SnohoGal98296

Hi Everyone, OK on my 2nd month follow-up appt my Doctor tells me about this Protein shake recipe she has and that she just loves because it reminds her of a Creamsicle (I grew up in California so I had to tell her that we called them 50/50 bars), you know vanilla Ice Cream with an orange sherbet shell. She was recommending it because it has added Fiber to keep you regular, something that helps both pre and post op! I decided to try it today because I had all of the ingredients at home: 8 oz of 1% Milk 1 scoop of Vanilla Protein powder (I am a Syntrax nectar Sweets Girl - so mine is Vanille Bean Torte) 1 heaping tablespoon Citrucel sugar free SmartFiber(This is the orange flavor) I put this in my shaker bottle and went to town, and then I did what I do every morning, transferred it to an insulated travel cup filled with ice. Now in hindsight this would also be great in the blender with the ice all blended in - but I am telling you that on my drive into work this morning I was in 50/50 bar heaven! I highly recommend this to everyone if you are looking for that citrus vanilla yumminess for your next Protein shake - try it with whatever flavor of Vanilla protein shake mix you have on hand! I might try it with Water tomorrow to see if the calories can be decreased - here is what MFP says are the stats for the shake as described above with 1% Milk (could be tried with water or nonfat or almond milk) Calories 234 Protein 33g Carbs 13g Fiber 2g Sugar 12 (from the Milk) Fat 3 1% Milk is 110 cals, 9g of protein, 13g of Carbs, 12g of Sugar and 3g of Fat - so I am definitely trying this with water or unsweetened almond milk vanilla next time!

I totally understand - I felt the same way - you are on day 6, have you lost any weight? I really crossed that bridge when I noticed I had lost 7 pounds in a week. It really helped my motivation. If you must eat something, have another shake, or sugar free popsicles (I was allowed SF popsicles). Are you on 3-4 shakes plus a small meal (my instructions were 300 calories or less, like a lean cuisine)? or just plain liquids? When I got really crazy I would grab a Water and go for a walk. My liquid diet was 10 days - how about you? Just keep thinking about the upcoming surgery - I was worried that they would be angry with me if I messed up too! But all was good in the long run. My biggest tip for the day before would be to drink drink drink water or zero calorie non-carbonated beverages - I was so nervous I didn't drink as much I could have and my surgery time was 12pm, and with nothing by mouth after midnight the night before I was so dehydrated that they had a hard time finding a vein at surgery time. I ended up with the IV in an odd spot near my wrist and it was so annoying! Anyways - hang in there - you will make it, this is just a few days to the rest of your life with a healthier body!! Oops - just saw this was in the Men's room - sorry! The new content page really should make that more obvious - didn't mean to sneak in ;-D

Wow! I can't believe they said you would never enjoy a meal again - was this coordinator trying to scare you away? Amazing! I am three months out and I enjoy most, if not all of my meals. In fact I can look at a restaurant menu and choose what is the best option for me - no rice, no potatoes, etc. I have had some amazing meals, and the best part? I get to have the leftovers for lunch for a few days afterwards. Even meal planning at home is just as good if not better than pre-surgery. the foods I eat today just plain taste better - fresh vegetables, less fat and sugar. The flavors are more intense and just real, if you know what I mean. Before I might have eaten a ton of Pasta and rich sauces with bread and salad - then I would spend the next few hours berating myself - today I pick what is good for me, no soft white breads, no refined pasta, and enjoy yummy fresh salad with little or no dressing and zucchini spirals (noodles) with a no sugar added tomato sauce and turkey sausage - for example. Don't believe that coordinator - they are just plain wrong!!

Update - I have also tried the shake with all water, it still tastes good, don't get me wrong, but the method with 1% milk is the best, with half milk half water it is still pretty darn good, and with all water - it is good but doesn't hold up to the milk method. I will try it next time with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.

Hi, my tummy made noises every drink or bite from day 1, it is similar to an empty stomach growl but with the added bonus of bubble type noses traveling up the throat (not burps, wish I was burping back then), doesn't hurt, in fact the noises made me feel like it was relieving some the early uncomfortableness of eating new foods. Now that I am about 2 1/2 months out, my stomach only growls after difficult foods like chicken breast or if I eat too fast. Other than being embarrassed, feeling life my coworkers or strangers could hear my noises, the noises were not a big issue for me.

52 lbs down so far 1. Finding "new" clothes in my own closet! 2. Removed Seat Belt Cincher in the car (belt used to ride on my neck because of my body shape - had a cincher to keep the belt away from my neck. 3. Able to walk and be on my feet for longer than 20 mins with no lower back pain and foot pain.

Fabulous idea! Yum! I made the shake again today with 1/2 1% milk and half Water, it was great! Tomorrow - all water!

I don't know why some management tries to be flippant during terminations- it is never a good thing. As a manger who has had to lay someone off before - I had hard time not crying during the meeting - I felt so awful, maybe this guy was trying to mask his own feelings. In any case, I bet they knew before you took the time off - they usually make these decisions a few weeks in advance and then double check the timing - if they had laid you off just before your surgery (don't know if your insurance paid?) They could have set themselves up for a lawsuit - laying you off just before an expensive surgery or even a private medical procedure would look pretty suspicious (although your insurance should cover you through the end of the month following any termination). Which leads me to my next topic - if you are not currently covered by a signficant others insurance, you may want to consider the COBRA option to ensure you have insurance for the first 90 days (minimum) following the surgery. Pretty spendy - but imagine how much it would cost to cover a complication yourself and those can crop up even a year later! Did they offer a letter of recommendation or job search assistance? If the reason they laid you off was new software made job obsolete you would think that they would be willing to support you that way - in any case get your butt on some of the major job search websites out there like LinkedIn and make use of the contacts you have - go to your same industry companies and find yourself a better job and just think - the next time you see your old boss, you will be healthy, gorgeous and employed and he can go take a flying leap!!

I agree with @@Kindle in fact this is exactly the program my doctor recommends - watch your calories (I am at 800 for my sleeve age - 2 1/2 months), Protein first, vegetables second and if you can maybe a bite or two of complex carbs. No white bread, white rice or potatoes. High Fiber crackers and multigrain flax flat breads in extreme moderation. This seems to be the charm for me so far - but I am still a newbie ;-D

Ok - sooo many questions! I want to help - please don't misunderstand my questions for anything but trying to be helpful: When you say you have to eat more than your body wants - you are struggling to get in your calories/protein each day? What are you eating on a regular day? What are you drinking? Are you taking any medications that might interfere with your weight loss? You said your plan is 1200 calories - are you eating 1200 calories? If less, how much less? Which leads me to my next question... Are you logging on My Fitness Pal or some other food/calorie logging application/Log? It can really help - they say that people who estimate their calories are incorrect by 25% - you could be eating 1500 or more calories. You could be eating 900 calories... Are you exercising? I find that when I do at least an hour of either heavy duty home chores (Like laundry up and down the stairs with heavy loads) or gardening, or vacuuming, the weight comes off the next day. Even if it is light chores or a walk during the week and the heavy stuff on the weekends. This weekend I went to a BBQ, spent 4 hours on my feet and played ping pong with the men for 30 mins and the next day the scale went down again. I have always felt that activity is a better way to get the scale moving than under eating. Especially if you believe the "Starvation Mode" argument. At 2.5 months I am just only able to get in 800 calories - they say at 3-4 months I should be up to 1000 and 1200 by my one year anniversary, some days it is easy and others it is hard. Trying to get your Protein 100% from food (meaning no protein shakes) can make it even harder - your sleeve says no more! @@missbrown30 is right when she says get your protein in with a shake (or even a bar)! I drink one shake a day - or if I have Breakfast with my family I will blend it with a ton of ice in the evening to have an icy treat. I keep bars in my purse, half bar meets my snack requirements and gives me a boost of protein when I find myself with bad food options. What would you say is the reason you have stalled at 50 lbs at 13 months? We are all in the same boat here - you can share and maye we can get to the bottom of this together...

Totally agree on the Syntrex Fuzzy Navel. It is awesome!. Did I read correctly that you 1 year + 1month post surgery? What does your Doctor say about your progress? Are you eating lots of sugars? Do you drink enough fluids? When I get behind on fluids I notice the scale doesn't move. As soon as I get my fluids in, the scale starts dropping again.

Wow, our stats are almost identical. Surgery date June 11th, high weight 302, current weight 251. Pretty cool!

I live in the Woodinville area too. I have been to one post op support group at NWWLS, they are a good group of folks. I am up for a local mixed group meeting, but due an odd working schedule, frequent travel / odd hours, I am afraid I wouldn't be able to attend meetings that are too far south...

I flew from Seattle, WA to Winston/Salem, North Carolina on day 28. I had lost about 30lbs at that time. Not only was it easier getting through the airport, but the seat and seat belt fit better. I didn't have to ask for a seat belt extender! The meal tray didn't rest on my belly and I didn't encroach on my row mates seat! I was a little nervous about how I was going to eat and get my Protein in as I was travelling for business with a team of people. But my teammates were great, always asking me if the restaurant was ok, I brought a selection of single serve Protein shakes mixes, the flavors that mix with Water and a couple of shaker cups and a few bars too. It was my first week on solid foods and I did great! No embarrassing moments, and I lost a few lbs for the week when a trip like that used to put a few on. I actually bought one of those snack boxes on the airplane - it had crackers, hummus, olive spread, nuts and a few other pretty healthy items. I ate what I could on the ride out, saved some for during the week, still had some for the ride home and today 1.5 months later there is still the little bag of Cookies - it is only 100 calories and made with healthy ingredients but I jsut can't eat a cookie... Before I would have eaten the entire box and wanted another one for the ride home... Your sleeve really is a tool that can be relied on, once you get used to it and your new normal. Go have fun!

Switching to more dense foods makes a big difference. I have to say this did not happen to me, I could barely sip my beverages those early days, today I am about 9 weeks out and it still takes me about 2 hours to drink my Protein shakes. I can drink Water and iced tea at a quicker rate but nothing like before surgery. If I try to drink my water with big sips it hurts just under my sternum, it is my stomach saying "Too Fast!!", solid food is another story, chicken breast is really dense and I can only eat about 2 to 3 tablespoons, ground beef in tomato sauce or tuna in mayo is much easier, I can eat around 1/3 to 1/2 cup. I can eat 6 ounces of Greek yogurt, it is filling, but I can eat it in about 15 mins. Hang in there, if you are really worried talk to your Doctor. I have a picture of my new stomach because my Dr did an x-ray leak test on Day 2, maybe your Dr can show you your sleeve too. ..

I had surgery on a Wednesday, went back to work on the 2nd Monday, so 10 days total. I work in an office setting so I was able to chill most of the day and take things easy. The first week was tough, but I really think if I had spent more time at home I would have gone crazy. I traveled for work on Day 28, kind of crazy, it was the same day I was to graduate to solid food. I took lots of Protein single serves the kind that could be mixed with water. It went great!

I am just getting started, I am down 50 lbs from my heaviest weight and I can say that my shoes are definitely fitting better these days. Previously my shoes would be tight across the top of my foot, and cute little flats gave me muffin top of the foot. They are much cuter now :-D

When I made the decision to have the surgery I thought I would be so embarrassed when people started noticing, I think that in the past I never wanted to admit that I was dieting because I knew I would eventually fall off of the wagon and then everyone would think I was a failure, again. My work is a fairly a small homey place, so of course everyone knew I was taking some time off for a medical procedure. So my big secret lasted about two days, one gal admitted she assumed I was have an hysterectomy - she was so relieved when I told her it was WLS, LOL. Anyway, as I was losing in my face and upper body pretty quickly lots of folks have noticed and I have just decided that if they ask I will tell them the truth and accept their well wishes with gratitude. I haven't had any negative reactions - I had made a list in my head of the persons who I thought would be negative and I was wrong on all occasions. I accept the well wishes and the congratulations with a smile and it truly makes me feel good. I really think that this time - with this tool - I can't fail. So I am so much more confident of the end result, the diets and gimmicks of the past seem like a young girls folly. This must be the reason that I have been able to let down my guard and accept the compliments of friends and coworkers with no difficulty. (Family has been supportive all along and it never occurred to me that I wouldn't have their support).

Love the Quest bars - I can only eat a half bar at a time just yet. the range of flavors and the density of the bar just works for me. I have bought the Protein chips and I liked them! the dusty flavor coating can be annoying like cheetos dust. But they hit the spot when I was craving a crunchy chip experience. I wouldn't eat them regularly though, they are a pretty high calorie snack. I have the Quest Peanut Butter cups in my pantry - but now I am wondering if I will try them - but I have found that people either love or hate Quest products and so far I have liked everything I bought...

I am 2 months and a few days and I have lost 47lbs

@@LKG, my recommended Protein is 60-80, does Kaiser only recommend 20-30? I am 7 weeks out....

At my 6 week appt I got into trouble for not regularly hitting 800 calories - they said that 800 is the lowest you want to be at once you are on solids. She mentioned that your brain and body need that much to function normally. It really explained why I was so tired and sort of forgetful - I have been on My Fitness Pal since the beginning and when I worked to get to 800 cals daily not only did I break a stall I had been on, I also started feeling more normal. But - I have seen where other NUTs recommend 600-800, and some much higher, so be sure to ask your Doc about that:-D

I may have it easy because my Mom partially funded my surgery so she definitely wants me to succeed. That being said, our family ritual is that we go to dinner every Wednesday night with my Mom and her boyfriend. But again, I may have it easier, they asked me if I would choose the restaurant, my favorite place has been a Mexican Restaurant that during my early days had a clear broth based Soup that I took all of the veggies and shrimp and put in a to go container for my Mom, and today has a grilled fish fillet with grilled veggies that I am able to eat a few tablespoons of and then take the rest to work for lunch for a few days. Even so, it was tough, seeing everyone else eating yummy Mexican food but it was also a lesson for me in the dedication that I to use this tool to the best of it's ability - honeymoon period and beyond. @@mi75 you did very well and should be proud of yourself - you used your sleeve's strength to make the healthy choice by having the portobello pizza! I am so stealing that idea! I have also heard of using eggplant slices and zucchinnis as "boats" or slices when they get huge... And maybe next time you can pick the restaurant :-D

Something I just tried - and I am well into solid foods, is the mashed cauliflower substitute for mashed potates, I served it with Swiss Steak and it was a huge hit with the entire family. Simmered the cauliflower in chicken broth until tender(soft) and whirred it in the food processor with a little butter and milk, added salt and pepper to taste. It is all gone! Family loved it and I have two kids who love Mashed Potatoes, neither of them have an ounce of fat on them by the way - I am the only one in the whole family on a diet LOL

Did you have a pre-op diet? If so, how much did you lose before the surgery? I ask because those without pre-op diets seem to drop a lot immediately after surgery.