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After my initial consultation they gave me a 5 page list of "Do Not Eat" and Phentermine for 60 days as a 1400 calorie/day pre-op diet. Need to lose down to 410 before they'll do surgery. If it was that easy, wouldnt need surgery in the first place! I digress. You can do a lot of cooking ahead. I cook 14 chicken breasts per week and stick them in a big plastic container in the fridge. 1 gets eaten with 2 fried eggs and an apple in the morning. One gets cut into bitesize pieces and tossed onto a bed of kale with 1tbsp olive oil. That's nuked at work. I get a bag of pre chopped kale at the grocery store, it wilts down well in a microwave. Replace Kale with a couple servings of any vegetable you like. Garlic salt had become my new friend. dinner is usually stir fry vegetables: Snow peas, broccoli, mushroom, zucchini, carrot, 1tbsp sesame oil, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 1tbsp low sodium soy sauce 1tbsp garlic, 1tbsp ginger (easy on this if youre not used to it! Maybe 1tsp). Sometimes i'll put meat in it, sometimes I wont. Most of those vegetables are pre-sliced or stir fry ready, though i cut the broccoli myself (cheaper) and the zucchini. All of my vegetables for the week are pre-cut on sunday when I prep everything else for the week. Light string cheese (sometimes), beef Jerky, raw snow peas with a serving of hummus, baby carrots and a LOT of Water are my between meal Snacks. If I'm hungry I've learned to think "am i just bored?" If i am, i go for a walk. If I'm not, I drink water and wait half an hour. I walk on both of my breaks at work M-F then Saturday & Sunday I walk 1.25 miles. My results so far are 12 pounds lost in 4 weeks, and a LOT of pain from the walking. My legs hurt pretty much constantly and now my arms are starting up. I dont take any pain med, the doctor's office told me not to take it. The only medicines I have taken are Imitrex when needed, multi-Vitamins, B12, and Phentermine. It's not cheap to eat like that where I live in California. The meat alone is $25/week. Veggies are decently priced and plentiful. I cook for a household of 4, 2 of which are diabetic, one normal, and myself. Easter I had 3oz ham, then filled up on salad and asparagus. I was raised in a family where food was everything. Happy? Food! Sad? Food! Holiday? FOOD! Funeral? Food! Not hungry? Food! So I'm using the pre-op diet time to fight the food = fun/pleasure thought process. It's very very very freaking hard. Deleted my pinterest boards related to food. Left my cooking message board. My friends, thankfully, understand and dont suggest eating out all of the time anymore. They ask me to come on walks, or i ask them. I havent joined a gym, I have workout equipment at my home. Even if I want to scream and say no, I'm exhausted, no more! I walk. Sorry that was long and creepy I guess. If you want recipes, I can write some. I think the whole point of the diet is to change your brain to think food is boring and for nutrition only, and to prepare you for your upcoming lifestyle.

For maintenance, my losing lifestyle is what i adopted forever, nothing changed from when I was losing. My weight loss just petered out over time, in fact i eat less now than i was able to eat when i first began losing although i think over the ast two or three years, goods have become easier to eat and i get more variety now. I run for an hour several times a week, do a couple if rpm classes and to or three body pump classes a week - much MORE exercise than I did during the first year of my journey. None of this feels hard or like a diet, its just my life. I am five feet ten, 140lb, burn 600 or so calories a day with exercise and work as a teacher, so am on my feet all day. I have three kids aged 16, 14 and 9, so my "leisure" time is active too. Yet i gain if I eat more than 1800 calories a day, most often I sit at 1500. I definitely need my band. I may need it less if I were happy to weigh 160, but Im not.

It took me a good 3 months to feel like myself again. Not only is your body adjusting to the lower calories, but your recovering from a major surgery. Be patient, it gets better! A year later and I have never been happier.

It's not that weird... for Breakfast I had 2 eggs scrambled with tomatoes, and 2 slices of bacon. lunch I'll have some chicken salad and crackers, dinner 4 meatballs with marinara & cheese. It's really not that little of food... It's not really a matter of you can only eat that much, you are just full after eating less. It's really not like eating rabbit food aha. When I eat out I get an entree. I usually eat about half of it or a little more. You just can't eat the extra bread, the extra salad, the extra soup, dessert, sugary drinks... like you were pre-band because you have to watch your calories, and only so much fits in your stomach you will be full. For me, I eat bread and stuff.. the problem is, it doesn't have a lot of nutrients, and it takes up a lot of space. Generally Protein is a good chunk of your meal to keep you full. I can eat about a half of a big sandwich. But everyone is different!

That is a good question. I am expecting that I am going to have to increase calories. I am planning on getting my body fat percentage checked either today or tomorrow so I have a better baseline than BMI to go off of. My ultimate goal is 18% body fat. Puts me right in the upper middle of the healthy range for my age. If I can by some chance make it to 13 or 14%, that will be good. I have been noticing increased strenghth and muscle size so that is actually gain of lean mass, coupled with weight loss. When I had it checked last I was at 24% at 207lbs, I calculated that at 191 I would be at 18%, I am actually thinking I am a little leaner than 18% that now. The calipers will tell. A BMI of 25 would be 179 lbs for my height. I am withing striking distance but don't know if the is where I really want to be. I feel great and what more can I ask for.

Definately bump up the calories. My suggestion would be to raise them to about 900 - 1,000 at first and then slowly increase them until you find the level you lose the most effectively. A lot of people on here who track their calories stay in the 1,200 a day range but I have found that I lose most effectively if I stay between 1,000 - 1,100. Everyone is different so you need to find the right level for you. Also, as you increase your calories try to keep the additional calories as Protein as much as possible. I'm not sure if you track carbs but I was able to push past a plateau by bringing my carbs down to 20g for 2 weeks (now I keep them in the 30-40g range). Just a couple of suggestions...Good luck!

I'm 6' 363 lbs and am having trouble finding others with similar stats that made it to goal. My goal is 180lbs. My personality is one that will get protein water and exercise in while staying between 600 and 800 calories. If I do everything right will I be able to reach 180? Or is that too much weight to lose with the sleeve? I appreciate any input! Thanks. Ps looking at February surgery date. Just trying to figure out if the sleeve is the right option for me. It's the one I'm comfortable with.

I think you can but expect to work at it. I was over 400 DOS. The first 100lbs was relatively easy. I'm down 115lbs and find I have to work harder now. I ate 800 ish calories until about month 8. Now I'm at about 1,000 calories a day.

It is time to refocus! I am happy to have lost 52.6 pounds, I am happy to not have gained anything back, but I am not happy that I have become complacent. I have not lost a pound in months and I know I am not working my band properly. It is a wonder I have not gained anything back. I have let my busy, hectic life get in the way and I have lost control. I know that chips, ice cream, and those dreadful york peppermint patties go down easily and have no place in my diet. Especially when I may eat them in lieu of a healthy, balanced meal. This is something that has been nagging me for weeks and I am doing that before bed mental crap that I used to do back when I was 270+ pounds. Just as I am falling asleep I get that feeling of dread that I am still obese. I am ready to get this weight loss rolling again or in the very least start feeling like I ma working it properly and being more healthy. I have opted to try to incorporate South Beach principles into my diet because I truly believe this is a healthy way to live. I am doing Phase 1 as of yesterday to try to detox me from all the crap I was eating. I swear that helps with the craving and I hope it helps again.... Yesterday's Meal Plan B: 1 quiche cup 1 turkey sausage *I cooked 2 sausages and quiche cups but was full after 1. L: low sodium V8 3 slices ham rolled with cheese mustard coffee with 1/2&1/2 D: romaine lettuce (about 1 cup) 3oz chicken parmesan cheese light caeser dressing dessert: SF jello with cool whip snack later 2 Polly-O string cheese I figured out the calories to be 932 with 52grams fat and 82 grams protein. Per fitday. I also managed to drink more water than I have in months. I would estimate that I had 10 glasses! That was why I didn't really snack until later...no time with all that drinking and waiting after meals. I really wasn't ever hungry today though either. Yesterday was my busy day though so we will see how I do when I have more down time.

My surgeon was also Dr. Gallus. I think he did an amazing job! For the last 5 months I have not consumed more than 30 grams of Carbs a day. I consume 70 grams a Protein almost everyday. Calories month 2-4 300-600; month 5 800; and now I guess I need to up them again because I have hit my goal. For me (I have PCOS) I knew I had to be very careful with cards and now I don't really miss them at all. I have been very successful with that combo...but I think everyone is different. Have you emailed the Nut...Eva? She is great about emailing me right away when I have questions. I am excited to have found someone here who had the same surgeon. Good Luck to you and keep me posted on your progress.

First of all I love your screen name...I am also a USMC wife and a Teacher. We are in Southern Ca too! I was sleeved at Balboa. Were you? They say no Vitamins until after post op visit because they want to give you tummy time to heal. I asked them pre surgery. My tongue looked a little white and I had terrible breath right after surgery for first few weeks...it was a combo of the Protein and no food. I brushed my teeth constantly. It went away when I moved to mushies. Good luck to you...do your best to follow the surgeons recommendations I think that is the best way to succeed. quote name='USMCwifeandTEACHER' timestamp='1305900308' post='152979'] Two questions, 1. Taking 300 calorie shakes with 42 grams of protein in them is bad, right? I just reali of zed that drinking these may be counter to why I had the surgery in the first place. I had my surgery on Monday and I'm down seven lbs. already. Pretty scary but I'm getting past the food cravings and wanting food. Today, so far, is the first time I woke up and I don't want pancakes. I even remember passing a sign advertising a hotel's breakfast buffet here in San Diego. I was looking at the picture thinking... geez, who can eat all of that? 2. Has anyone tried Miracle 2000? I guess I've figured out that I think I know more than the doctors know. My post op sheet clearly says "NO VITAMINS until after your first pre-op appointment." Well screw that, why wait? Not only that I was starting to get this furry white coating on my tongue. I figured my mouth was just dry and I was getting dehydrated. I researched on the internet and found that a deficiency in B12 can lead to that. I don't want that. I want to curtail hair loss as much as possible. Any thoughts from the pros?

Today is my one-month surgiversary and I've lost only 5 lb. I did a 10 day pre-op diet and did not lose weight, but my liver looked great, so that was enough for me. I lost 5 lb the first week or so, then 2 the following week. I gained the 2 lb back shortly after, and have lost nothing since then. I eat 600-700 calories a day, and try to stay high Protein, low carb and minimal processed food. I don't even have the desire to cheat and have only felt intense hunger once. I walk my dog on a two mile route each day, and just started adding the elliptical in for 30 minutes. My clothes are slightly looser, in the mild way you'd expect after losing 5 lb. I believe I must have some hormonal condition or something impeding my progress. Did anyone experience this? If so, what medications or dietary changes made the difference for you? I can't see a dr until March, but I want to go armed with some knowledge. Some background info: I'm not diabetic and don't have PCOS. Not menopausal. Thyroid levels were normal as of 18 months ago, not sure now.

I had nearly a month of stalled weight loss in Feb-March. Very irritating stuff. Forward three steps, back two. Forward two steps, back three. Frustrating! I eat 1200 calories a day. Is that too much? Dietitian says no...it's perfect...be consistent...wait it out....you don't want your metabolism to adjust to very low calories because you won't be eating very low calories for life. So...I've been trusting my program...and doing 1200. Last night, I thought....crap...I just screwed up bigtime. Went out to dinner with hubby and ate steak, salad, baked potato, grilled veggies. Nothing unhealthy, but overindulged a little. And a sip or two of hubby's wine. And a bite of his dessert. LOL:) I expected to pay for it on the scale this morning. Nope. I lost two pounds since Friday. Which I'm sure has more to do with hormonal water weight (menstrual yaya)...but still! I didn't expect a loss like that. Looking over my records, I've lost 7 pounds in the last two weeks. Which I think is sort of an astoundingly awesome loss for me at this point in my journey. Only thing I've been doing different is changing up my exercise. I'm still walking 12000 steps a day, but I've added a rebounding work out on the mini trampoline, swimming at the Y once a week, and sweating to the oldies with richard simmons once a week......so still walking every day and added three cardio workouts a week. I think the key...is patience, consistency. For those who are stalled....hang in there:) It gets better:)

That was my "concern". Maybe concern isn't the right word. Given my exercise and current caloric intake, I am consistently at a large deficit in calories daily. I imagine I wouldn't continue to lose weight to the point of looking anorexic and that maybe it would stop eventually. I don't foresee me adding in TOO many more calories by the time I hit 12 months out. There's only so much I can fit in me comfortably. Given that I stick to low carb foods, they are all pretty much low calorie, as well. Maybe eventually I will add in more carbs when I am comfortable with doing so.

Yes, very helpful, thanks! I need to find the OH maintenece forum, thanks for mentioning it. I agree totally about the soft 'slider' foods. I can eat soup, tuna or something like that, and sit and visit for a little while and eat a little more. I weigh or measure everything when we are home, and am 'snacking' on Peanut Butter string cheese, cottage cheese....stuff like that throughout the day to get my calories in. A couple of weekends ago we ate out all weekend and I gained 2.5 - three lbs....I was still below goal, but I didn't like it...I just didn't do my normal 'snacking' during the day on Monday and Tuesday and it was gone. It is shocking how quickly it can be gone again. Is it like that for you too? On the downside, if I FORGET to add in those extra calories I will quickly lose even more. You are way below goal, so I KNOW you KNOW what I'm talking about!! It can happen fast, I can see that. Thanks again...and I think the greens are good too!

No desk job for me. Im @ home depot. I walk around the store so much I probably burn around 1000 calories in my 9 hours there. I pick up pallets move and pick up merchandise push cages and to top it all off I live in NYC. I dont own a car I walk take the subway or city bus. Im always on my feet. I think not having a desk job and living in the city gives me an advantage. I got to the gym 3 times a week. Thats just a bonus for me.

Hi All its 3 1/2 years since I have been banded and 1 year since my body lift. I need some help to see if I am just fooling myself and eating too much or If I really OK and should accept myself where I am. Its really frustrating. My top weight was 330 335 in High School. Today I'm 240. The lowest I was was 233 a few months after my body lift when I was recovering. I have been around around this 240 Mark now for a few years! And don't know what I can do to get to my goal which is moving up now to from 225 to 230! I am 6 Ft and a big guy. I have been heavy all my life, my dad and mom were big. So the it's in the Family. The only really thin "ADULT" member of my family is a cousin (HE's ADOPTED!) I was always the biggest guy in the class or room etc. So hear I am. Down 90 lbs from my High and 60 since the band. I work out 3 x a week for 3 years now. Yea I have built muscle but want to loose more. I keep looking for an answer and no one seems to have one for me. My Nutritionist says that my body really likes this weight! At my thinnest was 225 when I was 25, Now I am 55 and 240. My Medical Dr says I am fine! Not on any medications, labs are good. He is really happy where I am. My Lap Band DR says I am a success. Because the band gets you healthy not skinny. My Shrink says! "Live in the Now look where you have come from" Your a big guy and can't change your body type. My Trainer says do more cardio on my off days But I still want to loose some more. I also had a body lift a year ago, the Dr said he took off 10 Lbs but not so with the scale. I was 245 when I had my body lift, so I should be like 235 now but I am hovering around 240. I had gotten down to 233 during the recovery of my body lift. One I got back to the gym it started to up again. I would love to get some other suggestions too. It is frustrating, I know I am building muscle. My chest is almost a big as when I started ( NO MAN BOOBS THOUGH) but my waist went from a 44 to a 36, My Chest from a 52 to like a 48. My Shirt went from XXL to L but now back to XL Because of weight training my chest is getting bigger. Some guy friends have poked my chest and commented about the muscle so I guess that's good but not what I was really aiming for. So really at a loss as to what to do next. I have tried eating more, eating less. Low Carbs, no carbs, normal carbs? The scale goes up if I eat too many carbs or go off my plan. A few days back on its down. I have had the tests done on the amount of calories I should eat. They say around 2,000. I actually have My Nutritionist and I agree around 1500 - 1600. I work out with a trainer 3 x a week, doing mainly strength I really should be doing more cardio on my off days. But I do have bad knees. Guess I am looking for motivation or something. I never thought I would have a body this good especially at 55, Yea my abs are fairly good but still see that fat guy, Yea when I look at old photos I know I look much much better but still, want to be thinner but not sure if I am willing to starve. And I can't starve and work out! Just can't do it! " I have tried it! " Any suggestions am I kidding myself or just being ungrateful.

I'm also in the post op diet phase, day 10 after surgery. My surgeon and hospital gave me literature that said I could start eating soups with Beans (thoroughly blended to a pea soup consistency) and I just started eating that today which REALLY helped. I made my own white bean soup with lamb, carrots, white beans and a few potatoes and instead of blending it I thinned it (but not too much) with tomato sauce and Water. I ate the brothy stuff and mashed some of the beans, tossed out the bean skins. Having that was heavenly! I felt like I was eating real food finally. I have to say that I haven't followed the no sugar rule with the post op diet because I think that's only supposed to help your weight loss, but it's not protecting the surgery itself like not eating solid foods does. I was getting really naseous and needed some calories and felt better with juice and juice popsicles. Anyway, that's what I've been doing. I also feel like I'm getting ready for the soft foods which I'm kind of scared of because I'm afraid I'll have a miserable feeling if I eat too much of them so I'm going to tighten up my food program in order to prepare for the transition at the end of this week. Also, staying really busy with work or outside helps distract you from the hunger. And maybe going to a support group like Overeaters Anonymous or a Lap Band group.

I am only 5 weeks out but I intend to hit my goal and stay there. My sleeve will pretty much tolerate anything now(although I can barely get in an ounce at a time). But I still choose to fill it with lean protein first,I used to be a lover of all things carbs-bad carbs. Breaded everything,chips,crackers,candy,etc. But now I am like a bad carb nazi hehe,and I intend to stay that way with leniency in moderation when/if I ever feel like I absolutely would like to eat like one chip or a bite of cake at bday party. I will never again make it my everyday lifestyle to eat empty calories,carbs,and junk all around,and I feel that this,plus adding exercise,will take me to goal and keep me there.

I don't believe that there is a honey moon period. I believe that we are able to work our sleeve and lose weight. In the beginning, we had a tendency to loose at a llittle faster rate due to very low calorie intake. Our stomachs are so swollen. Can't wait until you join us on the BIG LOSER'S BENCH!

Maybe Im misreading this?? OP lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks and says she is stalled and another poster lost 15 and is complaining about how slow it is? By definition a stall means you lost zero pounds in 3 weeks. 10 lbs in less than a month is not a stall. It could be that when you changed from liquids to mushys you quit losing like you were because you probably had less calories and when you were only on liquids. Some gain when they switch over to mushys and their doctors say dont worry, this is a time for healing. Even if you didnt lose anything they would say its normal until you are filled to a much tighter place and healed. This is the time for healing. Its going to be a long slow process. I looked at tickers and dates and figure a year to lose about 100 lbs from what Iv seen.

Today is my 6th day post op and I'm getting worried that I'm pretty hungry. I did 2 weeks liquid prior to surgery and now I'm almost a week post surgery with liquids... Anybody with advice on how to avoid falling off the wagon? I had some saltines with my Soup... and some mashed potatoes. I was lucky in that nothing bad happened but I'm scared that it might happen again. I had eaten so few calories in the prior several days that my hunger really got the better of me. Any advice or ideas to help would be greatly appreciated.:help:

At my largest updated pic ohhhhh ahhhh side by side current 213.5 and day after surgery 380 I have always been heavy. When I was a kid playing little league football I had to play with kids 3 to 4 years older than myself to "make weight" This was the start of my struggle with my weight. When I got to Jr High I started power lifting and did that for a few years. I quit while in high school to get a job. It was at that point I started to pack on weight. I was used to consuming a large amount of calories for my physical activity and never scaled it back down after i quit. I quickly balloon up to 300lbs after graduating and getting a desk job. Fast forward to November of 2011. I was diagnosed with diabetes. I weight 442lbs at the appointment. I still remember that day vividly. Its funny how you can remember the details of major events like that. I was in denial. I left the Doctors office and went to a philly cheese steak place and consumed a meal that consisted of 3500 calories. the entire time thinking to myself, "thats bullshit, I don't have diabetes, my liver function can't be at 60 some odd percent.". It took me a day to process everything and come to terms with it. It was then that I decided to pursue the option of WLS. I made and appointment with a local surgeon. I started the pre-surgery diet before I even meet with the nut. I did that with the help of the diabetic education system that the local hospital has. Leading up the the surgery the process was took 6 months because of insurance requirements. My surgery was August 17th. During my stay at the hospital all I can remember were the apologies for not having a bed long enough for my 6'3" frame. It was only about 2 days until I really wanted to get up and start doing stuff. I did not become very active due to the doctors warnings to take it easy. The only issues with the post surgery diet that I had were issues with food intolerances. No eggs or turkey, kind of saddening but lift goes on. At my first check up on talked with the doctor about when I could start exercising. He gave me a date that I would be cleared to go. I called some of my buddies and we setup a time to go for a hike on the Appalachian trail. My first real exercise was an 8 mike hike on the trail. I was beat and went home and slept for like 12 hours. I didn't slow down there. We started hiking every Saturday. We have covered about 1/3 of the Trail in the state of PA, multiple times over. I set a goal to get down to 100lbs below what I started and I would buy a bike. When I hit that goal November of 2012 I went out and bought a nice mountain bike. When I started riding the bike I would park at a friends house about 4 miles, direct route to work, and ride in. I would get between 8 to 10 miles a day. This went on for about a week. As my friends put it I went a little crazy one saturday on my way home. My house is 14.6 miles from work I rode the entire way home after riding for a week. That was the start of my commuting via bike to and from work. I started out getting 30 miles a day. I kept going riding 4 to 5 times a week. When the weather started to get snowy and really cold that slowed down and I joined a gym. I set another goal, Complete a 100 mile ride for charity with in a year of my surgery date. I registered for the JDRF Ride for a cure, sold my Mountain bike and picked up a road bike. Starting out I was only able to get up to a speed of about 8 to 12 mph through my rides. I started taking the long way to work getting an average of 28 to 32 miles one way. After weeks of working on my speed I have gotten up to a constant 15 to 17 mph peaking with sprints into the high 20's. At 9 months post op I am at 214 lbs a loss of 228 lbs total 174 in the 9months post surgery. I am no longer on diabetes meds and riding 60+ miles on the days I ride. I still hike and trail run. I have taken up yoga strength training and will be giving cross fit a try. The surgery has given me the tools to be as active as I wanted to be. I am not healthier than I have ever been. I have started running group rides for friends that want to get out and cycle to loose weight. I, for the first time ever, was called a role model. the morning before surgery and few weeks ago(will take a new pick I have dropped 15 or 20 lbs since that was taken)[/font]

At face value it's because I lost 90 pounds over a looong three years, then stalled for a year despite trying my hardest to break the stall, and then after going on a 1200 calorie diet recommended by my doic I started *gaining* weight back. That was it. I had tried for so hard, and so long, and I feel like I gave losing weight 'on my own' my best attempt and I was sick. Sick of being fat, sick of being undesirable, sick of society not accepting me (my main motivation for losing weight at all, really), sick of chronic knee and back pain... Overall, I'm just over being fat and everything that comes along with it. I'm a big fan of fat acceptance and health at every size, but imo health includes mental health and at my size and my size-based self imposed prison, I was verging on tossing in the towel on life in general. I have a history of depression. I don't think losing weight will fix that by any means, but even though I'm only 5 weeks out I have no regrets and I'm so happy and so relieved that I finally went through with WLS after researching it and skirting around it for 8 or so years. Losing weight may not fix my mental perception of myself, but I'll be happy if it prevents a knee-replacement in the future.

The following comment is based solely on my own personal experience with the sleeve. I feel for you. But my concern is that at your current weight I don't see how you wouldn't wind up with the sleeve post-op becoming terribly underweight. I'm 13 months post-op and have lost 95 pounds and am now below my goal and trying to stay here without losing more weight. The sleeve really, really limits how much you can eat at one time. And when you're "done," you can't just put on the weight loss skids when you want to. It has taken me 5 months since reaching my weight loss to get to the point where I can regularly eat 1600 - 1700 calories a day, which is my maintenance calorie budget. And getting here took significant planning and snacking (not grazing!). In the meantime, I've lost another 10 pounds -- which, as it turns out, I like sitting at. And then there's this: If you're one of the unlucky ones who has a WLS complication of some kind you won't have a big overweight buffer to tide you over while your body recovers from the complication. These are the obvious reasons that surgeons don't do RnY or sleeve or other permanent WLS on patients who aren't already very overweight or obese.