Stevehud

so many of us have ahard time with slowing down. and also everyones journey is different, some days i dont eat 4 ounces in one meal, of solids, also what type of food controls how much you can eat.

no, thats exactly what is supposed to happen when you overeat or eat too fast after having a sleeve . Did your surgeon or nutritionist not explain this stuff to you?

I'll be the blunt one here and say this, Rather than be the designated fat friend in the group, be the hot healthy one for a change. trust me. the world becomes a different place when youre not that person. Dont let something like getting drunk interfere with living an awesome life.

who the heck said 10 thousand steps a day? some wacko?

you know, i finally watched an episode of my 600 pound life, i wont do that again though, but i found myself cheering for the guy who was on screen and then getting pissed when he screwed up etc. When he was drinking multiple cans of diet coke 2 to 3 weeks after surgery.. or eating french fries and onion rings, potato chips etc. I dont yell this loud during my sports teams games. . but he did well, it took him 5 years to lose 440 pounds but he did, the show ended with him marrying his previously estranged girlfriend after he lost all the weight, and she even had vsg too. then they ended by saying in memory of him, as it turns out he died of a heart problem a year after losing all the weight.... I hate that show now lol. my point ( which is rambling) is that it is so much harder now to watch or read, and not get invested in the outcomes. Sometimes i want to help people so much, i know it could easily turn into an obsession or compulsion, and I could turn into that nosy busybody who wont mind their own business. Sigh, Then i have to kep reminding myself, there but for the grace of god go I..etc. Sigh.

congrats man- trust me its gets even better.

nothing is wrong with being nervous. You are going through a major life change, you should be nervous. take your time, channel it into your resolve to do this. Youll do fine.

soo a non sugar free Protein powder. i do belive there are some good vegan choices out there. http://www.thenatural.com/garden-of-life-raw-protein-22-oz-powder.html?CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=320012280000840165&cadevice=c&gclid=CJ-x0fzhlMYCFUERHwodcV8AQQ cant recommend it, because ive never tried it, but its out there.

Where did you see that 75% of people gain their weight back? ive never seen that number and there havent been many if any long term VSG studies done. From looking at your profile and stats it looks like you either havent updated them, or you maybe never made it near your goal? if you never made it, you might want to look at what and how you are eating and exercising to be sure you arent doing somethings the wrong way.

my starting weight was 408 surgical weight of 362 , had my surgery on dec 16th and I am doing great with weight loss. You only get out what you put in, is so true here. You most assuredly can do this. I didnt start going to the gym until after my 3 month mark. SO it doesnt matter that you arent that physically active now. only that you will feel better and it makes going to the gym , so much easier. You can do this.

Just as an FYI the human body cant absorb more than 30g of Protein at one time, so anything over 30 is going out with the dishwater if you get my drift. Its one of the reasons why excessive Proteins are the cause of increased kidney use. Now im not saying using isopure ( i love the pre-mades, well two flavors, but the mixes, i did not like) is bad, just dont count on that nd it is a lot of Fluid to protein ratio. two Syntrax scoops for example would also be 50 g of protein, but i use 1 scoop which is the recommended amount. But whatever works for you, is great The syntrax products also have zero sugar and zero carbs. btw. This is a journey you most assuredly can make, if you want to. And we will be glad to help.

say whats on your mind and heart. There is no one here who is perfect. Especially me. We are here nd we understand. Trust me, we do.

Well i just watched the my 600 pound life episode and the man who was over 715 pounds had about 8 pounds of skinn area removed, so all in all its not really a weight loss adjunct.

Well for me, and I have done a lot of tste tests for Protein shakes, of various kinds ( see video section for details) i can say what would stick out for me, is the 15 grams of protein. I personally rely on the Syntrax products and they have 25 grams of protein per shake. not counting any milk or etc mixed in. ALso 2 grams of sugar is something i would not allow myself to have yet and im at almost the 6 month mark. When im doing maintenance then possibly.

You said it Jamie. and trust me there are some times, when i wil eat a few pieces of sugar free candy for that laxative effect. i dont have major constipation issues, but sometimes after 3 or 4 days if i havent. gone, then its not bad to give it a little help.

Just remember, any sugar alcohols, xylitol, malitol, erythritol sorbitol,etc, are all wonderfully potent laxatives. With a sleeve a laxative effect can be magnified. And the last thing you MAY want is being dehydrated from the laxative effect or getting your body used to the laxatives, and then without them,you get constipated. Just a a friendly FYI. When i was young, many moons ago, we used to see who could chew up the most sugar free candies without running to the bathroom...needless to say, it never ended well. For fun look up the sugar free Haribo gummy bears on amazon, and read the reviews. you will fall over laughing. BTW DO NOT EAT THE SUGAR FREE GUMMY BEARS. lol read there and youll find out why.

heck go on ebay and have a plaque mad up declaring themthe best Bariatric staff, or some such. Quite cheap, but it makes an impact and they can show it off.

I havent seen any Phen fen , mentioned. lol Gosh i was on it for three months before it got pulled from the market i lost like 50 pounds and loved it. of course there were the nights i forgot to take my nighttime fen, and you , do not ssleep, if you didnt take that part lol. but it was a learning experience. Me and my wife were on it, and we both started the same day, and on the first day we were sooo hyper from the phentermine, that we went and walked around the biggest mall in the area, not once , not twice but 7 times, just non stop walking , fast. lol never even went into a store. Looking back i realize why that stuff worked. it was basicallt like meth to pick you up and then a sedative to bring you back to reality. lol WHEEEEEEE! lol

i tried the all sex diet, but i had to give up after 2 minutes...

sugar free jello, kept me sane. learn to love it!

if youd like me too, ill fly out and kick him in the nuts for you. I wouldnt want your foot to bet possibly bruised kicking a d*ick in the d*ick. Absolute morons. i swear. Good for you not killing him on the spot. let him say goodbye to his friends first....then kill em.

i was denied by cigna, only to be okayed after appeal, and we rushed the appeal through in less than 7 days. So it can be done, however if the employer has excepted their coverage from bariatric surgery as many employers do. there is literally nothing you can do. I eventually had to take out my own separate insurance and carry two, just to cover the after surgery items.

they are going to have to block IP addresses as this person is persistent in creating new accounts it seems.

I live in north Weymouth, and have for many years. The biggest struggles are in your first two weeks after surgery. The dreaded liquid diet. It takes a lot of willpower to get over the hump and onto something you can chew versus just drink. It's a struggle for many , including myself to hydrate enough. But its a huge necessity. I'll post this picture, of how I helped myself through it thanks to some great people here. That is a big help. The fun is in the weight loss. Other common difficulties are, chewing a lot, and eating slowly, and just in discovering how much, you can eat without discomfort. You really have to focus on eating slowly. You learn to prepare your foods in advance, the idea of grabbing something and going, is non-existent. Other issues are in finding what your stomach can tolerate after you "graduate" to more normal foods. Another big one for me, is not drinking while eating or vice versa, however you look at it. I was a big liquids fan during eating, whether it be wine or Water, or diet soda. I mis carbonation, but it just does not work for me with this sleeve. Also a big big issue is, finding a Protein drink you like and can enjoy, not just choke down when you have to. You can watch my taste test videos in the video section here to get an idea of flavors. I recommend buying trial sizes or packets etc to taste first then buying a bit more bulky product . Personally i swear by Syntrax products, especially Fuzzy Navel, Cappuccino, lemonade, iced tea, vanilla, and cherry. I mix the vanilla and cappuccino with 1% milk and the other with water or unsweetened iced tea. Add some ice to your blender with the cappuccino mix, and you have a great coolata, which is a godsend for me seeing ive always been a huge ( pun intended) dunkin donuts fan, unfortunately there is nothing you can do about donuts, which were my biggest vice. So read a lot, ask a lot, and dont hesiatate to ask me anything.

Im a weymouth guy. Though im six months post op ( almost) id be glad to help you in anyway i can. My first bit of advice is to read, read , read, all the posts you can, go back as far as you can bother to do it. Then ask lots of questions. You can do this if you want to. I am an ex smoker and i know the feeling. Good luck, and remember , you can do this.