delta_girl

Anyone on a pre-op plan would have lost that already.

My doctor refuses to do RNY.

Most of your calories should be coming from protein. If not, you are going to feel hungry.

I have struggled with this exact same type of question during stalls when I was exercising and eating under 600 calories. I'm on the 3rd week of a stall that is really beginning to wear on my nerves (I'm 3 and a half months out from surgery). I upped my calories from around 500 calories a day to 900 calories a day for the last 3 days to see if that would shock my body. Nope. BMR is BMR. If there is a deficit, then there should be a reciprocal action. And I'll also add that I've been checking my keytones with strips. Before I was in heavy ketosis. Now I am in "trace" or "light" ketosis. I know you don't have to be in ketosis to lose weight.

This question gets asked just about every week. It really isn't an issue. I started, heavily, a little more than an hour before surgery. LOTS of women members here started at some point around surgery.

http://m.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/2013/01/have-you-heard-about-paneras-hidden.html?r=full

Brook's all the way. They have an incredible range of running shoes and they are serious about their product. I've had just about every other brand but when I got my first pair of Brook's there was no way I was going back to any of the others. They aren't cheap, but worth every single penny.

My understanding of these is that their effectiveness declines after about 3 months, so you should switch them out. Someone have details on this?

This is just me, but I wouldn't want to. That's a lot of chemicals in one big can. I gave up all carbonation, but still enjoy a cup of regular coffee sometimes, so no way am I perfect in anything. Energy drinks just don't call my name.

I have reconciled with myself that there are just some tradeoffs and that's OK. There will be some tightening of skin in places and not as much in others. Exercise, drinking Water and moisturizing can help up to some extent. Surgery is always an option.

Just start. Set some goals that are achievable and start working towards them. It may have to do with a yoga class, playing a new sport such as tennis, running a half mile, taking a strength training class, or just plain ole walking 30-45 minutes a day. Just start now.

I have to wear two at the same time to get enough support since I'm large chested. I've tried buying expensive ones and less expensive ones and it really doesn't seem to matter for my particular build. Two layered work well, though.

This is exactly how I felt pre surgery. It is how I feel now sometimes. Especially after a two week stall and that I ate so much for supper last night. I'm 3 and a half months out and I wonder if I won't lose any more weight, if old habits will creep back, if I'm doomed to fail. I don't beat myself up for having these feelings because they are real feelings and I need to acknowledge them. Sometimes I'm stronger and more positive and sometimes I fall behind in my feelings. I don't think that is unhealthy. What would be a disaster is if I allowed destructive or defeating internal dialogue to truly sabotage myself over time. If it goes in that direction I would seek counseling to deal with my behaviors and feelings that trigger mindless eating. Fear isn't bad. It is a natural feeling relating to something unknown. Ask questions, watch videos, talk to people and get the information and support that helps reassure you. You may always have a little bit of fear because this is a serious choice and your mind knows it. There can't be courage without fear.

Siggi brand skyr is incredible. So far I can only find it at Whole food. The Yoplait Greek is pretty good and has fewer calories than most other options. For overall texture and taste, Fage rules

I'm gonna be a wet blanket, but I don't like Wendy's chili. I got it one time when I was out of town on business and picked it up at the drive through. When I got it back to my hotel room and started eating it, I was a bit grossed out. It was just greasy and icky to me. Sorry. I know a lot of people love it but I don't and won't get it again.

ME TOO! YAY for us!! I'm just overweight now!!! So funny to say that...but seriously!! Victory!

Baby food is not easy. I found out very quickly that peas were ok, so was anything like fruit with oatmeal or fruit. Things like turkey with sweet potatoes or chicken with apples was odd tasting and "sweet" which really put me off. Sweet flavored meat was icky to me. So I would heat up some baby food peas or carrots with some salt and have that with low fat cottage cheese or with some canned tuna or pea soup and could do it. I am SO glad that that phase of the diet plan didn't last very long. It was really over before I knew it. That might have even been harder than straight liquids.

I'm 5'3". I looked at middle ground for my height on a BMI chart.

That is my philosophy. Right now at 161 lbs I have no idea what I will look nor feel like at 128 lbs or 115 lbs. When I get further along I think it will get a lot more clear. I'm not a young chicken, so being 44 years old, perhaps 115 is not reasonable. I'm willing to be open minded about it and see what happens over time.

I ate a lot of baby food. It needed salt, but wasn't undoable. I also had cream of wheat once, and canned tuna. I was not putting meat in a blender, just couldn't do it. I did eat cheese, edamame, boiled peanuts, tofu, pea soup, low fat cottage cheese, hummus and other soft things.

Protein shakes are not ideal, not especially tasty, not something most people would choose to have. But it is part of our program. I sucked it up and drank them during the weeks that I needed to. It was an act of compliance that was not always the most fun, but I had a level of commitment to follow through. Sometimes I couldn't finish it. Sometimes I thought I would croak because I tried a new one that I hated. I knew it wouldn't kill me and it wasn't forever, so I did it. I don't drink them much anymore, but I did it during the time period that it was necessary and didn't do a lot of complaining, even when it wasn't easy. You do what you need to do. Like paying taxes or cleaning the toilet. You just do it.

My surgeon's stats also say 60% ...but I still question 60% of what? Excess weight by what measure? My surgeon's office says that my goal is 128 lbs and anything above that is excess weight. My BMI chart says 115 lbs as an average for weight for my height so excess weight is about that. What number are we using to determine "excess weight?" By my surgeon's office, if I get to 128 lbs I will have lost 100% of excess weight. By my goal, I won't have lost 100% of excess weight until I get to 115 lb.s I talked with him about this during my follow up visit this week. He asked how I would feel if I lost and maintained at 140lbs, which is neither my goal weight for myself nor his goal weight for me. If this is their 60% weight loss, would I be ok based on their statistics. I told him I would then be a very fabulous 140lb woman. % of excess weight is based on what exact number? That baseline is from what? That is where those stats come from.

I really do not know if this includes me or not. I am VERY imperfect. But I also am aware of some of the so called "common sense" recommendations and practices. If people complain or fuss about something, but it is a direct result of a contradiction to what they would likely know was not appropriate, then what do you say? I have a glass of wine, I eat a piece of chocolate, I have bread sometimes, I eat out a lot, sometimes I snack on crackers, or sometimes I eat fruit when I know I should eat Protein first. Neither I nor anyone else is going straight to hell for any of this. But if you elect to indulge in things that slow your weight loss or cause you discomfort, then ask for advice or input, then you can expect responses relating to that. Support does not mean a blanket endorsement for anything and everything. That would be enabling. The line between enabling and support may be different depending on your perspective. I do hope that I never judge anyone because I don't need advice when I elect to do something that I know is contrary to what I "should" be doing. When I read about someone posting a question or stating their feedback on what they know is a poor choice and I make a direct statement, it never meant to be directed at a person, it is about the choice and what might have been a better choice. So again...I really don't know where my perspective falls. Within my own mind I don't feel controversial or judgemental, but others may perceive it to be so.

My SO, who is very athletic, didn't know until he was at the hospital with me. My former husband was very controlling and I was determined to follow through with the vsg because it was right for me and I did not want any barriers. At first he was shocked when he found out the nature of the surgery. However, he immediately became very supportive when he understood that it was about better health and a new lifestyle that would extend my lifespan and make me healthier and happier. He made homemade broth for me in the early stages, encouraged me to get outside and become more active, played tennis with me and has continued to be an ongoing advocate. I did spend some time sharing with him specifics about the surgery, statistics, my own resolutions of previous health issues and new goals. Now he is pushing me to achieve more and to stay on track. It has become one of the best and healthiest relationships I have been in so far. Last night, for the first time, we discussed plastic surgery. I thought that it would be a difficult conversation, but it was not. I told him potential options for future surgery to remove excess skin. I'm only half way to goal and I already have some loose skin, but I don't know what it will look like at another -25 or -50 lbs. He was also supportive of that! Which surprised me and makes me very happy. I don't know if I will ever actually pursue plastic surgery, but it is a possibility and I love knowing that there is support there if I opt for that at a later date.

I had a conversation with my surgeon this week on this exact topic. He asked why I wanted to know and I told him that it is occasionally the topic in this forum. He said that probably 90% of what is stated as fact here is inaccurate or misguided. The bougie size opens the stomach so that he can view the work area. What happens after that is a result of the surgeon's technique. Any variations in the actual size of the stomach are so miniscule as to be irrelevant.