Garifab_VSG

The human body is designed to eat solid foods for energy. To tell someone who struggled with a liquid-only diet that she must not want it badly enough since she ate solid food isn't really fair, IMO. In addition to struggling with an addiction, we're also battling what comes naturally to the human body, which is to EAT. I haven't gotten to my pre-op diet yet, but I imagine it's going to be one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I think the best advice is to stay on plan as close to 100% as you can during the weight loss phase. However, I did eat a couple of off plan things during celebrations after I passed the 5 month post-op mark, and I was able to get right back on track the next day. For some people, one indulgence turns into a diet disaster that can last for days or weeks. You have to know yourself and your history to decide what the likely outcome of eating off plan will be.

What are your favorite post-op high Protein go-tos?
I've relied heavily on:
Dannon Light and Fit GREEK yogurts - 80 calories, 12g protein, 1g sugar - LOVE! vanilla is my fave.
StarKist tuna Single Serve Pouches - Lemon Pepper flavor has 18g protein. Also love Ranch, but only 14g protein in Ranch.
BabyBel Mini Mozzarella cheese - one little disc is 50 cals/6g protein
Quest Bars in chocolate Brownie. I eat about 1/3 at a time since the carbs are on the higher side. Love them!
Shrimp - cooked, with a touch of cocktail sauce.
Alaskan Snow Crab meat - OMG, so delicious. But a special occasion since it's expensive.

I don't want to be a pile of lose skin at the end of this journey. I am putting muscle behind the weight/fat loss. Diet and exercise all fit together for balance. If you play the right games with your self, it is all really fun. If you are a joy hating fun sucker, well you know, there isn't much I can do for you.

Oh got it. You eat incidental carbs and fat, just don't add them to your diet. That makes much more sense! Thanks for sharing. You eat very similarly to the way I did when j was in the losing phase except I still incorporated Protein Shake supplements because I couldn't eat enough to get my goal protein number without them.

Thanks for responding and for sharing :-). It took me a long time to add fruit to my diet. I ate veggies after the initial soft phase though. I have not had any whole grains. I do have a couple of treats that have processed carbs, but I have stayed away from most processed carbs for the past two years.

I really, really force the fluids. It helps that my two toddlers have me up every day at 6AM, so I get a very early start.
My daily menu is extremely boring! By saying, "I only eat protein," what I mean is, I have not incorporated in any type of vegetables or fruit, or even healthy grains of any kind, yet. I'm 10 weeks out and have no food texture restrictions now, but here's how a day typically looks
Breakfast - egg whites with shredded low fat cheese, or a Dannon Light and Fit Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (or any combination of those things, depending on how hungry I am/time of month.)
Mid-morning snack - Babybel Mozzarella mini cheese (or two)
lunch - any of these things: steamed shrimp, StarKist tuna pouch, grilled chicken, grilled salmon
Mid-day snack (if I need one) - another Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
dinner - usually fish/seafood or chicken again, similar to lunch. Lump crab meat, shrimp, salmon, tuna ...
I'm a creature of habit, so eating the same things for an extended period of time does not bother me. I know at some point it will, but for now, that's how I'm eating. I'm ever conscious that we have a honeymoon phase, and I'm taking full advantage of it. Right now, I am eating 90-100g of protein every day. Again, something I know I won't sustain forever. But, honeymoon phase.

What are your favorite post-op high Protein go-tos?
I've relied heavily on:
Dannon Light and Fit GREEK yogurts - 80 calories, 12g protein, 1g sugar - LOVE! vanilla is my fave.
StarKist tuna Single Serve Pouches - Lemon Pepper flavor has 18g protein. Also love Ranch, but only 14g protein in Ranch.
BabyBel Mini Mozzarella cheese - one little disc is 50 cals/6g protein
Quest Bars in chocolate Brownie. I eat about 1/3 at a time since the carbs are on the higher side. Love them!
Shrimp - cooked, with a touch of cocktail sauce.
Alaskan Snow Crab meat - OMG, so delicious. But a special occasion since it's expensive.

I really, really force the fluids. It helps that my two toddlers have me up every day at 6AM, so I get a very early start.
My daily menu is extremely boring! By saying, "I only eat protein," what I mean is, I have not incorporated in any type of vegetables or fruit, or even healthy grains of any kind, yet. I'm 10 weeks out and have no food texture restrictions now, but here's how a day typically looks
Breakfast - egg whites with shredded low fat cheese, or a Dannon Light and Fit Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (or any combination of those things, depending on how hungry I am/time of month.)
Mid-morning snack - Babybel Mozzarella mini cheese (or two)
lunch - any of these things: steamed shrimp, StarKist tuna pouch, grilled chicken, grilled salmon
Mid-day snack (if I need one) - another Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
dinner - usually fish/seafood or chicken again, similar to lunch. Lump crab meat, shrimp, salmon, tuna ...
I'm a creature of habit, so eating the same things for an extended period of time does not bother me. I know at some point it will, but for now, that's how I'm eating. I'm ever conscious that we have a honeymoon phase, and I'm taking full advantage of it. Right now, I am eating 90-100g of protein every day. Again, something I know I won't sustain forever. But, honeymoon phase.

@@AussieSam I only eat Protein, and I drink 100oz a day LOL. The more you burn the more you require!

I don't agree with this part at all, or, at least, that is definitely not my experience. Exercise makes me MORE hungry, because it results in your body requiring more energy in the form of calories.

What are your favorite post-op high Protein go-tos?
I've relied heavily on:
Dannon Light and Fit GREEK yogurts - 80 calories, 12g protein, 1g sugar - LOVE! vanilla is my fave.
StarKist tuna Single Serve Pouches - Lemon Pepper flavor has 18g protein. Also love Ranch, but only 14g protein in Ranch.
BabyBel Mini Mozzarella cheese - one little disc is 50 cals/6g protein
Quest Bars in chocolate Brownie. I eat about 1/3 at a time since the carbs are on the higher side. Love them!
Shrimp - cooked, with a touch of cocktail sauce.
Alaskan Snow Crab meat - OMG, so delicious. But a special occasion since it's expensive.

I think it's more like diet is 98% and exercise is 2%. Also, there is good evidence that exercise increases the appetite, not suppresses it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/exercise-benefits_b_1777630.html
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/phys-ed-why-doesnt-exercise-lead-to-weight-loss/?_r=0
http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2015/01/15/4162890.htm
"A provocative new study shows that a substantial number of people who take up an exercise regimen wind up heavier afterward than they were at the start, with the weight gain due mostly to extra fat, not muscle."
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/

My first meal was fat free refried Beans, about 1.5 oz. Your sleeve will definitely relax a bit more and you'll be able to eat more than five bites. Tomorrow is 10 weeks out for me, and I can already eat about 3-4 oz at a time now.

What are your favorite post-op high Protein go-tos?
I've relied heavily on:
Dannon Light and Fit GREEK yogurts - 80 calories, 12g protein, 1g sugar - LOVE! vanilla is my fave.
StarKist tuna Single Serve Pouches - Lemon Pepper flavor has 18g protein. Also love Ranch, but only 14g protein in Ranch.
BabyBel Mini Mozzarella cheese - one little disc is 50 cals/6g protein
Quest Bars in chocolate Brownie. I eat about 1/3 at a time since the carbs are on the higher side. Love them!
Shrimp - cooked, with a touch of cocktail sauce.
Alaskan Snow Crab meat - OMG, so delicious. But a special occasion since it's expensive.

You need some psychological healthcare. Simply sounds to me like you weren't ready for this and jumped into it way too fast. Too many people don't really think about the consequences of what this surgery means. See a counselor or psychiatrist. You have made some HUGE misstatements. You say you can never eat a healthy portion? and you've done so well, knowing what a healthy portion is, in the past? Healthy is a lot smaller than you think it is, otherwise you would not have been obese to begin with. This surgery takes the fun out of food, with good reason.
food is what you live ON , not what you live FOR.
This may sound like I am uncaring but I care a lot more than many might think. This surgery saved my life, no even more than that, it has given me a life to spend with my wife and friends.
A whole new world has opened before me, and it can for you too.
That life does not include being addicted to, and to run my life around, food.
Think about it, and go talk to someone.

What are your favorite post-op high Protein go-tos?
I've relied heavily on:
Dannon Light and Fit GREEK yogurts - 80 calories, 12g protein, 1g sugar - LOVE! vanilla is my fave.
StarKist tuna Single Serve Pouches - Lemon Pepper flavor has 18g protein. Also love Ranch, but only 14g protein in Ranch.
BabyBel Mini Mozzarella cheese - one little disc is 50 cals/6g protein
Quest Bars in chocolate Brownie. I eat about 1/3 at a time since the carbs are on the higher side. Love them!
Shrimp - cooked, with a touch of cocktail sauce.
Alaskan Snow Crab meat - OMG, so delicious. But a special occasion since it's expensive.

My first meal was fat free refried Beans, about 1.5 oz. Your sleeve will definitely relax a bit more and you'll be able to eat more than five bites. Tomorrow is 10 weeks out for me, and I can already eat about 3-4 oz at a time now.

I found that the hunger subsided once I started on solids. When I feel a mild hunger pang I now drink Water to hold off until my next solid meal.

Or just smile and say, "I have, thank you!" and be done with it!

The way I know I am full is when I feel like the last bite I took is sort of sitting right below my collarbone and not moving. It's not a feeling of wanting to throw up or something being stuck, but I can just feel that I've reached capacity. As of today, I am just over six weeks out.

Or just smile and say, "I have, thank you!" and be done with it!

The way I know I am full is when I feel like the last bite I took is sort of sitting right below my collarbone and not moving. It's not a feeling of wanting to throw up or something being stuck, but I can just feel that I've reached capacity. As of today, I am just over six weeks out.

As soon as it becomes legal, I'd suggest MANY people smoke a fatty to soothe what "ails" them.

Carbonation will NOT stretch your sleeve. It's AIR. Just like too much Water will not stretch your sleeve or eating broccoli, Beans or cabbage (all of which cause GAS) will not stretch your sleeve, air bubbles from a drink will NOT stretch your sleeve. It's a scare tactic, people.

Sleeves that are done correctly will not stretch. They will relax over time. They will give a little over time. Excessive overstuffing it will "stretch" the leftover fundus over time, but your stomach should never stretch out to even 1/4 of what it was pre-op and it certainly won't do it because of a liquid, even one with bubbles.


Carbonation will cause discomfort and lots of burping if you are lucky. In fact, it will cause me to hurl if I drink it too close to a meal. It can be hateful.

Follow your doctor's orders. If he doesn't allow it, don't drink it. Mine allows it. I drink it. I have to drink it poured over ice with some of the carbonation stirred out, but not flat by any means. If I drink it out of the bottle, I am ginormously uncomfortable until I burp and even then, I feel urpy.

I am two years out. I waited to drink it until I I was told I could and I only drink diet or SF. I'm not dead yet, I am at goal and have maintained it for over a year. It doesn't make me crave anything nor am I growing weird tentacles or horns. If you are afraid of the "chemicals", drink seltzer Water or make your own soda at home if you are so inclined. I have a hard time with the "chemical" argument personally, as long as my doctor is also allowing me to eat pre-packaged anything. But that's just me.