AMG

Tiff, Could you please elaborate? Celebrate Vitamins have 800 IU of vitamin D in the form Cholecalciferol which is synthesized in the body as a result of sun exposure; so it's pretty much close to the real thing.

The RDA of Protein for an average weight women ages 19-50 is ~50 g. Since most of us are on high protein and low carb diet, you may need more than 50 grams of protein. So this means, you would need 2 cups of greek yogurt daily just to reach the amount set by RDA. Moreover, I doubt it that you would be able to finish 4 oz of Greek yogurt in the first 6 months after surgery. It takes me half an hour to finish 6 oz of GY and I'm almost 5 months out of surgery. Therefore, you need to get used to drinking Protein drinks in the first few months after surgery. I don't recommend pre-made drinks for two reasons (1) Big in size (11 - 17 oz) to me that's torture; pre-made drinks are not the most amazing thing to drink. (2) They tend to be thick in texture: so a few sips and you feel full for hours and therefore you don't get your daily protein. What I recommend is a whey Protein Isolate powder and a chocolate syrup (I personally use unsweetened cocoa powder). You put 8 oz of cold Water, a scoop of protein and 1/2tbsp of cocoa powder and shake everything in a Protein Shaker. The final result is in liquid form and very close to water in viscosity. I can finish it in about 15 minutes. GL

Yes, avoid drinking coffee and black tea because the caffeine causes dehydration. I read somewhere that for every cup of coffee you drink, you need to drink a glass of Water (In addition to the 64 oz of H2O that you have to drink daily [minimum]). I used to be a big coffee lover. I used to drink a cup of cuban coffee (most people would barley finish 1 or 2 oz; it's that strong). I gave that up, just to make my transformation to a healthier me successful.

Best in what? taste? That depends on you and no one can help you in that regard. In general, you need to find a Protein drink that is less than 200 calories and has a minimum of 20 grams of protein and no more than 12 grams of carbs. Look for whey protein isolate because it is the fastest form of protein that can be absorbed by the body. I posted this in one of the threads. I like Isopure powder, I get 25 grams of protein at 110 calories; no fat and no carbs. Why do I like it? Because I have control over the number of grams and the quality of fats and carbs. Let me give you an example: *I drink a shake in the morning with a scoop of Renew Life Organic Triple Fiber and I add 3 grams of flaxseed oil (rich in Omega 3s). This gives me a total of 28 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbs (of which 4 grams are fiber) and 4 grams of fat. Total calories: 180 *Before weight lifting, I need protein, slow digesting carbs and some fats. Because those will provide me with the energy needed to actually go through the exercises without being tired and lightheaded. *After weight lifting, I don't need slow digesting carbs or fats. So, I only have a scoop of protein and dextrose which is a fast digesting carb (this will create an insulin spike making the body in anabolic state in which muscles are built). I don't recommend using a blender to make your Protein drinks. The shakes are so thick, 2 sips and you feel full (meaning you don't finish your shake and hence you don't get your protein in). I recommend getting one of these protein shakers (<$10). Add your protein and 8 oz of Water and shake it. For taste, you can add sugar free strawberry or chocolate syrup.

I asked myself the exact same question; it's so illogical to build muscle at a caloric deficit. But you know what, the human body is so sophisticated that logic, sometimes, does not work! There was a study done by University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on 40 women (average body fat of 40%) who were divided into 4 groups: 1) Diet only. <1000 calories. 2) Diet with exercise (weight lifting). <1000 calories. 3) Exercise only. They did not change their eating habits. 4) No dieting and no exercising. If I remember correctly: Groups 1, 2 and 3 lost body weight. But only group 2 and 3 gained muscles. Those women gained about 1.5 lbs of muscles in 8 weeks (It should be more than that for men). You need to understand that bulking up is not the same as being strong. If you don't have any experience in weight lifting, I suggest you spend sometime researching it.

I think there are better options out there. According to the "Nutrition Facts", you are getting 22 grams of Protein at 200 calories! Moreover, you are getting 6 grams of fat, so two shakes and you are very close to your daily limit of fat. It also has 14 grams of carbs of which (5 grams are Fiber "great" and 2 grams of sugars "OK"). However, there are 7 grams [14 - (5+2)] of starches. These starches may be fast digesting carbs (bad) or slow digesting carbs (great). There is no way to tell which one comes in this protein podwer. With Isopure, I get 25 grams of protein at 110 calories; no fat and no carbs. Why do I like it? Because I have control over the number of grams and the quality of fats and carbs. Let me give you an example: *I drink a shake in the morning with a scoop of Renew Life Organic Triple Fiber and I add 3 grams of flaxseed oil (rich in Omega 3s). This gives me a total of 28 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbs (of which 4 grams are fiber) and 4 grams of fat. Total calories: 180 *Before weight lifting, I need protein, slow digesting carbs and some fats. Because those will provide me with the energy needed to actually go through the exercises without being tired and lightheaded. *After weight lifting, I don't need slow digesting carbs or fats. So, I only have a scoop of protein and dextrose which is a fast digesting carbs (this will create an insulin spike making the body in anabolic state in which muscles are built). I hope this helps. GL

What are the ratios of water and milk in your shake? I can barely get 2 oz to go through if I use 100% milk. After workouts I can do 50% milk - 50% H2O. If I'm not hungry (we need to keep eating every 3 hours), I do 100% H2O. Hope this helps.

The nurse will do it for you.

When I first got my chewable vitamins and calcium, I liked them and they tasted OK to me. However, in the past few days I started to get a headache after I take them. That's why I wanted to mix them with liquids. As I said before, I'll switch to capsules as soon as I hit the 6weeks mark (post op).

Can I mix my chewable Multivitamins and Calcium with liquids like Protein shakes and hot tea? Thanks

The multivitamins I'm taking don't have iron in them, so it is OK to take them with Calcium. I'm going to switch to capsules once I hit 6 weeks post-op.

I got an answer from my nutritionist. He basically said that it is OK to mix vitamins and protein shakes but not tea and coffee as they can oxalate and potentially cause renal stones.

Thank you so much for reporting back. Good luck

Anymore comments? The next day after surgery, I had a leak test done which came back negative. Then they gave me chicken broth and water; I couldn't sip anything at all. I had a sever pain every time I sipped Water. I felt a pain as the water tries to enter the stomach and the pain continues as the water moves through the sleeve. The doctor came to see me the next day and said my sleeve was probably so swollen and he ordered a 30-minute of IV steroid. Things got better and I was discharged from the hospital. Now, for the past 2 days I'm feeling what others had felt. Every time I sip liquids, I feel as FlyGirl described "sip, pain [it's mainly discomfort me for me], gurgle gurgle, tiny burp".

My surgery is on Monday as well. Good luck to all of us.

I am reading Dr. Alvarez's book on the gastric sleeve. On page 19 he says: Now, he does not refrence any studies. I have done extensive research on this surgery and I don't recall reading any journal papers regarding stapling alone vs. stapling and oversewing. Have any of you come across such studies? Thanks. AMG

Great job! You guys didn't just lose weight; you got shorter and your husband got taller. lol

Tiff -- I noticed that the Multi-complete has 350 micrograms of B12. My surgeon recommends anywhere between 350-500 micrograms a day. So, does this eliminate the need to take sublingual B12 tablets? Also, the recomended surving for the Multi-complete is 2 tablets. Can I take both tablets at the same time? Thanks AMG

Thank you so much for the advice. I think I'm going to stick with walking for now and maybe some light weight lifting.

I'm on Optifast 800 calorie-a-day for three weeks. The first week went fine. I feel like exercising for the next 2 weeks until surgery day. Is there any risks involved by exercising while on this diet? Thanks.

Can you please send me a copy as well? I PM'd my email. Thanks

Thanks for the good point. But this makes me wonder now, because 800 calories is what I was expecting to maintain post op. AFAIK, most sleevers eat between 700-1100 calories a day.

YouTube is your friend buddy 8 month Post-op 200lbs down!

I'm on my second week and I feel great! I asked the dietitian a similar question (eating salads) and his response was: "In between shakes, you can have non caloric beverages/liquids, but no solid foods. Non caloric liquids include: sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles, chicken or beef broth, diet iced tea, and black coffee or tea sweetened with a sugar substitute (Splenda, Equal, Sweet and Low, Truvia, etc.)" Best of luck