gemigirl

My nutritionist said popcorn is a slider food so it's not great to eat, but I could try it at 3 months post-op. I have it once in awhile but it's definitely a slider, which is annoying! I measure and track.

Sales. Loft, banana Republic, Old Navy - they often have significant sales where you can stock up quite cheaply.

The three week stall is infamous! It sucks but you'll get through it. There are lots of good reasons why it's happening and none of them have to do with anything you're doing, so keep following your program, trust the process, etc.

This article was immensely helpful to me.

4 hours ago, Sugarnspice said:

How soon did you start the gummies ?

It was pretty recently - mAybe 4 months out? Prior to that I had miralax every day, and I wanted to get away from that.

Just had my third hideous bout of Constipation since surgery. Totally my fault because I got out of my routine last week and was somehow incapable of getting in enough Water. Miserable! Miralax is the key. I also have take Fiber gummies and probiotic gummies.

You're not going to need much. This is all I used: lip balm, underwear, and my iPhone and charger. They had everything else I needed (grippy slipper socks, toiletries, lemon swabs for dry mouth, etc). Also I'm a germaphobe so I didn't want to bring my own PJs or pillow in there - but absolutely have a pillow in the car for the ride home.

Another thing to keep in mind is not eating for longer than 30 minutes at a time. Set a timer and once 30 minutes pass, stop. You can always go back to the leftovers in a couple of hours. Once 30 minutes has passed the food starts to empty from the sleeve, giving you more space to consume more calories. Weigh, measure, time.

popcorn is a slider food, which means it doesn't close the pyloric valve and goes right through. You can eat lots of sliders, no problem, unfortunately! At 4 weeks stick with the plan as close as you can. Weigh, measure & track everything.

I don't think you're eating enough. I was sleeved 9/19 and I eat 5x a day, around 1000 calories. I aim for 80-100g of Protein and then the rest in carbs and fat. What are you doing for exercise?

10 hours ago, francesalisha79 said:

Thanks! That makes me feel a lot better! Do you track your calories by any chance? Just asking cause it is seriously crazy how fast eating Protein jacks your calories up LOL.


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Yes, I track everything in My Fitness Pal too! I recently changed my calorie goal to 1000 and am able to get nearly 100g of Protein a day, which I didn't think possible a few months ago. Some days are more carby though hehe. I think 1000-1200 cals per day at 6 months post op sounds right. Think about how we were eating before - I had 2500-3000 calorie days on the regular! So glad I'm not there anymore.

You will be able to eat more and more as you progress through the first few months post-op. This isn't unusual and it's nothing to panic about. My nut says I can eat a cup of food at a time now that I'm 5 months out, and generally, she's right. I couldn't eat a cup of dense Protein like chicken, but I can eat a cup of Soup or yogurt, which pretty much go right through.

With regard to stretching - personally (and based on what I've read/seen) I don't think it's stretching as much as it is eating around the sleeve. Imagine my surprise when I decided to have "a few" potato chips. I counted out a serving, tracked it, and was not even a little affected by the intake. I could have eaten the whole bag! You've heard of slider foods - well, believe me, they are a thing. Because sliders don't close the pyloric valve they slide right through and your capacity is much higher. Obviously this increases calorie intake and voila - weight gain ensues.

One rule I don't break is drinking when I eat. This will also cause you to eat more than you should because it pushes food through the sleeve allowing you to accomodate more volume.

I'm not perfect - I eat small pieces of chocolate here and there, I have popcorn and chips once in a great while, sometimes I'll have a small piece of bread with butter. 95% of the time, though, I follow my plan and I measure and track everything in My Fitness Pal (even the popcorn and chocolate!) That, to me, is the key - being aware of everything that I'm eating. Presurgery I ate with abandon, and that's never going to be the case again.

It's really hormonal and there's little we can do to control it. I ended up getting 5 inches chopped off because I couldn't handle the hair everywhere. It's still falling out pretty good but at least I look sassy!

Size 10 - WOOT!!!

Yes, liquids, purees and soft solids will be different than a denser Protein like chicken or steak. liquids really pass right through, so don't be concerned about being able to tolerate water/shakes - in fact, you should be thrilled! Istill struggle with Water intake. Once you move towards denser foods you will really feel the restriction. In the meantime, as others have said, dilligently measure and track everything. You can get a food scale for 10 bucks.

Sleeved 9/19. Currently in a 2 week stall but Shark Week is 10 days late and I am bloated Very grateful for this journey. I was told I can do any and all exercise that I found tolerable, @tgw4138. I run 3 miles, 3x a week, do yoga, step and bodypump the other 3 days. I started running at 200 lbs - not sure why they don't want you to unless it's because it makes you hungrier (or at least it does me!)

I just increased my MFP settings to 1000 calories per day. Most days I exercise by doing a 3 mile run or a step or bodypump or yoga class. 800 calories was no longer cutting it for me. I'm 5 months post-op.

That sounds about right, I was told at this point (I'm 5 months out) I'd be able to have about a cup of food. Sometimes it depends on what exactly it is but that burger probably is about a cup if that. Think of how the bun can squish!

Are you allowed solid food at this point of your post-op diet? If so, then you didn't cheat. You made a choice. Personally I eat pizza now and again. I usually have 1/3 of the crust (the bottom, soggier part) and most of the cheesy topping bit. Prior to surgery I would have had two huge slices, maybe three. I didn't go through this to never have pizza again, especially since pizza is my favorite food! I track it and make concessions in other areas the rest of the day. This is a tool and life change, not torture

I do a fairly big shop every six weeks or so (although now that I'm slowing down on losing, that's going to change ). Now that I'm in "regular" sizes I go to Loft, banana Republic, Kohl's and Old Navy. I use coupons and look for sales. Right after the holidays I bought three dresses, three blouses and two pair of pants for under $100. You just have to look for sales and check the clearance racks, and watch for coupons/supercash/Kohl's cash etc.

I ate them frequently during my puree stage, as they were allowed on my plan; not so much now because I can eat quite a bit more! I put 10g of unflavored whey Protein in them and topped them with lowfat gravy. Yum! Check your surgeon's food list to be sure they're allowed for you, of course.

I'm on the same timeframe as you and I'm totally stalled. I haven't had my period since 2 weeks before surgery so I'm very late - and I'm pretty sure that's what's causing my plateau. I've also started upping my calories and eating more frequently, and I'm already lifting those tiny little 3-5 lb weights. I'm sure we'll both be losing again soon!

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I'm 99 percent sure they weren't judging you. I've been going to the gym 3-6 times a week for 10 years, even at my heaviest. After you see the same people there a few times, you'll feel more comfortable chatting with them - it's one of my favorite places

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I don't think I had thrush. I think that during the first 2 weeks post-op, when I was on liquids only, I got gross "furry tongue" from being in heavy ketosis and not chewing anything. It was DISGUSTING. I got a tongue scraper and went to town 2-3 times a day, which helped immensely.

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I weigh everything and enter it into my fitness pal. As the day progresses I typically need to eat 5-6 times to get everything in - I still cannot get past a 3 ounce meal of soft foods. So if I want to get my Protein in, I have to graze for now.

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So sorry that happened to you! What sort of problems were you experiencing?

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You will be under lifting restriction for 6 weeks, typically - no more than 15 lbs.

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