SpaceDust

My dietician had me practicing the slow eating, tiny bites, chew, chew, chew during my 6 months of medical diet. I REALLY have to focus on it, and I'm probably still quicker than I should be, but I think I have the hang of it well enough that after surgery, when I get the reminders from my sleeve, I should be able to get there without too much effort.

My recommendation is to be honest. It won't help you to get approved if you truly aren't ready for this. That said, the areas we discussed focused on a number of areas: Making sure I understood it wasn't a magic bullet - it will take some willpower and understanding to get through it. Many people experience short term depression after the surgery, anywhere from a few days to a few months, so there were questions (both on the written questionnaire and the in-person discussion) that focused on my mental state - am I depressed or anxious, am I sleeping all right? Any history of mental issues? Do I have a support network? I.e., have I told anyone? Of the ones I've told, do I feel like I have positive support (primarily around husband, family, close friends). Do I attend or plan to attend any support groups, or work with support groups online? Have I felt like I understand what I'm getting myself into, and do I have enough information to go into this and be successful? Do I know that my success is based on *me* and my behaviors in the long term? I'm sure there were others, but those were the biggest areas of focus. Be aware that your evaluation could be any sort of combination of questionnaire and face-to-face interview. Mine was a fairly short questionnaire (about 5 pages with substance, as well as the usual medical history and personal info sorts of things), plus about an hour of interview that was handled more like an extended conversation (guided, but still conversational). Others may have more laser-focused questions in their face-to-face, and some have mentioned a questionnaire that was literally a few hundred questions long - I think mine was perhaps 100 or so. Biggest thing is, relax Honestly, they're there to help you. If they don't think you're ready mentally, they may say you need to do some therapy sessions, but ultimately it's to help you be the most successful you can be with the surgery. Good luck!

Keep reading the forums. You'll see all sorts of posts regarding stalls, as well as suggestions of things toy can try of they go on too long. Huang in there, stick with the diet plan you have from your bariatric team, and keep on exercising. Your body is just busy adjusting and the lbs will start falling again. You might notice that your clothes are still getting looser, though! A lot of time the inches are still dropping off even if the weight is static. You've got this! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using VST

Indeed. This is a sobering time, and my heart goes to everyone personally affected by this hideous attack. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using VST

If you are having issues finding something you can drink they're certainly better than gagging on something else and I hear they do taste yummy, but it's a pretty high amount of carbs for the amount of protein. I'd probably use these as a "treat" rather than a mainstay. +1 for the Premier shakes. I like both chocolate and vanilla, but people often prefer one or the other.

I know the last thing you want to hear is "blender", but you could break up some of the fiber by, uh, hmm, what's another word for puree?

Chrissy, I think you're pre-surgery yet, right? This is your pre-op diet?

What cut of meat are you using for your jerky? You want something that is inherently flavorful - this is one time when prime meat and cuts like the tenderloin are NOT optimal choices. Eye of round is our go-to because it's pretty lean. Jerky won't keep well unless it's been cured in some way - that's part of what the salt does for you, so do refrigerate it if you cut the salt back significantly. I would try the low-sodium soy sauce idea, or a low-sodium teriyaki sauce. You can mix either of these down with other ingredients that are flavorful and non-sodium. Also, don't forget that the flavor doesn't HAVE to come entirely from the marinade - if you're using a dehydrator, you can sprinkle the strips that are laid out with seasonings before putting it in the dehydrator.

Bananas are quite healthy, but also pretty high in carbs and my dietician did say it can be a "slider food". Amy, maybe you could avoid breaking ketosis by taking a quarter of a banana and mixing it into something? You might be able to get the satisfaction of the taste, maybe even the texture, without breaking the bank on the carb side. Just a thought...

Thanks - I may not have been sleeved yet, but like many of us, I sure do have plenty of experience with diets, and it's coming in handy!

First thing: Do Not Weigh Every Day. Your body has natural swings with retaining Water and so on (you know that 64 oz of water is 4 lbs all by itself, right? ). This is something you'll want to remember when you get post surgery, too - you will be much happier if you only look at your weight every week or two, at most. You could be retaining water if it's "that time of the month" - that can be 2-5 lbs of weight difference. You might have had a bit more salt yesterday and retained more water than usual. Stress can cause short term retention. Those are just a FEW of the reasons why you might see a couple of pounds of extra weight for a few days. Relax, stick with the program, get plenty of water (I know it seems counterintuitive if you're retaining water, but water helps your body flush wastes - drink up!). Get a full night of sleep every night. Get some exercise each day - at least a walk if you can. Now, when you weigh yourself next (ideally at least a week, but at least 4-5 days, okay?) you'll probably find that the scale is moving the right way! Good luck - we're here for you!

For protein I'm going to keep the unflavored protein on hand in the hopes that I can at least boost the protein in yogurt or soup if needed.

Yeah, I did a variation on Atkins once and I definitely experienced taste changes during the induction phase, when you're in ketosis. I plan to be in ketosis at least two weeks before my surgery so that I will have a chance to test and see if my choices for protein shakes will need to change for the short term while I still have time to order up a new round of samples if needed.

Well, the average weight loss for sleeve patients is 60% of their excess weight - for example, if your goal is 140, you have 100 lbs of excess weight, and if you were absolutely average, you'd lose 60 lbs of it. The reality is, though, that averages are hooey - it's all about you. Many people here at VST are at or near goal (i.e., 100% excess weight lost). Others don't do as well, for whatever reason. However, if you stick to the plan and get your protein, water and exercise in, you could certainly achieve your goal. Don't let yourself get sidetracked by stalls and give up - the stalls are normal, you just need to work through them and the weight will start coming off again.

Well, I'd definitely call and talk to the doctor as a reassurance measure, if nothing else.

Outstanding! Congratulations - I'm looking forward to doing better in the gym!

Many studies are showing that the sleeve gastrectomy is quite effective with treating diabetes, although it's true that in comparison, the RNY tends to be more effective, especially in the short term. One of the more telling studies regarding diabetes and sleeve gastrectomy was published a year ago. Medscape summarizes it quite nicely at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/762107 The key paragraph is this: So, compared to the traditionally treated group of 30, all of which were still being treated for diabetes at the end of the study, 80%, or 24 of the 30 members of the sleeve gastrectomy group no longer had diabetes symptoms and signs. I'd say that suggests a pretty good success rate is likely for resolving my diabetes, and I get to trade a slightly lower success rate for less likelihood of complications and no rerouting of my insides, just removing a piece. I'm up for that

Can I join Team Laura, please?

I'm kinda reminded about a scene from "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?" The quote that comes to mind is: " I slaughtered this horse last Tuesday. I think it's startin' to turn."

First of all, congratulations! Have you discussed this at all with your NUT? If you have access to one, I would do so - he or she has likely heard it all before and can give you a plan to get back on track, and would probably also be your best bet for how many calories you should be eating. If you don't have a NUT, then you might want to think about doing 3 meals with 1-2 PLANNED Snacks to keep you from grazing mindlessly. It seems to me that most people are still running 700-900 calories a day at 3 months, but I'm sure that others will chime in and talk from a personal perspective. Beyond that, back to basics - Protein first, then produce. Avoid simple carbs (i.e., sugar, white breads, etc). Get at least 60 grams of protein a day - it keeps you fuller longer. Don't forget to drink Water - you might try some water first if you feel like an unplanned snack and it might help keep you from mindlessly grabbing that snack. Best of luck - you'll get back on track!

Thanks, Amber - I've already tried Bariatric Advantage (meh) and I do use the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Isolate powders regularly already. However, I have been meaning to see what else is out there, so I've just ordered up a bunch of samples from Big Train, Chike and Unjury, and I'll probably be ordering up some Syntrax samples as well.

For most (but apparently not all!) people it reduces physical hunger because it takes away the major producer of grehlin in the body, the fundus of the stomach. However, grehlin is still produced in much smaller amounts elsewhere in the body, and could affect you. Additionally, it does Absolutely NOTHING for head hunger. That's something many people have to fight. I know I used to fight it a lot when on a strict diet - I would be physically full of vegetables and some Protein, but I wanted MORE. I wasn't satisfied with what I had eaten, even though I doubt I could have eaten another bite. Other possibilities - excessive acid in the stomach can mimic the sensation of hunger. If you aren't taking a PPI, it might be worth seeing if something like that would help. If you're reacting to your stomach making growling noises, some people report that their stomachs do that regularly, full or not, after the surgery. Just some thoughts based on all the research I've been doing pre-surgery - maybe some of it will help!

Depends on your dr., but you can usually have the chunky soups if you filter out the chunkies, or if you blend it up really well. Definitely check with your bariatric team, though. Good luck!

Hang in there, Rebecca - I try to shop the outside edges of the store as much as I can (hey, that's where the booze is, too... umm, oops!). There are aisles I do need to shop, though. For example, I use a lot of canned tomatoes, and make Beans from scratch. I use frozen fruits and vegetables when the ones I want aren't in season (or I'm too freaking lazy to cut up an onion...) Since I'm pre-surgery, I do still eat bread, though I do make it whole grain almost all the time. Oh, and if I haven't been able to get to downtown Seattle to my favorite spice store in the world and don't have time to order something I need, I occasionally have to wander down the baking aisle. I'm trying to put on blinders with regard to the OTHER stuff in those aisles and I'm getting better at it, but it is hard sometimes!

Sounds tasty, Amanda Rae! I do something similar for chili (but we do beans separately, as we also save some of it for chili sauce for other uses). I use ground turkey breast - usually about 2 lbs, and sometimes throw in a half lb. of Mexican chorizo and some diced jalepenos. Otherwise, very similar.