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It is my feeling that following a low carb diet will help maximize weight loss. Here is what I was told about carbs: Early Bariatric patients should keep carbs at low levels; under 50 while at the liquid and soft foods stage. Staying this low for too long will slow weight loss, cause muscle loss and loss of hair For maximum weight loss, keep carbs at 50-85 grams per day while on full diet. carbs should come from foods in their natural state: almonds, fruit, yogurt etc. You will need to add carbs for energy as you increase exercise levels Once at maintenance levels, carbs can be at 85-125 gram range. Fat storage begins to occur in the 125-300 gram range I have followed this guideline the last ten months, increasing calories as needed. I also try to keep Protein levels at 40% of calories, Carbs 30% and Fat 30%.

Everyone has a feeling about Protein shakes. Should I or shouldn't I? Some people won't be able to drink them because they don't like the taste or prefer not to drink them. But Protein Shakes consisting of whey protein isolate are almost universally recommended as a post surgery liquid diet for bariatric patients. Why is this? They are a great source of protein needed by the body to heal and help with the transition to a regular diet. They are real food. They are milk based and Whey is a byproduct of cheese production If you do a little research you will see that there is a difference in content of whey protein products. Whey Protein Isolate has the highest percent protein content and is the fastest absorbed by the body. It also helps with retaining and building muscle. That is why it is recommended by NUT's post surgery. Whey protein, Whey concentrate and Protein supplements are different products used in different ways. I have no problem with people trying to ge protein needs without shakes, I would not be able to meet my protein needs on a daily basis without having a Protein shake. Mostly because I can't eat that much food. My NUT is in full agreement.

1. No More BP medication, pre diabetes or CPAP. 2. Being able to shop in regular stores instead of the "Big and Tall" catalogue. I am wearing sizes from 30 years ago! 3. Looking forward to increased daily activity and exercise. Walking, hiking and kayaking with my wife has been great! i planted a vegetable garden this spring for the first time in ages! Oh, the skinny sex is great!

I will start my comments by saying that you should be following the guideline set up by your NUT or surgeon. It is really important for healing and helping your stomach transition to a full menu of foods. While in the liquid phase I ate between 450-600 calories. During soft foods it went up to 600-800. Once I got to phase four and could eat anything I was usually 800-1000 calories. At 8 months out I am now eating 1100-1200 calories a day. I needed to add additional carbs via some whole grains into my diet as I needed the energy for exercise. I have had steady weight loss and have upped calories as my level of exercise has increased or weight loss slowed. A month ago, at my 6 month followup, the NUT was very pleased with the calorie progression. Both the NUT and surgeon thought I would probably end up around a 1400 calorie maintenance level, assuming my activity level is constant. Since two months post surgery I have eaten 3 meals and two Snacks every day. At this time I can eat approximately 4 ounces of Protein and another ounce or two of vegetables or fruit at a meal.

I also use a protein shake every day. I like starting the day with 30+ grams of protein. You made a good choice with Unjury. They are a great quality whey protein isolate and guarantee ingredients to be "China Free". By the way my favorite is the Chocolate Splendor

What stage diet are you in? If liquids only my NUT had me drinking 4 ounces of protein shake every even hour of the day and 4 ounces of fluid every odd hour of the day. This helped me get in the required amounts of protein and fluids. Protein and fluid intake are the most important things to help you recovery post surgery

I am not sure about the headache but you can get light headed when you start to become dehydrated. Check to see that you are getting 64 ounces of fluids as a minimum every day. Not enough carbs can also cause you to be light headed

HW 362 SW 320 CW 223 TPL 139 TGP 133 1 pound lost this week!

Hello I was sleeved on 122/23/13. Start weight was 362, surgery weight was 320 and current weight is 223. I am 6'3 and 58 years old. Eight months post surgery. I am eating 1100-1200 calories a day. Currently I am doing cardio, mostly elliptical and walking. I start at the gym next week, need to step up the strength training and will probably need to up calories and carbohydrates. I do drink a Protein shake each morning, and eat 3 meals and usually 2 Snacks a day. I try to focus on dense protein at meal time as this keeps me satisfied for 3-4 hours at a time. My weight loss has been steady, with no stalls that I remember. I think the reason for that is I would increase calories every time weight loss slowed down. At three weeks post op I was still on a liquid diet due to a complication. My surgeon defined soft foods as anything I could completely chew to mush. I ate a lot of fish and seafood early on. Now I can eat anything I want, just in smaller quantities. i don't think I had any hair loss, but didn't really notice anyway! Sounds like you are off to a great start! Keep up the good work!

Great job! keep up the good work.

I am taking a low dose aspirin (81mg) every day.I did have a blood clot and took Coumadin for six months. Both the surgeon and the PCP told me to keep doing this. I've had no issues.

Thanks Richard. You know I've had some good success so far. I have stuck to my program religiously, except for some occasional alcohol (guilty pleasure). Weight loss has been steady, but slowed as of the last few weeks. I think I have more weight to lose but not sure. It sure would be nice if we knew where the weight loss would end. I do track everything, but that works well for me. I dont think that maintenance eating will be very different than how I eat today. I have really tried to look at this as a lifestyle change that I needed to make and I am completely comfortable with avoiding some foods that are not good for me.

I started at 362 pounds one year ago. I lost 42 pounds before surgery on 12/23/13. I have lost a total of 139 pounds. Current weight is 223. My initial goal was 2230 pounds, but feel like I have more weight to loose.Weight is still coming off but at a much slower pace.

My sleeve surgery was on 12/23/13. Two weeks after surgery I developed a DVT which travelled and became a Pulmonary Embolism. I spent two weeks in UMass Medical center, one of which was in Cardiac ICU. Doctors told me it was the largest PE they had seen. I was a lucky guy but one of my criteria was to have the surgery at a center of excellence that was equipped with everything necessary to help me if I had complications. UMass Medical Center in Worcester, Ma was that facility and more. Can't say enough about the Doctors, staff and level of care I received as part of the treatment and recovery. The complications were reviewed with me prior and the surgeon had no record of issues. Nor did I. I was not predisposed to developing clots, It just happened. At my six month visit the surgeon told me that based on my DVT occurrence, he had changed the protocols to include blood thinners before surgery for every patient. Given all that, I would do it again. In most cases, you can not predict if a complication will occur to you. You have to be aware and make the decision if surgery is worth the risk. For me, I have too much living ahead of me. I want to be around to see my grandchildren and to grow old with my wife. The risk of surgery was well worth it !

Based on my experience the feeling of nausea will pass. I had a nauseous feeling for about the first month when taking the chewable vitamins. I ended up mixing the vitamins with water or protein shake to get them down. I too had Opurity. Now I look forward to them, very tasty!

You look terrific!! Congratulations!

Hi Richard. Congratulations on your success! Terrific achievement! So your comments raise some of the questions that I am pondering for my self. I am 6'3 and weigh 223 pounds. I have lost about 140 pounds and I am 8 months out from surgery. I have started to think about where my weight should be and what will be the settling point. I asked numerous support folks: when will I know know how much weight loss is enough? The consistent answer I receive is that your body will tell you when it has lost enough weight and settles into a comfortable range. You said you have some opportunities with proper eating, you also work out regularly. The routine of regular exercise could be making up for the eating opportunities. Something else to consider: are you reaching the time when you should be thinking about maintenance? The bottom line is that I think you have to be comfortable with where you are and what you have achieved. If you are, then maintenance might be the solution. If not, look closely at where you can realistically make some changes to get where you want to be Continue the success!

Hi Kitty Your feelings are pretty normal right out of surgery. The best way to get rid of gas pain is to walk it off. You are doing te right thing. I had a difficult time with liquid or Water intake until my NUT made the following suggestion: On the even hours, starting at 8am, drink 4 ounces of Protein shake out of a small Dixie cup On the odd hours, starting at 9am, drink 4 ounces of water or liquid out of a small Dixie cup Continue all day until you meet protein and liquid goals i found this easier to do than trying to drink a glass or bottle of Fluid in any one sittine. It also spread the protein intake throughout the day. Worked well for me it does get better!

Great job!

My surgeon had ne bring the CPAP machine to the hospital. They even checkd it out to make sure it was working properly. This makes sense because we are all using a CPAP for a reason. It is true that with enough weight loss you made not need the machine, or you may need adjustments to the air flow. I have lost 140 pounds and according to my wife, I no longer snore. However, I was told that I will need another sleep study to confirm that I no longer need the machine.

I am eight months post surgery. I can eat or drink most anything I want. My protein is still about 4 ounces at any one time, which is about the size of the palm of my hand. I use a baby fork, mostly to remind me to take small portions and chew thoroughly. On the occasion that I have made a wrap, using low carb wraps, I can take a normal bite. I intentionally take smaller bites to remind myself to eat slowly.

I would bet that the hunger is a head hunger. If you had the sleeve, the physical desire for hunger will be gone foe some time. The part of your stomach that produces gremlin, the hunger hormone, was removed. The stomach will compensate and the sensation will return. It varies for each person how long it will take. I have just begun to feel hungry eight months out from surgery. I don't know how you are taking Protein and fluids; you might want to try alternating 4 oz of Protein shake and 4 oz of Water on alternating hours all day long.i struggled with Fluid intake right after surgery. It helped me with being on a liquid only diet for four weeks

Hello Adam It sounds like you are off to a good start but having some of the normal anxieties of an early post op patient. i don't think your support structure would lie to you. They have a lot of experience in dealing with WLS patients. That being said everyone is different. Listening to these posts you will get a range of experiences and opinions. I am eight months out and can tell you that everything will get better with time. I did not have many gas issues. What little gas pain I had in the beginning was helped my moving around as much as possible. It is a good thing that you are walking. Take it easy but do a little more each day. The only time I have issues with burping is when I eat too fast. This is something I am continually working on. One suggestion made to me early was to not try and drink a whole shake at once rather alternate 4 ounces of shake and 4 ounces of water every other hour. This really helped me get in all fluids and protein early on. You hit the alcohol question right on the head. You will be able to drink, but should you? As a young guy there will be a lot of temptations. Alcohol contains a lot of sugar and empty calories. I can tell you that I do have an occasional drink. I had my first one around 4 months post surgery. Beer has carbonation and does not go down well for me, neither does red wine because of the tannins. I will have a vodka and light lemonade or a glass of bourbon once in a great while. Probably half a dozen drinks in the last 4 months. Some people are concerned about drinking because they may get drunk faster than before, on less alcohol, or they are worried about transferring their food addiction to alcohol. You will have to know when to stop. For me, I will have a drink in a social setting, when I am at dinner with friends. But it is usually only one. Actually, as my weight loss has progressed and I am closer to my goals, I have less reasons to want to drink.

I slept on a recliner the first week. After that I moved to our bed and tried to sleep on my back.It was tough as I am normally a side sleeper

HW 362 SW 320 CW 224 TPL 138 TGP 132 1 pound lost this week!