GeTnBackuP

Hi @MissT_SR,
The goal is totally up to you however since you are very fresh off of surgery, be kind to yourself and know that the first month or so can be really weird and unpredictable due to stalls, healing, fatigue, etc. So, my advice would to post a goal that is not too high but reasonable. Its truly up to you but perhaps 10-12 lbs? Some people lose very little the first month and I have heard of others losing 30 lbs in 2 months!! So, focus on healing and making your body comfortable. Congratulations on your surgery and glad to have you in the challenge!

Just try something doable go for 2# a week but don't get hung up on a number..u may lose inches and not pounds...u may supersede ur goal and that's a bonus

Question: my surgery was 10/31. How do I calculate a goal weight for nine weeks out for this challenge?
Thank you 😊

I'm on Amazon looking for things to stock my pantry with & saw Progresso canned Soups and wondered if I can take their Split Pea Soup or Italian Wedding Soup and whizz the crap out of it in my Vitamix and it be acceptable for pureed stage?
I'm looking on this site for recipes and am having a hard time finding any without reading/scrolling five pages in....I know we're all well intended but the posts sometimes get off topic or bulked up with other things....thank you!

I bought two rotisserie chickens, removed the skin and picked the dark meat off (baggied it for the freezer). So the carcasses, white meat, 3 celery stalks, 2 yellow onions and 2 carrots went into the instapot and filled with spring Water, pressed the Soup setting and 40 minutes later, Voila. I strained it into a large pot and tossed the ingredients back into the pot, filled it up with water and ran it one more time. Strained it one last time into the large pot and seasoned both batches together. I got several Bell jars out of it and it was a thick yummy glutinous broth. Good to freeze in ice cube trays or popsicles molds, pop em into baggies and keep for later use. I’ve drank all mine up! So good and healthy [emoji317]

Working on Lap Band to VSG revision here!
When I had the band in 09 I gave up soda for an entire year and then I just had one periodically. It never hurt and all the tests I've had to get the VSG have not shown a stretched pouch. I think the bubbles may upset the stomachs of some. I think the biggest reason is drinking your calories is not a good idea. Believe me I gained like 50lbs on liquids alone. The sugar in sodas caused me to crave more sugary things that would also just slide right through the band. I feel like the same could happen with VSG if I don't cut them out.

Yasssss I did that!

I do a similar thing; I make Parmesean cheese Tuile [i think that's how it's spelled].
Baking pan; parchment paper.
I gently toss a bunch of shredded parmesean cheese (maybe 2 cups or slightly less) with whatever herbs I want: fresh parsley flakes, a little pepper, and 1/2 Sweet & Low (optional).
I spread that mixture out on the parchment paper; maybe top with more parsley for color.
Bake in the over slowly, at maybe 350. Keeping an eye on it.
When it turns a golden brown (~15-20 minutes), remove from oven. Let cool some, then break it up into shards.
So it's like Parmesean cheese chips. You get protein; no carbs. Salty flavor. Crunch.
As above, you can store them in a baggie, etc., and snack on them prn (as needed).
You can also put these cheese shards as a garnish for your honey and family and friends. Stick it atop their mashed potatoes, on a salad or whatever.

Oh awesome. Well with the two week pre-op diet, the surgery and this last seven days of Clear Liquids, I’m down about 22lbs. It might be more, our scales are old and not giving good reading. So the morning of surgery on the 30th, I got up a sn our scale said 190. Got to hospital with shoes on and it said 186, so that was a nice surprise.

My high weight was 195, and on the day of surgery I was 180 and 5'2". I had high BP, cholesterol, and pre diabetes. Now, almost 3 months later, I'm at 151, and my goal is around 130. It's definitely been a slow process, but worth it. I was able to stop BP meds and cholesterol by my 6 week follow up. Recovery was easier than expected and I have gone from wearing xl shirts to medium.

Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm 5'4" was 205 day of surgery 11.1.16. My HW was 215 just had 1yr checkup & now at 148. My sleep apnea is gone & blood pressure is great. Would like to get into 130's but really happy with my progress

Sent from my VS990 using BariatricPal mobile app

My highest weight was 215 and I am 5'5. By the time that I went to the surgeon I had dropped to 211 mostly due to a new med that's I had been put on for depression. I was not required to do a liquid diet and on the day of surgery I was 208. I am in week 3 post op and am 191.
I have high blood pressure, my lipid panel is alarming and major back issues (sciatica, scoliosis and degenerative arthritis). The lower back pain that resulted was excruciating (had to roll out of bed every morning). Since the 21 pound weight loss from my high weight I am AMAZED at how much better I feel. Truly blessed to have a realistic way of losing this weight. I may be losing slow but I am keeping my eyes on the non scale victories and the gains in my health.

@DaleCruse When celebrities have WLS it raises awareness to the procedures. I love their before and after photos.
@Sosewsue61 Holy hell judgmental.

Thank you for asking for clarification.
Weight loss occurs because of limited caloric consumption. (There is a theory that the surgery will lower our bodies' set points, but that is really just a theory. So we'll stick with talking about limited calories.)
I have seen twice now where a patient almost immediately after surgery was consuming maintenance level calories (2000 and 1500). Neither of those patients lost any weight until they could lower their calories. One was on medical nutrition (in an IV), and the other had faulty information from their nutritionist that was demanding she eat too many calories.
The "honeymoon period" is the time of rapid weight loss after the operation, but it varies from person to person. In general it lasts for 6 months or a year.
I am 7.5 months postop, and have noticed the amount of food I can consume is continuing to increase. At 8 weeks post-op, I was eating about 1/2 a cup. Now it's double that. If I were to eat whatever I wanted (thinking that I can "only" eat 1/2 a cup of food), then over the last 5 months, my calories would have doubled.
So we can do some math: 900 calories at 2 months postop is pretty typical.. so now I'd be eating 1800, maintenance, and the scale would stop moving.
The "honeymoon" lasts as long as the person can keep their calories low enough to keep on losing, or until they hit goal. Some people are weight loss resistant, and don't lose, despite low calories.. but they have a hormone, metabolism, or some other type of problem.
The bypass does keep the body from absorbing a portion of the calories consumed. This results in a little more weight loss on average compared to the sleeve (and the losses happen faster).
So, I mentioned that people could lose while eating pizza. This would be true as long as the amount of pizza was low enough to not go over the daily calorie goals. But, eventually we would be able to eat a whole pizza in a day, split into several meals.. and we're right back to where we were before surgery.
Shoot, I could finish off 2 large pizzas now, if I were so inclined. (a slice an hour, for 16 hours..) That would be about 4000+ calories... And that's only 7 months out! This is in theory.. I'd never actually do such a thing...

I had my 4 week appointment yesterday. 4 weeks to the day and was given the all clear to resume normal eating with no restrictions. Of course that doesn’t mean to go back to candy and all that other junk, but i can eat whatever I want. It’s on me to be smart about it.
I started morning of surgery at 275. Four days later I was at 266.6 (8.4lb loss). One week out i was at 259 (16lb loss) and two weeks out I was at 252 (23lb loss). I’m now at 247. Total loss in 4 weeks is 28 pounds so I’m pretty pleased.
1st week was just chicken Soup broth, Premier Protein shakes (Costco), surgar free Jello, popscicles, and sugar free pudding.
2nd week, same as week one, but a couple times tried mashed potatoes. Started walking on treadmill few times a week. 15 minutes each.
3rd week, same as 2nd week, but tried meatballs and diced chicken breast. Tried chicken tacos. Chicken, corn tortillas and salsa.
4th week, beginning of the 4th week tried steak quesadilla, chips and salsa. Keep in mind very small portions. That’s where I’m at now. Was also cleared to lift weights which I will be starting next week.
At no time have I been nauseous or thrown up. A few times my stomach would rumble for a second or two, but nothing significant. I’ve probably been a bit aggressive in introducing the foods, but it’s worked out fine and I’m happy with the results. It’s all up to me now how I handle myself going forward.
As far as recommending this surgery, for me it worked out great and was fairly easy. However, that may not be the case for everyone. I made the decision by realizing it was something I needed to do at late 40’s to improve my health and way of life. I chose not to pay too close attention to the negative reviews because as with any surgery everyone handles it differently.

Good Luck

Here in Austria we are on Clear Liquids on day one, full on day two, puree on day 3 and solids on day 4. We have to chew chew chew until it's puree and then some, but I had solids from day 4. I had several restrictions until week 6 (any kinds of seeds, too fatty food, too sugary food, and a lot more), but I eat babybell cheese on day 4 with no problem. One took me 20 min to eat, and I was full.
It amazes me how different the programs can be.

Put barriers in place so you can't access those junk foods.
Don't have them in the house at all. When you go shopping, make a list and stick to it. Put "blinders" on in the store and use all your willpower when you are there.
If other people are bringing the chips into your house, have a heart to heart with them.

You HAVE to stay away from them!! You just HAVE to. Especially in the first 2 years where you are creating new habits. I understand the need but don't!! Please! Are you working with a therapist or NUT on food issues? If not, you should. It's not the chips you are craving so be careful. This is just food addiction rearing its ugly head.

No I do understand and there are no studies that show that, say, clear liquids are best until this point of healing or purées are best until this amount of swelling goes down. So yeah, same answer! We may know the average stage that healing is at but doctors disagree about what foods are best suited to what stage of healing. No studies to show that.

Two and a half years out and really struggling with food choices. I mean it does get sooooo boring thinking about meals every day, but if I don’t, well the pounds pile on. Then I have to work hard and I do lose it... then I get bored and .. well enough said. I have had a lot of health issues in the past 10 months but don’t want to use that as an excuse.
Feel like I’m on a hamster wheel at times trying to catch my tail.

I'm 3.5 years out and feeling the same way. I surpassed goal and got to my maybe maybe target of 132 from 254 and I go up and down within 5. My exercise has only ever been walk in the morning and walk at night total walking probably 90min.
My Husband got in a rut and I keep encouraging him who is also met his goal but is about 12 up at the moment. Truth is I am bored with all of it food walking the lot. I feel heavy and it's a chore. I will be watching to see what you come up with because I know how easy it is for it all to fall down if we don't stay on track. Good Luck

20lbs is average for the whole first month. Usually a huge rapid loss like that is followed by a lengthy stall while the body catches up. Totally normal.

@@doxaholic
What do you guys think do our minds really change that much that we forget who we once were? Or is it all in oneself?
I have not forgotten how far I have come. I was compassionate before surgery. I'm still a compassionate person after my weight loss. I know what its like to walk in the shoes of a morbidly obese person. I would never disrespect someone based on weight.
On the dating side. I don't want to slide back. Weight wouldn't be a deal breaker if it was the right guy. The other part to this is I'm now athletic. I find other men that are athletic attractive. I would not have this type of attraction when I was obese. I would have been way too intimidated.

My energy levels went up and down a lot postop. The body, once it gets into fat-burning mode, is actually very efficient, and you don't feel tired from lack of calories. You DO feel tired from having just had major surgery.. but not necessarily every minute of every day.
I was SUPER winded for the first couple months doing things that wouldn't have made me winded before. So, yes.. things can be tough with that. And walking is important for the recovery.. it helps rid the body of the gas they use in surgery, and helps prevent blood clots. Frequent little walks are more important than long distance ones.
Pain management should be an issue you bring up with your team so you can remain as mobile as possible postop.

Not really. I'd have to start really overeating to pack on much more. My weight has been steady for months.
Instead of spending brainpower worry about regaining, I'll spend brainpower working on how to lose more.