Dub

Never had them.

VSG was 8 months ago. I've seen some welcome developments: returning to the gym and feeling like I don't stand out, sitting in any random airplane seat and having zero issues, sitting in any booth with room to spare, unable to wear any of my old clothes....completely new stuff.....and much of that is too big now, much, much more mobile. I've been very fortunate for the loss thus far. It came at a great time in my life, too, as things at work have become insanely stressful. The already long hours are longer each day....the time between days off is longer, too. I tackle it and sometimes wonder how in the world I'd have done so with my body from 8 months ago. Crazy scenario, very glad to be more streamlined and able to get through it. What I'm looking for next......well for short term goals....say over the next month: My goal by mid July is to fit comfortably into the new clothes I just bought...5 shirts and some jeans. They were all ordered a size down from my current size. I really want to be in them in time for a vacation that's coming up. Mid range goal: To arrive at my 1 year appointment wearing whatever I"m dressed in that day and proudly step up on the scale and be BELOW my goal weight. It is not going to happen unless I get a bit more aggressive with my cardio efforts. Longer range goals: Live long enough below goal so that my abdominal muscles develop and tighten to the point where my surgeon feels confident in going in and doing what I hope will be a final umbilical hernia repair (my 4th ) and then begin making plans with a plastic surgeon to address what needs to be addressed. I'd also like to get my torn rotator cuff repaired at some point during this, too. It's seriously screwing up what I am trying to do in the gym. I couldn't even shoot hoops with my nephew last month. Sucks ! I'm looking forward to some beach vacations next summer.

Maybe I'm wired up differently.....once I came home from the hospital....the absolute last thing I wanted to think about was food. My response to food make me the morbidly obese guy that I was. It led to me having surgery for weight loss. Let me repeat that.....it led me to seek surgical undertaking in order to gain better control over weight loss. I wanted nothing to do with food. I was now on a new plan....and have been ever since. I eat to live. I no longer live to eat. Simple concept, but huge in scope. For the record.......since the date of surgery the absolute only hunger I've had is "head hunger". There has been zero real hunger.

Juices are full of sugar and can be acidic. I'd avoid them at all costs. Right now your diet is a very, very simplistic formula to follow. Protein shakes and Water. That's it for the next 2+ weeks. You have to get past the desire to eat until you are full. That is over with. You will get that full feeling later on once you are eating real food. For now, though....it's just those liquids. You'll not be dealing with hunger anymore from this point forward. Use that to your advantage in losing the weight. I I remember correctly....they suggest I have an ounce or two of Premier Protein ready mix shake every hour along with the same amount of water for the first two days home.....after that I was to work my way up to 2-3 Premier Protein Shakes each day along with water. By the end of the first week I could handle 3 shakes a day with no problem. Now is a great time to stay out of the kitchen and really break away from a food focused life. Be patient and allow your body to heal. Try to get up and walk every two hours and be disciplined on getting in your water. Sip everything carefully and stay on track. You had the surgery for a reason. Get your mind wrapped around that start to enjoy the weight loss that you'll be seeing as soon as the post op inflammation eases up.

I'm feeling pain in my lower back, which makes me think my back is trying to compensate for my lack of core strength. This may provide me with a natural "slow down". Thanks for your advice! Sent from my KFASWI using the BariatricPal App Yup. One day that very slow down became a halt when I went too far. Be careful. Slow and steady....consistent cardio and very, very careful lifting (high rep count, low weight, perfect form). I feel you on this. Not fun at all.

Mine isn't proper. She's ancient and but I love her. Her name is Princess Otter and we have been so many places together I can't let go. Kayaking is awesome- there is something very therapeutic about bobbing around, watching the world float by. I'm pretty sure these guys were laughing at me doing absolutely nothing in their backyard. ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1466128160.068513.jpg Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App It's all good so long as I can tote a Glock to deal with the local gators & snakes.

Awesome !!!!! Looking forward to seeing many more of your outings. I really, really should invest in a proper kayak.

Let your new stomach heal properly...........before taking on new challenges like alcohol. Let it heal. Be safe.

No. I self paid. Dollars made through sweat, pain and hard work. Forgive me if my opinions on VSG are harsh. I got there through lots of personal effort.

So tired of the bs that is on this site.

So this finally happened......

food simply exists to keep you moving forward. Moving forward is the key !!!!

It does suck.....but it's for your safety. In the grand scheme of things.....you'll look back on these two weeks and laugh. You are about to get so far past your old self that it's not even funny !!!!!

6 shakes ? And vegetables ? Your plan is very generous.

Seems like it was at my one month checkup. I asked and was allowed a couple cups each day. Beware of Starbucks at this point, though. Much of their offerings are calorie dense and even their basic coffee (no calories) is brewed fairly strong and can be too much on a healing sleeve. Now, though......a trip to Starbuck's for a venti dark roast with cream & Splenda is a real treat that indulge in often.

Not sure about the mercury aspects. I should look into this. Same with cholesterol from eggs and such. Keep in mind that once you have your sleeve you're not really eating high volumes of protein.....just high percentage of your intake is protein. In other words.......consider a normal meal from your former life. Imagine it. Think about what the plate looked like when it was loaded down at your normal meals. Got an image in mind ? Good. Now, remove the side items from the plate. Zero in on the entree. Got it? Good. Now zero in on that Entrees and then shrink it down to 1/4 cup in size.....or 1/2 cup or whatever size meal your phase has you eating at meals. Now....you'll see that you may actually be eating LESS protein than you were before....and none of the other stuff. No side dishes....no salads.....no Desserts. You'll only have room for some of the protein rich entree. With this in mind, you can still cook the same meals for your family....but you select from just part of it for your own needs. Supplement the gaps with bariatric Multivitamins, Calcium, Iron and B-12. Stay hydrated. Get lean. It's simple......as long as you let it be simple. Stay away from foods that don't fit your new goals.....and even their substitutes. Stick with the basics and work through the various phases.

I had mix feelings about this. For now, I've chosen to still but the same stuff in the grocery store. Our pantry is filled with Doritos, Pop Tarts and other stuff that I don't eat. I felt that my new way of living shouldn't translate over to punishment for the rest of the household. Even when I fire up the grill I still make much of the same old classics they love, yet I avoid. After all....I'll be faced with those same temptations outside the house, why not be able to flex & develop my self-control muscles in the safety of the house? I can certainly understand the opposite way of handling this, though. The only time I've ever successfully lost weight was when I followed strict Atkins. I ate over 2500 calories a day on that diet and lost almost 150 lbs in a year. But I lacked the will power to STAY on it. I'm seeing surgery as being the tool I need to not start eating crap again. I'm certainly not going to sabotage myself after going to such extremes. But yes, I lack the will power myself to never eat crap again unless I have another tool in place. For me, I have been easily able to stick to a low carb lifestyle post op, because I am not hungry and I can eat small portions. My issues with Atkins/Paleo/Keto etc has always been I was still hungry and over eating, even eating the right things. The sleeve makes it easy to stick to the lifestyle. I already had the will power but I was still over eating, and then I would stall and just quit. I can't quit with the sleeve. There is no WLS that will give you will power. You can eat around the sleeve, the RNY, lapband, all of them. DS is probably the only one you can't eat around because it is so extreme. Mentally you have to be in a place for WLS to work for you, or it won't. I think it is good you are asking a lot of the questions you are asking but you don't really seem ready for WLS. It seems like something you are agreeing to because your healthy is failing, but you don't really seem to be at the end of your rope with your weight yet. JMO Agreed. The lack of hunger once post-op has been a much appreciated aspect. Sounds good. Remember....we were answering your original question. You've taken it to a new level of resolve, which is all very good. The other tool that I've found to be highly effective with losing fat: EXERCISE In fact, I'd rank the post-op tools in the following order of importance: 1) Lack of hunger 2) Exercise 3) Restriction The way exercise helps me is on several levels. One is in terms of understanding what a calorie feels like. Punch in your stats on any treadmill or elliptical and hop on and do some work for an hour. Get off and see that you burned enough calories for 2 candy bars and you'll never again won't a candy bar. You'll equate that sweat effort with willpower and you'll understand how bad junk food is. Another way is in how you'll feel after sustained exercise. You'll feel better all day....and even better the next. Add some weight training into the deal and you will really start to feel GOOD. The effect it has on your body will soon become visible. Tone and structure. Improved posture. An easier stride. Clothes fit better. All the sudden you'll SEE it. Others will see it, too. It becomes another way that your willpower to resist junk food is strengthened. You'll be a whole new person before you know it. It can occur overnight, literally. For me.....it happened when I was sitting up in my easy chair one night. I couldn't make it to bed. I couldn't do much else but sit in that chair. I'd been sitting there for six weeks. Six weeks of going to PT sessions and taking meds to get past a back injury. One night I couldn't sleep.....just like the night before.....the meds and the pain had me wide awake. I decided that night to make a change. To find a way to get my legs beneath me and to change. By the time the sun came up the next morning I had a gameplan. I knew that wls would be part of it. I lost a nice chunk of weight in the next couple months and then had my VSG. It's been game-on ever since. It all came back to that one night.....everything that's occurred since was set in motion on that night. I'll never forget how bad I hurt then....unable to move or even breath deeply without crazy pain. Never again will I let fat be a contributor to that type of situation. I want this stuff burned off and turned into fuel. I have a hopeful eye to the future of how I'll adjust my diet once my body has burned the onboard fat for fuel. It'll be an interesting place to be.....another phase to live in. Looking forward to that.

Yup. Same here. The 500's. Chewy Bites. I like the caramel version while I wait on my coffee maker to brew that first pot of the day. The orange version is great for my other two doses during the day. Dang things are like candy.....only better.

You are a kind and considerate soul, Sharon. And you are right.....we sometimes need reminders such as this that we are in a good place.

You know what, you're right. I think I'm concerned that even eating better choices and in small amounts isn't going to be enough. I've been fat my entire life (weighed 100 lbs in first grade), it's hard to imagine that anything will ever change that. I shared those concerns, too. There are likely many, many old habits to break away from and a few basic good habits to adopt that will protect and shield you from the bad habits ever returning.

Yes. We read. If you are going to fully commit to WLS then your original question is a moot point. Think about it for a few seconds......let the term "fully commit" sink in. You've answered you own question.

I'm going to say this again... I am fully committing to WLS. I am planning 100% to change what I'm eating (in fact already have) and will not sabotage the surgery. Sorry if I sound snippy but I feel like people aren't actually reading my words. Yes. We read. If you are going to fully commit to WLS then your original question is a moot point. Think about it for a few seconds......let the term "fully commit" sink in. You've answered you own question.

Lawd have mercy.......... It's my brother from another mother. Great looking eats, man.

Most anyone, in my opinion, can eat past VSG surgery. You've gotta adopt a new gameplan if you want to succeed. Proteins first. Supplementation of nutrients and forget about all the junk food once and for all. If you can't commit to this.....then don't waste your time and money on the surgery. Harsh ? Meh.....nope. Just cutting to the chase and telling you the truth.

Exactly why I skipped the puree stage. I simply stayed on Protein shakes only for 4 weeks. YMMV, but that is my advice.