VSGAnn2014

You go, girl! One day at a time. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. Sounds awful. But mostly really, really wonderful.

Old habits are so hard to break. Those ruts are deep. For many work warriors (we can do ANYTHING -- just ask us!), IMO our lives are way out of balance. If we were to change our daily schedules and were to re-allocate our sleeping periods and our exercise activities and time budgets (those could be allocated to walking several miles to work or going to the gym daily) as un-negotiable, I think our work/life balance could exist. The power of "No!" is tremendous. But a lot of us simply haven't had any experience or practice saying, "No!" It's hard to do new things. Let's try something new.

Just get back on track. And try to eat / drink all your shakes. On this journey, you can screw things up by eating too little -- just as much as by eating too much. There are sweet spots along the way you should try to find and hit. Good luck to you!

You can also enter in your basic stats (height, weight, age, exercise levels, lifestyle aspects, etc.) at www.myfitnesspal.com, and the site will calculate your RMR or basal metabolic rate for you. It would be interesting to compare those results with the ones you're going to get next week. Let us know what you learn, please.

@@CanyonBaby ... I understand your feelings. I had VSG surgery in August 2014. In October, we found out hubby had lymphoma. He is now cancer-free and in remission. But it was not an easy six months for either of us. But I will say one good thing came out of this: Neither of us is a cancer virgin anymore. I think if I were diagnosed today with cancer I'd be a lot more able to deal with it than I would have been before last October. Also, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer when she was 47 years old. She is now 96. Two of my brother-in-laws were diagnosed 5 years ago with colon cancer. They are now cancer-free. This diagnosis is not a death sentence. But it is (not to make a pun) a major pain in the ass.

I love Greek yogurt. Dannon Oikos Greek non-fat vanilla yogurt -- 120 calories, 5.3 ounces. Oh, my! It's my new ice cream.

69-year-old woman here. Pre-op at Outback, I'd have skipped the whole onion thing (terrible stuff and never would have indulged in that), eaten a 6 ounce filet, a baked potato with butter/sour cream, an order of broccoli, a slice of bread with butter. I'd have had unsweetened tea or 6-8 ounces of red wine. And no dessert. Now, nearly 9 months post-op and at goal, if I were out at a steakhouse on a weekend "special night" meal, I'd have 3 ounces of filet mignon (would take the leftovers home), broccoli (would probably eat half the order and take the rest home), 1 slice of bread (and maybe a little butter?), and 4 ounces of red wine. And that's it. I'd be full and content. And have enough leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. For me, it's a question of portion control, etc. -- and making sure I'm getting plenty of Protein and good, healthy carbs. The treats for me that night would be the (probably not whole-grain) bread and the wine. Or is wine a necessity?

I know this is in the guys room and I'm penis-less, but I really am enjoying this thread. Thanks for all your comments, gentlemen.

I see no reason why you can't eat granola bars a few months post-op while thru-hiking. When expending that many calories you're certainly going to need significant energy / carbs--a lot more than other WLS patients. However, you're also going to have to figure out how to get your Protein in. For hikes of only 3-4 days at a time (I assume you actually have a job / a real life back in town) you could probably handle that with Jerky, Protein Bars and Protein powder. But if you're expecting to do the entire Appalachian Trail just a few months after WLS, then IMHO you should reconsider the timing of both projects. Your body will need a lot of good nutrition, including "real food," to recover well from WLS and the massive weight loss we all experience post-op.

@@IcanMakeit and @@Babbs ... It's a head trip, for sure. I have zero expectations of ever weighing as little as you. But dipping down to 148 after reaching my goal of 150 is freaking me out a little. Twenty pounds ago if I'd have read a post like that ^^^ I'd have thought STFU! But being in the 140s for me is not totally comfortable. Last night I purposefully ate Pasta (I actually ate an uncomfortable amount) because I don't want to lose anymore. @@Babbs ... thanks for quoting your husband's doctor: "There are so many overweight and obese people these days, nobody even knows what a normal weight is supposed to look like anymore." Recently, my sister who's gained weight in the last few years expressed concern that when she hugs me she can feel my bones. She didn't say it to be mean, but was just expressing concern. And she definitely can feel my bones. I look forward to discussing all this with The Shrink later this month.

You're currently posting this message on multiple WLS forums. Almanza's not my surgeon, but your behavior seems like a coordinator / sales person for another Mexican surgeon. I call b.s.

Thanks for your post. I'm 5'5" and reached my 150 pound goal about two weeks ago. I'm now 148 and SO ready to stop losing weight. But getting my calories up to 1400 is harder than I'd imagined. Tonight, I'll be eating pasta--I need the calories. Boy, this is different. My body and my head got so used to 1200 calories. How did THAT happen?

Babbs, I hear you on the keep your head down approach. We live in an area where we are sometimes handed business cards by realtors, appraisers, plumbers, developers, even bankers, which have Bible verses printed on them. As the saying goes, "She's a good, Christian woman." I have a friend (in Maine) who, when she listed her home for sale a couple of years ago, was advised by her realtor to remove from sight any copies of The New Yorker magazine. "You don't want any potential buyers thinking you might be a liberal." I'll say it again: Tolerance is tough. For everyone. We're so devoted to our tribes. Rising above that devotion is the greatest challenge and the highest drama of civilization.

On Day Two, I was still in the hospital and walked a lot. I took a shower. They gave me some good drugs, so I wasn't in any pain. That afternoon I went home. No biggie. My advice -- don't focus so much on the perceived awfulness of this surgery. The truth is that for most patients it's not that awful. Focus on what it will help you achieve. A positive attitude on this journey will be one of the best tools you can bring along.

You sound exactly like the kind of person who does so well with WLS. So positive, smart, determined, and most of all ready for change. You're going to love what this surgery can do for you. Naturally, you have to work it, work it hard. But I have no doubt that you will do just that. Best wishes.

@@CowgirlJane ... I can't cite specific posts (can't remember them). There's another person on that forum named "Jane" (although her handle is longer than that) who has the same issues. I think she was a very low-carb loser, too. Some patients report they are told to eat under 50 carb grams or even 30 carb grams a day. That's low! As I said, I'm looking for more data points. If you hear of any, please post 'em here. TIA.

And this article just appeared in my in-box today ... an interesting business / cultural take on religion in the workplace with some reliable demographic statistics. As American society becomes less religious, overall, the remaining religious ones are becoming collectively more fundamentalist. It makes for an interesting and complicated workplace and marketplace for many. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/separation-of-church-and-cubicle-religion-in-the-modern-workplace/

Tolerance is tough--even in a free society where we're each free to believe what we want and to express our beliefs publicly. Religious tolerance seems to be one of the toughest of all tolerances to achieve and maintain. And it's challenging to find ourselves socially, in real life or online, in situations where others who believe differently from us assume that their beliefs and values are shared by everyone. None of this is new. It's been a major provocation of civilization for as long as people have tried to live well in groups. But it's interesting to watch the phenomenon in myself and in others. Tolerance must be especially challenging to achieve and maintain for those whose beliefs and values require them to proselytize and try to convert others to their way of thinking. The old advice to avoid religious discussions is workable, but sometimes not completely satisfactory. Random musings after my first cup of coffee ....

@@CowgirlJane ... really not much more than what I said in my post above at http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/330902-what-are-your-differences-between-year-1-year-2-and-year-3/?p=3824614 Over at www.gastricsleeve.com there's a woman named "Grace" who really suffers from this problem. To find her posts, use the Advanced Search function and look for Keyword "hypoglycemia" and User Name "Grace." Her posts have generated some good discussions on that board.

Two questions: 1. Have you tried GNC Lean 25 shakes? (I love 'em.) 2. Why can't you drink the other Protein shakes you've tried?

I received this email today from www.myfitnesspal.com . Basically, it says to avoid long-term weight gain we should: 1. Eat more Protein 2. Eat more healthy carbs (colored, high-Fiber veggies; fruits; whole grains) 3. Eat fewer highly processed "slider foods" (highly refined sweets, starches, chips, crackers, breads, white rice, white potatoes, white Pasta, etc.) Duh, huh? The emphasis was on both how much and what kind of foods we should eat. It made the point that every calorie doesn't count exactly like all other calories and described how high-glycemic foods cause the body to produce more insulin, which favors fat storage. http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/2-science-backed-strategies-to-avoid-long-term-weight-gain/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly20150504&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokv6rBZKXonjHpfsX56e8rWaWyhIkz2EFye%2BLIHETpodcMTsZiN6%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7DBLM153N8QXRTg

I am exactly where you are and do NOT want to lose anymore! I just want to keep getting stronger. Thanks for starting this thread.

@It's all new Did you eat very low-carb during your weight-loss phase (first year)? A pattern I think I'm seeing is that those who a year or two after losing weight begin to suffer from post-bariatric reactive hypoglycemia are those who ate very low-carb for a long time. This doesn't happen to a lot of VSG patents (less than 10% -- maybe closer to 3% say some studies). But for those to whom it happens I understand it can really cramp your lifestyle. What do you know about this kind of hypoglycemia and its cause(s)?

With respect, Alliyah, this isn't the forum for you. Go start your own.

Here are basic definitions (from Merriam-Webster dictionary) of agnostic and atheist: agnostic - a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god atheist - a person who believes that God does not exist