IncredibleShrinkingMan

Moe's Southwest Grill and Chipotle salads have been very good to me. So have most places whose sandwiches have a high meat to bun ratio that can justify just scrapping the bun entirely. Examples are Arby's max roast beef and Hardee's regular steakburger. I buy those and just throw them on some arugula.
That said, I have really used the sleeve as the opportunity to break away from those things and explore things I never would have thought to explore before. I consider this the beginning of me and food, rather than the end.

Certainly not off limits. smoothies run the gamut from calorie and sugar bombs to a great source of a complete nutritional package. They are just like salads...they are as healthy or unhealthy as you choose to make them. They can be extremely useful for getting your Protein (via powder) during liquid stage of post-op, and they can also be great ways to restart weight loss after a stall.

Moe's Southwest Grill and Chipotle salads have been very good to me. So have most places whose sandwiches have a high meat to bun ratio that can justify just scrapping the bun entirely. Examples are Arby's max roast beef and Hardee's regular steakburger. I buy those and just throw them on some arugula.
That said, I have really used the sleeve as the opportunity to break away from those things and explore things I never would have thought to explore before. I consider this the beginning of me and food, rather than the end.

God Bless Bariatric Pal!

+4 is not that bad...I had +9 at one of my visits and then came back down to loss territory by the final meeting. The psych said the nutritionist shared some concern with him, but he didn't think much of it. You'll be fine.

+4 is not that bad...I had +9 at one of my visits and then came back down to loss territory by the final meeting. The psych said the nutritionist shared some concern with him, but he didn't think much of it. You'll be fine.

@@gettinMeBack Could you provide us some of your dates, especially the date of your surgery and the date you hit your lowest of 130? I think people could give more pointed advice if you shared this. That said, I second @@Babbs and everybody else...you bit the toughest bullet and you have a new dawn ahead of you. Don't get down on yourself from having some relapse. I am speaking to you from a frustrating stall and I openly acknowledge that I am in this spot because I have been less careful than I was in the first few months out of surgery.

Thanks, @gettinMeBack. I think after two years, some weight regain is pretty common, so this is not all a terrible thing. What is just as common is for the regained weight to be lost. I am 6-7 months out now, and I am fully prepared for some regain when a year hits (I just hope I have some more loss before that point!). You actually did a nice job with the maintenance in the second year, so now I'd say just remember what worked for you then (what kept you in the 130-140 range and try to put it back into play. Good luck and congrats on the awesome weight loss!

I imagine he was not too supportive of the big decision you made to get the surgery. There are no room for people like that in your life. You will need time to heal, and you cannot let it get in the way of your mission here, but a guy who would pick up and leave at a time like this wasn't worth one day of your time in the first place. One day you may come to thank him (somewhat sardonically) for your weight loss success.

Be sure that once you find an exercise routine fairly easy, you change it up so that you keep getting the returns. Once your body gets used to a routine, it will expend fewer and fewer calories doing it each time. Stale routines cause stalls just as easily as consuming too many calories. Before you ever cut a single calorie, make sure you are doing everything right activity wise so that your metabolism stays revved!

Be sure that once you find an exercise routine fairly easy, you change it up so that you keep getting the returns. Once your body gets used to a routine, it will expend fewer and fewer calories doing it each time. Stale routines cause stalls just as easily as consuming too many calories. Before you ever cut a single calorie, make sure you are doing everything right activity wise so that your metabolism stays revved!

Great news. Good luck at home and on your journey back to work. Don't feel the need to rush anything...just enjoy your accomplishment and do everything when your body (not your surgeon) tells you to!

The things you are mentioning are among the last few things that will come back into your life...and you should not do anything to hurry them along because they are generally nothing but trouble. Please don't try beer until six months after your surgery. Some people have a much harder time, while others notice no difference in ability to consume alcohol without ugly consequences, but regardless of where you fall, please wait out the six months.
After about three months, go ahead and give thin crust and sandwiches with thinner bread a shot, but I guarantee that you will not want all of even a single slice or the entire sandwich bread. Eventually you will just start picking the cheese off the slice or the meat out of the sandwich. It really is a good feeling, and it is something you should look forward to instead of dreading.

You owe him no response about the therapist. If you have your own money and can manage on your own, just the fact that you are living there doesn't mean he is entitled to information and to manage everything. If he feels otherwise, he could've kicked you out by now. He hasn't, so it is tacit approval with no strings attached. In fact, start desensitizing him to it now...draw lines in the sand and declare that he isn't entitled to every piece of information he wants. And please, once you get it together, even if you accomplish all these things while living there, MOVE OUT. A little added stress and self-reliance is worth not living in a toxic environment for.

@@Chi2Htown
Where did you go? Brazilian steakhouse for me. Good luck with pre-op. The liquids really help control cravings so even if you weren't asked to do liquid, give it a shot!

You owe him no response about the therapist. If you have your own money and can manage on your own, just the fact that you are living there doesn't mean he is entitled to information and to manage everything. If he feels otherwise, he could've kicked you out by now. He hasn't, so it is tacit approval with no strings attached. In fact, start desensitizing him to it now...draw lines in the sand and declare that he isn't entitled to every piece of information he wants. And please, once you get it together, even if you accomplish all these things while living there, MOVE OUT. A little added stress and self-reliance is worth not living in a toxic environment for.

You owe him no response about the therapist. If you have your own money and can manage on your own, just the fact that you are living there doesn't mean he is entitled to information and to manage everything. If he feels otherwise, he could've kicked you out by now. He hasn't, so it is tacit approval with no strings attached. In fact, start desensitizing him to it now...draw lines in the sand and declare that he isn't entitled to every piece of information he wants. And please, once you get it together, even if you accomplish all these things while living there, MOVE OUT. A little added stress and self-reliance is worth not living in a toxic environment for.

You owe him no response about the therapist. If you have your own money and can manage on your own, just the fact that you are living there doesn't mean he is entitled to information and to manage everything. If he feels otherwise, he could've kicked you out by now. He hasn't, so it is tacit approval with no strings attached. In fact, start desensitizing him to it now...draw lines in the sand and declare that he isn't entitled to every piece of information he wants. And please, once you get it together, even if you accomplish all these things while living there, MOVE OUT. A little added stress and self-reliance is worth not living in a toxic environment for.

I think you should see what emphasizing Protein does for your cravings. You may find that you crave sugar so badly merely because you aren't getting enough protein. I think you will also find substantial improvement in this area once you begin the liquid phase, which, to be honest, really helps control general hunger pangs, not just for carbs.

All solids go down well, but any Soup that isn't essentially a clear liquid causes violent reactions and long food coma. I would have thought lobster bisque (I know, I know, awful choice) would be a slider food but it just sits there for the entire meal taking up the room I need for better Protein. Not going there again!

I wouldn't assume there is a leak. In your first week out, gas pains are very typical because of the CO2 with which the surgeon pumps your stomach to check for a leak. It seems like this would be mainly residual air from this step. To put your mind at ease, you would generally be experiencing sweats and elevated heart rate were there an actual problem with your staple line. Best wishes!

I think you should see what emphasizing Protein does for your cravings. You may find that you crave sugar so badly merely because you aren't getting enough protein. I think you will also find substantial improvement in this area once you begin the liquid phase, which, to be honest, really helps control general hunger pangs, not just for carbs.

Your sleeve empties out as quickly as it fills up. That's why you continue to experience hunger. I wouldn't start grazing, but it is fine to consider four to five smaller meals instead of three larger ones. I have also found that restriction peaks when you wake up and continues to decline throughout the day until bedtime. Obviously that isn't too helpful when trying to stick with Breakfast being the biggest meal and almost no calories before bed, but it's the way it is. Breakfast has just been too tough both sleeve-wise and time-wise, so I have generally been doing two lunches and two dinners (with the food from one standard lunch and one standard dinner), at the following times: L1: 11 am, L2: 2 pm (no Snacks in afternoon) D1: 6 pm, D2: 8 pm (very small snack or whatever is left over from that food no later than 10 pm), bed at midnight.

I thought this was a post-op thread initially...don't worry, you've made a great decision, just stay true and don't fret. 8 days out on the other side, you will literally be getting cold feet from a reduced caloric intake. Good luck with your surgery!

I agree with the post that said no grazing, but no small meals either. I have been letting the rules subside, admittedly, but thankfully, I have not yet paid any price as I am still losing at about 1 lb/wk at six months out (Saturday surgiversary). Try very hard to change up the types of food you have. For me, anyway, any carbs and sugar leads to more cravings (although thankfully not for more carbs and more sugar, but for protein). You will be surprised how many rules apply whether one has had surgery or not. Tough textured Protein is by far the best food to eat to eliminate cravings and achieve satiety.