Cape Crooner

Let me elaborate on what I mean by "metabolic support" (as described by my surgeon). I was referring to the concept that only with VSG do they remove the section of the stomach that sends hormones to the brain that make us hungry. Nothing is removed in band surgery and in gastric bypass, the stomach is left behind and continues to produce the hunger hormone. That said, bypass patients do great in weight loss because they also have their digestive system "shortened". My issue with bypass was that I was uncomfortable with all that organ rerouting. Also, my surgeon said no alcohol or NSAID'S for life after bypass. Here's one link that touches on some of the differences: http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/gastric-sleeve-surgery.html#The_Difference I do know that lots of people have done great with the band, but I also know a lot if people have failed and then gotten conversion surgery to VSG or one of the others.

While I concur on cereal and applaud all the healthy suggestions (carrots, apples, etc), I think we're talking about crafting a new lifestyle as opposed to "dieting". Like most of us, I crave an occasional salty/crunchy snack. As I have told my NUT, I think most of my weight gain came from eating nuts which are full of calories. The first thing you have to do is make it a treat -- not a daily habit. My sense is a treat should be eaten no more than 1-2 times a week. Second, understand that sugar is POISON. Not only does it cause weight gain, but it also kills you! If I eat sugary food, I limit it to once a month. For the last 6 months, I have been enjoying something that I never would have eaten in my pre-VSG low carb days - JOLLY TIME POPCORN. They make a single serve 100 calorie bag that they say makes 5 cups of popcorn (it looks like less than that). Even in my pre-sleeve days, I couldn't eat more than one bag. I know popcorn is frowned upon, but in my case, it works!

As I mentioned in another thread, at my support group, I encountered many women who were married to men who could eat anything and everything and not gain weight. They expressed concern because eating was their husbands #1 source of recreation. My wife was similar until she turned 55 and then she started gaining weight. I now have been sleeved for 4 months and I can tell you that I now feel as close as being one of those lucky men. I would suggest doing a lot of research on the band. I went to one of the top hospitals in the country and they stopped doing the band because of the lack of metabolic support.

I had Anthem CA PPO and got approved in 5 days. I wrote up a 2 page document chronicling all my diet attempts over my lifetime. But the key was that I wrote it in the third person and gave my hospital a word version. I also included a scanned report from my PCP 7 years ago that stated that I was obese and prescribed a low fat diet. I also got a prescription for two other diet related treatments in the past three years and mentioned at as well.

One more thing. I log everything I eat and average about 1,000 calories a day. I also have a fitness tracker and burn an average of 3,000 calories a day. I also exercise for an hour 6 days a week. Typically, I eat more protein than fat or carbs every day.

A couple of things from you're humble OP: 1. It's more of an experiment and a treat than a diet question. For 40 years I've been a low carb fanatic and became obese eating too many nuts on an oversized stomach. I know that a burger/fry diet is bad - but once a month it's kinda fun. 2. Yes I eat the bun, but it's a very small slider - maybe 5 ounces total. Also the fries are shoestring - maybe 2 ounces. 3. I thank the posters who are reporting how far out they are and how much they can eat. That's the info I'm looking for. 4. Last thing is what was your surgery and are you a man or woman. I'm VSG and have never had dumping or gotten sick from eating anything. My solid food limit is around 5-6 ounces.

Yes, 10 lbs a month is typical of a sleevers honeymoon year. Yes, the first month or two should be more, but you're body is still traumatized. Check back after one month. Get your 70 grams of Protein, 64 ounces of Water, and walk 45 minutes a day, and before you know it, they'll be calling you skinny!

I see and sympathize with your situation. All my life I've made note of people who eat whatever they want and don't gain weight while I'm eating salads and putting on the pounds. The sleeve is the closest people like us can come to getting one of those "dream metabolisms." I'll also tell you that sugar isn't the only problem food. Most simple carbs trigger hunger for more simple carbs. My diet of choice was always Atkins style because it curbed my hunger. Now I'm on a variation of it because I have to focus on eating Protein in order to get 70 grams a day when you can only eat 12 ounces of food a day. The difference is that I can now eat anything and stop because I simply can't swallow another bite. The last thing I'll mention is that I've noticed that people who can eat anything they want tend to have more health problems than those of us in the 30 to 35 BMI class. I don't know about you, but I have always eaten healthy food, but I ate too much. My thin friends tend all have high cholesterol, blood pressure, and some cases heart problems. After the sleeve you'll be feeding your family healthier food and it will help them live longer lives!

I'm 63 and struggled with weight loss for 50 years. Over the years I would lose 20-40 lbs and then slowly regain to an average gain of 1-2 pounds - meaning a total of 80 lbs over 50 years. One thing I can tell you is that losing weight gets much tougher after 50 and once arthritis kicks in, it gets worst on a rapid basis. I have replaced one hip, but suspect I'll have to replace the other and perhaps knees. I started my journey on August 10, sleeved on October 6, and down 78 lbs. although 5 months is a long time, it's all been a bit of a blur and I feel that I'm eating and living a "normal" healthy lifestyle. We dine out, go to dinner parties, enjoy wine, deserts, etc, and I'm still losing weight. I am also a home chef and while I now cook far differently, I still find it fun and challenging. Now I seek to create great flavors with far fewer calories and more Protein. My wife is also delighted to have lost the 20 lbs that have been bugging her for sometime. Until a few years ago, she was blessed with a metabolism that allowed her to eat what she wanted and never gain weight. That changed after 55. One thing I found in support meetings was a lot of women who struggled with their weight who were married to men who could eat as much a they pleased. Not sure if this is your case or not. What about your kids? I have known many families with thin fathers, mothers who struggled, and kids who eventually became obese in their teens. All told, it is a total non-brainer. Go for it. Btw, I can wholeheartedly recommend the sleeve.

I don't know what "a balanced diet" means. I am down 78 lbs in 5 months. I have been logging since the day after my orientation and monitoring Protein since surgery. I eat about 1,000 calories a day and unless I focus on eating mostly protein rich foods, I don't hit 70 grams. Eating 4 ounces of meat without getting full is tough and 4 ounces is only about 20 grams of protein. Also, a liter of Water and a cup of tea is less than 50 ounces of water. You need to drink at least 64. I'm not sure how big you are, but I suspect you're not hitting your water or protein goals.

I choose the sleeve for three reasons: 1. My surgeon okayed drinking alcohol (down the road) with the sleeve and recommend lifelong abstinence with bypass. 2. My surgeon said the same about NSAID'S. I have quite a bit of arthritis and even down 80 lbs, I still need my ibuprofen. 3. I like the idea of just cutting off some of my stomach as opposed to all the plumbing rerouting and the whole dead stomach thing. I'm not sure about the whole hunger thing. If I avoid simple carbs, I'm not hungry, but if I eat them, I still want more (I'm in month 4).

Hmm, my case was quite different. I attended my orientation on August 10, first meeting with surgeon, psych, and NUT on September 2, got approved for surgery on October 1, surgery on October 6 - entire process under 2 months. I live in California in the winter and Boston in the summer. My flight to California was booked for 11/7, so 10/6 was pretty much my go/no-go date. There were multiple reasons why I was able to pull this off: 1. I have a very good Anthem CA policy (PPO) that was grandfathered from Obamacare. Before the ass-clown destroyed the US Healthcare system, I was paying $450/mo with an $6,000 deductible. Now I pay $1300/mo with an $8,000 deductible, but they approved my surgery in 5 days without question. 2. I went to Newton Wellesley and handpicked Dr. Partridge - the head of surgery. I told her that I had to be in California for Thanksgiving in the first meeting and she said she'd do what she could to make it happen if I did everything they told me to do. I did. 3. I'm in my 60's and I've been dieting for almost 50 years. I always kept weight and diet records. I attended the first meeting with a 2 page write-up of my diet/weight history along with a 2008 diagnosis from my PCP of obesity. 4. I think I impressed the psychologist with my conviction and my logical case for why I wanted a VSG. By the time I met with the surgeon, she said "everyone on my team is very impressed with you". 5. Given my relatively low BMI (38), I ate like a pig the day of my orientation and then convinced one of the assistants do an official weigh-in after the August 10 orientation. I came in at 281 (BMI 40.2). This cleared me through insurance for comorbitities. 6. Before my first meeting, I met with my PCP (mid August) and got a strong letter of recommendation. 7. From the day after the orientation on, I dieted like crazy. I was down to 266 by 9/2 and 256 by my final session before approval, and 251 on the day of surgery. I think the fact that I lost 30 lbs in less than 2 months helped my surgical team do a very minimally invasive operation. I went to every support meeting I could and actively participated - further impressing the staff. 8. I continued being a model patient for 7 weeks after surgery. Eating exactly what they told me to eat and walking/riding my bike at least and hour/day. By Thanksgiving I was down 65 lbs and resumed a new normal but healthy lifestyle. Today I weigh 204 - down 77 pounds and 14 pounds from my goal - 5 months after my orientation and 4 months after my first meeting. I'm eating what I want, drinking alcohol in moderation, enjoying a social life, and still losing 2-3 lbs a week. The first 3 1/2 months was hell - a self imposed "biggest loser" contest (no social life, alcohol, coffee, or soda), but now I'm thoroughly delighted with the results. You can do this if you totally focus on the endgame!

My surgeon is very hard line on coffee - 6 months! This is longer than the recommendation in the VSG handbook for the program. How do your guidelines compare - any idea why it would be 6 months?

3 months and 3 days - I gave in!

My wife gave me a Fitbit Surge for Christmas. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to return it. I now have integrated my misfit shine, custom band, and loseit into my daily routine. I'm sure what I'd get out of surge, but the thought of charging and reloading all my recipes was a real turn off.

October 6 - 13 1/2 weeks. HW 281 (8/10/15), SW 251, today 204. Ate typical holiday food in smaller portions and down 3 pounds from 12/24. I think my pace will get back up to 8-10 lbs/month now that I'm back on food logging and exercise.

I'm 5'10 and down 75lbs to 206. Wearing XL mostly and 38's. My exercise is strictly biking and walking. I'm beginning weights soon, but at 63, I'm not sure it'll do much for me. Thoughts?

Same here - 1 pound, which is pretty remarkable. I did drink 1-3 drinks on 10 days since the 23rd. I got a cookie craving on Christmas Day and baked some -- probably ate 10 over the last week and a half. I had desert twice at dinner parties and probably would have gotten in trouble if it weren't for my restriction. I did exercise pretty much as prescribed. Going back to my post-opt normal diet starting today. ~900 calories a day, meet or beat my water/protein goals each day, and no simple carbs. I'm ready to make a charge at onederland and my goal of 190 lbs and a 36: waistline.

Me too. I've started taking 2 Tylenol PMs and I'm back to normal.

@@Dub - I'm in, bringing my guitar and I'll do the tunes!

My NUT added them in week 3 post-opt (they were more concerned about portions and texture than nutrients for the first 4 weeks.) Basically, I had three warm foods approved during the first month. Week 1-2 just refried beans; week 3-4 added loose eggs and sweet potatoes. I put low cal/carb BBQ sauce or Green Tabasco on all three and ate 2-3 ounces. I think SP and RB are an okay special side, but not good for everyday eating. I find that I can't eat much in the way of carbs until late in the day -- they just make me more hungry and I'm only 12 weeks out.

I served these at a party on Monday and they were great. Just find a low cal asian dipping sauce. Sleevers can't eat 200 calories worth! https://www.instacart.com/costco/products/1126315-trident-seafoods-wild-alaskan-salmon-bites-2-lb

Merry Christmas to All! Down 75 lbs overall, size 38 waist, and no longer obese -- this Sleeve has to be the best gift I have ever received... By the way, I survived my neighbor's Christmas Eve Gourmet dinner last night. During the hors d'oeuvre segment, I had two jumbo shrimp and two small pieces of cheese. I pretty much skipped the huge salad (had one tiny bite and pushed stuff around). Then I ate most of the main course (Coquil St. Jacque) I even dipped a piece of bread in the incredible broth to finish off the meal. When the dessert came around (Chocolate cake), about 20 minutes had passed and I even had room about half a piece. After 12 weeks, I feel that I am close to where I always wanted to be!

I only told a few family members, but one of them was my 92 year old mother who seems to keep telling other people. I am 11 weeks out, down 75 lbs overall and people are calling me "skinny". They ask me how I did it and I tell them that I'd given up on fad diets and entered a medical weight loss program. I figure l'm not lying per se. And if my mothers loose lips end up reaching a friend I'll be okay. That said, we're starting social dining and I think I'm going to offend my fellow chefs when I stop eating after 4 ounces of the gourmet meal they prepared for me. Christmas Eve meal at neighbors, stay tuned!

This i virtually identical to my routine, except I have both -- 2 hours apart. I seem to be waking up earlier since I began this journey (probably because my body wants food) and I make a mini egg white omelet with a chopped up turkey sausage link and a little cheese (around 100 calories) around 6:30-7:00 AM. Then around 9:00, I have a half a 1/4 lb. Morning Star Chipotle veggie burger with a little fat free sour cream (also around 100 calories). These two keep my full through lunch and help me keep all my pills down!