BigViffer

I must say I am surprised that you were cleared for the sleeve and were only 214lbs in the beginning. At best I would have thought they would have done a lapband. I don't think there is anything you can do to maintain your current weight that would be considered safe or recommended. especially only 2 months out from surgery. After a year of healing and adjusting, maybe then you could build some muscle with Protein and exercise. I don't think eating junkfood in order to inflate your caloric intake would be recommended by anyone, forum member or surgeon.

I am having this issue as well. The when I told my surgeon, he said that I just wasn't getting enough fluids in a day. I admit that in the beginning I was not able to always get the 64 oz of Water a day. But I am routinely getting over 70 oz a day now and the problem is just as bad as always. I have stumbled and almost fallen over many times. Sometimes I check my BP and it is 105-ish over 65-ish. While not clinically low, it is a far cry from what I have had for the past 15 years. I am going to make it a point to talk to my surgeon again at my 6 month follow up appt.

Ooh! A fellow sport tourer! How long have you been riding LisaLou? Any other cool bikes in your past?

Yeah, no. If that's what you got out of some of the responses, then you really didn't read them. Yeah, I read some. And that is what I got out of them. You've already called me an a*****e in one of my threads, so I am just going to chalk your reply up to another insult. Do this for me, on the upper right side of your screen click on your user name Then click on Manage Ignore Prefs. Then type in BigViffer and click save.

Jesus, it looks like Charles Dickens is posting on BariatricPal nowadays. People are writing books. Don't get me wrong, I like reading. Just not when it is a bunch of worthless pulp. So for newcomers to this thread, let me summarize it for you: Original Poster: I had gastric surgery long before I was mature enough for it. I didn't do what I was supposed to do post surgery. I never lost as much as I wanted. If I can find one person to agree with me, then it's not really my fault. Everyone Else: You weren't ready for the surgery. You didn't do what you should have post surgery. You would have if you followed directions. Most of us don't agree with you. Go back to basics, find some friends who can give you the support you must need.

Learn to love kale. Lettuce does nothing for you, but kale is a "superfood". It's tough, chewy, and has a distinctive flavor. If you make a salad with it, you should make a dressing for it as well and let it sit in that for a while before eating. It will soften it up and make it bearable. After acclimating to kale, try a bit of lettuce salad again. Iceberg will taste watered down and not very satisfying. Spinach salads also are ok.

NCTRNL - I don't know dude... we could walk the mall looking for chicks. Go to the food court to nibble on some Sbarro and get caught up on all the latest fashions while listening to the newest music produced by today's "artist". Oh yeah, that sounds like man heaven to me.

It's funny, the first time I tried spaghetti squash it was served to me like spaghetti. I was told it was squash, but was told that it's spaghetti. I hated it. The next time I tried it, it was just the squash with some olive oil, garlic and a few other light herbs. Fricken loved it! It's the same way with veggie burgers. Don't lie to me and call it a burger, it will disappoint everytime. But tell me you made veggie patties and I am in the right mindset for it and it's OK. If you are looking for a serious Pasta replacement, I heartily recommend Banza chickpea "pasta". www.eatbanza.com 14 grams of Protein in 2 oz?! Sign me up! I liked it quite a bit in a cheese and sauce bake.

lauraellen80's post is excellent. Buy the tupperware cups and don't purchase individual foods. More preservatives are in those for some reason. In my case, I packed cottage cheese, applesauce and greek yogurt. Better develop a taste for greek yogurt, it's a lot higher in Protein than American so you don't have to eat as much. Don't worry, it will be funky at first but you will acclimate to it soon enough. I buy the Faget plain yogurt in the big tub and add Torani sugar free flavoring or PB2 Protein powder to suit my tastes. Applesauce is not high in protein, but it is in Fiber and you are going to want that. Dried apricots, prunes and figs can be put into a blender with your protein powders for a well rounded food/drink combo. Those individual tuna bags are awesome, but try to avoid the canned chicken and tuna salad. They are too high in fat. Also, get a good shaker cup. Damn things cost $15 sometimes, but you will have it by your side at all times and you don't want one that leaks after being washed a couple times. Don't ask me how I know. Crystal Light Water enhancers are a lifesaver for me. The water at my office tastes like pool water to me, so that helps mask it. Hope this helps!

Mine actually has an example diagram of what surgery I had done. So it doubles as a medical emergency card and a restaurant disclaimer.

Mine was given to me by my surgeon. So far, I have seen about 10 different variations so I am guessing they are specific to the hospital. Here is an example of one I found on the net:

You will definitely have a greater chance for heartburn, but unless you are using some sort of crazy hot additives you should not be in greater risk of an ulcer. I have found that my taste for spicy has diminished somewhat. Habenero's still taste good to me, but they heat is uncomfortable to me now. But a lot of food tastes different to me now, so I just deal with it.

I went with the weight I was when I was most confident and physically happy with myself. 220lbs. That was when I met my wife. Anything below that is gravy.

1 - Live in Dayton, OH, but from Southern IN 2 - Gastric Sleeve 3 - Feb 2015 4 - 70+ lbs so far 5 - Roast beef with horseradish hummus 6 - No problems with food I should be eating. I had one chicken wing that made me throw up and tried a tortellini that did the same. 7 - I haven't had a back spasm in months! 8 - I got nothing, I really don't know what people would find interesting.

I am back to normal in regards to coffee. I also will sometimes have Javapro Protein powder. As long as I get my 64+ oz of Water in a day, I don't have any side effects. Oh, and normal for me is one in the morning and one in the evening with French vanilla soy creamer.

Walking is the one of the best things you can do post op. The weather was dreadful after my surgery, so I was literally pacing the halls in my house. Once my drain and pain ball were gone, we made trips to the local superstore so I could walk around there. There are many reasons that walking is important, getting rid of gas is one of them. It's no different than burping a baby. Walking allows the air bubbles to either escape through the esophagus if possible, or allows it to work through the bowel easily. I think the average person produces about a liter (by volume) of gas everyday. During normal activity, you pass that without even knowing it. When you are sedentary post op, those gas bubbles build up. So in short, walk walk walk!

I was finally "in the mood" about a month out. But I had a few issues after surgery that slowed me down (partially collapsed lung and hematoma). It took me until the two month mark until my wife had to tap out. That hasn't happened in a long time!

I just remembered you were talking about in resturants. Whoops! Don't be afraid to take your own condiments. I bring my own drinks to places I am going in case they don't have anything I can have. In restaurants, I have no problem showing my surgery card telling them I am just here as company with my family.

You don't have to go plain. I am one of those people must have a sauce or dip for just about everything. I know it stems from my childhood. Mom made pork and chicken dry on purpose. Fear of trichinosis back then meant everyone overcooked their poultry and pork. But I digress; I don't want the empty calories of condiments now. You can get the common hummus flavors that works well for veggies, but I have found some stores that have more options in their hummus. Spinach & Artichoke, White Bean & Basil, Curry, Sun Dried Tomato, Cilantro & Jalepeno... some really awesome stuff! But I have to say my favorite combo is the one I found first. Deli roast beef, swiss cheese, and horseradish hummus. The meat, cheese, and bean combo makes it Protein packed. I don't bother with bread or tortilla's or anything like that. Roll the meat up in the cheese so that your fingers stay clean and dip it into the hummus. Hummus has been a life saver for me. Prior to surgery, it was just hummus and pitas. I recently started buying plain Faget yogurt. I tried it right after surgery but my taste buds were not ready for it. Now it reminds me of a super soft cream cheese. I can mix sugar free coffee flavorings to make a desert yogurt. I can add spices or herbs to make a dip. Don't be afraid to try new things!

This was actually one of the reasons that I went through with the surgery. With my high blood pressure and medication, sex was... lacking. My drive was low, duration was short, and the intimacy was not as intense as I wanted it. At 5 months post-op, our sex life is back to our early years and just general affection between us is up again.

Funny coincidence, I had ranch dressing for the first time this weekend myself. Prior to surgery, I loved ranch dressing for a veggie dip and on salads. I have had a few types of salads and veggies since surgery, but they were with vinegar based dressings or the dip has been hummus. The first bite I had of the ranch made me want to spit it out! I thought at first as BeagleLover did, the ranch was bad. Nope, brand new bottle. It was so salty and just generally... odd tasting. I just chalked it up to another food that I no longer like. It's weird, but I am okay with it. I thought I would miss bread, potatos, tortillas and other foods terribly, but I am finding that it really is not that big of a deal.

I get what you are saying, but I really miss pizza. However, I am not looking to buy a crappy pizza. I just discovered chickpea Pasta and it is really good and packed with protein: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0611/1757/files/New_Nutrition.png?2144 This got me thinking about making a chickpea pizza crust. I have tried the cauliflower pizza crust, it tastes good but you cannot pick it like they show on the internet. I am thinking this may be the route to making a healthy pizza.

lol... just noticed this. You're my kind of an asshole.

I recommend powder/shakes so that you can hit your Protein goals. You can only eat/drink so much in a day so it needs to be protein packed. Powders and shakes are the easiest way to do that. My favorite is UMP Vanilla: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/beverly-international-ultimate-muscle-protein-vanilla-2-lb-powder/i3-1004#.VZ7iuPlViN0 Good texture and good flavor. It doesn't bother me to get a clump of powder in a drink with this stuff. It is really good. The lady at the store called it the Ferrari of protein powders! My second favorite is any Java Pro: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search?search=java+pro# Same story with this one. The powder just tastes good. But it has caffeine so I limit it to just a few a week.

I wouldn't worry about building muscle any time soon. All of your food is going to go towards repairing your body and energy levels. Once you get closer to your goal weight, then you will have the surplus protein that is used in building muscle. The best you can hope for at this time is lessen the muscle loss. I know I have lost a lot of muscle and strength since surgery. But I still do light weights everytime I go to the gym to keep as much muscle mass as I can.