chubbyperthchick

I couldn't stand the Optifast shakes so I went to a health food store and just bought 100% whey Protein isolate. I make my own smoothies and add this (because it's flavourless) and I'm noticing a massive difference in my weight loss already.
If you don't mind the shakes, there is a brand called "body" who do a slew of flavours and they've got by far the highest Protein content of any of shakes I've looked at (and I've looked at a LOT!)

Fingers crossed she's on the mend. It's do not fair; does something to improve her health and life and it backfires on her in the worst way.
Thinking of you Lila!

Hi all,
Just thought I'd introduce myself. I am Amy, from Perth. I was sleeved by Dr Cohen at Mercy Hospital on 6th September. Best. Thing. I've. Ever. Done.
I feel like I know you all as I've been stalking this thread since the day after my surgery (entertaining myself in hospital).
Just jumped on the scales; am 9kg down, 2weeks postop. Woohoo!!

I got on the scale today and it said: 179.8.
I'm making this announcement because I want people to know that so far, my year-long experiment with sleeve eating has not been a failure. If you've ever read my posts before, you know that I am not dieting with the sleeve. I am not lowcarbing. My calories are not at starvation level and they have not been since I got my surgery last April. My actually surgery was March 29, but I mostly count it as April 1 just to round everything out.
Okay so the thing is, there is research out there that says that people typically lose sixty percent of their weight in the first year and that's all you get. There is research that says that you will "stretch" your sleeve after six months or so, lose your "honeymoon" with your sleeve, stop losing and get stuck. There are surgeons who say you *have to* be on a lowcarb diet of 800 calories for the rest of your life or you won't lose the weight, and they say that you need to exercise like a demon *while* you're eating that 800 and you have to stay like that forever or you'll get fat again.
I want to tell you that in my experience this is not true.
What I want to tell you is that I got the sleeve because I was 46 and SO FAT -- I weighed 289 -- and I was at the end of my rope. I had dieted before and gotten the weight off only to regain it and the way I did that is pretty much to follow all the instructions above. Eating 800 lowcarb calories a day will get you to goal weight, there is no doubt,but in my opinion that's just no way to live and it's impossible to sustain. It also creates such intense anxiety about eating and your body and your food that it creates a horrible unending complex about fat, and feeding yourself, that the cure is worse than the disease.
I got my surgery in March. I was *severely* depressed and the reason I was depressed primarily was because I WAS SO FAT. I really hated myself. But I decided that the fat was emotional mostly and so what I was going to do was this. I was going to lose weight without dieting by having a surgeon remove eighty five percent of my stomach. And knowing that was taken care of and I had done the most *extreme* thing I could possibly do to solve my weight problem, I was going to let it come off naturally, eat normally and not push myself or punish myself because obsessing over my weight has basically been my career since I was 13 years old.
I had this thought once when I was watching Oprah Winfrey. All that woman ever talked about was her weight. All she ever did was look at the scale. Every time she lost fifty pounds it made the freakin national news and when she gained the weight back she made this weird confession and apology to everyone in the world. So obviously she was obsessed but what I really thought was holy crap, really? Imagine what Oprah could have accomplished with her life if she was not spending seventy five percent of her time obsessing over her pants size. Imagine what *I* could do if this was NO LONGER A PROBLEM for me and when I say NO LONGER A PROBLEM I mean I NEVER HAVE TO THINK OR WORRY ABOUT IT AGAIN.
So really....I was looking for more than weight loss. I wanted to be healed. Completely.
So the weight has come off really slow. In August of last year, I weighed 237. In November, I weighed 222. In January, 209. On April 1, my surgiversary, I weighed about 190. I've gone on vacation, I've drunk numerous glasses of wine, I've eaten cake and Pasta and carbs, I've avoided cardio really for the most part -- but my calories are *naturally* way under what I would need to sustain these weights and so....slowly....it's coming off. And it's still coming off and it has now been *over* a year.
I think I'm going to hit goal eventually. This will be without dieting, without worrying about the "honeymoon period", and without forcing myself to do ninety hours of cardio a week. And when I get there there's not going to be some freakout/rebound where I now have to figure out what "maintenance" is and be on the verge of shooting myself in the head because I had a piece of birthday cake or a piece of gum with sugar in it.
So this is what I want to say:
If you're just starting this project ( I refuse to say journey -- UGH) then realize that patience is required. Plan on a year *or more*. Even if you believe the honeymoon thing you're not going to drop all your weight *inside* your "honeymoon" so think about it...what are you going to do when it's over? Because you're still going to have to lose a lot of weight and you're going to have to sustain whatever you're doing for the rest of your life. It's frustrating that such an extreme solution is not instantaneous, but it is NOT, so prepare yourself. You're going to be working on this for at least a year. A year is a long time and you can't just not be alive for a year while you get thin. I didn't have that year to waste and you don't either.
If you're just starting this project, consider what you want your life to be as a thin person. Not a "formerly fat" person. Not a constantly dieting, obsessed person. This is what you'll be free of when it's done, so prepare by starting now and living your life.
And finally: Prepare for the idea that you may not lose all your weight in the first year. But remember this post by me and realize that you *will* very likely get exactly where you are going by the end of the second one and forget all that stuff about first years and honeymoons. This is not magic, it's science. It's mechanics. The mechanism that uses energy that is your body will continuously be operating at a deficit *even after* the honeymoon, *even after* the first year, and that means you *will* get there. You *have to*.
This requires patience, and then more patience. That's really the *only* think you need going into this. The rest, I really promise you -- will take care of itself.

Please be careful with what you mush up to eat. Talk to your doc, because everyone's doc is different! However, I was like you: all liquids. I like the fork analogy!
Anyway, the purpose is to REST your tummy. You do not want it to try to have to work at digesting. So, I'm going to disagree (no slammin' - just differnet opinions) with the person who suggested you eat a bit more chicken or more substantial food. I don't think your doc would agree, but PLEASE call and ask. One thing is consistent here: everyone's plan & doctors orders are different and we need to respect that.
You may not be hungry; dehydration is often mistaken for hunger.
Good luck & sorry about your dumping! It's kinda normal to try to 'test' your new sleeve. It's not normal if you keep doing it. :-)

Man. I wasn't going to post anything under your topic but just have to say how sorry I am. I had surgery around the same time you did and man I would be pissed and freaked out if I was really hungry all the time! I am only allowed Clear Liquids the first week and then thicker liquids the second week and "baby food" the third week. I would definitely try the acid controller. I sure wish I had a magic answer because I am sure it's hard to feel this was all worth it at this point. But hang in there and keep coming back here for support. I will keep thinking of solutions. All the best.

nyxa, I read every word you wrote and I just wanted to say I totally admire your passion for the topic. I'm a meat eater but will definitely be taking some of your ideas on board. Thanks!

part 2...
there's also been studies done that link dairy products to breast & prostate cancer.. they said this on the news a few weeks ago- i don't recall if it was local or something like good morning america, but it was broadcast on television... there's also a book called the china study that did a study on various regions of china & showed the most common cancers and diseases among chinese people & what they ate (it goes more in depth than that, but it's hard to condense a huge book down into a few sentences without some sort of discrepancies, so please excuse me)... it was written by one of the top doctors in the united states.. here's his bio...
"For more than 40 years, T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. has been at the forefront of nutrition research. His legacy, the China Study, is the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted. Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and Project Director of the China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project. The study was the culmination of a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.

Dr. Campbell received his master's degree and Ph.D. from Cornell, and served as a Research Associate at MIT. He spent 10 years on the faculty of Virginia Tech's Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition before returning to the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell in 1975 where he presently holds his Endowed Chair (now Emeritus).

His principal scientific interests, which began with his graduate training in the late 1950s, has been on the effects of nutritional status on long term health, particularly on the cause of cancer. He has conducted original research both in laboratory experiments and in large-scale human studies; has received more than 70 grant-years of peer-reviewed research funding, mostly from the National Institute of Health, and has served on several grant review panels of multiple funding agencies, lectured extensively, and has authored more than 300 research papers.

He is the recipient of several awards, both in research and citizenship, and has conducted original research investigation both in experimental animal and human studies, and has actively participated in the development of national and international nutrition policy.
source: http://www.thechinas...om/authors.html
he knows what he's talking about, i'd say!.. and he grew up on a dairy farm in the 50's, thinking that cow milk was the perfect food, because that's how they were raised & what was a popular belief at the time.. but he soon found out that, that was not the case & that people that eat animals & animal products develop cancers and other problems... and that by eliminating the animal products consumed they could stop or reverse diseases caused by the animal products..
there's also a documentary, called "forks over knives" where Dr Campbell and another doctor- Dr Esselstyn tell their story & how the china study came to be & what they found & etc.. here's the description from youtube:
"Documentary filmmaker Lee Fulkerson explores the possibility that so-called "diseases of affluence," such as heart disease, can be reversed by simply adjusting our diets to include less processed and animal-based foods. Back in the 1960s, Cornell University nutritional scientist Dr. T. Colin Campbell was working to find a way to feed the citizens of impoverished Third World nations when a trip to the Philippines forever changed the way he thought about food consumption. There, he discovered that the rates of liver cancer among affluent children who subsisted on diets rich in animal-based foods were notably higher than in children consuming plant-based diets.
Meanwhile, surgeon Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, head of the Breast Cancer Task Force at Cleveland Clinic, was also discovering that many of the diseases he was seeing in patients were practically nonexistent in areas of the world where people were primarily consuming plant foods. Several subsequent investigations by the researchers (who would not meet each other until the 1980s), including a groundbreaking study in China by Dr. Campbell, led them to the revelation that a whole-food, plant-based diet could prevent, and even reverse, such degenerative conditions as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
In this film, Fulkerson examines Dr. Campbell's and Dr. Esselstyn's theories by following the two doctors' individual, yet very similar, story arcs, from their farm-based upbringings to their astounding discoveries. The film also records the experiences of a group of patients suffering from chronic maladies as they participate in an experiment in which their diets are substantially altered and wholesome, plant-based food is, essentially, used as medicine."
you can watch it on Netflix here: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Forks_Over_Knives/70185045?locale=en-US
or if you don't have Netflix, you can watch it for free on Hulu:
there's also a book by a scientist who cured herself of terminal breast cancer just by eliminating meat & dairy & all other animal products from her diet.. she had cancer 5 times at varying stages & went the traditional, medical route.. she did the chemo & radiation & even had one of her breasts removed.. the 5th time was the one that she was terminal with & she was like "modern medicine can't help me" & figured out how to beat it & she did. she duplicated the results in other people, too.
http://www.dailymail...red-cancer.html << there's an article about her, and her book is called "your life in your hands" by Jane A Plant & is available for purchase on Amazon (and yes, i have read it & i own it).
then you have people like max gerson who did a study in the 1920's on people with various kinds of TB... he studied 450 patients & 447 were completely cured... his daughter, charlotte gerson also had TB & she cured it by following her dad's diet & is still alive, in her late 80's now... the gerson institute cures people with terminal, inoperable diseases all the time.. you can watch a couple documentaries about them here:
The Beautiful Truth: http://www.youtube.c...e?v=wvzDHGLEUyw
The Gerson Miracle: http://www.youtube.c...e?v=sbIixJI_oa4
then there's ann wigmore, and the hippocrates health institute.. they do the same thing... very large percentage of cured patients that were diagnosed with terminal illnesses. she wrote many books that are available & there's videos of her & stuff on youtube & stuff.
there's a lot of raw vegans that have cured various diseases, like IBS, Crohn's disease, cancer (all kinds- pancreatic, liver, kidney, brain, breast, prostate, etc).. as well as recovered from things like PCOS (which is an infertility issue in women), as well as recovering from paralysis from strokes/heart attacks, like this guy here.. Dave the Raw food truck driver:

it's also great for weight loss...
this guy lost 200lb in 1 year by eliminating meat & dairy & processed food from his diet & eating raw food, lots of fruit, juicing and doing a doctor supervised Water fast for 21 days..

this guy lost 230 lb, beat cancer, cured his diabetes & healed himself from a paralyzing stroke... as well as other issues.. he was on 25 pills a day & doesn't take any now. (i mentioned him above, this is another interview)

this guy went from 455 lb to a bodybuilder.. restored his body, got rid of his medications, overcame diabetes, etc..

this guy went from 400 lb to 185 & has even been featured on the tv show "the doctors"

there's also a documentary called "fat, sick & nearly dead" which is about an australian guy who had all sorts of issues & was on all sorts of pills and things.. he decided he would come to the US for 60 days, drive across the country & do a "juice fast"... and it documents his journey & has some really cool surprising things happen.. like meeting a truck driver who weighed over 400 pounds & helping him lose weight & stuff.. the guy ended up losing almost 100lb in 2 months. and no gallbladder issues for either of them! you can watch the documentary on hulu or netflix..
netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Fat_Sick_Nearly_Dead/70173634?trkid=2361637
hulu:
they even have a website where they go over everything in the documentary & have recipes & etc.. http://www.jointhereboot.com/
so yes, it is possible for vegans and vegetarians to succeed with a sleeve. the only thing a sleeve does is restrict how much you can eat, it doesn't have limits on what you have to eat or where you get your Protein & Vitamins & minerals.. there are alternatives for everything that you have on your regular meat & cheese diet, just from a different, more easily absorbed, easily digestable source. and like everyone else here says.. the sleeve is just a tool to get you where you want to go. you still have to diet and exercise.. and one of the reasons that i want the sleeve is because of the freedom of diet that i can have.
also, no, i don't expect you to watch all the stuff i posted... i know that no one would. i just posted it to be thorough and in hopes that someone would find something they were interested in watching & watch at least one of the videos... and in case you or anyone else ever got curious and wanted a place to start researching vegan/raw foods.

When I do my laundry I use a washing machine and a dryer. I don't cart my family's dirty laundry down to the river, beat it against rocks and then spread it over bushes to dry. Yep, I am guilty of doing things the easy way.
I microwave.
I use a freezer.
I pay my bills online.
I drive to work.
I buy soap instead of making my own out of ash and lard.
The easy way is the way of mankind. So what if we have had surgery? Does it make my weight loss easier? Yes it does. Does it diminish me in any way? No it does not. I take advantage of opportunities to improve my life, and that is what living is all about. This surgery was a massive opportunity to improve my life and I remain very grateful that I had the resources and support to take full advantage of this opportunity.

I have not seen mine in 20 years, lol. Can't wait to re-meet my friend, lol.