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VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter 04/15/2013



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VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter

Hey, Sleevers!

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. Better weather is here, and summer is just around the corner, so April is a perfect time to fulfill or renew commitments to your weight and health! Let the fresh air and green plants inspire you to try new recipes and get outside for some calorie-burning fun! First, though, why not read through this month’s newsletter for some inspiration?

These are the contents of the April VerticalSleeveTalk.com newsletter.

  • Sleever Poll – Would You Have Weight Loss Surgery Again?

  • Member Spotlight – Meet Dean!

  • Claim Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame!

  • Stay Hydrated and Healthy!

Enjoy the newsletter. Then log onto Alex Brecher. See you on the boards!

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder

VerticalSleeveTalk.com

Sleever Poll: Would You Have Weight Loss Surgery Again?

Knowing what you know now about weight loss surgery, would you do it again if you had the chance to make your decision again?

  • Yes, without a doubt! The surgery has been everything I’d hoped for.

  • Yes, probably. The journey hasn’t been easy, but I’m losing weight and feel that this was my best option.

  • Yes, but I would have chosen a different type of weight loss surgery, not the lap-band.

  • No. I’ve had complications and my health has suffered and/or I haven’t been hitting my weight loss goals.

  • I haven’t had the surgery yet, but I’m looking at the results of this poll carefully to help me make my decision!

  • Other...read my response!

Choose your option, and then explain it in the discussion forum food. Becoming free from the hold that food had over him lets him enjoy people and events instead of focusing on what and how much he could eat. He also learned that he was an emotional eater before surgery, even though he didn’t realize it before. Dean is learning not to give in to “head hunger,” and to instead drink some Water, exercise or talk to someone instead of eating.

Dean has met some of his Australian VerticalSleeveTalk.com friends in person and would one day like to meet his American friends. He tries to answer other members’ questions, both to help them out and to keep himself on track! To help you succeed, Dean suggests planning your food. He also says that he’s getting better at listening to his body to match his foods to his body’s needs.

Dean, congratulations on your weight loss so far! Thanks for sharing your story and tips with us in the Member Spotlight!

Do you want to be in the Member Spotlight, or do you know someone who does? Fluid recommendations is one of the most common challenges that weight loss surgery patients report. You wouldn’t expect that staying hydrated would be a major concern compared to challenges of eating right and exercising, but it is. Why?

  • You can’t drink fluids during or around meal and snack times.

  • You might not like the taste of water

  • You need more fluid than before because you’re trying to be healthier

  • You can’t drink caloric or carbonated beverages, like juice, soda and sugar-sweetened drinks, such as coffee drinks and sports drinks

You need at least 1.5 liters, or 6 8-ounce cups, of fluid each day. If you don’t get enough water, you can become dehydrated. This can delay your recovery from surgery if your procedure is recent. Even if your surgery was long ago, dehydration can give you headaches and make you tired. It can also interfere with weight loss by making you feel hungrier.

These tips can help you stay hydrated.

  • Get in the habit so it’s natural! Drink 1 to 2 8-ounce glasses when you wake up in the morning, and 30 minutes after each meal or snack.

  • Drink an extra glass of water before and after you exercise. If you sweat a lot, drink a cup of water each 20 minutes during exercise.

  • Instead of plain water, try ice water, water with lime, lemon or a sprig of mint.

  • Decaffeinated coffee and tea and non-carbonated diet drinks, such as diet Fruit Drinks, are good alternatives to water.

Claim Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame!

You know we’re always busy around VerticalSleeveTalk.com. We already published The BIG Book on the Lap-Band: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band. The book has practical advice for anyone thinking about weight loss surgery. It’s packed with information from the earliest stages of your weight loss journey through your lifelong diet. It’s available in print and ebook from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Soon, you’ll be able to find The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve!

That’s not all, though! We’re working on yet another book. This one’s going to be a lifesaver for life after weight loss surgery. It’ll have diet help, food lists, meal plans, recipes, exercise and tips for preventing and dealing with complications. It’ll be a motivational book, too.

We need your help to make the new book great! We’re asking VerticalSleeveTalk.com members – that’s you! - to share your favorite recipe or recipes to publish in the book. You can submit your recipe by sending a PM (private message) to member Alex Brecher (the board’s founder). Include the name of your recipe, the ingredients and quantities, how many servings it makes, which stage(s) of the weight loss surgery diet you can use it for and how to make it. Also let us know when you use it, how you learned or created the recipe and any other stories you have related to the recipe, such as the first time you tried it. Thanks! We’ve loved reading the recipes that you’ve sent us so far – keep them coming and don’t miss your chance to have your recipe published!

That’s all we’ve got for this newsletter, but there’s plenty more to talk about on the boards! Thanks for all of your support and feedback – you, our members are what make VerticalSleeveTalk.com the great community that it is. Don’t forget to send us your recipes and give us any other feedback!

Take care of yourself and each other.

Sincerely,

Alex


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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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