Chrystee

I don't feel that people who know me treat me much different, its strangers mostly.. Men rush to get the door for me, where as when I was 300 pounds and carrying a toddler and bags, no one really helped. women talk to me in the grocery store.. or wherever I am.. I've always been outgoing, but had to speak first.. now people talk to me first or engage me.

I normally will cook 2-3 slices of bacon in a pan, then take the bacon out, and sauté onions and garlic in the bacon grease.. then add the halved sprouts in the pan.. turn the heat down and let it cook for a bit and then finish up roasting in the oven. Then crush up the bacon into the pan at the end. Even my 2 and 8 year old love them.

I don't feel that people who know me treat me much different, its strangers mostly.. Men rush to get the door for me, where as when I was 300 pounds and carrying a toddler and bags, no one really helped. women talk to me in the grocery store.. or wherever I am.. I've always been outgoing, but had to speak first.. now people talk to me first or engage me.

You hear all kinds of stories about fat shaming and discrimination at work and everywhere else. You may have even experienced it from your coworkers or strangers you meet on the streets or in stores.
It’s hard to prove, but I’m pretty sure it happened to me. Since I’ve lost the weight, I feel as though people treat me a lot better. They are more polite, and seem to have more respect for me even before they get to know me.
That wasn’t the case before surgery. People seemed to assume I was lazy or stupid rather than giving me the benefit of the doubt at least until they knew me well enough to make a reasonable judgement.
If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight (enough to be visible to other people), have you noticed that people treat you differently? Better or worse?

I personally prefer Protein Shakes. I still drink at least one a day to help get my Protein requirements in.

Agree.. a GOOD personal trainer won't make you move to fast, or do anything that doesn't feel right. Look for someone with credentials..

www.bodybuilding.com is a great resource and there are lots of plans on there also. I think its very beneficial to get a personal trainer to help you get correct form, as well.

I personally prefer Protein Shakes. I still drink at least one a day to help get my Protein requirements in.

Agree.. a GOOD personal trainer won't make you move to fast, or do anything that doesn't feel right. Look for someone with credentials..

www.bodybuilding.com is a great resource and there are lots of plans on there also. I think its very beneficial to get a personal trainer to help you get correct form, as well.

It seems like it would be VERY hard to meet Protein requirements in the liquid phases without Protein shakes. My nutritionist was very insistent on me switching over to getting protein from "real food" as quickly as possible, but I was allowed shakes in the early days/weeks post-op. Definitely have a conversation with your surgeon about some potential options for liquid, puree, and soft food stage food that can get you to your protein goal.

Form is everything when it comes to weights. Honestly, you get better results with either free weights, or with systems that use your own body weight as resistance. However, "machines" tend to be much clearer on proper form and less risk of injury mistakes due to poor form.
I would like to recommend personal trainers too except i was doing INTENSE exercise and doing awesome, until I decided to hire a personal trainer. 6 weeks later I was injured and needed months and months of rehab due to his inexperience. One of the problems is that because I was so aerobiclly fit (at the time) he felt I wasn't working hard enough and would always feel I wasn't pushing hard enough. I am like - I used to weigh over 300# and have the damaged joints to prove it - so just because i am not red faced and huffing doesn't mean I am not working. As you can tell, i am now jaded on personal training!
I have learned a ton about form from my physical therapist though, and I actually thought I was pretty well educated as I actually took a college class on weight training and have a couple of very good books etc on proper form, but she brought me to the next level.

A personal trainer is a great place to start not only for exercise ideas, but to help nail down proper form.

My Husband has been acting a bit strange lately... I was feeling particularly good one day, and said, don't I look good,and he responded very lacklusterly with an.. eh, its ok.. which really hurt my feelings.. he had me feeling like I was vain after I gained my composure and asked him about it later that day..
Finally, he opened up to me this morning about how he really preferred me heavier, and that I'm still heavy in his mind.. he doesn't picture me so "little" but that he loves me and I'm his best friend.. etc..
I was pretty surprised. I know he likes large women. I was a little bit bigger than I am now when we first met.. I don't understand it, I guess cause I'm not attracted to that look..
Anyway, anyone go through this? He refuses to go to counseling..

@@Chrystee
You truly are an inspiration!! Thanks for that.
Lisa

Well Chrystee, don't gain the weight back because your hubby likes BBW. You are beautiful no matter the body; it is what is inside that counts and I bet that hasn't changed. You are still you; just a smaller version.
My husband told me that my weight and body never mattered to him. Even now with his waning desire. I know he's not out cattailing it around, so I guess I just take what I can get when he feels "in the mood" and be happy with that. He still is the same man as far as pleasure is concerned. He just seems to be changing into an "old" man a bit before he really should.
Good Luck girl. You are my inspiration!

@@oldbriannomore Sent you a PM.

I would love some help on figuringout my macros. I currently run 4-5 times a week, cycle, and am weightlifting.

@@her1981 ... again, just reporting my own experience and NOT telling you what to do ....
I ratcheted up my calories from 800 to 1,000 and then 1,200 because my surgical P.A. told me that if I did so I could avoid teaching my body to subsist on very few calories later on when I was trying to maintain. I REALLY wanted to avoid not being restricted to only 1,000 - 1,200 calories to maintain my weight.
What would you think about conducting a science experiment? If what you're doing isn't working well enough, why not (mindfully and responsibly) do some other things -- to see how they pan out?
One thing I have learned for sure about all this stuff is that, although there are some basic principles everyone should follow ("Don't eat slider foods!"), not all bodies respond in the same ways to a generic eating prescription.
Ultimately, we all have the ability to find the way that works best for us.
Again, I'm not suggesting anything irresponsible at all! Just conscientious experiments over a long enough time period and applied consistently to determine the effects on YOUR body.

@@VSGAnn2014
I wonder if this is why I'm having such a hard time losing right now. I'm 8 months out and my doctor/nutritionist insist that I stay between 600-800 calories. Most days I get around 950 because there's just no way for me to stay that low and not lose my mind. I still have another 80-100 pounds to lose and I'm having such a horrible time getting the scale to move.
I am extremely carb sensitive so I try to stay under 30 per day.

@@ssflbelle I was told to stop drinking my Protein as early as possible too. Mostly because drinking calories is a no-no in general and also the shakes don't keep you full as long as solid food. I switched to Protein Bars once I was allowed solid foods. You just have to be very careful when choosing protein bars because many can be high in carbs and/or saturated fat. I still rely on protein bars to meet my protein goals at 18 months post-op, mostly for the convenience factor. Ideally I would get my protein through less processed foods, but that's just not feasible in my real life. You have to figure out what works for you and sustainable over time. Many people still drink 1-2 Protein Shakes a day a couple years out for the same reason. Ultimately, while it's important to adhere to your nutritionist's and surgeon's guidelines in the early stages so you can full heal and develop new healthy habits, you are the one who has to be able to live the rest of your life.

Some recommendations include the carbs due to the onset of fatigue the body will gain by going into ketosis if no carbs are consumed. Those Soups have carbs but they are simple carbs that your body will use as fuel as opposed to complex carbs stored as fat. I wouldn't eat it more than 1 time a day though.

@@ssflbelle asked:
This is also fantastic info. However may I ask at each of these stages what were your carbs. I had split pea Soup last night (I am allowed based on my Doctor's plan) however I was surprised to see the carb count was so high. I am 4 weeks out today and yesterday's Protein was 63 and carb count was 58. Is that too high of a carb for only 4 weeks out?
Interestingly, neither my surgeon, my nutritionists nor my bariatric P.A. (who is just amazingly well educated on all things bariatric) ever gave me a carb limit. And, happily for me, I don't seem to be one of those folks who is heavily affected by carbs -- at least not "good" carbs.
They all were clear that simple carbs and all "slider foods" -- google that term if you don't know what it means -- were off the menu for the weight losing phases. So I followed that rule very well.
But here's the deal (although I assume you already know this): One gram of Protein is 4 calories. So 100 grams of protein = 400 calories. One gram of carbohydrate is also 4 calories. But 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. So if you're eating a lot of protein (which also comes with some degree of fat) and some healthy fats (like olive oil), you're not going to have a lot of calories left for carbs.
I will say this again: Some people are very sensitive to carbs and have to go very low carb to lose weight. Luckily, my body tolerates all colored, high-Fiber veggies (think green Beans, broccoli, red peppers, sweet potatoes, squashes, carrots, etc.) just fine. I just didn't eat white potatoes, sugar, white bread, white rice or white Pasta while I was losing weight. And I still don't eat them very often now.
My final advice is that WLS is a big chance to reset your menus / diet / nutrition / eating patterns. Please learn everything you possibly can about nutrition and change your lifestyle now while you have this opportunity to do so. Habits are powerful things -- both good ones and bad ones.

@@SassyNanny ... those calorie levels / Protein levels were recommended by my surgeon's bariatric P.A. who is a real pro with weight loss surgery and understands the nuances and differences among all weight loss surgeries.
Very best to you!

@@Katnroyal ... awesome initial post. Thank you.
To the person (?) who asked about calories / Protein -- I count both. I use My Fitness Pal, which I use to plan and track my food / Water.
Below was my weight-loss eating plan -- not proselytizing at all (this worked well for me, but do what works best for you):
Months 1-4 - I averaged 800 calories/day and 80 grams of Protein (couldn't really eat much more than that during those months anyway)
Months 5-6 - I averaged 1,000 cals/day and 90 grams of protein
Months 7-8 - I averaged 1,200 cals/day and 100 grams of protein
I reached my weight goal (150 pounds) at 8.5 months post-op. Since then I've ratcheted up my calories and have slowly lost another 15 pounds and weigh 135 pounds. Now in maintenance, I'm eating 1700 - 1800 calories/day on average and still eating 90-100 grams of protein.
We all have different lifestyles, workout routines, activity goals. I am NOT a gym rat. I do walk a lot and am so much more active than I used to be. I'm 70 years old. Feel great. Look amazing for my age.