Barry W

Thanks folks... the sleeve isn't an easy road to travel, but it is bringing results that I think are worth it. I appreciate the tips and the support that are given here at bariatric pal, so thank you :-)

I started dieting New Years Day, and was sleeved on Feb 29th. This morning I can declare that I have hit the milestone of 50b lost! :-) Still want to lose 50 more pounds this year, but I am hitting the gym for moderate workouts 3 days a week and walking 3 other days a week, and although I still need work, I am feeling and looking a lot better and moving a lot easier :-)

I also had a stall - started 2 weeks post-op and lasted for 3.5 weeks. If you can't drink a Protein shake, try to drink half of it. Then an hour later, drink the other half.

From what I have seen in the nutritional epidemiology literature, large studies have consistently shown that whole grains are beneficial for health. The well studied DASH diet, Mediterranean Diet, and even the American Diabetes Association diets all include whole grains. Of course there are still the caveats that carbs, even "good carbs" can stimulate appetite, and obviously people wind up in bariatric surgery OR due to appetite control issues... but to me, IF you have a handle on controlling what you eat, AND you can hold the line at modest portions of whole grains, you will be better off including them. A quote from one of the abstracts below: From JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Mar; 175(3): 373–384. "Whole Grain Intake and Mortality: Two Large Prospective Studies in U.S. Men and Women": We documented 26,920 deaths during 2,727,006 person-years of follow-up... These data indicate that higher whole grain consumption is associated with lower total and CVD mortality in U.S. men and women, independent of other dietary and lifestyle factors. A few sample references: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4429593/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3151731/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4119794/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3674216/

Total carbs are 16g per slice.

78lb lost in 3 months is fantastic, so first, congratulations on that :-) As to why you vomited, you have seen the pattern of your eating so far - what your capacity is and what foods give no problems versus cause some issues, and you know what you ate and how much that day, so if you had to guess, what do you think went wrong?

I write this with some trepidation, mindful of the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments that came in response to a person who recently had the temerity to discuss a bagel and cream cheese. I have recently discovered Arnold whole grain/double Protein bread and am judiciously incorporating this into my post-op diet. One slice of this bread with 1.5 Tbsp Peanut Butter gives 13g of protein, 3g of Fiber and 14g of healthy fats, for 2g of sugar and 240 calories. One slice with an XL cage-free egg over-easy in a non-stick fry pan gives 14g of protein, 3g of fiber and 7g of healthy fats, for 2g of sugar, 180 calories and 240mg of cholesterol. For me, having a slice of this bread with some high protein topping now and then breaks up the monotony of my diet.

I lost 16lb in the first 14 days, then stalled for 3.5 weeks. Recently restarted and have lost another 5lb. Also lost 28lb pre-surgery, so down 49lb in all.

Besides Protein in whole foods like poultry, fish, legumes, nuts and fat-free milk, there are all kinds of Protein Bars out there with 15-20g protein per bar and many without excessive sugar - just have to watch that. I usually find them in supermarkets next to the Protein shakes, which can get monotonous if that's all I use.

I got a waxed canvas lunch bag that looks a lot like a brown paper lunch bag, but is a little bigger, reusable and has a leather closure strap. It was a little overpriced for what it is, but I like the simple and flexible design.

I do feel hungry at times, and I also get cravings if I think about yummy foods at times. But, I can either just wait and the feeling usually goes away, or I can eat something sensible and I will fill up quickly due to my small stomach, so it's nothing I can't handle.

I do think that different people respond differently to the surgery. In terms of what you can control, I think the #1 thing is getting lots of quality Protein. hair is something like 90% protein, so if you want to grow it, you need to ensure you have the building blocks available - which are amino acids from eating protein.

Have you tried contacting the therapist that is likely associated with your surgeon's bariatric group? They may have the right experience to evaluate and advise.

I had a stall that began at 2 weeks and ran for 3 & 1/2 or 4 weeks (forget exactly). Now losing again, not quite as fast as those first two weeks (a pound per day), but it looks like maybe 3lb/week or so now.

Good that you haven't been vomiting - if your brain links the smell and taste of foods to vomiting, soon just that smell or taste may make you ill. I *think* that nausea in addition to discomfort after drinking or eating, means you are doing too much at one sitting - at least that's what my nutritionist told me when I brought this complaint. Try cutting portions in half - like half a Protein shake instead of a whole one and see if that helps.

I have never tried "energy drinks" or "vitamin waters" or the like. They are not natural and they seem to have all kinds of stuff in them that is not based on sound science, yet are marketed as essentially a medicinal product - so I worry that at best they won't be effective and at worst they may be harmful. Now I will drink tea or coffee, but I know what those are, and they aren't some witch's brew of caffeine, sugar, random chemicals, purported nutraceuticals and herbal supplements.

Don't shake your protein shakes to mix them up or the froth left on top will wind up as gas in your tummy

Fantastic, man - keep up the good work! :-)

Hi - just wanted to share that I was hating the taste of my crushed medications - bitter, sour and chemical tasting. I found that Trop50 orange juice (which has 50% reduced sugar) masks the awful taste of the crushed pills quite well. Still looking forward to the day I can swallow these pills without crushing again, but Trop50 makes taking them as powder passable.

So long as you are eating low calorie Snacks, like whole fruit, baby carrots, diet Jello, etc, I think that's fine. If you are thinking to snack on more substantial stuff, I'd suggest keeping a food diary and counting calories to monitor what's going on.

As others have said, you are only a week out, so not feeling back to normal, is normal. As far as "exercise" goes, stay away from anything that stresses the abdominal muscles, and start small and gradually work your way up. Maybe you start by just walking around the block, and the next week, you add another block to your walk, for example. I think it's good to start incorporating some activity into your second week, just don't overdo it at first.

I don't think those are irrational fears. To deal with them productively, I think you should come to view them as risks, and then work to manage/minimize those risks. For example, regarding anesthesia, make sure you are working with a high quality surgical team, and be sure to disclose completely any health conditions that you may have that could affect your risk and their approach.

I haven't hit our local bagel shop yet, but I will. They make absolutely awesome bagels - best I have ever had, and before my sleeve I could easily eat 3 bagels w/cream cheese when I got a bag to take home. I won't do that now, but eating 1 bagel isn't going to be the end of the world. You need to keep carbs low overall, but they aren't heroin.

I didn't use the painkillers much in the hospital, or at all when I went home. Pain was a function of what I was doing. Lying on my back, relaxed, I was reasonably comfortable right from the start. But getting in and out of bed sucked for the first two weeks During the third week, getting in and out of bed became more routine, and I began to be able to lie on my side without too much difficulty in bed. I am now 4 weeks out, and I still don't feel "normal" (no discomfort at any time), but feeling pretty good. I started walking outside for exercise the second week, and just had my first visit to the gym yesterday. I hope to feel normal by 6 weeks.

Listen to your body - don't overeat or overdrink, which can be very easy to do, despite how much you have probably been warned. If you are uncomfortable or nauseous, you have consumed too much too fast. You don't want to get to the in-pain or vomiting level. The Water and Protein guidelines are a target to aim for, but more important is not to overdo things Slow down and if that still isn't enough, it's okay to fall short of targets in the early weeks.