Proud2BMe

Yeah, The Whitman's uses Splenda too but when you check the ingredients they use lots of maltitol, a sugar alcohol as well. Pisses me off. Maltitol still produces the laxative effect. Not sure if Russell Stover's uses the sugar alcohols. I'll have to check on that.

Are you a smoker? Are you experiencing any heart complaints? I would go to the doctor because it may be a blood clot that traveled to your lungs. Just to be sure. Sooner than later. If you do smoke please realize that problems often hit suddenly, out of the blue. One day you can be fine and the next day you exhibit all the symptoms of emphysema or COPD. It may just be run of the mill fatigue and low energy from calorie restriction. Check with a doctor just to be sure.

So yesterday I see that there is some cool sugar-free candy available now. So I bought a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter cups, Hershey's special dark chocolate, York peppermint patties, and a box of sugar free Whitman's. I had one of each over about 3 hour period. Then I was attacked. I had diarrhea the rest of the day. Not a happy camper. It's the stupid sugar alcohols they use. Sugar alcohols produce laxative effects when supposedly eaten in large quantities they product negative gut problems. I seriously doubt that 4 candies eaten over 3 hours constitutes a "large quantity". My anger is justified because there is no reason for sugar alcohols to be included. Sugar alcohols are less sweet than sugar and are not calorie-free. Most just have slightly less calories than sugar but they are absorbed slower in the gut. There's no reason why companies just can't use a zero calorie sweetener. I love Equal and Splenda. I've also kept up with the research and know that almost all of the cancer causing claims are bogus, mostly because they caused bladder cancer in rodents. The problem is that the rodent urinary system is different than ours and these products do not cause cancer in humans. They even removed the cancer warning from Saccharine because of this. I don't plan on eating sugar free candy every day. However, when I do want to endulge I would rather not have to stay within 10 ft of a bathroom just because companies are using sugar alcohols instead of artificial sweeteners.

Crackers are a no-no food, especially during the weight loss phase. It's important to stick to a low-carb diet with the focus on Protein and non-starchy vegetables during the weight loss phase to maximize weight loss. Many people still don't realize that the weight loss phase is not permanent. Once it's over, it's over, meaning that you have reached the end of what the sleeve can do for you and if there is any additional weight that needs to be lost then you will have to do it the hard way, diet and exercise. Additionally, other than the fact that they are high in carbs, crackers are slider foods, meaning they slide right down your sleeve and do not produce the necessary restriction. As a result, it's possible to eat a large amount of them. I'm not saying you can't ever again eat crackers, just make sure you are eating them in moderation and not make it a daily thing. As you go further out from your surgery you will discover how every easy it is to sabotage your weight loss by eating the wrong foods.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

My doctor said no snacking. However, I occasionally snack. I just don't make it an every day thing. I think he was referring to not snacking during the weight loss phase. If someone was at the maintenance stage they may need snacking to maintain a stable weight.

Nope. But then again I had the sleeve and your pouch from the gastric bypass is far different from the sleeve produced in the gastric sleeve surgery.

My self confidence has changed drastically. I honestly do think we change because so many of us were prevented from fully expressing ourselves due to our size. Maybe not change but rather free to be who we were all along or something like that.

Pepperjack. I'm addicted.

Because 80% of the stomach is removed in gastric sleeve there is a huge reduction in the hunger hormone called ghrelin which is produced in the stomach. As a result, you won't be hungry for a very long time, talking like 6-8 months. This also coincides with the honeymoon phase of the surgery where you will quickly lose a large portion of the weight. However, this is not permanent. Eventually your hunger will return and your weight loss will slow and eventually stop. So it's very important to try to lose as much weight as possible during the first year or so. Since the lap band does not remove any portion of the stomach your ghrelin levels remain the same. As such, the average weight loss for the lap band is the lowest among the various bariatric surgeries available. The lap band also has the potential for more complications than the sleeve does.

Your body will begin to digest it's own muscles in order for it to have the Protein you need. However, as your muscles shrink your metabolism will slow down, so no more weight loss. Your hair, skin and nails will suffer. Eventually you will develop medical conditions. Supplement your diet with Protein shakes. There are many shakes, especially powders, that give 30 grams in one serving. So if you buys those then just 2 shakes a day will provide you with your daily protein needs.

Honestly, I did not have second thoughts. I think it was because I was self pay and I saved for almost year for the surgery. Because of such I already knew what I wanted and had to work hard to get it. I think people who do insurance may have more of a struggle with it. What I can suggest is to really make sure you are in the right place mentally speaking. I think for most of us weight loss is easy but that keeping it off is nearly impossible. So once you accept that truth, that yes, you can lose the weight on your own but likely will not be able to keep it off then you may determine that surgery is best for you. Now, the surgery won't prevent weight gain but it will help slow it down if you do mess up or get off track because you won't be able to eat the same quantities as before. But as I mentioned, get into the right mental state as I personally feel many of the people who fail do so because they jumped into the surgery without truly being prepared for it.

Do the pre-op diet. Here was mine: 1st Week: All the Water, tea, and sugar free drinks you want. All the broth you want All the sugar free Jello and sugar free popsicles you want Breakfast and lunch is a Protein shake dinner is lean, unbreaded meat on a bed of greens Week 2: Same as week 1 except for dinner substitute another Protein Shake. I lost 25 lbs during my pre-op diet but I know other people who lost more than me!

Stock up on broth, sugar free Jello and sugar free popsicles and then eat some when the urge s strong. Usually just eating these will help you a great deal. After three or four days you will adapt to the diet and it will become easier to follow. When you are done you will probably never want to eat broth ever again. I also got sick of jello but it helped me during the process.

Well, almost all *American* Chinese food is extremely high in carbs. An occasional treat is okay. I love Chinese food and so I adapt by ordering mainly chicken Chow Mein, which at the places I go to is mostly vegetables like cabbage, celery and bean sprouts with chicken. No rice, noodles, fried bread, etc. The only exception is I must eat the fortune cookie. lol Egg drop Soup is really good to eat as well.

I weight myself almost everyday because I want to be able to quickly correct myself if I gain. However, I can see how it may not be best for everyone to weight themselves every day. When you are in your honeymoon period and you weigh yourself every day you can literally see 1-3 lb loss a day, which is really exciting.

My question is, how long does it restrict how much you can eat? Is it 30 minutes? An hour? Getting under 400 pounds will get me close to a BMI of 50 and then my insurance will require me to pay for weight watchers which I know will be a farce. I think around 380 is when I start to hit 50 BMI. Around an hour. The only difference with having a sleeve or gastric bypass is that it only takes a small amount of food before you feel full. It still takes the normal time for that food to pass into your bowels before your stomach is empty again. But it's easy for people who want to cheat to eat almost all day long or eat food that quickly passes through the stomach. For example, ice cream is a big no-no because you can eat a ton of it since it melts and become liquid. Crackers, chips, popcorn, all become very mushy and easily pass through the stomach so people can eat a great deal of them as well. Your will get the most restriction from meat and non-starchy vegetables.

Check your carbs. While you are in the weight loss phase there is really no reason to eat carbs at all as they can stall your progress. As others have pointed out, get your sleeve checked to see if you may need a revision. If not enough stomach was removed then you will lose less than other people as you won't have the same restriction level. Finally, make sure you are eating enough calories. If you eat too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and will cling desperately to every calorie you have stored.

Not good. I don't eat bread a all. Too many carbs and hot dogs are highly processed and contain a great deal of fat. He is well on his way to failure. It seems as if he was not mentally prepared for this journey or that he somehow thinks the surgery is a magical cure and that it will do all the work for him. Talk to him and see if you can get him back on track. He needs to cut out the carbs and focus on Protein, preferably lean meat like chicken and fish. Non-starchy vegetables and no junk carbs like bread, potatoes, rice, Pasta, etc.

I needed to lose 200 lbs. So far I've lost 168 lbs and it's not even been a full year yet since my surgiversary. The weight loss percentages that you read are just averages. Some people will lose less, some more. It all depends on how dedicated you are to following the program and losing the weight. If you expect the surgery to do everything for you then no matter which one you chose you likely will not reach your goals.

The sleeve is just a tool. It's not a magic cure. You must get your eating addiction under control or else you will not be successful. All the sleeve does is restrict how much food you can eat at one sitting. There are ways to get passed this restriction, such as eating "slider foods", foods which pass right through your stomach and don't cause restriction as well as eating multiple times a day. So make sure you are committed to this before proceeding. Good luck to you. I personally would never do the lap band because there are too many risks of complications and the results are not that good for really heavy people. Now, many doctors won't do the sleeve on people who are excess of 400 lbs. So be aware that your doctor may recommend gastric bypass instead, or may make you lose weight until you are under 400 before approving you for the sleeve.

Yeah, if you got it down you are fine.

Hmm....never thought about the sodium.

Congrats! I have to lose 4 more lbs before I hit one-derland. So exciting!

I didn't know I had them until I after I lost the weight. I have a patch on my upper, inner right thigh. I had some spider veins on my lower calves but it's weird how I didn't know I had varicose veins until the weight was gone. Anyone else have the same experience?