EllieMae

Oh, nooooooooooo!
Well, then....what's done is done. Time to start over. Just as a refresher, here are the basic concepts again:
While you are hanging out here for support, you can initiate the following steps that most of our plans have us do for our pre-op preparations.

Drink no calories.

Drink Water until your eyeballs float - 64 - 80+ ounces per day.

Don't eat anything made in a factory. You can do this by shopping the perimeter of the supermarket and avoid the aisle unless you need a spice or paper towels...that kind of stuff.

Eat at least 60 ounces of Protein per day, and at any meal, eat your Protein first - then veg - then fruit.< /span>

Dessert should be something like an apple, not apple pie with two scoops of ice cream.

Avoid sugar, grease, and salt as much as possible. Eating clean will help you discover the real taste of natural food. If it weren't for sugar, grease and salt, McDonald's would have no business. When I gave up candy bars and started eating dark chocolate, I realized that it wasn't the chocolate I missed - it was the sugar.

Try to wean yourself off of soda and diet soda. Most bariatric plans discourage soda pop and anything with bubbles post-op.

Reduce starchy carbs like bread, flour, sugar, rice, noodle, biscuits, white potatoes, macaroni, spaghetti etc.


So what is left to eat? meat, eggs, cheese, Beans, Peanut Butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, and fresh fruits and non-starchy veggies. You can adjust your current recipes to reduce carbs. The World According to Eggface is a good place to start. Check out the forum here for recipes, also Sparkpeople.com and Myfitnesspal.com.

Many of us use Myfitnesspal.com for logging our food every day. It is really an eye-opener if you are honest with yourself about what you eat.

Weigh and measure your food to accurately acknowledge your actual portion size. There is a scientific principle that says, "You cannot control that which you do not measure."

Exercise where you can. Move your body every day. Don't become part of the sofa.
Hugs for a new start. Now, off you go!

1. What is your capacity in measurement (cups)?
I never measure my food in cups, other than liquids, so honestly I have no idea. Sorry!
2. What is your capacity in weight (ounces, grams)?
About 4-5 ounces total, usually 2.5 ounces lean meat + 1.5 ounce green veggies is enough to satisfy. I can't eat more than about 3.5 ounces of lean meat, that completely fills me up and I have no room for veggies after that.
3. How many calories do you consume?
Usually between 950-1150. I am still losing.
4. How's your hunger?
As long as I stick to a low-ish carb diet, my hunger is there but easily manageable. It's when I go off plan and start eating crap that I just get more and more cravings. When I am eating right and get hungry before I am supposed to eat again (I maintain a rigid schedule), I remind myself of the lessons I have learned: hunger is unpleasant but it is not an emergency. I can live with being hungry until I get to eat again. I am not actually going to die of starvation if I wait another couple of hours, and I can find something else to do in the meantime. It is okay to be hungry.

34. 14 years late

48
wish i would have done it 10 years ago

55, and if I would have known in my early twenties what I know now, I would have done it in a heartbeat! I still want to kick myself sometimes because this surgery is something I had thought about for years, and I waited so long to do it.

@@ELI.p.m
What's it to you??!!!! LOLOLOLOL
i was 57 years OLD
i am now 61 years YOUNG!!!
if i had the opportunity to have WLS at 22 i would have done it in a minute
kathy

I'd seriously consider taking a long hard look at my relationship if I were in your shoes. To me, it sounds as if you two could use a long talk and some couples counseling.

What if you had been in a serious car accident that required reconstructive surgery? What if you had appendicitis or a tumor that required surgery? What if you needed a stint or a transplant? Would he find you unattractive for any of those reasons?

My husband loves me fat, thin, with scars, without, hairy legs, overgrown eyebrows, roots showing, gassy, greasy haired, in sweats, with zits.... He's in for the long haul. If something came up cosmetically that he changed his mind, I am fairly certain the change of heart would be more than skin deep.

The sleeve keeps your digestive system intact, no long term dietary supplements except OTC Vitamins, much quicker recovery AND my surgeon said it is the most performed bariatric surgery he performs at this point in his career. I really didn't want my digestive system "replumbed" and the band wasn't even worth discussing due to it's long term failure rates.

Hint..........You have a brand new "BABY" stomach.............think of it that way. While your baby grows and the more food you feed it, their stomach get larger.
You now are that baby. If you want your stomach to stay small, you will eat correctly and not eat what is NOT good for you. or.... you can eat crap food and end up right where you started.
This is why most fail. They do not realize they were given a second chance and they mess it up, not the doctor, not the friends.....they did it to themselves.
Just eat the right size portions, eat when you are hungry only, and realize they did surgery on your Stomach not your Brain. Only you can change your way of thinking.
Annamarie

Are you meeting your Water and Protein goals? Dehydration can cause dizziness.

Try using the EAT SLOWER app. Once you can eat slower it won't be such a chore.

I get anywhere from 800-1000. I think level of calories varies greatly depending on how far out from surgery you are. I think when I was where you are I was around 600 too. I will say that I think the types of carbs do matter. Even though I don't do low-carb, I really stick with yogurt, fruit, veggies, and oatmeal.

Yeah! A fellow Arkansan!!!!

Originally from Chicago, Illinois
Now live in Little Rock, Arkansas

I don't know if I had the dreaded 3 week stall. I only weigh myself once a month unless I go to the doctors. The scale makes me crazy and I tend to lose focus. You do need to try and get your Water in or at least increase your Water intake. Your body needs it for weight loss. Try adding maybe a ¼ cup to your Protein shakes or pouring them over a cup full of ice.
Most importantly step away from the scale a focus on eating right and exercising. One month out your body is still adjusting and healing. Just continue doing the right things and the weight will come off.

If you read a lot on this forum, you will learn about the dreaded 3 week stall. I am one of the fortunate ones that did not experience it, but many here have. I've read that it can last up to 2-3 weeks.

Instead of thinking "I love him, so why does he treat me this way?" start thinking "Why would I love someone who treats me this way?"

It is also a diuretic. It can lead to dehydration.

That's why a lot of people don't tell others. I didn't tell many people to start with because I didn't want to constantly feel like my intake is up for discussion or under scrutiny. Even the extended family I did tell who are supportive do watch some. We had a Christmas party last night and they commented, surprised that I can eat bread. They are not malicious and I am not having to deal it the way you are, but once people know, they observe and some feel free to comment. Since your cat is out of the bag, I think I would just tell them to keep their comments to themselves. It's not their business, and you are not obligated to discuss it. Probably if you just tell them you don't want to hear it when you can be calm and respectful (probably not when they just said something), they'll keep their comments to themselves. You might even ask for their support and encouragement, if you want it. They probably love and want what's best for you. At the end of the day what they say or think is not going to influence your outcome - you have control over that. You are doing awesome, so keep up the good work. Incidentally, it took me about 60 pounds before it became evident I lost weight.

I second the food tracking. I've read that tracking your food is one of the best ways to stay on course because you can clearly see if you start getting off course. Although it sounds like you don't really have a course, which sucks. I am not a doctor or medical professional in any way, but I can tell you what my plan is and maybe you can adjust it to suit your needs.
I'm 3 months post-op, have lost 62 pounds, and am eating between 800 and 1,000 calories a day. I aim for 80 to 100 grams of Protein and no more than 40 to 60 grams of carbs. I try to avoid sugar and simple carbs like white rice, white bread, potatoes, etc. I don't really track fat, but I do stick with low fat in things like cheese because the low fat seems to have more Protein.< /p>
I typically have a premier Protein shake for Breakfast around 7, a snack like a boiled egg or 1/2 cup of cottage cheese around 10, lunch like chicken salad or lunch meat and cheese around 1, a light greek yogurt around 4, dinner like baked fish and steamed veggies around 7, then a small snack before bed that I usually choose based on whether I need more calories or protein or what by that point in the day.
I do not drink carbonated beverages or alcohol, and I try to avoid what I call empty eating, like sugar free pudding, which may not be bad for you but also don't really offer you anything.
After meeting with a personal trainer to plan a workout routine, here's what I do. 3 to 4 days a week, I spend 30 minutes on the treadmill or bike and 30 minutes doing the gym's circuit training. Then 2 or 3 days a week, I do some relatively light weight training.
I hope this helps. If you want, feel free to private message me and I'll do my best to give you whatever answers I may have.

I have it once in awhile as a treat but make sure there's a ton of ice in there so it waters down. It doesn't bother me...but I don't want to start drinking it all the time but like once or twice a month my doctor said was fine.

I may have one or 2 diet pops a month. I'll usually get a diet coke at McD's and let the ice melt so it goes flat. Diet Vernor's (it's a Michigan treasure) and diet A&W won't lose carbonation. I swish them around so I flatten it before swallowing.

@@EllieMae Yep! Check with yours!

They said to not drink bubbly stuff, but the nutritionist also told us that it's mostly because of discomfort and some people do okay further out with flatter soda or using something like a SodaStream and using less carbonation.
My friend is 10 years out from a bypass, and drinks soda to bring up gas when she can't burp.

Yeah.. Diet Pepsi was what I missed the most, but I'm kinda over it now. After some of the previous experiences I've had with food, I don't think the carbonation would be pleasant anyway.