Kindle

@@BLERDgirl Well said....and nothing more to say. I'm outa here.

My surgeon never gave me calorie limits or goals. I also didn't count carbs or fat. Just made sure I got at least 60g Protein, 64oz Fluid and all of my Vitamins. I had no idea what my calories were on a daily basis. I simply ate when I was hungry, ate till satisfied, not full. Protein first, then veggies. I spot checked my calorie intake a couple times along the way, but never let it control what or how I ate. I was more concerned with being healthy and happy. Once I reached my surgeon's weight goal (at 6 months) I added in more fruit and whole grains. And I still lost another 22 pounds! It's a very simple, normal "diet" and very easy to stick to. The way I feel as well as my bloodwork confirms I am healthy as a horse. However, this was MY experience and likely will not be the same as yours. There are dozens of ways to succeed with the sleeve, but I have never heard of any that include the scenario your surgeon is proposing.

I'm pretty close to your stats... 12 1/2 months out and 102 pounds down. I went home for the holidays and ate like crap...sweets, bread, potatoes, rice, more sweets, fried food, alcohol and more sweets. I made a lame ass attempt to get in all my Protein by drinking a protein smoothie everyday, but seriously, it was a bad week. The thing is I totally planned for it. I knew I couldn't resist my mom's yummy cooking so I didn't even try. I ate guilt free, knowing it would only last a week. When I got back I stepped on the scale and had gained 4 pounds. Since I was still jonesin for sweets I immediately detoxed the sugar out of my system by doing protein and veggies ONLY for a week. Then went back to "normal" eating, which was easier since that first week flushed out my sugar cravings. I lost the 4 pounds by the end of the second week. I think this is what you may have to do. Draw on whatever mental strength that got you through the preop and postop diets. Get rid of the Cookies and anything else you shouldn't be eating. If it's not in the house you can't graze on it. Stick STRICKLY to protein, healthy fat and veggies. Keep a Water bottle with you at all times. Drink everytime you want to eat. Drown yourself in fluids. Do you have any "before" pictures? Hang them on the fridge. Put your gym bag in your car. Go straight there either before or after work. Look for different protein options at the grocery store or deli. Explore new recipes. Transfer your desire to graze to preparing and tasting new high protein healthy foods. You can do this!

Thanks for the great idea @@VSGAnn2014 . I've been looking for a New Years resolution.... For the first time in my life I don't need to lose weight and like @@proudgrammy and Mary Poppins, I'm practically perfect in every other way. For me it's the posts from people that are too lazy to use the search function and keep asking the same questions that have been answered a hundred times that drive me batshitcrazy. And considering I'm on here almost every day, I'm thinking BP has become my cross addiction. So I'm gonna try really hard to ignore and not reply to these annoying posts. And it looks like I may need another cervical vertebral fusion, so maybe I'll go bug the folks on the spine-health.com forums to help wean me off these boards. ???? But in the case of this thread, it's obvious the author's doctor is a moron, but at least it's an original post!

So with what Elode provided, I would guess your kidney stones are just a coincidence...not a result of your VSG. Unless you are not drinking enough. Or drinking too much of the wrong thing. I have a friend that had recurring kidney stones until they figured out he was drinking WAY too many sports drinks. They were causing the stones. He switched to water and hasn't had any problems since.

I'd go ahead and start the Prilosec (20-40mg/day). But also know that Prilosec can take a couple days to really kick in. Something like famotidine or even Maaloxx is a lot faster-acting. I was on 40mg omeprazole for 2 months (mandatory by my surgeon wether we had acid symptoms or not because it just creates a better healing environment for our staple line). And even with that I would feel "hunger" like you describe. A couple tablespoons of Maaloxx stopped the hunger. If that doesn't work, maybe you are really hungry, so go ahead and eat something. Hell, I usually eat 6 times a day because I'm hungry every 2-3 hours.

Ditto. My college "fat friend" got a lap band several years ago. Of course I was envious of her weight loss, but I was also happy for her. In the end, she was part of my inspiration to get WLS. I've now lost way more weight than her (she has serious self sabotage issues and is very good at cheating her band) and although she mostly has encouraging words for me, There have been some comments that reveal that she is jealous. I don't take these comments personally because I know they stem from her disappointment in herself. I make it a point not to make my success a focal point of conversations. I simply encourage and support her and hope she will some day overcome her struggles. @@Big Mama I hope your friend can overcome her insecurities and become the friend you deserve. In the meantime, invite her to join you in your postop diet plan to jumpstart her weightloss and maybe even set up a workout routine you can both participate in.

I've had the "two for one" comment from a friend's mom who's had a facelift and is looking at a boob job. I told her if she paid both halves I'm all in!

Mine were VERY helpful in helping ease the pain of canceling my membership the "Clean Plate Club". They became founding members of the new "Leave 4 bites....1 For Each Dog Club" (that includes my two dogs, plus my roommate's two dogs)

I did not have an appetite for about 3 months, two of which were because I was on a medication that made me nauseous. As soon as I stopped the medication, I was hungry. But even with no appetite I was getting 500-800 calories. Since then I have always eaten at least every 2-3 hours because that's how often I'm hungry. And that's with getting 3-4x the calories you are talking about. But a tiny bit satisfies and I move on. You can't possibly expect the sleeve to stop your body from feeling hunger. Even with the reduction in gherlin (which, BTW is produced in other parts of the body) the fatigue, low blood sugar, weakness, cognitive disfunction and depression as a result of a 300-400 calorie diet is your body's way of saying I'M HUNGRY!!! I guess my suggestion is to do more research to see exactly what VSG is all about. And obviously look at the many many ways you can be successful postop. And DEFINITELY get a second opinion from another Bariatric surgeon. If yours is proposing a year of 300-400 calorie restriction, he certainly doesn't seem to have much real life experience with VSG patients. And he obviously has no interest in your wellbeing. Believe me, what he is proposing is not possible. Go ahead, try it for two weeks, see how you feel and then multiply by 25. Having part of your stomach removed doesn't negate your body's nutritional requirements (not to mention the mental part of it). Like someone else on here said, the initial 6-12 months postop should be spent learning how to eat healthy and establishing new habits that will last a lifetime. It's not about torturing your mind and body or to see just how fast you can lose weight. On the other hand, if malabsorption is what you are looking for, then find another surgeon that will do the procedure you want.

@Best. My question is, why? You asked to hear from others that have eaten below 300 calories for a year, and obviously there are none. As you can see by the many examples, VSG patients lose and maintain a significant weight loss (for me over 100% excess weight) on 800-1500 calories. Why would your doctor (or perhaps this is your idea) suggest and support a 300-400 calorie diet for that long? You've already heard all the angles of why this is unhealthy, so I would like to hear the reasoning behind why this is a good plan and what the benefits would be compared to all of the other postop diet plans that include 2-3x the caloric intake. (Personally, I think if you had the willpower to maintain such a diet, you certainly don't need surgery.....your sleeve will be no help in maintaining that kind of regimen)

137. Lost all 4 holiday pounds!

Congrats! Glad to hear you are doing so well.

My sister is a Starbucksaholic so we spent a lot of time up there. Walked up there a couple times/day. I bought decaf herbal tea bags at Walmart and just got hot water at Starbucks. My sister ordered her thing and sometimes got one of the delectable pastries from the Walmart bakery (seriously, it's huge) and we lounged around in the sunshine by the koi pond. We even saw Santa Claus one day!

Exactly! Your money goes directly to the animals (and those that care for them) rather than a CEO and expensive television commercials. And @ is right, a lot of times they could use certain items or even your skills (Computer entry, phone calls, handyman/repair, lawn mowing, snow plowing, cleaning, laundry, volunteering at adoption events or fund raisers, socializing/training animals, etc) if you don't have spare cash.

Cottage cheese mixed with Muscle Milk cake batter Protein powder makes a killer cheesecake. Super simple and loaded with protein. I also make ice cream from protein powders, milk, Greek yogurt and Torani syrup.... Muscle Milk Red Velvet cake with caramel syrup; chocolate Protein Powder with English toffee syrup, vanilla protein powder with pureed bananas and crush walnuts.... To name a few. Again, super easy and loaded with protein.

I didn't have bread until I met goal (about 6 months out). Even now I only eat a few pita chips or make a sandwich using 1/2 sandwich thin a couple times/month. I've had subway a couple times and I remove the top half of the bun and can eat about 1/2 of a 6" sub. I love bagels and French bread but haven't had either in over a year. I know they are just a waste of limited tummy space with little nutritional value.

Oh boy, putting a horse down is a whole other story. It's hard to explain if you don't have horses, but it's a different kind of relationship than with our dogs and cats. Perhaps it's because we literally trust them with our own lives every time we ride. And I'm sorry about your Aussie. Kidney failure is awful and not something that can be "fixed". But 15...that's great!

Sorry for your loss....Thank you for everything you do, both for our country and the animals.

@@SuperDave ....cute! And I love the name. To everyone.... As a vet tech, I know how hard it is to go through losing a pet. Not only have I personally gone through it many times myself, but I go through it everytime we have to put a patient down. It's truly heartbreaking, no matter what the circumstances. But in the end, I know it's harder for us than it is for them. In most cases we are relieving or preventing pain and suffering. Unfortunately our pain of losing them doesn't go away that easily. And as if I don't get enough of it at work, I am on the board of directors of our local shelter. My vet and I volunteer our time out there and we sponsor a golf tournament fund raiser every year. Unfortunately we also have to sometimes make tough decisions when medical or behavior problems risk the well being of the shelter animals. So I want to thank all of you who open your homes and hearts to any shelter animal. Losing a pet is so hard and it takes a special person to keep coming back for more! (And like Bob Barker says...."remember to spay and neuter your pets"!) Sorry, I didn't mean to get so sappy, but this is an important issue to me. The furry kids we lose deserve to be remembered and can never be replaced. I miss Belle like crazy, and there's no one to snuggle with on the right side of my bed (Abraham prefers to sleep on my left). But for today I am happy to share the newest addition to my family! Too bad Abraham isn't excited...he hates Isaac. But Belle hated Abe at first, too, so I'm sure he'll get over it.

I either split an entree with someone or order whatever looks good (and healthy) myself, eat what I can and take home the leftovers. Sometimes I just get an empty plate and nibble off everyone else's entrees. Everyone is happy to share and I chip in an equal portion of the bill. Sometimes appetizers are not high fat/carbs. I went out with friends last week and ordered the 1/4 pound steamed shrimp appetizer with cocktail sauce. Probably the highest/purest protein item on the menu.

Yes, I got mine on Amazon for like $16. Or you may check with a local medical supply store or pharmacy. I used it every day preop as per Dr. Jimenez's instructions. I actually increased my functional lung capacity by 500ml before surgery. Took it with me to use down there and continued postop for a couple weeks.

Good luck. I hope you find something that works. I actually had high calcium and iron at 6 months, so I stopped taking those supplements. I'm getting my 12 month labs done on Tuesday, so will see if I have to make any changes.

Ditto to what everyone said. 300-400 calories is extremely unhealthy. You will be starving your body of vital nutrients. This is the first time I have ever heard of such a postop regimen. If your Bariatric team wants you on that kind of restriction, why bother with surgery? You will lose way too much, too quickly, and be malnourished. But to answer your questions..... I am 12 1/2 months out from surgery. I started at 238 pounds. (BMI 40). I have lost over 100% of my excess body weight. My surgeon used a 32Fr Bougie and oversews the staple line to make a very tight sleeve. No idea what % of my stomach that ended up being. I had no appetite for the first 3-4 months, but my hunger returned in full force by 6 months. I noticed a decrease in restriction around 8-10 months, but has stayed the same since then. At this point it's all about controlling head hunger. I was consuming over 500 calories within the first month and 1000 calories by 4 months postop. Passed my surgeon's goal (160) at 6 months and upped my calories to 1200. I passed my personal goal of 150 (BMI 25) at 7 months and have been maintaining at 140 pounds (BMI 23) on 1400-1600 calories for the past 4 months. I still drink a large Protein smoothie everyday to meet my 64oz Fluid and 60-80g protein requirements.

Nuts have all sorts of "rules", but in most cases they have never actually gone through Bariatric surgery themselves so WTH do they know! Not everyone fits into their textbook guidelines of healing, tolerance, weight loss goals, etc. Just figure out what works for you and go with that. Your body, your journey, your rules.