PAstudent

Sorry This post appeared under Recent Topics so I (and probably the others too) responded to it without even noticing where this was placed

Good luck to you man! And, it might be wise to talk to your doctor about the fact that you underwent this major surgery and don't feel like you have all of the information necessary for success. Maybe it'll get him to make some changes and bring a nutritionist onto the team. That would definitely help you and future patients! Talk to your doctor about taking vitamin supplements, getting bloodwork to get vitamin levels checked out, and protein/weight loss goals. It also seems like you're a little unsure of what to expect. Do you have regular check ups with him to ensure everything is going ok in the early months? Everything everyone is saying here is useful and you should listen to them, but no one knows your medical history or special needs. Your surgeon does and would be the best person to give you advice.

Did you have any sort of classes with your NUT? Or get some sort of eating plan? In general, if you can eat real food, protein shakes should supplement your protein intake, not be the main source. So 1 protein shake a day if it'll make the difference between the food you eat that day and your protein goal. More if you need more protein. As a general guideline, these protein numbers are about the norm from what I've seen: absolute minimum of 40g or protein a day for women and 50g for men. As you move further out, I've seen 60g all the way up to 120g a day be the protein goal. I aim for a minimum of about 70g a day, usually surpassing it. You'll want to stay under 60g of carbs while early out. If you really really want to low carb it, people who are hardcore into keto (a diet that is high fat, moderate protein, low carb) only consume 20g of carbs in a day or less. Fat is up to you, there are so many conflicting studies out there and you'll just have to figure out what works best for your body to lose weight. If you're physically active, I found this elsewhere on the forum and thought it'd be helpful in terms of calorie progression: Months 1 through 3 = about 800 kcals/day Months 4 through 6 = about 1000 to 1200 kcals/day Months 7 through 9 = about 1200 to 1500 kcals/day By 12 months out = about 1700 kcals/day By 18 months out = 1800 to 2200 kcals/day In order to know how much you're consuming, you NEED to track your food. There are many apps for it out there including SHealth which is pre-installed on samsung phones. I personally use myfitnesspal, you can find me under the name tia_527. All you do with these apps is put in what foods you had at each meal and what amounts. You can also log exercise if you want. These apps will tell you how many calories you eat and what your macros were (how many grams of carbs vs protein vs fat you've had).

26 pounds is great! It's unlikely you're gaining fat. But, from what I've read from so many of the successful vets on here, you really should start weighing/measuring and tracking your food. You're probably just retaining water, which is totally normal and happens to all of us! If you tend to freak out about the scale, you may want to weigh weekly instead of daily. To gain weight, you need a surplus of calories. You're probably not getting that at only 1 month out. That doesn't mean that it's impossible. Some people do get even heavier in their first year by eating slider foods like chips, eating ice cream, and drinking milkshakes. Don't be one of them. Make good choices, weigh/measure your food, hold yourself accountable by tracking what you eat (I like my fitness pal), and try to work towards a healthier relationship with food. Side note: I'm not seeing any sort of protein shake in your meals. Are you getting your required protein in?

Not a silly question at all! I'm 2.5 months post op. I find my libido varies wildly due to the fluctuating hormones. Some weeks I just don't care for any type of contact, some we're intimate 3 or more times a day lol. Physically, sex feels the same (then again I haven't lost a large amount of weight yet). Still have the energy and endurance I did pre-op, nothing hurts, we can do all the same things we did before. I may be a tad more flexible now, but that may be due to working out and stretching. A fun little result of losing weight is that my boyfriend has an easier time picking me up now so that's a thing. Now this might just be me and I should probably start scheduling sessions with my therapist again, but I find that I'm a lot more aware of my body and self conscious than I used to be. My partner still finds me attractive and has said that he'll be just as attracted to me when I get to 120 lbs as he was when I was 250 lbs. But, sometimes before or during sex I'll be very aware of my rolls or belly or some other imperfection and get really depressed and turned off. Keep in mind, most people will probably get confidence boosts from losing weight so this likely won't happen to you! Side note: Fertility will improve as you lose the excess weight. If you aren't already, you'll want to get on some sort of birth control (pill, nexplanon, etc). Condoms are still necessary if you aren't in a committed relationship.

I started eating steak the week I was out of soft foods. No problems here! At first I was only able to eat a bite of ribeye, but now at 2.5 months out, I can eat up to 5 ounces if it's the only thing I eat. I'd recommend fish for starting out. They tend to be good sources of protein. If you steam it or don't overcook it, it'll also be moist and tender. Grilled or steamed salmon is my favorite! If you like Asian food, look up hainanese chicken. It's poached chicken (I usually just use chicken thighs in the rice cooker) with ginger, garlic, broth, soy sauce, some seasonings, and rice. I leave the rice for my boyfriend, but the chicken comes out super soft and tasty! Just watch how you're preparing your foods. Breaded/fried foods will give you unnecessary carbs and fat as well as barbecue sauce which is generally full of sugar.

Starting BMI of 43.9, 256 lbs, and I was a size 18, by that chart I'd be a 20W My BMI is now 37.6, I'm 219 lbs, and I'd be between 14W and 16W on that chart

I'd equate it more to discomfort than pain. I wasn't given any IV pain meds post op, but had the option to take liquid codeine if I wanted to. I used it sparingly in the first week (not even once a day) and disposed of it at a pharmacy after that.

I've heard changes in taste aren't as significant with the sleeve as they are with other surgeries. But, I find that I don't enjoy super sweet stuff as much as I used to. I suspect it's more because I don't let myself have sweet things (other than the occasional portion of fruit, "healthy" ice cream, or protein shake) so I'm more sensitive to sweets now.

Coming from a girl who used to live on a tropical island, getting one of those little portable fans and a small water mister can be helpful for those days when you feel like you just can't get cool.

From what I can tell, the majority of sugar free syrups also have 0 carbs and calories (I've found at least one that's 50 calories, no idea what that's about). One sno cone here and there won't kill you or set you off track. To keep cool, how about mixing a sugar free/low calorie drink like crystal light with shaved ice for a slushie? You could make popsicles with crystal light, frozen yogurt, fruit, or any combination of the above. You can also blend your protein shakes with ice or frozen fruit for a nice frozen shake. As a healthy snack for both you and your kids, you could blend frozen bananas for "nicecream" or blend frozen pineapple with just a little bit of coconut milk for something similar to disney's dole whips! My surgeon says to limit fruit to one serving per day so I try not to overdo it with these.

I'm sorry you're feeling down Your body is still recovering from major surgery so that's where a good chunk of your body's resources are going. I didn't start really feeling like myself until the second week and didn't feel like I got my energy back until around the 1 month mark. (Everyone's different though and your recovery may be sooner) If it's of any consolation, your body has all of the stored energy it needs for quite a while (it's how we qualified to be candidates for bariatric surgery ) so although you may not feel at the top of your game just yet, rest assured a little lethargy in the beginning is nothing to be concerned about. Soon you'll be off to soft foods and get to try the Ricotta bake that so many of us here have enjoyed!

Glad I could help

There are mixes for protein broths available out there if salty is more your thing, they were life savers for me during my full liquid phase! Bone broth also has a decent amount of protein just by itself. I've heard good things about mixing unflavored protein powders into savory foods, but haven't tried it personally. If pizza is your thing, what you might try is a creamy tomato soup with some fresh basil and unflavored protein powder mixed in. Did your surgeon/NUT specifically tell you to start looking at calories now? You're still pretty early out and I'd assume staying hydrated followed by working up to protein goals would be your biggest focus. Just as a side note, I didn't hit my low protein goal of 40g until I was over 2 weeks out. You will survive this phase! For some reference, I'm 2.5 months out and can get in around 80g of protein or more with a combination of solid foods and a shake a day!

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If I could go back in time, I would have gotten a personal trainer and started lifting Before I had the surgery. Because I only really went hard on the weights post op, I don't really know how strong I was to begin with and if I'm just weak because of muscle atrophy or because I was always weak. Also, take good and comprehensive measurements now! They'll really help when you to monitor your losses. Any other good tips from anyone who has been sleeved?

Hi! I simply meant that our body would turn to breaking down/using our muscles as one of its main energy sources (in addition to fat) because of the extreme calorie deficit it will be in. I'm sure I have lost muscle, unfortunately, I never pushed myself to failure when I was lifting pre-op so I don't know how much weaker I am now than before. On the positive side, the surgery has definitely also helped me lose fat! Which makes it easier to do my 60 minutes of cardio 3-4 days a week in addition to my push, pull, and lower body resistance days. Progress is totally possible post-op in terms of strength. I've been hitting the weights since I was 2 weeks post op and I've been able to increase the weights on all of my exercises by 5-20 pounds! I don't think it's likely that I'll put on significant muscle mass while I'm losing because the conditions necessary to gain muscle are pretty similar to conditions to gain fat (excess calories, but also with protein and complex carbs). However, there are so vets on here who are much further out than I am who have shown some great gains!

Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm anyone. I did not mean to imply "atrophy" in the extreme sense of seeing someone wasting away or with significantly smaller limbs (as you'd see with someone completely immobile for months on end). But more so with the extreme calorie deficits our bodies will be in, our bodies will try to conserve as much fat as they can and will try to use muscle for fuel. To combat this and also increase metabolism, both resistance and endurance exercise are recommended. Here's a good simple explanation: http://bariatric.stopobesityforlife.com/obesity-surgery/correcting-obesity/bariatric-surgery-side-effects/loss-of-muscle-mass/ You Will still have muscles and you will have the energy to do things postop, but the amount is mostly up to you with meeting protein/vitamin goals and how much resistance training you work up to. We like to think that after surgery, all of the weight we lose is pure fat, but it isn't. One study found that in the first 3 months, patients lost about 45 pounds, made up of 41% lean body mass and 59% fat mass. The good thing is that by a year out, the weight they lost was 70% fat mass and only 30% lean body mass. I wasn't able to find their eating or exercise guidelines so make of this what you will.

Hi! I'm in the Williamsport area. So a little ways away from you. I didn't have my surgery in PA, but if you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to talk to me on here, add me on myfitnesspal, or PM me to add me on facebook

Assuming you stick to your plan, you Will lose more! The human body isn't magic. It doesn't run on rainbows and fairy dust, it runs on stored energy (fat and muscle) and what you put into it. So, if you're restricting calories and eating the right kinds of foods, you will lose weight! If you're in a stall and need some assurance that you are losing fat, I like keto strips. They're cheap, all you do is pee on a strip and it tells you what level of ketones are in your urine. Ketones are one sign that your body is in ketosis and is rapidly burning fat. Also, 36 pounds is great! I'm 2.5 months out and only got to 36 pounds today. Follow your meal plan, exercise (whether it be when things are cool in the morning/evening or at a gym), and keep your head up!