MegaBob

I love to cook but am short on time and ambition after work. My routine is to plan a menu for 4 days then go to the grocery store on Saturday. I prep four meals on sunday so when I get home we either heat it up or putting it together goes really fast. Some of the dishes I prep are grilled chicken for tacos. I season the meat, marinate it , grill it, then slice or dice it. dinner time comes I heat it up, serve it with low fat cheese, avocado hot sauce. My family loves sloppy joe, so every couple of week I make a few pounds with ground turkey. I eat it without a bun. Soups are great for the winter and can be low fat and a good way to use left over meat. To get your Protein with broth based soup add Protein powder. French onion is a hit as is chicken noodle, use your left over chicken from tacos. Kraft has a good line of really easy slow cooker mixes. The pork and beef are very good. They call for fattier cuts of meat but I trim it the best I can before cooking and then remove extra fat as I shred the meat to eat. It is good in sandwiches, then put the leftovers over whole grain noodles, brown rice, or with quinoa. You may be tired of eggs, but I still love an egg beater omelet with cheese, ham and salsa for dinner. Pre portioned fish from costco or Sams club is good. If you take a couple packages out before work and put then in the fridge, they should be thawed or close to it when you get home. I like to broil it so when I get home I turn on the oven broiler, rub the fish with a little olive oil, and the season it. I love Cajun seasoning. Put it 4-5 inches from the broiler. By the time I change my clothes from work and get any side dish heated up it is perfect, takes just about 10 minutes.

Have you used it post surgery? Did it take as much to have the desired effect? How long did you wait before your doctor said it was ok to take it again? Did it take effect faster or slower?

Pre-op I focused how excited I was to be taking control of my weight problem, how happy I would be to see the scale going down, remembering how it felt to have clothes that fit, and that getting a sleeve was major but many people have successful surgeries far more extensive than a sleeve. Post-op I did exactly like my doctor told me to. I set a timer for every 15 minutes to remind me to drink. I drank Protein drinks to kill two birds with one stone. I walked until I was tired or starting to get sore, usually 20 minutes every two hours. I slept in a lazy boy because it was much easier to get in and out of vs a bed. I did not rush to the next stage of food, I did not cheat at all. After the first two weeks of liquid only ( my doctor requires 3 weeks of liquids) I was really ready for something I could chew, but I waited. I told myself it was a small sacrifice in light of how far I needed to go, and I knew that I had to learn to resist temptation if I wanted the sleeve to work for the rest of my life. I always take my Vitamins. I weigh once a week at the most, and only if it feels like "a skinny day". I look to the future and sustaining the weight loss as my goal instead of losing X # of pounds. I think of future events and how I want to look, feel, and enjoy those events years down the road. This way of thinking helps me internalize that the sleeve is a life style change for the rest of my life, not just a quick way to get to certain size.

I read the big book and it was good. I supplemented it with many articles I found on reputable internet sites and surgeons' sites. Every surgeon has different pre and post op regimens they want you to follow but you can certainly learn about the surgery, concepts of how to eat at the different phases, and good options for each phase.

I am six week out and still have a small muscle milk for Breakfast because it is easy and a good Protein source. I will have a shake or another muscle milk during the day if I am not going to hit my 75g of protein or if I don't have healthy options.

Clear liquids the day after surgery. Liquid protein for the next three weeks. Maybe you misread your program? I have not read anything about a program that had so long a clear liquid regimen.

Every surgeon is different but mind only allowed liquid protein for the first three weeks. I don't get carbs for 6 months.

Went to olive garden for lunch and could only eat one chicken meatball.

There are always risks with surgery but if you don't have surgery you know your future is bleak. Don't forget the influence you have over your daughter. She will learn to eat healthy from you, to exercise, to have a positive self image. In my opinion the risks are worth the rewards. I am a male and certainly can't speak for all men but thinner is usually better we don't care about some extra skin, and what we find really sexy is attitude. If you are flirty, confident, and feel sexy because you look and feel better we will want you.

I am only 5 weeks out and have not hit a stall yet. this is my own program, but it worked well pre sleeve and is going ok so far. To keep the body from going into starvation mode I take my daily Vitamins, drink my Water, and here is the trick...every third day I eat more calories. On my big calorie day I shoot for at least 700 but less than 900. to get to those levels I have to drink the Protein shakes or muscle milk. on the light days I stay between 400-500. I think it keeps the body guessing. I posted this before but try changing up the exercise program if you are doing the same things. add some weight lifting and cardio intervals to your program. There have been studies that avoiding food before a workout helps burn fat instead of sugar.

I am 5 weeks out and have 3 to go before I am supposed to have carbs like chips or food that is not soft. I eat a few chips a day 4-5, because I like the crunch and salt. I eat a few cashews a day, not for the Protein but because they taste good. I also drink while eating and it really does limit what I can eat. The rule I want to break is having alcohol. I am not a big drinker and can go without any for months. The problem is I have a guys weekend coming up next week and for the last 10 years it has been drinking , cards, gambling, movies etc. I do all the cooking so my food will not be an issue but I do want to get a buzz on. I am 5 weeks out and Dr says no alcohol for 6 months. I think that is a weight loss thing not a recovery thing, but still I want to follow the rules.

really di not want to tell people about my surgery because I did not want to be in the spot light etc. It has come up with my friends and without except they have given me hearth felt support. of course you have to answer questions about how it works etc buti don't mind, they seem interested. I came to the conclusion that if I do not want to be defined by my weight, I should stop it from being an issue with me first. Now I speak freely about it and it is liberating, and I think helps me prepare for the future. for me it is like the AA step where you admit you have a problem you are powerless over. Admitting your weakness I think gives you the power to conquer it.

Hmmm....30# in six weeks is pretty good, be proud! I am 5 weeks out and eat a about 2oz per meal, who h is per my instruction. I get my protein in by having a snack like yogurt or cottage cheese in the morning and at night.

Welcome to the family! Walk as much as possible, use your legs to get up and down, drink small sips every 15 minutes.

I was in the hospital overnight and had a drain. My surgery was on a Monday and my drain was In until Saturday. A home health worker removed it. My surgeon uses one all the time. He believes it speeds the healing. It was also comforting to see the fluid get more and more clear. I knew I was healing and no leaks.

My toughest days and nights for food are when I don't have anything planned. if I am sitting around the house I want to snack. I find things to do to keep my mind off snacking. So, look at the bright side it should be easier to manage your intake with minimal planning. As for the workouts, if you want to find the time you will. I used to get up and workout at 5 a.m., get it done for the day. Friends of mine were always the last ones at the gym, that was their time to "decompress". I liked the morning so things did not get in the way and it helped me think through my day and problem solve cases. Your fear is that you will lose focus and everything will fall apart. You will keep it together because you love losing weight, getting healthy, and looking good.

I am only 5 weeks post-op and have been losing faster than some but less than others. Have any of you slow losers tried to mix things up? Make sure your basics are covered: water, protein and vitamins. Then try changing your workout, add intervals to treadmill biking or elliptical. If you are doing mostly cardio add some strength training. If you always use the same equipment try something new. For your diet try not eating before you workout, try bumping up your calories after a few days in a stall,anything to trick your body.

Ditto on the airplane seat and add to it not worrying about fitting into a booth at a restaurant. I made and succeeded in several faintness goals last time I lost a bunch of weight, marathons and 1/2 ironman. My former training partners want me to get back to training for big events. Right now I feel like "been there done that, got a bunch of tee shirts". Now I am more excited about fashionable clothes and hoping people don't see me as a fat guy first and everything else secondary. On that note I can't wait for my weight to not always be on my mind.

I had the same debate with myself because my biggest concern was that I would lose a ton of weight then put it all back on. I did that with diet and exercise. I lost #170 going from 386 to 216. I was so focussed on getting to a goal weight I did not have a plan for maintaining. I thought it would just be different because I was so happy being healthy and active. I asked my surgeon why the sleeve is different, and why would I be able to keep the weight off this time when all other attpts had failed. His answer was that the reduction of Grehlin, that makes you feel hungry, would make a big difference. He also stressed the sleeve is just a tool. I told myself from the beginning of my sleeve journey that my goal this time was long term maintenance, to never be gat again. I did all the soul searching I could to figure out why I ate too much. Only after I figured that out did it know the sleeve will work for me. I was fat because I loved food and ate as much as I could at every meal. Not feeling hunger and the forced limited portion size has been great. I no longer crave food, actually I don't care if I eat or not. I eat because I have to.

I rarely feel the restriction but I don't push it at all. I eat 1/4 cup of cottage cheese, chicken, meat, and it is enough. I can probably do more, but don't want to. I feel it when I drink too fast or eat too fast. IMHO he needs to slow down, eat Protein, and he will have better results in the long run.

My preop was two weeks of only liquid protein. I never cheated and had no pain after surgery. Take the preop seriously it will shrink the liver and prepare you for only liquids post op,

Welcome, the next 6 months will be quite a journey for you. Keep your eye on the prize and get the most out of the 6 months. You can do it and your recovery will be so much easier. Good luck and keep us posted!

I absolutely agree that just going through the motions without elevating your heart rate is a waste of time. Congratulations on the races! I think 10ks are very hard because they turn out to be 6 mile sprints lol. When I was running races etc I always wanted to wear a shirt that said " you just got passed by a fat guy" but my wife thought it was is poor taste, she was probably right. But I did love the feeling of kicking skinny people's butts. Buy I got passed in marathons by old people that had the worst form you can imagine. I am sure you have seen them. In some respects there is no substitute for years if miles on the legs. I was not built like a runner and had to work hard for every mile, but that was the challenge, do be good at something I should not have been good at. I got injured and never got to the 7 minute mile pace for a 5k, but did a 25k at 8:15 pace weighing 240#. Not bad for a fat guy! Lol

Sorry, banking should be bonking a word my spell check dies not like. Lol

Pdxman, not to quibble but my understanding of thr fat burning zone is somewhat different. I always heard that the fat burning zone was between 70 and 75 % of your maximum heart rate. The simple rule of thumb to figure MHR is 220 minus your age. To get to the fat burning zone take 70-75% of that figure. You can also find the zone based on perceived rate of exersion. You should be able to carry on a conversation With some difficulty, you will sweat and feel tired, but not a bit kicking. Another way to look at it is to work from your heart rate reserve. HRR is the difference between your MHR as described above and your resting heart rate. If you use HRR then fat burning is 50-60% of your HRR. The next step up is aerobic zone is 60-70 % of HRR and this also burns fat but also builds strength and improves your body's ability to transport oxygen to the muscle. You should get a good level of physical fitness to go above this range and into the steady state or anaerobic range. Long story short you don't have to get your butt kicked to burn fat, but you do have to sweat, and push yourself. This is a really basic explanation and I know there are many variables to MHR and training levels, but for the person who just got sleeved and is looking to get someone physically fit, I think a basic understanding helps. The higher up the fitness ladder you go then you get that butt kicked I can't do anymore feeling. I suggest a lower end heart rate monitor can save someone who wants to burn fat hours in the gym. The harder you work out the more your body will use carbs to fuel your exercise. That becomes a problem for us because we are consuming mostly Protein. I think pdxman bonked because he exercised too hard for his carb intake. Banking is a horrible feeling during a race or hard training session. Once you bank there is no quick recovery to resume high levels of exercion. The last time I lost a bunch of weight I took up endurance sports, marathons, 1/2 marathons, triathlons up to 1/2 ironman. The most complicates aspect of trading was fueling for training and races without gaining weight. The more I read the more confused I got.