Thea'sMom

Two things to carry with you - little packets of nuts and individually wrapped cheese. I also have jerky available. The most important thing about going out is BE PREPARED. Are you getting enough liquid on a daily basis? That really throws me for a loop if I don't have enough(that's what gives me the shakes). I've taken to having tea to up my liquid consumption (not a coffee drinker). Good luck.

Hi Mera- Like you, I HATE the Protein powders. Because I'm OCD, I weighed everything, just making sure that I had my 60 grams of protein every day (eggs, Greek yogurt, fish, meat, eventually cottage cheese). I lose very slowly (after the first 20 pounds, NOTHING "just fell off"). At 11 months out, I can eat about 8 ounces at a time. What helped me was learning to chew each bite well. Also, I learned that if I have a small plate and eat slowly, I can finish the meal more or less with everyone else. I try to think of meals as social occasions that just happen to have food. Keep your chin up. It gets easier.

I did it! Today, I reached my goal of 100 pounds off! I thought I’d share with you some of my journey. I started in August of 2010, when I went to see Dr. Landerholm at Puget Sound Bariatric Center. I weighed 240 pounds (at 5’ 5”), had terrible sleep apnea, and was in the beginning stages of high blood pressure and diabetes. My insurance company, Aetna, insisted that I have a three month trial, so I saw Dr.Landerholm and his associates at Pacific Nutrition and Wellness. I lost 10 pounds in the three months, enough to convince the insurance company. I chose Dr.Landerholm because his practice has a two year program of followup, and because he does the sleeve as an outpatient procedure for those who qualify (I figured that he must be pretty good if he was able to do that). He performed the operation on December 8, 2010. Other than diarrhea for the first three weeks, it wasn’t particularly painful. I didn’t like the various Protein powders, so I structured my eating so that I could get my 60 grams of protein a day through regular food. Because I’m a bit obsessive, for the first seven months, I weighed everything with a metric scale and kept track on Fitday, keeping my calories between 700 and 800, and drinking 64 ounces of Water a day. I read accounts of others for whom the weight melted off. That was not me. After the first twenty pounds (which, to be honest, DID melt off), each pound was slow in leaving. I got discouraged, but decided that I’d have to go to the gym to have any chance of getting to my goal. In the middle of all this, I went with my vegetarian daughter for three and a half weeks in England in June, a real challenge to get food that would work for both of us. All of my health issues are gone. My blood pressure is 110 over 65, and my heart rate is about 68. For those of you who worry about your hair falling out? It doesn’t always happen. My hair has always been baby fine, and I didn’t lose any that I could tell. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve had NO complications. Clothes? Charity shops, thrift stores, and friends. I’ve gone from a size 24 to a size 8 in pants, down a whole size in my shoes, and from XL in t-shirts to small. What can I eat? Anything I want, although my meals generally consist of either a bowl of cottage cheese, a meat lump of some sort, protein-plus Cereal (I love my cereal), a Greek yogurt smoothie, a banana with Peanut Butter, an egg… Snacks? Cheese, fresh fruit, sometimes veggies. Do I eat sweets? Not much (doesn’t seem worth the effort), but I have the occasional little piece of cake, or two bites of my husband’s dessert. What do I avoid? Bread, Pasta, rice, all of which seem to sit poorly on my stomach (sweet potatoes don’t seem to be a problem). Do I still weigh everything? No, because my doctor (and others) pointed out that weighing my food isn’t always an option (and doesn't seem like a great lifestyle). I still weigh a few things (my cereal, for example), because I know the size of a serving that works for me, and it’s still hard for me to judge by eye. Don’t worry about it much…. Do I feel better? Well, I can go up stairs without losing my breath, and getting out of chairs is much easier. Flying on airplanes is much more comfortable (are they making seats bigger now?), and finding clothes that fit is a snap. How often do I go the gym? Every day, but mostly because I find it easier to do it daily than to make sure I manage three days a week. My next challenge? Staying within two pounds (either way) of my current weight for the next six months. After that, I’ll decide if I want to lose another five or ten pounds or maybe put on five pounds. Since the 100 pound goal was purely arbitrary (and I haven’t been this weight before as an adult), I don’t know whether it’s the right weight for me, but it’s right in the middle of the “normal” range, so I figure it’s as good a place as any to stop for a while. Do I still think of myself as fat? Of course. I was born heavier than I am now (actually, I was in junior high school). Part of me knows that I can fit into that amazingly tiny pair of pants, the other part heads for the plus sizes. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, forty years ago if possible.

I will be traveling to England in a few weeks, and I'm concerned about finding food that I can eat when I'm not in a position to prepare it myself. Any suggestions as to eating places to go, items that work well when toted in a purse, and so on? I'm six months out, with no menu restrictions, but I'm worried about getting in all the Protein I need (plus, I need to stay away from current buns, which I dearly love...). I know that I can eat the wonderful cheese, but three weeks of that seems a bit much. Any thoughts? Thanks!

I eat about 800 calories (at 5 months out), usually 60 to 70 grams of protein. I tried going low carb, but found that it screwed up my system (no bowel movements for a week). My nutritionist said not to do it, so I'm usually between 60-70 grams of carb a day. I lose a little slower,maybe, but I've got a lot of energy (gym daily), and I feel great.

I find that, at 600-800 calories, I don't lose anything. I'm at 1,000 now, and things are finally moving. I weigh everything I eat, and record it in fitday because it allows me to use grams for measurements (can you say OCD?). As someone said, I think you ought to try fewer protein shakes and more real food. I'm a great one for wanting to have the same thing day after day, so I have to make an effort to keep a variety. My current trick is to get a pound of ground meat (beef, lamb, bison, turkey), cut it into 54 gram portions and freeze. That way, I can have two meals in a day with meats that are easy.

Are the folks evaluating your labs the same folks who did the surgery? It would be good if the labs are evaluated by someone who is used to seeing what happens after VSG. Getting a liver ultrasound is no big deal, so I wouldn't sweat that one. My NUT seems to be excited about probiotics as well -- I think it's something that's going around -- and it might help. My suggestion is to avoid the the milk. If that isn't practical, you might investigate Lactaid (not something I know much about, but it might work). Personally, I'm tired of Protein drinks, so I'm eating ground turkey, ground steak, ground ahi tuna (you get the drift), 50 to 60 grams at a time, trying to get up to my 60 grams of protein a day. My thoughts are with you!

I'm three and a half weeks out, and my guidelines are 64 oz of water, 60+ grams of protein, under 40 grams carbs. I don't have a calorie restriction, but was told 700 was about right. I'm actually struggling to eat that much.