NMJG

At 4 months I am very happy with it, and I haven't had the easiest time, but you get through, and it is definitely worth it. Remember that the first few months, especially the first month, can be really really difficult. Strange things hurt, weird feelings can come up, etc. you can really start to doubt yourself those first weeks. For constipation: try to limit the hard painkillers in the hospital to a minimum and get off of them as soon as you can. They make it worse starting off. Add Benefiber to your water/liquids or other Fiber supplements, you will need it. Get all your liquids in as soon as you can after surgery.

Pretty normal, kiddo. It gets better over time, and you'll quickly appreciate your limitations, but it is hard the first 6 months. I got to the point where I didn't even want to eat since I could get so little down. The other posters' advice about slowing down, etc. does help. Chin up, you'll get through this period.

Holidays are awful for me, so many parties and receptions in my circle. Just get back to basics, even try a few days a week with just protein shakes to help even it out. December is a baaaaad month for losing weight. Good luck to us all.

Fruit juice, fresh or not, is packed with carbs and sugars. It is likely going to impact your loss, I would stay away from it if it were me.

Mmmmm artichoke dip Sounds like you are doing really well in what you are eating, congrats on that. Holidays are soooo hard for me.

Anyone tried hard cider with a shot of Fireball? It's popular here. I have been wanting to, but I have such a hard time with carbonation. And my hubby is a home brewer

The amount of calories you should take in can be less important than the type of calories. Also, age makes a huge difference, as does activity level and gender. Some people won't lose well at 1000 calories, some find they lose better. Many nuts give nutritional guidelines in terms of daily grams of carbs, fats, and Protein, not calories. If you can't phone your nut, I'd recommend just sticking with your plan, just my two cents. If you are looking for permission here to eat more, there are folks who will give it to you. I'm curious, how can you get in that many calories? Early on, most folks struggle to get in 500 calories, much less twice that amount, unless you eat sliders and high calorie drinks.

Whole foods has PB2. I think Walmart has started carrying it, too.

Yay! That was a big day for me, too. Celebrate!

I second Laura on these answers. Hot sauce OK but try it slowly. Straws ok, but try it slowly, some have trouble, I don't. Alcohol in small amounts ok, but watch the calories and wait a good long time after surgery or ask your dr. Carbonation I personally can't do anymore. Makes me ill after surgery. Search the threads on carbonation for more opinions. It does mess with the sleeve, but to what extent, who knows. It is generally considered a nono. Caffeine is another question you will have before long.

My nut specified protein isolates. There are lots of isolates, whey, pea, etc. She said we absorb much more of the protein in isolate form and more quickly than other kinds, which we need early on. Search the forum on protein and you'll find some good threads. Some people start using caseinates later on because it absorbs slower, good when you are able to exercise more and build muscle. Just my opinion, but isolates have worked well for me as a general protein shake. I also like a glass of warm milk at bedtime.

Oh, not at all. You just have to get used to the quirkiness of this group. Your quote just got everyone enthused. When this group gets enthused, you never know what is going to pop out.

There is no standard postop diet, except for some big points like protein, water, and exercise. You'd think there would be. But then not all diet plans work for everyone, either. My nut gave me daily grams of protein (80), carbs (60) and fat(30). No calorie limit. I have been happy with my nut, the weight is coming off, so I can't disagree with her plan. It is hard when you are second guessing and not comfortable with your plan.

Great article, GG, thanks for posting it. I remember when I was a skinny kid in the 60's, we had full fat milk and I drank a lot of it. I ate fruit and vegs, cheese, and a little meat (I wasn't a big meat eater). I did eat carbs as a kid, but not nearly as much as I did in my later years. My diet changed radically after age 12, however. Very thought provoking.

We used to make flour/salt dough ornaments. It was just as fun as making and decorating sugar Cookies but you get to keep the ornaments. Here is a recipe for it (there are lots on the web) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dough-ornament-recipe/

Thank you for posting. It's great to hear from someone so far down the road and successful. I have relatives in Europe, and found that I easily lost weight there because of all the walking (no car, took the streetcar or train, walked everywhere). And the food was divine! They don't serve mega-portions there like the restaurants here, either. I love having afternoon coffee or chocolate and a little pastry (sigh).....

Can you give us more information so perhaps we can help you? What does a typical day look like? Protein, carbs, fats? How much water do you get in? Do you measure and track your food? Lots of folks on here can give you some good insight. Good luck to you and hang in there.

That's amazing progress. You are 20 lbs. ahead of me in the same timeframe. I'm so jealous. Seriously, you do look terrific. Congrats

Oh the Ann Landers recipe! My Nana used to make that when we were kids.....

My doctor prescribes preop diets based on BMI. Mine was 36, and I had no preop, but I was under strict orders to not gain or they wouldn't operate on my surgery date. Others in my "class" had specific preop diets to follow in order to shrink their liver.

Congrats, Lips! I was lucky, chin #2 left fairly quickly on me once I started losing. The turkey wattle is in full force, though. If I shake my head really fast it jiggles like crazy. I guess that's better than doing Jabba the Hut impressions, though. Butter, you crack me up. Chin-gina......baahahahahahaha

I've lost forty odd lbs. and have lots of sag and jiggle. But I wouldn't trade it for my fat self. I'm 53, so I was expecting a lot of loose skin. I plan on plastics at the end of the journey.

Can you post a typical day so we can see what you are eating?

Fortunately, I only have one friend who does this. At dinner a few days ago she made a big deal of it and worried something was wrong with me, I just said I ate too much brie and cranberry appetizer and spoiled my dinner. Another time I think I said I was getting over the flu and wasn't hungry. It's hard. In general I don't lie about things, but I do fib when it comes to this, as it is no one else's business. A few good lines are: I had a big lunch/breakfast/whatever Just had birthday cake at the office I don't care for what I ordered (this can backfire though) I'm saving up for (whatever the next meal is) Just don't make it seem like you have a health issue. That gets people worried. Good luck.

I agree with the other posters, it's not accurate and everyone is different. It's a great tool for logging your food and water and exercise, but forget about all the other phooey it serves up, and don't bother with that "net calories" deal, either, IMHO.