CaliKat

I have had many trainers that have all told me that high incline and moderate speed is the absolute best way to get a treadmil workout. If you compare how many calories you burn running at a lower (or no) incline vs. a high incline its a huge difference. plus its way better on your knees and you get a good "butt lift" workout. BTW- a 15% incline at 3.5 spped is pretty hardcore! You go girl!

@emlfe- we have the same surgeon - i am 5 weeks out- and I am already eating small amounts of red meat. Less than 1.5oz of well chewed red meat. I have not had ANY intolerance with food (so far) but have been pretty cautious about my intake. I am planning on trying to eat Buffalo meat/burgers in lieu of beef because the fat content is so much lower. BBQ on!!!

I'm going on my 5th week and I am allowed all Proteins. I have been eating lots of sashimi, mmussles, salmon, shredded beef, chicken, etc. I just chew very well and make sure to eat s-l-o-w. it's very, very easy to overeat if you aren't paying attention. I eat out A LOT and have not had a problem finding things to eat at restaurants. The hard part is refusing the bread before the meal

Sashimi at sushi places is the best!!

@Minnie- I am 4 weeks post op and experiencing the same thing. I have had a textbook recovery and didn't understand WHY I was having pain.... It's kinda internal, kinda external... I figured that it was cause all the jiggling from the gym! (giggle)! So now when I go to the gym I wear a compression garment under my shirt. I also think it was because I was gardening this weekend and was crouched down a lot- I may have strained things a bit. I think we're gonna be fine- growing (shrinking) pains? Unless you are having crazy heartburn, vomiting or dizzy.... Then def call your doc.

Syntrax Matrix sample packs and SF torani syrup! Mix banana matrix protein, skim milk, some sf Carmel syrup and BAM! Bananas foster milkshake packed with 33g of protein!!

I echo what was said above... YOU need to come first. My advice for getting food/water on the go is find a RTD Protein shake you actually like and will drink and put a small cooler with the gel ice packs in your backseat. You can grab one when you need it. If you are far enough along, try beef Jerky if you need something to chew on. Exercise can be small at first. I bought a cheap elliptical off Craigslist and now ONLY watch TV when I'm working out.... Even if it's only 10 minute increments- its better than none. Also keep in mind that if you play with your kids/go to the park... That counts as exercise! It's hard being wonder women- and the truth is we are offen much harder on ourselves than we should be! I know that if you were strong enough to be a double duty working mother, a girlfriend and a VSG patient.... I have no doubt in my mind that you can rock through it!!!

I'm a belly sleeper and it took me 16 days until I was comfortable.

Just wanted to drop a quick story and warning to all those post-op'ers to make sure that you are VERY AWARE of how you are eating when you dine out. Especially now that its graduation and BBQ season! So... I have a business dinner last night and have decided to order the steamed mussles- knowing they are protein packed, are OK'd by my NUT, come in a small portion and it will be easy to hide the quantity I have ate or havent ate so people wont question. Bottom line was that I got so involved in the people I was with and the simple act of eating out and I ate 5 darn mussles before I stopped myself. Now granted- one mussel is like 1/2 an ounce- but still..... I was damn full and calmly freaking out the whole night that I overate and popped a stitch or sprung a leak. Im crossing my fingers im still OK (I feel OK- just a warm "cramp" sensation in my left abdomen- im only 4 weeks out). Be careful that you are always mindful about your eating- especially if you are only a few weeks out. I think that my recovery has gone so well sometimes I forget I am a VS patient and slip into old ways of thinking. Its reallllllly easy to make a mistake that can put our health at risk. Best to all sleevers!

Hi All, im 3 weeks post-op and doing fantastic.... on the mushies and on the mend. My awesome neighbor gave me some beautiful avocados and I have been dying to try a bit of them. I am doing everything they ask on the diet- getting plenty of Protein, keeping thefat & carbs low and such. My nut is out for a few days so I was wondering what y'all thought about having a 1oz bit of avocado at this stage? I am on-track with loosing my weight and work out 3-5x week. Cheers -kat

Sometimes its hard to eat, especially when eating is the same things over and over and over..... BLAH! I stoke myself up by reading http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ and making all the yummies she has posted over there. Some of her postings are sooooo tasty! To deal with the feelilngs of being overwhelmed- I would recommend looking for a local sleeve buddy and go out once a month for coffee or at least get a sleeve buddy on this forum and get some dialouge going. Hope that helps

I am 20 days out and my daily intake is like this: Breakfast- nectar vanilla Protein shake w/skim milk (30 g protein) Snack- Hard boiled egg or Babybell Light cheese Lunch- 3T of FF cottage cheese and 1 or 2 slices of lean turkey deli meats Snack- Premier Protein Shake (30g protein) Dinner- Greek FF yogurt with 3T of mashed avocado Snack- Nectar Truffle protein shake w/skim milk & 2T PB2 (30g protein) You can see that I am able to eat/drink A LOT. My NUT wants my protein intake close to 90g and I work out 3-5x week so I can eat ~500 calories/day and still be ok. Hope that helps.

Its really hard at this phase to like the stuff we have to eat- especially if you are on an extended diet plan! In a pinch if you need more diverse flavor try mixing Protein powder into guacamole, marinara sauce, curries, etc. Even mashed endamame can work in a pinch. Make sure to track your carbs/fats/sodiums from the things you mix in.... maybe compensate with extra excercise. Stay strong and remember that 3 months from now, you will not only be healthier but also safely on your way to healing.

Thats a long time for liquids- but ya gotta do what ya gotta do- right? Try adding Torani SF syrups (the kind they flavor coffee with), extracts or SF Jello to your shakes to make the flavors more diverse and better. I strained the heck out of any Soup I could get my hands on.... miso, chicken and I loooooved vegetable beef. I even ordered take out egg drop and hot/sour and strained that! Hope that helps- I was in HEAVEN the day I was allowed mushies!

Protein is very, very importaint. Protein is what feeds our muscle mass, organs and give us energy. It also is used to fuel the body while the bad stuff (fat) gets burned. Its what your hair and fingernails use to grow. Its how the muscles we have stay strong.... protein is like gas for your car- it makes us preform normally. The true test of how importaint protein is would be to go 3-4 days by getting all your protein and Water. See how good you feel... then go back to the old way of not getting enough of either. I bet you will feel like crap. Do anything you can to dope the hell out of a Protein Drink so you can drink it.... add Vanilla extract, add Torani syrup (I loved making the vanilla muscle milks into biscotti flavored ones), add SF pudding to make it thicker if you need to. I HATE, HATE, HATE the Isopure Zero Carb- but its only 20oz and it give me 40g of protein.... so I add A WHOLE PACKET of crystal light to it and drink it with a lidded cup so I dont have to smell it. Two Isopukes a day will give me the protein I need and most of my liquids. I was lame this weekend and didnt pay attention to my protein or water intake and was exhausted, sleepy and crabby because of not getting enough of either. Two days later I feel great cause I have been dillagent to get my max intake. I really hope you figure something out that works for you- check out http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ for yummy blended Protein shake ideas or if you can- protein packed food that may be of interest to you. Best

@Tonyrizz- im 17 days out and I too feel like my capacity is much greater than what I dare take in. I am eating a whole poached egg with no problems- I feel like I could eat more but wont. The cool thing is that if I really think about it, after the egg..... Im really not that hungry, i think i am used to eating much more and maybe my mouth expects more action. Im going to chalk it up to having to re-learn REAL hunger.

Yup- this particular incision is my singular pain right now. I saw Bridesmaids on DVD last night and had to take several breaks throughout cause I was laughing so hard my large incision site was actually really PAINFUL! Ive heard its the abdominal muscle repairing itself. Its a large muscle and will be sore for a while. Like Stacey Nicole, I find that putting slight pressure on it helps.

If you are really concerned with blood clots talk to your surgeon if getting a blood clot filter would be an option for you. Its a filter (yes...a filter) that they inject into your artery (femeral usually) a few days before the surgery and then take out via the corrited artery (neck) anytime between 1 week to a year after surgery. I believeit is done outpatient by a cardiologist. That was one of my bigest fears-clots- and when i got my ekg, the cardiologist explained the benefits and risks. I ended up not getting one- i walked my butt off the week before and after my surgery to keep the blood going!

Yes- the diet green tea citrus flavor is different than normal lipton green tea. You can buy it in the bottle or the gallon...... Its a nice mellow citrus/herbal flavor- just a hint of sweetness. Its ment to be drank cold. I cant drink normal green tea that you brew from tea bags... Tastes like dirt to me . If you can only get green tea via tea bags where you are at, i would put lots of sugar substitute and or milk to mask the flavor! It is susposed to be very good for you. A total bonus for green tea is that it helps you be "regular" again.

Try Syntrax Nectars- they have all kinds of flavors- you can buy a sample pack at barriatricpantry.com. They have 23g Protein per pack and can be mixed with as little as 8oz of Water. A drinkable amount in 40 minutes or so and most of the flavors are YUMMY! Also- they have a vanilla, chocolate & cappuchino flavor that you can mix with 8oz of skim milk and up the protein by 10g. Isopure has a Gatoraide-like drink that has 40g protein in 20oz... they have a few flavors but I am not a fan of the flavor. I love my chewable Vitamins from costco. They are like little fruitsnacks and I really dont mind taking them. The only bummer is that even the sugarfree kind has 3 carbs per serving- and since we need lots of Calcium (3 servings/day)... we will have to count them as our carbs. They also have chocolate & carmel flavors, but I havent tried them yet. Good luck!

Depends on the method your incisions were made and depends on how much abdominal streching you are doing while dancing. I believe that if you have a drain or staples your incisions may heal slower than if they were surgicaly glued together. Mine were glued and im 15 days out and have gone back to light yoga and light kickboxing classes- I feel that I can tell when I push my movement too far to where it may be a danger to my incisions. My advice is to start practicing the dance on a LOW intensity as soon as comfortably possible after your VGS and slowly work up to the desired pace if possible.

keep it simple the first day- dont push yourself out of your comfort zone. Try SF pudding with Protein powder or FF greek yogurt with splenda or crystal light for flavor. If that is too thick or heavy dilute with skim milk and gradually thicken it up with Protein Powder. Also try thickening up your Protein shakes with more pro powder and ice and yogurt. If you want to progress beyond that- try cottage cheese or tofu. I personally LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the laughing cow soft cheese wedges for flavor- they are only 2g pro and 2g carbs 35 cal- so they arent food to live off of, but they do give you some variety flavor wise. If you excercise dont sweat the carbs. hope that helps! This mushie stage is AWESOME after all those sweet protein drinks!

yaaaaaaa girl! whoo hoo onderland! congratulations!

I am 15 days post-op and was cleared to transition from liquids to yogurt, cottage cheese and soft poached eggs. She upp'd me to 100g/ protein- so I will have to start eating to meet those goals. I made a poached egg yesterday- and based on what I was hearing on the forum- expected to only be able to eat a bite or so without being stuffed. I ended up being able to eat the whole thing (whites only in about 15 min) and I was satisfied and full- but not stuffed. I also was comfortably able to eat 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese for lunch and was satisfied- not full, not desiring more food. I also can drink liquids & Protein shakes rather quickly- 10oz in 45 min or so). I KNOW everyone has different "normals" and we have to find our own and I also understand that solids and complex foods will be more filling but IS THIS NORMAL? Thanks, Kat

thanks for all the replies- glad to know im "normal"! I have been so lucky with this surgery and a very easy recovery (so far & knock-on-wood). I know there are many sleevers out there that have hardships and dificulties and I never forget to count my blessings!