JamieLogical

I guess I fall under #3. I definitely don't abstain completely from anything, except soda. I learned long ago that the second I tell myself I absolutely can't have something is the second I start desperately craving it. I do MUCH better lying to myself and saying, "oh you can have that tomorrow or next week". Most of the time I never end up having it, but if I do, then I can move on and be content. I'd like to aim for #2. The vast majority of the time since my surgery, I haven't tracked my food. I've tried to eat intuitively and just put Protein first and let that kind of dictate my eating each day. However, I was losing weight in "maintenance" once I started training for a half marathon, so I've gone back to tracking food in order to make sure I'm eating ENOUGH, which is kind of weird and mind blowing. And even in maintenance and trying to force myself to eat enough, there are some things I can't help but try to avoid or I feel guilty if I eat. So, I guess it's ultimately just trying to strike a balance every day still.

Yeah, my surgery wouldn't have been covered by my insurance anyway, but I liked the freedom of picking any surgeon I wanted, deciding when I wanted the surgery on my own schedule, and not having to jump through so many arbitrary hoops for insurance.

I wonder why you need to eat so few calories in maintenace. Maybe a slow metabolism is how you got big to begin with? At least you've figured out what works for you.

GasX strips, chap stick, wet wipes... I also brought some syntax nectar protein powder packets, and a colapsible funnel, since I was allowed that in my clear liquids stage post-op.

There's no reason you can't lose 100 pounds with the sleeve as long as you stick to the plan. It sounds like you are ready to do that!

So you are only eating 1100-1200 calories a day in maintenance while working out? That seems low to me. Do you gain if you increase your calories?

@@Kindle Everyone has to figure out what works for them and they can live with long term. For me, not eating and drinking at the same time turned out to be a lot easier than Ithought, so I'v e had no issues keeping it up. But I could see how people with limited time or who can't keep water with them at their Job the whole day or whatever might need to fit all their drinking into their breaks, which is also when they need to fit in their food. In that case, the risks of dehydration probably outweigh the risks of eating and drinking at the same time.

Can you give us some insight into what your daily routine is like? You mention exercise, but not what or how much. You didn't say anything about what you are eating? Are you tracking your food? How much protein are you getting?

I'm already at goal now, but the main things I was looking forward to once I was a normal weight were riding amusement park rides and starting running again. I have done both since getting to goal and could not be happier. In fact, I'm spending a week at Dollywood the week after next and I'm running in my first half marathon on April 24th!

I was told the sleeve doesn't stretch and I have yet to see any real scientific evidence of it. It does "relax" some as you become fully healed around 12 months. At 19 months out, I can't eat any more now than I could eat at 9 or 12 months post-op. My restriction is still very strong. What does happen the further out you are from surgery is real life. You become less focused on your surgery and eating right and meeting protein goals, and more focused on other things going on in your life. At that point, it's easy to nibble on more carbs and convenience foods. It's easy to maybe start drinking 10-15 minutes after eating instead of waiting the full 20-40 minutes. It's easy to get out of your exercise routine or at least became a little more lax about regular exercise. All of those things can add up to some weight regain unless you keep things in check.

It's a learning experience for all of us, no matter where we live or have our surgery! Don't hesitate to post back here with questions and concerns. I know when I was first starting out, despite having a great surgical team and nutritionist, I was still posting here every day with all of my questions. It can be overwhelming, but we all muddle through it eventually!

I wasn't a fan of the strained cream of mushroom either. My favorites in the full liquid stage were Campbell's Cream of Shrimp and Progresso chicken cheese Enchilada.

I heard many stories with this Doctor and it scared me too. I continued my research and decided to do my surgery with Dr. Sergio Quiñones. It was the best decision. The entire staff was amazing. I honestly felt I was with family! I'm currently on day 7 post op and feeling great! Sent from my SM-N910T3 using the BariatricPal App Glad to hear you are doing well and welcome to the losers' bench!

Huge congrats! Must feel amazing to be halfway there now and have a good handle on your nutrition and exercise moving forward.

You should call your surgeon if you aren't scheduled for another appointment soon.

I don't see why losing quickly would mean you'd gain it right back, unless you are doing something crazy like starving yourself, which might wreck your metabolism. If you are following your plan and meeting your protein goals, there's no reason to worry.

I went with the KFC Double Down... I mean, it's ALL protein right?

Yeah, I was told to just try to get in 1 ounce every 15 minutes while awake and even taking teeny tiny sips, I was able to do that. Glad to hear everything else is looking good and you are cleared to go back to work. I think that one step at a time is the only way to get through the days/weeks immediately post-op, so you are approaching it the right way!

Bar food: chicken tenders with the breading peeled off chili nachos or taco salad and just don't eat the chips/shell shrimp sliders or a burger without the bun(s) If you don't like meat, you are going to be hard pressed to find high Protein options at a bar unless they have a veggie burger available. You're going to have to rely on cheese/dairy, eggs, legumes (beans), and nuts for protein. Unless you can bring protein supplements, like shakes or Protein Bars with you.

I wasn't allowed alcohol until 3 months post-op.

Now I'm feeling like that bagel with cream cheese post from yesterday was just an early April Fool's joke.

I had had problems with GERD and heartburn off and on pre-op, but nothing diagnosed and nothing chronic. I would just occasionally take a Zantac or something. It always seemed to be worse at my heavier weights (my weight fluctuated a lot as I yo-yo dieted). Post-op, I have pretty severe reflux that requires me to take 20mg of Omeprazole twice a day every day still at 19 months post-op.

For Protein shakes you definitely want to look for whey isolate as the main ingredient, assuming you don't have any issues with dairy. You want to look for low carb/low sugar. You will likely be on Clear liquids for a couple of days post-op and then be allowed protein shakes and "full liquids". Full liquids are things like milk, strained cream Soups, and some surgeons even allow drinkable yogurt (not sure if they have things like Gogurt in your neck of the woods). I really don't know what foods you will have available but puree and soft food stages usually include cottage cheese or other soft cheeses, greek yogurt, tuna salad, scrambled eggs, refried Beans.... Hopefully your surgeon will provide you a list of foods that are common where you are living.

It's recommended that smokers quit prior to ANY sort of surgery. Here's a good article explaining why: http://www.quit.org.au/about/frequently-asked-questions/how-does-smoking-affect-my-body/smoking-and-surgery.html On top of that, nicotine can cause stomach ulcers. We just had a woman posting on here very recently because she had developed ulcers due to smoking post-op. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/363195-smokers-beware-i-have-an-ulcer/

@@Gail Ann Who preformed a gastric sleeve on you and gave you no nutritional guidelines? They need to be brought up on some malpractice charges or, at the very least, have their name spread around so other potential patients can be warned away. Things to eat on the road: Protein bar (make sure you get low carb/low sugar options) turkey sticks or turkey Jerky cheese sticks nuts If you have to do fast food: Wendy's Chili grilled chicken sandwich, but don't eat the bun cold cuts from Subway or any other sub shop, again without the bun chicken nuggets in a pinch, but its better to avoid breading on chicken