Butterthebean

How far post op are you? With beer you have to be wary of carbonation, especially early postop. I've also heard people say that their alcohol resistance was much lower after surgery, so a small amount may have a big effect.

I think the opposite....I count the calories and not the carbs. I follow two other rules, no starches and a 10 to 1 calorie to protein grams ratio. In other words, if you eat 800 calories over the course of the day, eat 80g of protein. By doing that my carb intake has stayed moderately low without being at Atkins levels. That's what has been working for me. I know other folks have different approaches.

How do you drink and drive responsibly?

Well....no. Some of us (a lot of us) have surgery and then start eating sensibly. Some don't.

I second the resistance bands. You can do tons of exercises with just 1 band.

Search for C25K in the app store. There are several to choose from.

Yeah, smartphone=iPhone.

It stands for couch to 5K, as in a 5 kilometer run. The program starts you off mostly walking with short spurts of jogging mixed in. If you download one of the many apps on your smart phone, it will tell you when to walk and when to jog. Each week you slowly increase your jogging time and decrease your walking time. By the end, you're supposed to be able to run a 5K. I have "ease into 5K". It lets me listen to my music, and the walk/jog commands come in over the top of that. You just follow the workouts. And you advance to the next workout at your own pace. If you don't feel ready to move to week 2, you can stay and repeat week 1 again....and so on. If you don't have a smart phone, you can look up the plan online, and then just use a timer or stop watch to run and walk the intervals.

Myfitnesspal has been my constant companion since surgery. I sometimes wonder if I would be able to do this if I lost my iPhone.

Exercise burns calories. Dieting reduces calories. They are both for weight loss. But exercise has the added benefit of making you feel better, live longer and be healthier. Weight loss by itself will not guarantee those things. If you don't believe me, look around at all the unhealthy skinny people in the world. There are plenty.

I didn't waste them. I saved all 5 bags/cans in this 1 zip lock bag. Funny' date=' it doesn't look like 6500 calories could fit in there. I wonder if I could get 6500 calories of cheesecake in that bag.

Yeah Tracy, my NUT is a nut. She was more about trying to get me to eat right for life, not just what I needed for the sleeve surgery. I appreciated that, but at the same time, it's hard go to "health nut" overnight....but I'm working on it.

Lastly, my personal favorite, sour cream and onion Pringles. Not 1 can but 2. 6.3 oz cans, 1800 total calories, 108g fat, 180 carbs. That's about 3 cups of food right there. Not a lot for a pre-sleever to eat. 1 cup of that is 60 carbs and 600 calories! Next time I'll mix up some bean dip.

I also did a bag of Lays sour cream and onion. I used to love these things. 10oz bag, 1600 calories, 100g fat, 150g carbs. What bothered me about the Lays was the dust came out wet. All that grease.

Next was a bag of Cheetos puffs. 9.75 oz, 1500 calories, 100g fat, 130g carbs. That's about 2.5 cups of Cheetos dust. A little lighter than the Doritos, but the same volume.

It's still empty calories, it's just less calories without the butter and salt.

You're what, 2 months post op? You're eating quite a bit and not drinking near enough. 1200 calories is what I was told to eat and I'm a big active man, I weighed 400lbs. If you're smaller and female (which you are) I would think you'd be eating less (but that is up to your NUT). But either way, 4-6 glasses of Water a day is not near enough. 64 ounces is the MINIMUM. And I emphasize the word minimum. More is even better. Do you have any symptons of being dehydrated? Dry skin, thirsty, dry eyes, dark urine, leg cramps at night? If so, those are signs you're not drinking near enough and that will definitely stall your weightloss.

I didn't even know what head hunger truly felt like until after the surgery. That second week was the worst. I knew my stomach was not hungry, but I was salivating and craving every bad food I had ever eaten. But once I started soft foods, it all went away. That first bit of food you finally get to eat is the best food you have ever eaten. Suddenly, those are the foods you want, not the old bad foods. And the best part is, you get to have them, and you get full really fast. So yes, the head hunger can be very real at first, but goes away as part of the process. The farther out you get from those bad foods, the less you will want them.

Just my first marriage. After that I retired winless.

Congrats. Now enjoy the ride. Hope you have a smooth recovery.

It's baffling how anyone would think we would be better off by staying obese. Yes there is a chance that your surgery could have complications, but the chance of complications from obesity are much, much higher. I had a few doubters when I first announced I was having the surgery. But after losing over 100lbs they have all changed their tune. But the best defense against the negativity is simply not giving a rat's behind what anyone else thinks.

People have been calling me Butterbean for 20 years because I look just like the fighter, Butterbean. I even have the stars and stripes shorts. I was playing in a softball tournament one time and some guy in the stands goes "hey Butterbean"...I said "hey" back. Then he turned to his friends and I heard him whisper, "I told you that was him".

Right down below everyone of my posts there is a statement that says something like "If you just had surgery and your weightloss has already stalled..." Below that is a link. Just click it to open the article. Better yet, I'll just cut and paste it here to make it easy. Weight Loss Stall or Plateau A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf. Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below. The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days. What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements. Too Many Carbs? Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section on Carbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating. Fit Day Spark People - If you join Spark People also join the DS group. The Daily Plate Calorie King For more tips on keeping a food journal see the Personal Nutrition Guide. Eating Enough? If you are under-eating or go more than 4-5 hours without eating, your body will shift into fasting mode, slow your metabolism and conserve your stored energy (fat). This can contribute to a weight loss stall or plateau. Make sure you are eating small meals or small Snacks throughout the day and also ensure you meet your daily Protein requirements. Try eating some protein with every meal or snack. For more information on protein requirements see our section on Protein. Drinking Enough? An adequate level of water in your body aids in the effective breakdown of fat. The daily minimum recommendation is 64 Fluid oz of water a day. If you are in ketosis you will need to drink even more water to ensure the ketones are flushed out of your system. You may also need more than the minimum amount of water if you are exercising or live in a warmer or dry environment. Exercising? Exercise can increase your metabolism and burn fat. Strength training will build muscles and will boost fat burning. In a stall you can try increasing your volume of exercise or changing up your routine to overcome a weight loss stall or plateau. If you have been doing mainly aerobic activity, try doing a bit of strength training, and if you have been doing mainly strength training, try an aerobic work-out. The High Fat - High Calorie Stall Buster Many DSers swear by the fat/calorie shock as an effective weight loss stall or plateau buster. Having a day of higher fat and calorie eating followed by a returning to consistent low carb eating can sometimes "shock" your body back into weight loss mode.