2Big2Skate

Tara - Congratulations on your success regaining scale stability! I am in the same boat. I hit my goal very fast and just sorta thought "this is easy". Then I shot past my goal and, fearful of falling back into bad eating habits, I didnt want to add back in the fats and carbs. I guess you have to. I'm trying to climb back to 220 and it's hard. My joints are starting to stick out and my clavicle/shoulder blades look bony. EW! I'm not shallow but skeletons belong in the closet! I love the ideas in this thread so much I thought it would be good to collect them in an easily searchable library. I put it under nutrition and called it "maintenance menu". Everyone please share your vet knowledge over there as I am sure there are dozens of people searching who share our same problem. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/313765-maintenance-menu-adding-calories-responsibly/

I didn't tell coworkers but then again I don't sit with my immediate peers either. My time off was for a "procedure to help my back". And then when the weight started coming off I explained that I had been told to lose weight (to help the back) and started well before the surgery. And how I'm seeing a nutritionist etc. Everyone just wanted to talk about diet when they realized it was working, so that was easy and fun. I just told them what I'd learned in the process. It's all about the calories that get by the teeth! i was also taking breaks to walk around the building and stuff, so people knew I was "doing stuff" to lose weight before they saw it happening. Good luck!

My wife is on anxiety meds and they make her put on weight like mad. Ask your prescribing doc if that's a side effect of yours and see if there is another variety you can take? I know they're very hard to get off of and change. And it sounds like you need them. If you must be on them, you'll have to work them into your lifestyle. Research how they work chemically and see if you can't make some nutritional changes to minimize their weight gaining side effects. And try to get off them when the time is right. You've been through a lot, but you can do this. Tell the people closest to you how much you need them. People react poorly to friends and family with depression. They just don't know what to do. Tell them what you need and forgive their dumb reactions.

+1 to this. I feel like I have a spiked tail now. There's no protection for my tail bone. And it doesn't stick out or anything, it just touches stuff when I sit on springy materials. Ouch. And I'm finding I sprain/tweak ligaments in my feet a LOT. So I must be walking differently. I've always walked on the balls of my feet, very weight-forward. I've noticed a little muscle loss in the calves and ankles since losing all the weight. I'm sure it's all connected. And I too slouch a little when I walk. I just assume it's the ghost of twinkies past hanging on my shoulders.

Youre a new man with a major surgey and a new metabolism. I know you're excited to get going on reinventing your body, but when you do, take it slow. Crawl, Walk, Run - it's the way of nature! When doc clears, you just ease into activity. Your body adapts to the stresses you put it under. It will take some time.

The raw veggies fill you up and satisfy your cravings. Avacado is a slider and whoops there it's gone! It wont help at all. I would avoid it until such time as you're a couple months post op and you can put it on top of some tasty grilled chicken!

I remember feeling extremely weak and feeble when I went back to working out. Take it easy. It'll be a couple months before you can push yourself. I found that when my daily calories increased, and i added more good carbs, I could do more in the gym. You do need carbs. But not at the expense of Protein of course.

Happy anniversary! You got to 30 years with the man, so there's nothing I can tell you that you dont already know. But when Im mad at my wife for all the dumb crap she does I try to return a small fraction of the grace she's given me for all my dumb crap. Sometimes you just gotta come right out and say "this is one of those times I need the princess treatment" for a guy to get it.

What's funny is he made a couple hundred bucks for that visit lol!

I don't know the science, but I know what happened to me. When I would drink after eating, I would get hungry right away again. I tested it enough to find the "right time". With solid foods (cube chicken), i gotta leave a good 30-40min before drinking. (I also drink too much too fast I think)

You didn't address the question of volume. When I was a coffee drinker I was drinking it nonstop, all day. And are you counting it into your Water total?

If time in your car is a weak time/place, then rethink your car. Stash good, healthy alternatives in the cupholder, arm-rest, back seat, under the visor. Then tape a picture of yourself at your heaviest to the steering wheel, along with a one sentence description of your reason for having WLS. Fight back! Plan ahead!

Don't just avoid your failure triggers, find your success triggers!

I know I'm capable of failure. I expect it in small doses. So I've planned accountability into my life, and put a net under the tightrope. That eases the fear from Defcon 5 to maybe Defcon 2. For me that looks like a wife who knows my dietary restrictions and select friends who keep tabs on me and encourage me. It also looks like financial commitments to sports leagues so I get my butt moving even if the gym isnt that appealing in the early AM. And its friends I've made on here, so when I get to work I check in with this community and I get WLS and proper diet and nutrition back to the front parts of my brain. I don't think I'll ever just accept that the weight is permanently gone. Nor do I think that's a bad thing.

OP: are you on a restricted calorie pre-op diet? Sounds to me like your body is going through chemical cravings for carbs. I felt that way too when I first started the pre-op diet. It was like detox from a powerful drug. And i had all these crazy thoughts. So Id take a big bite of bagel or ice cream, put it in my mouth, enjoy it, and spit it in the trash. Worked for me, to get through the carb-detox.

How much caffeine are you getting? That's not a good idea when you've got dehydrated poo clogging you up. Of course, I quit caffeine altogether and I have bad days, so it's no guarantee of success. Hmm other causes? Too much Calcium in your diet? Medications for depression or blood pressure? Dehydrated (I think you eliminated that - pardon the pun) Exercise helps too. Bounce on the treadmill for an hour a day and it might loosen things up for ya.

Call your doc again and let him know. Are you stressed out? Stress is another trigger that can bring me to a screeching halt.

This one's for the bodybuilders out there, or at least the fitness gurus that are very concerned about building or maintaining muscle mass. I'm considering starting a course of Glutamine and Creatine to aid and preserve my gains in the gym. Frankly, at 2.5 months out, I feel weak as hell. All my reading suggests this is a safe and effective path, in the right moderation of course. I've seen many threads on here where folks are using supplements to aid their workouts. But I'd like to consolidate and see what your full day looks like for supplementation - if you'd be so kind as to humor me. Me: whey isolate - 2x day B12 1x day Multivit 2x day Calcium & magnsium liquid 3x day Creatine (gym days) Glutamine (gym days) Thanks in advance! Jay

I had heard HMB was for recovery, but that was some time ago (when it just came out). But I wouldnt expect gains, just quicker turnaround and less soreness.

That got your attention! I just wanted to call out to everyone something that I missed. I read a post on here that said the Cookies and cream Quest bars are delicious and indeed theyre tasty. But when I started using them, my uh bathroom experiences became less enjoyable, to put it mildly. I take Fiber chewies and try to keep my dietary fiber up naturally as well. As I imagine many of you do. Well these bars clock in at over 20g of dietary fiber! Hence why I call them poo bombs. If you use them in your daily diet, you may want to scale back other fiber supplementation. Otherwise, I recommend miralax powder! Jay

I second the reflux idea. Are you on omeprazole or some acid blocker?

When the bad choice hits your tongue, spit it in the trash can! You got the flavor, no need to send it on down to sleeve-ville!

Way to go! Keep it up!

I just dont take the fiber chews now if I know I'm having a quest bomb. Seems to keep things moving ok without lighting the fuse!

I've never heard of that. I'd call your surgeon.