BigViffer

I wouldn't go so far as to say a couple are bad, just worthless. There is no nutritional value other than the simplest of carbs. But they do turn soft and mushy quick, which is why they are given to hospital patients and people with upset tummys. They are bland. If later when a bariatric patient is maintaining they want a cracker, the better choice would be a wheat thin or a triscuit (sp?). Basically a savory shredded wheat cracker thing that is at least high in fiber.

Wait... You recommended the OP eat Quest Protein Chips. That's the ingredients for the sea salt flavor. I figured it would be the least ingredients. Looks a lot like my protein bars ingredient list. Just so that any newbies don't get the wrong idea, I have nothing but respect for OutsideMatchInside. She is a tremendous resource of information and a successful vet that doesn't attack people. This is just one of the few (if not only) topic we disagree on. My words are no more valid than hers and I do not want to come across as demeaning her. Tone cannot be heard on a forum post, so I wanted to make sure that clear!

There are hardly any foods, condiments, or beverages one can buy in a store that meet your criteria of "real food". I don't think many people would be able to afford to live with such strict guidelines as you have imposed upon yourself. If I were made of money, perhaps I could do that. But I am not. So I will continue to supplement my diet with whey powder and protein bars and recommend to anyone else their use. They are safe and are a good choice for lower calorie/high protein food. Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

Huh? Carbohydrates are the body's main source of fuel. The central nervous system, brain include, require a steady supply of glucose in order to funtion properly. If we didn't need carbs, hypoglycemia wouldn't exist. Why do you keep saying they aren't good for people? As a supplement, a quality protein bar or powder is an excellent choice to include in our diet. The only reason I would say they are bad for anyone would be if they used them as their only food source. As for the OP, popcorn sounds like a food that you should assiduously avoid. I have eaten it when I needed to raise my blood sugar in short order and there was nothing else to eat around. It didn't harm me nor make me feel ill, but I hate popcorn after working in a movie theater when I was young. If you love popcorn and can eat it all day, that is going to be a slider or trigger food for you.

You are craving crunch because you can't have it. Kind of the Forbidden Fruit syndrome. If you are only on the soft food stage, just be strong and hold on. It passes soon enough. Me personally, I wouldn't add saltine crackers back into my diet. Period. Even two years out. Once you have been cleared for normal foods and you are in need of a crunch, celery is always the first thing people reach for because, you know... it's a vegetable. It's good for you. BUT it is also very fibrous and extremely difficult for many in the beginning. My recommendation is pork rinds. I know, you just made a face thinking about tuna and pork rinds. But plain pork rinds really only taste kind of smoky. If you add tuna salad on it, the taste is almost nil. One last thing, try making your tuna salad with fage plain yogurt. It's a little different, but once you acclimate to it, it's almost impossible to go back to mayo based salads. Ugh, I shudder just thinking of the fatty/slimy texture of someone elses tuna, egg, or chicken salad.

While it is true that too much protein can damage your kidneys, it would take an inordinate amount, well over 2 grams per pound body weight to cause that as well as lack of fluid intake. Then it would have to be done over a long period of time. While it is possible, it is very unlikely that a bariatric patient will be able to take in that much protein day after day for a long enough period of time to cause damage.

First off, thank you for keeping a food journal and being somewhat detailed. Hopefully you are keeping this in a spreadsheet along with the fat and carb content as that is very useful information. Also, since you are still new to the game, you should start a measurement log. Hips circumference, navel circumference, arm at the bicep circumference, thigh circumference, and neck circumference. That is the one thing I didn't track and I have kicked myself ever since. It is very reassuring during "stalls" when you see these measurements change. Stalls are the points at which your body is moving **** around. All weight loss is a series of plateaus then change. It really is not something to panic about this early. But it sure as heck feels like a disaster when you are living it. Don't forget that you may be a little emotional and overly sensitive during the first few months as the hormones stored in the fat gets released into your system. About your NUT; unless this is a person with a degree of some sort, I wouldn't worry about their opinion much. People can take a certification course and call themselves a NUT. My NUT was worthless. Of course, if I ever run out of smoothie ideas she would be the one I would go to first. That is pretty much all she knew. Even my surgeon would scoff at her drivel. I was always more prepared than she. Now, on to your diet. Looks good to me. It may be a little high in fat, but not so high that I would be concerned personally. And it surely isn't so high as to affect weight loss. The only thing that I would change would be your using the calories burned given to you by the machine. It's worthless. I have a Garmin VivosmartHR, some people have FitBits, but they are good to have for the heartrate monitor. The heart rate monitor is a better way to show approximate calories burned. In your case, a slow leisurely pace of 2.5will not get you into a cardio training zone, so there is very little chance you are burning that much over your basal metabolic rate. AND THAT IS OK. You are only a month and a half out, you will get up to the cardio zone soon enough if you keep at it. One last this that might cause your slow loss is water retention. Parm chips, Diet Peach Snapple (yuck!), veggie patties... I wonder how much sodium is in those items? I keep track of my sodium as well for blood pressure reasons. You can see examples of my tracking here: Hope some of this helps.

You're killing it Tink!

I did not experience any itching sensations from my sleeve surgery, but I remember when my jaw had a plate put in that my face itched on that side. It could be from the nerves in the skin that were cut and you have a type referred pain. Is there any numbness? Does it feel similar to when you have your foot fall asleep? If so, I wouldn't think it anything to worry about. But it is still something you should mention to your surgeon on your follow up appointment.

Actually I don't think it was stupid at all. You went into it thinking you were eating a high protein food. If it is something you have made a hundred times in the past it may just not have occurred to you that you could dump from it. Now you know and experience is the best teacher. Now imagine if that was ice cream? I bet you'll weigh the enjoyment of the eating versus the anguish of dumping before trying any really unhealthy foods!

Are you perhaps still on any pain meds? It could be a side effect or allergy.

Oh, and not to mention the metric system is so nicely thought out that it is all base 10 counting and not 2 tablespoons=1 ounce. 4 ounces=1/2 cup. Pints, quarts, gallons... all weird math scaling.

I really wish the US would switch to the metric system. There is no confusing volume & weight that way. Grams & milliliters vs . Ounces & ounces. Seems like a no-brainer.

Well hell, that is almost a novel approach compared to many of the newer members. So kudos to you! I only seem to come here anymore as a constant reminder of failures because of people not doing what you are committing to above. I am pretty confident you are going to be a success story in the long run.

Ah, it was the added fat! I can completely empathize with you. Now I am thinking I need to give salmon patties a try. We have an air fryer that is probably my most used kitchen toy. "Fried" fish in that thing is fantastic.

That sure as heck sounds like dumping syndrome alright, but salmon patties?! Man, that sucks. I've not eaten one of those since I was forced to as a kid. What is in them that caused it do you think? I honestly have no clue how the are made. Also, are you a bypass or sleeve patient?

I haven't posted to this thread in a long time so I thought I would participate with the newbies. The first picture was taken sometime in 2012, not even my heaviest but probably close. It was the only one I have that shows a profile though. The other picture is from todays form check video I submit to my coach.

You'll get the same answer here as all of the other sites you have previously mentioned. Of course it can stretch. It's impossible to stretch. Blah blah blah... However I will point out that the only people I have personally worried about it stretching are the ones that do not follow the post op diet nor do they make a lifestyle change. In your opinion, what is more likely to happen: The pylorus (sleeve) or pouch opening (bypass) becoming weakened and letting more food through OR a surgically altered stomach with the stretchy (fundus) part removed being stretched out to previous volumes? If that still is not convincing enough, ask your surgeon point blank for the facts and to not use lay terms. If they say that it can be stretched, live your life with that as your motivation to eat right.

Now THAT is beautiful!

Okay... well if that is what your surgeon says to do, that is what you should do. Isn't it strange how no two surgeons can apparently agree on these things? Hope it works out for you.

Oh, and my vote would be Nay.

Is that a typo? <edit> I just went to my 2015 spreadsheet to double check my macro's at that stage. Over all over December (my 10th month) I averaged 1500 calories & 120 grams of protein a day. 30 grams sounds dangerously low. My earliest records start at my 4 month mark and I was at 1200 calories & 80 grams of protein.

https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=genepro&sortby=relevancy&search_in=titles This is a horse that has been beaten to death.

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie-20120504 A friend sent me this older article and I read it to be polite. Turned out to be a very good one! The one part that resonated the most with me was this little excerpt: Summed it up nicely for me. I don't go to the gym anymore because I want to look better in a shirt, it's become far more personal. All in all, I'd say it's a good read. Give a glance before your next trip to the gym and the weight machines.