joatsaint

Just tried these and they're pretty good. I liked BBQ flavor the best. They kinda remind me of Baked Lays. Anyone else tried them? [sharedmedia=videos:videos:7]

I"ve got 2. :-) You're laying on your side, feel a sharp pain, reach under to pull out whatever is sticking you AND IT'S YOUR RIB!!!!! I CAN FEEL MY RIBS!! :-) You get in the car, and for the first time in your life, you have to scoot the seat forward! :-)

My sense of taste was out of whack for a few months post-op. And I've seen the question about changes in the way food tastes come up quite often on the board. This article was posted on WebMD - a UK hospital has evidence that it is pretty common to experience changes in the way things taste and smell after bariatric surgery. My personal theory is that since we are literally forced to give up sugar (between the pre-op diet and going through the food stages post-op), our sense of taste is reset and we're no longer under the influence of sugar and processed foods. Taste Changes Reported After Weight-Loss Surgery Sense of smell also altered for some patients in British study WebMD News from HealthDay By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, April 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- After weight-loss surgery, many patients report changes in appetite, taste and smell, a new study says. One positive aspect of these changes is that they may lead patients to lose even more weight, the researchers suggested. The study included 103 British patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, in which the stomach is made smaller and the small intestines is shortened. Of those, 97 percent said their appetite changed after the surgery, and 42 percent said their sense of smell changed. Taste changes occurred in 73 percent of the patients, especially when it came to sweet and sour tastes, the researchers found. They especially noted changes in the taste of chicken, beef, pork, roast meat, lamb, sausages, fish, fast food, chocolate, greasy food, pasta and rice. Nearly three-quarters of patients said they developed a dislike of certain foods, especially meat products. One-third avoided chicken, minced beef, beef steak, lamb, sausages, bacon or ham. About 12 percent had an aversion to starches such as rice, pasta, bread and pastry and for dairy products such as cream, cheese, ice cream and eggs, 4 percent to vegetables, 3 percent to fruit and 1 percent to canned fish. The researchers also found that patients with a newly developed distaste for certain foods lost an average of nearly 18 pounds more after their surgery than those whose taste wasn't affected, according to the study recently published online in the journal Obesity Surgery. Although the study found an association between weight-loss surgery and sensory changes, it did not establish cause-and-effect. The taste and smell changes experienced by many patients after weight-loss surgery may be due to a combination of gut hormone and central nervous system effects, according to lead author Lisa Graham, of the Leicester Royal Infirmary. She noted that patients considering weight-loss surgery are typically told about the possible loss of taste and smell. http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/news/20140418/appetite-taste-changes-reported-after-weight-loss-surgery

I've been meaning to post photo evidence of how much I drink with a meal, but somehow always forgot to take a picture. So here it is: How much do you drink with meals? I'm 2 years post-sleeve and the amount I'm drinking with my meals has been the same since I started eating regular foods - 30 days post-op. The first few weeks after surgery were the hardest to adjust to. I wanted to take a big swallows of Water with my food (as I was accustomed to doing) but forced myself to take sips that were just enough to wet my tongue. Eventually I got into the habit and don't really have to pay attention to my sipping anymore. It's all automatic now. Last night I ate Mexican food and was served a glass of water that must have held 20ozs. It was a big glass. Theres a white opaque design on the glass and the water was filled to the top of that design. The photo was taken after the meal and hopefully you can see how far the water level is below the top of the white design (on the inside of the glass). I drank less than 2 oz with my meal over the course of an hour.

Who'd thunk it? A negative NSV! I was shopping for a new shirt and found a purple one I wanted bad! It was the only purple shirt they had. AND I WAS TOO THIN TO WEAR IT!!!!!! (Happy Dance.....kinda)

I have kept most of my meals very simple. During that 1st year post-op, I was so afraid that I would "break the magic" after WLS, that I wanted and still want my meals to be boring and basic. I'm never going to allow food to have so much control over me again! :-)

What if my craving is for human brains? Is that head hunger or am I a zombie? :-P

Head Hunger for me is a craving for sweets or carbohydrates without feeling any physical signs of hunger. My stomach is full or at least not empty and I don't feel the normal sensation of real hunger. Pre-surgery, my Head Hunger came in the form of a craving for a particular flavor... hamburgers, fries, cherry pie, ect. Post-surgery, my Head Hunger is more generic, just a general feeling that I want to eat, no particular flavor though. Get my FREE eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt! Here's what it was like when I had Head Hunger pre-op. :-) https://youtu.be/0WwEU1ddI1k?t=5m37s

I did a quick Google search and found these 2 bariatric friendly cook books from Georgetown Community Hospital. http://georgetowncommunityhospital.com/sites/www_georgetowncommunityhospital_com/Uploads/CookBook.pdf http://georgetowncommunityhospital.com/sites/www_georgetowncommunityhospital_com/Uploads/BARATRIC%20COOKBOOK.pdf

I was very strict my first year and stayed completely on my recommended diet. But that diet included carbs - in the form of vegetables - low glycemic vegetables, high in Fiber. (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts...) Staying away from processed foods/sugar is a good thing, but I still needed carbs for energy and the nutrients that were in those foods. Carbs are not a bad thing and I didn't need to stay completely away from them. I have a couple of recipes that I used A LOT the first year: http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/33646-bbq-sauce-low-carb-my-new-favorite-sauce/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31464-updated-really-cool-recipe-make-spaghetti-noodles-from-chicken-meat/ http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31170-confession-time-the-spaghetti-monster-almost-got-me/

I started taking tablets as soon as I was released to full foods. I tested Frankensleeve by taking a half tablet the first time. When he had no reaction, I started taking a whole tablet. The hardest part was being able to swallow enough Water to wash it down. At 1 month, I still wasn't able to take in much more than a tablespoon of water per swallow.

I'm 3 years out and gained back 15lbs since March. I'm struggling to lose the weight too. There are 3 things that have worked for me in the last 3 weeks. 1) watch my portion size, go back to using my old bowls and plates - that way I know how much I'm eating. 2) stop eating when I'm satisfied and not over full. Frankensleeve lets me know when hes too full, but I've gotten back into the "clean your plate" club. I've decided, I'd rather put less food on my plate, rather than have too much and feel the need to finish it all. 3) reduce/eliminate sugar, high glycemic vegetables/fruit, processed/canned/frozen foods and meals. I'm cooking as much of my food as possible and eating things "that are the ingredients for other things". :-) My primary diet is pretty simple - roasted/crock pot pork or chicken, vegetables (brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower), high Protein bars, limited fruit (at most 2 of these per day - apples, pears, plums...), and nuts (less than 20 per day - almonds, pecans, ...no peanuts) I have up to 3 cheat meals per week - Tuesday/Friday/Sat night. I don't go crazy, but I do eat a few more of the "bad for me" foods. So far it's working. I've lost 5 lbs in 3 weeks. You can follow my adventure in Battling Regain in this thread: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/352539-ive-regained-weight-what-do-i-do-about-it/

I've gained weight!!!!! What do I do about it? Here's my plan to shed the pounds and get back on track! I started 2015 weighing about 205 ~ 208lbs. Now I've gained about 15lbs, as of September 2015. I've had some life changes - new job, new relationship, going on more vacations. All of which I've allowed to slowly get me away from the good habits I was practicing - that kept the weight off. So here's my "adventure" in losing the weight I've regained. I'm making it public for 2 reasons. 1) Watching my progress may help someone else. 2) It holds me accountable. Going public with my "adventure" in the Couch 2 5K jogging program worked for me. This should too! :-) I'm going to be completely transparent and you will see how I deal with the things that are bound to get in the way. I'll be posting video updates once a week to show my progress. Feel free to thumb them up or down. :-) Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt! I've created a spreadsheet that has my daily weigh-ins, plus what I'm eating and when.<br /> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1byhGB7pGMnvS_0L0YtQmjq3bejBPaDESEQVuSibXksM/edit?usp=sharing The Intro: Week 01 Update Week 02 Update: Week 03 Update: I had a long weekend of debauchery at the Texas Renaissance Festival. Even walking 20 thousand steps was not enough to burn off all the calories I ate! :-(

I don't know if you've had an opportunity to read up on the psy eval, but it was pretty easy. The doc only wanted to know that I knew what I was getting myself into. And was mentally prepared to make the changes necessary to be successful at WLS. He wasn't out to disqualify me, after all, it was in his best interest to see that I passed. I'm sure my doc would not refer his patients to a psych. that disqualified his patients for frivolous reasons. Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

In my case, it was a change in job and lifestyle that were the main factors. #1 - I went from a job that allowed me to get off work early enough that I could walk for an hour each evening, to a job that barely allows me enough time to get home, check my email, eat and get to bed. #2 - I went from being single to being in a relationship. And she likes to eat food with more flavor (and more variety) and drink wine. So, I kinda let myself start enjoying a bit more of the higher calorie foods and wine. I've just allowed myself to get too complacent. And I need to get back to my old habits of being more observant of what and how often I'm eating. No snacking out of boredom, no eating out of habit. Adjusting my caloric intake on my non-date nights to take in to account the extra calories I'm eating on date nights. If I hadn't had those changes in my life, I'd still be eating the same foods and exercising like I was last year. In my case, I became alarmed when I gained 5lbs and kept in on for months. I got more worried when I gained 5 more. When the extra weight went to 15lbs (11lbs now.... I've lost 4lbs) :-) I decided it was time to take action before things got out of hand.

Thanks gowalking, I have a plan, but I'm always open to new ideas. :-) I'm sure others would like to hear your ideas too. Because, what may work for me, may not fit the needs of someone else.

I've had to take Milk of Magnesia in the past. I took a double dose. 3 hours later, it was showtime! :-) Other people have mentioned Smooth Move Tea, but I'm not a tea drinker and have never tried it.

When it comes to how often to weigh yourself, it is very controversial. Some say once a week Others say once a month More say only weigh when you go in to the doctor for your follow-ups. I made a deal with myself. I can weigh as often as I want, but only the morning weigh in counts. The rest are just for my own amusement. After 3 years, I'm still with that system. I need the daily feedback to know I'm on track. There's no right or wrong system, the best choice is the one that works for you. Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

I had planned on using the savings from the food I was NOT going to be eating to pay for my surgery. :-) I figured I was eating about $15 a day and would decrease to $5/day after. And the savings would pay for my surgery in about 3 years. I was pretty close in my estimation. My Protein drinks only cost a little over a dollar each. My food costs are very low. I take the store brand generic Multivitamins. I average about $7/day on all expenses related to eating and supplements.

Well, I got a new healthier body, a better job, my 1st real relationship. I used to be a complete introvert, I'm now an extroverted introvert. :-P You would have never caught me on camera pre-surgery. AND best of all, I'm no longer going to be "one of the first to go" when the Zombie Apocalypse happens. (Watch the movie Zombieland to get the reference.) Get my FREE eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt! http://frankensleeve.com

I knew about nutrition and the right things/portions to eat.... from years of dieting. But I just couldn't control my hunger.

I was found to have a hiatal hernia after they did the pre-op EDG test on me. But my doc never said it would interfere with the Sleeve surgery. He said it was very common and he routinely repaired the hernias as part of the operation. But, I decided on the Sleeve before I chose a surgeon. And found a surgeon that preferred doing the Sleeve. I had a hiatal hernia and he repaired it during the Sleeve surgery. He does both Sleeve and Bypass, but he never mentioned the Bypass option.

My face was the first thing I noticed. They say, when losing weight, fat is lost from the most recent place it was stored. So it takes a long time to lose weight in areas like the stomach and hips - which are the first places we tend to store fat. For me, I only gained weight in my face in the last 3 years pre-op, and that's where I saw the most changes right after surgery.

I like Grape, Cherry, strawberry,.... but always go back to Lemonade flavor. This week I found Jolly Rancher sugar free drink mix. It comes in Watermelon, Cherry, and Green Apple. They taste great. I would say they taste like their candy counterparts, but I haven't eaten a Jolly Rancher candy in years. Now if only they would make the grape flavor in sugar free powder. I found the Jolly Rancher sodas in grape (years ago) and they taste sooooo good. But I gave them up because of the sugar.