Creekimp13

In my own mind...I look like Kate Winslet. In real life...I look almost nothing like Kate Winslet. Paint me like one of your french girls, Fluffy!

Again...no judgement what so ever. Throwing my two cents out there, and appreciate everyone else's two cents. (Wish you hadn't deleted yours, Fluffy!) Ideas on nutrition have changed many times over...and I expect they'll continue to. Bottom line...do what works for you. What you feel safest doing. What you feel healthiest doing. As down as I personally am on keto...there are some really interesting studies involving kids with seizures and autism being helped by keto diet. They know it improves some neurological disorders, they don't know exactly why. I think we're going to learn a great deal about a lot of illnesses with further research into the gut microbiome....which is in it's infancy. Also....older adults do better on higher protein diets....as contradictory as this seems. So, there's a lot of wiggle room for new information and new ideas that might take us in different directions. I respect everyone's choices.

One should always take conversations about which diet is best with a grain of salt. This choice is as personal as they come. Diet is a hot button issue and we're still learning a lot about it. In particular, we're learning about the kinds of bugs different diets grow in your GI tract and how they contribute to defense against disease and weight maintenance. I think those bugs....our gut microbiota....will hold the key to future developments in nutrition and the treatment of dozens of illnesses, including obesity. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433529/ Did you know that you have about the same number of bacteria cells in your GI tract as human cells in your body? We're complex symbiotic organisms who count on those bugs for our health. Half man...half bacteria....here we come:) Keto works. You lose weight fast, and it helps to control your appetite. However...diets high in animal protein and fat are correlated with increased risk of cancer and increased mortality from other causes. Keto does a spectacular job of wiping out your gut microbe diversity. This isn't a good thing. Thinner people, and healthier people...are documented to have higher gut bug diversity. People who die young and have chronic illness...have low gut bacteria diversity. The people in cultures who live the longest on the planet, with the lowest rates of cancer and heart disease....eat diets high in complex carbs, dietary fiber, fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables...and are more sparing in proteins and fats. People in these cultures also exercise. And again...they have highly diverse gut microbiota. If you want to look at it from an evolutionary perspective...what diet have millions of years of adaptations prepared us best for? Look at the natural diets of the great apes. They eat a ton of fruit, veggies, and very fiberous foliage. They eat legumes and insects (a terrific source of fiber)....and only opportunistically and sparingly... eat eggs and meat. Their fat sources and most of their protein comes from plant sources. Their gut microbiota is also very diverse. And they exercise. Interesting pattern, no? My personal feeling is that keto is an effective tool that can be used for short period of time because the benefits outweigh the risks....sort of like chemotherapy. Ketotherapy? Being morbidly obese carries risk. But for a maintenance, lifelong diet......I am convinced that a diverse gut microbiota is the key to good health, and will eat a diet that supports it. At this stage in my obesity recovery...for me...I believe that keto carries more risks than benefits. Best wishes to all...and respect meant for everyone's choices. Everyone has a right to eyeball this choice on their own and make the decision that makes the most sense to them. Food for thought: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

Nothing negative or positive implied....I'm just trying to imagine that...and not sure I can! LOL:)

You need to eat everything you're told. Or at least try hard to do so. The reason being...as you heal, you NEED to stretch it a little several times a day to keep the openings open, and reduce the odds of it developing a stricture from scar tissue. (that's what I was told) 4 ounces of yogurt in an hour is fine. You won't stretch your pouch drinking fluids...they move right through. Most of the stuff you're eating right now does. And of course you can drink more now...you're healing. it's a good thing:) Less risk of dehydration.

Smooth Move tea. Sold in herbal tea section everywhere. It tastes like licorice...and it works great. But be careful not to drink it too often, it can cause problems if you start drinking it every day. Make a little smoothie with prunes and applesauce...that works, too. Super common problem....lots of threads about it if you go back a few pages. Narcotic pain meds will stop your poo machine. If you're not off them, get off asap.

Look, someone thinks your legs are so sexy, they are throwing money at you! (see the money, fourth pic down?) Progress is awesome! Good work:)

Keep in mind the way information is reported here is often confusing. Also..people lie, or make mistakes entering stuff and can't figure out how to correct them. And you never know where they're counting from...day of surgery...or 7 months ago when they started their diet...etc. And maybe the person who is reporting losing twice as much weight...is smoking or doing cocain to cope...or has an stricture they'll be hospitalized for next week......or God knows what else. You just don't know. Is your doctor happy with your progress? Yes. Are you making the important changes to your eating habits and exercise habits? Yes. Are you up against hundreds of thousands of years of evolutionary adaptations that help protect human beings in times of famine, and bad hunting/gathering seasons? Yes, you are. If we lose weight fast....our body puts on the brakes and has all sorts of defense mechanisms to avoid starving to death. Very, very helpful in a survival situation....really insanely annoying when dieting! Grin and bear it and be patient. Keep up the good habits and you will eventually lose. I promise.

No, you are not behind. You are doing perfect. Please God...stop obsessing. Be patient...all is well.

Wait....you put pizza in the blender with hot sauce? Did I understand that right? Pizza smoothie?

I was very lucky to have a nutritionist who was used to serving a diverse populations of people with very different nutritional preferences and cultural diets. (Kosher, Halal, Vegan, Vegetarian, Etc.) She asked me what my favorite diet was....I said Mayo Clinic/Mediterranean....and we looked at some key factors of the diet and made a few adjustments to prepare for bariatric surgery, but mostly I was able to stick to my preferred plan....and even praised for it. (I do hit a higher protein goal than I was used to, but I do half of it in plant protein) I also reduced my carb side dishes to 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup. If it's a Vegan main dish, that's different....but a side of rice or potatoes with a protien is a much smaller portion now....and often omitted. I'm discouraged when I hear about dietitians who only offer one approach and doctors who believe Keto is the only way to go. It works very well...but it doesn't work for everyone. I think patients are more compliant with plans they are comfortable with, and can maintain for a lifetime. Glad to be working with a group that offers more than one way up that mountain! Jersey, I'm a big fan of apples with natural peanut butter, too Had some for a snack tonight. LOL...I understand chicken fatigue! Maybe try to switch things up with fish or turkey? Congrats on your 14 pound loss!

I was very naughty on this point and bathed a week out. In truth, most of my incisions were sticking out of the water, and they had a nice superficial seal going on...excellent healing. Had any of them been weepy or broken or irritated, I would not have bathed....but they were all healing cleanly and I...kinda....used my own judgement and had no problems. Very important to keep them clean and DRY after your bath. Pat them down gently and make sure everything looks good. No lotions or powders. The correct answer is to wait until you get clearance from your doctor.

Was told no ibuprofen. It eats your stomach. Use Tylenol....you can get liquid.

I'd drive a hundred miles to try it.

I did! I have no issues watching surgery, and feel that knowledge is always helpful. That said....while watching the sleeve surgery, I'll admit I was getting antsy...OMG, stay AWAY from that SPLEEN! They're so insanely vascular, and the surgeon has to work very close...and the patient's in the video was bulging ominously forward. One little slip and jab could turn into a dangerous bleed or splenectomy. So that part....kinda ramped up my anxiety. Logically, I knew they'd be working close to the spleen.....but seeing the instruments nearly brushing the spleen...guh...I was on the edge of my seat. And extremely grateful I had a very type A surgeon who had done over 1000 sleeve surgeries with an excellent success rate. Seeing the little zipper staple tool in action...was really neato. Way cool! Also liked that the surgeon reinforced the ends and folded over the staple line and secured it with stitches, and it was interesting to see a haital hernia repair....particularly because I ended up needing one. Overall...I think watching the procedure increased my full understanding of what my body was up against in healing. I'm glad I watched it. Was also pleased with the brevity. Doesn't take that long:)

Fluff...you won't screw up. You've been at this a while, and you're serious as a heart attack about seeing it through. And guess what? If you do screw up? You can learn something from your screw up and wake up the next day with another chance. All you need is steadfast determination to not give up.....and you've got that in spades. Hang onto your butt....this just got real:)

To walk normally and comfortably...about two hours after surgery. I walked A LOT at the hospital. i'm in the habit of walking 8 miles a day, so that probably helped. The nurses actually were concerned I was zipping along so well....they thought I would crash the next day when I needed to be working hard on drinking every hour I could. But nope...I got about six hours of sleep and was up and at it bright and early the next day. Felt great. A little pain in my shoulder from the hernia repair, but other than that, I was pretty unstoppable. I avoided pain meds as much as possible...which, if you can stand it...really helps.

Krista...Lupus sucks. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this illness and side effects of treatment.

Definitely mention this to your doctor. it can be a symptom of a gallbladder attack.

Beans. lentils, sugar free oatmeal, hummus, protein wraps....lotta good options:)

Am rooting for you, Fluff. I know you've worked really, really hard. Glad you had a fond farewell to old favorites, and are back on track for the win:) I 100% believe you're gonna do this thing, and kick butt doing it.

Lookin good, Lovely Lady! Loving your new hair. Man, you look younger to me!

You could easily do warm stuff, too:) Think of the different kinds of chili alone! Ground turkey, lean beef, white chicken, tofu, sweet cactus...you could put up batches of chili in little to go containers in the freezer and zap them anywhere you can find a microwave. You could do stir fry with brown rice... You could do a half a cup of protien pasta with a couple of nice meat balls and sauce. You could do lean meats with sweet potato and green beans. So many kinds of soup would travel well like this. You could do all sorts of take along hot meals. Brilliant, Jenn:)

Eat some healthy carbs. High protein diets cause an excess of ammonia to be exhaled...that smells a bit like a ripe litter pan. Excess keytones smell fruity, or like acetone (think nail polish) depending on the concentration. It adds up to some very funky breath that you can't do anything about...because it's coming out of your lungs...not your mouth. If you balance your diet with healthy carbs, you will experience better breath and a better diversity of gut bacteria.

I am in salad heaven. I missed them so much. Like you, sleeved2win, I craved them terribly...and I wasn't disappointed when we reunited:) Best wishes on continued success.