Everything posted by vikingbeast
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Omg
Honestly, you're going to eat so little after surgery that "meal prepping" is something you'll have some time to learn. What I do is plan out what I want to eat. For example, Korean BBQ ground beef, rice, and, say, green beans. I'll cook a pound of beef and get it all ready, then divide it into four containers (I'm eating about 4 oz. protein at a time right now). I'll make a quarter cup of dry rice in the appropriate amount of salted water in a small saucepan (rice expands to 4x its volume), and put a quarter cup of cooked rice in each container. And then I'll prepare and cook half a pound of green beans and put a quarter of it in each container. The containers go in the fridge and when it's time to eat, I take one out, pop it in the microwave for a minute and a half or two minutes, and eat it. I build the "recipe" in MyMacros+ by adding all my ingredients (INCLUDING COOKING OIL!) and then telling it it's four portions. Then when I need to log it, I just tap Recipes and the one I created is right there for me. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I meal prep twice a week so that I'm not eating week-old leftovers. I also am a big fan of the packets of tuna that have 70 calories—they're really high in protein, I can have a little jar of chopped veggies (onion, celery, pickle, apple) to put in and then a dab of light mayo, and that's a meal too. I even make omelets or scrambled egg ahead of time.
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Coffee
My surgeon banged on the teakettle about no coffee, but I started drinking it again about 6 weeks out. It's for everyone's safety... I prefer not to lead the 11:00 news...
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Comically small sandwich
I just made a tuna salad sandwich on one of those little pieces of very flat, thin Danish rye bread (the kind used for smørrebrød, but I didn't put any butter) and had the same reaction. Tiny, but so good.
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GYM AFTER SURGERY? LIFTING WEIGHTS?
I was made to walk immediately after surgery (within an hour of coming out of the recovery room). For two weeks I was on walking only, but no restrictions as to hills or stairs. At my two-week follow-up visit I was cleared for anything that did not require weights or abdominal tension. So I could run, bike, and jump rope, but I couldn't row or do sit-ups. I was also allowed to go from 10 to 15 pounds weight max which allowed me to use a training barbell for some exercises. At six weeks the restrictions were lifted. I spent 2-3 weeks getting back into things and trying to discover where my strength was (there's some loss but not as bad as I feared), and now at ten weeks am back into it, both manual labor as well as CrossFit.
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Help
Stalls do happen. If you don't lose any weight in three weeks, talk to your team. It is also possible that you are eating too few calories—I was, I stalled, my new nutritionist bumped me up, and the weight started slipping away again. How many calories are you eating per day? Are you getting enough protein? Enough liquid? Are you exercising at all?
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Alcohol For The Holidays
I had a bit of Champagne a month and a half after and it went STRAIGHT to my head. No thanks.
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Canadians that had surgery in Mexico
I am not Canadian and did not have surgery in Mexico, but I did live in Tijuana, know the city very well, and have guided many people through, both from San Diego Airport as well as from Tijuana airport. Let me know if you have specific questions.
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Exercise
Your surgeon will tell you the answer for this question as it pertains to you. I was up and walking an hour after surgery. I did only walking for two weeks and had a 10-pound weight restriction. At my two-week appointment, I was cleared to do running, jumping rope, and biking and anything that didn't involve my core. I was also allowed to go up to 15 pounds (at my request) so I could use a training bar for barbell work. At my six-week appointment, I was cleared for anything I wanted. I took a few weeks to get back into the swing of things, and now at ten weeks out I am doing nearly everything I did before, but I have noticed some loss of strength (MUH GAINZZZZ). It is coming back relatively quickly as I increase the amount I eat.
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Calorie tracking
I switched from MFP+ to MyMacros+ and I like it so, so much better... and absolutely zero photos of food.
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Runny Nose When Full
Totally normal. It's the vagus nerve that does it. I get post-nasal drip which is really annoying.
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Runny Nose When Full
Then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thine enemy, who, being unworthy in thy sight, shall snuff it... ??
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Stomach noises
My stomach makes weird noises when it's trying to digest. I thought it was hunger—it felt like my stomach was being rubbed against itself—but it's not, it's just my stomach making weird noises. Bubble gut (aka roid gut, HGH gut) is a different thing altogether. Unless you're injecting a bunch of so-called "research chemicals" into yourself, you don't have bubble gut.
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Before and After Pics
Insane transformation!! Congratulations!
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Before and After Pics
That's an incredible change! Well done!
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Almost 3 weeks out. Am I doing something wrong?
They told me the same thing, but it depends on your level of physical activity. But I've always been able to eat more than they suggest. Here is reality: you were probably eating 2000-3000 calories a day before, and now you are eating much less. Whether you're eating 500 cal or 800 cal, you are still WAY DOWN IN A CALORIC DEFICIT. So if they're trying to blame a stall on that, they're full of you-know-what. Stay off the scale, eat your food, make sure you are getting physical exercise, even if it's just a couple of walks a day. It will move. The scale will move. It's simple physics.
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Can you show me your food log?
I have a protein shake each day after workout, and I have a serving of collagen peptide protein at some point in about 250 ml of water. Unfortunately my preferred protein shakes, the Fairlife Core Power ones, are having supply chain issues.
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Just got my surgery
As @NovaLuna said, signals get messed up post-op. It could be thirst, especially so soon post-op when you're still trying to get enough hydration. It could also be very slight acid reflux (for me this happens if I eat too carby all at once, or if I eat too fast, or if I drink too soon after eating or vice versa). If you wait a half an hour and it goes away, it wasn't hunger. And some people have hunger after surgery. My surgery "twin" @lizonaplane said she feels hungry; I am just now, 10 weeks out, starting to sometimes feel hunger, but almost in the background. Everybody is different, and every body is different.
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Just beginning
You'll do fine. Did you get a surgery date yet? Or still working through insurance requirements?
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Is GERD worse in the beginning months after surgery?
I will say that I had GERD more often earlier after surgery because I wasn't yet used to how I need to eat and drink. I'd eat or drink too fast and then WHOOPS here comes the acid! Now that I know what I need to do, I only have a little bit. I think I've taken Pepcid once in a month.
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Surgery nerves
It's totally normal to have nerves. I had massive nerves right up until they put me under. But seriously, I want to go back in time to pre-op fat me and shake my shoulders and go DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW AMAZING THIS TOOL IS SO STOP FREAKING OUT ALREADY.
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Am I really going to live on 1000 calories?
Not only am I satisfied on a small quantity of food (my stats are almost exactly like @Starwarsandcupcakes' though they are much further out than I am), I literally don't think I could eat more without grazing all day.
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How much did weight loss slow down for you?
I am losing about 4 lbs. a week. at 2.5-ish months out, and am about halfway between surgery weight and goal. BUT: 1. Everyone loses at their own rate. 2. I'm a dude, and as unfair as it is, it seems easier for guys to lose weight even after WLS. 3. I work and workout like a fiend. I would talk to your surgeon about your inability to keep stuff down or to eat more than an ounce at a time. That's concerning.
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Hit plateau after 4 weeks post op
Totally the three-week stall. It lasted a bit over a week for me and then WHOOOOOOOOSH the weight came flying off. I'm averaging a bit over 4 lbs. a week now (hooray for the honeymoon period!) and 59 lbs. from goal. I know it'll slow down as I get closer to equilibrium, but for right now I love it. No te rajes!!
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Can you show me your food log?
Meal 1 (0530) (51 cal 6C 2F 2.3P) Espresso with 5 g brown sugar and 2 oz steamed milk Meal 2 (0745) (164 cal 4C 10.6F 13.3P) 1 slice chard and spinach crustless quiche Meal 3 (1000) (164 cal 4C 10.6F 13.3P) 1 slice chard and spinach crustless quiche (liked it so much I ate it twice) Meal 4 (1400) (309 cal 11C 14.7F 32.8P) 2 beef kofte (meatballs) and 1/2 cup puréed pinto beans Meal 5 (1800) (327.2 cal 52.2C 3.3F 20.3P) 1 serving chicken tinga 1/2 cup puréed pinto beans 60 g steamed green beans Persian melon Meal 6 (2030) (130 cal 24C 3F 2P) 1 serving Maria biscuits TOTAL 1310 cal 105.1C 54.8F 97.4P - exactly within my macros per my nutritionist. I am just short of 10 weeks post-op. (Note, before someone jumps in about how that's SO MANY CALORIES—I burn at least 1000 calories a day just in exercise and physical work which I need to do, so it has to get fueled. When I was eating much less, I had no energy and no strength to do things like move hay bales. And I am still in the honeymoon of losing 4-5 lbs. a week.)
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Is it Saturday? No… it’s TWOS-day!
I appreciate the concern! I'm a cis male in my 40s. It's an ambitious goal for sure. If I got below 20% I'd be satisfied, but would like 15% (which is basically a flat belly, though obviously skin will become an issue). I'm going to schedule the DXA scan shortly—now that I'm under 300 lbs. I can use the mobile unit that visits vaguely near my work, rather than having to drive to Culver City in traffic for the fixed unit that supports 400 lbs.