BigViffer

OK, this is going to be a bit long winded, but you asked! I am literally going to copy/paste my past post because I don't feel like typing a book. I find the best way to prepare GENEPRO is to make sure the lid is on tightly and then chuck it in the trash. The makers of that stuff are about as shady as they come. They say their magical process reduces the size of Protein molecules! In their own words: They are saying their 10g of special protein is equivalent to 30g whey. I believe this says it best about Genepro: Long story short, they are selling lies. Most likely they are selling BCAA's and calling it protein. Do yourself a favor and buy a reputable protein brand. Gold Standard is good brand. There are so many manufacturers that lie on their labels, you almost have to look them up and see how many lawsuits they have against them before you buy! If their process was true, every other maker out there would be following suit because it is such a cutthroat business. The fact that most retail chains refuse to carry it is evidence of the company's reputation. The only reason I reply (yet again) to this type of post is to protect new patients from wasting money on snakeoil. I need to bookmark my reply to this ridiculous garbage product. It comes up so often it's a PITA to search for it. The manufacturers even admit that there is really only 10 grams of protein, but it is magically fast with absorption and is the equivalent to eating 30 grams of protein. It's a whey based product. It is most definitely not 30 grams of bio-available protein. The calories are just not there either. This stuff does not contribute to satiety, meaning you will still be hungry. At best it leaves protein markers in the blood stream, more likely though your body will start to break down your own muscle tissue for the protein that it needs. It does not provide the building blocks the body needs for muscle tissue, nails and hair. So you are most likely will have issues with that. Just stay away from this crap and ask your NUT if they are just espousing what a marketing rep told or did some actual leg work and investigated it. I'll wager they did not. Oh, and on the subject of unflavored powder. They are just that, unflavored. That does not mean they have no flavor, it merely means that they do not mask the natural flavor of the powder. I tried unflavored in the beginning, but it only worked for me with very strong soups like curries or tomato.

As well you should not be convinced. It's snake oil.

If you trusted the surgeon enough to cut you and remove 80% of an organ, you may want to give his opinion on alcohol consumption some more thought. I had a few drinks at 5 months, but I have the sleeve and I had clearance with my surgeon. First time you drink there is a very real possibility of getting sick.

I have never heard of caffeine as a hunger stimulant. That's really strange since many "diet pills" and appetite suppressants contain caffeine.

I honestly can't tell if you are asking a serious question or trying to be funny.. In case you are honestly curious, that wasn't me. That was some of the more pathetic members of the forum. Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

Glad to see you qualified that pasta with protein! But I'll be honest, both the protein pasta and rice give me a very uncomfortable feeling even 2+ years out. If you are doing a bunch of cardio during the week, the carbs in the sushi should be fine. But as a staple in your diet would be a very bad idea. I find it odd that I used to love starchy foods before; bread, potatoes, and rice. I could live off bread and dip of almost any kind. Now I rarely ever think of them. The uncomfortable feeling has ruined those foods to me, and I am totally cool with that now.

I'm betting after you have that first salad, you won't be craving them quite so much. Lettuce is not only nutritionally worthless, is will go right through you. Of course, if you are battling constipation that could be a good thing. Kale, arugula, and cabbage make a far healthier salad that will stick with you a little longer, are far more nutritional dense, and high enough in fiber to help keep you regular.

That is an incredible change in a short amount of time, congratulations and keep up the good work!

When trying to decide if you want to join a gym, the most important thing is to be honest with yourself about why you are going. Do you want to go to the gym because that's what you're "supposed" to do? Let's go over some of the reasons to join a gym: Duh, once you have the surgery, you are supposed to go to the gym in order to exercise and lose weight. Actually, diet is what is going to allow you to lose the weight. The extra movement of course will help, but exercise is more about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I want to avoid saggy skin and I heard that exercising will help the skin go back to a young 20 something hard bodies skin! Sorry, the only way to get tight skin is to either back fill with a metric ****-ton of muscle or plastic surgery. Some people on here look fantastic in their pictures, but unless they had surgery they are going to have scars, stretch marks, or saggy skin. I want to get out of my comfort zone and maybe make some new friends. Actually, this is a great reason to go to the gym. As long as it doesn't become the sole reason for your attendance. Zumba, yoga, pilates, elipticals... all of these things made us self concious because of bouncing fat or hanging bellies. Now we will be able to participate in these activities and will see the results very quickly. It is an intoxicating experience. Believe me. I want to gain endurance. I'm tired of being tired walking up a flight of stairs. Another good reason to start going to the gym! After just a few pounds lost, you will be amazed at how much less winded you will be. I want to get strong. This is me. I had so many stupid injuries in my past that I wanted to do it right this time. In regards to personal trainers, allow me to quote myself: So yeah... not a fan of them. I know the weight room can be intimidating. Especially for women. Meatheads are assholes to new guys and they are absolute insufferable to women. They will mock the new members trying to get into shape and the leer at the ones that are attractive. I know I had to deal with it in the beginning when I was working with 10lbs dumbells. Of course, now that I am bench pressing more than these guys can deadlift they don't have much to say. The best thing you can do for yourself at the gym is to have a plan. Read, research, question, and read some more. Don't believe something on the internet. If you want to become the cardio queen, go to a bookstore and buy a book on running. That will at least have to have had a proof reader and more than likely a fact checker. Forums are a poor source of information. If you are wanting to get into weightlifting, go to the book store and look for Starting Strength or The Barbell Prescription. The latter is my preferred book. Starting Strength is the bible for strength training, but it is fairly rigid and assumes you want to become a power lifter. Barbell Prescription is about how it can improve your life. I'm getting a little longwinded here. If you have a specific set of questions, go ahead and post them and tag me in the post so I know you want more input.

lol... This was just asked a couple hours ago: https://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?/topic/397790-Alcohol? Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

Discussed ad nauseam: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=alcohol&sortby=relevancy&search_in=titles You'll find both sides of the argument explored and talked about in agonizing detail and breathtaking recklessness.

Actually, the pH level of coffee is not much different than your own saliva. Coffee acidity seems to be all the rage night now, rather low acid coffee, but that isn't describing the pH level of the brew: https://espressocoffeeguide.com/all-about-coffee-2/coffee-flavor/acidity/ Now, I don't doubt that coffee could have affected your digestive system. A good, strong cup of Joe can send me waddling to the bathroom with cheeks clenched tighter than a tube top in a trailer park. But it is related to the concentration of caffiene and not the pH of the coffee. edit - just found this:

This is something you should be asking your surgeon and not strangers on an internet forum. We've got people here that eat crispy bacon or fried chicken on the way home from the hospital for gods sake! Seriously though; you trusted them enough to cut into you, trust them if they tell you to avoid caffeine. Me personally, I cannot remember how long it was after surgery that I was allowed coffee again, but I do remember the awful heartburn it caused at first.

It is not recommended to chew gum post op because the act of chewing signals the body that you are eating and your stomach starts producing digestive juices. That can lead to heartburn and worst case scenario ulcers.

2 ounces of meat is measured by weight with a scale. 2 ounces of milk is measured by volume with a measuring cup. That's the problem with the imperical scale. Most people leave off the "fluid" modifier when talking about volume. The metric system is so much more clear with grams vs milliliters. There really is very little confusion with the metric system.

I hope they gave a little more information on that. 2 ounces of cheetos will not satisfy anyone like 2 ounces of meat, but it will have a greater volume. Density and volume are both important. Since most meats have near the same relative density, measure out 2 ounces of that and compare that to your thumb and let that be your guide in the beginning.

I can help you here! One thing to remember with nutrition labels and recipes in general is that it is all estimations and assumed uniformity. For example if a turkey, cheddar, and wheat bread sandwich with mayo is 300-ish calories, (20 grams protein, 15 grams fat, 20 grams carbs) Are each bite completely equal? No. But we have to make assumptions to make our life easier. For recipes, I go by total ounces as my servings. Makes it easy to weigh and log in. Easy example, 1/2 cup steel cut oats (4 oz 150 calories) 1 cup milk (8 oz 120 calories), 1 scoop protein powder (1 oz 25 calories) Total ounces 13 ounces = 13 servings. I don't really care that no one is ever going to have 1 serving, it's just the unit of measurement that is easiest to me.

Another thing to remember is bottoming out and rebound to your stable weight. My lowest post op weight was 198. Right now I fluctuate between 215-220. My daily average caloric for the month of May intake was 2000. My highest being 2,700-ish and my lowest being 1,050-ish. Activity and opportunity play a big part in how much I eat. There have been 25 days this year that I broke the 2500 calorie mark. But on those days I averaged 195 grams of protein, so they were most likely corresponding with heavy lifting days. Biggest calorie day was just recently, June 2nd. I treated myself to a baked sweet potato loaded with realy butter & brown sugar. That sucker cost me a ****-ton of calories. And I had a glazed salmon with it. The core meal was "healthy", but the sauce and toppings are what get you. Long post made short, don't let 5lbs worry you too much. That is just a BM away from back to where you were.

That sure as heck sounds like dumping to me. I've experienced dumping several times after getting approved for normal food. Only once or twice did I experience the running to the bathroom. But every single time I had the drooling, slimy feeling. Sometimes there would be a foamy saliva, sometimes excessive sweating, but always a general feeling of awfulness. It is not always diarrhea and stomach cramping. Nor is it limited to the symptoms I described. I've never heard of anyone dumping from chicken breast, but I guess it could happen if it was actually fried or smothered in some sort of sauce. Generally it is caused by a higher fat or sugar content, but simple carbs or vegetable fats (avocado) can cause it. Regardless if you experienced dumping or severe indigestion, it sucked.

I'm over two years out and this is still something I have to deal with. I am at least thinking of what food I need to eat rather than what I want to eat though. I still stick to my weighed portions, but I am making sure that the food meets my macro requirement for the day. I was kind of hoping that it would be second nature to me by now, but it is very much a exercise in planning.

You have a source for this bit of info? I have never heard of this and would like to read more. <edit> https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/ found some info. Very interesting and just reinforces a habit we have already. Buying local whenever possible is better. Especially now concerning vegetables.

Oh and regarding the symptoms, yeah baby... thats the good stuff. Those are the ones that give you reason to eat right for life. Nothing like a little Pavlovian conditioning to correct our habits!

There really is no reason to eat grits anymore anyways. Well, besides that they are tasty and a comfort food. Strange that it was grits that did it to you, I was assuming something sweeter or high in fats. Were these plain or cheese grits?

Jesus, your NUT sounds like an idiot. There is no way you can get all of the nutrients your body needs on 500 calories. Man, my NUT was clueless about anything but smoothie recipes but at lesat she wasn't trying to starve people. As for the intermittent fasting, I believe it to be another fad diet. One of the reasons for my surgery was to never do those again. I track my intake and as long as I hit my macros, I'm good. However; If someone find that after 6 months the fasting works for them and they have committed to that being their lifestyle, more power to them all and congrats for finding an eating pattern that works!

Oh no, don't apologize! Experience is a better teacher than just reading about it. I am sure she will now look at foods that may be off plan with a more skeptical eye, and that is a good thing.