Geodude

I personally did two weeks before returning. I probably could have returned after one week but it wouldn't have been super easy. I also have a desk job, so if I had a job that required a little more movement I definitely would recommend going for the full two weeks.

I had surgery 11/13/18 and I'm down 78lbs since surgery and feeling great. I started at roughly the same weight, so I don't think him nor I are loosing too quickly. Just like Jazzy said, so long as he is hitting his protein and water targets, I think he is doing fine. I know as a guy I always lost faster than the women in my life. So it is probably just that.

Kick butt man. That's some great progress. I love the sleeve. I know what you mean. I'll be eating, I'll take my last bite, suddenly realize I'm full, and I'm happy to stop there. It is a crazy difference from 15,000 calories a day before surgery. I was always a huge portions person. When I was a power lifter in my late teens and early twenties, I was also a competitive eater. After I stopped working out constantly, I didn't knock down my food intake and the obesity followed. Now I don't have a choice but to eat small portions and I couldn't be more greatful. You look great man, I'm glad the surgery has been such a success.

Yes, I've felt great since surgery. I'm not quite 2 months out and I'm down nearly 70lbs. I think you just had an easy recovery and that is great. I hope it continues for you, me, and everybody else. So far only heavy, dry meats have given me any discomfort and that was very mild. Just make sure to not introduce too many things at once. That way, if something doesn't sit well with you, it will be easier to pinpoint the problem food. Congrats so far.

Yeah, for me my weight seems to melt off in spurts. I'll stall for a week or so and then 20 lbs will fly off in the next two weeks. Then I'll stall again for a bit. Then it all flies off. Seems to be a cycle.

Haha, Tea, 2 dishes. That's great. The ziploc bag sizes have definitely changed on my end as well. Before, everything was in a gallon sized bag and wouldn't last more than one meal after that. I've also finally started using all of the bento boxes I've had all of these years. Now that they finally hold enough food to fill me. Well now I can eat two meals out of one and there will usually still be a few bits left. Also, I should probably get some friendly drink volumes. I do really well with hydration but I have a 25oz at work and a 32oz at home and the numbers really don't like each other. I usually just stop counting after I've hit 100+ and I just keep trying to hammer the water anyway. Thanks for the reply, you're always a big help.

Yeah, the swimming pool rules are definitely different. I keep picking up my water during or after a meal. Luckily I catch myself before drinking most of the time.

So, since surgery, I have been noticing all sorts of different incremental changes to my life. It has been like adopting an entirely new routine and set of habits that belonged go somebody else. It has been great. I'm wondering if anybody has noticed some small but surprising details that they hadn't expected. For example, it took me a while to adjust to the new time it takes microwave food. Before, I hardly ever had leftovers, but if I was heating up a plate for myself it would take 2 minutes, a stir, and another minute to warm up my pile o' slop (patent pending). It took me a while to realize it only takes 30-45 seconds now to get my small-sized portion piping hot. I just think these odd little things are interesting. I was hoping the rest of you would share similar small changes you noticed post op.

I just made up some pretty tasty Chili in my crockpot. This batch was enough to feed my wife, my 2 year old and me with enough left over for me to have quite a few lunches throughout the week. You will need: 1 lb lean, ground turkey 2 cans of kidney beans (I did the no salt added kind. I drained and rinsed the beans while still in the can) 1 can of black beans (same) 1/2 medium white onion (diced) 1 bell pepper (chopped) 1 can diced tomatos 1 can of tomato sauce (mine was a specific mix for chili, but normal tomato sauce should be fine too. You'll just want to add more spices) 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce 1 small can of green chilies Seasonings (Chili powder, garlic powder, and black pepper) 2 tbsp of olive oil 1/2 cup shredded cheddar First I put a couple of glorps of olive oil in a frying pan. I'd say roughly 2 tbsp. Then I browned some lean, ground turkey in the oil while seasoning the meat. Then I just added all of the ingredients except for the cheese into my crockpot and cooked on high for 4 hours. You'll probably want to add some more seasonings to the mix. I think you could do it on low for 8 hours as well. Then 15 minutes before it was done I mixed half of my cheese in with the mix and added the second half on top. I just let it finish cooking at that point and served it up. I didn't add salt because my wife has kidney disease. You may want some. I'm kind of used to eating food without it. It's still a fairly bland chili, but I'm in phase 3 right now. So, it works nicely for what I'm looking for. In the future I'd like to work in more veggies, but it is a ton of protein right now.

11/13/18 (day of surgery) 366 12/10/18 (Today ?) 321

Haha, brilliant. My goal was to be back at work just in time to help with the madness. I don't know what I was thinking.

My job is mostly a desk job and I took 2 weeks off. I probably could have gone back sooner, but I'm glad I didn't. I think I needed the extra time to heal before coming back to a stressful situation (I work at a University and the semester is about to end, so we're swamped).

Mmmm, I have been mixing Matcha powder into my yogurt and I love it. I can't wait to add more to it once I'm out of phase 2.

Actually that sounds awesome to me. It's like a Shepard's pie puree. I will be eating this soon. Except I'll have to add buffalo sauce to keep with my current trend.

So, let me start with stating the obvious... I'm a bit of an idiot. My first meal was canned tuna mixed with buffalo sauce and a little bit of mayo. I'm damn lucky my stomach seems to like me and I was able to tolerate it. I've eaten buffalo sauce mixed with almost every meal since. I've just been alternating between scrambled eggs with buffalo sauce, tuna with buffalo sauce, and canned chicken with buffalo sauce. So far my stomach loves me. My colon is a different story... That being said, I just finished my lunch. More buffalo sauce.

Yeah, this is totally normal. I dropped 35lbs in the first week and a half I sat at 330 for about a week without the scale moving even though I was only taking in 500-600 calories a day. Now weight is melting off me again and I haven't changed a thing. Just stay focused on your plan. Get in that protein and water and it will resume before you know it. It is hard to ignore the scale when it is giving so many great numbers so rapidly, but I've decided to try to avoid it and I recommend you do the same. I'm going to try to cut back to once a week instead of every day.

I'm just going to tuck myself in here to see what comes of this post. Those sausage balls sounds tasty.

Woo Shawana, you're a freakin rock star. You've got this. No doubt in my mind.

Sorry, that's a question better answered by minds more knowledgeable than my own.

You're the best Fluffy. Thanks. I'm going to make up a batch of that to tide me over for a few days.

You may still yet lose it. I've heard a lot of people say their tastes change and my nutritionist says that it often comes after a couple of months when the taste buds change. So try not to worry. Right now focus on protein and water. I've had a couple hard candies since surgery and they seem to sate my sweet tooth. Before surgery I'd need to down a half a batch of brownies to do it in. So, even if you do eat some sweets, maybe the new moderation will do the trick.

In my case, if I drank too quickly (which I did frequently) I would just get a wave of mild pain which told me to think more next time. I know some people will start salivating a lot and some will sick up. I imagine there are people with some horror stories, but I think most people have had a similar experience to mine. Just try to be mindful, and know that you will likely mess up a little bit here and there, but you should be fine.

Which surgery did you do? From what I understand Bypass patients are more likely to have that problem. Even then though, it seems like a crap shoot and the dice land differently for everybody. I think you just got lucky/unlucky depending on how you feel about it.

Umm, this looks super tasty. I'm on Phase 2 now, so I'm basically only eating Eggs, Cottage Cheese, and Tuna. Any recipe on this? Or should I just mix them together with a bit of spice?

Yup, seems pretty normal. On my 3rd day after surgery I had apparently pooed the bed just a tiny bit. Which I didn't notice at all. So I went to sit in my recliner. You know, just to spread the poo. It wasn't until my first big fart that morning that I realized a 2nd water balloon had just exploded out of me. Super pleasant. I had a leaky bum for about a week. Don't worry, if you're like me you will soon have some stellar constipation and then it should stabilize after a couple weeks. Long story short, it will get better, and it will get better quickly. Although, I'd listen to Fluffy and avoid the juice for a while.