Fiddleman

My NUT basically said to eat low carb ( like Atkins) for about 2 weeks and then all liquids the day before surgery. It was kind of nice to eat this way not only in preparation for the surgery ( shrink the liver), but also as a bridge to eating habits post op.

Today I decided to try a 5 hour energy like product (tired). I used to have these energy shots pre-sleeve. Not a good idea. Soon after it went down I was getting stabbing pains in my left side ( where my stomach is?). This lasted for about 5 minutes. I also got a big niacin flush, more powerful then anything that happened pre-sleeve. I got pretty wired for several hours. There was not anything unusual about the energy shot, just the usual 16k % b12. Just letting others know it was not a good experience and I won't be doing that again...

I am glad it works for you. Not so much for me and not sure why. Perhaps an expert can chime in.

You are welcome

Thank you!

I got up in the wee hours of the morning and decided today is the day to clean out all my "big" clothing. There were over 200 2x and 3x dress shirts and casual long sleeve shirts, 50+ tshirts, 2 suits, 8 dress pants, 2 robes, 5 swimming suits and 5 jeans. And the closet was still 80% full with my wife's clothes. anyone who lives with a women knows what i am talking about. Lol. I was a little sad to see some go, but overall, it is part of the transformation process. I am planning to donate them to value village or good will, but then got to thinking that there are some good quality clothes here. Maybe they can be sold at a consignment store. Does anyone know of a place near Seattle that will buy used big men's clothing? Not all of it is fashionable nor brand name, but at least 70% of it is. Regardless, I still have 10-15 more lbs to lose plus some more body toning so today is not going to be the day to buy a closet full of clothing. I will still buy enough daily, fancy and workout clothing from value village for a little bit longer until I reach goal.

Looking good at only 6 weeks!

We only got Protein and Water targets plus guidelines on food choices during the different post op phases. For me, I wish we were given more specifics. However, I made due and educated myself as time went on with help from family members and posts in this forum. My goal was simple: just find something that works for me, is not overly complicated and is something I can stick to until weight loss phase is done. After weight loss phase, I think I am going to eat a Mediterranean style diet. With that said, my calorie intake was 400-500 until about 6 weeks. Following 6 weeks to 5 months, my calories were between 600 and 800 calories. After 5 months, my calories have been between 700 and 1100. I eat every 3 hours and try to consume 3-5 ounces of protein, eating veggies where I can. I only track protein grams daily, but not obsessively. After several months you get a good intuition about grams and ounces when eating the same foods all the time. Otherwise, labels, measuring cups and food scale really helps to be accurate. Hope this helps.

Thank you. I am also inspired by so many others that post on this forum. We are all stronger and more successful by supporting each other.

Thanks for your perspective. It is very informational and meaningful. I think most folks are just trying to help others by telling anecdotes or experiences and not intentionally trying to mislead others with misinformation. Maybe every post should be precluded with a disclaimer as to raise the awareness that any information is given only for the purpose of being helpful and it is not to be interpreted as medical fact, etc. I think most folks are wise enough to know this without a disclaimer and that they are responsible for discernment of all information they are exposed to.

What is the difference between personal treatment of peptic ulcers that happen as a result of taking NSAID(e.g. ibuprofin) before sleeve versus after sleeve operation? I have aleays been told no NSAID after sleeve surgery, but... Peptic ulcers appear to be resolved by taking a PPI or anti acid for non WLS individuals and, of course, to stop taking the NSAID if symptoms are present. At least that is what a little searching on the internet revealed. Why would this also not be the case for post sleeve? Do post sleeve peptic ulcers really lead to an emergency because they are associated with a "leak". I put leak in quotes because an ulcer is technically an open sore in the digestive track or stomach and may occur along sleeve line, hence, leading to a "leak." Assume I am asking this with regards to post sleeve duration greater than 6 months as to avoid complications that may occur during healing phase. If a sleever is past 6 months out, what would be cause for alarm with taking Ibuprofin for dealing with pain related to inflammation? Thanks for any information.

What is the difference between peptic ulcers that happen as a result of taking **** bad post. See next one*****

My favorite breakfast is 2 scrambled eggs with feta cheese and dill in addition to two turkey maple sausages on the side. So yummy and satisfying. I probably eat this 2-3 times a week and a protein shake with water and chia seeds on the other days.

Heh, I have dreams about eating "real" food during the first month and then realizing, in the dream, how is this even possible after having the surgery. I then shrugged and told myself I must be dreaming and continued to eat whatever it was. LOL! I think this is called lucid dreaming when self realization occurs while dreaming. Happens all the time for me after surgery. Not a nightmare at all as I enjoyed eating the dream food.

I have this problem of not being able to show actual photos in my posts. Now, I only see little [shared...] links after uploading them into my gallery and then clicking on the insert media button->photos on my laptop. These are not clickable from my phone. Also I can only upload photos on my home computer (a laptop), not on my ipad or cell phone (android based razor). I would like to upload pictures from my phone and ipad and have them be visible directly in the post. I find it is much easier and practical to use VST on my phone and ipad rather than on laptop. Thanks for any hints.

I do not have excess skin and have lost about 150 in 6 months. However, I have been a fairly active exerciser for the last 10 years or so. The reason my weight went up was not due to lack of daily exercise and lots of hiking year round, but rather from very bad eating habits (overeating, binge eating and eating so much junk like 5 large pizza pieces at a time, whole box of donut holes, etc). Exercising to the point of obsession could not touch my caloric intakes and replaced a lot of my interpersonal relationships and other forms of emoting. I am so happy of the person I have become after being free of the death grip food had on me physically and emotionally.

At first I was put off by the weight loss statistics presented during the initial seminar. They said the average person loses 60% of their extra body weight with the sleeve. That was a little disappointing! I want to lose 100% darn it! Since being on the post op journey, I have learned this statistic applies to everyone including most of us, those that exercise 4 hours a day and individuals that hardly lose anything or to those that have different levels of motivation with regards to eating and exercise choices. My point is that the stat truly is an average of a very large and diverse sample set and you have the freedom to be above, below or at average depending on personal goals, lifestyle, etc. Do not read my remarks as being good or bad; it is just an observation I have picked up on when reading posts from a large variety of folks over the last 6 months. I am at 90% lost currently, maybe higher. I have not plugged it into a calculator yet. Started at 335 DOS on 7-2-2012, currently at 203 and need to get to 180. To answer the OPs question: I think it really depends what a post op sleever is willing to do and the choices they are willing to make based on their lifestyle, set of circumstances and more. Good luck everyone!

Just discovered the skinny peppermint mocha at starbucks yesterday. It is only 100 calories for a grande, so good....

Have you tried running? That will melt it away.