Butterthebean

Scrambled eggs were the first food I ate after I got off of full liquids. And I've eaten them everyday since. For those of you who don't tolerate eggs, have you tried egg beaters to see if that makes a difference. They are pretty good if you put something with them. I chop up mushrooms, bell peppers and grilled chicken or fajitas in my egg beaters.

I put chia seeds in my pudding and in my Protein shakes every day. Love 'em.

That's awesome. WTG.

http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html Just check out the link. It's basically a "back to the beginning" 5 day exercise that will break you of bad eating patterns that you may have slowly slipped into. I tried it and broke a stall. Lost 5 pounds that did not come back after I began eating again. Some say it will restore restriction. It did for me, for about one day. But what it really did is make me realize how much I was snacking and grazing. I think that's its real affect. I think it's a good exercise to do every once in a while if you're having trouble with cravings, excessive hunger or even just to break a stubborn plateau.

Try the 5 day pouch test.

Nice job. Keep it up.

Nice job Sleeve of Steel. I'm 6 months post op and I've been eating 1250 calories a day since month 2. Some days I'm up over 1400. I still log all my food. The only rules I set for myself are 120+ grams of Protein a day and try to avoid the starches. If I do that, everything else seems to take care of itself. I don't have cravings for crappy food anymore, and I don't go hungry. I eat when I need to. I love working out and I do a variety if things, not the same thing day after day, so it's not a chore. I'm still losing quite well. I think being on too restrictive of a calorie deficit can only hamper your weight loss, not to mention sabotage your health. For me, the key is finding what works and what you can maintain for life. Living healthy takes discipline, but if it's all consuming and tedious you're not likely to stick with it.

The Fonz....Bugs Bunny....desert boots....parachute pants....KISS....Commodore 64....Fantasy Island. That pretty much sums it up for me.

Almost all of the absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestines. The stomach is merely the device to break the food down to make absorption easier. But drinking too soon after meals will force food into the small intestines too soon, making absorption more difficult. Plus, you will not feel full as long. In a normal stomach this is not a problem, but the sleeve is much, much smaller than a normal stomach. This is also why chewing is so important.

Well, when I said carbs, what I should have said was starches. They cause a spike in blood sugar, and the resulting increase in insulin in the blood causes the eventual crash. Doing this over and over again reduces energy levels, not to mention leads to insulin resistance. Fat, on the other hand, is a building block and does not decrease energy. Now a lot of fatty foods are also high in unhealthy starches (breading on fried foods is a high glycemic starch) and that will lower your energy levels as mentioned above. But brisket is high in fat but contains no carbs, and it does not reduce energy. It's high in Protein and the dietary is used by your body.

I'm 6 months post op and I still feel great. It's amazing how much all the carbs were bringing me down. Keeping your blood sugar and insulin levels on an even keel makes a huge difference. Plus, once you start exercising and get in better shape you'll feel even better.

Way to go. You're looking great. When was your surgery date? Mine was May 10.

I said it earlier and I'll say it again....if you go into too big of a calorie deficit your body may very well sabotage your weight loss efforts, not to mention your health. Your body may have enough fat stores to fuel your body for weeks or months, but it won't. Your body doesn't work that way. After some time your body will protect itself by shutting down systems to protect those reserves of fat. That's what it's programmed to do. That means your metabolism will slow down. Your body will also go into a catabolic state, which means its breaking down muscle instead of fat. It does this because calorie intake is low and your body knows those muscles are what's requiring the calories, therefore, in times of extreme starvation it will try to get rid of them. You will also not have the ability to workout for 4 hours a day consistently without eating enough fuel. Your body will burn fat for a while, but as stated above, it will eventually try to protect its fat reserves and burn lean tissue instead....including our heart. To prevent this, you must eat a healthy amount based on your BMR, workout consistently, and eat a nutritionally balanced diet. With our limited calorie intake, our diets must be protein heavy to prevent lean tissue loss. But if you are working out to the point of extreme without adding calories, your small protein intake will not be enough to protect your lean tissue from breakdown.

I was always a big root beer drinker, which has no caffeine. And I just started back drinking decaf coffee last week after 6 months with no coffee, so when I read the initial post I had coffee on the brain.

No. Carbonated drinks.....maybe. Not caffeine.

Some research suggests it's a diuretic. You need all the help staying hydrated you can get post op. There is also research saying it is not a diuretic, as long as it's taken in moderation. You have to be the judge.

You will have your easiest weight loss in the first 6 months. But to say the weight loss will stop at 6 months is incorrect. Please don't believe that BS. You can continue to lose for as long as you want if you're willing to work at it, and you learn new eating habits.

The first thing I do every morning is drink a big bottle of Water to rehydrate. You will lose some water overnight, but it shouldn't be a dangerous amount. The more sugar you have in your blood, the more you will urinate during the night. So eating less sugar and starches, and keeping your blood sugar levels even will result in less water loss nightly.

Way to go. You've done great.

There will come a point where you will want to eat "solid" foods to maintain your satiety.