blizair09

My dad was diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma and is in the third month of six months of chemo. And we don't know if this will work. So, I understand your stress. I'm sorry, and I hope that everything works out. It's good that you recognize what is happening, but it is on you to stop it. I suggest talking to a psychologist and a nutritionist. Disrupting your journey isn't going to help your mom at all. You have to change your relationship with food to be successful, surgery or not. Good luck to you and your family!

Great post!

My partner and I toured SE Asia for 3.5 weeks in December/January (about 3 months post-op for me). Because I had long before changed my relationship with food, it was no big deal. I did have to come outside of my protective food bubble, and work to make good choices with what was available, but I did just fine (even though the food I did eat sat very heavy in my stomach a lot of the time). I actually lost 13 pounds during that 3.5 weeks. The key is to make your trip center around something other than food or drink (even at a food and wine festival). Go and have fun. Good luck!

I reminded myself that it had been 18 years since I weighed under 200 pounds. No regrets!

@@JamieLogical Good points!

I concur with @@JamieLogical and @ronniethegreat. That is not a good idea at the current stage of your journey. Good luck!

I agree with you, but at 7 weeks post-op, how much working out can you do? I know that everyone's plan is different, but most people (at least from what I have seen) aren't cleared for that kind of activity at 7 weeks.I'm only 9 weeks out from my sleeve surgery..I do everything..15,000 steps a day plus elliptical, weights, yoga, jogging..no problem. Our team cleared me for heavier workouts besides walking 4 weeks out. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Fair enough -- everyone's plan is different. I wasn't cleared for anything other than walking for 8 weeks, and I've heard and seen that number a lot. I haven't seen anything in the thread that implies that the OP is strenuously working out, so 1100 calories might be a little high at her current stage if that's the case. A lot of people overestimate the calories they burn with exercise, and it ends up hampering weight loss instead of helping it. According to my team, the majority of weight loss is about consumption. This journey is very personalized. Although I am well aware of that fact, I have to remind myself of it daily.

I do! I am militant about everything that goes into my body and my routines that are necessary to support my goals. I eat around 1000 calories per day; I keep my carbs below 20 grams per day; I keep my Protein at a minimum of 100 grams per day; I drink 120 oz of Water each day, and I walk a minimum of 5 days per week. I had my surgery September 28, and I have lost 161 pounds so far (99 pounds during my six-month pre-op diet program and 62 pounds since the surgery). That is 75% of my excess weight gone and I just hit the 4 month mark on Saturday. Good luck in your journey!

I agree with you, but at 7 weeks post-op, how much working out can you do? I know that everyone's plan is different, but most people (at least from what I have seen) aren't cleared for that kind of activity at 7 weeks.

1100 calories seems like a lot for 7 weeks post-op. I'll be 4 months post-op on Saturday, and I don't hit 1100 calories most days. (I am usually between 1000-1100, but rarely 1100 or above.) At 7 weeks, I was in the 800-900 calorie range. (I didn't hit 1000 calories for a few weeks after that.) 800-1100 is a pretty big range. How often are you at the high level of that range? How many carbs are you eating every day? How are you doing with your Water goals? These are questions that I would ask myself if I were you. They might paint a picture of what is going on. Stalls and fluctuations are going to happen -- it is just a part of the process. But we have to do everything we can do to set ourselves up for success.

I have lost 161 pounds total -- 99 pounds during my six month pre-op diet program and 62 more pounds since my surgery on September 28.

I abstained from alcohol for a total of 9 months (my entire six month pre-op diet program and the first 3 months post-op). I had some drinks during a 3.5 week trip to SE Asia in late December (3 months post-op for me). I, of course, stayed away from anything with sugar. I mostly had a few whiskey and Water drinks and some red wine. On those days, I had mostly Protein shakes to minimize calories and carbs but to still meet my protein goals. It certainly isn't going to be a regular thing for me, but from time to time, it isn't going to hurt my progress. I lost 13 pounds on that trip, even with the drinks. (Just drinking Protein Shakes all day on days that I will have some alcohol sucks, but I definitely think that plays a role in making the whole thing work.) You'll get a lot of different replies to this question quite likely. Many people think you should abstain until maintenance. My advice is to talk to your medical team, get their advice, and make a well-informed decision. That's what I did. Good luck.

I would stay off of the scale for the entire first month. Your body is recovering from a trauma; you were pumped full of air, and you are living on liquids. Stick to your plan and trust the process.

At Sam's, they were in a display out in the main aisle outside of one of the food aisles (one of the non-perishable food aisles).

ParmCrisps (very small baked parmesan cheese rounds) are nice for a little crunch. They have virtually no carbs and 15 of them have 9 grams of Protein and 100 calories. I have 5 of them once a day with some string cheese (33 calories, 0 carbs, 3 grams of protein). I could see how they could be sliders for some people, and they don't give you the most "bang for your buck" protein-wise, but they do provide some crunch and variety. That's why I just do 5 per day. I bought mine at Sam's Club, but I'm sure you can find them in other outlets. Good luck!

I have never weighed a single food in my life and I wonder about my ability to keep to it. Then I saw your post , your comment, and yours stats. Congrats and thank you for being the example I need to follow. Thank you for the sweet compliment! It really does become a habit after a while. And I have found it to be quite intriguing. It is amazing what passed for "normal" portions in my old food life! Good luck!

It is a weight versus capacity issue. I weigh everything. If it goes in my body, it has been weighed to the nearest tenth of an ounce or gram.

I know it sounds cliched, but you have to sip constantly throughout the day and be militant about it. The food stages are really a full-time job for the first several weeks. That is why I took six weeks of medical leave from work after my surgery.

I have set amounts that I weigh exactly and eat during the day. I usually have 3 oz of food total during my meals since I know that is less than my sleeve capacity. (The only exception to this is when I have cottage cheese twice per day. I do have 4 oz of it, but because of the consistency, it hasn't caused me any problems.) I eat 7-8 times throughout the day. This strategy has worked really well for me.

@@gpmed While I am not nearly as far out as you (my surgery was in September 2016), I find that I am in a completely different place than most people that are posting on here now. Even before all of the recent drama, I mostly interacted with pre-op people, and anytime I do post something myself, there is little to no thoughtful discourse. The only way to get real traction in a thread, it seems, is for it to be controversial and turn into a big argument. I accepted that a while ago -- long before the recent events. I have been very successful so far (I've lost almost 75% of my excess weight), and I am happy and willing to "pay it forward," but I feel like I respond to the same old things day in and day out. While the main folks from the recent exit didn't interact with me at all most of the time, the few people that did got wrapped up in the whole thing and are now gone. I am finding that I need this site less and less as my journey goes on. I know what to do and I do it, and that will continue. But what I want from this is some kind of meaningful interaction with people who understand what I am doing. I chose this over an in-person support group because I don't have the patience to go and sit in a room with people whining about what they can and can't eat. (And as I understand it, that is all that it is in my location.) I still find myself drawn in to the site every day, but I can also see leaving it behind unless something changes. Good luck to you!

I remember when that day came for me last year. Congratulations!

I had a second doctor (labeled surgery assistant) that billed my insurance. I never met the man in my life and I still have no idea what he had to do with anything. And he was out of network. But luckily, my insurance paid him completely, so I didn't have to worry about it. But it still unnerves me that this person was part of my surgery when I neither met him nor signed consent forms regarding him.

I was worried right up until they wheeled me into the OR. (I had never had any kind of surgery in my entire life.) But it was nowhere near as bad or scary as I had built it up to be in my mind. In fact, the entire experience was pretty easy. Yes, I felt really lousy for the first two days post-op. Really lousy. But, by Day 3 post-op, I started feeling better and getting back out in the world again. And I recovered quickly. My advice is to see what the requirements are, get started immediately (choose low-carb or something that works for you and see what you can take off pre-op), and then follow your plan exactly post-op. You will lose weight and you will be successful. I am living proof of that. Good luck!

I imagine that you'll be fine. Just make sure you pack ample protein snacks and protein powder so that you can meet your goals even when you are on the road (and so that you can make good decisions when your good food choices are limited). I went on a 3.5 week tour of SE Asia at about 3 months post-op. It was fine. I just wish I had taken more protein powder because the no-carb variety was no where to be found over there. Good luck!

The mental game is definitely the toughest part of the journey. Just know that the early days (especially the all liquid part of the food stages) are the toughest. It will get better soon. Good luck!