PollyEster

Like Arabesque said, you should still be on liquids only at this stage no matter your program, so hopefully you’re not eating purees or solid food yet. Every program is different, but my program for example, required clear fluids for 3 days, followed by full fluids for 4 weeks. I skipped the next stage (2 weeks of purees) and continued with full fluids during this time (with approval from my team) because pureed foods were aesthetically unpalatable to me. Unlike some people who never felt a sensation of fullness on fluids only, I did, so literally had to take an extremely tiny sip every few minutes to get in the required amount of protein and fluids. During the 6 weeks of fluids, this was literally a full-time job: it took 12 to 14 hours per day, and sometimes 16. It's hard going, but you'll get through it. Currently, I wait 20-30 minutes after drinking fluids to eat, and at least 45 minutes after a meal. I'm committed to doing this for the rest of my life. It's an easy to do, and is one of several evidence-based actions (based on the long-term outcomes of hundreds of thousands of bariatric patients) that leads to long-term success. Dr. Walter Medlin, a bariatric surgeon at the Bariatric Medicine Institute in Salt Lake City, and a sleever himself, continues to wait 45 minutes after eating, almost 15-odd years after his own surgery. There are three reasons for this: 1) in the first year, not washing nutrients out of your small pouch, 2) maintaining satiety for as long as possible after eating as you get further out from surgery, as over65 pointed out, and 3) minimizing or preventing GERD by regulating the pyloric sphincter.

Some of the ones I've tried and liked are:

This is completely awesome - well done, you! It's incredibly gratifying - and sometimes even astounding 😂 - when our good choices and hard work really begin paying off.

You're about to do something that's absolutely brilliant, empowering, and completely life-altering; something that will pay off in ways you can't even begin to appreciate yet. Congratulations on taking care of yourself by committing to this journey! Wishing you every success along the way 😊

Yes, they do! I don't enjoy eating meat, especially not charred meat, and double especially not pork, but these made even me crave bbq 😋😂😂😂😂 Going to give the marinade a shot with grilled seitan steaks, burnt ends-style. Thanks 😊

Thanks for sharing the recipe! I'm going to try this dish using seitan cutlets.

This type of bread, for example Mestemacher bread, is available in the USA. This is as nutritious and whole as bread gets: the only ingredients are grains, water, salt and yeast. Also, it is totally scrumptious 😋

Agreed on both counts. Commercial protein bars are basically candy bars (this is a red flag) with added protein. I bought a mini sampler box of No Cow bars around about 6 months out. They were crack: I ate all 6 within a week, and experienced my first major stall since surgery. There are loads of recipes online for homemade protein bars that are nutritious and healthy-ish. I'm committed to eating whole foods, but protein bars/balls are handy, and I've taken homemade bars on hikes and bike rides recently. They only take about 5 minutes to make, and unlike the commercially made bars, I had no desire to heat them up and smoke them throughout the week 😂

Using the rest of the vegan chipotle sauce tonight on these collard green burritos with walnut meat, loosely inspired by these recipes, and seriously inspired by all of the delicious-looking bbq posts here lately! I used to be able to eat 4 or 5 of these; now I can eat one in a 90 minute sitting. I ❤ VSG.

Here's the version that I'm really enjoying right now: 2/3 cup silken tofu (or 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt) 3 - 5 chipotles in adobo sauce, to taste 1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the jar of chipotles) 1/2 cup chunky red salsa 1 - 2 tbsp tahini or cashew butter, optional (for creaminess) 1/4 red onion, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 lime, juiced 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder pinch of stevia, maple syrup, or other sweetener, to taste pinch of salt, optional black pepper to taste, optional Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth-ish (start with 3 chipotles and add more as needed, to taste). Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with more lime juice. If it’s too thin, add more silken tofu/yogurt. Great on tacos, burritos, bowls, casseroles, and over salads. Stores in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Makes about 2/3 cup.

If you haven’t seen the New York Times article detailing the long term outcomes of former contestants on reality shows such as The Biggest Loser and My 600lb Life, I strongly recommend reading it here. Also worth reading: obesity specialist Dr. Arya Sharma's thoughts on The Pedagogy of Obesity Reality Shows. (The paper by Emma Rich (referred to in Dr. Sharma's article) is attached, for those who don't have access to Pubmed.) I haven't watched these, or any other "reality" tv show. In my view, this type of programming is voyeuristic, transgressive, and entirely exploitative of individuals who are, at best, deeply troubled and extremely vulnerable: the modern day equivalent of the Victorian freak show. Rich2011Health.pdf

This ☝☝☝☝ No one needs chemicals like sugar, caffeine, arginine, and preservatives - or excessive niacin or creatine - to get or stay fit and healthy. Everyone's better off sticking with whole foods, and making sure their labs are in order. If the labs are in order, hopefully your partner will be smart about her pre-workout choices, and if she needs a boost on occasion, a cup of black coffee with a teaspoon of coconut sugar is a healthier option than any chemical cocktail.

Everyone heals at a different rate, so your partner needs to check in with her surgeon to find out when she'll be cleared for weight training. I'm a fast healer and was cleared at 8 weeks after VSG. I'd already been doing total body weight training for 15 months prior to surgery, and basically returned to the same program after surgery *except* for core training. For the first few months after surgery, I went a lot easier on core training by using weights that were not too challenging even on the last few reps; this is because it takes 4-5 months for the staple line to fully heal. During the first six months, I was more concerned with preserving lean muscle mass throughout the rapid weight loss phase, and my program reflected that. Now at just over 8 months out, my focus is once again on improving strength, increasing bone density, preventing disease, reducing stress, and increasing my metabolic rate, so my program is a combination of circuits, complexing/super-setting, pyramid, drop sets, high volume, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). If someone is deconditioned and/or extremely MO, it's important to start out with a light program for the first several months after surgery, basically maybe 2 - 3 times per week, doing 1 to 2 sets of each exercise and resting for 1 to 2 minutes after each exercise. Maybe even split into upper body one day and lower body another.

B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that's safe even at high doses. It has a low level of toxicity because the body excretes whatever it doesn't use through the urine.

This looks savoury-licious! There are SO many meat alternatives available in German supermarkets compared to Canada. Your lunches all look yummy, too.

Roasted veggie salad with avocado, roasted tomato salsa, and creamy vegan chipotle sauce. I ate just over half. A few spoonfuls of dessert, two hours later: raspberry nice cream (just raspberries and bananas).

I've made several dozen recipes from Amy Chaplin's two cookbooks and website, and found every one of them to be nutritious, nummy, and worth the effort!

I’m not sure that there are any one-size fits-all solutions in terms of changes to make outside of the basic top ten guidelines listed by every single WLS surgeon, manual, book, and website. Those top ten are a given, based upon the outcomes of hundreds of thousands of bariatric patients. Beyond following those basics, each person is going to discover, over time, an individual approach that’s based entirely upon their genetics, personality, and history – plus current relationship – with food and eating. This is why I love what summerset said about abandoning a fixed mindset and embracing a growth mindset. Obesity is a lifelong disease that is treated, but not cured, by WLS, so there needs to be ongoing evaluation and readjustment in order to keep the disease in remission. In practical terms, what this means to me is that to be successful for life, I’ll need to frequently evaluate what I’m doing to determine what’s working and what isn’t. Obviously I’ll need to continue doing the things that work, i.e. the bariatric top ten. But equally important is examining what’s not working, determining what all the contributing factors are, then evaluating my actions based on those factors and figuring out the adjustments needed in order to make the that shift so that the treatment continually evolves with the circumstances of my life at any given point in time. So: ongoing frequent evaluations, then adapting, adjusting, and pivoting as necessary. What those changes and tweaks are will be different for everyone.

Thanks! I exercise upwards of 25 hours per week (including training for eventual triathlon and distance cycling events), and am also fairly into weight lifting, so not sure it's realistic—or even desirable—for me to wear less than size 5-6. I have a feeling I'd look positively skeletal if I did. I also can't imagine that I'll ever return to the size I was when I graduated from high school (at 113lbs), but suppose the possibility can't be ruled out at this point. My motivation has never been to be thin, but health, strength, fitness, and well-being are very important to me. You look absolutely fantastic, ms.sss, and I hope you feel as good as you look. Your journey has been (and continues to be) an inspiration to me on this forum, particularly when I was pre-surgery and found your blog entries. So thank you for those, and congratulations on such a mighty transformation and on all of your hard work! 😊 I'm judging you alright, but in an admiring way! I keep meticulous records, too. It's just my nature, and something that serves me well (in most - but not all - contexts 😉).

Sure you can eat them, but in the interest of health and weight loss (as well as maintenance), it's always best to rely on real, whole foods: snacks like tuna, avocado, nuts, eggs, lightly roasted chickpeas, plain Greek yoghurt (or pudding made from plain Greek yoghurt mixed with protein powder), etc. Most protein bars are essentially candy bars: they're ultra processed, high in calories, low in vitamins and minerals, often high in sugars and/or fats and salt, and most are full of sugar alcohols that can cause stalls and even weight gain for people trying to lose weight. If you read around this forum and on other weight loss and WLS forums, you'll find that they're also a "slippery slope" for some in that they can lead to pretty intense cravings for bad carbs. The only thing that really separates them from candy bars is protein content. If you're craving a treat but would like to combine it with a quick hit of protein, it's very easy to make your own protein bars or balls. There are loads of recipes online; just search around for the healthier ones that don’t contain added fats and oils, added sugars including dates or dried fruits, etc. They take only a few minutes to make, and the nutritional profile is far healthier than any of the commercially made ones.

😄 There's definitely a major MC Hammer pants vibe going on in the 8's and belts are a must, but I continue to lose way (and I mean waaaaaaaaaay 😲) faster than I ever thought I would or could, so now I'm waiting until maintenance before throwing away more $$ on clothes. Unlike you (you look long and lithe in your photos) I do have an extremely muscular, solid physique, though. I'm not sure where I'll end up size-wise. What size tops and pants do you wear currently? Edited to add that I was wearing size 24 pants barely more than a year ago and never seemed to fully clue in to how, um... *vast* they were, and now size 6 and 8 pants somehow look like 4 person *tents* to me! Edited again to add that the size 8's were purchased just over a month ago, when I was about 10-12lbs heavier, and were already pretty lose at that time... but I kept them because they were still a better fit than anything else in my closet, and stores were still closed.

Bariatric surgery appears to alter the gut microbiota in many of the same ways that a fecal transplant does. Though the pathomechanisms for this are not yet completely understood, what is known is that it increases Escherichia coli (which is correlated with leptin levels) and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (which reduces inflammatory markers) due to the starvation-like state in the immediate post-op period. There’s a lot of exciting research in this field right now that looks promising in terms of future treatment possibilities for obesity and morbid obesity.

There are many long-term, peer-reviewed studies (including this one) that confirm that yoghurt (as well as other mass-produced consumer foods marketed as “probiotic”) provide no benefit*. Bacteria have an extremely rapid life cycle, and readily adapt to their host environment. To have a clinically significant effect, probiotics need to be tailored to the microbiome of each individual. Since at least half of the bacteria that enter the gut are overpowered by existing flora before being excreted, it’s best to take a highly concentrated formula (such as Genestra Hmf Intensive 500 5g) if you’re going to take any at all. * May not apply to mass-produced fermented foods.

What ms.sss said. From what I've read, it's pretty common for body dysmorphia to reverse after bariatric surgery. When I gained 110 lbs in 2 years and went from being average weight to morbidly obese, I went through the exact same thing. No matter what women look like, we tend to judge ourselves critically 😥 New outfits—particularly in colours and silhouettes I never would/could have worn when I was MO—definitely are helping me accept and learn to appreciate what I see in the mirror now. But I still purchase everything (online) in duplicate: 8's plus one larger size, usually a 12, "just in case" the 8's are suddenly somehow too small 😶

Roasted cauliflower tart with walnut crust and creamy lemon filling (recipe here; I omit the olive oil), and salad fixin's from the garden. At 8 months out almost to the day, I can suddenly consume startlingly more food: a small slice of tart—plus a good-sized green salad—in one sitting (though it takes a minimum of 90 to 100ish mins to eat). PS ms.sss: Word. 😂 ("Ok, I will confess that I often do not get excited when I see vegan meals. Sorry vegans everywhere! I'm sure my pics of meat and stuff would make you similarly unexcited, sorry for that too!!")