PJinWashington

More than bougie size, I think the more important thing is how you "work your bougie". Remember, it is just an AID and tool for weight-loss...it will NOT do it for you. You have to do "clean eating" and significant exercise everyday in order to be and remain successful at this journey. If you are struggling, I would suggest journeying everything you eat to track what you may be eating that you do not need in your diet and find some form of exercise you can do every day...I will be 67 yo next month and I do at least 1 hr of treadmill everyday in front of a favorite TV show or movie (7 days a wk) at a good walking clip of 2.5 mph (my running days are over), which gets my heart-rate up to target zone and makes me sweat (you want to sweat every day!)...pick what works for you and just do it. You can do this weight-loss thing...you have invested in one of the best tools around...the vertical sleeve bougie!

WOW...who knew? LOVE healthy recipe ideas like this to change it up! http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1850

I have heard this issue applies to other weight loss surgery procedures, but NOT the vertical sleeve. I take ibuprofen several times a week for joint inflammation issues, have had my doctors prescribe it for me for these issues and never have a problem with it (but always make sure I have some food in my stomach before taking it). Another thing that makes NSAID's more effective and quicker acting is to take them with caffeine, but not being a coffee drinker, I have taken mine for YEARS with a caffeine tablet (like Vivarin) and have never had a problem with this method. Most of the things that apply to most other weight loss surgeries (like supplements), don't apply to the VSG procedure...that's the main reason I chose this procedure! There is a lot of mis-information out there (even from the medical community!) about the VSG because so many try to loop it in with all the other weight loss surgeries, but VSG has far less complications and changes in the general function of our bodies than other WLS, which again...IS WHY I CHOSE IT!

Sorry...I have no idea what you could substitute for brown rice powder, but you can buy it at Whole Foods or anywhere they sell health food. Any yes, you could definitely substitute Splenda for sugar...I have not tried that, but you can bake with Splenda, so I'm sure it would work fine.

Introduction: These muffins have 10 grams of protein in each one. Sweet, moist, and delicious, pack one of these tasty treats in your gym bag for a post-workout snack! Minutes to Prepare: 5 Minutes to Cook: 25 Number of Servings: 12 NUTRITIONAL INFO per muffin: Calories: 166.0 Total Fat: 6.7g Total Carbs: 17.6g Dietary Fiber: 2.2mg Protein: 10.1g Ingredients: 1 c soy milk 1 t apple cider vinegar 1 c whole wheat flour 1/2 c brown rice protein powder 2 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 1 t cinnamon 1 t vanilla extract 1/3 c canola oil 1/3 c sugar 1 1/2 c partially frozen blueberries* Note: Wild blueberries, which are smaller, don’t need to be pre-thawed. With regular blueberries, remove them from the freezer an hour or so before you plan to use them. Tips: *Use any kind of protein powder you prefer. If you use a flavored variety, you can omit or reduce the sugar. *The protein powder is barely noticeable in this recipe, but do allow the muffins to cool or they will crumble. *You can also swap half of the whole wheat flour for oat flour (place oats in a blender until they form a powder). Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the soymilk and vinegar in a glass measuring cup, stir and set aside. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the middle of the bowl. Add the wet ingredients, except for the berries and stir just until combined. Fold in the berries. Spray a muffin tin liberally with nonstick cooking spray or use paper liners. Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop, fill each well of the muffin tin 2/3 full. Bake 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving, and refrigerate in a covered container for up to one week. Serving Size: Makes 12 muffins.

Symptoms of an electrolyte imbalance include fatigue, weakness, dizziness and nausea (same symptoms as dehydration!)...IF you have experienced dehydration, you probably also have electrolyte imbalance at some point...even a case of flu, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. can bring this affliction on. The blood contains numerous chemical substances, many of which have clinical significance. Abnormalities in blood chemistry may be indicative of the presence of a disease process. Electrolytes, the salts in the body, are a specific group of chemicals that must remain in balance for the body to function normally. Electrolytes analysis may be ordered by a physician as a general screening for disease or to evaluate the health of specific organs in the body. Electrolytes exist as charged particles, called ions, and are responsible for the electrical communication required for many bodily functions including brain, muscle and nerve activity. Those commonly measured include sodium, potassium chloride, Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and bicarbonate. Electrolyte drinks contain essential elements like sodium, potassium and magnesium, along with carbohydrates and sweeteners. Look for a combination that includes up to 80 g of potassium, 45 g of sodium and up to 25 mg of magnesium. Make your own electrolyte replacement drink. Pick up a packet of sweetened fruit drink (taste), and mix in 2 qts. of Water, 1/2 cup of sugar (carbohydrates), 1/2 tsp. of salt (sodium) and 1/2 cup orange juice (potassium). Read more: food - Spirulina 1500 mg tablets are small to swallow and replace & balance your electrolytes, are a good source of antioxidants, and support ypur overall health & well being...I WOULD NOT BE WITHOUT THEM!

It can be harder to get enough good fluids down with your smaller VSG stomach so you have to be diligent about planning ahead when you have a lot to do like that. I ALWAYS have a bottle of water in my car, purse, next to my computer, bed, etc...and even then, I struggle with getting enough liquid down every day. Your protein shakes count toward your liquid consumption and other things like, jello, etc. I have struggled with dehydration my entire life (even well before VSG) and the side effects are not pretty...besides the dizziness you mentioned which severely affects your balance, there is shakiness that makes it impossible to write, nausea, headaches...DEHYDRATION IS NASTY and BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

I find the powder protein mixes too chalky, taste funny and smell stronger (but some posters suggestions for smoothies do sound good, but time consuming) and use the Costco/Sam's Club Premier Protein which is fast, portable and easy to get down (I haven't been a milk drinker in over 50 years, but do well with these shakes), but drink them as cold as possible to make them more palatable (I put mine in a frozen "can cooler" to keep it cold while I am drinking it).

I make it with a little brown rice, but try to eat more chicken & veges than rice. It's really good all made and eaten together!

The nutritional info for this recipe is for 4-servings, but I would guess that is a pretty individualized determination for VSGers since most of us cannot eat much of this type of dense protein in one setting. I have a 32 bougie and I would be doing good to be able to eat 2-3 oz. of this dish at one time. This recipe heats up great the next day for a healthy lunch, etc.

Better than Takeout chicken Fried Rice Nutrition Info for 4 Servings: · Calories: 171.7 ea. serving · Fat: 1.5g ea. serving · Carbohydrates: 13.5g ea. serving · Protein: 25.5g ea. serving Ingredients 12 ounces boneless chicken breast, diced into 1/2 inch cubes 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 small onion, sliced into thin strips 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup chopped broccoli 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 teaspoon ginger, chopped 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce 2 cups cooked brown rice 1/2 cup egg whites (or 4 egg whites or 3 whole eggs) Directions Mix the garlic sauce with 1/4 cup Water and set aside. Heat a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat, then remove from heat just to coat with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken, heat until cooked, about 5 minutes. Place the cooked chicken in a large bowl and set aside. Add the onions, mushrooms, and carrots to the pan or wok, turn the heat to high, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli, garlic, and ginger, and cook for additional 2 minutes. Add the garlic sauce and water to the vegetables, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Pour the vegetables and sauce on top of the chicken and set aside. Spray the pan once more with nonstick cooking spray, and add egg whites. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until eggs have almost set. Add the rice, stir to combine, then add the chicken and vegetables. Cook another two minutes, until the eggs have fully cooked.

Hey, All...I saw the below information on a veteran dieter's blog and thought she had some good ideas for how to not obsess over something NONE of us like, but all of us share...PLATEAUS (yuk!). Here is a different approach to coping with plateaus: Be a tourist. Do touristy things. 1. Check the details of your itinerary. For this journey, be sure your goals, your fitness activity levels and tracking information, food tracking, Water consumption, sleep, stress management, are right on time. They are like stamps on your passport for the next train on the next leg of your journey. All of those stamps need to be collected and in order before Customs will let you continue traveling. 2. Take time to get used to your surroundings. Anytime you go on vacation, jet lag takes over until you get used to the newness of the place. So observe the new landscape that is YOU. Take some measurements. Go window shopping and catch sight of that new person in the reflection in the windows and mirrors. The last two weeks, I have been catching myself in the window or mirror, I look again, and actually smile at myself and say, "Hi!" or "Hey, how ya doin?" or "Wow!! Lookin good!" 3. Go shopping for yourself--not to buy anything--but to learn what you like now and what you don't, to learn what fits and what doesn't, to learn what styles look good on you and what styles don't. For me, as I packed up boxes of clothes for the women's shelter, and started shopping for a couple of shirts to wear with pants that still fit me, I learned that the boxy shirts and crew neck t-shirts should now be replaced by fitted shirts and v-neck t-shirts with sleeves that fit. AND I learned that I could find those things that actually fit. In fact I found several things that fit in a range of sizes. I learned I needed to buy for the immediate journey ahead, not for the winter season 9 months away. Who could predict the landscape then?? Certainly not me. That is uncharted territory!! 4. Collect Souvenirs of your visit. Hand the camera over to another traveler on your journey to get snapshots for your scrapbook page "A Day in My Life on the Plateau" Then create the scrapbook page, or even a Travel Poster with the next plateau off in the distance. You might be close enough to goal so that you even see the Maintenance Station in the hazy distance. But it might also be just another plateau on the journey. 5. Start a travel journal if you haven't yet. Record in pictures and words your nostalgic Visits to the old and familiar places you USED to visit. Then go to a few that you now enjoy. Then visit some new ones, places you felt you'd never go, that you perhaps are a little afraid to venture there. What are your nostalgic places? For me on this journey, I have two: my recliner and my winter robe. I haven't been sitting in that recliner as much. And during this current cold snap, I was very cold after 90 minute workout in the pool. I put my winter robe on and it wrapped around me twice. The place I thought I'd never go, let alone enjoy is the gym--the YMCA. Yet as I walk out after Aqua Zumba, I pass the regular Zumba class and think, "I can remember a time when I'd never dream of setting foot in there, because I'm so uncoordinated." And now, while I worry about my ankles and feet being able to do the hour workout, I'm not afraid of trying it. Perhaps that's what I'll work toward so that when I make it to my next plateau, I'm able to actually do a complete hour of Zumba class. And while it might seem ludicrous, my food tracker is a nostalgic place. I actually went back to last August and read through the types of things I was eating. And then I compared that to the daily plans of the last week. Wow!! They have REALLY changed. And that made me look at my Groupings and favorite recipes. I spent some time weeding out the things I would probably never again eat or prepare in that way again. Yes, some choices now are for health, but I have developed a new idea of delicious also. So I need to create a scrapbook page with a key then and now picture, measurements, blog, menu plan for the day, fitness tracked for the day . . . 6. Put together A Plateau Cookbook So while I was on this last plateau, I decided I'd create Bravelute's Plateau Cookbook on SP Recipes, where I start recording my recipes and saving recipes from other Sparkers.com that fit the current new me. And I will also include favorite groupings from stores and restaurants where I go to sample the work of creative chefs on this vacation. A vacation where I experience new foods, where I'm not afraid of being around those old triggers, where I can find my healthy choices. A vacation where I search out places with like-minded chefs who care about my health. While I'm relaxing on this plateau, I can take some time to consult some Healthy Food travel Guides and plan some new food adventures. I found some delicious, healthy offerings at Trader Joes. Next week, I'm going to check out Whole Foods. 7. Collect memories of NEW in your journal. Especially newness of reactions and relationships. Take time to reflect on the subtle and up in your face differences in your close relationships and the way people respond to you now. Is it them? Is it you? doesn't matter. What does matter is that you stay happy in your close relationships. Have you noticed changes? Are they for the better? Great. Are they for the worse? Do they need some attention here? You have the time while you're on this plateau. Make good use of it so that when the next train comes along, you are ready to hop on board. 8. Take some time to imagine this IS your goal and that you are in training for maintenance, when you get there. Because maintenance really is a plateau, a relatively flat place where you really don't want to fall down, and you certainly can't see anywhere to go that is "UP", at least scale-wise. 9. Enjoy the visit to the Plateau Resort. But be ready at the station when the train pulls out, because there are new landscapes still waiting for you to create.

It's not just about putting in time at the gym and eliminating certain foods; your mental state has a huge influence on whether you hit your weight-loss goals. Old thought patterns might seem unbreakable, but moving forward may be easier than you think. These negative thoughts could be what's holding you back from success. You always put yourself down: If the negative talk is on a constant loop in your mind, then know that it's not helping anyone. Feeling bad or shameful about food choices does not make for a healthy lifestyle; it actually hinders your ability to succeed. Health psychologist and Stanford lecturer Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., explains, "If you focus on self-criticism, you'll be like a laser on it." Instead of focusing on putting yourself down, draw attention toward what you want to fix and accomplish. Above all else, treat yourself with kindness. You can't picture the new you: For women who have struggled with their weight for years, the idea of a lighter and healthier you might be difficult to fathom. Feeling confident about your ability to succeed is a start, but a more concrete project can be a huge help too. You might not be able to find the words right now, but creating a tangible reminder, like a healthy vision board covered in inspirational images, will help you start to recognize what your dreams look like. You're not taking off weight fast enough: Sometimes you've got to stop with the scale; it's not all about the number of pounds you're losing. Instead of feeling dismayed when that number doesn't drop, start celebrating other accomplishments — both big and small. When you feel more comfortable in your clothes or have more energy all day long, know that it happened because of your commitment and best efforts. Once you start realizing what you're capable of accomplishing, it's like a domino effect: the positivity just keeps on rolling in. Are there negative thoughts about your weight that have held you back in the past? How did you move past these mental roadblocks and welcome the new you?

When trying to slim down, we're bombarded with what foods to eat and how much, but it's not the only thing you need to think about. Timing is important, too. For issues slimming down, check out the info below to see when to eat each meal and snack to optimize your weight-loss results. Breakfast: Don't skip Breakfast, and be sure to eat your morning meal within an hour of waking to jump-start your metabolism, consuming 25 percent of your daily calories. Example: 7 a.m. Morning snack: Eat two to three hours after breakfast. This will keep blood sugar levels stable to avoid the low-energy sluggishness that makes you reach for high-calorie treats. Snacking also prevents the famished feeling that makes you inhale way more calories at your next meal than you would if you weren't plagued by hunger pains. Stick to 150 calories or less, about five percent of your daily calories. Example: 9:30 a.m. Lunch: Your midday meal should be eaten two to three hours after your morning snack. Try to make lunch your largest meal of the day. Consuming more calories midday than at breakfast or dinner ensures you have enough time to burn all those calories, about 40 percent of your total daily calories. Example: 12:30 p.m. Afternoon snack: Enjoy your snack two to three hours after lunch. Stick to 150 calories or less, about five percent of your daily calories. Example: 3:30 p.m. Dinner: Eat the last 25 percent of your daily calories at dinner, about two to three hours after your afternoon snack. Finish your evening meal two to three hours before going to bed. Eating too close to bedtime can raise your body temperature and your insulin and blood sugar levels, cause heartburn or digestive issues, and prevent the release of melatonin - all of which can interfere with the fat-burning benefits associated with getting a restful night's sleep. Example: 6:30 p.m.

By Elizabeth Goodman Artis (Shape Magazine) We dissect the science of fat to help you pick the smartest strategies for losing it. Fat is the ultimate three-letter word, especially the kind that you spend so much time watching your diet and hitting the gym to keep at bay (or at least to keep off your butt). But beyond making you look less-than-svelte, fat can have significant physical and emotional implications. We talked to Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., a nutritional biochemist and author of The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Biochemical Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy, to find out a few essential facts that might surprise you. 1. Fat Comes in Different Colors More specifically, there are different types of fat that have different hues and functions, according to Talbott: white, brown, and beige. The white fat is what most people think of as fat—pale and useless. Useless in that it has a low metabolic rate so it doesn’t help you burn any calories the way muscle does, and it’s the predominant type of fat in the human body, encompassing more than 90 percent of it. In other words, it’s a storage unit for extra calories. Brown fat is darker in color due to a rich blood supply and can actually burn calories rather than storing them—but only if you’re a rat (or other mammal); certain critters can activate brown fat to burn calories and generate heat to keep them warm in winter. Humans, sadly, have so little brown fat that it won’t help you burn calories or keep you warm. The third type of fat, beige fat, is in between white and brown in terms of its calorie-burning ability, which is actually very exciting. Why? Because researchers are looking into ways to shift white fat cells into more metabolically active beige ones via diet and exercise or supplements. In fact, there is preliminary evidence that certain hormones which are activated by exercise may convert white fat cells into beige ones, as well as some evidence that certain foods such as brown seaweed, licorice root, and hot peppers may have the ability to do this as well. 2. The Fat On Your Butt is Healthier than the Fat on Your Belly It’s probably safe to say that no woman favors the fat on one body part over another, but it’s actually safer health-wise to be more of a pear than an apple, Talbott says. Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is much more responsive to the stress hormone cortisol compared to the fat on your thighs or butt, so when stress hits hard (and you don’t find a healthy way to handle it), any extra calories consumed are more likely to end up around your middle. Belly fat is also much more inflammatory than fat located elsewhere in the body and can create its own inflammatory chemicals (as a tumor would). These chemicals travel to the brain and make you hungry and tired, so you’re more likely to overeat or eat junk food and not exercise, thus creating a vicious cycle and perpetuating the storage of more belly fat. The good news is that anything that helps you reduce inflammation helps reduce those signals to the brain. Talbott recommends fish oil (for the Omega 3’s) and Probiotics, which you can take in pill form or get by eating yogurt with active cultures. 3. First You Burn Calories, Second You Burn Fat The term “fat-burning” is thrown around willy-nilly in fitness circles, but as an expression of weight loss, it’s indirect. Before you “burn” fat, you burn calories, whether those calories come from stored carbohydrates (glycogen and blood sugar) or from stored body fat. The more calories you burn during each workout, the bigger deficit you will create and the more fat you will lose. You can also create a calorie deficit by eating less. The trick, though, is time, since it’s hard for most people to put in the time needed to burn enough calories to make a weight-loss dent. Talbott (and many other experts) advocates high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to burn as many calories as possible in as short amount of time as possible. This method, which alternates between hard/easy efforts, can burn double the calories in the same amount of time spent exercising in a steady state. 4. Fat Affects Your Mood Certainly there is no easier way to ruin your day than seeing you’ve gone up a few numbers on the scale, but having excess fat—especially around your belly—activates that inflammation/cortisol cycle, which studies show may be a factor in serious mood disorders like bipolar disorder. If you’re stuck in a stress/eat/gain/stress cycle, however, you’re likely to experience at least a perpetually low mood, even if you don’t have an actual clinical condition. To help break the cycle, try eating a square of dark chocolate, suggests Talbott; there is just enough sugar to satisfy a stress-induced craving, but the healthy flavonoids help calm inflammation that leads to more stress. Low-fat dairy products like yogurt can have a similar effect—the combination of Calcium and magnesium can help calm the stress response. 5. Even Skinny People Can Have Cellulite The dreaded c-word is caused by fat trapped under the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). The overlying skin "dimples" are created by connective tissues that tie the skin to the underlying muscle, with fat trapped in between like a sandwich. You don’t need a lot of fat to cause a dimpling effect, so you can be in great shape and have low body fat but still have a little pocket of dimpled fat, for example, on your butt or the backs of your thighs. Building muscle while losing fat (and the fat loss part is key—you have to have it to lose) can help minimize the appearance of cellulite; cellulite-specific creams and lotions can also help minimize the look of dimpled skin (though they can’t do anything about the trapped fat beneath).