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XYZXYZXYZ1955

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Posts posted by XYZXYZXYZ1955


  1. The timing for this seems to vary, but it does happen to many of us. One bit of advice I've read it to take Biotin, which I have, but I have no idea whether it has helped. The other key thing seems to be to make sure you are getting your Protein. Beyond that, wait it out---it will stop after a while and then grow back. Kind of a sucky side effect, but it does at least reverse itself eventually. Hang in there!


  2. Protein could include hamburgers (you should skip the bun or bread); meatloaf; chicken--season it with salt, pepper, and one or two other herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, and bake it; chicken in the crockpot with some veggies and seasoning that doesn't include a lot of sugar--check the section at the store with seasoning packets or bottled seasonings (but watch those for sugar!). If you like fish, that's fairly easy to wrap in aluminum foil with some lemon juice and herbs--parsley, dill, tarragon--and, if you like, onion pieces, then bake it. Roast some veggies with a little olive oil and seasoning--I always found cauliflower boring until I roasted it--delicious!

    You can also go to a site such as Pinterest or one of the recipe sites (Food network, Epicurious, Yummly, etc.) and search for "low-carb" or "high-protein" to give you ideas. There are demonstrations on cooking on YouTube, also.

    Take one step at a time--maybe decide to try one new recipe a week? Crock-pot cooking is fairly easy in that you put things together and then just let it cook--try chicken or beef or turkey and some veggies with some herbs and a bit of liquid (e.g., chicken or beef stock).

    Good luck!


  3. It sounds like you are asking if there are options to help you gain weight, but I suspect you really are asking if there are options to help you continue to lose weight or to fight weight gain? One suggestion is to go back to basics if things get out of hand--substitute Protein Shakes for one or two meals.

    You can also track your food intake if you don't usually do that and see exactly how many calories, how much Protein, etc., you are getting. I find the MyFitnessPal website useful for this.

    If I've misunderstood your question, I apologize.


  4. I'm currently 62 and was quite a bit heavier to begin with (and still am, for that matter). I, personally, did not find the surgery difficult at all--recovered quite easily with almost no pain. I did have low energy for the first month or so, but am now back to what I'd consider pre-surgery energy levels--no big increase has been noticed by me, though many people report that.

    I also take medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as GERD and diabetes. I'm still on the meds for the first three, but can report that my numbers/test results have been very good since the surgery. Additionally, while I'm still diabetic, I've stopped one medication and reduced another. More may happen with all of this as I lose more weight.

    I'm still eating less than I did pre-surgery, but I'm at what I might call "small normal" meals--I don't miss the stuff I don't have any longer (e.g., diet soda, lots of bread), though I do incorporate some carbs into my diet (e.g., rye bread instead of white, and much less of it). Not a drinker, so that's not been an issue for me. Overall, it's not that you won't be able to eat many things, it's that it's not a good idea to keep eating some of them.

    I don't know how much I'll lose overall, but I do know that I'm darned happy to have lost as much as I have so far. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about how I compare with others in terms of this--I just know whatever I can lose and keep off will improve my health and longevity. I'm also, personally, interested in having my knees hurt less, which they seem to be doing.

    Good luck in making the decision. You can certainly read around the site and see what people say, but the majority definitely are glad they had this surgery--and very many wish they'd done it sooner.


  5. Well, that's part of what this site does for us--gives us people to talk to and get answers from. Granted, we're not medical professionals (mostly), but there's a lot of experience here--and support, too. It looks as though your surgery was a success from a weight-loss standpoint, but I'm sorry you have regrets.


  6. One of the most useful things I read was the reminder that we didn't put our weight on--no matter how much we overate--on a daily basis. We aren't going to lose it that way, either. It can be frustrating when you know you are eating many fewer calories and not seeing a loss, but stalls are normal and will pass as long as you stick with the program. Some people suggest ways of changing up your routine--add more Water, more Protein, more exercise--but my experience is that if you wait, the stall will pass (eventually).

    Good luck.


  7. Different programs have different procedures and requirements. Yours might be different than anyone answering this question. But your next appointment with your surgeon will certainly give you some idea. You may be required to lose some weight before surgery.

    I had to have a variety of other tests--upper GI, blood tests, cardio.


  8. It's been about twenty years, but I still remember eating a chicken dinner in Montmartre . . . fantastique! One thing about traveling--you'll be doing tons of walking, so you have a little extra wiggle room in terms of what you eat. Have fun; maybe think of some of the meals as your last indulgence, although, to be fair, when enough time has passed after surgery, you'll be able to eat just about anything--it's learning that isn't a good idea that's so important in the long run. The surgery just makes it a lot easier to learn.


  9. For what it's worth, I've exercised very little . . . I'm old and I have rubbish knees. I know I should do more . . . I've been staying with a friend and climbing the stairs a couple times a day--that's a lot for me. I hope to do some walking when it isn't snowing or 20 degrees out every freaking day! Spring, where art thou??

    Someday, I may even be living somewhere I can swim on a regular basis. A girl can dream.

    I guess my point is that you can lose weight even without a lot of exercise--and I'm not at all saying that's a better way. Definitely better to exercise. But also, stalls happen. Sometimes changing your habits can break them, sometimes not--but they will break, eventually, if you are following the plan. Hang on in there--this is definitely a marathon, not a sprint--metaphorically, anyway.


  10. Nuts--I prefer cashews or pistachios, myself. You have to be a ways down the line for this, but beef Jerky works. Yummy. Yogurt (I know, not crunchy at all). I do some carbs, so cheese and crackers. A friend gave me some Medifast products, so I also have high-protein pretzel sticks and crunch bars (for what it's worth, I like the Peanut Butter ones, the chocolate mint ones, not so much--there's an artificial flavor I can't get past). But it's good to have a crunchy, high-protein, 110-calorie snack on hand.


  11. 15 hours ago, frust8 said:

    And if anyone wants to know mine are High Weight 355, --current weight323 and stuck --surgical date: in the hands of the Bariatric Gods and my surgeon. I'm stuck at my "fat set point" until liquid diet days and surgery. But I'm still in it to win it!

    Been trying to track on My Fitness Pal, averaging 900-1000 calories so until I up my exercise level, walk more since I don't have a gym membership I'm stuck somewhere on an Andean desert plateau[emoji88] or something similar. I'm not giving up emotionally, still want to keep moving ahead[emoji590][emoji106] but my body says [emoji107]"Meh". And there I be, a perpetually Pre-Op![emoji30]

    Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

    Just wondering how long you've been stalled? I ask because I was--post-surgically--stalled for a month or more. In my experience, it happens even when one is consuming relatively few calories and pretty much no matter what else one does or doesn't do. Stalls happen, and then they stop, and you lose again. All part of the process.


  12. I'll just add that I had trouble getting enough Water in--I don't know if that contributed to the issue, but I had no energy at all for the first month. And I hated the whole first month of liquids/purees/slushy foods. Hated!

    It's good you called your doctor's office and I hope you hear back from them. But, otherwise, take it one day at a time and do your best with the water and Protein. It will get better.


  13. Totally experienced the same thing. Basically, get your Protein and Water, and enjoy the time (and the weight loss) . . . speaking for me, it passed and I'm now quite able to feel hungry again. Thank goodness my sleeve is still restricting how much I can eat and I'm still trying to make the right choices--protein, protein, protein!

    I'm seven months post-op. Today, for example, I had a spinach and cheese one-egg omelet for breakfast--with an English muffin, as I'm not quite as carb-free as I should be. Had cottage cheese with pineapple and blueberries for lunch and a shrimp stir-fry for dinner. For Snacks, I've been taking advantage of Medifast things a friend has given me--a package of pretzels and a peanut crunch bar today, each with about 110 calories and 11 grams of protein . . . I also tend to snack on cashews quite often. It's not like the old days! but that's a good thing.

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