Introversion

I recently experienced this...because I started my menstrual cycle today. For the past three days I've been ravenously craving different foods, usually unhealthy options. It always happens a few days before the start of my period, so it's hormonal. I have been able to maintain my weight be giving into the cravings with reasonable limits. I also exercise regularly because I find that moderate to vigorous activity blunts my hunger somewhat. My cravings during this time of month are usually for salty, fatty snacks such as chips. I usually eat alternatives such as nuts and pork skins. Pork skins have no carbs and plenty of protein.

Someone mentioned a good analogy between weight loss and a roll of toilet paper. A roll of toilet paper that starts with 300+ sheets is fairly large. If we remove 50 sheets from the roll, it will still appear somewhat large to the naked eye, whereas a roll of toilet paper that starts with 180 sheets will look strikingly small after having had 50 sheets removed. Likewise, a 50-pound weight loss may be less noticeable on a person with a starting weight of 300+ pounds. However, a loss of 50+ pounds will appear dramatic and very noticeable on a 180-pound individual. The moral of the story? Your weight loss will become more noticeable to you as you continue to lose weight. Good luck to you.

It's because, due to liability reasons, Dr. Nowzaradan and his handlers are far too astute to publish their real post-op diet on the world wide web. It would be akin to providing medical advice to masses of patients who have never been assessed by the good doctor. Then when something goes wrong, someone out there wants to file a lawsuit. There are no secrets or magic associated with losing a substantial regain. The dietitian or nutritionist at your bariatric practice will also probably waste your time by providing garden variety information about creating a modest caloric deficit of 25% each day to slowly lose the regain. You indicated you're a nurse practitioner, so you are educated presumably at the masters or doctorate level. You have more than enough information on nutrition to lose the regain. It's really simple: to lose it, return to the basics that caused you to lose during the first six months out.

I was a slower loser than many who were sleeved. I had exactly 100 pounds to lose and reached my goal weight in a little more than 17 months. HW 225 (4/5/2017); SW 218 (4/20/2017); CW 118 (5/9/2017) and 5'1 tall. I do not believe in eliminating macros such as carbs because it causes me to crave them more intensely. If no foods are forbidden, I am less likely to go off the rails. In addition, I am not on a diet. I sucked at diets prior to weight loss surgery and couldn't adhere to them long term. Phrases such as "cheat food" and "zero carb" reinforce the dieter mentality.

In all likelihood you'll lose hair regardless of the bariatric surgery type you undergo. It's due to a process called telogen effluvium: http://www.americanhairloss.org/types_of_hair_loss/effluviums.asp The hair loss typically begins three to four months after the surgery and subsides within a few months. Some people swear by biotin supplements and Progaine shampoo and conditioner, but only time will resolve the issue.

Personally, my tastes and preferences changed after surgery. I found myself craving healthy options that I once detested or didn't particularly care for prior to surgery such as steamed asparagus, broccoli, creamed spinach, and green beans. I also enjoy higher protein seafood options that I had previously disliked such as mackerel cakes, salmon croquets, sardine fritters, blackened tilapia fillets, tuna, and trout. Prior to being sleeved, my food staples that I couldn't live without included instant oatmeal, Honey Nut Cheerios, and frozen meals such as Lean Cuisines. These foods now disgust me.

If you dislike meats, non-meat sources of protein include: 1. Black beans 2. Flat-Out flatbread (9 grams of protein) 3. Peas 4. Quinoa 5. Hummus 6. Nuts

My following comment may be controversial, but I don't particularly care anymore. I assume you are African-American based on your profile picture. I am also black. In a nutshell, many members of the AA community have skewed body image perceptions with regards to women and think that bigger is more attractive. My BMI is 22. I am squarely in the middle of the normal BMI range, yet certain people in my circle think I'm "too skinny." Funny enough, all of the people who think I'm skinny are badly overweight and need to address their own weight problems and health issues. You are 5'4 and 165 pounds. Most Caucasian and Asian women with those stats would be aiming for goal weights in the 120 to 140-pound range, and no one in their respective communities would chastise them for it. However, many folks in the AA community would shout a black female down for even entertaining the idea of getting "that skinny." Essentially, you do you. If you want to attain a lower body weight, it is possible. If you need to attain a lower body weight due to health issues, you'd better do it. Forget about the naysayers. This is your journey. They, on the other hand, can end up in a dialysis chair 20 years from now or have a massive stroke because they paid too much attention to keeping their fluffy curves and round booties. It is all about you.

I have one afterthought... The dietitian at the bariatric practice that sleeved me also included bread and crackers on the list of approved foods I was given. However, just because we're allowed to eat a certain food doesn't necessarily mean we should. I didn't touch bread until after reaching my goal weight. The sooner you eat animal-based proteins such as chicken and fish, the faster you'll start losing. Meats have an extremely high thermic effect, meaning your body must expend a tremendous amount of energy in the form of calories to burn them off during digestion. If you are a vegetarian, this is going to be a potential problem and you will need to be ultra diligent finding tolerable non-meat sources of protein (e.g. beans, flatbread, cottage cheese, eggs) to torch the metabolic fire.

The basic $10 blender that you already have will suffice just fine. Look at the big picture...the pureed food phase is only two weeks out of your life. There are so many pureed options that come ready-to-eat and require no additional processing such as yogurt, pudding, cottage cheese, ricotta, refried beans, creamed soups, shakes, and jarred baby food meats/veggies. I would save the money you intend to spend on a pricier food processor or blender and, instead, spend it on smaller clothing or something that provides you with a thrill.

You did not stretch your stomach out... Liquids are incapable of stretching the stomach. Pureed foods, a.k.a. "pudding thick" liquid foods, are incapable of stretching the stomach. These foods also do not produce the feeling of restriction in all peoples' sleeves. In all likelihood you will not feel that tight restrictive feeling until further along in your dietary progression when you consume solid proteins such as chicken, beef, fish, pork, and so on.

You are exactly one month out. How much weight have you lost? I was a slower loser who dropped an average of 3 to 6 pounds per month. The important fact is that I attained my goal weight and have been able to maintain it so far. This is your personal marathon, not a race in which you sprint next to others and compare your progress against theirs. People focus too much on the weight loss phase when it is, in the bigger scheme of things, very unimportant. On the other hand, maintaining the weight loss is crucial. What is the point of losing 25 to 35 pounds monthly like Speedy Gonzales only to regain in the second or third year? Nobody thinks regain will happen to them, yet 80 percent of all bariatric surgery patients regain some or all of the weight they've lost. Good luck to you! And...stay off the scale for a while.

I am so very sorry for this loss. May the passage of time ease the enormous pain of all persons involved. Please accept my heartfelt condolences. My own mother died a few months ago at the untimely age of 58. She was morbidly obese and had fallen at home. My very slender father could not assist her up off the floor due to her weight, so he telephoned 911 to facilitate her transport to a local hospital. She died a few weeks later. Her multiple illnesses were exacerbated by obesity. It makes me wonder about the human toll that morbid obesity has taken, as well as all the years that have been cut from peoples' lives. It is truly sad.

Easy-to-digest protein sources for the early days include: 1. Greek yogurt; add a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast low-sugar for additional protein 2. Canned refried beans; top them with melted cheese for additional protein 3. Protein shakes (my favorites include Premier Protein, Muscle Milk, and Slim Fast high protein) 4. Add unflavored protein powder to foods 5. Syntrax Nectar (if you dislike milky tasting products and prefer fruity tasting stuff instead) 6. Ricotta topped with pasta sauce, melted mozzarella and parmesan 7. Sugar-free pudding with a scoop of powdered milk (powdered milk is the cheapest protein source)

Homemade baked frittata: Mine consists of 5 eggs mixed with chopped ham, jalapenos, Anaheim peppers, cheddar, green onions, half & half, and ground flaxseed meal. I pour the mixture into a greased 8-inch pie pan, bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, and eat it by the slice. I am a single person, so my frittata lasts a couple of days.

You quoted my previous post, although I am not having trouble or struggling. I am two years out and have been maintaining my weight of 118 pounds with vigorous exercise (running 30+ miles weekly) and mostly decent food choices. Nonetheless, the advice you gave is solid for those who may need it.

Yes. My mother died this past January at age 58. Her myriad of health problems were either due to or exacerbated by obesity. I often find myself wondering whether she would have lived to reach old age if she hadn't been morbidly obese and made healthier lifestyle choices. Anyhow, I am another vertically challenged person at 5'1. At my height, 160 pounds is considered grade 1 obesity. I was 218 on surgery day and have absolutely no regrets. It is too bad that weight loss surgery still carries a pervasive stigma as supposedly being the "easy way out."

There are many sources of protein that are cheap, healthy and quick to prepare: 1. Eggs ($0.53 per dozen at Aldi); you can scramble them, hard-boil them, fry them, top them with melted cheese, or salsa, or Tabasco sauce, or salt & pepper, or fresh veggies such as sauteed bell peppers and chopped tomatoes, or other protein sources such as chopped ham. 2. Tilapia ($5.49 per 32-ounce bag at Aldi); one fillet has 100 calories and 20 grams of protein. Look up recipes for blackened Tilapia. Serve this fish with steamed veggies for a filling meal. 3. Cottage cheese ($1.99 per 24-ounce tub at Aldi); 4 ounces of low-fat cottage cheese has 80 calories and 12 grams of protein. Serve it with a baked apple topped with cinnamon or a fresh fruit of your choice. 4. Chicken leg quarters ($6.80 per 10-pound bag at Walmart); divide the leg quarters by cutting them into their separate thigh and drumstick components. Each bag will generate about 25 to 30 pieces of chicken leg meat. Use quart-sized freezer bags to store them in the freezer until you are ready to thaw them for cooking. Each thigh has about 14 grams of protein and the drumsticks have 12 grams of protein. Look up recipes such as "rosemary garlic chicken," "lemon pepper chicken," "Mexican chicken bake," and "ranch chicken" for starters.

I seriously doubt your body is done with losing weight. However, your honeymoon period may have ended. To break a stubborn stall, I had to tweak my food intake and exercise plan. What always helped was increasing my calories along with the intensity and duration of exercise. I increased my calories in a stair-step pattern during my journey. At four months I increased them to 1000 calories a day. By six months I was up to 1200 calories, and at nine months out I was up to the 1400 to 1500 range. By my one year anniversary I was eating around 1700 to 1800 calories a day. While my way may have slowed down my weight loss, I am thrilled about being a short person who maintains a lower body weight of 118 pounds on about 2000 calories a day. It may seem counter-intuitive to eat more and increase your caloric intake, but keeping your calories too low for too long might cause metabolic derangement.

I will reiterate that two slices of pizza does not result in 5 pounds of fat gain. To gain 5 pounds of body fat, one would need to consume and store 17,500 calories as adipose tissue. Two fully loaded slices of pizza on a hand-tossed or deep dish crust contains 800 to 1,000 calories at the most, depending on the toppings. Your 5-pound pre-op weight gain was almost assuredly all water weight due to the high carbohydrate content of the pizza. And yes, it takes a while for some people to lose the bloat and water weight gain, especially if they do not engage in vigorous physical activity to use up those water-heavy glycogen stores.

There's no way, physiologically or otherwise, that you can gain 6 pounds of true fat after one or two so-called "cheat days." 6 pounds of fat gain would have required you to consume and store 21,000 excess calories as body fat. It cannot happen in a couple of days. What is happening is water gain due to consumption of too many starches. Eating too many carbohydrates without enough physical activity will cause bloat. Foods with a high carbohydrate level cause the body to store three times as much water compared to protein. This storage is in the form of glycogen, which requires a considerable amount of water. The end result of eating too many carbs without enough activity is water weight gain, at least in susceptible people. In carb-sensitive people, carbohydrate loading (a.k.a. "cheating") causes fluid retention that results in a lot of temporary water weight gain. Recall that the liver utilizes water as it creates and stores glycogen from all the carbs one eats. Thus, water weight gain will show up on the scale as a heavier weight. I do not have cheat foods or cheat days. If I want a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger or taco, I eat it. Since I have no forbidden foods, I have minimal desire to go off the rails. "Cheat days" are a part of the dieter mentality. I sucked at diets; therefore, I am not on a diet. As long as that burger can be worked into my daily calorie budget, it is not a cheat food for me.

I've been sleeved for approximately two years. I can tolerate anything. I have no food intolerances whatsoever. However, I choose to not eat my trigger foods because I know I will graze my way to the bottom of the bag or box if they are in my house. For me, trigger foods include tortilla chips, corn chips such as Fritos, flavored popcorn, and certain crackers (e.g. flavored Triscuits, Cheez-Its, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish).

I am definitely no post-op pro. I am two years and one month out. Yes, it is normal for your stomach's capacity to increase over time. The tight feeling your sleeve had during the first few post-op months does not last forever. Surgeon Dr. Matthew Weiner explained in one of his YouTube videos that the typical sleever can consume two-thirds of a plate of food by 3 to 5 years out. I reached goal this past September. I maintain a body weight of 118 pounds (plus or minus a pound or two) on an intake of about 2000 calories a day. Since I like to have freedom with my food choices, I run an average of 30 miles per week to maintain my weight. I increased my calories incrementally during my journey. During months 1 to 3 I was eating up to 800 calories daily. In months 4 I bumped it up to 1000, and by the sixth month I was up to 1200 calories. By the ninth month I was in the 1400 to 1500 calorie range, and at my one-year anniversary I was up to 1700 calories a day. Although increasing my caloric intake resulted in slower weight loss, it helped preserve my metabolism. I am bouncing on a cloud about being able to maintain a lower body weight on a normal intake. As far as the increased capacity is concerned, your restriction is not what will carry you or maintain your weight loss as time passes. It is all about what you choose to put into your mouth. For instance, I am able to eat two small fast food cheeseburgers in one sitting even though I choose not to. I can eat an entire 6-inch sub sandwich or three pieces of chicken (a thigh and 2 drumsticks), but I choose not to. My appetite returned during the 8th month post-op.

Look up the "three week stall." It is a very real phenomenon that happens to the majority of bariatric surgery patients sometime between the second and fourth post-op week. Since it usually takes place during week three, it is called the three week stall. For now, it would be wise to stay off the scale. The stall will break. You didn't become obese overnight and you will not become a normal-weight person overnight, either. Patience is king. Weight loss after the sleeve is your personal marathon, not some sprint in which we compare our progress to other sleevers. You lost 16 pounds in less than three weeks. You are doing wonderfully. With my sleeve I lost an average of 3 to 6 pounds per month, so I was the definition of a slow loser, yet I made it to goal. Keep in mind that the weight loss phase is unimportant in the bigger picture. Instead, your ability to maintain the weight loss for life is what really matters since the majority of bariatric surgery patients regain some or all of their weight. Good luck to you!

I concur. The duodenal switch is usually reserved for the super-morbidly obese (BMI 50 or greater) with severe metabolic disease processes (e.g., grossly uncontrolled diabetes). I personally would not undergo a duodenal switch unless I had in excess of 200+ pounds to lose and suffered from some health problem that deranged my metabolic rate such as poorly controlled diabetes, PCOS, hypothyroidism, etc. With 130 pounds to lose and no health problems or comorbidities, I would opt for a sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass. I personally had the sleeve and lost 100+ pounds without the malabsorption issues associated with the bypass or duodenal switch. Your mileage may vary. Good luck to you.