Fiddleman

Sounds like a good thing to be concerned about, but I am the wrong person to ask about it. I just do not have the knowledge around that.hopefully someone else can answer.

V8 is a pretty good choice for the fruit and veggie servings. However, keep an eye on the sodium.

Technically, a slider does not need to be junk food but most of the time it is. The slider food does not even hang around in the stomach. It just slides right on through. Chicken, on the other hand, is a good example of an anti-slider as it will leave you full after a small quantity (for most). For example, I can comfortably eat 3-5 ounces of chicken. If I tried to eat more, I would enter a state of discomfort and physically could not eat more without serious pain or other consequences. It is better to pick foods that are anti-sliders as they will keep you full longer and that translates into better results. The definition of a slider is different for everyone. Some may not be able to eat more then a few ounces of popcorn where others might be able to eat the whole bag if they are not careful.

Slider foods, quite simply, are those foods that you can continue to eat and eat without your sleeve providing any resistence. They can be junk type foods like chips, cookies and milk shakes or they can be seemingly healthy foods like salad. The point is that the calories from eating slider foods will add up and up if you are not careful when they slide right through. Most try and avoid slider foods, especially if the nutritional value is on the low side. And yes, Cheetos (or cheerios as the other person mentioned) can be a slider because they grind up to a paste that is not very dense. For me, Mexican restaurant chips and popcorn are sliders. I know I can't eat them as they will pass through pretty quickly and I will just reach for more. Popcorn is also a trigger food for me. Stay away from your trigger foods if you lack the will power to control consumption.

We are visiting Kauai and it is our favorite island to visit.

Mike- thank you for the wonderful information. I like your use of the word transformation as that is what I feel like VSG and the downstream habits have helped me start. I do not think my transformation is done yet even at goal weight, not until my body-for-life type goals are met. I do want to have strength of an athlete, specifically a boxer so think my long distance running days are numbered. I have really enjoyed the running so far and how it has dropped me to goal weight (BMI). Achieving goal weight is only the first phase of the transformation and continuing to run 20 miles a week is far too catabolic to achieve the body type of, say, Bill or Shawn Phillips from the fitness world. It will be sad to let that go, but now my focus will turn entirely on strength and HIIT activities that will help me complete the transformation. Life is truly a dynamic experience and it can be whatever you set your mind to. We can and should continue to adjust strategies when reaching towards goals. As an aside ( not really important), I am 37 but geared the discussion towards men 35 and older because that is when our youthful hormones start to decline and it becomes harder to lose weight and build muscle

Mike - this description made so much sense, yet was explained in such an elegant, articulate and simple manner. Thanks! This is good advice for every one of us to make the most of our natural fat burning processes. It is a shame that the doctors cannot gear their post op programs around this approach to feeding the body per Healthy BMR.

You have done wonderful!

I'm serious guys!!

Weight loss: Heaviest (2 months before surgery): 360 DOS (7-2-2012): 335 Month 1: -45 Month 2: -45 Month 3: -30 Month 4: -15 Month 5: -15 Month 6: -20 Month 7: -8 ( 2-27-2013, goal - 2 lb below goal, 178 ) Month 9: + 12 , 190 (add lean muscle) Month 10: -4, 186 (today - lean out a few lbs this month, but trying to preserve muscle gains at same time) Exercise: Month 1-4: low - moderate exercise (walking, elliptical) - fairly sporadic exercise Month 5: moderate - running (3-5 mile a week) - start of disciplined exercise plan Month 6: moderate- high running (10-15 mile a week) - 1 hour a day 3-4 days, rest every other day. Month 7-10 : high (18-20 mile a week over 3 days, HIIT running 1 day, cross fit 2x a week, yoga when time in evening) - 1 hour a day 6 days, 1 day rest Height: 5'11"

Man, I feel so different from all the others on this thread. At Starbucks or a local barista, I drink just a grande non-fat latee or mocha with a SF flavor like vanilla or hazelnut. Usually, I have one of these a week. Sometimes 2-3 a week. I usually always have a cup of coffee every day with coffee mate coconut creamer (2 tsp) and Splenda or a cappuccino with 8 oz frothed milk. Love my verismo to help make the coffees at home. I have not drank decaf, just the regular bean. I love my coffee!

Waiting 6 months is good in order to be at a point where you have lost a lot of weight and have a fitness program. You do not want the calories from alcohol (specifically, mixed drinks) to interfere with your weight loss goals. There is also some truth behind the damage alcohol may cause your stomach if you drink it too early as a post op,

I have had wild boar and bison without any concern, after month 6. It is tasty and healthier than beef! Also can eat any jerky without GI issue, but hate that it gets stuck in my teeth.

What sort of martial arts have folks gotten into post op? There is an mma training facility up the street from where I cross fit. Is this a good form of martial arts? I have been thinking of getting into it once my cross fit skill level is high enough. Probably it would be in 2014. Disclaimer: I know zero about mma except what I have seen in the movies and the little research I have done online. Spill the beans!

This is the most enlightening article I have read today. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the recommendation on Garden of life super food drink. I just took the time to click on the link in your signature about the actress that had a 2nd WLS of a band. It is interesting that she chose to be banded after RNY. It would seem a step backwards in efficiency to use band instead of VSG. I was always of the opinion that RNY has best weight loss results followed by VSG followed by band.

It is strange. I am not even able to find it on dragon herbs any longer here under super foods: http://www.dragonherbs.com/products.asp?dept=14 I am glad I was able to buy it from Amazon before the stock disappeared. Perhaps it is time to switch to something else. There is a super food green drink from Vitamin Shoppe I like, but it does not contain nearly the magnitude of ingredients that tonic alchemy has. Maybe there is some shortage of ingredients to make Tonic Alchemy or some other issue. Anyone know?

Ok all you post op closet coffee drinkers (myself included): you loved coffee as a pre op and you still love it as a post op. There is no shame in declaring your love of the bean. After a largely successful drink poll thread this last week ( still active), I think a 2nd slightly less controversial poll is in order. What are your favorite ways to drink your daily or weekly coffee? How often do you like to have coffee? I will go first. At 10 months post op, there are a few ways I like to drink coffee: Daily: 1 cup of standard coffee with a tbsp of coconut creamer and two Splenda or 1 Cappuccino with NF frothed milk and 2 Splenda. Made with my nifty SB verismo machine. Weekly: 1 grande NF latte with SF hazelnut from Starbucks or 1 Grande NF Mocha with SF raspberry (not at Starbucks as they do not carry SF raspberry ) Hot day (today!!): 24 oz NF iced mocha with SF raspberry. Ice takes up space so it is really about 16 oz coffee. I drink coffee because of the flavor and the "pick me up." I started drinking cappuccino size coffee at 2 months. It was really not until month 6 when I started to drink standard grande size. What about you?

For those that are blessed by your surgeons or you renegades out there: what is the best post op drink you have experienced. Best is to be defined in your own terms. Maybe best means best taste or best intoxication effect. The answer lies in the eye of the beholder. This thread will not be about the merits of drinking ( eg whether it is "good" or "bad" for you). Also tell me about how often you drink or with whom you drink. The crazier the story the better, but this thread is open to any response as long as the simple conditions are met. Ok, it is not that controversial, but you read this far haven't you. I will start first. My favorite post op drink is a dangerous Dave from Dave's BBQ or a long island ice tea from somewhere else. Why? It tastes good to me and feels like a real drink. I can usually just have 1 before walking is a little challenge. i try to order two, but cannot make it one or two sips until it is too much (sleeve says so) and it is a waste, so i stick with one. I usually have a drink about every 2 weeks and sometimes it is just an apple martini or it might be some white wine if I am out with my wife at a nice dinner. I do not drink beer. not sure why. i have just never really liked it, ever. I like to grab the occasional spirit with my brother as we shoot the breeze on a weekend. Sorry it is not a crazy story, but now it is your turn.

Some of us came out 20 lb heavier from IV fluids. Why get ruffled feathers over this?