Howdy folks. I've noticed a lot of newbies coming onboard recently (welcome!) and some misinformation getting posted. As I learned a lot from vets who posted wise words when I was pre-surgery and early in my journey, I wanted to share the knowledge and dispel some of the inaccurate info I'm seeing posted. Please feel free to add your own info, and as always, there will be exceptions to the info below - there always are! I'm sure I will be flamed by someone who eats McDonalds and pizza day in and day out, never gets their Protein in and drinks vente vanilla lattes every morning and still loses 4 lbs. a week. For the rest of us, this is written to help folks set appropriate expectations about their sleeve. Good luck to all of us on this amazing journey.

Myth #1: The sleeve will do it for you and you have to work at making it fail.

Nope, not true. Even though you will have restriction, you still have to deal with some increase in sleeve capacity that happens over time and the effect of sliders (foods that reduce in your stomach and don't fill you up, like popcorn and chips....) and the calories in liquids (ah Brownie Frappucinos...). So, while the sleeve is an amazing tool and the restriction will help you sooo much, you still have to follow basic rules of sleeve eating in order to have continued success in the long run. The stats for VSG are around 60% excess weight loss. Think of that as an average of some people losing 100% of excess weight, some losing little or none, some only losing half before they stop, and some losing great and then gaining it back.

Myth #2: When you have the sleeve you can eat "whatever you want" or "like a normal person," (whatever that is).

Nope. Unless "whatever you want" includes lots of protein and vegetables and other healthy foods, it's unlikely you will be able to eat whatever you want with no limitations and have the sleeve do it all for you. While we all have exceptional days here and there where we don't eat what's best for us, overall you will be following protein first, vegs second, and carbs third forever. Are there exceptions to this rule? Sure, there are some people who are exceptions and go back to eating fast food, junk food, and sodas every day and keep the weight off, but not many and they certainly are not the majority on this board, at least. Why set yourself up for failure? Learn good habits early on.

Myth #3: Everyone must follow 1200 calories a day (or whatever amount) or they will go into "starvation" mode.

You are not on a regular diet. You are on a medically supervised plan that works in conjunction with major surgery, and most plans utilze VLC (very low calorie) eating plans. I see people here think they can't do on 500 calories a day and use "starvation mode" as an excuse to eat more, then before you know it they are writing in asking for help because they haven't lost in 5 months. Does "starvation mode" exist? I don't know, and some people do drop weight after adding an extra 100 calories a day, but don't go hogwild with the concept of starvation mode. Trust in your nutritionist or find a nutritionist that you can trust. And remember that many people (especially older, postmenapausal or sedentary people) can only maintain on 1200 or 1000 calories a day and will stop losing if they take this advice to eat more. On the other hand, if you are 22 years old and very active, you will probably do just fine with a higher calorie count, but again, everyone is different.

Myth #4: You have to eat X amount of protein, carbs, fats, etc.

Nope. The nutritional guidelines vary from doctor to doctor. Everyone wishes they were the same and it would sure make it easier, but doctors and nutritionists differ. Those in Centers of Excellence have a long track record that they base their recommendations on, and others use published research. Sometimes it seems like our nuts just pull stuff out of the air. Some doctors are very strict and others give vague guidelines with few or no limitations. What to do? If you trust your doctor and nutritionist, then stick with their plan. If you are getting results, stick with your plan. You hired them for their expertise, so trust what they say. If you don't trust your doctor/nut, then move to a different practice if you can and find someone you can trust. Almost everyone agrees that protein is very important for sleeve patients (one thing to agree on!) but what that magic number is ...open to debate. You will see everything from 60 grams of protein a day to 100 or more. And you will see people who can't get it all in and get by on 40 grams a day with no problems. That's why it is important to stick to the plan you trust and works for you. Many people here vary on how many grams of protein, fat, carbs, Fiber, 5:2, Atkins, yadayadayada. What is right for you may not be right for someone else.

Myth #5: You can stop your hair from falling out with Vitamins, protein, etc.

Not really. You can probably help it with vitamins and Biotin and making sure you get in all your protein, but many people do all this and still lose hair. It is the body's natural response to the extreme stress you have put it in with surgery and severely limited calories. A few people don't lose their hair, others lose anywhere from a little to a lot and some resort to wigs. Eventually it grows back, but even that timetable varies from person to person.

Myth #6: Once the honeymoon (6 months) is over you will stop losing.

Not really. As vets can attest to, your first 6 months are your best window of opportunity and your doctor will expect you to lose a significant portion of weight in that time. However, if you stick with (or return to) your basic plan of firm protein first, vegs second, carbs third and lots of Water, you can get back to losing (and it's still easier than if you did not have the sleeve). You may not lose like you did in Month Two, but you will still lose. Some doctors say your window of opportunity is 18 months out from surgery. They vary on this, too.

Myth #7: You have to exercise.

Not really. Lots of people don't and still lose. However, exercise will give you much better results and most importantly, you will be much healthier. Also, if you start building good exercise habits now it will make keeping the weight off much easier in the long run. So, even if it's just a walk around the block, start moving your body around.

Myth #8: You will need plastic surgery when it's over.

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on your age (a lot), how much you had to lose, where you carry your weight, how much you exercise and type of exercise, genetics, if you've born children, etc. A lot of people do need plastic surgery, but a surprising number don't.

Myth #9: If you eat "bad" food it will make you sick.

Nope. While there are some folks who have very delicate tummies (and in the early months there are lots of delicate tummies), in the long run most people can get pretty much anything down.

Myth #10: Sleevers don't dump.

Nope. Sleevers can dump, it just isn't nearly as common as RnY folks. Dumping (aka Gastric Emptying) is just food hitting your intestines too quickly, causing really yucky stomach discomfort, weakness, lightheadedness, flushing, cramps, nausea, explosive diarrhea, and other fun symptoms. It can hit immediately or several hours after eating. Most sleevers never get it, but some do. You'll know it if you do.

How is everyone doing?

Had doctors appointment today

and down 54 lbs in 1 month 18 days!!!!

It was a great feeling getting on that scale!!!

Most of us DON'T NEED plastic surgery. In my case, even after losing 160# I didn't have skin rash or any medical need for plastics. Heck, spanx or other decent shapewear kept things together for me just fine. I wanted plastics because it was important to me to look "normal". I truly believe that it will help me with the mental/emotional aspects of long term maintenance. Plastics were really really hard but I am glad I did it. I would also say that people at the beginning of their journey shouldn't even think about all this.

I completely agree. I have not been sleeved yet, but I lost a significant amount of weight with my band and at 27 and decided to have cosmetic surgery to get a lift and augmentation to make my body look 27. Did I need it for health reasons, of course not. But I did need it for my mental and emotional well being. It definitely made me feel more confident about my new, smaller figure. I know that my skin elasticity is not great (most likely due to the fact that I don't drink nearly enough water), so surgery will be something a choose to do years down the line to complete my journey, but not something I'll have to do.

The only thing that works for me is 600 calories a day and not exercising. I have tried every permutation of diet and exercise since being sleeved and 600 is the only thing that yields results. Calories in/Energy spent just is not true in my case. I have worked with personal trainers and ate 1400 very clean calories a day, only to lose a mere 4 pounds in a month, not what you expect when still obese. I have done Insanity 5x a week and eaten only 800 cals a day and not lost an ounce.

So now I am in a pickle - I exercise because it feels good, it relieves stress and tension, and makes my a$$ look great, but I stop losing weight when I exercise.

The only thing that works for me is 600 calories a day and not exercising. I have tried every permutation of diet and exercise since being sleeved and 600 is the only thing that yields results. Calories in/Energy spent just is not true in my case. I have worked with personal trainers and ate 1400 very clean calories a day, only to lose a mere 4 pounds in a month, not what you expect when still obese. I have done Insanity 5x a week and eaten only 800 cals a day and not lost an ounce. So now I am in a pickle - I exercise because it feels good, it relieves stress and tension, and makes my a$$ look great, but I stop losing weight when I exercise.

The thing about p90x or insanity is that you have to eat a certain number of calories in a certain ratio of macros at a certain time of the day for your body to cooperate. Very important.

Nutrition is actually 80% of effort where the workouts are 20%. It is not only enough to eat clean, but also to eat low glycemic carbs and high quality whey for Breakfast and high glycemic carbs and whey Protein after working out (4:1 carb to protein ratio). None or very little carbs for the rest of the day, except from veggies. Casein protein at night before bed (muscles need it to repair at night). Eat protein 2 hours after working out to begin the muscle building phase that lasts until the next day. It is best to eat 500 calories below a set calorie amount to lose 2-3 # a week and 500 calories above that amount to gain. Eat every 2-3 hours to facilitate building muscle and keeping insulin levels stable.

The macros should be 50% protein, 30% carb and 20% fat during the fat burning phase of the program. For each workout, you do really have to bring it, challenge your muscles with heavier weights when time is right and keep at it for the long term.

And put the scale away.

They (beach body) recommend to not use a scale because it is going to drive you nuts. Scale weight is only one facet of progress, a very small one.

For my height of 5'11" and activity of 650 calories per workout, I have calculated my daily caloric count to be 1800 (there are a number of formulas to come to a calorie amount). I am ideal body weight right now, but want to get shredded beyond what I have already achieved with cross fit. When following a high intensity program like p90x or insanity, your body needs a certain amount of calories to burn and not store in combination with working out. Always eat before working out so you have the energy to bring it hard for the whole workout every day.

I have been tracking calories in MFP in order to track the timing and the type of macros every day. I have never tracked up until now. However, to achieve a specific goal (me: get shredded starting with p90x), you have to be exact on what you are doing. 650 calories per workout assumes I am focused and bring it to every workout 6 days a week. The workouts range between 60 and 90 minutes and alternate between lifting days and cardio days.

I eat a lot of chicken variations, brocolli, steel oats, Fiber one, premier Protein shakes, ON casein and whey gold standard shakes for protein and carb sources. Very little dairy, no extra sugar not in specific foods I am eating, no extra salt, no bread foods, etc. the program is fairly easy to follow and my weight is dropping some, but more importantly, my fat percentage is dropping and muscle definition is coming out.

Try to evaluate what you did in light of these comments during your insanity program. Again, nutrition is way more important than the actual workouts, but do bring it on every workout 6x a week. Be consistent and I know you will achieve your goals.

Edited March 5, 201412 yr by Fiddleman

Nutrition is actually 80% of effort where the workouts are 20%. It is not only enough to eat clean, but also to eat low glycemic carbs and high quality whey for breakfast and high glycemic carbs and whey Protein after working out (4:1 carb to protein ratio). None or very little carbs for the rest of the day, except from veggies. Casein protein at night before bed (muscles need it to repair at night). Eat protein 2 hours after working out to begin the muscle building phase that lasts until the next day. It is best to eat 500 calories below a set calorie amount to lose 2-3 # a week and 500 calories above that amount to gain. Eat every 2-3 hours to facilitate building muscle and keeping insulin levels stable.

This is exactly what I do, I have eaten precisely like this, to no avail - unless it is vvlc of 600-650.

Thanks so much for that info.. !!!

Good list... I would add:

"there is 20 pounds I will never see again"

If you hear this coming out of your mouth, think again. That 20 pounds is around every corner waiting for you to let your guard down. It will hook up with you if you stop being vigilant. The statistically highest time to gain weight back is at 3 years after surgery. Learn what works now and stick with it. Have a bounce range of 2-3 pounds and get back on plan if you go over that. Losing regain is harder than losing it the first time (so I have experienced and have been told by many friends in that boat). Just because you feel like you could NEVER eat enough to gain, guess again... it is quite possible you will feel different about that later. Not a downer, just a fact. You can be successful for the long term, thats what I believe at 3 years out, but it may not look the way it does to you at 1-6 months out....

Good stuff!