VSGAnn2014

Jesus Christ! Would you actually consider gaining all that weight back?

Tell her you'd like to spot her the next time she's doing bench presses. Seriously. Then ask her again. And again.

I was supposed to do soft foods at 14 days. But my surgeon (whom I saw 10 days out) told me to go ahead and go to soft then. Didn't hurt me at all. There are about a billion post-op protocols that doctors distribute. I dunno why. Maybe it's because they do surgeries in different ways. Who knows. As I said, didn't hurt me.

Don't worry about any of that stuff at three weeks. I think you're doing fine for now. I certainly was not doing many veggies and fruits or fiber at that point. And 5 ounces of mushies is fine. No problem. But real, hard, dense food would probably be a challenge. Mostly, just do right now what your team is asking you to do. And no, 800 calories a day is not too much right now IMHO. Just trust me when I say that a year out you'll be able to eat as much as I am. A typical day looks like this: Breakfast - Protein shake (I still love GNC Lean 25 shakes) Morning snack - Wasa crackers, cheddar cheese lunch - turkey / cheese sandwich (on whole-grain bread); baby raw carrots Afternoon snack - sliced apple, cheddar cheese dinner - grilled salmon brushed with BBQ sauce, green Beans, brown rice, 4 ounces chardonnay Dessert - blueberries and peach, Greek vanilla yogurt (The above is just a simple, healthy way to eat, without spending all day cooking or meal-planning) For now, just focus on eating as well as you can for the phase you're in. Dream about being slim and healthy. (I still dream about that, and then wake up and find I'm living the dream!)

I don't think it's that uncommon. I mean I know I hear people on the board say they can't maintain on more than 800/1000/1200 calories and I'm sure that's true for some. But I "wrecked" my metabolism plenty yo yo'ing most of my life and yeah I exercise a lot, but I maintain my 135lbs on 1800+ calories (more on days I run) and during my six weeks of no exercise post plastics I still ate 1600 calories or so and maintained fine. I think those stats are as typical as the others. We are all different for sure, but I think there are many of us who can maintain at that calorie level. I haven't collected any data about how much other WLS patients are maintaining are eating, calorie- and protein-grams-wise. Most of the people I know who are in maintenance don't (and refuse to) count calories or record their food macronutrients. Honestly, it's really pretty weird to see people so opposed to collecting information about their own behavior. But what the hey. However, in support of your thesis, my bariatric PA doesn't seem shocked at all by my maintenance 1700 calories success. She seems to think it's pretty common.

- so psyched to hear that you can maintain 143 lbs at 1700 calories a day. That is AMAZING! I'm sure that those stats are not typical but CONGRATULATIONS!!! What is your exercise program like? Mostly, I just walk 8,000-10,000 steps a day. I do a yoga class once a week (should be twice, but our schedule is craaaazy right now) and strength training (machines) two times a week (should be three times) and (rarely) another gym classes (BodyPump, etc.), but, as I said, our schedule is nuts right now. A sad aspect of life is that we currently have two parents in the last days of their lives (Alzheimers and lung cancer), and their needs are absorbing a lot of our non-working daylight hours. I'm sure many of you understand this well. But we're both doing a lot better about caring for ourselves (reserving enough energy for us, rather than giving it all to others). Doesn't take a lot. But you really can't give everything away and expect to do well health-wise yourself. This has been a lifelong and very hard lesson to learn.

Whoa -- a surgeon who's also a nutritionist. That's pretty unusual, but very cool.

@@Djmohr ... just to be clear, I am only one year and two weeks post-op. I'm just starting my second year, hence the title and the questions I asked my PA today.

P.P.S. My bariatric PA also said she sees a lot of people during maintenance who start to drink a lot more of their daily calories -- specifically in the form of alcohol. She didn't reference this as a "transfer addiction" issue, but as an "empty calories" issue.

Babbs, We always wonder when someone comes on here and says, "Help!" ... what are they doing now that's different than they were doing when they were losing weight? Of course, I don't know what's going on with those folks who are 3-4 years out and now gaining weight, because I don't have specific info about how they're eating / drinking / exercising. However, I don't recall anyone coming on here saying, "I've gained!" and then offering a full list of what they're eating and drinking and exercising. I do see some people say things like, "I know I'm eating more slider foods now than I used to." Or "I'm grazing now and can't seem to quit." Or "I don't exercise like I used to." Or "My life is so much more stressful now, and I can't focus on myself like I used to." I have also seen people (on multiple boards) say they were able to buckle down and lose 20-30 pounds. I've also seen people on this and other boards who are 3, 4, even 5 years out who are still at goal. Not a lot, mind you. But there are some. Remember -- I just asked the bariatric PA what happens in Year Two.

This isn't addressed to the OP -- but to others who are reading this thread. I adore my surgeon. Really love him. He also operated on my husband who was diagnosed with cancer after my WLS. He also removed my gallbladder 4 weeks after VSG surgery. All his surgeries for us were perfect. But he's not nearly as qualified to advise me on post-surgery care as his bariatric P.A. is. It's her job to guide me with regard to food choices, Vitamin / mineral / other supplements, behavioral issues, etc. She attends bariatric post-surgery care conferences often and reads all the latest studies. This is her job, and she does it brilliantly. She also guides many of the bariatric support group meetings that the bariatric surgery group provides to its WLS patients. She has knowledge of and offers the context of (literally) thousands of WLS patient behaviors. She's a walking research database of what works and doesn't work post-WLS. It's illogical to imagine your bariatric surgeon knows more than anyone else in her/his practice about all the topics you need consultation / guidance about post-WLS. It's also simply not true.

duplicate post

P.S. Oh, she also cleared up what the "18-month metabolic honeymoon" term means. She said that 18 months refers to gastric bypass and other malabsorptive weight loss surgeries that keep food from being fully absorbed for (approximately) that length of time post-op. She says that term and time frame doesn't apply to VSG surgery at all, since the sleeve isn't malabsorptive, but purely restrictive.

OK, I have new and IMHO dependable, reliable information about all this. I'm going to start another thread here called: What to Expect During Year Two Post-Op After the Sleeve. (Saw my bariatric P.A. today who had lots to tell me.) P.S. New thread started is at http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/349302-what-to-expect-during-year-two-after-the-sleeve/

Reality is reality. The #1 rule of exercise is (or should be): Do not hurt yourself. That requires patience and for some of us a very gradual increase in intensity. And after you've hurt yourself you have to stop hurting yourself. So rest. Drink lots of Water, too. Have patience. You didn't get to this point overnight. It's about the long haul. Best!

@@Rogofulm ... that's how I talk all the time. Love it! BTW, would you expound a bit on this: "At support group last night our surgical coordinator/nurse was talking about how after 18 months we lose the metabolic advantage." What is the "metabolic advantage" she/he was referring to? Did she/he mean that 18 months is how long it takes for the body to figure out how and where to produce and release ghrelin elsewhere in our bodies (other than in the stomach fundus that was removed during VSG)? A.

What do you mean by "obligatory guilting"?

Yeah, no. The best way to figure out what's going on is NOT "... eating something completely crazy to see if I get sick ...." How's about just eating what you're supposed to eat. How's about calling your surgeon or her/his P.A. or nurse and having a conversation to figure out what you might be doing wrong. What you should do is get the help you need from your medical team to figure out how to get on and stay on the eating / drinking / exercise program that will help you become healthy. The sleeve itself will not fix your obesity. You have to make good choices about the foods you eat and drink. You have to make changes in HOW you eat as well -- eat Protein first and don't drink while eating (that would make it easy for you to eat more), walk and exercise regularly, and other behavior changes. You have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to become healthy. Please don't waste this opportunity. WLS does not come with a guarantee of success. Your success depends on your decisions and actions.

Sure. But don't drink more than 10 drinks the first time. The second time you go out, no more than half a bottle. The third time, limit yourself to a liter of alcohol. Or 6 bottles of wine. You should be fine.

Yes, it gets better. In fact, it gets much, much better. It gets so much better you cannot even BELIEVE right now how much better it will get. :) This is the sucky time. So go find some "one year anniversary with pix" threads here and read those. And imagine you being one year out and at or below 140 pounds (your weight loss goal) and wearing a size [insert your dream size here] and looking 15 years younger and having more energy than a baby goat. :) The first week is really tough. And the first month may not be so great either. But after that it'll all seem so much more normal. And within months you'll be able to eat (gradually) everything you couldn't possibly eat right now. But just not as much. But you won't freak out over that either because ... you / we / I all ate like pigs before VSG. Do you want to eat like that again? No, I knew you didn't. Instead, you want to wear Size [yeah, that one] and weigh [yeah, that weight] and look like [just imagine it] and be so proud of yourself you could bust. :) Feeling better yet?

I love the advice from @@Babbs and @@CowgirlJane and @@Rogofulm . If I didn't plan every morning what I was going to eat that day (using www.myfitnesspal.com) I know I'd never hit my Protein targets and calorie targets. I have loved that tool. LOVED it! If we're being really honest here, I just aim for 64 ounces of liquids throughout the day -- including iced green tea, milk, and my morning Protein Drink. (I do have real food for lunch and Breakfast, but stick with a protein drink most mornings -- when, frankly, I'm not that hungry anyway.) I feel SO much better on the days I hit my full 64 ounces than when I don't. Again, planning makes the difference for me.

@@Rogofulm ... I'm with you. I intend to continue to rock this sleeve as completely and fully and for as long as I can. And if they come up with a fecal transplant of skinnyfying gut flora that will make my job easier, I'm getting that, too. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a f**k what that study says. I could drive a semi through the holes in its extrapolatability to anyone other than the patients of that surgical practice.

I love twinsets. And they do not "frump" me. But I agree with your other suggestions.

Have you seriously considered getting some counseling / therapy around your impulsive eating? This is clearly a behavior you want to gain control over. That doesn't generally happen because people "encourage" you to do better. You should find new ways to recognize and respond to eating triggers in your life. Based on my counseling experience (since June 2014) with a counselor who works with bariatric patients a lot, this could be helpful to you. Very best to you.

The first month or so you're still recovering, so you're not ready to hit the marathon circuit. I'd say about 6 weeks or 2 months post-op I felt like someone had turned me into the energizer bunny. And the energy has just grown ever since. (I'm a year post-op.) Get ready to feel better soon!