stacyrg2

Couch to 5k is good. Also, if you pick a shorter fun run or race to start, there are training plans on line. I ran my first 1/2 marathon 2 days before my 1 year surgery anniversary and have run 4 more since then!

Yes. We email regularly. In October of this year we ran a 10k together. His support has been invaluable to me.

I was sleeved in May 2014 and converted to RNY in July of this year because of severe GERD. While I was sleeved, I never vomited. Not once. I've thrown up once since my conversion surgery and it was when I tried to introduce a new food (quinoa, although I ate it all the time with my sleeve). Nausea and vomiting is very individual and there's no guarantee that you will ever have either. I'm not quite sure what you mean by what affect the reduced portion size has. For me, it has allowed me to lose weight at a relatively slow but steady pace. I'm maintaining a 133lb loss 2 years and 7 months post surgery. Also, a forced reduced portion size has allowed me to change my relationship to food and to understand what a proper portion size is. Being 2 years 7 mos post surgery, I can eat a relatively normal portion size. 3-4 oz of Protein and about 1 oz of a vegetable. I now know, and more importantly understand how food is fuel and what the appropriate amount is to fuel my body. If you had something else in mind by your question, let me know and I'll try and clarify my answer. My advice would be to work on your head. Realize the the surgery is just a tool to help you keep weight off. You're not going to wake up skinny and you shouldn't let that discourage you. This process takes hard work. So work on your self and commit to doing the work. Finally, I would recommend choosing a surgeon and team that you trust and then following your plan. I see so many people challenging their doctor's plan because "they know what's best for their body." If you are at the point where you need surgery, somewhere along the line, your way has failed. I decided at the beginning to put my faith in my surgeon and follow what he tells me to do. You know what? It's worked. I never could have lost the weight . . . and more importantly kept it off, by straying from plan. Good luck and feel free to ask if you have other questions.

I mix my Quest Protein with Water. Seems fine to me. Honestly the best way for you to mix it is the way that works best for you. Try a variety and see how you like it.

Oddly, this is an open forum and anyone can respond to any post. You have no control over that. The post that are irritating you are from vets who have been exceedingly successful with their surgery. This posts like this one and attitude like you are demonstrating that drive the vets away in droves. Babbs made a good point. How does sucking the hell out of crap like bugles and pretzels satisfy a craving for "crunchy?" You satisfied a craving for carb filled crap. I'm 2.7 years post surgery, down 133 lbs and value every word that Babbs, Bufflehead, Lipsticklady, et al. take the time to post. I read responses to your and think why the hell do they, or me, waste our time.

@@LipstickLady I'm a sleeve to bypass revision because of severe GERD. Does that mean I have a slouch?????

Cookies and Cream followed by Peanut Butter

On my plan it is.

I love how the ones who respond to the "I ate a burrito 2 days post surgery" posts with "we're all human, we all 'cheated,' it'll be ok" are almost always new post ops. For the most part you never get that from the vets, because the vets know what it takes to be successful. Yet, the vets are seen as bullies, and haters and whatever the buzzword of the day is for someone who won't validate your choices. You ate a burrito 2 days post surgery? Good for you! It wasn't a "mistake," it was a choice. For the record, I didn't "cheat" on my pre OR post op diet. I didn't choose to eat things off plan. I was given a food plan that I followed because I wanted to be successful at this. And I have been. 2.5 years post surgery, 133 lbs lost, at goal, but still losing slowly. So, stop with the "everyone did it and survived" responses and mentality. You chose to eat off plan and you didn't get sick or injure yourself? Good for you. But stop with the generalizations that everyone does it. And to all of you who are seeking validation for bad CHOICES (not mistakes), stop complaining that you're being bullied when the successful vets on this site tell you how foolish you're being.

I do have constipation, but 2 teaspoons of Metamucil at bed time cured that problem.

An additional thought. If it's the coffee flavor you like, Sytrax makes a mocha flavored Protein powder as does Click and Chike. Or you can mix coffee (if allowed on your plan) in with a chocolate or vanilla Protein shake. You might want to check those out. All much better options than a frappuccino.

A grande light frappucinno has 23g of sugar and 24g of carbs. That would not be acceptable on my plan, well ever. A Protein shake by Premier, Quest or Syntrax would be a much better option. I know to be successful, I had to become much more selective about what I eat and drink. Again, this is all as it relates to me (I'm 2 and a half years post surgery I wouldn't drink anything with that much sugar or carbs. That drink has more carbs than a eat some days. Just a bit of advice, because I want people to be successful, you really should become a smart consumer and read before you consume. If you were aware of the stats of this drink and still are considering it post op, I apologize for trying to foist my beliefs regarding successful behavior post surgery, on you. Good luck!

I agree. I met with my program's dietitian on Friday (I'm a sleeve to bypass revision because of severe reflux) and she feels I'm walking down the slippery slope again. since my revision in July, my calories have been below 1000. With my activity level and the fact that my surgery didn't really change my capacity much, she's concerned I'm not eating enough. So, it looks like I'm going down the path I walked last year and hoping to reign in my eating disorder before it again starts to impact my health. It was really eye opening to talk to the program's therapist the first time. I can't remember the exact conversation, but I said something and his response was "and there it is . . . would you like to say hello to your eating disorder??" It took that conversation to shake me mentally awake and realize all I was doing was exchanging one eating disorder (overeating) for another (exercise bulimia/severe calorie restriction) I do believe, and have expressed this to my surgeon, that patients should be required to have some sort of therapy post surgery (if not required, then it should definitely be made available.) The program's therapist said that approximately 15% of patients end up with some form of disordered eating after surgery. In my mind, this number is too high.

You should pose these questions to your surgeon s/he would be in the best position and have the most knowledge to address the questions you raise Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I developed GERD 8 months after my sleeve surgery. Never had a problem prior. I converted to RNY on 7/1/16 to cure the problem Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Honestly, I can't understand the frustration behind your decision because I didn't experience it. I knew it was exactly what I wanted, I didn't feel forced into it. It was MY choice and I couldn't wait to begin. If you're feeling forced or frustrated surgery, at this time, may not be the right decision for you. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's actually pretty easy and doesn't take very long. As for meats, I just measure into 3-4oz portions and wrap and freeze what I won't immediately use. Veggies, I tend to buy very small amounts of fresh veggies (keep in mind, I'm significantly farther out than you are) A single broccoli crown, a handful of brussels sprouts, the smallest bunch of asparagus I can find. Even now, I can only eat a few bites of veggies, so I cook accordingly. Also, you don't have to cook it all at once. I tend to cook more than I can eat in a single meal, but I don't mind leftovers, and I don't feel the need to have "breakfast" food in the morning. This morning, I had leftover steak for Breakfast. Earlier this week, I cooked up some chicken breast tenders and made some cauliflower "fried" rice. I've had that for lunch all this week. So, cooking more than I need doesn't bother me. If it bothers or overwhelms you and you don't mind cooking every meal, you can buy the package and freeze, or like I said previously, buy at the butcher counter and purchase individual items. At this stage, a single piece of chicken will likely last 2 meals for you

I don't mind freezing meats, so I buy the package they way it comes and when I get home, I portion it out and freeze what I won't immediately use. I know at the grocery stores where I live, you can buy a single chicken breast or thigh, or ask them to cut you a 5-6 oz steak (the cooked portion will be less than that, but I can eat about 3.5 oz of beef at a time) There are ways to get what you want, the way you want it. You just have to ask! As for veggies, you can buy the frozen steam in the bag veggies in the single serving size. I prefer fresh, and I buy the smallest amount possible and just cook what I need.

I had mine out 8 months after my VSG. I continued to lose weight steadily after surgery. If you stay on plan, you should be fine.

@@cassandramarie93 Thank you. I'm not going to lie and say it was easy or that I don't backslide. I still find myself waking up in the middle of the night and feeling for my collarbones to assure myself that I didn't gain my weight back overnight. I'm not going to tell you that it's easy for me to make the decision to take a day off from working out, or that I don't think that if I do take the day off, the number on the scale will be higher. It is difficult but worth it. If need be, talk to your Primary doctor or your surgeon or a therapist (I talk to all three). Good luck and try to relax a bit. The loss will happen for you!

How are you feeling? How much weight have you lost? Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App Sorry, I just saw this. I had gained back about 12-15 lbs because the only thing that provided any relief was crackers. I've lost that weight and 7 lbs more. I'm down to my lowest weight. My surgeon told me I wasn't likely to lose a significant amount of weight. It's been slow going. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

On my doctor's orders, I drink a glass of metamucil every day. I can count on one hand the times I've had constipation issues since starting the metamucil.

You can. I have, for the most part, overcome this compulsion/obsession. Yes, I'm careful with what I eat, but fear does not dictate my life. I know if I eat a cookie, I'm not going to die, I'm not going to gain all my weight back, and things will be ok. Yes, I'm 2.5 years post surgery and at goal, so I can ease up a bit. It will take work for you, but yo can do it.

This post has me worried for you. I speak from experience. I experienced some of the same behaviors as you. Feeling "guilty" for eating, exercising to extreme to compensate, etc. I would end up on the treadmill late at night, even if I was exhausted, because I didn't think I burned enough calories. I got to the point where it started to impact my health. My cholesterol went from normal to 323. My PCP called my surgeon who made me come into the office. He walked into the room, didn't even say hello and opened the appointment with "you're slowly killing yourself and it's going to stop right now." He required me to meet with the dietitian on a bi-weekly basis for a while as well as see the program's psychologist. I was diagnosed with exercise bulimia. It took a very long time to recover both physically and mentally. Please stop this behavior while you're still early out. First, one small spoonful of cranberry sauce will not stall your weight loss, cause you to gain weight, or otherwise hurt you. Second, you can't out exercise a bad diet. Third, working out for 2 hours to burn off a bit of cranberry sauce is familiar behavior to me and is a hallmark of exercise bulimia. I would hate for you to continue down the path you're on, and develop a full blown eating disorder. Good luck.

Yes. I revised from VSG to RNY on 7/1 to resolve my severe acid reflux that began after my sleeve surgery Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App