 32 ounce insulated mug filled with ice and Crystal Light within reach and sipped sipped sipped all day long. I don't think I ever finished the mug once during that 1st month. Over the following months, as Frankensleeve healed and the swelling reduced, I could drink more and more at one time. At about a year, I had learned I could take 3 or 4 big swallows of water with no consequences. I can now drink (chug!) 8 ounces of water at one time if I want, without having to worry how fast I drink. It all gets easier, but it does require some relearning about your limits. It's all worth it in the end. No one will do the work for you. You cannot depend on anyone else. Your success starts and ends with you. Personal responsibility is #1. You cannot have self-doubt. Do not let self-limiting beliefs hold you back. Create your plan. Get support. Set a deadline. Crush it.

Hey Alex, Finally got to submit my video. I hope it encourages those curious about their WLS options to look further into deciding if WLS is right for them. Here's the link to my video, you might want to pay special attention to the lower right hand corner of the background image. http://thistimeitcounts.com/#play-129

My 1st month post-op was my biggest weight loss month, about 22 lbs. After that, I started eating real food again, and even though it was tiny portions, my weight loss slowed a bit. I was losing 15 - 18 lbs a month - which was fine by me! I still remember my pre-op days when I wished I could lose even a 1/4 lb a week consistently! :-) After about 6 months, I settled into losing about 13 lbs a month. By the end of the year, I was approaching my goal weight and weight loss had slowed to about 9 lbs a month. I met my goal weight of 235, but really wanted to get down into the 220's. A few months later, I was still losing about 9lbs a month and hit my lowest of 203 lbs. 3 years later, I float between 209 and 215, depending on the day of the week and what I've eaten.

I lost weight steadily for 18 months, then it got harder. But I did lose 170lbs - no small feat! The Sleeve never stops working, I did. I got to a weight where I was comfortable and decided to stop losing weight. If I ever decide I'm not happy at my current weight, I know I have the tool to lose more weight. I believe that most people regain weight after WLS because they go back to old habits or weren't really prepared to change their relationship with food or had other emotional issues that needed to be addressed before and after WLS. I was at the lowest point in my life before I committed to WLS. I was sick of being me and I hated the control food had over me. I was ready to do whatever I had to do to get my life back. I told myself that this was my chance for a do over and there was not going to be another. I made an agreement with myself that I would do whatever was necessary to be successful with WLS. I had to be at the point where it was crunch time and be willing to go to any extent to change. I see many posts where they ask, "Can I still eat ____ after WLS?" Really? You still want to eat the things that made you overweight in the first place? Of course, you will be able to eat almost anything eventually, but it's up to you to make the right choices. If I went back to my old eating habits, even with the restriction Frankensleeve has, I'd gain some weight back. Processed foods and sugar have that effect on my body.

I can't say that my depression is completely gone. I'm 3 years post-op and 170lbs lighter - after being overweight for 40+ years. The difference post-op is that I now have the option of making my life better. WLS did not solve my depression or lack of interest in life, but it did give me the confidence to make changes and feel like I had a choice in how I lived - socializing, dating, and career. Pre-surgery, I felt trapped in a job I hated, didn't feel like there would ever be a special woman in my life, and was constantly in pain and lethargic. It took about 2 years post-op to turn my life around for the better. I've gotten a better job, met a wonderful woman, and consider myself an extroverted introvert now and feel a need to express myself. I would have never allowed myself to be on camera, much less have made videos of myself pre-op.

Congrats on doing so well!! :-)

The endoscopy was a breeze. I went in to the hospital, I put on the gown, they wheeled me into OR, the doctor said, "you may feel a bit of warmth in your hand (where they inserted the IV) when we give you the anesthesia, I blinked my eyes and it was over. That was it. If I hadn't been warned ahead of time to expect a bit of a scratchy throat, I would have never even known I had a scope down my throat. There's really nothing to it. I was worried and nervous about nothing.

"The food industry also has somehow convinced us that it takes too long to cook a meal from scratch." - I agree with that quote. I try to cook almost everything myself, that way, I know what's in it. And I try to live by this quote as well, "Only eat things that are considered the ingredients for other foods." :-) In other words, eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible or with minimal processing.

That was me too. I was mad at the world for no particular reason, then I'd switch to being depressed. It took a month or so for my emotions to return to normal.

The #1 thing I did to prepare for WLS was to mentally prepare myself to not regret anything I had to do or go through to have WLS. I made an agreement with myself that it didn't matter what I to do - driving to Dr. appointments and completing the tests (7 tests - each time, it was a 2 hour 1 way drive), taking time off from work, doing the liquid diet, experiencing any pain post-op, giving up any foods I loved. There was no going back once 80% of my stomach was removed, so I vowed not to regret it. HOWEVER! I did experience the, "What the HELL did I do to myself????" moment the 1st week after surgery. :-P But I refused to regret having the surgery.

I am assuming your "normal" food is processed or fast food? I can tell you why I gained 4lbs since this morning. I had lunch with my parents. Seriously! They eat high salt, high carb foods. I woke up weighing 211 this morning. Got back at 5pm and was up to 215lbs. It was all the salt and carbs I consumed. When I get back on my normal diet of lean Protein and vegetables - starting tomorrow morning - I will lose those excess Water pounds in a couple of days. Processed foods and high carb foods trigger my body to hold onto water and store calories as fat. I have to stick with protein and vegetables to maintain or lose weight. Even eating too much fruit will cause me to gain weight.

In my case, the food cravings and overwhelming compulsion for certain flavors disappeared the day after surgery and have never returned at the same level. I don't know if it was because of the reduction in the hormone Ghrelin or if it was psychosomatic? But I was ready to take advantage of this opportunity to get my life back. For the 1st year, my new Frankensleeve restricted the amount and the kinds of foods I could eat. After that, it was up to me to make the right choices. I made small changes in my diet that added up over time. For example; If I started craving a sugary food, I'd fill up on Protein, then if I still had to have it, I'd eat a small portion. Eventually, I was able to completely resist all temptations. And now I can take or leave any food... it's my choice if I eat it or not, not an overwhelming compulsion as it was pre-op. So to answer your question, yes, the surgery did make it easier for me to make the right lifestyle changes to lose weight and keep it off.

I wish you could see what life is like on the other side after losing the weight and gaining control over food. There's just no way to describe it. So all I can do is tell you, it is ssoooooooo worth it. The pre-op diet was the hardest part of the whole WLS adventure. Nothing I went through - All the tests, multiple 4 hour drives to meet the doctor and have the tests, the anxiety of taking such a huge step, and the gas pains after surgery - was as difficult as the pre-op diet. Food had that much control over my life. Don't give up. No one will do the work for you. You cannot depend on anyone else. Your success starts and ends with you. Personal responsibility is #1. You cannot have self­-doubt. Do not let self­limiting beliefs hold you back. Create your plan. Get support. Set a deadline. Crush it. If you want to change here's the truth YES, you can. Yes, you can eat better. Yes, you can get up earlier. Yes, you can get back in shape at any age. Yes, you can change your attitude about life. Yes, you can achieve your big goals & dreams.

That was my normal for the 1st couple of months. liquids were and still are a slider food for me. I barely felt filled up when drinking my meals. But 1/2 teaspoon of food would feel like a rock in my new sleeve. Most of my meals were 1/2 cup in size and it would take 20 - 30 minutes to eat that little bit. eggs and chicken were the hardest things on Frankensleeve. The easiest food on him was ground turkey hamburger mixed with refried Beans. I made my own concoction that I lived on for months and never got tired of eating. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/ Take advantage of this time to change bad eating habits. I tried to eliminate all processed foods/sugar/pasta from my diet during the 1st year and I believe it really changed the flavors I like for the better. Where I used to crave a certain food when I saw it, now I can take or leave it. No more obsessing until I finally gave in and ate 1 or 2 or 10. :-) Getting detoxed from my sugar addiction made it easier to choose the right foods and stay away from the wrong foods easier later on. And all that mental energy I was using to battle my head hunger can be redirected for better uses.

5 Steps to Cool Down Quickly After a Hot Workout . 1) Pre-cool before the workout To pre-cool, begin hydrating at least two hours before your workout with cold drinks, sit in an air-conditioned room, or have some cooling packs on hand. 2) Stretch it out post-workout Walk and stretch for at least ten minutes until your heart rate slows down. 3) Take a hot-and-cold shower A Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport study found that athletes who alternated soaking in hot and cold water after exercising experienced a significant reduction in their heart rate and blood lactate levels. 4) Smooth on skin-cooling lotion After a shower, hydrate your skin with a lotion that contains cooling properties like menthol. 5) Drink peppermint tea—hot or cold Research shows that in dry, hot climates, having a hot drink actually helps us cool off, since the heat from the drink triggers a sweating response. read the entire article: http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/wellbeing/fitness/5-steps-to-cool-down-quickly-after-a-hot-workout.php

Thanks for the reminder. I had completely forgotten about Quest Cravings. They are a pretty good substitute for Reece's Cups, but they are a bit on the dry side - they seem to have a powdered Peanut Butter center. The only down side is the expense. I think I had to pay $2.00 for a pack of 2 cups.

Is it possible to carry protein bars with you to work? I keep a stash of bottled water and Premier Protein, Quest, and Oh Yeah Victory bars in my desk. If I'm in a hurry, I take a few bites and keep going.