Butterthebean

I've lost over 100 lbs and I can attest to the 30 pounds per inch equation....but now I'm hitting a different kind of stall. I guess I've "uncovered" everything. I was hoping there was more.

My only friends right now are my bicycle, my jogging shoes, my weight bench and my food scale. And my dogs. God my shorts are getting baggy. I need to go shopping.

Hi Katrina. Firstly, if you're not doing it already, start logging your food on Myfitnesspal. You can friend me on there (username butterthebean) and others here will friend you as well. Nothing will help keep you honest like having everyone look at your food diary everyday. Secondly, what's your plan for exercise tomorrow? You need one if you don't already have one. If you're not comfortable on your treadmill at the moment because of its weight limit, get outside and walk. It's beautiful here outside right now (Houston), hopefully you're getting some good weather where you are. And lastly, stop grazing. Don't eat anything for at least 3 hours after your previous meal. Get back to your Protein shakes. If cravings start to overtake you between meals, do 50 situps or jumping jacks instead. I promise you after that you will not be thinking about food. You need something to take your mind off of food. Exercise is excellent for this. All you need is a little bit of progress in the right direction to light your fire and motivate you again. Good luck.

Have you eaten any food? If not, there will be no need.

It's true. Due to increased claims, obese people cost the insurance companies money. Smokers cost them money. Drinkers too. They don't want to spend the money for WLS to get you healthy if you aren't going to live a healthy lifestyle, thereby saving them money in the long run. But still, IMO, it's the right thing to do....live healthy, that is. It's why I had the surgery. But to each his own....a thin smoker is still healthier than an obese one.

This is always an interesting topic and one I've had to figure out for myself as time went on. I think it all depends on how you got here. For me, I did 2 things wrong, I was a compulsive eater and I ate all the wrong foods. Those 2 bad behaviors fueled each other. At 4 months post op I know now that I cannot eat the way I used to eat and rely on the sleeve to control my portions for me. There are just too many slider foods available. A compulsive eater will actively try to eat around the sleeve. I had to learn new behaviors, and I had to learn a new normal. What some people would call a diet, I call a new healthy way of eating, which excludes some foods that I previously enjoyed. I cannot eat those foods in moderation, not just because I'm weak, but because certain foods do contain chemical triggers to entice you to eat more and more of them. I look at it like this, some people can drink alcohol regularly and not become alcoholics, some cant. Well for me, starches were my alcohol. I can't have them in moderation or I will go off the deep end. I feel similarly about chocolate, but I've let my Protein shakes take the place of candy bars so I get to enjoy chocolate everyday....keeps me from feeling deprived I guess. I also discovered something else interesting this weekend. My BIL and SIL came to stay with us for a few days. We had fun, but I realized how much my wife's family centers everything around mealtime. food is not just fuel for them, as it has become for me. It is the cornerstones of the day's activities. After 4 months of eating only when I needed fuel, I realized how much I used to be this way and I hate it now. Every time I turned around we stopped everything for a 2 hour meal. Just seems like wasted time to me now. I can grab my protein and be back on the trail in 20 minutes.

Tell them you're trying a liquid diet to cure hemoroids, they will not ask questions.

I don't really need to know that. I don't need the temptation. They also sell the individual servings of guacamole....those are good too.

Very true. But one of the things that causes low potassium is dehydration, and many people are not properly hydrated post sleeve. 64 oz of Water is just a guideline, it's not an absolute limit like a lot of people think it is. Some people need more.

I look forward to being in your shoes.

None of the links are working on my phone or my work desktop. Is it just me?

I wouldn't waste time on cream soup until you're getting in your fluids and protein.

You are not alone. But if you're gonna eat that way, at least start working out hard. It will make your recovery easier if you're in better shape.

If you are having leg cramps you are probably not drinking enough Water. And it's natural to be fatigued at this stage. My first 2 weeks I needed a nap after taking a shower.

Perfectly normal. Your stomach is healing but you haven't eaten anything.....plus you don't realize how much of it is head hunger, but you can bet some of it is. I was craving food so bad my second week, I was licking wheat thins. Once you start eating solid foods this will be a distant memory.

This is exactly how I feel.

All I know is when I weigh, that's it. When my wife weighs she starts substracting for any BMs she hasn't taken, anything she's had to eat or drink, excess perfume or make up she's wearing, if she's overdue for a hair cut or manicure, plus 2 screws she had put in her foot from a skiing accident 20 years ago.

Those comments are exactly why I DO tell everyone who asks about my weight loss that I had surgery. Then I proceed to tell them how healthy I've been eating and then how much I've been cycling and working out, and I invite them to go on a 30 mile bike ride with me on the weekend. Nobody ever wants to go. I emphasize that I did it to extend my life and increase my quality of life. I tell them that I'm training for my first 5K and that I'll be cycling from Houston to Austin in the MS150 next April. When they see how much better I feel and how much more energy I have they usually realize that I am earning it, not just riding the coat tails of a magic surgery.

Yep, take something healthy with you so you won't be hungry.

Yeah, that barium is the only thing that has made me vomit since surgery.

Oh....I freakin' love peanut butter. Sometimes I would chase it with a swig of milk. 2 spoons of peanut butter and one drink of milk and I'm full. But I can't buy it because it's too easy for me to eat too much of it. I just recently bought some PB2 and I highly recommend it. It tastes great, has 1/4 the calories and because you have to mix it up it's not so easy to just grab and eat.

Take up smoking..... J/K

.....and chew till its like applesauce.

Here's what was on my docs list for soft foods.... Scrambled or soft boiled eggs Soft Beans Low fat egg salad Pimento cheese Cooked and canned fruits and veggies Low fat casseroles Over cooked Pasta oatmeal Ground meats with gravy or broth Flaky fish Peanut Butter Canned tuna, salmon, crab or chicken (packed in water) You could purée any of this.