NYCNomad

I’m 6 mo post op and down 70lbs with another 20-30 to go but things have slowed waaaaaaay down. I’ve only lost 5lbs/mo for past 3 months. Also, I’m very surprised at the volume of food I’m able to eat and suspect this is a contributing factor. I travel a lot for work and as a result find myself eating out. I order healthy options and mostly avoid carbs but I find my self straining to finish meals. I can usually eat 2/3 of a restaurant serving. For example, if I order a burger, I will usually eat all of the burger sans bun and a few fries. Or today I had almost 3 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon and a bite or two of potatoes. Sometimes I know I’m eating too much and don’t feel good but for the most part I stop when I’m full. I’m a 37 y.o. female with an athletic build, and on average consume 1500-2000 cal/day. Is anyone else able to consume this much? Can my sleeve already be stretched? Any tips for ordering at restaurants without having to disclose surgery is much appreciated :)

I’m 2 week’s post op and headed to Vegas next week for a work conference. One of my biggest fears is being stuck out somewhere with no food options. My doc sent us home from the hospital straight to purée but I really didn’t start eating anything beyond shakes and pudding until this Thursday. For the most part it’s gone well, although salmon and quinoa yesterday were a little too much. I feel fine physically and am comfortable traveling. Any suggestions for easy go-to’s when traveling, attending conferences, work dinners? Also how do you avoid people noticing how little you eat? Here are a couple products I bought off Amazon that I hope will help. Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 242, GW 160, 5’9”

Hi ladies! So I’ve started running again and boy can it be painful without the right support. I currently just have some cheap sports bras from Target and double up but would love to find something with actual support. Currently size 40DD (and shrinking [emoji119]). Would love some recommendations! Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 226, GW 160, 5’9”

Surgery scheduled for March 12 and I’m nervous/excited. I’d love to meet up with other sleevers in the city to share experiences. I’m not telling friends or family and am looking for help building a support system.

Google HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts. That’s one of the best ways to lose weight and tone up. Also work on strength. The more muscle you have the higher your resting metabolic rate.

I feel you on this! I love playing sports. Tennis, skiing, soccer, and for the past 5 years I haven’t been able to participate because I’m too heavy and out of shape. As the weight comes off I am realizing how much I’ve missed these activities. I just started running 3 weeks ago and found a couch to 5k app that really helps. Looking forward to the summer and outdoor activities! Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 226, GW 160, 5’9”

I was eating 100-150 calories every 2-3 hours and was starving. If waited more than 3 hours my stomach would go crazy and I’d get light headed. I switched it up so that I’m eating more at actual meal times...around 200-250 cal and found this made a huge difference. I have way more energy and don’t feel like I need to eat so often.

This is awesome! Congrats [emoji119]

I do this with decaf and I’m sure that once you are cleared for caffeine that regular coffee could be the same. Personally, I prefer the half Premier Protein shake with a drip coffee vs espresso.

Try some different protein sources. For breakfast I have 2oz smoked salmon, one hard boiled egg, one wedge laughing cow light cheese. 195 calories, 22g protein, 9g fat, 4g carb. You can cut out the egg if it’s too much and still be at 16g protein. For a mid morning snack I’ll sometimes have a coffee with half a premier protein caramel shake. The coffee cuts the sweetness and its tastes great! Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 233, GW 160, 5’9”

Haha nice! And you should be good with 10 items at a time. I still have enough clothes that I’ve held into to get me through the next couple of months but I’m definitely considering this down the road!

Ive used this site in the past and have been considering using it again. I had the subscription to 3 pieces at a time. Usually one worked out. Watch out for cheap material. The one line I really liked was City Chic. I even went to their site and bought some pieces. They have 40% off sales often and the clothes are cute, affordable and work appropriate. It was also sometimes frustrating because you have to have 12 items in your cart and you never know which ones you’ll get. I had some favorited for over 6 months and they never came.

Surf shops or maybe REI? And Amazon, obviously.

What’s the 70-min rule? And my doc is also in agreement on getting to higher calories sooner. Logically it makes since. Also I’m too active to have 600 calories/day. I’ll burn that much in a 45 min HIIT class and have zero energy for the rest of the day. While I struggle with wanting to loose weight faster by keeping a super low cal diet, ultimately I know what’s right for my body and since moving from 700-800 to 1000-1200 I feel soooooo much better and am ultimately a happier person. It’s amazing how a few hundred calories can make such a difference. I’ve never been this in touch with my body and how food makes me feel. The self awareness has really been an eye opening part of this journey.

I had this problem. 6 weeks post opp and I was forcing myself to stay at 800 calories but I was starving and had zero energy. I was also doing keto and staying below 30 carbs/day as well as working out and doing about 4-5 miles walking. I posted on here and got some great feedback. One problem was I was having lots of little 100-150 calorie meals/snacks every couple hours. If I didn’t eat every 2 hours I was literally ready to gnaw my arm off and would get light headed when I stood up. I switched things up and started eating around 250 calories per meal. That keeps me full way longer. I’ve also thrown this keto thing out the window and am bringing fruit/berries back in my diet. Also upped fat content and instead of doing fat free everything I’m eating 2% yogurt, milk and adding in avocados. Now I’m eating about 1000 cal/day give or take. These changes helped break my stall, keep away the hunger, and I have so much more energy. Everyone is different and you really need to listen to your body. Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 233, GW 160, 5’9”

I second Jess9395. A rash guard is the way to go.

Virtual hive five, Seahawks! I just finished 5 days if a row doing my couch to 5k app. I go for runs/walks in the park and every time I see people playing soccer or tennis it motivates me to push harder. I can’t wait until I have the confidence (and stamina) to jump into a pickup soccer game. I know I need to hit the gym for weights or be doing body resistant exercises but it’s taking every ounce of energy to get my runs in. Kudos to you for kicking butt on the elliptical and doing weights. Keep the updates coming! It’s great motivation.

Try some Smooth Move tea. Never fails to get me moving! It’s available in most grocery stores and on Amazon: Traditional Medicinals Organic Smooth Move Herbal Tea 2-pack 32 Count 1.13 OZ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FO2BZVW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Moa0Ab98M2MM6

To preface, many moons ago I played soccer in college and despite my weight gain, I still identify as an athlete. Exercise is not punishment for me, it’s something I’m excited to do again and to have more successful with. That being said, I recently hit 4 wks and doc cleared me for cardio. I downloaded a couch to 5k app and for the last 5 days have been going on hour long run/walks for about 3-4 miles. Combined with daily activity I’m getting in 5-6 miles/day. Problem is that I get really tired in the afternoon and am constantly hungry. I’m eating about 800-900 cal/day but wondering if I need to up that? Also following a keto diet. I’ve been doing soft foods for a couple weeks and am capable of eating more but have been trying to stay less than 900...for no other reason than most people on here are eating so damn little after 4 weeks and I’m trying to follow suit. A typical day may be: 8am - Decaf coffee w/ half premier protein 9am - 2 scrambled eggs 11am - Half serving ground beef noodle-less lasagna 2pm - other half lasagna 5pm - Greek yogurt 7pm - 2 oz Smoked Salmon, one soft cheese wedge 9pm - 1/4 cup cottage cheese 11pm - Decaf coffee w/ half premier protein I’ve been keeping track in MyFitnessPal and you can see the breakdown. Questions - for those that exercise, how many calories are you consuming? Any suggestions on why I’m hitting a wall in the afternoon and need a nap? If I don’t eat every 2 hours my stomach starts grumbling and I get light headed. Should I be eating more at meals? I’ve been hesitant to because I’m nervous that I’ll still need the snack and will go too high on calories for the day. I’ve also been in a pretty major stall over the last 3 weeks. 10 days with nothing, then 5lbs in 2 days, now another 6 days with no loss. Thanks for any help! Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 238, GW 160, 5’9”

Yeah I’m beginning to think f#%* this keto business. Im already restricting enough by keeping to a 1000 cal diet. Beans, sweet potatoes and fruits might help me feel full longer.

Wow! This is so helpful. Thank you everyone. AshAsh1, I really appreciate you sharing your meals. This gives me some new ideas and also reinforces that what I’m eating is too low cal and likely why I need to eat every few hours. Sammy10-40 - how many calories do you add in vs what you burn? Like if you burn 600 extra calories from a workout, how many additional do you eat? Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 238, GW 160, 5’9”

Curious, why would you be petrified?

From my first appointment, I gained 20 lbs over the 6 months of weigh-ins leading up to submitting to insurance. UHC approved my surgery. Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 238, GW 160, 5’9”

My doc sent us home straight to purée. We had to eat either cottage cheese or tuna salad before we left the hospital. Do what works for you. As you’ve seen in this forum, doc recommendations are all over the board. I’ve been approaching it more as guidelines vs hard rules and find what works for me. All of us have different body types, are varying ages, at varying fitness levels with different medical conditions. One size does not fit all. I met someone in the hospital who had surgery on the same day with the same surgeon. She struggled with purée and getting water in where as I’ve had no problem. Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 238, GW 160, 5’9”