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bikrchk

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Everything posted by bikrchk

  1. I went for rice crackers (Nuthins, I think) as a first cracker. Get a lot of crunch with less carbs and less swelling up in my tummy. Still prefer rice crackers. Today I prefer Mary's Gone crackers, but wouldn't try those till you've been cleared for seeds and nuts.
  2. bikrchk

    Food Scale - do you really need one?

    I'll be 2 years out in Oct and used the scale religiously for the first year (in self defense as it HURTS to over do it). Still use it occasionally these days mostly for treats I tend to over indulge in to keep me honest.
  3. bikrchk

    Do you miss food?

    I really haven't had any problems. I can eat pretty much whatever I like in moderation which is truly freeing! Can I eat whatever I want every day? No, of course not, but as long as I balance my week, and move my body regularly, I lost and now for over a year, maintain, just fine!. I tend to go light several days during the week so I have some party wiggle room on the weekends. Works for me!
  4. It's harder early on, and by early on, I mean for at least the first six months to a year. Early on, I was still figuring our what I tolerated and how much. Today it's less about WHAT than how much. I tolerate everything pretty well unless it's massive amounts of sugar and sometimes red wine. In self defense I tend to eat smaller when I'm out than I do at home when I'm more clear on the content of what I'm putting in. My trouble almost always comes in the form of too much volume and as long as I take it slowly, I can typically stop before I create big problems.
  5. I'm 5'6" and started at 235 (my consult weight). Surgery was about 1 month later, (I'd lost like 13 for preop liver cleanse). From the date of surgery, I hit goal range in about 9 months for a total of 90ish pounds and have maintained in range for 1 year now.
  6. bikrchk

    Unsolicited Online Dating Advice

    @@OKCPirate is so, so right! Online dating is a numbers game! Ladies, if you're in it for the first time, learn to "date like a man". Meet as many people as you can and try not to take it too seriously in the beginning. First "dates" are interviews. Protect your personal information. Once they have your phone number, they can find the rest easily, so save that for someone you want to see regularly. I had probably 25 first date rejects for every second date. Mostly it was by my or mutual choice, but occasionally by his. Try not to let it sting when that happens. It's just feedback. It was exhausting. And fun! An a huge confidence builder! It took 9 months and probably 50 meets before embarking on my first long term relationship since my divorce. So go out. A lot! Be careful and enjoy the ride!
  7. bikrchk

    NSV shout outs

    Weekend motorcycle trip last weekend. Forgot my swimsuit. The swimsuit I got at a specialty swimsuit store and struggled over for HOURS when I hit goal range last year to choose. Walked into Walmart and bought a cheap bikini top and board shorts right off the rack without trying on. Brought them back to the hotel and OMG THEY FIT! (Well, I overestimated sizing a bit on the shorts, but they worked except when I dove in the about came off)! The point is Walmart swim top, (bikini swim top no less) off the shelf and it didn't look half bad!
  8. bikrchk

    Sleeve or Lap Band?

    I personally chose sleeve over bypass as I had a ballpark of 100 pounds to lose. No more and high blood sugar, but not full blown diabetes. I was looking to avoid complications more commons to bypass patients like vitamin deficiencies and dumping. The band was not even a consideration as I have too many friends who've had major issues from poor weight loss results to the inability to eat dense protein, outright failure, prolapse, rejection and damage to their stomach. Plus, the idea of having the thing filled for the rest of my like... ewww.
  9. I'm a little surprised by the Water (drink only when thirsty) and alcohol (it's okay in moderation after 4 weeks) advice, but other than that, I think the calorie advice is spot on and instructions to advance your diet as you are comfortable after 4 weeks was kind of the same speech I got. I was told that as far as causing damage by food choice I was out of the woods by 4 weeks anyway. Yes, separate solids and liquids, but get as much water as you can tolerate. As for alcohol, I drink in moderation and probably drank too soon at about 3 months. Not that it bothered me, but I probably didn't need the extra calories. After being in maintenance for a year, alcohol is the first thing to go when I bounce outside my range even a little.
  10. bikrchk

    I'm 21 and freaking out!

    The first thing I tried was a Bloody Mary. It was HUGE and it ended up being dinner (a 2 hour dinner), it made me so full! No, the spice didn't bother me. Today, I love a skinny Margarita if I can get it, (the 10 cal mixer kind), or (lite) cranberry and vodka. IF I do beer, it has to be Guinness as it's barely carbonated. We're not supposed to do carbonation post WLS anyway and I find I just CAN'T do diet soda as a mixer anymore (I miss Captain and Diet Coke) or most beer as they make me very uncomfortable.
  11. bikrchk

    I'm 21 and freaking out!

    Look, I get it. I drank A LOT in college, got married, settled down, got fatter and miserable in said marriage, got divorced, had WLS and got healthy and in my late 40's re-established my social life, (lots of dates=lots of bars\concerts\restaurants). I am having my second "young adulthood" now for sure! So... I waited maybe 8 months before I really started drinking regularly again. I did this to maximize my weight loss and because I was literally, "a light weight" now. In maintenance now for about a year, I can tell you that alcohol is the thing that puts weight on me faster than ANYTHING. Not just the calories in the alcohol, but the munchies and reduction in impulse control for the next 24 hours is a KILLER for me. I would be the last person to tell you you must go alcohol free to be successful. I opt for partying no more than 2 days per week now to control my weight, (but I may be drunk one of those 2 days, ;-o). I've also been known to go out and drink Water (yeah, that stuff in the toilet as the BF calls it), if I've gained a bit. I LIKE my size 4 Rock Revival skinny jeans more than booze. You have to decide what it is you want more, is it to be healthy and fit? Or drunk and fat? Life's all about choices!
  12. I drink a cup of coffee with protein powder as creamer every morning. I drink socially a couple times per week, but I have to be really careful with those calories. That is the first thing that has to go if I gain a couple of pounds. It can happen FAST if you're not paying attention!
  13. I'm surprised you CAN over eat at 4 weeks out. It was a year before I stopped puking when I over did it occasionally. Even at 1.8 years out, if there's too much, the "too much" is at least coming up. As far as the "wasting food" mentality goes, I had someone tell me this one time and it really made an impression... "Your body is not a garbage disposal" Don't be concerned with leaving food behind.
  14. bikrchk

    Occasional indulging!

    I did "splurge" as you say occasionally all the way thru my loss phase and did just fine. Entered maintenance and maintained easily for 6 months, but now I'm struggling a little. I put on 5, take off 4. That said, it's summer and I to have a beer\skinny margarita now again and my social life is much more active than it used to be :-). My workout schedule is regular, but it seems like I'm just a couple of pounds over where I want to be right now, and I'm working new ways to be successful in maintenance. So, I've adopted kind of a "weekends off" schedule for food indulgence. I keep it light 5 days per week (shake for Breakfast, salad for lunch, Protein bar snack, sensible high protein dinner, no alcohol) to allow a little more flexibility on the weekends. For me, cutting any one thing out entirely is not the way I want to live. I just need to maintain the appropriate balance!
  15. bikrchk

    What is your cocktail?

    I take non-bariatric Vitamins. Started out with Centrum chewables and everything else I could get in chewable\dissovalble form then switched to pills about 4 months out. Here is the cocktail: AM multivitamin B12 (I got to quit the B12 as mine is high, but it was part of the prescription) D3 Biotin Fishoil Multistrain probiotic Omeprazone Noon Chewable iron+C (Went back to a chewable +C to help promote absorption as I was a little low at last check) PM Multivitamin Fishoil Omeprazole Time release calcium (started on the Caltrate chews 3x per day)
  16. bikrchk

    Drinking Diet Soda

    I was addicted to Coke Zero preop. Took me 6 months to wean off the caffeine alone. Like everyone here I was schooled that carbonation is bad for the sleeve (reasons may vary). We know now that artificial sweeteners can cause problems as well. Did I try diet soda again anyway, yup. But it made me very uncomfortable, so that first try was my last I think. :-) Just made me feel all bloaty and yukky. I tried the Mio Water and didn't really care for it, but have fallen in love with TrueLemon products. Basically powered lemon and stevia, it doesn't give me a bad belly and doesn't cause me to crave sweets\carbs which I believe traditional sweeteners do to me. So I EVER do carbonation, occasionally, if I can find a Guinness Draft, (it's probably the most lightly carbonated beer on the market, though it is heavy), I can get about half down before it gets hot and I do enjoy that, but there are days even that fills me up too much!
  17. bikrchk

    daily carbs limit

    Not really. I was given a Protein goal of 83g per day. I calculate a 1000-1200 calorie day (for weight loss, more for maintenance) in MFP balancing the other macros around the protein goal.
  18. bikrchk

    Weight Watchers Post Surgery

    I did. I lost 90 pounds to my goal range, maintained it well for about a year then kind of started struggling to maintain a bit. I'd put on 5 and really struggle to get it off and wanted to maybe take off another 10 anyway. I found it a good way to refocus, however, their program does not lend its self to the high Protein diet we are prescribed as WLS patients. Their program favors many "zero point foods" that have very little protein. When you're already near goal you don't get many points to begin with so I found myself allocating more than half of my daily points in protein supplements leaving little for "food". I found it easier to just do what I did early after surgery... Protein shake for Breakfast, Quest bar for lunch, another for a snack if I need it followed by a sensible dinner. Log it all in MFP and keep between 1000-1200 calories. If I do that a few days per week I can lose a little weight back to where I belong. With 50 pounds to go, you'll have more points to begin with so your experience may be different, but I found it just doesn't work well for me anymore.
  19. bikrchk

    Will we have to low carb for ever?

    I guess... but I've never really "counted" carbs in this process. I measure my Protein intake and calories, (in the beginning to make sure I got enough calories, now to make sure I don't go too far over). I find if I'm eating protein first and getting my 80+g per day, I don't have room for or even want much else. Do I splurge on carbs now and then, yes, absolutely, but 80% of the time I'm protein first.
  20. bikrchk

    Vitamin overdoses and underdoses

    My B12 was high as well and I got to quit taking the extra B12 supplement! Others were mostly okay other than Iron sat being a bit low even while taking iron supplements alone as directed. Had been a bit tired. Changed that up to a chewable iron with C. Feeling less tired now. Level will get re-checked in a few months. Hopefully that will absorb a bit better. Yup... Get your blood tests and know your #'s! Even if you're compliant, you never know and could head off issues before they become problems!
  21. I do work out when I'm fatigued, I just don't work it "hard" like I do on a typical day. My schedule is, if it's a work day, I get up an hour early (that's 4:30AM peeps)! and spend at least 50 minutes on my stationary bike. On a normal day I do hill intervals on about level 15-18. Several days per week I add some push ups and crunches to the mix. If I'm tired, fatigued, have a cold, whatever, I may do a flat course around level 10 instead. I still try to go for the same amount of time, I just don't work it as hard. For me not breaking the habit is key. That said, I did have a few weeks over the holidays where I was really sick and skipped a couple of days here and there. I think I felt worse when I skipped than I do when work it "light".
  22. I'm a year and 10 months out and gained 5 outside my goal of 145 that I'd been maintaining for 1 year. I've returned to basics... journaling food and exercise, cranking up my exercise intensity, (I never stopped exercising, but let the intensity fall). Cut back on the alcohol and treats, etc and I'm finally back to the top end of goal. Now working on getting of 10 pounds to put me a bit below goal (still well withing normal BMI) and allow for some wiggle room. Cutting out as much processed crap as I can, trying to keep between 1000-1200 calories per day, exercising 5x per week, getting my 75+g of Protein every day. It's working, but it's slow. Fix my head and my relationship with food? Nope. It's still a fight. Every damn day.
  23. Lunch meat wrapped around a string cheese stick PB and J on P28 protein toast (when I'm REALLY lazy) 1 egg with a slice of cheese 4-6 Chick Filet nuggets Scoop of cottage cheese with a Delmote mango cup 1/4 to 1/2 c of home made chili Any higher protein pasta (Torrent or a quinoa pasta) with meat sauce Lettuce wraps (found a recipe that's like PF Chang's) BLT lettuce wraps
  24. bikrchk

    Acid Help?

    I had to double up on the omeparzole form 40 mg 1xday (tried taking it at night but it just wasn't enough), to 2xday. Now I only have issues when I do red wine, or REALLY bad food.

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