TheGamer

I've not tried popcorn, but oatmeal has never given me any issues.

I hope it's possible, otherwise I'm screwed My goal puts me losing about 200 pounds when all is said and done. I'm about halfway there right now, and I was losing about 4 pounds a week. I was deathly sick for a couple weeks this month, though, so this month's weight loss is wonky as all get out. When comparing the long term results between a sleeve and RNY, the results are very similar. RNY has a slightly higher overall weight loss, but honestly, all the increased complications and icky side effects, not to mention a life without chocolate... it just wasn't for me.

Just as a reality check, you do realize how very little 800 calories a day is, right? You could probably double that and still lose weight. Granted, it wouldn't be as fast, but I think we get a bit desensitized to the fact that we really, honestly, eat next to nothing.

Try taking smaller bites. Silly as it sounds, I eat with a baby spoon to help me take proper sized bites.

I like the GNC Total Lean pre-made shakes in chocolate and vanilla. I used to like the strawberry, but they're too sweet now =\

It depends on what I'm craving, honestly. I love turkey jerky if I'm wanting to chew something. If you like seaweed, try the flavored nori strips. The most common are by Yamamoto Yama and they're pretty inexpensive at the asian market. I love the spicy teriyaki ones. If I want something a little sweet, I'll have a few cocoa almonds. I also like the low fat Laughing Cow wedges for something creamy and a little rich.

At our local Mexican place, they have a spicy chicken dish called Pollo Loco that's very tasty. It's served with rice and Beans, but I just have them hold the rice. The soap thing might be a palate change if there's cilantro in it. For people with non-cilantro friendly taste buds, it's often said to taste like soap.

Why not try to substitute being overweight with bulking up? As much as I'd rather not say it, if you want to sabotage around your sleeve, you *can* do it. Personally, though, I'd rather go for putting on muscle as opposed to fat.

Ooh, I second on some fish. Some salmon with a little dill and some butter... Now I'm hungry

Yup. I had them when I was sick a couple weeks ago. I couldn't keep anything down but crackers and Soup. Was a high carb week but better than starving.

Check the massive shake thread for recipes once you find a brand of shake that doesn't make you gag. I think I went through a dozen different kinds before I settled on one.

If I'm going for taste I'd go with wheat thins, m'self.

Yup! It happens. My post op stomach is much more sensitive than my old one. My biggest challenge was finding a protein mix/drink that I could tolerate post surgery. I had settled on GNC's Total Lean until I got sick a couple weeks ago. Now, they're too sweet and upset my stomach I also have a love/hate with chicken. Some times, I love it. Others, it's just icky.

Yup, when my stomach acid issues were at their worst (with my stricture) I felt hungry all the time.

I'm givin' up nothing cause I'm a (not as) big (as I used to be) ol' heathen.

Most people don't want to risk having a more invasive surgery or the surgery cancelled altogether (the more common possibility). They literally have to move the liver out of the way to get at your stomach and livers are pretty delicate to start with. Highly fatty livers risk more tears and bleeding, so it's best just to stick with the pre op plan so that all goes well.

They don't know I broke my ankle years ago, and they patched it with a plate and screws. It aches occasionally in the way that old broken bones will, so I didn't think much of it until I tried to stand up this morning and failed. Xrays showed nothing wrong physically and I didn't injure it in any way that I know of, so they stabilized the ankle with an air cast and gave me some crutches and told me to stay off it until it stops hurting.

I think when people offer comments like that they are, in a backwards, twistedly strange way, trying to be nice. It's difficult to look someone in the face and go "Yeah, your ass is large enough to have its own gravitational pull..." Surgery for weight loss carries a stigma. We were the ones who couldn't do it the "right way". People are judgmental pricks when it comes to obesity. If you're fat they look down on you, and when we resort to surgery, they look down on that, too. That's just the way it is. It's not right, but life's too short to worry about a bunch of jerks. I've been very lucky in that the people in my environment have all been (at least to my face) very supportive of my decision. Your average person isn't going to get what we go through. They can try, but for the people that small changes in diet and exercise work for, they're not going to understand that we've been there and done that, often for most of our lives. We wouldn't be doing this if any of the other things we tried had worked. Just know you're doing what's best for you and don't sweat other people.

I did that program years ago, with moderate success. I'd join you on it again if I didn't just get a shiny new pair of crutches today

I haven't really experienced any change in my mental state post surgery. I had made peace with being fat, if that makes any sense, and I've made peace with losing weight. My decision to have surgery was a rational decision, though I really pursued it on a whim (my thought process was "Hm, why not consider surgery?"). Those around me say I seem to be in a better mood, and in all honesty I do feel better physically. I get a psychological boost from the positive physical changes and try to take any setbacks (stalls, complications, etc.) in stride. I think it's because, all in all, I've developed an accepting attitude to the entire thing. Whatever happen will happen and I won't be able to control everything, so I might as well just do what I can and not sweat the rest.

I had not heard of them, but a quick Google search led me to this: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/my-medical-loan-c270154.html The "no patient left behind" program seems to be affiliated with this company and the results are all over the map. They seem to charge high rates of interest as well as pretty steep fees.

I was never instructed to wear one. I think I've seen a post about people getting them because of the stomach restriction, but my surgeon never said anything about it being medically necessary.

I wasn't given a caloric total either. I was told 70g of protein, less than 100g of carbs, and 64 oz of water. Those are my dietary guidelines. My diet is pretty much: breakfast shake, cottage cheese snack, some meat for lunch, maybe part of a protein bar or some almonds, meat for dinner, and usually some NSA tapioca or cheese. I'll have some veggies some days, but mostly I don't eat once I've gotten in all my required stuff because I'm just not hungry. It's just me, so I don't generally cook because the food would go bad by the time I got around to eating it.

I was sleeved on 10/22 and I'd say on average I'm taking in close to 700, usually a little lower. It's been higher than usual the past few weeks because I had a bout with norovirus and my stomach couldn't handle hard protein like normal, so I have had a more carb heavy diet.

Slim Fast shakes are pretty high carb. What guidelines were you give for pre-op?