Fiddleman

It does take a while to advance your diet to the point of eating 1000 calories a day. Here is how it looked for me: Week 1-3: 100-300 calories Month 1-2: 300-600 calories Month 3-5: 600-900 calories Month 6-7: 900-1200 calories Month 8-9: 1200-1400 calories Month 10: 1400-1600 calories In the first few months, you are just focusing on protein and water first. It hurts to eat too much. For me, it was a struggle to eat more then 2-3 oz lean protein and was having a real hard time eating any vegetables. In the next few months, you are healed more and can eat more. It does not take so long to drink water. I started eating 3-5 oz of lean protein and an extra ounce or two of side vegetable. After month 6, you can eat almost anything requiring you to be disciplined about what and how much you are eating. You will be hungry more often. Also your fitness levels should really start to pick up if you have not already started a good plan. Working out more of course requires more calories in order to keep your body out of starvation. It is a gradual process and give yourself time to let all the pieces to fall into place at the right time. Fortunately the healing process of the sleeve forces you to advance slowly. It is definitely progressive, a bit like advancing through mathematics at school. You are not going to start out with vector calculus, linear programming, combinatorics, etc. you first need to learn about basic algebra, then trigonometry, then beginner calculus, then differential equations, etc. if you don't like my mathematics analogy, consider the progressive steps to learning how to play a musical instrument. I play the violin. You are not going to start out playing the bruch violin concert or even something like Bach unaccompanied solo partitas. You first need to learn the basic mechanics of playing the violin, advance onto scale structures, learn the notations, practice étude after étude, give recital after recital, etc before taking on the classics successfully. Otherwise, you will fail as it will be too much too early. The same principles of learning mathematics and mastering a musical instrument apply to advancing / progressing through the caloric needs of a post op. Give your self permission to go slow when moving from stage to stage. Take the first 6 months to master the basics before taking on the advanced calorie consumption needs of someone entering the vet stage.

You know, I just saw this show on Dr OZ not that long ago about diets for different body shapes. It was pretty interesting. I do not have much time to watch Dr OZ much at home, but like to catch up on an episode or two when visiting my folks. Here is a link to the body shape diet information: http://www.examiner.com/article/pear-shaped-apple-shaped-or-boxy-dr-oz-s-body-type-diets-speed-up-metabolism For pear shape, Dr OZ recommends high Fiber food like edamame, whole wheat Pasta and figs. I do not know how well whole wheat pasta is going to work for you (or any of us for that matter), but you should be able to do the edamame and figs. I think one should be careful about fig because it is high carb, but it may actually help you because of the pear body shape. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for the clarification of state regulations. I learned something (and clearly it makes sense). When you do pick a protein bar, do try and make sure it is around 180 calories and 3g of sugar or less. Some good example protein bars are think thin (smaller version), pure protein, nu go slim bars and the like. Same goes for the protein shake, aim for at least 23 G protein per serving and 3 g of sugar or less. Some good examples are Syntrax nectar or matrix powders, unjury powders, amplified Wheybolic 60 powder and many others.

I would say do not worry about calorie counts at all until it becomes clear you need to increase them when fitness increases. For now, just focus on getting in the required Protein (80 g or more) and drinking Water (64 oz or more). Add green leafy vegetables if you have room after protein, but do not struggle with it. If you cannot eat vegetables yet, do not stress. during month 2-5, you should get better at eating steamed vegetables. Take the necessary Vitamins, minerals and supplementation to ensure you are hitting levels that are needed by the body. I find it best to get protein from foods that take little to no effort to prepare like Protein shakes, 3 oz chicken sausages, 5 oz chicken patties, teriyaki meatballs, etc. you can get a freezer Pak to help keep these foods cold when you are at work as a hai dresser. I bought a lot of these protein options from costco and it really helped me with eating over the first 5 or 6 months. It is also really clean protein. You do not really need to be concerned about fat counts right now. You will find your calories around 300-600 for first couple months and then 600-900 for next few months as the stomach heals more and you can eat more. You can count carbs if you are known to indulge in foods that have higher carb counts; otherwise, it is not really worth paying attention to it at your current stage. Just stay away from carbs like bread, rice, junk food, etc and all will be fine. Fill up on protein first and your hunger will stabilize because your insulin levels stabilize. See - that simplifies things. Just focus on lean protein, water and vitamins for the first few months. After month 5 or 6, you can start to get into optimizing the macro nutrient ratios per increased fitness. Your caloric intake will increase to 1200 or More. You will be able to eat more raw vegetables at that time. You will eat to live. Most important is not to get distracted by simple carbs or junk food along the way to healthy weight loss. That is just my opinion and everyone is welcome to express their own opinion.

This is such good advice for everyone! Thanks for posting.

That is pretty exciting you are up there trying out the zipline experience. I am sorry to hear about the harness troubles, but soon you will be zip-zipping with the best of them! This is something I want to try also, but think I am going to wait 1 year until my wife can do it with me after she is far enough as a post op.

Try also increasing to two tbsp. I also want to add that 2 tbsp is my normal daily amount.

Consider adding a cap of miraLAX every day to your water in the morning. I have found that miraLAX combined with chia seeds is where the magic occurs. I have also found that ground chia seeds do not help with duty performance (ha!) as well as whole chia seeds. Make sure you are drinking lots and lots of water all day long.

Really great launch into the post op journey. Great job!

I have a box of apple fritters fed ex to you....

That sounds awesome!! I will have to try it sometime. It is kind of pricey as new on Amazon so will look on Craig's list or ebay for a better deal. What kind of weights are you guys using with it and how heavy? How does this workout compare to a hard Jillian Michaels (ripped) or Bob Harper (inside out) DVD? An hour of Bob Harpers Inside Out with 10 lb had weights is a really good challenge for me!!!

While not an "expert" in the science of green drinks and the bio mechanical impact they have on the human anatomy, I will attempt to provide my anecdotal experiences. There are people much smarter then I on VST that understand the biomechanics of the body. My knowledge comes from what I pick up through reading and I never did take any college classes on biology, chemistry, human anatomy, human biomechanics and so on. Now that the preamble is out of the way, onto the answers. Do look through the list of product reviews above provided by Curvy. It is a very good read and I learned a few things after reading through it. I have tried 4 green drinks so far: tonic alchemy, green vibrance, Amazing grass and Trader Joes green pills. The pills are definitely easier to take in terms of palette over the powder form, but not as efficient. I think it is because the bioavailability is lower when consumed in pill form then in liquid form. Also with pills you have to consume the encasing. Do make sure it is organic and made out of some vegetable based material. My experience has been that taking a high quality green drink is efficient at one a day. Morning is a good time to take it in order to provide a good start to the day, but you may also consider one dose in the afternoon if you find energy waning at the usual circadian cycle minima at around 1-2 pm. Sometimes I drink one in the afternoon, but be aware that you probably do not need the extra servings of fruits and vegetables nor do you need the calories ( if that is a concern). If you decide to drink this before or after a workout instead of beginning or middle of the day, I would consider consuming it before the work out rather then after. The reason is that the green drink is going to be loaded with energy that comes from good carbs ( fruit and vegetables). I do not know if there is a significant amount of bioavailability with this form of fruits and vegetables such that the conversion to stored glycogen is gong to be efficient for the workout. It might also be accumulative over time where drinking green drinks will eventually be considered an effective pre workout drink over time, once the desired levels build up in the blood stream, Perhaps someone else has the answer to that. Rather then trying to depend on the successful conversion of green drink to stored glycogen for muscles, I typically just eat a banana with Peanut Butter or 2 nuts.com energy squares 1 hour before a workout. After a workout, I will drink a recovery shake and then eat lunch within 2 hours. I find a dose of green drink is a good "neutralizer" of various insulin, acidic and other levels in case you consume something high sugar, high fat or otherwise toxic by accident or by choice. Think of it as insurance in case you decide to have some movie popcorn (did this once) or perhaps some fries (not me). These high fat foods will leave your body feeling disgusting. At least it did for me. Drinking an energy drink helped neutralize the high fat or carb foods that were eaten. It has something to do with lowering the acidity and inflammation caused by eating the toxic foods. Drinking on an empty stomach is fine an probable best considering we are supposed to give ourselves that no-drink window around eating. As I usually drink the green drink first thing in the morning, I consume it on an empty stomach. You may or may not take it with dairy. It is your choice. I usually just mix it up with Water and add a little pineapple / coconut Water Enhancer flavoring to give it just the right flavor (for me). I personally think mixing the green drink with milk or with a Protein shake would create something hard to drink, but that is just me. You are certainly welcome to try it and see how it tastes. Do report back your results for the benefits of others who read this thread.

Protein and veggies. Very easy to prepare and filling. chicken skewers, red pepper and tzatziki sauce. What are you eating for lunch post month 6? Attach pictures for everyone!!

I really like this lit. Thanks for sharing! I have been using some green vibrance from local Vitamin Shoppe and note it is actually down he list a few (has worked really well though). Will plan on trying out the top one next time I am ready to order a green drink powder from Amazon.

I would say yes, but do work up to any changes you want to make. It has taken me months to go from 1100 calories to an average of 1600 calories. Likewise I have also worked my way up from 125 grams protein to 170 grams. This is 684 calories for 170 grams of protein. The rest of the calories come from good carbs and good fats along with vegetables. As you know I am also fairly active. You need to include your fitness levels when determining caloric intake. I basically eat every 2-3 hours about 200 (sometimes more sometimes less) calories giving me about 1600 calories.

It had a lot to do with your BMR suffering as a result of eating low calorie for so long. The body is trying to hold onto as many calories as possible because it is literally starving. Eating low calorie like a new post op is not sustainable for very long (not really sure of duration, but probably not longer then, say, 5 months). Eating low calorie (eg 600-900) is really helpful in that initial phase as a post op, but will harm your BMR long term if not careful. You may find having such a low BMR causes weight loss to plateau indefinitely and there becomes a point where there is nothing you can do to resolve it. Not cutting calories, not working out more, not anything. A suggestion, if you are interested, is to get your caloric intake up to a reasonable spot to support your lifestyle and fitness. Focus on building your eating plan around the macro nutrient ratios. You can do this by slowly increasing good carbs and fats over many meals during the day ( eat every 2-3 hours). Because of the sleeve you will always be limited by quantity, so it is important to eat frequently throughout the day. Once you achieve equilibrium of calories in versus out in your body according to 200-300 below TDEE, you will begin to experience that 5-7 lb a week loss that you have enjoyed with WW or with a vegan lifestyle. This is a happy place for the body to be and it gives you the freedom to let go of dieting rituals like tracking or being denied real food (as long as it is healthy). Let me know what you think.

I will post some before and after as soon as I find a good before photo. Currently am on vacation this week, but will do it when I return home next week.

Fiddleman' date=' when will your glamour shots be out?? will you post here?[/quote'] I believe the shots will be available in June sometime. At this time, I do not know if they can be reposted here and will ask about that. If not, I will definitely provide the online link.

I get weak / dizzy every time I get up fast. It is a little "trip" if you know what I mean. It may be mineral related, but I think it is blood pressure (100 / 60) or pulse (41) related. Does not bother me too much.

My response may be unorthodox. I say take a 5 hour energy if you need it. After all, it is just a high dose of b12 and niacin. Drink coffee if you find you like the taste and can tolerate the caffeine after surgery. I enjoy about 1 cup of coffee a day. In fact, i am sipping on 100% Kona brew ( the best - so smooth and bold!) right now while listening to birds chirp and waves crash in Hawaii. That being said, give your stomach time to heal before taking any extra energy drink, at least 6 weeks. Maybe longer. It depends on how well *you* respond to it. I do not drink energy drinks any longer as a post op, but that is just me. I used to really enjoy the diet monster and rockstar 16 oz cans prior in life. Now I would have to say I do not need them nor want he chemicals that are contained in them.

I do not have much to add to this thread, but I think it is important to try and achieve a state of equilibrium in the body. You already know that eating at such low calorie deficits like 800 calories a day kills the BMR over time. You are able to fix this as others have pointed out on a different thread. Find your TDEE and work on increasing your caloric intake o be 200-300 calories below that with respect to the training/cardio you do. It will take some time to get your BMR back into an equilibrium state, but I think that is what you are really after. BMR Equilibrium within the macronutrient ratios of eating will allow you to eat, for example, 1800 calories of good quality lean Proteins, leafy vegetables, good starches (think: brown rice or oats) and the occasional splurge. Your body will become a finely tuned engine for efficiently processing food 24 hours a day. I do not count much of anything now days, but stick to a very solid and clean set of food choices that regulates my fat burning process around the clock. I eat enough to sustain my daily training sessions (always an hour or less). I try and make every training session high quality and effective. 6 am is usually a Protein shake and an energy square. An hour Before training (8am) I eat a banana with Peanut Butter. After training I eat a recovery Protein Shake (whey with bcaa chain). As my training is usually at 9am (M, W, F and Sat), I eat about 2 hours after training for lunch and then again at 3pm and so on all the way until 9 pm. Repeat. On T, Thur, I train at 4 pm so flip the morning eating strategy to afternoon in order to nourish my body before, during and after training. It works out pretty nicely and my body likes the food it gets. For me, drinking high quality Protein shakes when I rise (extended release) and when I go to bed (casein - long acting) is important to start the day off right and to keep my BMR working for me all night long. I am rarely hungry as I eat every 2-3 hours. If I do get hungry in between my 2-3 hour eating times, I have some extra lean protein. Each meal is between 200-500 calories. I am eating between 1400-2100 calories a day and am able to still cut the fat and build the lean muscle. My body fat percentage is currently at 17%. Shooting for 10% in 4 months from now, down 15 lbs of fat and up 5-10 lb of lean muscle. Not sure if 10% is achievable in 12 months, but will certainly give it my focus. Once you reach a state of equilibrium, you will no longer need to be a slave to low carb or low calorie diets. Your body will stop trying to store whatever energy it can find. You can eat to live and stop the insanity of starvation dieting. As others have stated, get your Water in! And lots of it. Water is the primary means for us to hydrate and also to flush toxins out of our bodies. Toxins cause the breakdown of cells (oxidation process) which mutates otherwise good cells into Inefficient and mutant cells. Inefficient cells are terrible at supporting the transport of nutrients to muscles, the brain and other parts of the body. Eating to meet the macronutrient needs of the body requires a clean body to properly keep it running at optimal efficiency. Toxicity in the body leads to inflammation. Inflammation leads to storage of more fat and more fat leads to the retention of water to support stored fat. More importantly, stored fat from inflammation is usually visceral fat around the organs. this is the worse kind to have as visceral fat is known to shorten life expectations. By drinking or eating your daily antioxidants in the form of fruit, vegetables or supplementation, you can slow down and correct the cellular breakdown and create a healthy environment for the processing of nutrients in your body. Secondly, the waste and toxins formed by training hard or by eating processed foods and junk is a precursor to the inflammation process so you need to constantly be drinking water to flush it out. I drink about 1.5 gallon throughout the day. We all want to minimize of eliminate excess inflammation in the body to create a state of health. This may seem like a full time job. At first it is, but it gets easier over time until eventually it is a lifestyle. I also do work a full time desk job that usually ends up being 12-15 hours in actuality a day ( luckily it is at home currently). I am a software developer by trade so can work some pretty long hours, but still I find one hour a day to get in exercise and also am able to manage the healthy lifestyle of eating and supplementation. I also still have a couple hours of down time at night and the weekends with family. It is very possible to have this lifestyle and also carry on with life's responsibilities. I do not really watch tv much, but do get out to some movies occasionally over the weekend. I do not have children, but do spend a lot of time with my pets. Love my dog to death!! Sorry that my comments are quite general, but I think you can do this.