BigViffer

The "pouch reset" is actually only a exercise in habit reform. You most likely did not stretch your sleeve. I say "most likely" because it is a very rare thing for a properly performed VSG to stretch. The esophageal sphincter or the pylorus will weaken long before the sleeve will stretch enough to cause tears that heal back with a larger volume over and over again. Or if someone had bypass, the opening created in the intestine could be stretched which would allow food to go through too quickly. The pouch reset is a name given to reverting back to the post-op basics. Fluids for a short time, then soft foods, then dense proteins. It is an exercise designed to train your mind to recognize the sensation of fullness. So are you too far gone? No, of course not. The only question is how important is it to you to make the change that is necessary. Don't think about eating less crap, think of not eating that crap at all. There is no need for it. I will admit that I miss the convenience of fast food, but I do not miss anything else about it. I am actually quite proud of myself that I have not had a fast food sandwhich in almost 3 years.

Please point out where I was rude. I can accept dispassionate or curt, but I don't agree that I was rude anywhere. Rude would be telling someone to take a stick out of their rear. Dang, just saw that you were done here so that just fell on deaf ears.

OK, here we go again. This is an information site that members use for support, but it is first and foremost for the exchange of information. From this websites description: Discussion is the primary focus. lol, if your information is correct and your surgery date really was only a month ago it will be interesting if you are still here a year from now and still feel that way. And that is a pretty good recommendation. Even more conservative than most. I can only assume you are talking to someone else here because I neither belittled the OP nor acted high & mighty.

You're right, the poo-poo'ing the idea of imbibing a blood thinning barbiturate shortly after surgery on the stomach is so immature. Only the most responsible and mature amongst us consider it a good idea. People love to throw out the words judgmental and bully so freely and quickly. How about just plain old speaking from experience and have already answered this question several times? Since I have been a member here, there have been so many people that have started drinking long before they should have. Some trips to the hospital and one death, but there are many that have had no ill effects. So if you want that drink bad enough, go for it. But don't call it grown up and don't say that people are judgmental because they say it's a bad idea.

I think I found your problem.

This is an extremely popular topic this week. Ask your surgeon. What is the rush to use a blood thinning barbiturate? If you don't feel like asking your surgeon for whatever reason and prefer the wisdom of strangers on the internet, there are 588 threads about the topic: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=alcohol&sortby=relevancy&search_in=titles

I completely agree with the tracking of food that has been mentioned already. I measure and track everything myself just so I can not hide or sneak anything. Here is an example: I really only do the protein first routine at a sit down dinner. Most of my eating is done either at my desk at work or while I am doing something. Right now I am having a kale, cranberry, and sunflower seed salad with lite poppy seed dressing. There is literally no meat or anything on it. My next snack though will only be protein. This morning I had a protein bar for breakfast, hard 2 boiled eggs for a snack and oatmeal prior to the gym. I pretty much have only one thing at a time. It's the macros and the end of the week that are most important, not just one meal or day. You mentioned you lift 4 days a week. Please don't take this the wrong way, but do you just lift weights or do you train? Keeping a log of what you are lifting and how many reps? That's the difference between exercise and training. Lifting weights, getting hot and sweaty, and getting the heart rate up are fine for exercise, but that is not a training regimen. If you are not doing a barbell training regimen, perhaps look into it. You may find the structured routine helps. If like me you become more interested in the weight on the bar than the weight on the scale, you may find that you will start eating to accomplish what you need rather than to feel some sort of satisfaction. When you are constantly lifting at the limit of your strength and trying to increase that limit, it can become all encompassing. Best of luck.

If you want to be accurate in your diet, you absolutely must weigh/track your food. You say you have cheddar with your eggs. Is that extra sharp cheddar or actually velvetta? 1 oz of velveeta is approximately 60 calories while Boars Head Extra Sharp Cheddar is 110 calories. (that is in no way an endorsement for velveeta, yuck!) The amount of calories in a sausage link varies so wildly that they could be as little as 25 calories per link to as much as 150. On the wrap, you say meat and cheese again. How much meat and how much cheese? Is it Aldi pressed meat that is swollen with water or Boars Head smoked ham? These kind of differences make an incredible difference, not only with calories but also in regards to nutrients and macros.

6 weeks post op is a bit early for any drinking from my memory. This is most definitely something you should ask your surgeon and not a bunch of strangers on the internet. There are very good reasons not to be drinking alcohol that have nothing to do with the calories. A blood thinning barbiturate is not the best thing for someone who just had surgery on their digestive system. A bleed or death is not unheard of because of alcohol consumption. After you hit 6 months or a year, you'll have the rest of your life to drink. Is it really worth it to have a drink now?

If you are talking about yoga pants: Joking aside, what type of workouts are you doing? After going through quite a few types of shorts and pants in the gym, I've found that the ones that give me the fullest range of motion and the most comfortable of all are the old fashion fruit of the loom jogging pants. They are not a fashion statement by any means, but they work the best for me. On shorts, avoid the wicking material. While they are stretchy to an extent, they bunch up in weird ways on squats.

Right?! I am having to work my ass off just to make gains. I just bought fractional plates because I just can't make the 5 lbs jumps anymore.

Thank you for the reference, but I would like to clarify that is merely a weight lifting guide and not a training guide. That routine was really good for keeping what muscle I had and losing fat. Once I started actually building muscle, I transitioned to actual training. Much more regimented and less variety. Lots of tracking and log maintaining. Lots of reading, attending lectures, and eventually one on one coaching led me strength training. (Notice I said a coach and not a trainer) I've mentioned it before, but there was little interest in actual weight training on this board. Many men just want to look good after being fat for so long (I get it) and women think they will "bulk up" which is total BS and cannot happen without serious effort and questionable supplements.

In my experience, NUT's are nothing more than smoothie recipe repositories and product pushers. Very little education or just very lazy. The ones I had to deal with didn't bother to pay attention to files that clearly show a food allergy when they were making their recipe pamphlets to pass out to patients. But if I wanted to buy a bag or pouch of product, she had every sales pitch and marketing blurb memorized. Any NUT that requires you to use a specific brand of a product is shady as hell and needs their @ss handed to them IMO.

Change your habits. This surgery is more than just eating less, it's about learning how to eat. "On the go" is just an excuse to eat convenient food. Plan ahead and prepare foods that can be eaten on the go. If you can't make a change in your lifestyle, you are going to have a struggle the rest of your life. Second thing - no one can motivate you to succeed long term. That comes from personal dedication.

Chuck that Genepro in the trash. It is snake oil and a worthless protein. Stick with a tried and true whey protein that doesn't have a recent lawsuit loss. Optimum Nutrions Gold Standard is my go-to powder. I don't make shakes though, I make protein cakes. Scoop of protein powder, baking powder, and coffee creamer. 30-45 seconds in the microwave and done.

Pretty normal at your stage to still have loose stool. Cherish it now, because soon it will be constipation. And no, that is not dumping. You'll know if you experience dumping syndrome. It feels awful.

Also, the prevalence of soy protein in many products has been linked to moobs. I don't know how true it is, but I also don't buy soy supplements. I avaoid them because of their low bioavalabilty in regards to muscle recovery post lifting.

Beeswax will not dry skin/lips. I cannot say for sure if pure paraffin will or not. But I can say that Veaseline or any petroleum product (like jelly) will cause some drying. Lanolin is of course good, but if you are just looking for an everyday chapstick, Beeswax is the way to go.

I am coming up on 3 years, I am no where near the eating machine I was prior. I literally would be stuffed and thinking about the next meal. I didn't want to "let down" my wife by not taking seconds or having something at my in-laws because they made something for me. Now I no longer have to bother faking interest, I'll just say that I have to save my calories or I over full from something prior to getting there. Works out well for me since everyone knows I had the sleeve.

For the past week I have been ill, typical ear, throat, & nose stuff. The main diet recommended for these time is usually soup. I lived on ramen, chicken noodle, and an assortment of Pacifc brand soup cartons. I went over my daily calories every damn day and my protein was abysmally low. Easily only a third of my normal intake. And I was starving the entire time. Carbs break down easily and quickly. Therefore you get hungry again much quicker. I normally have to remind myself to eat when I am busy because the dense protein satiates us longer.And the fact that the soups main volume is water, the carbs that were there we not even in sufficient quantity to keep me full for longer than 30 minutes. Oh, here is a tip for when you get to the part post-op where you want to know how to eat soup since you shouldn't mix liquids and solids. When you are sick and no one is around, drink the broth first. When all that is left is the solids, eat that.

No social media. Can't stand it. I see my wife and kids noses buried in it every evening. I pretty much think it will be the downfall of society. Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

@BuffaloBill The best questions to ask yourself are: What are you wanting to get out of going to the gym? Are you wanting weight loss, pretty looking muscles, or strength? There is a difference between all of those food/activity plans. You cannot have more than one goal at a time. Sure you can try, but you will only make meager gains (or losses) if you divide your focus. In my case, the weights I was lifting were pretty low because I was so weak, but it was necessary to try and maintain as much muscle mass as possible since that is what burns the fat. And fat loss was the goal the first year. During weight loss, 80 grams of protein is sufficient. Attack the cardio while you can. Carbs are not your enemy contrary to what many say on here. Just make sure they are complex. That is good fuel for cardio work. The second year I went for pretty muscles. Just like so many of us, it was almost intoxicating looking so good after being fat for so long. But I found that what I really wanted was strength. The strength to do things that previously would send me to the doctor. So now I eat what would probably be a boring diet in many peoples opinion. I really don't care what I am eating as long as it fulfills my nutritional needs. The weightlifting is fascinating. I always thought lifters were meatheads. The books I am reading are being written by doctors and mechanical engineers and people far more intelligent than I. I am to the point that I eat 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day. But it is pretty damn clean. The only problem is that I cannot eat enough to break into a larger lift class. oh well, 1st world problems! So back to your original question In order to lose weight or burn fat, you have to be in a caloric deficit. That means that you are burning more that you are taking in on AVERAGE. Not daily, but more like weekly. A good estimate of the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) for the average male is 1500 calories. That is why we call the first year post op the honeymoon phase. Over the course of a week, the daily caloric intake is usually far below that so you lose weight. You surgeon probably made a big to-do about maintaining muscle mass during the first year. That is most likely what is happening right now. The existing muscle is living up to it's potential. Now in order to increase the potential of muscles, we need to grow new muscle tissue. In order to do that, we must stress the muscle and cause many micro tears that heal stronger and bigger than before. In order to heal back bigger and stronger, you need quality proteins (meats and whey are best - do NOT use GenPRO, it is snake oil) and a caloric SURPPLUS. You cannot create new tissue out of nothing, you must have the building blocks available. Fat is not converted to protein, only energy. So it can fuel your activity but it cannot build new musle tissue. Fat is the most dense energy source for the body, then protein, and lastly carbs. That is why carbs are great for pre-workout. They give us the enegery to complete the workout. Protein will be used as an energy source before fat since it is easier to metabolize. Fat is the last thing your body turns to for fuel. This is why you want to focus on the weight loss the first year. After you reach your goal weight, you will be able to eat more than 1500 calories and the excess will go towards making more muscle tissue. Weight loss doesn't happen overnight and neither will a strong body. Focus on long term goals for the best chance of success. Slow and steady is the way to win this "race". Incremental gains should be your goal. It's not just your muscles you need to be worried about. They WILL atrophy in the beginning. You WILL lose muscle mass and strength. There is nothing you can do about that. Accept it; but set yourself up for success later. You will also need to focus on calcium and vitamin D and increasing bone density. Your legs should be good since by nature of being overweight they had to become strong to carry us. Unless you have arthritis like me and then it can become an issue. TLDR - My advice is to lose all the weight you can during the first year. I cannot stress that enough - my advice. Do what you feel is right after talking to your surgeon/doctor. I wouldn't be trying for 1200 calories at 2 month post op. Establish the eating habits that will last you the rest of your life.

PArdon my slow wittedness, I am sick and puny right now. Who am I supposed be addressing in regards to retaining/gaining muscle mass? Approach is different depending on the person.

Gotta say I'm jealous @JerseyJules. You don't seem to have any of the excess skin that plagues many of us.