fatgirlslim14

Thank God for Linda McCartney and her vegetarian sausages, they have 23 gms of Protein, They are co-starred with spinach paneer.

Vegetarians main Protein source, Paneer or cottage cheese with sautéed bell peppers.

I don't understand why there are so many folk out there, including dieticians, promoting low carb diets for WLS people. Seriously ... I don't get it. Sure, for "regular" folk out there in the wild, yes. Most people do consume waaaay to many carbs. But when I look at my portion sizes post VSG, it just is plain impossible for me to go overboard on carbs when I focus on eating a balanced diet everyday.
Sure, post VSG, I could go overboard with the carbs, but to do that, I would need to neglect the basic guidelines of eating lean Protein first. Your body needs carbs for energy. So often on here we see posts from people complaining of having little energy. More often than not, they are doing low carb. These folks don't have the energy to go out and exercise and get their metabolism going, which, in itself, offers great health benefits.
So, to answer a question posted earlier ... no ... I don't think all dieticians know the best plan for WLS folk. It is different for us, IMO. At least, I know it was for me. If given a choice between occasionally choking down a nasty Protein shake and enjoying a nutritious, natural shake which contains bananas ..well ... the choice should be easy.
I know I had issues with energy early on and my NUT told me to increase my carbs, which I did by adding more veggies to my meals. It worked wonders for me and helped motivate me to begin running. I KNOW it made all the difference in my weight loss and helped me to get to a "normal" BMI.
Of course, we all should follow our medical team's advice. But I also believe we need to find what works for us.

I stock the house with healthy on-plan foods and Snacks. Before each meal, I select from what I have on hand. I eat around a general plan:
Breakfast: 1 non-fat dairy or soy milk, 1 whole grain starch, 2 oz. lean Protein, 1 fruit
Lunch: 2-3 oz. lean Protein, 1 whole grain starch, non-starchy vegetables
Dinner: 3-4 oz. lean protein, 1 whole grain starch, non-starchy vegetables
I have another serving of fruit as a snack sometime during the day and a treat in the evening before bed.

thanks haringm ....but most of us are very happy with our sleeve..and w all have to die sometime...many get cancer without the sleeve....
so lets be optimistic and take care...never ignore any strange symptoms...follow doctor's orders and so on.
Quality of life definitely improves...I am just 6 weeks out,but feel like a new person..i am slimmer,my arthritis is less,BP gone I am a happier person.

Today makes 6 months that I decided to make one of the best decisions of my life! My starting weight was 303lbs and I'm now 219lbs. I'm feeling a lot better mentally and physically. I'm so motivated that nothing is getting in my way. I go to the gym 3-4 days a week, and still staying under 1200 calories. Here is a couple pictures so you can see my results.

I am almost three years out and I eat whole grain carbs. I couldn't eat more than a few bites till somewhere after year one. Everything sits pretty well now except flour tortillas. Even a few bites is too much. But I often have a sandwich for lunch on one slice of whole wheat bread. I and often eat 1/4 cup oats cooked in 3/4 cup Water at Breakfast. With dinner, I often have 1/2 cup of brown rice, sweet potato or irish potato. I occasionally eat white bread, pizza Pasta or white rice.
Lynda

I saw no need to memorialize or indulge enough to last a lifetime before my surgery. I had recognized my overeating as my mortal enemy and saw no need to party in honor of him.
In hindsight I could have had a food funeral. I would have loaded up an old boat with donuts, chips, Pork rinds, velveeta, Cookies, cakes, and candy...poured the contents of the fat fryer on it...set it on fire...shoved it out into the lake...played Bjork music.....Viking funeral...

Howdy folks. I've noticed a lot of newbies coming onboard recently (welcome!) and some misinformation getting posted. As I learned a lot from vets who posted wise words when I was pre-surgery and early in my journey, I wanted to share the knowledge and dispel some of the inaccurate info I'm seeing posted. Please feel free to add your own info, and as always, there will be exceptions to the info below - there always are! I'm sure I will be flamed by someone who eats McDonalds and pizza day in and day out, never gets their Protein in and drinks vente vanilla lattes every morning and still loses 4 lbs. a week. For the rest of us, this is written to help folks set appropriate expectations about their sleeve. Good luck to all of us on this amazing journey.
Myth #1: The sleeve will do it for you and you have to work at making it fail.
Nope, not true. Even though you will have restriction, you still have to deal with some increase in sleeve capacity that happens over time and the effect of sliders (foods that reduce in your stomach and don't fill you up, like popcorn and chips....) and the calories in liquids (ah Brownie Frappucinos...). So, while the sleeve is an amazing tool and the restriction will help you sooo much, you still have to follow basic rules of sleeve eating in order to have continued success in the long run. The stats for VSG are around 60% excess weight loss. Think of that as an average of some people losing 100% of excess weight, some losing little or none, some only losing half before they stop, and some losing great and then gaining it back.
Myth #2: When you have the sleeve you can eat "whatever you want" or "like a normal person," (whatever that is).
Nope. Unless "whatever you want" includes lots of protein and vegetables and other healthy foods, it's unlikely you will be able to eat whatever you want with no limitations and have the sleeve do it all for you. While we all have exceptional days here and there where we don't eat what's best for us, overall you will be following protein first, vegs second, and carbs third forever. Are there exceptions to this rule? Sure, there are some people who are exceptions and go back to eating fast food, junk food, and sodas every day and keep the weight off, but not many and they certainly are not the majority on this board, at least. Why set yourself up for failure? Learn good habits early on.
Myth #3: Everyone must follow 1200 calories a day (or whatever amount) or they will go into "starvation" mode.
You are not on a regular diet. You are on a medically supervised plan that works in conjunction with major surgery, and most plans utilze VLC (very low calorie) eating plans. I see people here think they can't do on 500 calories a day and use "starvation mode" as an excuse to eat more, then before you know it they are writing in asking for help because they haven't lost in 5 months. Does "starvation mode" exist? I don't know, and some people do drop weight after adding an extra 100 calories a day, but don't go hogwild with the concept of starvation mode. Trust in your nutritionist or find a nutritionist that you can trust. And remember that many people (especially older, postmenapausal or sedentary people) can only maintain on 1200 or 1000 calories a day and will stop losing if they take this advice to eat more. On the other hand, if you are 22 years old and very active, you will probably do just fine with a higher calorie count, but again, everyone is different.
Myth #4: You have to eat X amount of protein, carbs, fats, etc.
Nope. The nutritional guidelines vary from doctor to doctor. Everyone wishes they were the same and it would sure make it easier, but doctors and nutritionists differ. Those in Centers of Excellence have a long track record that they base their recommendations on, and others use published research. Sometimes it seems like our nuts just pull stuff out of the air. Some doctors are very strict and others give vague guidelines with few or no limitations. What to do? If you trust your doctor and nutritionist, then stick with their plan. If you are getting results, stick with your plan. You hired them for their expertise, so trust what they say. If you don't trust your doctor/nut, then move to a different practice if you can and find someone you can trust. Almost everyone agrees that protein is very important for sleeve patients (one thing to agree on!) but what that magic number is ...open to debate. You will see everything from 60 grams of protein a day to 100 or more. And you will see people who can't get it all in and get by on 40 grams a day with no problems. That's why it is important to stick to the plan you trust and works for you. Many people here vary on how many grams of protein, fat, carbs, Fiber, 5:2, Atkins, yadayadayada. What is right for you may not be right for someone else.
Myth #5: You can stop your hair from falling out with Vitamins, protein, etc.
Not really. You can probably help it with vitamins and Biotin and making sure you get in all your protein, but many people do all this and still lose hair. It is the body's natural response to the extreme stress you have put it in with surgery and severely limited calories. A few people don't lose their hair, others lose anywhere from a little to a lot and some resort to wigs. Eventually it grows back, but even that timetable varies from person to person.
Myth #6: Once the honeymoon (6 months) is over you will stop losing.
Not really. As vets can attest to, your first 6 months are your best window of opportunity and your doctor will expect you to lose a significant portion of weight in that time. However, if you stick with (or return to) your basic plan of firm protein first, vegs second, carbs third and lots of Water, you can get back to losing (and it's still easier than if you did not have the sleeve). You may not lose like you did in Month Two, but you will still lose. Some doctors say your window of opportunity is 18 months out from surgery. They vary on this, too.
Myth #7: You have to exercise.
Not really. Lots of people don't and still lose. However, exercise will give you much better results and most importantly, you will be much healthier. Also, if you start building good exercise habits now it will make keeping the weight off much easier in the long run. So, even if it's just a walk around the block, start moving your body around.
Myth #8: You will need plastic surgery when it's over.
Maybe, maybe not. Depends on your age (a lot), how much you had to lose, where you carry your weight, how much you exercise and type of exercise, genetics, if you've born children, etc. A lot of people do need plastic surgery, but a surprising number don't.
Myth #9: If you eat "bad" food it will make you sick.
Nope. While there are some folks who have very delicate tummies (and in the early months there are lots of delicate tummies), in the long run most people can get pretty much anything down.
Myth #10: Sleevers don't dump.
Nope. Sleevers can dump, it just isn't nearly as common as RnY folks. Dumping (aka Gastric Emptying) is just food hitting your intestines too quickly, causing really yucky stomach discomfort, weakness, lightheadedness, flushing, cramps, nausea, explosive diarrhea, and other fun symptoms. It can hit immediately or several hours after eating. Most sleevers never get it, but some do. You'll know it if you do.

Jamilyne--you have raised an important and essential point regarding obesity and societal prejudice. Yes, it is indeed discrimination to single out a fat person and imply, covertly or overtly, that they would not be capable of high job performance. (Unless that person is an Olympic athlete competing in a sport that requires slimness to perform.)
I have zero skin in this game politically speaking, but as an educational exercise, why don't we subtitute "African American", "Jewish," or "Hispanic" in this discourse and see how insane and non-sensical this line of thinking is? "Oh, he'd better lighten his skin, it's common knowledge that Blacks are lazy and we don't want a lazy President." "Oh, he'd better convert to Protestantism; everybody knows Jews are insular and will favor their own people." "Oh, his Hispanic origins will be a major obstacle in doing his Presidential duties so he's not a viable candidate."
THERE IS NO REASON WHY AN OBESE PERSON WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM WELL AS POTUS.
While there are many obese people who have obesity-related illnesses once the obesity catches up with them, there are also---and I'm sure we all know some of these--people who live long lives while also being obese. The fact Gov. Christie has a high BMI is not predictive that he will keel over while serving the country. I'll wager a bet that, with his daily agenda as it is currently, he's more active that many on this forum, and more active than the overall population, certainly the population sharing his BMI.
I agree very much with jamilyn about how inappropriate, indeed, hurtful many of the comments on this thread are. We are the last people who should be discriminating against the obese. We should have enormous empathy, and actually admiration, for someone as overweight as Gov. Christie who it out there doing public service.
I am certain that society's fat-discrimination held me back professionally when I was younger and not yet working in my chosen field. Now an academic at one of America's most prestigious public universities, I'm grateful that I work in a field where my colleagues are educated to a degree that they would never pre-suppose that because I [was] fat, I was stupid, lazy, doomed to die while on the job, or many of the other comments I'm reading on this thread and in the media regarding Christie. Had my hiring committee looked upon me as I'm seeing people look upon Gov. Christie, I would never be educating America's best and brightest and turning them out into the global marketplace with a heightened sensitivity to other cultures and lifeways. That includes people whose weight is aesthetically unpleasing, but whose minds are just as sharp and analytical as those with more-pleasing exteriors. I have over 25 years experience in my position, most of those years fat, and (to my knowledge) I never died while on the job.
Lastly, I hope very much that "Tikvah" will grow into his/her username (a Hebrew term which means "hope"), and that he/she will gain a kinder perspective for those whose paths differ from ours. We are all tied together here, despite our differing choices regarding our surgeries, and I sense that we all have vivid memories of a time or times where we were subject to fat discrimination. Let us be the Hope, Tikvah, that we carry a different message and that others will model us.

If it helps (it may not), my WLS center food advancement plan:
1. Clear liquid- day 1
2. liquids (protein shakes, Soups, etc)- week 1-3
3. Purée- week 4-5
4. Solids - after week 5
I did liquids (phase 2) until solid phase (skipped purée). After week 5, my solids were 2-3 ounces of soft food like salmon. It wasn't until month two that I could eat chicken and pork (still in 1-3 oz quantities). Hamburger and beef did not happen successfully until month 5 (tried a few times after month 3, but it did not work). The nut recommended we get used to eating 1/3 a cup or 3 oz of food a meal at least for 6 months. That is about how much I could eat, but I measured almost every meal. After 6 months, I started to eat more and more. Today at 19 months, I still can only manage 3-4 oz of chicken, but I can eat more of non dense food like salad, chili and the like. Yet I am not eating based on fullness, but satisfaction. It takes a few months to be able to read your body to get an intuition about satisfaction versus edge of fullness. I made a deliberate decision to not eat sliders, extra carbs, starches, etc during the first 6 months to maximize weight loss. And it worked. I lost 100% in 7 months (180 #). Today it is really easy to eat just enough to satisfy, but it took quite a few months to build these habits. These are just some thoughts for your consideration.

Let friends use any word...gaunt, skinny, bony, under nourished...You continue on your path and let your doctor be the best judge.

Willow, I have paralysis of my leg from childhood. i am sure if I can anyone can. I will let you know how it goes. Just see to that the pool has a good trainer and a hoist in the beginning.

Hi lucky,
I am doing well. Had my valentines day and my 5 th month anniv. I have lost some weight as well now officially overweight!! I am feeling good, I am not into exercising but my work is strenuous, walk when I can. In fact I have so much of energy that I feel I am going hypomanic!! trust me, if you tried everything and nothing worked, go for it! I did not do it because of people, to be honest never felt any issues there but it was health I was worried about. I am 38 and did not want to wait till i have DM Ht etc. My height is also not to my advantage and it really put me range of severe morbid obesity. I don't weigh myself daily, and concentrate on my Proteins and enjoy with my family once a week. I wish I had done it earlier.
regards, fatgirl...hopefully slim soon.

My official process started in December, 3 months ago. There has been constant miscommunication between my doctors/insurance (sorta the same people) and the appeals department. My first request was denied. I appealed then sent in a second request, under the advice of the Bariatric nurse. Anyway long story short, I am told that I am less then a week away from finding out if this second approval is denied or not.
I'm going crazy! I literally feel like barfing all the time. I am constantly remembering my childhood and being ups eased with the doctor shows that showed liposuction. I remember drawing dotted lines all over my body at 10 years old and nearing 200 pounds. I remember looking at photos of me when I was a healthy toddler. I am younger then maybe 6, and I'm at a healthy weight for the last time in my life. I have always loved food, so being anorexic never crossed my mind. And actually barging hurt to much to make a habit out of. It wasn't until late middle school that someone pointed out that I'm getting bigger. In anger, I reply with something along the lines of but I'm barely eating anything! This was their point. Damn, no wonder why I feel so crapy.
About 5 years ago, I had started to see a that impost for all my internal body issues. Around the same time a friend of mine (who was about the same size as me) told me that she was going to fly down to Mexico and have this WLS that I had never heard of at the time. I had known about the band and bypass but was unaware of the sleeve. I knew they the first two where not an option for me. I was immediately interested in this sleeve she was talking about, and most deffinetly put off with her decision to go to Mexico. But hey, do what you gotta do.
So I went back to my therapist and we started to explore every weight loss option out there, after 4 years of exhausting every diet known to man. I got severely depressed. I ended up homeless with no job, and nearing 330lb. Keep inundated that after puberty, I am only 5'4". I was ready to end everything. I called my mom for help. She picked me up, and saved my life that night.
I then reconnected with my friend who is a couple years post op now over Facebook. She looks completely different! I had forgotten about the sleeve as an option. And now after some legal changes, I am on my mothers health insurance that might pay for surgery.
So in December of 2013 I decided to use my last option. I had started the proses with my doctors and told a few of my closest friends (3 total) including my boyfriend. Everyone but my boyfriend was being understanding and supportive. He an I have only known each other for a short time, an only have been dating for almost 8 months. So unlike my other friends he never got to watch me struggle with my weight.
On Boxing Day (yes my family is Canadian) later in the evening, we all are hanging out digesting our deserts, and I decided to tell my family about my decision on WLS. I was so nourvus. It was harder then coming out as bi, or kinky, or poly, all combined! The room fell silent for a moment. And my entire family accepted me with open arms. I cried in relief.
Today, my entire family, many I my friends and any others that happen to find out, all are supportive of my choices. Some are more supportive then others, and it has taken a few people like my boyfriend to warm up to the idea, but they have. Possibly less on the principal of their own and more on the principal of if you can't beat them, join them idea. Whatever the reason I'm happy to have my support network.
So as I start my own preop diet, I sit and wait for Wednesday to roll around so I can call my doctor and get an answer from them. Hopefully by then they will have one and I won't have to wait until Friday or even Monday of the fallowing week.
My Bariatric story is only barely started. As I can feel things start to look up from here, I can only expect the worst. I have decided that telling people my story is only helping me become stronger, despite any negative reactions I get. The more I tell people the more I validate why this is important to me. In the sense that I do not have to feel like hiding something BAD from the world. Also, telling people helps me weed out my "supportive" friends, on top of giving them an opportunity to learn more about something they don't approve of.
Being "out" about my journey is deffinetly hard and sucks when then people are trying to micromanage my food intake. But I'm overall a strong enough person to tell them to back off.
I am ready for this change into life! I am ready to feel like I have real control over my weight. I am excited to be the first healthy person into biological family. I am excited to be able to stand, sit, or lay down and be able to see my toes past my belly. I'm excited about being proud of my belly. And of course not having so much anxiety around shopping for new outfits. Plus new outfits will be overall cheaper! Less fabric = less $$!
Until next time. thank you all for reading and keeping me motivated to think positive!
Dylan.

Here's my lunch today. 1/2 cup canned vegetable Soup. I've doctored it with 1/3 cup cooked barley, 2 oz. rotisserie chicken, 4 chopped cherry tomatoes and four chopped frozen green Beans.

Finally in the party! The attached image is a typical lunch for me at almost three years out. It's four romaine leaves, 8 cherry tomatoes, 2 oz. chicken breast, 1 slice whole wheat bread, and 2 Tbsp lite Caesar dressing.
Lynda

3 teaspoons milk of magnesium

Welcome back GG missed you.

congratulations on your achievement.

My foodie friends were worried they could not enjoy hanging out with me anymore... I have proven them wrong! I can still eat anything, just less of it, and not as often! I save my special foods for when we visit, make stuff from scratch and we sit down and enjoy. The next day? Back on routine. Being able to enjoy life sometimes involves food. Finding ways to make this work is part of being successful with the sleeve.

This is the age old story of risk management.
Laura sees this as a dangerous path.
Gone sees this as an opportunity to educate people.
Both have their merits; however, I absolutely agree that it has no place on this forum unless we see some serious Gone credentials. Nutritionist? Doctor? Medical professional?
If people seriously want a guide on how to chew and spit they can go to plenty of the pro-anna and pro-bulemia sites out there and read up all they want. You're assuming that people on this site are so stupid that they ONLY come here for ALL their information. 99% of posts I see on medical issues from member start with "I'm not a medical professional and I suggest you contact your's, but this is my experience..."
I come to this site for support and help. When I clicked the post I honestly wasn't sure what "chew and spit" was until I read it. That's why I clicked it. This is not supportive of the pre and post op community. This is not healthy. Any guide on unhealthy habits is not welcome in my eyes. I'm sure that you're more than welcome to post this garbage on the forums of pro-eating disorder sites, so leave it there.

Just my 2 cents worth. A disordered habit, eating disorder, addiction call it whatsoever are all within a spectrum of long term psychological issues. My advice would be to seek professional help from a therapist or a psychiatrist in one to one setting in not in a forum. That would be the right kind of support.

Missed one...makes me feel like that world religions class back in college wasn't a total waste lol.

I got 8!