GreenThumb

I am about three months post VSG and the last three weeks I have been really trying hard to get to 600 to 800 calories. I was stalling out at 500 and 600 calories at two months after I started working out regularly so I bumped up my caloric intake (per dietitian) and it worked so I stuck with it. I too was type 2 diabetic and no longer on any medication and my A1C just came back at 6.2, my TSH is a little chaotic right now but we are working on it !

I seem to stay around 400 cal range. I was prediabetic and taking Metformin before surgery. There is absolutely no way I could take one of those pills now. My bariatric NP told me it's ok to stop them. My blood glucose numbers have been normal range and some lows I haven't seem in a while.

I think you are correct re the diabetes information. I would guess your numbers may increase some as you have some carbs once you are months out but I would guess not to the point of going back on meds.
I was at 300-400 calories the first month and worked up to 500-600 and stayed at that level until month 6. Then I was only 10 pounds form my goal and worried about losing too quickly (I know that sounds insane right!!) so I purposely increased calories about 100/week to hit around 1000.
I worked up towards 1200-1400 around the 10 month mark and now at almost 2 years am around 1500/1600 to maintain. Honestly that seems a little high compared to what others on here say but it keeps me at my comfortable weight. According to the BMi chart I could lose another 10 pounds but I feel like it would make me look too thin and bony ( also crazy to think that would ever be a thought re. my body).
If I see my weight trending up 2-3 then I set a goal of 1200 (but usually log around 1300-1400) and that will get me down those 2 pounds within 1-2 weeks. I do think that wont be as easy in another 6-12 months as I am out of the honeymoon phase so I keep logging food/calories religiously. If I see I am low on Protein its just a matter of fact thinking ok go get a piece of cheese or drink a glass of milk vs old me would get crackers or chips at the end of the day.

Feb 4th! Almost 10 days in now.

Dogmom68 thank you for your kind words. I am home and feeling a bit better. I am still very very weak. Took a shower first thing this morning s ofc that made me feel better, Gonna just have to take it slow and steady.

Also guys I will aslo be popping over to the post-op forum hope to see you all here and there.. Much Love Strength and many pounds down

I wish I had realized how important the first year was to push it for all it was worth staying at 600-800 calories and maximizing exercise and workouts. Two years later it's just harder to get the same results.

If you can stand Bone Broth (add some stuff for flavor) it can be helpful. The caramel Protein Shakes are great in coffee. I liked the Protein Bars, particularly the chocolate delux ones. I liked boiled potatoes with lowfat shredded cheese, refried Beans with cheese and salsa, tofu, rotissiere chicken (SOFT), soft baked fish. I really loved frozen greek yogurt bars (Yasso makes a great one). Also, Protein pancakes were a tremendous favorite. (you make the batter with oatmeal, cottage cheese, egg whites, baking powder, greek yogurt in blender)

Like others on the liquid diet I would get cravings and hunger and did not want to stray from directions but I had a few pureed meals early hoping to satisfy hunger and it worked a bit. My doctor told me an extra shake on the liquid diet would not hurt. I saw somewhere that the average post op stomach pouch can hold 5 tablespoons. My NUT told me we are allowed 8 Tablespoons on the pureed diet. So my advice is check with your NUT and doctor and have them verify the amount of food that should make you feel full. A tablespoon of eggs sounds like a drop in the bucket. I think we are all justifiably so afraid of overeating that we are constantly underestimating the amounts we can have on the diet, especially when we are having few or no other side effects.

I had my sleeve as well on Feb 9. I am currently still in the hospital on Sat Feb 13. I have suffered severe nausea and dry heaves all through out the days. Today I feel good ate almost all my cream of chicken and pudding. Got all my skim milk down. Am excited for Dr to come in so I can finally go home

Hey there! I’ve been reading posts for a few weeks and thank you all for info, advise, etc... I was sleeved on Tuesday, Feb 9th. I also had a hiatal hernia repair. I ended up having a tough time with nausea and staying 3 nights at the hospital. My surgeon reminded me several times this week- be patient - everybody responds and heals at their own pace so my body just needed a few days before it was ready to calm down and allow me to sip and keep it down ;) I am so thankful to be home with my husband and kids — even sleeping in a recliner in the living room last night hands down beat the bed at hospital. It was very very hard to get any sleep there. Just getting good a nights sleep at home last night alone, I feel like a new person :)

I did powerlifting a couple years ago and LOVED it. After I drop a good amount of weight I plan to incorporate lifting again - you're an inspiration! Great work!

Can I ask what your hunger feels like now? I'm still trying to figure out what each new sensation means and nothing feels like it used to.

Feb. 3 after being postponed from November due to COVID. liquid diet starts Wednesday and I keep flip-flopping between being emotional/crying to absolutely psyched and ready! (I'm a LOT of fun to live with right now, lol)

Yes, what you're feeling is very common (I did a search on the forum and you can see several threads about it). A lot of people describe it as a cramp or a pinch. I had it as well. I would swallow and then I could count about two seconds...one one-thousand, two one-thousand... cramp! It was like a painful spasm in my tummy. My surgeon told me it was just due to my stomach not being fully healed yet and there still being a lot of internal swelling in there. I had it for quite some time but it did go away little by little. Eat slowly, take small bites, chew very thoroughly. When you drink something, take small sips, don't gulp. As you heal, that feeling should pass.
Edit to add: if it doesn't go away or gets worse, be sure to check in with your surgeon. A few people have a complication called a stricture, that can cause similar feelings. But in the majority of cases, it's just part of the healing process and will clear up on its own.

Heavy Weightlifting completely changes your body!!! I’m 8 years post-op and I incorporate 5-6 days of weightlifting into my routine. I ONLY do about 10 minutes of cardio (10 minute run) each workout day, which in actuality is my warmup before I stretch and lift. I also incorporate hypertrophy (higher rep, lower weight) training into my workouts to help with muscle growth, but the most empowering part is getting strong and hitting new PR’s (personal records).

When I first started lifting, I could not lift too much weight. The lower weight WAS my heavy weight. I would find a weight that I could rep 8-10 times before failure. My squats literally started with the bar (a standard Olympic bar weighs 45 lbs). Now, after 6.5 years of consistent training, I can squat 245 lbs, deadlift 320 lbs, bench 185 lbs, curl the 40 lbs dumbbells. I really wanted to fill up my arms & legs with muscle to lessen that loose skin (which I still have, but not so noticeable), so I worked hard. I researched, read, incorporated. I was—and still am—constantly learning, correcting, and incorporating. I learned how to diet for optimal muscle growth, which optimally includes 1 gram of Protein per body weight and complex carbs, and good healthy fats. At first I didn’t know what complex carbs were, so I looked it up😂, picked out foods I liked, and incorporated them into my diet. I’m not going to lie, complex carbs are the hardest to consume because of their density (and my sleeve still works when I’m eating the right foods—freak’n sliders!), but I make it work by eating small frequent meals throughout the day (I eat about 6-8 different times, including shakes). I also discovered a supplement drink in powder form called Karbolyn (by EFX Sports) that would help me hit my complex carb macro goal.

Anyway, long story short, when I first lost all my weight, I got down to 140 lbs, and a size 4-6. Now, I weigh between 155-160, and still wear a 6 (the 4’s are too small for my arms because they’ve grown with muscle mass 💪🏼😆💪🏼). I’ve literally shred the fat and have added muscle mass. And since 1 lbs of fat takes up way more space than 1 lbs of muscle, I’ve been able to pack on more muscle in the same amount of space. Weightlifting is where it’s at. Man or woman. I’m just trying to inspire women because women tend to fear lifting heavy and fear that they will look manly. I assure you, I do not look like a man. 😂🤣

I'm so glad y'all brought this up - how on earth do you figure out what feeling means what?!
I have no idea if I'm full or not. Today I had a Tbs of greek yogurt twice today and I really couldn't tell you if it made me full. I *think* hunger feels like a wave of a stomach cramp (though the signal definitely does not get to my head). I know when I need to slow down on liquids, but it mostly feels like gas followed by a painful burp. I get all sorts of random pains or gurgles or squeezes - often when I'm not drinking or eating anything. But other than hunger, nothing feels like it used to or makes much sense at this point.
I do know anything other than FairLife CorePower is so sweet it makes me want to hurl.

February 22 for me

Having my covid test tomorrow for my surgery on the 19th and meeting with my surgeon as well. This is all getting so real. Just about a week! 😬

Thank you all so much for your tips
But I actually ended up in the ER but I'm home now. I had a hernia at the same time as my gastric sleeve, and I just had severe pain. I'm just so disheartened by this whole thing. I pray for brighter days.

Yes, I think. I dont know if I'm hungry but I know I'm not full. I actually just posted a thread on this. I'm in the pureed stage and I domt know how to know when I'm full.

Yesterday I was given the green light on pureed. I started with a v8, which was so yummy.

Today I made soft scrambled eggs and melted cheese. I had one tablespoon as my NUT suggested. And that was it. But I dont know if that was too much or too little.

How do you know when you're full? Or how do you know when to stop since your still hungry?

I am sorry to hear that some of you are having nausea and other issues. What is weird is that I never had any nausea, throwing up or anything. I had my sleeve surgery on 2/2/2021. People keep saying that they can barely get done any of Protein Shakes down.. I have been able to drink the whole 8 ounces from the beginning.. I can eat the puree easily.. and I am still hungry! It is definitely not head hunger as my stomach is actually hungry.. I can feel it. My pre-op diet was 10 days, all Clear Liquids the day before. Nothing to eat/drink the first day until after I had the leak test the next late morning. I am allowed clear liquids, two Protein shales and 4 so-called meals of 1-2 ounces of pureed protein. The only time I feel full is after each Protein Shake. I lost around 5 lbs in the pre-op diet and 6 lbs since the surgery as of yesterday morning.

Has anyone else had these issues?
Thanks!

I hear you. Has your bariatric team been able to provide any solutions?
Mine was the 3rd and the first 4 days were HELL, but Day 5 I seemed to turn a corner. I hope you're able to get some relief soon.

It’s day 6 post op and things are mostly ok with some little bumps here and there. The bumps are mostly due to gas pain, but yesterday after a lot of walking I started to have a sharp pain under my right ribs. I still get that pain with a deep breath but it’s not intolerable. I have my first follow up tomorrow and thought I’d drive myself, but the energy level isn’t quite there. My husband will take me instead.
getting good Water intake and Protein Shakes but I am so tired of drinking.

Surgery

Surgery was on the 8th. At home now. No complications. It only hurts a little at the incion sites. Im managing with meds. No having any problems swallowing or holing food except that mess they make you swallow to see if have any leaking. I threw that mess up quick! Minimal gas pains on day one but once I started walking, that subsided for the most part. The only complaibt I have is that everything tastes sweet including Water. Anybody else have that issue?

7 Day countdown to February 17th!!... Double Surgery😰... Gastric Sleeve & Nephrectomy on the same day! No matter how scared & anxious I get. I’ll remain optimistic & continue pushing forward for my successful journey. I endured spinal infusion in 2019 so I’m PRAYING this healing will be a breeeeeeze **gulp**