Tiffykins

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww that's so awesome ! ! !

During my losing stage, I never ate more than 30gr of carbs for the first 4 months, then my surgeon wanted me to slow down my losing so I bumped it up to 40-50gr per day. I still lost at the same rate so it didn't matter. Now that I've been in maintenance for nearly a year, I honestly do not count anything except Protein and calories. I keep white carbs in moderation, but if I want mashed potatoes, I eat mashed potatoes. There is no particular food group I deprive myself of, and I do much better with moderation over deprivation. My body is not carb sensitive so I have zero issue eating carbs.

Take it one day at a time. My guidelines were 600-800 calories, 60gr of Protein, no more then 30-40 gr of carbs per day. I didn't get protein until I hit mushies. In the "recipe forum" on here, you can look there for places to order protein samples. The Syntrax nectar drinks mixed with Water counted as a clear for me. The mental cravings never go away since they operate on our stomachs and not our brains. But, when the hunger subsides, the head part gets easier for some. If you're on Clear Liquids, you can get protein from the Syntrax Nectar drinks, or Isopure (found in most GNC Vitamin Shoppe type stores). You can also add any unflavored Protein powder to your clear liquids. Just because it's unflavored doesn't means it's TASTELESS. I felt like the unflavored ones tasted worse, but a lot of people love them. You shouldn't eat anything else as you have an open staple line that is healing. You won't be able to hit those type of calories/protein until you get to full liquids, or maybe even mushies. Just keep pushing the clear fluids.

I preferred myfitnesspal.com for online and they have a free iPhone app that is easily navigated. Others that I've tried, but didn't like as much were sparkpeople.com fatsecret.com livestrong.com It came down to myfitnesspal.com had a more accurate database, and there not ever one single food or drink that I couldn't find in the database. Now, things might has changed with the others since it's been almost 2 years since I've tried them.

Awww then you'll be fine ! ! ! I'm so glad I didn't have a liquid pre-op diet. I would NOT have made it, and personally think the only liquid diets are torture devices. Thankfully, my surgeon doesn't do them. We would have had to have a serious "come to Jesus" talk LOL.

It took me nearly 90lbs loss to get out of plus sizes so I didn't skip through sizes very rapidly until I got below 190lbs. Once I got under 190bs, the sizes flew by me, I skipped sizes, and had to do a lot of returns. I suggest thrift stores for around the house clothing, or consignment stores for nicer items if needed for work. I thought it would be great to buy a couple of "goal items". Yeah, they got returned because when I "thought" I could squeeze into them, they slid right on and off. I say go slow, or you'll spend more time at the mall returning clothes you never get to wear.

It's not ONLY about the weight loss and the dietary change. Throw anesthesia, hormonal changes due to rapid weight loss, drastic cut in calories (meaning we go from 3000 to 600 calories in a matter of days), and then the actual recovery from having a huge portion of a major organ essentially amputated. Here's 2 articles that explain it: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1071566-overview http://www.follicle.com/section2/5.html

1 chicken pita is not going to make you gain back all of your weight. Now, if you're eating off plan, or are still in the healing phase, you should be more concerned with what you're doing to a healing staple line in your stomach. Don't beat yourself up, but recognize the behavior, and have a plan in place for next time.

I don't eat "that" level of hot/spicy, but I have had zero issues with Mexican Spicy, or Thai (Thai Medium toThai Hot) foods. I remember early out, around 5-6 months post-op, I did get some breakthrough heartburn with some chipotle jalapeno ranch dressing. I'm not really sure if was the dressing, or the fact I probably took 1-2 too many bites of the stuff. That being said, I popped another prilosec and all was right in my world. Of course, super spicy stuff should be avoided while the stomach is healing, and I've been on Prilosec since 6 weeks out, and recently switched over to Nexium. So, I load up on Thai Hot Pepper steak without issue, eat cajun seasoned infused egg salad for lunch today, and can wash back a good 1/2 cup of spicy salsa at out local Mexican joint. I'm not sure how it would effect me without my PPI because I'm stubborn and won't attempt to wean off of it. Of course, this has all been cleared with my medical team since they have to continue to write the RX for me. You may find your taste buds change temporarily, and things you once loved will be instant "gross out" for you. It happened with several of my favorites early out, but again, it's a temporary side effect and all my favorites are back to being my favorites without issue.

I would ditch the shake and Protein bar, and start adding in tuna/chicken/egg salad, or cheese. I stayed on mushies/purees/soft solids for a long time because it was the only way I could get in the required calories. If you can replace the shake, bar, and soup with a more calorie/nutrient/protein dense meal, I think you'll find it easier to hit calorie goals. Mix chicken/tuna salad with hard-boiled eggs and greek yogurt, it'll keep carbs low, but increase calories/protein. I sprinkled the dry ranch dressing into my chicken/tuna salads for flavor. Deli meat with cream cheese rolled up was a good source of protein and calories, easily chewed down to mush, and packed a couple hundred calories per meal. Ground meat (turkey or beef) with marinara or alfredo sauce or a cream of soup was staples for me as well. Ground meat with taco or fajita seasoning with cheese and greek yogurt was a meal as well. You'll notice as the weeks pass that you'll be able to get in a little more food each month until your sleeve reaches mass capacity. If I follow the rules, even at 21 months, I can not consume more then 3-5oz of dense protein. By rules, eating slow, not stretching my meal out over 20 minutes, and no drinking while eating. I'm a rule follower about 85% of the time, but in maintenance there is a bit more laxity in my meals. I often stretch my meal out over 40 minutes, and I sometimes sip with my meal(not drink, but a few sips here and there to wet my whistle). It's what I have to maintain my current weight. I don't have enough time in my day to eat 6-8 small meals, so I need to get my calories/protein in about 4 meals per day.

Amazing results ! ! ! Congrats on your many successes ! ! !

Alcohol is typically not recommended until you get or are close to goal. It's simply wasted calories. Early out, alcohol can have a diuretic effect which compromises hydration so it is contraindicated for those reasons as well.With that being said, I was released for alcohol consumption at 3.5 months out. I wasn't at goal, but I could take the calories and figure them into my intake for the day, but chose to wait. I waited until I was at goal to indulge in alcohol. I chose to do this way because I had zero desire to drink my calories. My first experience with alcohol was 1 glass of wine. I got buzzed quick and hard. Lips tingling, face numbing drunk, it wore off just as fast as it hit me. I've been a fairly social drinker since about 8 months post-op. I'm known as the "afternoon cocktail" girl in my circle of friends, and it has had zero negative effects on my ability to maintain my weight loss. Plus, my tolerance is back to what it was pre-op. I drink everything from mixed drinks with soda, to shots. I've never been a beer drinker, and to this day, it just doesn't taste "right". Transfer addiction is also a concern with alcohol. Some choose to not eat a meal to "allow" the calories in their alcoholic beverages, and that's when drinking becomes a problem for some.

Seitan, tempeh and tofu all absorb whatever flavors you put in them. Kind of like mushrooms, for me mushrooms have zero taste, but it's a texture thing. The meat alternatives are the say way. Especially if you add Asian flare to the meat substitutes for me, they tasted just like the chicken versions, just a different texture.

I have a vegan friend that had VSG and her staples are tempeh and seitan for Protein along with tofu, and Beans. She does watch her soy intake. She eats a lot of veggie, organic burgers. In the recipe forum, when I was having issues with meat, I went to her and asked her for seitan and tempeh recipes. I loaded all of them into a topic in the recipe forum. I'm a meat eater, always will be. But, seitan was a good option when meat just didn't work for me.

Adding in healthy fats, and additional calories is how I got my losing to stop. I added Peanut Butter, nuts, avocados to my weekly plan. It took me doubling my calories, increasing my meals from 4-6 per day, and calories steadily went from 1000 to 1500-1800 calories. I did increase carbs to 100gr per day, but truly increasing calorie, Protein and fat intake really helped. I added 100% grape juice for added calories. It took my body 4 solid months to settle, and I've been maintaining for nearly a year. If you are working out, I had to cut cardio and only do weights. I know building muscle burns fat, but I was building muscle as well so I didn't lose pounds, I lost inches. Unfortunately, at your height, your body might not be settled. I am 5'2", and was perfectly content at 150lbs. I think I was in a size 8/9, and I still had nice boobs. Well, my body was not settled, and I dropped down to 120 at my lowest even with increasing intake and cutting cardio, and then purposely gained back up to 125-130lbs on any given week. I am currently in a size 2, and I've lost more inches since my fat has redistributed, my body has changed even though I weigh the same amount today as I did at this time last year. My skin has rebounded, reabsorbed, and my body has changed. Trying to find the balance between maintenance and overindulging because we want to stop losing weight is a fine line. Crossing it can be detrimental. I've seen it with a few on OH that got to 2-4 years out, and thought everything was Kosher. Then before they knew it, 20-40lbs have creeped back on because of habits. They've been successful with losing some of the weight, but they all report that losing again is harder the further out they are. They also say that bad habits that got them fat in the first have become their "norm", and breaking those habits all over again takes a lot more work, energy, and diligence than it did when they were early post-VSG.

For me, and me alone, I think starting to realize there are NO BAD FOODS will help with this mindset. Learning that there are "best, better, not so great" choices with all foods and drinks really helped me live the life of moderation I truly wanted. food is either nutrient dense, or nutrient lacking. For me, deprivation leads to binging. Therefore, I have to make the conscious choice on what I put in my mouth. If I want a donut, I'm going to have a donut. It's done and over with, I can't take it back, I can't not have it process in my body, and I refuse to think that a donut on occasion is going to make me gain back 140lbs. It does take time for the brain to catch up with the body, but it does happen. At least it has for me. Remember, you are human, and only you can decide what is best for you. Learning to stop beating yourself up for having a donut will be the first step.

Yep, I was having my period during my revision. I told the nurse and she said "honey, you aren't the first and won't be the last, lift your hiney" and she proceeded to slap an industrial sized maxi pad in between my legs. I woke up with the lovely net like panties and different industrial size maxi-pad, was able to wear my own pads once I was up and walking. No tampons, but it wasn't a big deal. No biggie, they deal with it all the time. I know it's a bit embarrassing, but please know this occurs and they are medical professionals. Best wishes on your surgery ! ! !

Google Vitamin D deficiency and weight loss, there's article after article about it. Some are little more "hokey" than others, and are marketing a certain product, but if you read the medical journals, and more medically geared information, the correlation is pretty direct. It can lead to insulin resistance, and other metabolic issues. Plus, it's a known culprit for causing sweet cravings.

I bought clearanced clothes at Old Navy a lot. Luckily, on our base we have a thrift shop that allows consignments, and I've consigned a lot of my clothes through the thrift shop. Also, I shopped at other thrift stores, Goodwill, and consignment stores. I would buy staples, jeans, shirts, and lots of sweaters for the winter months. Before I started consigning clothes to recoup some of the money I spent, I donated the majority of my clothing to the local women's shelter. I had tons of business casual clothing, and was able to give back to the local community. It's tough when you're losing pounds and inches so rapidly, but it feels great to buy clothes that fit, and be able to pay it forward to someone else.

I think from the research I've done once you get your Vitamin D levels back up, you'll see that losing may be a little easier. The connection between Vit D and obesity, inability to lose weight has been well-documented.

I bought a pair of Levi's as "goal pants" and was looking forward to wearing them. . . Sadly, I happen to skip that size and dropped right down to the next size. This happened a couple of times especially once I got out of the plus size clothing. I would skip a size completely, or only stay in a size for a couple of weeks. Luckily, I had bought them at a consignment shop so I didn't pay much for those jeans. I think it's fabulous to have "goal size" clothing, but don't over-shop because you might not ever get the chance to wear them. It's a great thing, but huge waste of money if you skip sizes and tailoring isn't cheap.

Woohooooo ! ! ! You look phenomenal, many congrats on your success, and cheers to many more victories in your near future ! ! !

I have an amazingly supportive PCM, and he has been amazing through my WLS journey. I can't imagine how I would feel if he would have not been supportive. As a medical professional, I feel that the statistics on dieting failures hitting 95% he should understand that you've done your research, and want to make a permanent change and need assistance via surgery. I would go to the appointment armed with as much information as you can, and be an advocate for yourself. He's a doctor, but not a god. If all else fails, I would change PCMs and find someone that would not only support my decision, but be a partner in my long-term health.

I can say that the removal of my ravenous hunger, and ability to gorge myself with copious amounts of food and beverages has been the key to my success. However, this is a reply to another topic I posted a couple of days ago. This pretty much sums up my experience, and my mindset on long term success with VSG. I have been maintaining my weight loss VERY EFFORTLESSLY at the age of 34 for almost a year. I have a 5lb bounce around on the scale any given week. I can tie it to my indulgences of high sodium foods, and my "girls nights out" with copious amounts of alcohol. I do not ever get in any formal exercise and have NOT for a solid year. I've had spurts here and there of working out at home for a week to 10 days, but nothing consistent at all. I honestly I do eat anything and everything I want. Here's the kicker, I don't want to eat a lot of junk food. Why? Because my body runs best, I feel best physically when I feed my body a nutrient dense, Protein full diet, BUT I eat Cookies, chips, pretzels, rice, bread, Pasta all in moderation. Of course, about 85% of the time, I eat protein first, but sometimes all I want is some veggies. I do not count anything other than protein and calories now. I keep white carbs in moderation to some degree, but if I want mashed potatoes and gravy, guess what 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes and a little gravy didn't make me FAT, 4 cups of mashed potatoes with gravy on top of a 12oz ribeye with mac-n-cheese, 3 dinner rolls, and 3 glasses of sweet ice tea made me fat. Moderation is the key. I will add that I have zero metabolic issues, nor is my body sensitive to carbs. I do not get the "eat a carb, crave a carb" nor am I an emotional eater. Therefore, going into this, I feel I beat the curve quite a bit. I was a volume eater. The sleeve will work just like any other weight loss surgery works. RNY and DS can be considered failures as well. Not one single weight loss surgery is bullet proof. So, a tool working long term is only as successful as the person using the tool. Just like a hammer to a nail. You can choose to keep your eyes open, steady your arm, and aim with precision as you go to drive that nail in with just a couple of dings, or you can wield that hammer blindfolded, with a swagger in your swing, and you'll more than likely miss the nail, hit your finger or dent the wood. Make sense? ? ? I will add that I am eating the same amounts currently that I was eating a year ago, but that quantity is double what I could at 2-3 months. The sleeve matures over time. There is minimal stretching. When I say double amounts, I was able to eat 2oz dense protein at 2-3 months out, today I can get in about 4-5oz of dense protein with a couple bites of veggies. You can cheat any of the surgeries, and the sleeve can be eaten around. I know the tricks, I employ them on occasion. Drinking warm fluids or having a glass of wine with my meal relaxes my stomach, therefore I can fit a bit more in, a bit more = 1-2 ounces of mashed potatoes, or mac-n-cheese on top of my chicken. To this day, I can NOT eat an entire chicken breast without stretching my meal out over 40 minutes. I can barely eat 1.5-2 poached eggs. What I'm saying is that there is a max capacity to the sleeve, but the restriction you have the first 6 months will change, ENJOY that time, maximize your weight loss, and become diligent with changing your lifestyle. Any weight loss surgery success is defined by either compliancy or complacency and with some mechanical failures on the other surgery types you can find that a specific tool "didn't work properly". It's a choice you make. No one else, the surgery doesn't fail UNLESS it's not performed properly because there is nothing mechanical to fail with the sleeve like there is with the band or RNY. The other issues can be metabolic issues, or carb sensitivity, or some people lose differently. Stoma and pouches stretch, malabsorption of calories, fats and carbs stop after the adaptation process occurs in the intestines, and then RNY patients are having to rely on restriction only with a stretchy pouch, a blind stomach left behind making ghrelin at a higher level vs. Sleeve patients. With the band, the list of issues with it are long, detailed, but the reasons the band can and does fail are numerous. Pouch stretching, not being able to get a decent fill, then there's the physical issues with the band itself. I can go on and on. But, I know plenty of VSG'ers that are 2-4 years out (mainly on obesityhelp.com) that share my opinion on weight regain with VSG, their experiences are pretty similar to mine. There are several out there maintaining fairly effortlessly as well, and live a life of moderation. I've seen 20-40lb weight regain on a couple of patients that are 3-4 years out, and every time, they admit, I quit eating the proper foods, life happened and I turned to my old friend for comfort, or they just gave up and expected to eat ding dongs and hos hos without consequence. Most naturally thin women I know don't eat packages of hos hos on a regular basis. Most naturally thin women do watch what they eat, and do not shovel shitpots of craptastic food into their body without consequence. At least none of my naturally thin friends can eat like I did pre-op and not see weight gain.

Drink more fluids.