VSGAnn2014

Not quite sure what you mean by "struggling to hang on." But you can start a thread of any kind and try to attract followers / comments -- that could serve as an online support group.

I don't have a sensitivity to gluten, so I can't comment on how that could affect someone else. Some people do have that sensitivity, and they are very negatively affected by it. I was making the point that many "white" carbs (white breads, white Pasta, white rice) metabolize into the same things that sugar metabolizes into -- and those things can increase inflammation throughout the body.

So sorry you walked into that horror of a bashing session, @virgorooster. As others have said, that wasn't a support group -- it was a free-for-all dominated by a few big-mouths who want to believe their experience is the only valid experience. Sheesh! Don't you just love it when people think and say things like: "My surgeon is the best WLS surgeon of all!" when they had a single WLS and a single surgeon, with no basis for comparison. By their bragging, they're only justifying post-hoc the decision they made. Therefore, anyone who made a different decision threatens the decision they made. Bless their hearts.

You could build a catalog like this using note cards -- or lists in a notebook. It's all just different ways of "getting organized." I admire those who can plan their food and eat "intuitively" and do well. I sincerely do admire them. But I'm afraid that's not me -- at least not for now. I do better when I plan what food I'm going to buy and what I'm going to eat. You have to find out what works for you and then (as they say) "do YOU."

I can totally understand your amazement and believe that you've seen a great reduction in pain throughout your body after kicking the sugar / starch habit. Prior to WLS, I started dialing down on the sugar and, of course, post-op, it was completely gone from my diet for almost a year. Pre-op I had suffered terribly from osteoarthritis in my knees and had taken 2 Aleve for the pain for decades. And, as you probably know, sleeve patients aren't allowed to use Aleve (or other NSAIDs) on a daily basis post-op. So pre-op I weaned myself off of those, too. Since then I've lost 100 pounds. Even before I'd lost all that weight it was obvious that my knee pain was going away. Honest to God: my knees now feel far, far better without any Aleve than they did pre-op when I was taking Aleve. And get this: My PCP told me at my annual physical last fall to forget about the knee surgery we were planning on me having in a year or so. "You don't need it anymore, so let's not schedule it. If your knee pain comes back, we'll consider it again." Pain is caused by inflammation. And sugar (and other things -- depending on your own body's unique response to specific foods, drugs, etc.) causes inflammation. Ergo, no pain. Ergo, no knee surgery.

But my evil companions made me drink it.

Glad you liked it.

P.S. And then there is all the theory / ideology around "set points," which although there seems to be something real happening there it's discussed in scientific terms that make it sound like "something unicornish is happening here." There's been FAR too little real research done around what happens to prevent people from gaining / losing weight when they've been at a specific weight for a long time. Lots of hypothesizing, but not a lot of set-point conclusions that are actually supported by reliable, understandable data with large sets of subjects.

For those of you who suspect that someone else (not you) could not possibly eat 1800 - 2000 calories a day and not gain weight, listen to this: I HAVE to eat that much not to lose anymore weight. I'm 70 years old, weigh 135 pounds and am eating my ass off! And although I do walk a lot and have a much more active lifestyle than I used to have, I am not a gym rat or a runner. I have a friend online who (like me) is a food measurer and tracker, a good cook, and scrupulously honest about what she tracks and eats. She gains weight if she eats over 1200 calories a day. She has to eat 800 calories/day or less to lose any weight at all. I don't know what these blatantly unfair metabolic differences are due to. But they are very real. (I have some theories about why the differences exist, but I'll save those for another day.) It sounds to me like @@CowgirlJane is one of those lucky people like me who can eat more than others and not gain weight. In your case, Jane, why don't you just trust the numbers you've been given and then for a few months track your food and see where you wind up? Ultimately, because of all our individual metabolic rate variances, that's what we each have to do anyway -- find out what works for us. And by the way, you don't have to guess or wonder what "big splurge days" are worth, calorically (or other ways). You can just log them and find out. I think my biggest splurge day since WLS was 3,500 calories. I know someone who's been post-op for about a year more than me, and she says her biggest splurge days have been 5,000 calories. Yikes! However, I know how to make that happen: Lots of sugary alcoholic drinks. Point is -- it's not mysterious. It's just about the data. But if you refuse to collect the data, you'll be living in the land of theory forever and won't ever be able to conduct any actual science about your own body.

Just bought Salted Caramel this morning at Walmart.

I've seen numerous posts here that run something like this: "I've gained XX pounds. I don't understand why I've gained weight. I never overeat. I eat healthy food that's good for me. I don't binge. I estimate I'm eating XXXX calories a day, no more. Help!" What this really means is: "I've gained XX pounds. I have no clue how this happened, because I don't measure or weigh my food, I don't track or log my food, and I don't know how many calories or micronutrients I'm eating on a daily basis, much less over the long haul. Bottom line is I eat what I want when I want it. I'm astonished, because I expected my sleeve would stop me from gaining weight. I thought I was just supposed to eat less than I used to eat and to stop eating when I felt full and then eat more later when I didn't feel full. Oh, and since I don't weigh myself regularly, I had no idea until recently that I'd actually gained XX pounds. Help!"

@@jeaniebobeanie ... I figured that you work in IT. I'm doing that "playing around with meal planning" in Excel right now. I'm listing all dinner meals prepared broken down by type of Protein, side dishes, how it's cooked, etc. with links to online recipes for some dishes, and 1-2-3 grades by hubby and me as to how often we want to see that meal come back into the rotation. It's turning into a catalog of meals from which I can quickly design a week's worth of menus, while minimizing: (1) eating X (chicken, pork, Pasta, beef, etc.) every night, (2) using the same cooking method every night (grilling, baking, slow cooker, freezer-leftovers, etc.), (3) doing takeout from the same place all the time, (4) same old boring side dishes, (5) too many starchy foods, etc. I already have the next 10 nights' dinner menus planned and have done all my grocery shopping for those meals. Getting organized is fabulous!

Jamie, I once got stuck on a day-long (and night-long) road trip with evil companions, who stopped only at fast-food joints for all meals. I succumbed to temptation and drank diet coke all day (after letting all the carb bubbles dissipate). Turns out carbonation isn't the big soda toxin for me -- it's the freakin' ACID! My stomach was a big fat mess for a week afterward. I had to go back to a PPI for the whole week to get it straight again. I don't EVER want to go through that agony again. I'm cured.

@@jeaniebobeanie ... your post rocks!

Guys, those scars fade so much and so fast. Don't worry about 'em. A year from now they'll probably be gone.

The movie's occasionally shown on public television stations and on cable network stations. I saw it 2 or 3 years ago before I had WLS. I think I should see it again from this perspective.

Damn! These are such great scrub recipes. Was looking for my old sugar scrub a few days ago (hey, it's January, and we're all so ashy these days!), but apparently I threw it away. Thanks for the thread, @CowgirlJane. A.

Good for you! You'll have to find what works for you, but you might consider this perspective that has helped me maintain at 17+ months post-op: Maintenance for me hasn't just been about what I can't eat, but what I have to eat to be healthy. For me, eating healthy means I have to eat a certain amount of Protein, healthy veggies, some fruit, some whole grains, some dairy, 64 ounces of liquids (at least) -- and then if / when there's capacity and calories left I also get to eat other foods that (for me) are treats, basically wine and simpler carbs. I guess what I'm saying is that I have to hit my healthy food minimums every day before eating the extra stuff. Not sure that helps, but just offering up that kind of calculation for your consideration.

Wow, that insurance situation worked out well, didn't it. Very best to you.

My team said stop drinking 15 minutes before a meal and don't drink again until at least 30 minutes after. Honestly, at this point, it's no big deal to wait. It's like everything else about this journey -- you just build the habit over time, and it starts to become a lifestyle.

Yeah ... no. There's absolutely no research to base that categorical statement on. None.

Congrats on your great co-workers and friends. They sound like good folks. Hubby has been GREAT about all this when I was losing weight. He still tells me I look "skinny" and have a "cute ass." It helps a lot to hear this from your significant other. I wish everyone had a spouse / partner / family / friends / colleagues who are this positive and sweet about our efforts to become and stay healthy.

I'm 70 and was sleeved at age 68. I've lost exactly 100 pounds and am merrily maintaining at 135 right now. I look great, feel even better. I don't think I've done anything to be successful that's any different than a 30-year-old would have to do. I've tracked my food, planned my meals, taken all my supplements, gradually moved more and become more active, seen a shrink, learned a lot about nutrition and applied those lessons to meal planning, had great family support (my husband), followed all the WLS rules, e.g., eat lots of Protein and eat it first, drink lots of Water, don't drink with meals, etc. She just has to really want it. And it really helps to have a positive attitude. If she wants it really bad, she can be as successful as anybody. P.S. I also assume / hope that having WLS is her idea and not something that another family member has talked her into doing.

Does nobody on that show realize that if they have 50 folks on that show who lost weight "the natural way" 48 or 49 of them are going to regain all their weight (and probably more)? Sheesh! Those are the actual statistics re how effective "the natural way of losing weight" is long-term.