joatsaint

Thanks Luvin_Life. I don't really think Quest bars are cheap at $20/box, but that's the lowest I've ever seen them. AND they are sooooo good. I guess $1.66/bar isn't THAT much. :-P Thanks for sharing this deal! Great price!

Week 4 of the C25K 8 week program has started. Had to ramp it up. Total jogging time has almost doubled from last week. I was really nervous that I couldn't jog for 5 minutes continuously. My butt definitely didn't like it! :-P

Well, week 3 of my C25K adventure is in the record books. Monday starts Week 4, the pace increases and so does the length of the jogging times. Once again, I'm nervous when wondering if I can ramp it up to jogging 5 minutes non-stop for the workouts on week 4. I didn't really believe I could run 3 minutes non-stop, till I did it. So maybe 5 minutes is doable too????

Don't feel like you're alone with your feelings. We all went through this phase. I went through it too. For me, I think the doubts came from having so many weight loss failures in the past, all the miracle diet pills and "I lost ten thousand pounds in 24 hours" diet plans. Low carb, low fat, low calorie, fat blaster, kale extract, red wine extract, rev up your metabolism extract..... and on and on. None of them worked for me, so after years of this, how could I expect to succeed with WLS. But I can tell you, that it will work. The hardest part is simply committing and going through with the surgery. It is unlike any weight loss program you've experienced. The surgery WILL change your life for the better. I was going to say that the surgery does all the hard part, but you will still have to adjust your eating and lifestyle after WLS to have long term success, but the difference will be that you have a tool that is not all marketing hype! Starting the day after surgery, all my cravings and head hunger disappeared. It was incredibly easy to control the foods I ate and 2 years later, I still don't really care about food or flavors. I do have to occasionally fight head hunger or stop myself from eating when I'm not hungry, but even when I lose those battles, I CAN'T gorge myself or eat even a thousand calories of the goodie. That's the difference Frankensleeve made in my life. I hope this helps ease your concerns. I know I had my doubts/nervous moments/fears that I would be the one person it didn't work for, no matter how many success stories and testimonials I watched and read. I know there's no way to describe the change in my feelings about food, that will give you the proof we were all looking for. You have to take a deep breath and take a leap of faith to get to the other side of WLS.

Just wondering if you or anyone doing the 5K's noticed weight gain? I was losing weight during the 1st and 2nd weeks, now I'm slowly gaining weight. I don't think I'm eating more food or making poor choices, I pretty much eat the same foods daily without much variation.

I agree with these guys and say, "Just stick with your doctor's recommendations." He's in the best position to know your needs and what has worked the best for WLS success. Since there is no one universal, proven, absolute, "this is the best way to do it", WLS method for doctors to follow, they have to rely on their experience, intuition, training and guidance from fellow surgeons to make the best choices for their patients.

Oh, you'll know, trust me. I learned the hard way. Puree foods are going to be easier on your sleeve than solid food and won't stay in your stomach as long as solid food. So you may be able to hold more puree than solid. The first time you take one bite too many, you'll never forget. Since surgery, I've never had a sense of getting full. It is now, eat a bit, eat a bit, eat a bit.... oops one bite too many. I quickly learned how much I could safely eat. But don't worry too much about it. If you can safely eat 1/4 or 1/2 cup, just stick with that. And if you want to test the limits of your sleeve, do it very slowly, taking teaspoon size bites. As I said, I don't have a increasing sense of fullness post-sleeve, you may not either.

I know where you're coming from. I almost gag every time I've taken it! I just take a deep breath and try to gulp the whole thing as fast as possible. And I have a big glass of Crystal Light Lemonade sitting on the side to wash the taste out of my mouth. :-P

Congrats, that is great news. Hope the rest comes off just as easily for you.

Congratulations on doing so well. Don't worry about setting your weight goals too high, it is a process and if you feel you can do better, you can always set a new goal. I'm 5' 11". My doctor told me to expect to hit and stay around 235. I passed that goal easily and then decided that 224 (my high school weight) was what I wanted. I hit that goal, then 220, then 215.... now I'm easily hovering around 205 - 209 without really trying. I've set a new goal of completing the C25K program and aiming to hit 199. So we'll see, I may not like the way I look at 199. :-P It's all part of the adventure and your goals do not have to be carved in stone if they don't fit your lifestyle. Keep Pimpin' That Sleeve!

At 7 weeks, I was losing weight at my fastest.... about 4lbs a week. I hadn't done any strenuous exercises, only the doctor recommended walking - 30 minutes a day. I wanted to be very sure I was well on my way to healing before pushing my exercise limits.

It's never really been an issue with me. I just eat slowly and if anyone asks why, I just tell them it's part of my diet plan. Getting adjusted to not drinking with a meal took a loooooonnnnnnggggg time. It was very frustrating, in the beginning, taking a sip that was just enough to wet my tongue, but eventually I adjusted. Now it's an unconscious habit.

I have recently ordered tasted and thrown out my PALEO bars. I've tried about a dozen types of Protein bars - Quest is still by far the best, next comes OhYeah! Victory bars, then the rest. You can see all my Protein Bar review on my Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/Frankensleeve

My insurance was BCBS of Texas. I was approved in 5 days after my initial consult with the doctor. I finished all my pre-op tests and psych eval and was Sleeved and released all inside of 20 days.

Hey Alex, just wanted to update you. I've been putting the word out to fellow WLS content creators on Youtube about Bariatricpal and the video forum. I've started adding Baritaricpal links in my Youtube descriptions as well. I'm sure there will be plenty of people that will appreciate the help and support Bariatricpal offers it's members and they won't feel like they're going through this "adventure" alone. Randy

I only had the hiccups the day I was released from surgery. I didn't think they would ever stop... even though the episode only lasted a few minutes. It took me days to get over the pain.

Mamaw, When I start getting my old pre-op hunger pangs every 2 hours, for me, it is usually a sign that I've been eating too many carbs... usually from processed foods. To get back on track and lose the hunger, I eat more Protein, fats and stick to low glycemic carbs like Brussell sprouts, Yellow Squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. I have to pay careful attention to how much I allow myself when it comes to breads, Pasta, potatoes, and rice. I can eat one cup of rice and be okay, but eat a second cup later on, and I'll start getting head hunger and want to overeat. I believe in my case, it's insulin sensitivity, brought on by too many years of drinking cokes. Just a little bit of sugar causes my insulin levels to spike and later comes the crash, and in turn triggers my hunger cravings.

I'm 2 years 4 months post-op. I went through 3 distinct periods where my portion size increased. The 1st 6 months I could eat no more that what I could fit into a 1/2 cup container per meal. 6 - 8 meals per day. At 1 year I move up to about 6 - 8 ozs. per meal. 4 - 6 meals per day. Now, I can eat up to 12 ozs per meal, but it varies by the food. I will get full on 6 ozs of meat/chicken/pork, but I can easily eat 8 oz of Brussels sprouts - what I'm having tonight. About 9 pm, I may have a 2oz 200 calorie Protein bar.

I just wanted to say thanks for all the tips and advice and MOTIVATION. I finished Week 2 on Sunday and without your support, I think I would have found a reason to call it quits by now. Thanks, Randy

I was back at work on day 11, could have gone back on day 9 or 10 if I had wanted. But, having said that, I have a desk job and knew that I wouldn't have to move around a lot or be lifting anything heavier than a ream of copy paper.

I didn't have to tell my boss or HR anything, I managed to schedule my WLS during my vacation days. But I was prepared to tell them that I was going to have a hiatal hernia repair and my gall bladder removed - both of which were true. I do not believe it is legal (don't take my word for it) for your workplace to require more than a doctor's note saying I need time off for a medical procedure. I can understand your boss being concerned about your health, but in the end, he's not family and he's not a friend. So I would feel comfortable not revealing the entire story.

Everyone is going to have a different amount they can hold - depending on the food. My sleeve was very finicky for a long time and the only thing I could safely eat was Cream of Mushroom Soup, during the 1st month post-op. But my doc wanted me eating 800 calories a day. 75% Protein, 25% vegetables - once I was on purees. I was mostly eating refried Beans and pureed turkey hamburger once I was able to transition to pureed foods. In general, I was able to hold 1/4 cup of food per meal and I ate 4 to 6 times a day. If I tried to eat something like boiled eggs or finely chopped chicken, I was only able to eat a tablespoon full and couldn't eat again for about 1/2 an hour. Peanut Butter, on the other hand, went down with ease and I had to really fight my urge to eat more than a tablespoon or 2 per day.

Hey catfish, the hip pain was only temporary, by the next morning I was fine. Just the old butt muscles getting a workout. I haven't experienced any pain in my hips, knees, or feet that lasted more than a few hours, by the next morning it has faded.

That looks amazing! I am going to have to try this. I love strawberries. Thanks for posting the recipe.