AZhiker

I started training for a triathlon when I was 7 months out (and finished it!!!). My challenge was to get enough calories in to sustain the exercise without losing weight. It's very hard when your tummy can only hold a little bit. I was already doing weights, a leg routine and lots of walking. My muscle mass was fine before and became more defined with the added swimming and biking. I had to drop the Intermittant Fasting because I simply could not get enough calories in an 8-10 hour window. So I started doing a protein shake for breakfast. During the event, I ate RX bars (210 cal, 24 carbs, 12 protein) - good amount of protein to balance the carbs, as I knew I couldn't eat a high carb load by itself - dumping would not be good in a pool or on a bike! I felt great afterward and am planning on a distance bike race next month and another tri in a few months. I am transitioning to a whole food plant based diet, which has more carbs from grains and legumes. But I still struggle to maintain weight. I am stuffed full and never hungry, but still losing each week. As I increase my training, I will have to use more RX bars, I guess, to get some concentrated calories in. I think it is important to keep your protein up. You don't want to skimp while you are training and increasing your workouts. I add protein powder to my smoothies, yogurt bowls, and soups. I have no problem getting enough protein - just enough calories.

Triathlon. distance biking, hiking, swimming, riding my mule (was too heavy before).

My surgeon's guidelines say a female 5 ft tall needs 50 - 60 gms/day. 5 ft 5 in needs 60 - 65 gms/day. 5 ft 8 in needs 65 - 70 gms/day. That would put you at about 60 gms/day.

Why are you getting bypass, Mikeyy?

One factor is GERD which can be greatly improved by gastric bypass, but made worse with the sleeve. If GERD is already an issue, then it seems like an easy decision to have the bypass.

My bad, sorry. I thought I read in another post that you were 15 or 18 months out. IMHP you should not even be thinking about fasting or IF if you are only 7 weeks post op. 500-700 cal/day is the right amount for 7 weeks. You cannot possibly eat 1300 cal/day at this point. None of us could. What are you doing for exercise?

Exercise! It is empowering and something you can control - because goodness knows that is so much about all of this we can't control. Start with small goals, but get moving. The endorphins will do wonders for your mood. One of the best remedies for depression.

You HAVE to bump up your calories if you want to lose. 500 per day is fine for 2 or 3 days a week, but you should be getting at LEAST 1,000 - 1,500 on the other days. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but increasing your calories will make your metabolism believe that it doesn't have to stay in the starvation mode forever. EAT MORE!

No more juice!!!! Eat the real food. Juices are just loaded with sugar and as a bypass patient, you just can't do that. That little bit of kale didn't off set all the fruit. A little fruit (berries) in a smoothie that YOU make is fine, because you will be adding a scoop of protein powder to slow down absorption. Like MIZ60, my tummy hurts just thinking of it.

The other thing is to develop some little mantras to get you through sticky times and temptations. The most important one is "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" This determination is a strong indicator of who will be successful long term. It means you are done playing games will will do whatever it takes. Another is "I can't have that (food) right now, but I will have it later." (Delayed gratification is a good tool to develop.) Another: "It's just not worth it." (When confronted with temptation of some stupid food that will undermine your progress.

So I see from another post you are 15 months out. So why only 500 calories per day, or is that your Alternate Day plan? As for protein, I try to get at LEAST 60 gm per day, and sometimes up to 80. I had to give up IF temporarily while training for the triathlon, because I needed the morning to add more calories. I just couldn't keep the weight on. I am now trying out a whole food plant based eating plan, which I am finding is wonderful. I feel great. But the volume of food is so large, that I had to go back to a morning smoothie to get in the nutrition. I am stuffed, literally, all day long. And still losing weight, even with the higher level of whole grains and starchy veggies. It takes me over a hour to eat a small "Budda bowl." But I do feel great. Daily IF is not going to work for me at this point, so I think I will just do a weekly 24 hour fast. The beauty of IF is that you have so many options and tools to use as your situation changes.

At least 6 months out, because the focus initally has to be on getting the nutrition in. By 6 months, I was very close to goal, but just couldn't budge the last 10-15 pounds. I think your volume capacity will determine what kind of eating window to use. If you can only eat a small amount at a time, you will not be able to get all your calories into a small window. From what I've read, for the greatest effect, the fasting period needs to be at LEAST 12 hours. 8 hours is better. Some people only eat one meal per day, which is fine if you can consume that much food all at once.

How many weeks post op are you? Personally, I could never get enough calories into a 4 hour period, as my volume is fairly limited, still.

The best thing I ever did preop was to give up the addictive substances. I knew I couldn't have them after surgery, and getting past the withdrawal and cravings beforehand made recovery much easier. So, I gave up caffeine, all alcohol, all sugar, all soda, all artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors. I hadn't eaten wheat (gluten) for years, so that was not an issue. By the time surgery came around, I felt clean and detoxed. I did not eat the jello or popsicles in the hospital. I brought my own broth, herbal tea, and protein drink. Turned out they did have some great tasting gluten free broth that was fine.

Yogurt, beans, lentils, seeds, nuts, whole cooked grains, dark leafies, broccoli, berries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, butternut squash, beets.

It is the INTERMITTANT fasting that kicks starts the metabolism - not just sustained, extreme caloric restriction. That could actually do the opposite.

I finished the triathlon today! No speed records, mind you, but I finished it. The final home stretch was so emotional for me, as I considered where I was 8 months ago. This would not have even been remotely possible then with 110 extra pounds and joints that were giving up the ghost. I feel so grateful for the life that has been given back to me. By the time I got to the finish line, with all the cheering, cow bells, finishing medal around my neck, I was in tears. What an amazing milestone. I will never forget this day and what it represents - a new life with new horizons I cannot yet even imagine. I feel good - not totally drained like I expected. No NSAIDs, either. What an experience. I hope everyone of us has a milestone achievement that redefines us as empowered individuals.

I had broth and protein drink for 2 weeks. The added soft foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, tofu, refried beans that were thinned with broth. The killer for me was not having any veggies for 8 weeks.

Check out the intermittent fasting threads. IF is a very powerful tool. It took my last 15 pounds off lickety-split. There are several ways to do it. Probably the easiest is to limit the hours in which you eat. Skip breakfast. Eat from noon until 6 or 8 pm. This means you are fasting for 16-18 hours each day. This puts you into a fat burning mode because the insulin levels are low for most of the day. After a few days, you will feel great and will not even miss breakfast. Try to limit your snacking. Every time you eat something, insulin goes up and the calories go into fat storage. Insulin = fat. That is the simplest way to explain it. Another IT technique is ADF (alternate day fasting). You limit your calories on 2 or more days during the week (do not have to be consecutive). Limit to 400-500 only. The eat regularly on the other days. This sort of throws a curve ball at your metabolism and can be very effective. A third way is to do a 24 hour fast once a week. Skip breakfast and lunch one day and don't eat until dinner time the next day. You can use any of these tools or combine them. Some folks use all three.

Hoping the best for you. The surgeon's appeal can pull a lot of strings.

YES! Totally normal. Just remember that if you could have done this on your own, you would have by now.

Ha! HA! When your topic said "love life again" I thought you had found a new lover!

I never had a "regular" good meal when I started back onto "real" foods. It was one food at a time. Trying a little of this and a little of that. I struggled with the course texture of veggies for a long time. Liver was the best meat and eggs never have settled well since surgery. I found that I could initially eat some things just fine (like cod) but if I did get sick on something just once, I could never go back to it. That happened with the cod and I still have lots of frozen portions in my freezer. So, no, it took months before I can say I had a regular meal. Beans (especially refried, and thinned with bone broth) were a favorite - very easy to tolerate and tasted good. Cottage cheese was another one that worked well, as well as yogurt. Starchy foods like the tortilla might tend to get "stuck", but if you can eat a little with some beans, that sounds pretty yummy. I did not introduce starches until much later, however - not until I got within 10 pounds of goal weight.

I am just starting to ease into this. There is more than enough protein. My weight will tell me if there are too many carbs, Right now I am having a hard time keeping weight on, especially when I exercise a lot. I am riding in a distance bike race next month and another triathlon in a few months. Also starting some great hiking in this wonderful weather right now. My carbs are all whole foods - cooked grains (teff, amaranth, millet, sorghum, steel cut oats, buckwheat, quinoa), legumes (beans, peas, edamame, palo verde beans, mesquite beans, lentils), and starchy veggies (Sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, beets). Fats come from avocado, olives, nuts/seeds I cannot begin to eat the volume of fresh veggies/fruit that most people who follow this plan eat. My pouch just can't hold that much. So it is definitely an experiment for me. If I decide this is a good move, I will be consulting with a medical practitioner who specializes in whole food plant based eating, and who is also well versed in bariatrics. WLS throws a curve ball into any eating plan, whether it is Intermittant Fasting, Keto, or WFPB, My highest priorities are to get my protein in, take my vitamins, and eat food that is as nutritionally dense as possible.

Beautiful! Congratulations!