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Hi everyone, I was sleeved 9/11/2013 and this ten years has definitely been a journey weight loss rollercoaster for me. I started at 239 and currently weight 152. I lost down to 167 and that was my lowest for years. I slowly gained again after the lost of my parents and last year weighed 212. I refocused and lost 60 pounds down to my lowest at 152. I’ve been focused and watchful of my meals and started intermittent fasting which has been a lifestyle change for me. Still the best decision I ever made

Break it up into small goals, 2.5 lbs or 5 lbs at a time. Celebrate each goal you reach with something fun, but not food or drink-related. like watching a movie, getting your nails done, taking a bubble bath with a book you have wanted to read, making something, a painting, beaded jewelry etc. just throwing some ideas out there for ways to celebrate along the way, to make the 15 lbs less of a drag. You can do this, and yeah it is a lifestyle change, but so is every "diet plan", once you get over this hurdle and have your surgery it will be a lot easier with a reduced stomach. I know you can do it!!

i would be wary of any dietician that prescribes the same maintenance caloric amounts to all their patients without taking individual size, weight and metabolic rates into account (among a multitude of other factors!) i would be especially be wary of any dietician, when asked for a reason for his/her prescription, answers with "i don't know". as with all things, listen to what you are told and advised, but also make informed decisions on how to deal with your body based on observations of its responses to stimuli (i.e., caloric intake in this case). the 2000 calorie suggestion is an AVERAGE and does not apply to all. STATISTICALLY, only a small very very small percentage of the population actually requires exactly 2000 calories. the vast majority of the population fall above and below 2000 cals. thats MATH people. with that said, i am a 5yr post op, 5'2", 51 yr old, currently 117 lb female that maintains at about 1800 cals a day...and has been doing so for about 2+ years. (i used to maintain at 2300+ cals a day, but i was exercising like a fiend those days so it made sense). everyone will have varying maintenance calorie levels...if u can figure out yours and adjust as necessary, you are golden. Good Luck! ❤️

I checked your link and it says 1500 to 1700 based on my goal weight, height, activity and age. So I guess that's technically close to what my dietitian said but at least a more normal number. So I wonder why 2000 is the normal/average number when it seems that that's not really the case? Either way, all evidence and advice is that 2000 is not a good goal for me if I want to keep this weight off. I've had to change the way I look at food and daily calories for the last year, so I know I can do this. It was just sad at the time to think I could hit goal and still not be able to be considered normal I guess.

Used butter & olive oil while losing & still do now. Don’t use a lot of butter - about a teaspoon to toss my vegetables in - & go months (5 or so) between buying a new 1lb tub. I use olive oil spray quite often & will cook meats in the oven with a spray of olive oil (if needed) versus cooking with olive oil in a frypan.

I’m just about seven months out, and I take it on occasion, but only when needed for short periods of time. I also use liquid gel and take it with food. I’m currently recovering from kidney stones from taking my calcium supplements (that’s a whole other story) and took a few. Tylenol just didn’t do anything for me and the Oxy they prescribed loops me out and constipate me. Here’s an interesting study I found https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33353863/ It’s from 2020 but they didn’t find any correlation to issues. I’m not sure if there are more recent studies, but I tend to think, in my opinion only, that it is overhyped, and they are simply airing on the side of caution, which makes sense. Since every persons system and surgery behave differently, it would be too hard to tell who could tolerate and who couldn’t. If someone then shows up with an ulcer, and their doctor didn’t warn them, lawsuits could happen. Again, just my opinion.

I initially had the sleeve and was told I could maybe try it at 18 months out, but it was very heavily discouraged. I had a revision to bypass and was told absolutely no forever.

Ok, not to sound too harsh here, but your surgeon is being stupid. In this one (and only this one) thing, ignore him. There's nothing wrong with shakes. And you should be eating 4-5 times per day, 3 hours apart. I do 3 meals and 2 snacks. For my snacks, I do things like colby jack cheese cubes and pepperoni slices. Or pepper jack cheese sticks and salami (or roast beef) slices (sandwich meat). I tend to make my own protein shakes in the morning, mostly because I've never been big on breakfast foods, so making a protein shake works well for me. I get my protein shakes from Arbonne (so so many vitamins in it, 20g of protein, mixes well, not grainy, and really yummy flavors). I'll put in 16oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 scoops of whatever protein shake I'm doing that day, 2 tbsp of avocado (no flavor, makes the shake creamy, added healthy fat), 1 tbsp mct oil, 1 tsp black seed oil, 2 tbsp "triple seeds" (flax, chia, and hemp seeds), 1 scoop Arbonne protein boost (10mg protein), 2 scoops Arbonne probiotic fiber booster, 2-3 tbsp Jordan's skinny syrup (whatever flavor I want to add, it has no calories, no carbs, no sugar), sometimes I add frozen fruit (depending on the flavor shake I'm doing), a few icecubes, blend, and YUMMY!!!!! When eating meals, you want to make sure they are protein first, then veggies, then carbs. Too much protein isn't good for you. That's why, in general, you need between 60-80g protein. I tend to be in the 80-90 range on heavy work out days, and 60-70 on rest days. If I know I can't get my veggies in, I drink my greens. I get the Arbonne super greens powder (blend of 36 fruits and veggies), and I make sure to add the Arbonne GutHealth (digestive enzymes with pre and pro biotics). Drinking greens is a good way to supplement getting in your fruits and veggies without adding all the extra calories, carbs, and sugar. But it's not meant to completely replace eating veggies. It just helps if you're struggling to get them in, or if you really don't like to eat them all that much. You stomach is much smaller than it used to be, so you need to eat more often. I tend to get protein in 2 of my meals and both snacks. The 3rd meal usually has more veggies (I love salad, so I've been known to have a salad for a meal and have very little protein in it) but with my shake, my snacks, and 1 other meal, I get the protein I need. I like to add veggies to my salad (green peppers, olives, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc) so I try to balance my needs with protein and veggies that way (and drinking a greens drink at least 3-4x per week). I drink A LOT of water (84oz typically per day) and that actually helps with hunger. So does drinking tea (I love green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and yerba mate tea). It's true that protein helps you feel full longer, but you can't fill up on just protein. Your body needs a variety of foods, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals to be balanced and healthy.

I have 2 additions to my list! It finally occurred to me today: my heels aren't cracking anymore. Sure, I'm not a dainty-sandal or slingback-kitten-heel person in any way, but even still - my feet are looking good! No more cracks so big you could go spelunking. And second: I've become a morning person and can't oversleep. I used to be a night owl, and would easily sleep ten hours if allowed, and that sleep wouldn't be quality because of my terrible breathing (undiagnosed, but I know I had sleep apnea). Now that I breathe normally, I can get by on a lot less sleep, even WITH my cat waking me up multiple times during the night. I wake up at dawn and... I like it!

Here's the Weight Loss Magic Soup I've been making. It's delicious, filling, and has only 57 calories per cup: 32 oz chicken stock 3 cups V-8 juice (you can use low-sodium V8 or even tomato juice, homemade or store bought) 2 cans Italian diced tomatoes 1 small onion 2 cloves minced garlic 1 package sliced mushrooms 3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 zucchini, diced 1 yellow squash, diced 2 cups fresh or frozen green beans 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 3-4 cups shredded cabbage 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning Salt and Pepper, to taste In a large frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. In a large crockpot, combine sautéed garlic and vegetables with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until vegetables are cooked. (I have made this in a large stock pot on the stove instead of in a crock pot.) This makes a large batch of soup. If you would like to freeze portions of it to use later, undercook the vegetables just a little. Pour the soup into freezer Ziplock bags and let as much air out as you can. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the soup is frozen flat, it is easy to layer in your freezer and won't take up much room. To thaw, place the bag in the fridge for 24 hours and then reheat. https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/weight-loss-magic-soup/