Butterthebean

The most likely affect of not getting in enough protein when your calories are so drastically restricted is your body will want to burn muscle for fuel instead of burning fat. It happens anyway, but the idea is to keep it at a minimum. So getting in your protein right now is critical. The more muscle you burn, the more it will slow down your metabolism, which means less fat burning in the future. It's a double edged sword. Also keep in mind, the 40 g of protein drinks are great, but don't try to drink it all at once. You're body is not likely to absorb that much protein in one sitting and some of it will be wasted. Split it into 2 servings and you'll be fine.

LOL....Catracks...I'm laughing at your new name....Coatracks. That's hilarious. Sorry...as you were.

Just so ya'll know, there is another side to this coin. My wife is the best. She has done her very best to not eat things that would tempt me...she's great. But like most people, she struggles with her weight. She would like to lose 25 pounds, but can't seem to make it happen. No matter what she eats, how few calories or carbs, how much she exercises...the scale simply won't move for her. I'm sure there are many women here who can recall what that's like pre-sleeve. Well, imagine how it goes when I'm dropping a pants size every other week and I'm doing my little happy dance everytime I get off the scale. At first she was real happy for me. But at some point, she started getting real frustrated because she can't even lose 1 pound and I've lost 166. And we are eating the same things...working out together...everything. So it makes it real hard for me to Celebrate. And all I want to do is talk about my new skinny clothes, but the more I do the worse she feels about herself. So ponder that while your husband is eating a big mac, because in a few months he may be the one pissed at you for losing so easily.

For me, it isn't even about the huge amounts of food they eat....it's about the effort spent. It's all consuming. When my inlaws all get together, the whole day is nothing but preparing a big meal, eating it, waiting around long enough for enough food to pass to eat more, then clean up. Then it's time to start preparing the next meal. It's crazy and it takes all day. At my MIL's there is constantly someone in the kitchen preparing food. It would just rather have a 5 minute Protein shake and go on about my day. I just don't care about food enough to spend so much time on it. Especially if I can't eat much of it. PLUS....they can't seem to make a meal without making at least 4 different deserts. How did I ever live this way?

Looking back at the OP, I'm sure a lot of that was hunger talking. It can be very frustrating. But to you presleevers, this is the kind of conversation you should have with your significant other (or resident ass) before surgery. If you want him to eat Oreos in the other room for the first month, ask him if he's willing to do that BEFORE the surgery, while things are calm. Think about how you'd feel if you were being asked to do this. If he will agree to this...great. If it doesn't seem reasonable, then you may be the one who has to be in the other room while he eats Oreos. It's your issue, not your spouse's issue. Part of your recovery will be learning how to deal in these situations...when people are eating in front of you. You can't expect everyone to change their life because you are. Just know, in the long run you'll be a stronger person for it.

I've been drinking green shakes everyday for the last couple of weeks. I must say, I love them suddenly. I never could eat enough greens. But I figured I could get them down in liquid form. Well, the first shake I made tasted a lot like fresh mowed grass.....not good. But I'm gradually getting better, to the point where I really like them now. And I started catching my wife stealing sips out of my green shake, now I make her a shake everyday as well. Interestingly, I read somewhere that greens increase cravings just like sugars. The more greens you eat, the more you crave them. Well for me this has definitely proven to be true. I'm craving salads all the time suddenly. My body feels so much better now that I'm getting in more nutrients....I was getting sick of meat, cheese and Protein shakes. My protein intake is slightly down but still over 100 grams a day, and my carbs are up but it's all good low glycemic carbs so I don't mind. And yes, I'm still losing. The ingredients are....6 cups of kale, 1 cup of mixed greens, 1 cup each of mixed berries and mangos or pineapple, chia seeds, 2 scoops chocolate Protein powder, 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt, parsley, 1/2 cucumber, some broccoli, 2 cups cold Water plus a pinch of goji berries, spirulina and cacao powder. 193 calories, 18 g protein, 30 g carbs, 1 g fat in a 16 oz shake. Everything in the picture makes about 4 shakes.

You might feel listless because of the sudden drop in carbs. Many people experience this when they start an Adkins type diet. As for the shakes, sorry but I love them. There are many brands and flavors out there. You just have to find one you can tolerate. Think of this like boot camp....it won't be fun, but you'll come out the other side a lean mean fighting machine.

They break up kidney stones with an acoustic pulse, kinda like a sound wave.

Judy, even though there is Protein powder in my shakes, it doesn't taste chocolatly at all. It's about 1/4 the amount of Protein Powder that would go into a traditional Protein Shake so all it does is make it smooth and cancel out the bitterness of the greens. But yes, you could easily substitute vanilla and add more or less powder depending on what you like. My recipe is still evolving and it is partly based on taste and partly nutritional value.

Lissa....I hope the surgery goes well. Things have been going great for you up till now. It just goes to show we are never truly out of the woods. Best of luck.

Good luck. I started C25K back in September. Now I'm running 12-15 miles a week. Love it. Never thought I would like running.

I thought seriously about getting a ninja. I watched a bunch of YouTube reviews on the ninja, vitamix and blendtec. I saw some reviews that said the ninja was just as good, and some said it didn't quite blend the food as much....like 96% blended vs 100%. I wasn't sure. But I decided to take the big plunge this time and reward myself with a vitamix. If money was tight right now, I wouldn't have hesitated to get the ninja instead. Either way, it's a good way to get in some nutrients that the typical sleeve diet doesn't really leave room for.

I'm not sure that they should be no-no's for life....but you need water and protein more than anything else in the initial months. Most soups and smoothies take up a lot of room in the sleeve without giving you either one.

You are looking good. Proud of ya.

Many people experience this. Thirst and stomach acid both can feel exactly like hunger after surgery. Also, many people suffer from head hunger for those first 2-3 weeks. It definitely feels like real hunger....complete with stomach growling. It will fade in a week or 2. You should be on an acid reducer, that may help. Keep drinking lots of water, it will get easier.

Please don't take water pills. Water is not your problem. Did you have surgery to lose weight or lose fat? I only care about fat loss. Retaining water, building muscle, slow BMs....all these things will increase weight. Your fat loss will counter act all those things....it already has. You've lost over 40 pounds. It IS working. Quit weighing and start living a healthier life. The weight will come off as you get healthier.

Yep, vitamix. Liquifies everything. Way better than a juicer because you don't lose anything. Juicers leave behind the pulp, which contains a lot of the Fiber. That's another benefit of the green shakes that I forgot to mention.....no more traffic jams.

There is nothing biologically to stop any of us from continuing to lose as long as we want to, but it certainly will get harder. As you get lighter, you basal metabolic rate will slow down, meaning you burn less calories per day. At the same time, your ability to eat increases. Those 2 things acting together will certainly stop weight loss in its tracks. When that happens, smart food choices and exercise will be the thing that saves you and keeps the fat fires burning. At 8 months I'm still losing 10 pounds a month. I can live with that. It's not as good as the 40 I lost in the first month, but that was to be expected.

That's great. Best of luck. Are you using a particular training program? If so which one?

You rock. Thats great news.