PdxMan

Ya sure, you betcha. Just keep doing what you're doing. I know it gets tedious and frustrating, but it does get better. I was just DYING for something crunchy to eat, but that day, too, shall come.

Did they correct a hiatal hernia by chance? I had mine corrected (didn't even know I had one) and there was tightness around the top of the tummy, bottom of the esophagus, for sure. It took a few weeks to pass, but it does pass. As I told my wife then, if I didn't HAVE to eat, I wouldn't.

It is pinned to the top of the Post Surgical forum, but here is a link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/28139-the-basics-boot-camp/

Beach, as part of my Vitamin regimen, my NUT has me on Calcium supplements, so I found one at Vitamin Shoppe that is working for me. It has 1200mg calcium and since I live in the Great Northwest, and don't usually see the sun much this time of year, I saw they had one WITH Vitamin D, 400IU. She also has me on a Multivitamin, B12 sublingual and a probiotic. I have added Biotin, 5mg to add to my fantasy that it will actually help restore my hair loss. Are you taking any supplements? Xeno, yes, I have seen articles like that in my research. As I mentioned, nutrition is a controversial area, for sure. But, as with about any topic, there are going to be reputable sources stating just the opposite. That is why in my closing comments I put, "But this understanding of how things work does work for me." I believe that is the bottom line ... you have to find what works for you ... just find it.

If you can't tolerate the SF stuff, don't. Get the regular stuff. You have to eat. Dorrie's right, the Premier Shakes are awesome and you have a Costco right there in Fredricksburg.

I think what the surgeons worry about us what happens if you should crash. If you should tear your staple line before it has time to fully heal ... You could be in for some serious trouble. That is why they put the 6 week time frame on activities such as this.

Stop weighing yourself. I weigh about once a month after I read a post from a woman TOTALLY upset after she had gained 0.3 pounds from her morning weigh in. She was wailing about, "What have I done wrong? I am a failure! I knew the sleeve wouldn't work for me!" I was just like, "WOA!" I do not want that to be me, but I could see myself slipping into that. I assume you didn't get this surgery for your friends or father, so why should you owe them a weigh report? It's none of their business. My wife and mother occassionally ask me and I tell them, "I don't know, I haven't weighed myself lately." They accept that and it's no big deal. Don't make it one and it won't be, but, fortunately, you are in control of this. Don't surrender it to them. If you truly believe down deep in your heart that with 85% of your stomach removed you will gain fat a month out of surgery ... then go for it. Weigh everyday to monitor it. (Said tongue in cheek)

Check this thread out: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/29997-6-weeks-out-feeling-good-but-weight-loss-is-really-slowing-down/page__fromsearch__1 I had same problem and my NUT said I needed to up my carbs and it worked. It may be what you need.

Woo Hoo! Now that's what I'm talking about! :woot: Nice job Dorrie, and thanks for all of your contributions to the community as well.

Yup, I just caught my error, "correct". Thanks, and no offense was taken. Yes, that is why I prefaced and finished my post the way I did. It is a controversial, ever changing "science", which, at some point, I have to stop my head from spinning and take an appoach and ride with it.

Thanks for the feedback. Always enjoy other's insight.

I gotta believe the Pats are looking for blood. I'll be rooting for the Giants, but looking at the body of work for the season, the Pats are the better team, so I have to believe they will win. Am I a fan of either team, no. I'm a left-coaster, but I think the Pats will win.

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/80-the-clothing-exchange/

I believe there is a clothing exchange forum on here.

Well, the bottom line is calories consumed vs calories burned. This is my understanding of it based on my research. Please correct me if what I type here is inaccurate Let's talk about calories for a second. A calorie is a unit of energy. 1 gram of carbs(Error here, meant to say fat) will give you 9 units of that energy. 1 gram of Protein will give you 4 units of that energy. Your body will convert that to glycogen and use it, whether that be for running or sitting on the couch breathing. You are always consuming energy and that is different for everybody. SoS mentioned the resting metabolic rate, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). That is the energy your body requires ... well ... resting. If you have more of these energy units (calories) than your body needs, the body will store them first in your liver and then out to your body as visceral or subcutaneous fat. (Fancy way of saying fat deep in your organs or just underneath your skin) If you don't have enough, then your body will tap the liver (hence the pre-op diet) and then tap the reserves stored in your body (visceral/subcutaneous/muscle ... yup, muscle is a candidate ... remember, 4 units of energy) It is widely accepted that 3,500 calories make up a pound. Burn 3,500, you lose a pound, consume an additional 3,500, you gain a pound. http://www.caloriesp...orial_pound.php OK, so what does this mean? Calories consumed vs Calories burned. For our purposes, here, we'll say I consume 1,400 calories/day. Let's say my BMR is 700 and I am moderately active through the day walking to the mailbox and such. We'll say I burn an additional 500 calories doing that for a total daily burn of 1,200 calories. So, I have an overage of 200 calories/day which, if I continue like this, I will gain 1 pound in 3,500/200 = 17.5 days. If my BMR is higher ... this changes. If I increase my activity and burn 1,000 calories/day, then I lose. So, with this out of the way, to your question. If I typically eat 1,200-1,400 calories per day will I start gaining ... for me, I doubt it. As far as BMR goes, there are theories out there that say the more fit you get, the higher this number becomes. I am WAY more fit than I was 7 months ago. I broke a hard sweat going up the stairs at a basketball game, for crying out loud! So, I have to believe I have improved my BMR. I don't work out everyday, but I do most days and they are pretty rigorous. Running 3-5 miles at a pretty good pace (under 9 minute miles) and keeping up with the instructor for the Spinning and Tabata classes, plus lifting weights 3x a week. Averaging it all out, I'm probably burning at least an additional 500-600 calories daily. This activity allows me to eat more and still lose. But, again, notice in my signature, I did not lose this past month, but actually gained .5 pounds, but I do attribute that to my weight lifting efforts. My jeans are looser than they were a month ago, so I know my fat deposits are reducing. So, for you, can you eat 1,200 - 1,400 calories a day and still lose? I don't know. I don't know what your BMR is and your activity level. Getting your BMR calculated accurately is an expensive proposition, though, if I am not mistaken. I used to have the BodyBugg which told me, with 90% accuracy, the number of calories I burned daily. Perhaps something like that might help you determine how many calories you can each each day. I hope this answers your question, and before the firestorm rages, please just know this is my opinion based on my research. Nutrition is a highly debated topic. I know. But this understanding of how things work does work for me. If it doesn't work for you, that is OK.

I eat somewhere in the 1,400-1,600 calorie range, I believe. I just started tracking since I am starting training for a half-marathon this summer. I have been running a lot lately and have been working at getting my intake up, since on my average run, I burn over 500 calories, so, net, I'm in the 1,200 range, I guess. I also have been lifting weights, so my loss has been stablizing, but now that I have started this new running program, I'm guessing I will be back to losing again. My original goal was 200# and I have since reset it 180 as I still do have some noticable fat. I'm not too concerned about a number, though. My pants fit looser than they did a month ago, but I had a gain, so ... Bottom line is I feel great and I can keep up with my kids, now. That is what I really wanted from my sleeve.

You really need to be careful early as to how much you put in your tummy. It is swollen and healing. Do you really want to be putting pressure on that brand new staple line? When you are drinking liquids, your pyloric valve opens up and drains into your intestines. Remember, the stomach is the mechanical part of digestion. It breaks down food for the intestines to absorb. This is why we are on liquids to start because we don't want the healing stomach to be working breaking down foods. So, in absence of the stomach having to work (liquids) the shake is able to flow through the pyloric valve and into the intestines. But then ... you don't feel full ... so you keep drinking ... and it drains ... and you don't feel full, so you drink more ... AAHHHH!!! (the body says) When you get to 'regular' foods, especially lean meats, you will feel the restriction after eating a couple bites. This is one of the reasons why they suggest not drinking with meals, so you can feel the restriction. Good luck ... drink just a few ounces at a time ... relax ... drink some more ...

Congrats on the loss. That is awesome! You may need to mix things up a bit ... Do you feel your workouts at Curves takes you to a high level of intensity? Do you feel you could do a week or two of eating perfect? Say ... 80g carbs, no breads or rice 100g Protein No drinking 30 minutes before/after eating 1,500 calories total Maybe give that a try to spark your system and up the intensity in your workouts. Use 5# weights instead of 3#. On the riser, try lifting your knees just a bit more. Make sure you are doing the lunges correctly and not just what is easiest ... These little things will make a difference.

That is one of the things I was totally not expecting ... shoe size change. I went from a 12 wide to an 11 normal. That's something they don't put in the brochure!

Cowgirl, you're describing my story as well. I questioned my NUT as to why I was feeling so bleh and she told me the same thing and, like you, it worked. My loss also slowed, but with my new-found energy and weightloss, I upped my activity. I belonged to a health club so I hit the elliptical and started going to group fitness classes. Spinning (stationary bike) really kicked my hiney and Tabata (interval aerobics) were my favorites. My weightloss got a kick in the hiney, too. I then started running (ran 3 miles this morning) and have continued that entering in races and begin a running group this Saturday. But, it all started by finding that level of carbs that gave me my energy back.

Just want to echo what Lissa said. You are going to be running short on carbs early on, anyway. I wouldn't start counting them out of the gate, for sure. BTW, I make my chili with ground turkey, not beef. For me, that would have been too difficult to digest.

Wow, yeah, 5 weeks and red meat ... I was still on mushies. Just started red meat a month ago and can only do about 3 bites before I am STUFFED!

This is how I lived weeks 2-5. Lentil/ham with veggies Chili chicken veggie Get that hand blender out and whirrrrrrrrrrr ... yum

So, I wrote a thread on this a couple weeks ago: http://www.verticals...__fromsearch__1 As I understand it, Dogzz is pretty much correct, although the extra is converted to glycogen, which the liver uses for energy, if it's stores are full, then it does get sent to the body to be stored as fat. The amount of Protein your body can use is based on several things of which a main factor is the type of activity you are doing. Two people, with the same stats, but where one is sedentary and the other is active ... which is going to require more protein? Let's take this even further. Let's say that second person lifts weights 3x a week, or is a runner ... The 30g per intake is a guideline for the average person, which, is also controversial. So, what is right for you? As I say in the post I referenced earlier, talk to your NUT, PCP or Fitness trainer who know about this stuff and knows about your activity level. But, yes, having too much protein in a single intake won't do you any good and may actually increase your fat stores. What is too much for you? I don't know and neither does anybody else on this forum.

Eating Soups, mushies or other foods with high liquids is going to allow your pyloric valve to open up allowing more food to be put into your tummy. When you eat dense Proteins, just the opposite happens. The valve stays closed and you feel the restriction. This is one of the reasons why you shouldn't drink while you eat. Since you are eating pizza, you should be able to eat dense Protein. Give that a try and see how much you can eat, but don't overdo it. Your sleeve is still healing ...