Georgia

Thanks, Coop! Yes, my mani-pedi was a reward for my house full of people all Labor Day wknd! Lol

Okay, I'm your girl!! LOL. I did Exactly what you are doing right now! I did easily get to goal but didn't "hold" it long enough to get my body used to the new goal weight OR truly figure out what maintenance really means to a sleever! Over the next 1 1/2 gradually picked up junk food, stopped exercising and added back 25 lbs!! FINALLY, came to my senses and got myself off the couch and depression. I had allowed myself to wallow in because I KNEW I was sabotaging myself!!!! You CAN DO THIS! You made a monumental decision to take your health and LIFE on your hands when you had VSG. Now, turn that remembered feeling into self resolve. First, quickly get rid of all the "triggers" you have allowed like junk food. ANYTHING. even if its too many Protein bars. Too much is too much. Get back to your basics! Meals only. Small snack between. No drinking during or afterwards for 30 minutes. Get up Nd walk/exercise if you aren't doing that. Protein first. Veggies second and turn it around. YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN STOP THE GAIN! I had to finally understand that for me. I tried low car and didn't have much success with it. Might be right for you to quickly lose your 15 lbs of regain. But do it NOW. Don't let it get to 20! A number of your fellow vets are having success with following Fastdiet better known as 5:2. You eat 500 cals 2 days a week and your "normal" calories (within reason like 1200-1500) the other five days. I lost all my regain and reached goal again TODAY! 150lbs. It took WORK WORK WORK! Logging EVERYTHING EVERY DAY! Clean clean clean eating. Exercise( lots of walking and Gazelle) Girl, I have faith in you! Do it now!!!! Get energized and talk to yourself!!! You ate gorgeous. Take it back!!!!!! Good luck and keep us posted!!!!!

Laura, I'd say "the 150s" is a big deal! m2g, wow! I wish I had a muffin now! Lol GT, hope all goes well with you. Thanks, Swizzly!!!!

I agree with the knowledge that there is a risk involved; albeit, a small one but there IS a risk. What there should not be is neglect, coverup and lack of investigative knowledge forthcoming. It is definitely owed to not only Rox's family but others seeking surgery at that clinic to fully be able to comprehend what went wrong, what could have been altered to have prevented her death (if anything) and what precautions will be put in place going forward. I,for one, wouldn't darken the door until I had ALL the facts.

150! Goal today!!!!! Yaaaay!!! Can't believe it. One week later from MY goal of Labor Day reaching 150. Thankful and grateful for my support "peeps" here! Now move on to 145! LOL

G. O. A. L! !!!!!!!!!!

You rock! And how did I not know that sukielovesveggies is you???!! Ha!

Okay. For my 5 finished. Now I will toddle off to bed!

Well, only at 3 miles today so far. Gonna try to get Another in later tonight. My get up and go done "got up and went!" Of course, that's on 210 calories today so far too.

Yikes!!!!!! I know that involved some pain!!

You know, I understand also. I'm three years out. 5'8" and DID hit goal pretty easily to 150 lbs in 8 months. Then allowed myself to regain about 25 lbs. The discipline to relose that amount was tough but I did it (with a lot of help and cheering from my 5:2 gang!) Maybe, you need to "shake up" your routine. I'm telling you - for me -- low carb DID NOT WORK after initial weight loss. Eating healthy, clean and following 5:2 helped me get BACK to goal in 3 months. I lost 25 lbs. Maybe research it? Worth a try. And along with others - YOU LOOK AMAZING AS YOU ARE!!

tparker, you look amazing btw!!!

Y'all know how good this tastes today???? Unbelievably good. LOL.

Me too! And hungry too:)

"It looks like I will be getting medevac'd to Germany, how do you say Protein in Deutch" GT, whaaaaa? Concussion, hernia, what? Concerned.

Logged another five miles! Just got my last two completed! Whew! 14.2 since Monday.

I sense a GREAT spirit of "oneupmanship" rising in our group!!!!! LOL

You know, guys, I'll be honest here. I am a HUGE DRINKER! (not booze, yall!!!!) I can remember as a very young child drinking at least two glasses of Water BEFORE our food arrived if we ate out. That has always been the case. Now, I have also ALWAYS HATED water! LOL. As an adult, I always drank gallons of Diet Coke. Once I was sleeved, I actually cold turkeyed from DC a few months before not even realizing I was going to be sleeved so I had broken the habit prior. I did have the occasional diet drink or carbonated diet something but nothing like before. Once sleeved, and having the need to get the water/fluids in I found that the water made me nauseous and discovered Crystal Light (I know - I know - don't give me any guff about the aspartame) I now drink at least 12-15 cups of water a day always with my favorite citrus Energy CL. And I drink during, before and after meals. It doesn't phase me. I have played around with it and I don't get any hungrier if I wait or don't drink prior. Now, in the early stages of recovery I did adhere to the policy simply because I could NOT eat/drink and needed to get my Protein in. At 3+ years out, I don't see myself not drinking with my meals. I don't actually drink much at all. Maybe a few sips because I don't eat much food either!!!!! STILL. Here is a good explanation of the Pyloric Valve and how it works with fluid: The function of your Pyloric valve is the single most not talked about important part of understanding how and when you should eat and drink. The Pyloric Valve is just that....It is a valve that is located at the bottom of your stomach/sleeve. This valve is in between your sleeve and the lower intestine. The basic definition of a valve is an apparatus that opens and closes. When open this valve it is about the diameter of a dime. When closed it’s opening is closed down to the diameter of the head of a ballpoint pen. Dense Proteins and harder to digest foods will cause the Pyloric valve to close to hold the food in your stomach for pre-digestion...... stomach acids breaking down this “Rough” food. That’s why we are told to eat dense proteins first.....To close the Pyloric Valve so food stays in your stomach/sleeve longer so we have a sense of satisfaction. It takes about 30-60 minutes for the food to clear the Pyloric Valve...... Than it’s OK to drink. That is also where the term slider food comes into play. A slider food does not close the Pyloric Valve and as the term is intended.....food slides right past an open Pyloric Valve. There is a video that gets posted every so often that is supposed to explain food going past the Pyloric Valve. The guy uses a funnel and has apple sauce or something in it....and it shows the apple sauce dripping out the end of the funnel very slow. Than he pours water on top of the apple sauce to dilute it, illustrating drinking after eating.....and the diluted apple sauce runs through the funnel end faster. Than he concludes that this is how your pyloric valve works. Well, it is a great video that only tells half the story.....remember it’s a valve...and he is only showing it in the open position.... So now the other half of the Pyloric Valve function..... You eat a dense protein like chicken that causes your Pyloric Valve to close. Say for example your sleeve has a 4oz. capacity.....and you eat 4oz. of chicken.....your sleeve is full and holding all 4 oz. of chicken for pre-digestion because your Pyloric Valve is closed. So now try and drink something....where is it gonna go? Up.....Up until it hits another valve of sorts..... the Esophageal Sphincter (valve) and above that is a flapper valve. The function of these two valves is to hold food, bile and stomach acids in your stomach and not backing up into your air way. This is a very high pressure system. Thats why when you eat to much or drink after eating a hard to digest food and your Pyloric is closed.....It hurts cause you pressurized your intake track. Vomiting would be a natural pressure release. So you can see how learning and understanding how the Pyloric Valve works is important as it pertains to eating and drinking with a Gastric Sleeve. So that was kinda like VSG and the Pyloric Valve 101 As you get further a long you will want to use the Pyloric Valve in other ways to keep food in your sleeve longer to stay satisfied longer. A sleeve empties faster than a stock un altered full size stomach so sometimes it’s beneficial for you to learn what foods stay in your sleeve longer to extend satisfaction. Dense proteins are #1 in closing the Pyloric Valve. Chicken, steak, pork, fish.....in that order seems to be the way it goes for me. Other foods that are hard to digest and help close the Pyloric Valve are foods like: Broccoli Stalk Asparagus Celery Cucumber with Skin Radish Cabbage (I’m testing this right now) Bell Pepper So I hope you understand my 5 cent tour of the Pyloric Valve and how it effects the way we eat with a VSG and how important it is to work the Pyloric Valve to your benefit.

Well, thought I would update. I started 5:2 June 4th. Today is Sept 4th. Three months/13 weeks and I've lost a little over 25 pounds. That averages to about 2 pounds a week. Double the average 5:2 loss of 1 lb a week. I will say, though, for others not having as much success. For some unknown reason, my body LIKES this lifestyle and I have WORKED at it. Doing things I NEVER did before - even during initial loss phase. Like using MFP and logging; curbing Snacks to a bare minimum; exercising much more; buying a fitbit and using it; and almost eliminating eating out except on most Sundays; and setting a calorie MAX on Feast Days. With that said, I also have not denied myself; went on vacation; went on weekend trips; ate the meals that involved carbs and sweets when I was invoved in something special. I honestly think that this has been a life changer for me. VSG was a HUGE life changer and I am forever grateful; the maintenance I wasn't so good at and to regain goal (almost there less than 2 lbs) and get focused again is sometimes mind boggling to me. AND very rewarding!!!