Bufflehead

Any tips/pointers, things that have worked for any of you to achieve your goals? I plan my food in advance and pre-log what I am going to eat in MyFitnessPal. I weigh my portions. I focus on protein dense foods and green veggies, with some fruit, dairy, tree nuts, and max one serving of whole grains per day. When I am trying to lose weight, I will often cut out the one serving of whole grains. I make sure I am in a caloric deficit. I do not eat back exercise calories. I keep off-plan food out of my house entirely. Second question...is it possible to get back to feeling restriction again? Yes, but you need to focus on eating lean, dense protein, green veggies, high fiber foods -- you won't feel restriction with high carb foods, sweets, most dairy. Third question..how does a person determine if they need a revision? Consult with a surgeon on that one. Honestly, from what I have seen here, people who are struggling with eating are struggling because they choose the wrong kind of food or choose to graze all day rather than restrict themselves to a schedule of meals and snacks, not because their sleeve is too big. Good luck!

I used Wellesse liquid vitamins, calcium, and iron. I just took a double dose of each, one dose in the morning and one in the evening. I bought mine from Amazon. I got my labs drawn regularly and they were always great.

I wouldn't start out by assuming that you'll have reflux or need PPI's for extended periods of time. Those aren't true for everyone (not for me, for example). If you are truly terrified of the prospect of kidney disease caused by PPI's, you might want to investigate gastric bypass, which does not result in stomach acid and PPI use the way the sleeve does. In fact, revising to gastric bypass is the standard way of curing excess acid caused by the sleeve and not controlled by meds. So, even if you do end up with the sleeve and acid reflux, there are options beyond just taking PPI's for the rest of your life. Also, being obese is a very high risk factor for kidney disease. So if you really really want to avoid it, you may want to throw into the mix that obtaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways to avoid kidney disease, and weight loss surgery is the most effective way known to get to that healthy weight. Good luck in your decision.

My plan was three meals a day, no snacks other than protein shakes. I never had any problem getting in all the nutrients I needed. I would advise against going off plan because you think you know better than your bariatric team, or because you've decided you like some internet stranger's post-op plan better than your own. You trusted your team to perform major surgery on you, now trust them to know how to guide you through post-op eating. If you have questions about your plan or feel like it isn't meeting your needs, you should be reviewing it with your team. Subjecting it to second guessing on the internet is not the route to success IMO. Good luck.

I wasn't miserable. I was tired and sore but nothing I couldn't manage. I haven't thrown up once since surgery (3+ years ago) and did not feel nausea after surgery. I didn't have any complications. I do think you are more likely to read negative stories on a message board/app for the surgery because this is where people come if they need information, support, or to vent. Most people don't post about completely uneventful things.

@@okcbaby you weigh your food to know that you are recording your portions correctly, i.e., that really is 3 oz of chicken, 1 oz of cheese, 15 grams of peanut butter, etc.

Liquid goes right through your stomach. The reason some people struggle early on with drinking is because their stomach tissues are so swollen and inflamed and bruised by the trauma of surgery that it is hard and painful for liquids to pass through. The fact that you aren't experiencing that means your surgeon did meticulous work and you are a quick healer -- it doesn't mean your surgery was botched, won't work, or anything else bad, I promise. You'll feel restriction once you hit solids. Until then, follow your surgeon's plan with respect to amounts to eat or drink and have faith

After several weeks you'll do just fine hydrating after a workout. Trust me, there are thousands of us post-vsg and we are working out and perfectly capable of hydrating ourselves, we aren't collapsing in little withered heaps all over the place

What have you done to lose weight so far? Hard to pass along advice or tips if we have no idea what you might have already tried My standard advice is to get a digital kitchen scale and a myfitnesspal account and religiously track everything. Exercise 30 minutes per day but do not eat back exercise calories. To lose 2 lbs per week, aim for a 1,000 calorie per day deficit. To make a rough estimate at a 1,000 calorie per day deficit: Your weight x 10 = approximate calories needed to maintain your weight If your weight is currently 250 lbs, you would set your daily calorie limit at 1500 to lose 2 lbs per week. I find it easier to stay on track when I eat high protein, low carb: lots of dense protein (meat, fish, eggs), healthy fats (olive oil, grass fed butter) and green veggies, limited amounts of fruit, nuts, legumes, and dairy NO grains, sweets, or high carb veggies -- possible exception is sweet potatoes NO drinks with calories in them NO processed meats (sausage, bacon, jerky, deli meat). Good luck!

IMO, she was obese when she got the surgery, her medical team thought it was necessary and that she was a good candidate for surgery -- who am I to second guess? I just don't think there's much point for her in asking for input on this decision now since the surgery is already over. OP, I wish you smooth sailing ahead!

Be careful with that Torani syrup -- that particular bottle is not sugar free and a couple tablespoons will add over 80 calories and 20 carbs to your protein shakes. Other folks may want to stick with the sugar free version of that syrup.

You hit the nail on the head -- the money you pay for your insurance isn't for you. It's not a medical savings account. The money you pay is for your co-worker's preemie infant who spent 60 days in NICU and ran up a bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars, or your boss who had cancer and underwent months of chemo and radiation and surgery. Surely they shouldn't be denied because they hadn't paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in premiums, right? And you recognized that insurance makes sense for you, as you chose to invest your money in insurance premiums rather than in a savings account. If you get the surgery then get hit by a bus two months later, the insurance company isn't going to refuse to pay your hospital and rehab bills on the grounds that you already "spent" your premiums on bariatric surgery. Personally, I would get rid of insurance companies, profit motives, and the idea that the best way to measure health care outcomes is whether the practices save money, rather than whether they save lives and improve health. I don't think any of this makes any sense as a way to provide health care -- and we aren't doing such a great job given our pathetic rankings in worldwide health outcomes when compared to other developed countries. I do think you'll be fine and get approved. You know the requirements and know what you need to do to meet them, and you seem like an intelligent, articulate person who will stand up for herself if insurance does try to pull a fast one. Good luck!

You've "only" lost over a pound a day, 5 days post-op when most people have actually GAINED weight due to all the IV fluids and trauma from surgery? Who led you to think you would be losing more than a pound a day? Whether you needed surgery or not is up to you. It's done now so why worry about it? My advice is to ratchet down your expectations -- significantly -- on the speed of your weight loss. You are starting out as a very lightweight (for surgery) patient and 5 - 8 lbs per month might be more realistic to think about than over 30 pounds per month. Good luck.

@@Denise Ingram then I would say you are doing great. How you are doing this early out has nothing to do with the scale IMO.

prawns with cocktail sauce small meatballs mushrooms stuffed with crab and bacon (do not use bread crumbs -- substitute ground almonds or similar) deviled eggs spicy roasted nuts (small amounts only)

Tell me how well you are complying with your post-op plan. Meeting your targets for calories, carbs, protein, fluids? Eating in the manner your doctor prescribed, not jumping ahead of your planned progression? Walking or other exercise if that is in your plan? That's the only way I can measure how you are doing. There is no schedule for weight loss, and if you expect to lose a certain amount within x days, or think that you "should" be losing more, you will eventually drive yourself nuts. In the end, you can't control the exact rate of weight loss, you can only do your best to comply with a sensible plan of post op eating and exercise. IMO that's what you should be focusing on, not the numbers on the scale.

I counted mine as 1.5 oz. They are basically made of water so there is no need to round down quite so much as you are proposing, IMO.

Syntrax Nectar or Unjury.

Any kind of fluid is fine. Even coffee and beer (not that I am recommending either!) will keep you hydrated. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/milk-and-other-surprising-ways-to-stay-hydrated/ Reporting on a scientific study of the hydrating effects of many different beverages: "drinks containing moderate amounts of caffeine and alcohol or high levels of sugar had hydration indexes no different from water. In other words, coffee and beer are not dehydrating, despite common beliefs to the contrary."

Once I made a commitment to it and made a habit of it, it wasn't hard at all. Now the thought of eating and drinking at the same time seems very strange to me. I've done it a couple of times post-op, and it is not a comfortable sensation. I can't say it is painful but it feels uncomfortable and just wrong, physically.

I think regret at this stage you are in is pretty common. You are suffering from surgery, losing a big component of your entertainment and emotional aspects of life (food), and aren't yet seeing any of the benefits of surgery. I am not saying that what you are feeling right now is not valid -- it is completely understandable! But have faith that you will see benefits down the line, including a longer and more active life with your wife and children. I know you must want that. I know that you know that is more important than missing food right now, as hard as missing food is. You may want to take a ruthless approach to the food/images of food that are giving you grief. For example: --ask your wife to prepare food that you don't like --remove yourself from the immediate area when food you miss is being prepared or eaten. Obviously this is a temporary measure. Explain why you are doing it so your family doesn't feel shunned. It's the food you are shunning, not them. --stay away from Facebook as much as possible, but when you are there, block posts that involve pictures of food. There is something a little satisfying in that! You can also temporarily unfollow people on Facebook who post lots of pictures or descriptions of food. --turn off the tv or only watch tv from a dvr so you can fast forward through food commercials. --ask that junk-type foods either be removed from your home, or stored where they are not as likely to be seen (in the back of the cabinet or fridge). Good luck!

The Syntrax Nectar is worth trying -- you can get sample individual packets from Nashua Nutrition http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html or a variety pack form bariatric pantry: http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/SYNTRAX_NECTAR_PROTEIN_POWDER_SAMPLES_p/nectar-sample.htm I haven't tried the Atkins drink but everyone I know who has, has really liked it. Isopure is another clear rtd you might want to try. They have awesome numbers but many people find the taste unbearable -- I had to cut it 50/50 with G2 or Powerade Zero to make it drinkable myself. It sounds like you will do just fine on your meeting with the dietitian and psychological assessment. Good luck!

No, exercise will not help prevent loose skin. Time, luck, and skin removal surgery are what you may find helpful. I can tell you that I have plenty of loose skin, but I am happier, healthier, and more attractive than I was when I had all that skin but it was stuffed with mounds of fat. Good luck!

I'm nervous about weighing in when I get home. I don't want to hit the dreaded 3 week stall! If you stay off the scale for several weeks, you can sail through your 3 week stall without ever knowing about it. I highly recommend it!

I told them the truth and the whole truth, unless we were in an awkward situation that prevented a long conversation (I had someone ask me that question in the receiving line at a funeral, for example). I would just say, "I had a weight loss surgery called sleeve gastrectomy. It's a permanent surgery that restricts the amount I can eat. I am eating a very low carb and low calorie diet and exercising, too." Most people thought it was great and congratulated me. I had a few follow up wanting more information and ended up getting surgery themselves. There are so many myths in our culture about weight loss, most prominently that anyone can lose weight if they just have enough moral character and willpower, and it's a shameful cop-out to get surgery. I didn't want to perpetuate the myth, so I spoke openly about my choice. I only had one slightly negative comment and it wasn't one I took particularly seriously. All that said, I'm in a great position at work and in life generally where it's hard for anyone to hurt me. Negative comments or gossip can pretty much roll right off my back. So, I am privileged to be able to talk about medical stuff without having any real repercussions come from it. Not everyone is in that situation.