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Damn helpful visual @@jenn1 I'm at 6 months and getting closer and closer to my goal. Was given an "attaboy" from my surgeon last week and told to up th portion size. I splurged a couple times over this weekend at work. We'd ordered out for our lunches. Instead of eating only the toppings off the pizza......I had the whole slice....two slices, in fat. Next day's lunch.....instead of just eating the bbq, I also had the bread that accompanied it.....and the hash with some of the carb sides. I say that to say this.......I am smack dab in the middle of my weight loss phase and I brought bread & carbs back into the mix in small amounts for a three day period. I weighed this morning and was not surprised at all with the horrid sight on the scale. No surprises that the number that looked back at me wasn't to my liking. I rationalized that I needed the glycogen for my weight training sessions this weekend. So much for my bullcrap broscience. I was a dumbass and there was my sign. Sometimes in life things get real simple for us. Such is the case with weight loss....... Cause......and effect. Guess what this old boy is having this week........protein first......protein last......protein all in between. Gonna get a healthy dose of treadmill and elliptical, too. Bamsucka. Fell off the horse, but back on it and gonna ride that beast bareback until it can't take any more......then I'll hop off and drag it across the finish line. Carbs......piss on 'em.

Wow......this one got pulled from the archives and the dust blown off it.....and here it is. I tried to read through a few pages of it......and had to stop. "I'm fat and it's not my fault" is sort of what I walked away with. All I know is that I'm certainly fat and there may be a number of reasons why.....however, there are plenty that are within my span of control and I am working on those and trying to gain control over the rest of the reasons. I value the insight, assistance and constructive criticisms that come forth from other BP members. Hopefully the OP of this thread found a way to do likewise and will update us with their current state at some point. There is likely a lot we could learn from them..........

I can remember somewhere after that first week when I busted out the unjury chicken soup powder and made that first "bowl" of soup. The savory flavor went so far beyond the simple Protein shakes.....so far. It's like it reached in my head and slapped me awake. Now if I'd have thought of it and had proper egg drop soup.......DAYUM.....I may have had a foodgasm right then an there. I hope your soup is good.....I'm sure it will be. At the suggestion of a friend, I recently tried a brand new local Chinese spot two weeks ago. Their stir fry was beyond good.....crisp vegetables mixed in with chicken and steak that were perfectly done.......but......but, their soups were on a whole 'nother level of goodness. I'm so dang glad I found out a out the spot and really, really glad that I tried 2 of their 5 soups available. Soup has become a frequent choice of mine in the post-op life. I fish out the meats and have some of the tasty liquids and get great flavor with few calories.

OUTSTANDING !!!!! What an a great year you've had. Simply amazing. Good for you. You've got to be feeling great 'cause your certainly are looking great. Well done !!!

You are doing really well on the weight loss and in becoming a label watcher. Very, very important habit to get in. Staying under 50 grams of carbohydrates per day seems to be very reasonable to me. The carbohydrates are almost always displayed on the labels in a way that even breaks down the carbohydrates into sub categories. Fiber is one of these. Sugar is another. Embrace those wonderful fiber grams. Shun the sugars just like you are. Fiber carbs can be removed from your totals. Our bodies don't process fiber carbs and they provide great benefits to us, both short term and long term. I supplement with fiber powders every few days. The orange flavored Metamucil stuff works great and tastes really good, too. Using your app.....and using your own savvy when checking those labels is a POWERFULLY helpful tool in your future life. I would submit that it may even be the MOST important tool any of us could add to our post-op arsenal. I'm only 6 months out and I feel that the constant awareness of exactly what I eat and how it adds up every day is a tremendous part of this war on the fat that has collected in my body over the past several years. You are doing great and approaching things with a good battle plan.

Your thread opens with, "husband is the love of my life". Then goes on to say, "I'm 5-6 weeks pregnant" (after trying for 10 years) Those two are blessings in and of themselves. Being with the person who you can publicly say without reservation as being the love of your life......amazing.....wonderful....POWERFUL. To be able to have a child together.......divinely powerful. Everything else quickly becomes hurdles to work through.....obstacles an pitfalls to navigate around. I am surely not making light of these obstacles......BUT......they can be overcome. Your sleeve will tolerate a wide ranging diet and you will go onto motherhood as you've wanted to. The timing may be far from ideal......but you know you have great love for and from your mate and that will be a source of strength for you throughout the time ahead.

I really enjoy jerky, too. When I first read the title of your thread I mistakenly thought you were awaring us of Quest Nutrition now making jerky.....dayum....was hoping for such. Their chips and Protein bars are the clear category winners for me. I can't get into turkey jerky......tried it and tossed the bag in the trash. Beef jerky, though.....a good staple. I keep a bag or three in my desk drawer at work.....along with several packs of flavored tuna. I know that if nothing else I have rations on hand for a couple days of work meals. I do like the macros of the jerky you posted. Good stuff, there. I'm shocked at the wide ranging carb content among the choices available on the supermarket shelves. I have to sort through it carefully.

I'm laughing at the pickle sucking images that come to mind...... Glad you feel relieved. Later on....after you advance onto solid foods you'll be able to enjoy them with no problem. They come as sides to a lot the stuff I order at work cafeteria or in restaurants......chicken sandwiches, burgers, etc. I'll eat the burger or chicken and then have the pickle as sort of a dessert. Works for me. Hang in there.....you are going to be amazed at how easy this wls is to live with down the road. So easy to find a way to win.

Been rocking the flip flops since a recent cruise. Bought them at a surf shop on the way to the port. Those....a bathing suit.....and a beach towel were my uniform for poolside bars for a week. Still enjoying them while back at home where the weather has been glorious. Came home from work last night and couldn't find my new flip flops.......seems that my son has discovered them and is calling them his. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr Okay....okay......fair. I'll play his silly little game. See.....I'm now buying and wearing some 2xl sized polos and t-shirts. My son wears xl sized and owns some really, really cool shirts. In my best Yoda voice I awared him of the state of things now....and of the future, "My flip flops you wear now......your shirts I will wear soon......do.....do not....there is no try". Or something like that..........

Hey.....it's possible that he wanted the bread and ice cream for himself ???? The pre-op and short term post-op liquid times filled my family with trepidation and concerns. They voiced concerns over this being how I'd be living......and not grilling and cooking for them anymore. Their concerns were eased up, as I advanced through these stages and onto the real way of eating that I've settled into. I cook and grill often and the main entree's are what I enjoy, while making additional side dishes and Desserts for them. I stayed outa the kitchen during my liquid diet phases, though. And outa the grocery stores. All totaled this was a 5 week time period.....just Protein powder or protein pre-made shakes. You'd not believe the stuff they stocked the shelves with during that period.....all sorts of sweets, chips and junk food that could have been insanely tempting.....at a time when I really wasn't needing temptation. It all worked out. Reaching past the family's junk food to grab my canisters of powder soon filled me with pride. I'd become galvanized and singular in purpose. That 6 weeks was a major turning point for me. Weight started falling off at a great rate.....5 pounds/week.....double the rate I'd already been losing while on my bariatric program's diet leading up to that point. I'm grateful for that time frame. Fighting the temptation battle within the safe confines of my own home.....facing that and coming out on top.....at home.......forged my willpower and made facing the same temptations out in public, at work, at play around strangers, in restaurants, etc.....made me stronger and better for it. As cool as it would be if our families fell into step with us in those early days......it is simply not realistic. They have fears and act out. My wife and son are normal sized. They fit the height/weight charts. Heck, my son is undersized and needs to eat significantly more, in his doctor's opinion. I've read time and time again of our the tales of friends on here at Bariatric Pal......case where their families went the opposite direction than they did.....really amping up the temptation. Guess what? Most of those BP friends went on to be the most successful at their wls results. Some of them even continued to shop and prepare meals for their family during their own liquid phases. I couldn't do that particular act, but have huge respect for them. Just consider it a mini-test that you are able to address within the safety of your own home. Nobody there to judge you for simply standing there with the fridge open.....looking that junk food in the eye.....and cussing out loud at it.....flipping it the bird.....and reaching past it to get to your Protein Shakes.........

Awesome !!!! I had some pulled pork today for lunch, too. A buddy did a real deal no kiddin pit in the ground pig cook and brought in tons of it for us at work. I'm glad your's was great and grinning that it reminded you of me. Sounds like perfect times !!!!

Never did the puréed phase. Nothing about it appealed to me. Just stayed on the liquids a couple weeks longer.

Most of my eats are representative here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/357500-9-weeks-out-and-loving-lifegrilling-my-back-out-this-weekend/page-17 I don't eat a lot of what is posted due to carb content.....but if you sift among the meats in there you pretty much get an idea what I portion out and take along for meals at work.

You can have all of that later on with the sleeve. No need to say goodbye. Well.....I've never really been a fan of strippers, but that's just how I roll. If ya like 'em.....then go for it. Cake and ice cream were things I enjoyed in my old life. Now.....I can eat them in moderation if I so chose to. I do not, however, want them nor do I crave them anymore. I am thankful that my relationship with food is different now. Food is fuel. I chose better grades of fuel than the junk food type. I now crave salmon and grilled chicken and such. I'm so grateful for this development. Your sleeve will likely tolerate way more options that you own future desires will. This is good stuff.

Will I be able to ? Perhaps. Will I ever want to ? I can safely answer that now......the answer is a firm NO. I am very comfortable in how I approach meals without drinking. It's second nature and there is a benefit in following this. I will continue with this method. I usually don't stop drinking very long prior to eating....maybe just a couple minutes or so....but I wait 35-45 mins afterwards to resume drinking....always and every time. It's simply more comfortable living this way.

I was a tough stick with IV's prior to wls, too. Now....they can spot the vein they want to go for from across the room. Funny development. Veins are emerging all over my body. I've had several surges to repair knees, ankle and hernias over the years. Misadventures each and all. I was doing stuff I enjoyed when the injuries occurred.......yet surgery resulted from my fun. Somewhere along the way a surgeon ordered a pre-op sedative.....Valium.....for me to have the prescription filled prior to my surgery date and to take in the morning of my surgery as I'm getting ready and another dose for when I arrive at the hospital. This worked so dang well that I request it every single time pre-op. Every time. Works like a champ. I arrive calm and ready to get stuck and on with the show.

I took 3 full weeks off. The biggest reason was to heal the umbilical hernia that was also repaired during my VSG surgery. I'm glad I did, too, as early in that third week, I was very weak and discovered my blood pressure was running crazy low.....low for the first time in my adult life. lol. A medication reduction and I was instantly fine and have been since. Had I just had the sleeve alone.....two full weeks may have been just fine had I not had the blood pressure issue to deal with, too.

@@erinkath you are certainly not alone in your dislike of the pre-op diet. I think that Kinda was spot on in his reply, too. I used pre-mixed shakes on work days.....just easier to handle and mixed my own using powder and Water on my days off. I had 3-4 a day. I did use unjury chicken Soup flavor powder some, too. When mixed with warm-hot water it was a nice savory change over the other shakes. Water....water....water. It was my friend. I did not go caffeine free on my plan....surgeon was okay with that. I was not allowed salad, milk or anything like that. I'm glad....as I'd have been chomping on stuff and surely add in items that I shouldn't have. One thought keep resonating around in my skull during the pre-op liquid diet......one main thought. It was a tremendous fear. It was the visions of watching the surgical videos from our seminars. Seeing the part of the surgery where the liver is lifted out of the way was scary. Both times I went through this seminar (two different bariatric programs prior to my surgery....as I switched surgeons....switched bariatric centers)....both times....the surgeons stopped the presentation with this image on the screen......they drove home the point about easily damaged the liver can be from raising it up and holding it there throughout the process. They emphasized how critical it is that we remain vigilant during our pre-op liquid diet in order to shrink the liver as much as possible. They each recounted having patients that they had to abort the surgery up getting to this point due to their assessment of the patient's liver at this time. I did not want to be that guy.....the one who wakes up in recovery to find that his surgery was aborted. Now....the above scenario was a worst case scenario that the surgeons portrayed.......but it hit me like a hammer. It was a singular reason to adhere to the liquid diet. It was enough. My pre-op liquid diet was 14 days. I lost 10 pounds during that time. This followed losing 45 pounds in the four months prior after starting my bariatric program. That is a big change in rate of loss and was a very pleasant byproduct of adhering to the diet. It had me rolling into my surgery with confidence and momentum. Please.....consider this your way to take action.....to own your safety.....to do your part to ensure a safe surgery. You will find the same liquid diet is a piece of cake to adhere to after surgery. So easy, in fact, that I stayed with it for 4 weeks vs the normal 2-3. I had no desire to do the puree phase as I was completely satisfied with the liquid and the rate of loss. I didn't then......nor do I now....have any type of hunger. None. If I get the urge...it is in my head and not real. I wish you the best and know for certain that you can do this.

My insurance sucks royally in regard to WLS. They only cover the surgery at 50%. Funny fact......if I'd used my insurance, I would have had to also pay $28,000 out of pocket myself. By self-funding 100% of the cost of my surgery.....I only had to pay $20,000 out of pocket. Ridiculous game, but one I'd play again and again in order to have my sleeve and begin regaining not only my health but my life back.

My regrets mirror those voiced by others in here already.........the list is short: I regret not doing it sooner. I regret having crappy insurance and having to self-fund the entire procedure. That is it. Short list.

Thanks, Jane. Howdy, Mike !!! Welcome to a really wonderful resource and a top notch group of folks. There is so much support to be found here that it will give you confidence in knowing that you are not alone......not at all. Great folks on this site. Welcome to a great new life.

I had my surgery around 9:30am. I was released the next afternoon at 4:30pm. Very smooth and easy recovery. Since I also had an umbilical hernia repair I allowed 3 full weeks before returning to work.

Yup. I've had this happen more than once recently.

I was given the approval to have diet sodas yesterday in my 6 month appointment so long as I was getting in all my Water. I've been so long without the diet sodas and feel much better for it......I don't think I'll return to them. Water is great to me....have zero problems drinking it and can't understand how folks "can't drink it". I know it's a real concern for them....just one that I can't grasp. There are numerous flavoring options that are easily available.