What to Expect During Year Two After the Sleeve

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

- so psyched to hear that you can maintain 143 lbs at 1700 calories a day. That is AMAZING! I'm sure that those stats are not typical but CONGRATULATIONS!!! What is your exercise program like?

Mostly, I just walk 8,000-10,000 steps a day. I do a yoga class once a week (should be twice, but our schedule is craaaazy right now) and strength training (machines) two times a week (should be three times) and (rarely) another gym classes (BodyPump, etc.), but, as I said, our schedule is nuts right now.

A sad aspect of life is that we currently have two parents in the last days of their lives (Alzheimers and lung cancer), and their needs are absorbing a lot of our non-working daylight hours. I'm sure many of you understand this well. But we're both doing a lot better about caring for ourselves (reserving enough energy for us, rather than giving it all to others). Doesn't take a lot. But you really can't give everything away and expect to do well health-wise yourself. This has been a lifelong and very hard lesson to learn.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

@@VSGAnn2014 - so psyched to hear that you can maintain 143 lbs at 1700 calories a day. That is AMAZING! I'm sure that those stats are not typical but CONGRATULATIONS!!! What is your exercise program like?

I don't think it's that uncommon. I mean I know I hear people on the board say they can't maintain on more than 800/1000/1200 calories and I'm sure that's true for some. But I "wrecked" my metabolism plenty yo yo'ing most of my life and yeah I exercise a lot, but I maintain my 135lbs on 1800+ calories (more on days I run) and during my six weeks of no exercise post plastics I still ate 1600 calories or so and maintained fine.

I think those stats are as typical as the others. We are all different for sure, but I think there are many of us who can maintain at that calorie level.

I haven't collected any data about how much other WLS patients are maintaining are eating, calorie- and protein-grams-wise. Most of the people I know who are in maintenance don't (and refuse to) count calories or record their food macronutrients. Honestly, it's really pretty weird to see people so opposed to collecting information about their own behavior. But what the hey.

However, in support of your thesis, my bariatric PA doesn't seem shocked at all by my maintenance 1700 calories success. She seems to think it's pretty common.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

@@VSGAnn2014

Loved your post! It makes so much sense that our bodies would get used to a set point, and if that set point is 1000 calories, eventually we could gain weight even on that.

Would you mind sharing what a typical day's meals look like? I'm just 23 days out and having a hard time visualizing how I'll ever be able to eat 100 grams of Protein, 5 servings of fruit and veggies, and 21 grams of Fiber. I'm struggling to get my 60-80 grams of Protein (hitting it, but have to work hard at it) and I am WAY under on Fiber. My only veggies right now are in V8. Which I can drink a 5.5 oz can of!!!

More worrisome, I can eat 5 ounces of mushies/puree no problem. And if my stomach is empty, I get nauseated. I'm finding I eat a small something every couple of hours just to keep from feeling nauseous and having a feeling that my tummy is gnawing itself away. As a result, I'm eating about 800 calories a day. I'm worried that's too much this early. I'm starting soft foods tomorrow (which my Nut distinguishes from pureed, although I'm not exactly sure that the difference is!)

Don't worry about any of that stuff at three weeks. I think you're doing fine for now. I certainly was not doing many veggies and fruits or fiber at that point. And 5 ounces of mushies is fine. No problem. But real, hard, dense food would probably be a challenge. Mostly, just do right now what your team is asking you to do. And no, 800 calories a day is not too much right now IMHO.

Just trust me when I say that a year out you'll be able to eat as much as I am. A typical day looks like this:

Breakfast - Protein shake (I still love GNC Lean 25 shakes)

Morning snack - Wasa crackers, cheddar cheese

lunch - turkey / cheese sandwich (on whole-grain bread); baby raw carrots

Afternoon snack - sliced apple, cheddar cheese

dinner - grilled salmon brushed with BBQ Sauce, green Beans, brown rice, 4 ounces chardonnay

Dessert - blueberries and peach, Greek vanilla yogurt

(The above is just a simple, healthy way to eat, without spending all day cooking or meal-planning)

For now, just focus on eating as well as you can for the phase you're in. Dream about being slim and healthy. (I still dream about that, and then wake up and find I'm living the dream!)

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

told to knock it off with Protein drinks, get my Protein from real food.

quick hi-jack

@@Miss Mac

haven't talked to my NUT in a llllllong time (she was never helpful)

i was wondering about Protein shakes

i usually do have one for breakfast

i love my swiss chocolate protein shake (25 gr of protein!!)

why are Proteins in food better???

i have heard to get protein from real food

don't understand why shakes are no longer good/recommended to drink for us VETS

thanx

kathy

[Thinside 155]

@@VSGAnn2014 thanks so much for your thoughtful response. I'm trying so hard not to obsess, but I don't want to screw this up, and I read about people eating 500 calories a day. Even with this sleeve, I feel like I'd starve on that. I still do get hungry, although now a 1/4 cup of refried Beans fills me up.

That meal plan looks like a dream. I hope I will be able to eat apples and baby raw carrots -- but I'm not going to try for a while!

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

@@Thinside ... and everybody else ....

You guys DO understand (I hope) that my daily meal plan above is a MAINTENANCE meal plan, not a WEIGHT LOSS meal plan. That's what I eat more than a year post-op, after losing 92 pounds and exceeding my weight loss goal.

Just want to be clear about that. 'Kay?

[jess9395 5,448]

@@jess9395

How many calories were you losing on?

I was very low calorie at first bc of restriction--didn't top 400-600 calories till maybe six months out. Methodically worked up to 900-1000 by then and up to 1200 by nine months. Started maintenance at just almost exactly 12 months out.

[jess9395 5,448]

@@VSGAnn2014 - so psyched to hear that you can maintain 143 lbs at 1700 calories a day. That is AMAZING! I'm sure that those stats are not typical but CONGRATULATIONS!!! What is your exercise program like?

I don't think it's that uncommon. I mean I know I hear people on the board say they can't maintain on more than 800/1000/1200 calories and I'm sure that's true for some. But I "wrecked" my metabolism plenty yo yo'ing most of my life and yeah I exercise a lot, but I maintain my 135lbs on 1800+ calories (more on days I run) and during my six weeks of no exercise post plastics I still ate 1600 calories or so and maintained fine.

I think those stats are as typical as the others. We are all different for sure, but I think there are many of us who can maintain at that calorie level.

I haven't collected any data about how much other WLS patients are maintaining are eating, calorie- and protein-grams-wise. Most of the people I know who are in maintenance don't (and refuse to) count calories or record their food macronutrients. Honestly, it's really pretty weird to see people so opposed to collecting information about their own behavior. But what the hey.

However, in support of your thesis, my bariatric PA doesn't seem shocked at all by my maintenance 1700 calories success. She seems to think it's pretty common.

Honestly thesis is too strong a term LOL! It just seems to be the common thought on this board that we will never be able to eat more than 900-1200 calories even in maintenance and that isn't my experience with people I know in real life, so I was just trying to throw out there that the 1500-1800 maintenance people DO EXIST and aren't mythical unicorns LoL!

[jess9395 5,448]

told to knock it off with Protein drinks, get my Protein from real food.

quick hi-jack

@@Miss Mac

haven't talked to my NUT in a llllllong time (she was never helpful)

i was wondering about protein shakes

i usually do have one for breakfast

i love my swiss chocolate protein shake (25 gr of protein!!)

why are Proteins in food better???

i have heard to get protein from real food

don't understand why shakes are no longer good/recommended to drink for us VETS

thanx

kathy

Kathy I am right there with ya and have a hard time getting enough calories and protein in without my shake or two a day!

I think the idea is the same one behind eating clean, unprocessed foods--protein shakes are processed by definition and ideally we would all eat whole clean unprocessed foods. Plus getting protein from dense food can keep you full longer than drinking your calories IF that is an issue for you.

My medical professionals are fine with me continuing the shakes in maintenance and I do add frozen fruit or yogurt to them, it's part of my plan and it works for me and meets my nutritional needs well.

[lachellove 486]

You can have rice I can't wait lol I was told rice is a no no..

[Thinside 155]

@@Thinside ... and everybody else ....

You guys DO understand (I hope) that my daily meal plan above is a MAINTENANCE meal plan, not a WEIGHT LOSS meal plan. That's what I eat more than a year post-op, after losing 92 pounds and exceeding my weight loss goal.

Just want to be clear about that. 'Kay?

Oh yeah, totally understood that! Just dreaming… and of course worrying!

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

VSGAnn2014, first of all, congratulations on hitting your one-year surgiversary, and on getting there with flying colors! You are a model patient, and your doctor must love seeing and talking to you because you’re so successful and because she knows you’ll follow her advice!

Wow, thanks for much for all of this insight! You got a lot of good news, which you deserve. Great news about the continued low ghrelin levels. I’ve seen some varied information from different studies – some with good news and some with predictions that it might rise again – but your doctor should know best!

I’m not surprised, but I am glad, to hear that your metabolism should stay consistent. That makes sense, as long as your body and activity stay consistent.

So it sounds like now, “all” you need to worry about is the rest of your life. Welcome to maintenance! As I am sure you already know, the biggest thing (at least for me and many others) is staying motivated and focused when the scale isn’t going down all the time. But you can do it!

[OKCPirate 5,323]

@@proudgrammy - There are some myths out there about too much Protein at one time hurts your kidneys and somehow a 25g shake is supposed to make that happen. But some myths die hard ...

SHOW OF HANDS how many people believe:

• drinking coffee dehydrates you,
• you have to wait 30 minutes to swim after eating,
• the "official" government food pyramid was not influenced by the wheat and dairy and other food industry lobbyists,
• Santa is real? (I mean despite die hard Utopians)

I prefer food, but with limited stomach space and occasionally limited time, shakes work well. And trying to get over 120g a day without it is almost impossible.

Edited August 29, 2015 by OKCPirate

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

myth -too much Protein at one time hurts your kidneys and somehow a 25g shake is supposed to make that happen.

@@OKCPirate

thanx for responding to my post

always heard that max Protein at a sitting is 40 gr

i never heard/knew that too much protein can hurt your kidneys

its soooo frustrating, upsetting for me to "know what to do"/who to believe (not talking about you @@OKCPirate)

so many different opinions/advice

of course everyone says "THEIR" rules are right - don't listen to anyone else but me

Protein Shake 25 gr

i usually eat my chicken, fish, meats with plenty of protein

why or is it better to eat your protein, instead of drinking

i enjoy drinking my Protein Shake for Breakfast

not understanding why some NUTS etc say "that's" not good

i am in a "mood" now that is bothering me about all the different rules/answers/opinions written in articles/computer boards, links etc.

people, docs/NUT says their way or the highway

venting now

no smileys

gotta get away and have my Fage yogurt

kathy

[gigito2 52]

OKC Pirate - it's generally true that consuming excess Protein won't harm healthy kidneys, but it can in fact, further impair damaged kidneys. Excess Protein does force your kidneys to work harder and can cause problems for people with existing medical conditions.