alwaysvegas

Hey Always. I just had band to sleeve surgery 3/19/15. I have been commenting to people's posts too and get no response. I hope all is going well with you and your process. Hey man--sorry no one is replying...but if you're not a woman on here with a weight problem, then nobody gives a f**king **** dude..men don't count on here....sorry...take care. Just eat less.

@@AvaFern Thank you for your thoughtful response. I've given so much feedback on here, but in the few topics I've posted...almost no feedback. I don't know why that is...because I'm a guy? I guess only women talk to each other on here. So good luck to you all and thanks for not helping me out. Learn to use a f**king search engine. I dunno...anyway. Tired of giving responses again and again to the same questions on here and the few I ask go unnoticed. Take care all. Thanks for almost nothing. Withdrawing all my stats. I'll keep it off without this site. Whoever is in charge here...DELETE MY f**king PROFILE, K?

My surgeon recommended avoiding fibrous veggies (broccoli stems, lettuce, cabbage, celery) until six months out. Of course, most everything is "as tolerated," unless specifically prohibited by your surgeon/nutritrionist.

I had two nutritionists that used two different formulas to calculate my goal weight based on gender, height, and build. Both emphasized that they are just ballpark numbers and they're also looking at BMI and also percentage of excess weight lost. So one nutritionist put my goal weight at 160 and another put me at 170. So I just averaged the two and came up with 165. Heavy duty math there. I'm still not convinced it's psychologically healthy to have a goal weight. So if I gain a couple pounds above 165 am I failing? I don't think so. But I think (based on zero evidence) that it is psychologically healthier to have a range of 5-10 pounds. All my co-morbidities (sleep apnea, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and high cholesterol) were all cured when I was still in the 200-220 range, so I was perfectly fine in that range, but my weight loss continued as I stuck to "the plan" and I went with it. I'm just sorta thinking in the long-term now as to what the "goal" is and for me it's staying "healthy" over staying at "the goal weight." I'll probably feel differently if I gain 10 lbs because I'm damn comfortable in a pair of 32s.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/334750-does-bougie-size-really-matter/?hl=%2Bbougie

Biggest congrats!! You're on your way to the sleeved life! It's a wonderful place to be!

I've watched hundreds of videos and read thousands of posts. What I've seen as the two biggest regrets, seem to stem from folks who didn't understand the purpose of the surgery. I came up with these with zero scientific method and a huge use of generalizing about people. "I don't know what to eat. I think more about food more now than before surgery." These folks didn't learn what foods fit in with their post-op life and basically try to find it all in prepackaged food, Protein bars, Protein shakes, or a baked protein with zero spices. The more comfortable you are in the kitchen, the more you know what you're putting in your body and the more variety you can create. Do you have to learn how to cook? Nope...but I can whip up 4-5 different chicken dinners in the time it takes you to find one decent chicken fast food dinner of the same nutritional quality as what I'm cooking. "I'm still hungry all the time!" This the quote from people who somehow overlooked that the sleeve is a tool and would not solve head hunger. Hundreds of us have spoken about head hunger and how important it is to try and start working on it pre-op. These are the same people who say, "If I could diet pre-op, I wouldn't need the surgery." As many wise people have said, "They aren't operating between your ears."

If you can train yourself to become an all-day sipper, it can help tremendously. If you guy a big insulated mug (like a Bubba Keg) and get in the habit of hauling it around, it might help. Best of luck!

Keep in mind that many store-bought Protein bars (especially the "low carb" and "low sugar" ones) use sugar alcohols than can cause some pretty serious flatulence at best and have a rather strong laxative effect at worst. So be careful eating too much/many of the sugar alcohols. If you're not familiar with sugar alcohols, see http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/what-you-need-to-know-about-sugar-alcohols

I agree with @@catlover2565 My nutritionist says that she prefers that we don't drink our Protein if at all possible. However, early on it may be more difficult getting 60+ grams from solid Proteins only. However, I still mix a little bit of Protein Shake in my drinks throughout the day just to get a little extra. And because I have boxes of shakes.

cardio after one week post-op, weights one month post-op after surgeon's clearance. These topics may also help: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/337625-when-to-start-working-out/?hl=start+exercise http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/337352-toningfirming/?hl=%2Bstart+%2Bexercise#entry3803648 http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/337170-what-did-do-you-do-for-exercise-almost-6-weeks-out/?hl=%2Bstart+%2Bexercise#entry3802350 http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/199774-when-to-begin-exercise/?hl=%2Bbegin+%2Bexercise http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/334245-exercise-after-surgery/?hl=%2Bexercise http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/331851-type-of-exercise/?hl=%2Bexercise http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/329956-what-exercise-routine-do-you-recommend-its-to-cold-to-walk-outside/?hl=%2Bexercise http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/329536-exercise-after-gastric-sleeve-surgery/?hl=%2Bexercise

Awesome! Just grabbed this thanks! I've been researching making bars just this week...so timely. Thank you!

I felt completely prepared for all aspects before and after the surgery. Most all information I needed was on the net. The rest, especially my customized plan, was provided by my surgeon, nutritionist, and bariatric behaviorial therapist. I read voraciously all that I could regarding the surgery before I even attended my first consultation. I watched hours of youtube diaries that people have so graciously provided of their surgeries, struggles, successes, and failures. I particularly focused on failures and what people didn't consider before the surgery. I focused on what people ate and what their relationship with food was before and after surgery. I read every bit of material my surgeon/nutritionist/psychologist provided. The information laid out every aspect of life before and after surgery. Their material covered all phases of eating pre- and post-op, nutrition guideliness, behavioral modification. I tried out different shakes, Vitamins, and foods to see what I'd like for the pre-op and post-op diets. I didn't really plan menus because I'm a fairly decent cook. I can follow any plan. I attended (and still attend) support groups to help and discuss the pre- and post-surgery life. Always something new to learn! I understand not everyone prepares for the surgery for one reason or another, but there's so much that we have to do after the surgery to be successful long-term, that I can't imagine not being armed with all the information I learned. Best of luck and success to everyone!