ATLGirl

Congrats on getting approved!

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All the liquids on the clear diets count towards your "water" intake

Since all weight loss comes from calorie deficit (burning more than eating), the key to all successful weight loss is to create a calorie deficit. There are many great tools to help track this and most of them are free. My favorites are the iPhone app, "LoseIt"; www.FitDay.com and www.Livestrong.com go to Calorie Tracker and myPlate and create an account. These programs track your deficit and help point out areas of improvement. In general, you should get about a third of your calories from each of the main food groups: proteins, fats, carbs. If you see higher percentages of fats or carbs, replace those calories with protein calories and it will really help you eat smarter instead of just less. Over the past 20 years we are eating many more calories and burning far fewer calories. The secret to weight loss is to work toward a calorie deficit whatever it takes. Most people losing weight successfully are eating about 1200 calories per day (women) and 1400 calories per day for men. Below this, your body tends to start freaking out and hanging on to everything you eat. It is also important to drink at least 64 ounces of water per day. Our bodies store environmental toxins in the fat and when you lose weight, all this stuff is coming out and your kidneys will really appreciate it if you drink plenty of water. This helps battle constipation as well. Also, take a multi-vitamin every day. The calcium and B-vitamins really help with weight loss not to mention the other minerals. Nutritional psychology is a hot new topic. Bad nutrition causes depression and low energy which makes us want to eat more to feel better and we snowball into bad weight gain. Better nutrition is required for successful weight loss and we feel better. Also, we eat way too much sugar and this raises our insulin levels which takes all that blood sugar and turns it into fat which drops the blood sugar which makes us hungry and we eat more sugar and this snowballs into weight gain. We eat way too much processed food and we have to get back to healthy foods. Brilliant food chemistry has not helped us. Cheap food sweetener (HFCS - high fructose corn syrup) is in everything now (sugary drinks, pasta sauce, ketchup) and our bodies don't know what to do with this stuff so we store it as fat. We consume massive quantities of this stuff and it doesn't help us lose weight. High tech fats such as trans fats and hydrogenated oils allow foods to have a much longer shelf-life because bacteria can't break it down but the problem is that we can't break it down either and we just store it as fat. A great rule of thumb is that if it doesn't spoil we shouldn't eat it. The classic example is an oatmeal pie that our kids drop in the mini-van and we find it a year later and it still looks good. We shouldn't be eating brilliant food chemistry. The more we preare our own meals and take our lunch instead of getting most of our meals at restaurants, the easier it is to lose weight successfully. Proteins - we should get about 45gms of protein a day (women) and about 60 grams per day for men. A 20gm protein portion (meat, chicken, fish, etc) is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. Protein keeps us full longer because it doesn't mess with insulin and we need protein while we're losing weight so that we lose fat and not muscle. Fats - are the highest caloric density food. Each gram of fat has twice the number of calories as proteins and carbs. Believe it or not there are actually "good" fats (unsaturated). You want to avoid saturated (bad) fats. Saturated fats raise our cholesterol and clog our arteries. Unsaturated fats actually lower our cholesterol. To lose weight, you should limit fat grams to 20 gms per day and keep saturated fats below 10gms per day. Trans fats and hydrogenated oils should be zero. All this is easier these days with nutrition labels. Examples of good (unsaturated) fats include avocados, peanuts, soybeans, olives and oils such as olive, canola, peanut, corn, safflower, sunflower. French fries from peanut or safflower oil are actually healthier than those fried in saturated oils - ask your restaurant which they use. Fats actually release a gut hormone called CCK (cholecystokinin) which causes the gallbladder to contract and it is a powerful natural appetite suppressant. If you give CCK to rat they won't eat. Therefore, if you snack on a handful of almonds or dip vegetable sticks in olive oil, you manage your hunger and it is healthier. Bison (buffalo) has a great beef flavor and it has much less saturated fat than cow beef. Bison burgers and steaks are a much healthier way to enjoy beef than the cows that predominate our diet. Carbs - when eaten shoot up the insulin levels which turn blood sugar into fat and this drops our blood sugar level which makes us hungry. If you want to lose weight you have to manage carbs (sugar, bread, potato, rice - "white foods"). I see a lot of patients who go all day without eating and then eat a huge pasta dinner before going to bed. This is a perfect way not to lose weight. Carbs are best eaten earlier in the day when you have a chance to burn off all that energy. Eating three meals per day will keep us out of intense hunger and we eat fewer calories overall. I don't like Atkins type diets simply because they are hard to sustain. Better to manage carbs - keep them below 33% of total calories and eat them earlier in the day. Ice cream is enemy number one for weight loss. A great substitute is to make your own fruit smoothies at home. It is a sweet dessert but it is fruit instead of sugar and fat. Many stores have smoothie blends so you just toss it in the blender with diet apple juice or plain yogurt and it's easy. Be careful and avoid sugar added smoothie blends. Just get plain frozen fruit or make your own from fresh fruit. Great way to spoil yourself and eat healthier. I will post topics on Fitness and Brain Stuff (I don't like terms like behavior modification) which are the other two main disciplines of successful weight loss. I put this info and much more on YouTube if you search Watkins Weight Loss Class. Weight loss surgery simply makes all this stuff much easier but knowledge plus change is where you will find success. I hope this helps. Brad Watkins MD Source: Maximizing weight loss - Nutrition

Hi my fellow January Sleevers! I was sleeved Jan. 22 by Dr. Ramos-Kelly in TJ. I started this Journey at 281 and I am 254 (with 11 pds lost pre-op) I just moved to mushies. I am trying to get all my Protein in BUT I hate the shakes. I found an unflavored whey shake from GNC that I am adding bananas and strawberries to, so we will see how it goes. I am vomiting from time to time BUT I think its because I am trying to figure out this "full" thing. This morning I ate half of a scambled egg and 1/4 of applesauce and up it came. I am really struggling with NOT drinking and eating. I think if I am able to take a sip while eating it will make the food move down. I think I am in the stage where I question whether I made the right decision. I know it will past. Glad to see everyone doing well.

Mushies B- 4oz of banana Protein shake made w/ skim milk (15 grm protein/ 60 cals) L- 1/3 canned tuna made w/ half of egg and mustard (6 grms potein) S1- 4oz of banana Protein Shake made w/ skim milk (15 grm protein/ 60 cals) S2- 1/4 apple sauce D- Eggface's colliflower and cheese bake E-10 mins of Your Shape Fitness/10 power glide

Hi All! So glad this thread is getting some play! I was beginning to think I was alone. I was sleeved on Jan. 22, so I think that makes me 17 days post op. I am feeling okay. I started mushies yesterday which has helped a lot. I am glad we have a space to connect. I do live in ATL (Gwinnett County) and I am 25. I started this journey with wanting the Lapband (silly me). After reading about all the complications and speaking with a dozen people who all somewhat regret their choice. I decided on the sleeve. I was sleeved in Mexico by Dr. Kelly-Ramos and my experience was great. I paid about $5300 total. I am married with a daughter (7 months) and I work in health care marketing (CDC). I am very new in the process, so I don't have much input on the on the side effect (hair loss, skin, etc), but I am exicted. I am already from a dress sizw 24 to a 20 and down about 30 pounds since my pre-op. So I am happy! Hope we all can encourage one another in the process. Nice to "meet" you ladies.

Mushies B- 4oz of banana Protein shake made w/ skim milk (15 grm protein/ 60 cals) L- 1/3 canned tuna made w/ half of egg and mustard (6 grms potein) S1- 4oz of banana Protein Shake made w/ skim milk (15 grm protein/ 60 cals) S2- 1/4 apple sauce D- Eggface's colliflower and cheese bake E-10 mins of Your Shape Fitness/10 power glide

Hi All, I almost feel like a cry baby writing this. Today makes it exactly 2 weeks since my sleeve surgery. I have been reading enough on this board to kinda know the emotions to expect. I weighed today and have not lost a pound since Wednesday. I am okay with that. I did a self-check and realize that I am not getting enough Protein in everyday (fluids probably around 40-45 ounces). I stocked up on some (what used to be delicious) whey protein that is 52 grams of protein per 8 ounces. Now I can’t stand the stuff. I mean every day I try to get at least half of it down, but it just makes me want to vomit (TMI?). I plan on buying an ice cream maker (recommended by Eggface) to see if that helps. I have been working out on Your Shape Fitness (Xbox Kinetics) for about 15 minutes a day and doing so very lite weight lifting (mainly for my arms while watching TV). 15 minutes is all I have in me with no food. I was thinking about stretching my full liquid stage out for 2 more weeks, but I don’t think I can do it without some good protein options. Maybe I should end the full liquids on schedule and stretch out mushies? I don’t know anymore. I am very happy for the weight I lost so far. I started this journey at 279 and I am now 255. So its progress. I am just in need of encouraging words. These emotions are taking a toll and I am trying to stay strong. I keep telling myself “Anna you’re new to this.” “Anna you can and will do this” but its getting harder. Thanks for letting me vent. Tears and all, I have no other choice.

Thank you guys for your encouraging words. I am feeling a lot better today. I have been thinking about the positives and I KNOW things will get better. I just needed to hear it from my other wonderful sleevers.

Congrats!

I changed my surgeon (not entirely for this reason) because of the Juarez situation. The doctor was willing to fly into TJ. If you are having someone come with you, I would recommend ANYWHERE besides Juarez. being couped up in the hospital for 4-5 days when they are not a patient can cause other issues. In TJ, I had a driver and even though I didn;t have anyone with me, on my fourth day I was able to leave the very nice (and provided) hotel for walk around while feeling safe.

I have egg drop soup for the past couple of days (I ordered a large and its still some left) but I attempted to strain as much of the egg as possible. It was soooooo good. I am 8 days post op and so tired of chicken, veggie, and beef stock. I moved into full liquids today (where I will be for the next three weeks) but I feel fine. If you are trying to eat the eggs then I don't think that's liquid stages. But sans eggs, it was still heaven

Hi All, While preparing my daughter's baby food (pureed sweet potatoes, apples, pears, squash, green Beans, sweet peas) I began to wonder if I should prepare some for me during my "mushy stage." I will be taking a Protein "shot" (liquid) of 18 grms of proteinsper tablespoon (2X a day) in addition to my other "liquids" the first month. I really want to make sure I get my protein in. So I thought with the added boost of the protein "shot" it may be okay to incorporate fresh pureed veggies during the mushy stage (3 weeks out) to mix it up and add other nutrients. What do yo think? PS- Tommorow is the day!