Butterthebean

We are doing an impromptu trail 5K tomorrow morning. Should be fun.

I just realized what happened. I got baited by a troll and fell for it. You are the textbook definition. You have told several people they are wrong, thrown out some insults, argued points you know nothing about, but not offered one bit of helpful information.

Yep, lost 160 pounds in 7 months.

I do not. I think that was Fiddleman. I've seen them for sale already ground. I think those are more for cooking with if I'm not mistaken. There are many dishes where they use them mixed with cornmeal.

We got a member here, Aroundhky, he's done great with lifting and putting on the muscle. Search him out. You're going to lose some muscle initially. It's inevitable with the restricted calories and lack of lifting during recovery. But it will be easier to get it back since you already had it. My upper body strength is not what it used to be, and when I tried to workout heavy I ended up with a damaged rotator cuff which I am in PT for now. But my core and leg strength is there, and my quads look ridiculous. Like a couple of oak trees, and all the while my focus has been more on cardio and fitness than strength training.

Exactly, the goal is to eat till you're not hungry....not till you're full. The only way I can do this is to measure my food, or when I can't, eat ultra slow. And protein first as usual.

Perfectly normal at this stage. The post op diet does not have very much fiber in it. It seems like it takes a few weeks to catch up to us and then...."traffic jam." Miralax gave me some temporary relief, but the thing that has helped me the most has been chia seeds. I let them soak in my protein shake for at least 30 minutes, letting them get soft and gel. Then drink it down. The seeds make the shake thicker, therefore more filling. Besides helping with constipation, they also help regulate blood sugar and supply antioxidants, and even protein. You can't go wrong with chia.

Yep, I've heard that statement many times, but always from someone who hasn't had surgery or just had it. At 6 months, 9 months or 12 months the sleeve does not work the same way it does immediately post op. It is not a backstop. You are not meant to eat till you hit your sleeve limit every time. It is merely a parachute in case you do over eat. At least that's how I look at it. We all are different. Read the stories of vets who are a year or more out. They all say the same thing, you have to be in control of what you eat or you will regain the weight. The sleeve does not permanently cure food addictions, eating disorders or bad decision making, and there is not a person here who doesn't have some combination of those elements.

There certainly can be a mourning period. But think about how you feel about food now after a big meal, when you're stuffed and can't eat any more. You may see some more food that looks good, but you're really not interested. At 7 months out, that's how I feel all the time.

Think of it as a learning experience. I had a couple of "drinking too fast" experiences early on. It certainly teaches you not to do that again. Walk if you can. That may help.

It also prevents stalls, hair loss and sagging skin.

I keep reading that this is a support forum, but everyone is always asking for information, not support. Especially people who have just had surgery. That's why I always get confused.

Yes it is normal. But you made the comment about your sleeve being bigger than you wanted. My comment to that was...sleeve size doesn't matter because you don't want to get full. The sleeve is like a back up device in case you do eat too much, but you do not want to eat till you are full every meal...even with the sleeve. Maybe that's not what you were asking for. But I have seen many comments that were similar, even just today. People who are worried their sleeve is too big because they can eat or drink more than they think they should. It's nothing to worry about. I can easily eat 1500 calories a day, and usually do. My capacity is obviously much bigger than most, but weight loss has not been a problem. I also firmly believe that the feeling of fullness and restriction isn't merely a sign of sleeve capacity, it can also vary amongst the individual. Just like pain tolerance. Some people are more attuned to the feeling of fullness and satiety than others. I know I have never been very aware of my feelings of fullness, which allowed me to overeat all my life. Now I weigh everything and don't leave it to my feelings.

I got up to 4 miles today doing 12 minute miles. I really don't see me pushing that pace much faster because I'm trying to stay below the aerobic threshold. I'm more concerned with running long than fast. Running long distances fascinates me for some reason. Made even more questionable by the fact that I am the farthest thing from a runner that ever lived. Way too top heavy. Too tall but short legged. Huge feet. Two torn meniscus and a torn ACL (unrepaired). I think I could get up to a half marathon. I'd love to do a marathon. Actually, I'd like to be one of those guys that can do marathons regularly without killing my body, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen. I will say so far so good on my body holding up though. My form is very is similar to the "chi running" and barefoot running form, and I believe they are on to something when it comes to injury prevention, which is what both those forms are all about.

It's different for everybody. But take heart, cause when it breaks the scale will plummet. Check out the link in my sig...it has some good info about stalls. The 3 week stall is one you really can't do much about but wait it out. But that's okay. Just be patient and it will move.

This thread reminds me of my favorite comic strip.

That sounds like a great way to get in your protein but you should split it up over 2 meals because your body typically cannot absorb that much protein at one time. But if you split it you will get the full benefit.

How much can you eat? I eat 1500 calories a day and I am 7 months out. Hasn't slowed down my weight loss though so I see no problem. If you are having success, which it seems you are, you should reconsider getting another surgery. Especially the lapband. I have read so many stories about problems with the band, but the most upsetting thing I've read about it (and this was on lapbandtalk.com, our sister site) is that it actually reinforces bad eating habits. Fibrous, dense foods have difficulty going down and can cause pain and discomfort with the lapband. But slider type foods go down without pain. Patients end up eating slider foods more often because its the only way they can eat pain free, and who can blame them? But by eating the sliders they actually gain weight, instead of losing it.

Super sharp pains are not an acceptable side effect. Call your docs office. There should be someone on call if he's not.