OutsideMatchInside

That is how I felt pre-op. I had a pretty good handle on my food but I still really struggled with portion control. I would have an 8 or 12 ounce steak when I was low carbing before surgery. A proper portion for everyone, not just a sleever is 4 ounce. I was over eating all the time and I had a hard time stopping. You kind of have to decide for yourself what you want to do. Like for example early on the first 6 months. I did not waste calories on chicken salad. I had baked fish with Ghee. I picked foods that followed my bariatric plan in the first 6 months but I used real fat and full fat items, within reason. Even now most of my fat come from half and half in my coffee and the cooking oil I use for my protein and the fat in my protein (I like pork chops). I don't have to add a fat like MCT Oil. I feel like MCT oil for a sleever is kind of a hack that isn't necessary. If you really like MCT Oil you can use it, but I wouldn't use it on a healing/new intestinal tract. MCT can be hard on a normal person. I try not to waste calories on mushy things. I love Avocado but is it fairly high in calories, doesn't trigger restriction and when you eat it with things it makes them moist and turns them soft, and possibly into a slider. Not worth it. I try to avoid sliders and accidentally turning things into a slider. Although there is no real reason not so use mayo instead of avocado but long term, the calories for chicken salad are not worth it. In the short term healing it might be a nice way to help you get protein in because it has more moisture and get your calories up because it is higher in calories but long term, just eating a chicken breast cut into cubes will be more physically satisfying? Confused? It is confusing. You learn as you go along and you have to do what works for you.

You were going to be on a liquid diet no matter what so it doesn't matter that you didn't have surgery. Keep doing liquids and try to get a surgery date next week. There is no reason to quit this close to the end. If this makes you want to give up your first post-op stall is going to send you over the edge.

Haven't seen you in a long time! Nice to see you again. We are going to have to agree to disagree on the band. Sure lots of people eat around it but, the human body rejects foreign objects. The band is also know for eroding stomachs and it can slip. I think the whole point of it was residual income for Doctors. Glad to hear you are doing well! Wishing you the best of luck and continued success. And yes it is the same questions over and over in an echo chamber. I always wondered why no long term WLS patients were active on boards and I completely understand now.

There is no normal, everyone is different. Have you been for your checkup? What did your Dr say?

Good Luck and thanks for the update!

I used to use MCT oil prior to surgery for energy. Post-op I have so much energy I do not need it. I have an almost full bottle I purchased after surgery that I have not used once I think. The first 6 months you should follow your bariatric plan. The stages and foods allowed are a prescription for healing and to lessen complications, after you are healed at 6 months you can do what you want. I used a keto calculator to create my macros, and I followed them very closely for a long time. A lot of the things that people that are not WLS patients do with keto are not necessary for WLS patients. The whole first year I had no physical hunger so I didn't have to do a lot of the popular tricks that people do. Like the whole purpose of bulletproof coffee is to extend your fast in the morning so you even up intermittent fasting, at least how it was originally intended by the Bulletproof guy Dave Aspey (been a fan of his for years). It is easy to fast for extended periods post-op WLS with no hunger. People online really bastardize the whole bulletproof coffee thing. If you are used to low carbing, life post-op WLS is not really much of a change at all. The only difference is smaller portions and you have to eat more often. A person that is used to being Keto adapted and knows what to expect has the advantage in the WLS world. It made most of it pretty easy for me, I wasn't whining about missing crackers and other crap I didn't eat before anyway. Bariatriceating is always trying to sell their BS shakes so I am not sure they are the best source. Their NO NO List is I used heavy cream in my coffee when I struggled to keep my calories up. Unlimited bacon as a no no is only because I don't have the room and can't meet my protein goals with it. I only use FULL FAT everything. The rest of it is fake and has additional carbs. Their ratios on how to eat are not Keto at all, they have carbs almost equal to protein and that is not keto whatsoever. I hate that website so much, ugh. Anyway... I set my macros goals by setting my protein goal first. My protein goal has been 120 grams a day, at first post-op it was 90, then I raised it to 120. My protein goal is based on my muscle mass. Here are my keto goals as they progressed. 2 months Post-Op 4 months Post-Op This is my current bare minimum calories for the day. I can lose like this but I can lose eating more calories also. This is my baseline to function without being dizzy or tired.

I use LoseIt. It made the most sense for long term tracking.

I have seen a post-op plan on every Mexico Surgeons site. People get plans they just ignore them and don't follow them. The person I know from my program was saying she didn't know what to eat, but they gave us a shopping list, and a book about what to do post op, plus several packets. When we had orientation, people were not paying attention, talking to their family or asking how soon they could had a piece of buttered toast. People just don't pay attention. I have seen people that had Dr Now as a surgeon online asking what to eat. Most of the time when people are asking what to eat, they want someone to co-sign them eating something they shouldn't. This is the link to some of the post-op information provided by my plan. Hopefully someone pre-op reads this post, but if your surgeon doesn't have a clear post-op plan and path for you that they provide before surgery. DO NOT let them operate on you. Before I had surgery I had a clear plan of how to eat for 6 months after surgery until I healed.

When your calories get higher you will probably have more energy. I never had a lot of sustained energy until I was over 1100 calories a day.

You will lose faster when you dump the apple juice. It is just sugar. You should have a list of things to eat and when to start eating them from your team.

If you eat fish it is really easy to keep you calories low. 3 ounces of cod is 15 grams of protein and 70 calories. You could eat 6 ounces 4 times a day and that is only 560 calories. 100 grams of chicken breast is 165 calories and 31 rams of protein. A whole bag of baby spinach is like 40 calories. If you eat protein and veggies and nothing processed is almost impossible to even hit 1000 calories a day. I ate every 2 hours 4 to 5 times a day to get my protein in and was able to keep my calories low by just eating protein, and veggies.

Protein bars. They taste okay but not great and you will get sick of them fast. Chocolate protein shake EatMeGuiltFree Brownies Halo Top Ice Cream ( a proper portion not a pint) There are lots of options that can fit your macros. I think it is easier to work with your cravings and find good replacements than to try and deprive yourself. There are plenty of protein based low calorie options if you love chocolate.

I know WLS is routinely done on teens in other countries (UAE, Mexico, India). The US is more complicated.

You won't know what is normal for you until 1 year post-op at least.

I had it from like 6 to 18 months. I literally could not sit still I had so much energy I was moving all the time, even sitting at my desk in my office. It has calmed down some but not really. I have boundless energy, it is pretty awesome. It is like gaining a super power.

Ohh we have the same order. High Five! Yeah I try to only go on double points days or on dash days. I am in no danger of ever losing my Gold Status

@elliekay I really didn't think it was possible either, but it does tighten some, plus the fat adjusts and moves. It is has been a really weird experience but I have learned a lot from it. I probably won't do plastics until fall 2018 at the earliest.

@Rev2be Try eating real food. 4 ounces of dense protein, chicken breast, steak or pork chops 3 to 4 times a day. Drinking calories is pointless. You don't have a pouch so the pouch reset isn't going to help you, plus it is just a dumb fad diet. You can't live like that forever. However eating dense protein first is how sleevers are supposed to eat for life. You can eat around any surgery, so unless your eating habits are together, you are going to just regain over and over. There is someone who posted here that is on their 3rd weight loss surgery, not because of complications like GERD but because of regain. Surgery can't save you from a bad diet.

Not bashing OP but just in general @dreamingsmall People that treat WLS like another diet, keeping falling into the same pitfalls. If WLS is a complete lifestyle change for someone, this doesn't seem to happen as often. People who regain get desperate. There is a lot of pressure to maintain weight loss, and when people regain they feel a lot of pressure. Especially people that decide to be WLS poster children. Science education in America sucks. I do not see as many people in foreign countries with such poor understanding of science and nutrition. Like the 2 guys that tried to debate me on how much a pound of muscle weighs.

Ugh I read how to make them and looked up the equipment and decided I would just let Starbucks do the work. When they discontinue them like they do everything delicious. I will look into making them myself.

Drink w/Meals Do not eat slowly Do Not chew a lot Carbonation Caffeine Coffee Straws Fat, lots of Fat Skipped Purees Phase I rarely ever drink 64 ounces of water. Some days but I drink at least 48 ounces of coffee a day Pretty much stopped following a Bariatric diet at 6 months, I picked my own Some of the things I do above only work because I track and weigh my food. If you don't do that, then you can't really bend/break the rules.

I love them! I can easily eat 2, I could eat 4 if I wanted, they don't trigger restriction. Luckily they are delicious and very satisfying, no reason to over eat with them. They are my go to protein on the go if I can't get nuggets from ChikFilA

Yes it does. Sugar is the 3rd ingredient in the lemonade base. Never trust what they tell you has sugar and doesn't. Make them show you the packaging. If you can't make out the lettering above the ingredients are water, lemon juice, sugar. Another Image Seriously the only thing safe is black coffee/espresso. Bring a scale and add your own cream. That is the only way to control the calories. If you aren't willing to do that, don't have starbucks. Everything has hidden sugar, even trace amounts. I had flat whites most of the time now, but I have the calories and carbs to spare. You don't have that kind wiggle room in the early losing phase. Don't blow your reset time on Starbucks, they will still be around in a year.

Try eating your protein first and alone. That should cut your portions right down. as a 6ft tall male, you are going to have a larger stomach than most sleevers who are women, so you are going to need to weigh your portions out and just eat those. Don't rely on feeling full to know when to stop.

I don't think that is the case. Even if it was, not many people saw that post. The pouches have vitamins together that should be taken apart and that is a bigger issue than any marketing. Like you can't take zinc and iron together, and calcium should be taken alone. It doesn't really seem like a bariatric vitamin solution and a lot of the doses are low, and would need to be supplemented with something else. If they had a better formula, I would buy it without hesitation.