Cape Crooner

One last suggestion, cut out sugar and simple carbs ASAP. It will curb your appetite and make the entire journey a breeze!

I never went liquid, but was cut to 1700 calories a day as soon as I entered the program and 1000 for the last week.

I would recommend this. First of all, the sooner you drop lbs, the quicker you'll hit your goal. @@MarciaN on this site lost almost 100 lbs pre-opt (due to delays in getting cleared).

My surgery was a breeze and I think it was because I lost 30 lbs in 60 days pre-opt. This left plenty of empty space in my abdomen, which gave the surgeons plenty of room to move.

As I've said before "none of us are getting out of here alive!"

I can assure you that obesity will surely KILL US before we reach our God given day.

I can also assure you that of all the surgeries I've had (3), VSG was the quickest and least traumatic. I was in and out in under an hour. I was joking and watching the food Channel that night.

It really should be available to anyone with BMI over 30. You are truly blessed to have the opportunity for this life saving surgery.

PS: My mother and my wife both tried to talk me out of it pre opt. Both now concede they were wrong!

You can also visit with you PCP. If you have a complication, it's an emergency and likely covered one way or another...

I was October 6, 2015.

HW 281,

SW 251,

Goal 190,

CW 186.

Hit my goal a month ago and have been attempting to find a maintenance regime since.

My wife yells at me to "stop losing weight".

I'm doing a combo of strict days and loose days. So far so good.

Of possible interest to those who are now in maintenance is this BP post about a five-year study of sleeve maintenance performance.

"Benefits of Sleeve Gastrectomy Wane at 5 Years"

At http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/349472-benefits-of-sleeve-gastrectomy-wane-at-5-years/#entry3933756

This study's findings mean, to me, that my choice of maintenance model(s) matters considerably!

I have seen this study before. It mostly seems to talk about diabetes.

In one of my pre opt sessions, I asked the nut about failure.

For what it's worth, she said it was generally caused by grazing on bad foods. Eating small amounts of bad food continuously all day long.

As I think about model 2 above, it seems that it could lead to this sort of failure. Imagine eating a snickers bar every 45 minutes?

Face it, we all got here by eating too much of the wrong thing, even though our brains told us not too.

If we "pretty much eat what we want", how long will it be before we start eating more often and allowing our palette (rather than our brain) decide what we eat?

I am aspiring to #3, but only time will tell..

I stick with high protein/low carb. I allow treats on the weekends and holidays. It's a lifestyle change. I don't want to fall back into old habits.

I fully agree. If I allow carbs to drift into my daily diet, forget it! I'll just want more. This is particularly true for early in the day.

Cereal or toast for Breakfast, sandwich for lunch, and I'll be hungry all day. Stick to Protein and it's not hard to stay under 1,000 calories.

I'm 6 months and only went into maintenance a month a go. As long as I'm under goal, I do a combination of "yellow days" and "green days".

On a yellow day, I eat what I ate when I first got cleared for solid foods - about 1200 calories/day.

On green days, I "pretty much eat anything" and have some sugar free alcohol (vodka, whiskey, red wine). Still, thanks to my sleeve, I doubt it's more than 2,000 calories.

So far so good. In the event I go more than a pound or two over my goal weight, I'll go back on "red days" and log everything and target 1,000 calories.

So far, so good...

Prior to my VSG surgery, I thought alcohol might actually be the root cause of my weight problem. I now know that isn't the case.

Yes, alcohol does increase hunger and that puts me in a dangerous place, but as someone who only drinks vodka, whiskey, or red wine a few times a week, the empty 200-300 calories in a couple of drinks wasn't the problem.

My problem was misinformation about what was the right food to eat and what was causing me to gain weight. As a 40 year Atkins dieter, I would munch nuts, cheese, and dark chocolate with impunity when I drank. I would also consume these on days when I didn't.

I also think some people are fine with alcohol and some are not. From my experience, some people have a drink and want more, then more, then more. They wake up hung over and want another. For these people, abstinence is the best choice.

That's not me. When I retired, I acted like I was on vacation for 4 months. I drank every evening and by the end, I was no longer enjoying it.

I find that my level of enjoyment is a direct function of how long I abstain. I also find that the more I drink, the less I want another.

I have been back to drinking post opt for the last few months. I now drink less and more importantly, I plan what I'm going to eat when I drink and all the calories.

Finally, I'm not going to claim that alcohol is "good for me". The truth is that the vessels of clay that we call our bodies die a little every day. More likely than not, alcohol, a cigar, a marbled steak, Tylenol, and 15+ minutes of direct sunshine will all speed up our bodies clocks.

That said, I have news for everyone. "None of us are getting out of here alive".

If you had wls, you already made a huge deposit of extra lifetime in your bodies clock. Sure, abstinence might help you make it to 90 or 95 and if that's important to you, abstain.

Me, I'm happy knowing that I potentially added 15-20 years through my wls. It's all relative and I'll keep drinking socially because I believe the psychological benefits outweigh the physiological costs.

But that's just me!

I make it at home and use Panda Express Kung Pao sauce (25 calories/2 tablespoons.) The only thing you have to be careful of is the nuts in the stir fry, otherwise, it's all lo cal/carb.

I have a PF Changs nearby. If you look up the nutrients on their website, it's not hard to fill up on less than 400-500 calories.

I'm not sure I'd trust generic take out. Lots of cornstarch and sugar hidden by spices - proceed with caution.

I'm now in Maintenance. I'm using a combination of daily regiments. When I weigh in below my goal weight, I allow GREEN days; where I do my best, but don't log my foods.

When I drift above my goal, I snap back to my month 3 diet and log everything (no alcohol). So far this is working well, but mostly due to the sleeve restriction that kicks in regularly on green days.

No matter what color my days are, I'm getting in 70,000+ steps a week.

I wonder how many of the women who are advising the OP to leave her husband (or worse) are happily married to perfect men!

Hello All,

Thank you for all of your words of encouragement, support, and experience. I just wanted to update you on things. So, I had my surgery on Feb. 23rd. I'm 10 days post op, and 11 lbs down. I feel great about that.

I wanted to let you all know that my husband has been Amazing since the day I went in for surgery. He let me know that he did not agree or support the surgery, but he supports me. He drove me to the hospital, waited all day, stayed with me, came and visited the next day, brought me flowers, drove me home, went to the grocery several times, took over housework, and most importantly....he has been kind. I can see, and he has made comments that he notices the weight loss already. He has told me I look beautiful, and I can see he is making an effort to not be negative about the weight. As a Christian, we have the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in to all truth. He also chastens us when we are wrong. I believe He has been dealing with my husband, and that is in large part why he has been better about it.

My husband has shown me that he does love me. I don't agree with the pain he's caused me with the weight comments. But, I am trying to look at the bigger picture. And, I see a man who is trying to do better.

I have really tried to take your words to heart, and see myself as God sees me. What's hardest is my husband is just the most current person who has made comments, or made me feel bad about my weight. Every single person I have been with has had an issue when I've gained weight. They may not have been so aggressive or mean about it, but believe me....I know they didn't like it. I can't say I have the experience of being with someone with a weight issue. I have always dated fit people, and my husband is built like a model. So, maybe it would bother me too honestly. I don't really know.

Back to post-op.....it's HARD! I am hungry. I can't wait to add more food. I guess I was hoping I would just wake up and not be hungry anymore. That hasn't been my experience. I definitely feel hunger. I'm praying that goes away once I can eat more regularly. Part of the reason I had the surgery was to be free of the ravenous hunger that has always plagued me, the other reason was so a normal portion would satisfy me (hence I would maintain a normal weight). I have always (since I was 5 and skinny needed A LOT of food to feel satisfied).

So....we shall see. Thank you again for all of your replies. Good night and God bless!

As I guessed, your husband is just a guy, and most guys don't really know how to talk to women (eventually most just learn to fake it).

Similarly, most women "hear" things we men day, that we never intended!

In terms of hunger post opt, I agree that my surgery didn't do much to diminish my appetite either.

I used two other tools that always worked before - Protein and capsaicin.

I found that if I avoid carbs, eat Protein (some fat okay), and make everything spicy, my appetite says in check.

Hit my GOAL (190) this morning! Down 91 lbs overall, 62 lbs post surgery. My wife keeps telling me to STOP Losing Weight!

Unreal!

Not a snack, but a great food to have in your freezer is Trader Jors Riced Cauliflower.

I make faux fried rice with it and if you add enough seasoning, it almost passes for the real thing.

I sauté onions, peppers, and mushrooms in a little EVOO in a PAM coated pan. Them toss in one bag of "rice" that I've already warmed up in another pan.

Once it's warm, I add soy sauce and a little sesame oil, s&p until it looks right.

1/4 serving is probably a full cup and under 100 calories.

I'm 5 months out and have been able to eat a little more for a while. First month, a yogurt was my limit (5.3 ounces), now I'm around 8 ounces.

This is actually a very good place to be. I can eat out and not be that obvious. For a while, I was splitting with my wife (who is watching her weight and has lost 20 lbs along with me).

Sometimes I think I've stretched a little, but then I start to fill up after 4-5 bites.

I think the key is to focus in Protein cuz it's a lot of work to get down 75 grams per day without liquid or powder.

I also find that sticking to Protein really kills my appetite.

starting my preop diet tomorrow. Looking forward to March 7th will be attending some meetings after that. I think they really help. I think Im all set mentally. Any suggestions with this pre op diet. Will I lose any weight??

I was a total nut trying to not only follow all the pre opt diets, but beat them. The same with the first 6 weeks post opt.

I'm so glad, those 14 weeks took off the first 55 lbs and made the last 35 a breeze to lose.

I was 270 and needed to be 281 to qualify. I went on an eating binge, got to 281 and immediately after the weigh in, I went on an 800 calorie a day diet.

By the first meeting, I was back to 266 and they were very impressed.

Oh yeah, that was August and today I'm 192.

Think about it...

Ask them how many obese people they see walking around at 80 or even 75.

Show them the statistics. 1% of obese people lose weight on their own 99% DIE after complications beyond 50 years of age.

Tell them how much you've already done and tried on your own.

Cry and plead for their support.

You'll get it...

Having my surgery March 7th at NWH. Very scared too. Just want it over!!

I had my sleeve on October 6, 2015 at NWH. I have to say it was incredible. At one of the group meetings I attended, several people said that they woke up from surgery pain free. I did too.

I never had pain or nausea. Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe there is a reason they're #1 in NE (maybe the world).

I was also impressed that 9 surgeons did my surgery (all visited me in my hospital room 2-3 times) and I was unconscious for less than a hour.

The post surgery diet and Weightloss was a breeze - far easier than the 2 month pre opt ordeal - which I had to do on my own.

Today, I'm almost 5 months post surgery (251 lbs.) and 7 months overall (281 lbs). I'm optimistic that I will reach my goal of 190 lbs this weekend - I'm down 89 lbs this morning.

You have the toughest part behind you. You have made a great decision!

You can search my posts and comments for lotsa info, support, and hostility on this subject.

While many doctors have cited health benefits from moderate alcohol consumption, I don't think it has any real medical value. That said, I find it quite enjoyable.

Many programs say:

- Never drink

- Wait a year

- Wait 6 months

- Wait 3 months

- Wait 6 weeks

- Nothing on the subject

My surgeon recommended the sleeve (over RNY) for patients who plan to drink. The reason is simple - once you heal (6 weeks), you basically have a normal metabolism - except your stomach is puny.

RNY patients have more plumbing rerouting and thus have a greater chance of developing ulcers, although many RNY patients on this forum report drinking alcohol with no complication.

So, if you drink after VSG, you must follow all the same rules you SHOULD have followed all along:

- Don't drink to drunkeness and/or operate machinery.

- Don't ignore the potentially high calories in some alcoholic beverages (sweet drinks, most beers, etc).

- If you find yourself drinking everyday, watch out!

I would add, if you were a food addict before your VSG, you may be at risk for developing other addictions - including alcohol. That said, I suspect soda, candy, or chips would be a more slippery slope for a former food addict!

As long as you account for your calories, and meet you Water & Protein goals, it's no different than eating whole wheat bread, oatmeal, or sweet potatoes...

I am 2 pounds away from goal and trying to develop more of a maintenance plan. Although I drank most of my life, I seldom drank during the week.

My current thinking is to allow myself a limited number of Yellow and Green days.

Basically, I plan to count my calories and track my steps about 16 days a month. On these days, my calorie intake is limited to 1,000 a 1,200 with no alcohol (Red Days).

I will allow myself 12 Yellow Days a month. On these days, I will allow moderate alcohol consumption, but still track calories and activity. I will limit my calories to 8 times my target weight (about 1,500).

Finally, I will allow myself a couple of Green Days a month where I won't count calories at all.

So far this seems to be working well, stay tuned...

The trickiest part is the history of "trying". I collected everything I could find that proved I had had a problem for a long time and had tried to to deal with it myself and then wrote up something that read like a medical report.

I included dates and weights, scanned comments from my PCP proclaiming me obese and prescribing a low-fat diet, prescriptions to diet pills, and graphs from my fitness log.

This made it very easy for someone to use to prove that I had exhausted the self-help avenue.

Otherwise, you may have to going into a 6 month pre-opt program. Unless of course you're not quite ready...

What about Wine has anyone tried drinking a glass with any problems? I am 9 weeks post op and not wanting one right now but I would like one in the future like at 3 months.

Hi Betty,

I was where you're at around Thanksgiving and began moderate alcohol consumption again.

I was 216 then and now 193 - down 23 pounds or about 2 lbs a week. I am 3 lbs from goal. I also am finding that on days when I drink, I also end my stall and actually lose weight. At least that's been the case for 9 of the last 11 weeks!

It wasn't an easy decision because it was ahead of schedule per my program, although their advice was inconsistent.

Here are my own personal rules:

1. Don't drink everyday - even if you're only having one. This is good for your diet, your liver, and keeps you in full control and knowledgeable that you're on the safe side of any sort of addiction.

2. Log everything you drink and their associated calories. Stay within your calorie limits.

3. If you do this, you'll be limited to 1-3 pure drinks. I drink bourbon and Water, red wine, and vodka (all around 100 calories a drink). In the case of vodka, I started with a shot in a 12 ounce wine glass full of ice. I would let it sit for 10 minutes until it became vodka and Water. I am now adding seltzer water up front. I know that it is carbonated, but the vodka seems to kill the bubbles. It looks completely flat.

4. Wine (red) is the only thing I drink when I'm out to dinner. It is easy to sip one glass over the course of a 1-2 hour dinner.

5. I am on an antacid and since ulcers are the primary risk of alcohol consumption, I take it a few hours before my cocktail. Also, recognizing that alcohol is a diuretic, I make a point to drink extra water before and after.

I think the key is moderation and if you do drink, have a plan and stick to it.

Like most simple carbs, it's a slippery slope, so be aware and be careful!

Cheers...

I have been carrying these Kashi bars in my golf bag for lunch (one around the 5th hole and another around 14).

140 calories for 35 grams...

https://www.kashi.com/our-foods/snack-bars/kashi-chewy-granola-bars-chocolate-almond-sea-salt-with-chia