Inner Surfer Girl

Just remind yourself that the best part of their food is the aroma (which you can have). The taste won't measure up to the aroma anyway.

Hi Karen, Welcome! I was sleeved a year ago this month and have lost over 200 pounds from my highest weight. I have about another 200 pounds to go but am much more confident that I can get there than I was before surgery. It is fairly simple if not necessarily easy to do well. Pre-op, I weaned myself off of carbonation and caffeine. My suggestions for success: Do everything your team asks you to do in and out of the hospital. Follow your program. Track your food. Make sure you get in all of your Protein, Make sure you get in AT LEAST 64 oz of Fluid. (You won't be able to do this immediately after surgery but it is important that you do your best. The sooner you can get in all of your protein and fluid, the sooner you will feel better, Avoid starches, added sugars (especially high fructose corn syrup), and fried foods. Take your Vitamins and supplements as directed. Exercise. And, learn to embrace the inevitable stalls. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

All I can suggest is to research and ask questions until you are comfortable with your decision. Once you decide then make up your mind tondo everything you can to make your choice a success and to wholeheartedly commit. Even if that means dealing with a little bit of gas discomfort or choosing to forego the unhealthy choice. You MIGHT miss a particular food, but what you gain will more than make up for it in my opinion. Focussing on what you CAN do and have instead of what CAN'T will make a huge difference.

I don't know about soy free, but in addition to premier protein, check out GNC Lean shake 25, Syntrax nectar, ProtiDiet liquid beverage concentrates, quest, and muscle milk. If possible, see if you can get samples or single-serve packs or bottles before you invest in a case or tubs.

I agree that most of those meals are carb heavy and full of sodium and preservatives. For me it is fairly easy to pick a Protein and then add a vegetable it fruit. (For instance, turkey breast and green Beans or roasted Brussels sprouts or similar; cottage cheese with fresh tomato; Greek yogurt with fresh berries; chicken patty and a green vegetable; etc.) It tastes so much better than frozen meals anyway and is really easy..

I understand your fear. This was my first surgery ever so I had no idea what to expect. The worst part of the whole process is that pre-op uncertainty. I had a great experience. My surgery went off without a hitch and I had no complications.

I am not a man but I would suggest that the best thing you can do to preserve your muscle is to make sure you get in enough Protein and plan to incorporate weights, resistance, and weight bearing exercise into your exercise routine. You don't have to lose muscle mass and it is preferable that you don't. Best of luck with your surgery.

Follow your surgeon's instructions.

I had no problems taking my pills the day after surgery. The only one I cut in half was because that was the prescribed dosage. Those of us with the sleeve don't have the problem of a narrow entrance to the stomach like folks with bypass or band may experience.

I don't foresee running at any time in my future but I definitely want to be able to walk a 5k and then a 10k in the relatively near future.

I am sure I have seen on reality tv a restaurant where you have to eat your weight in something or other. If such a place existed I would imagine you could find someplace like that in Nevada.

Sounds like her surgeon doesn't have much confidence in his own skills and/or he doesn't have a good educational and support program in place for his patients if weight loss pills are part of his SOP. I don't know the OP's situation, but wanting a diet pill sounds like a red flag to me. If someone goes into WLS with a dieting mentality (restricting calories, etc.) then expectations can get really messed up.

The 150 miles was not in one week. It has been since about February!

What do you like? Try fish, tuna, turkey, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, etc. My Breakfast this morning was Greek yogurt with fresh raspberries. Yesterday for dinner I cut up some tomato, and added some tzatziki sauce, a little feta, Kalamata olives and mixed it into cottage cheese.

I was self-pay but the program I went through required nutrition counseling. It is part of my fee.

This is really good. Thanks for sharing.

It will go by quickly. You have received some great advice. One thing that helped me was to pick one thing at a time to focus on. For instance weaning myself off of carbonation, then weaning myself off caffeine, increasing my Water, decreasing my sugar/starches, etc. Use this time to learn as much as you can about the surgery and yourself. Read, ask questions, journal, attend support groups, find a therapist, etc.

I would listen to your NUT. It sounds counterintuitive, but not eating enough can be as bad as eating too much. Since you are physically active, you need to make sure you are losing fat and not muscle. Based on what you describe, your body may be consuming muscle which is not only counterproductive to losing weight efficiently and effectively, it can be really dangerous.

I am not and see no need for one. It would seem dangerous and counterproductive, especially soon after surgery.

From what I can gather it is a PA (or equivalent?) with a bariatric specialty.

I just signed up for a community fitness challenge. There are two components. One is to meet a fitness goal every week (in terms of minutes exercised), and one component is a weight loss challenge. I usually avoid weight loss challenges, but since there are prizes involved for participating I decided to sign up. I am only competing with myself. I had the official weigh in at my wellness center yesterday and I was weighed and then she had me use the body fat analyzer. My body fat still doesn't register on the machine which errors out if your body fat is over 50%. So, my primary goal for this challenge is to be under 50% so I register on the machine. I also set my fitness minute goal at 3 hours a week (which I thought of as more a minimum). I was able to log over five hours of swimming this week in spite of the fact that it has been A very busy (for me) week. As an aside, I am using a Misfit Shine fitness tracker to track my swimming (laps, duration, etc) and I hit 150 miles swimming this week since I started using it. What are your fitness goals?

It depends on your stage. Pre-op, my NUT said Lean Cuisines, etc. we're fine but to add a bag of frozen vegetables (like broccoli) to make them healthier and more satisfying. During my two-week pre-op diet which was high protein, no starches/carbs I ate a lot of turkey breast, tuna, cheese, etc. Now that I am post-op a year and on full foods, I still eat a lot of turkey breast, tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, black Beans, chicken, etc.

I don't remember exactly but I was probably drinking water fairly easily at three months, certainly by six months. I am one year out and ice water is satisfying but I still use a lot of water enhancers, too. I usually have a water bottle full of water and a water bottle full of enhanced water going simultaneously.

I agree. It depends on what you are allowed. Some good Snacks are sugar-free Popsicles, and decaf tea or herbal infusions.

Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process. Everyone stalls, and almost every one stalls about three weeks after surgery. As others have suggested, just make sure you are getting in enough Protein and Fluid. If the numbers on the scale are driving you crazy then stay off the scale! Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall