Astonishing Mr J

Just broke 100 lbs lost.

Too soon?

So again, this is a tool to use. It is not a quick fix nor is it an easy way for you to lose weight and still keep your bad eating habits. It changes your physiology to make your weight loss chances more permanent. The rest is up to you. Now this is going to sound harsh but it is on YOU to do the research about any procedure before you have it. It is on YOU to do what is required to make a procedure like this work. To proclaim it bullshit because you don't want to put in the work is not placing the responsibility where it belongs. What are you eating? Is it fried food? Carbs? Cookies? Chips? Are you getting any exercise? Because if you are still eating garbage and sitting around on the couch then, yeah, you're screwed.

To do it right you need to slow simmer the bones for hours. Properly for over 8 hours. You season afterwords but you can do almost anything while making it. If you want a more Mexican flavor you can toss in some dried chilies. If you want Asian lemongrass, ginger, star anise, cinnamon. I like to add dill and fennel and use leeks rather than onions,

From a chef's perspective. I wanted to keep things interesting. Just because I had do drink a ton of broth doesn't mean I wanted to give up flavor. These are my favorites: Zoup Brand Chicken Bone Broth (more protein than their regular broth which is also good.) Rich rich roasted chicken flavor. Low calorie, lower than average in sodium. Target brand Good & Gather Ramen Broth (more sodium but good caloric count) Chicken broth with good ginger and scallion flavor with a hint of toasted sesame oil. Good & Gather Pho Broth: Same as the ramen nutritionally. Star anise, ginger and a bit of cinnamon. For a protein shake replacement I can not recommend the Unjury Chicken Broth mix enough. It tastes like Mrs. Grass soup with parsley and that really condensed chicken flavor. FYI, they also offer a chili flavor. PASS on it. It was one of my purchase regrets. Of course, if you can make your own you it's so much better but not everyone has time for that as to do it correctly takes hours. I am in the midst of opening a gelato shop so I had no time. Cheers

One month.

I am toward the end of my soft phase and decided I really wanted a hot dog. I have always liked Field Roast's vegan frankfurters. Lower in calories (190), no cholesterol, low in sugar and carbs and 20g of protein. I also discovered these Keto hot dog buns made from the Lewis Bake Shop that are not made with flour. 1g net carb, 70 calories per bun, low in fat and, the kicker, 10g of protein. I ended up only eating 2/3 of it but, MAN, was it good. I got my hot dog, got my protein, got my veggies and don't feel bloated or full. Highly recommend this combo.

I had no issues.

Yes. Field Roast is the best on the market for my taste. Correct texture and flavor. They could make them better if they had a vegan casing, like the ones Beyond uses, for a snap. This brand of bun is pretty good. Not perfect but works for a hotdog well.

I hate the shakes too because it’s antithetical to the way we normally eat. We are use to savory punctuated by sweet and the shakes are too much sweet. i recommend whey protein isolate powder that is unflavored to mix in your food. I have put it in soup and broth as well as mashed, guacamole and such. A quick option that is also good is Unjury makes a chicken broth protein powder that tastes like Mrs Grass. It’s a little higher in sodium but it’s good because a cup of it drunk while reading or relaxing gives you everything a protein shake does and your water. FYI they make a “chili” flavor that is really not good so don’t get that.

I started looking into surgery four years ago and decided that it wasn't time. I had just entered psychoanalysis and was making progress but was nowhere near mentally or emotionally prepared to "give up" anything. I am a chef so my relationship with food is also economic. I had used food as a comforting crutch. I also used alcohol the way you use smoking. Through therapy I got to a place where these things were no longer important or issues and my health became more important. I chose to have the surgery four years later and I couldn't be happier with my journey so far. I am enjoying my food more than I EVER have before because of the concentration, savoring and taking in each bite knowing there is only going to be a few of them for each meal. I will say this. I would say fix your issues first and have surgery second or you will be miserable, you will not be prepared and you may fail. That's just my two cents from experience. FYI, smoking increases your chances of serious complications after surgery. My surgeon won't even do a surgery if you haven't quit for an extended period of time.

Hi All I am a chef by profession and feel that though I am going through the same as most (currently in puree stage) I refuse to give up my desire to eat well and be creative. My weight loss is going great and I have been keeping the diet prescribed to me by my physician. I have, however, stretched my creative muscles to incorporate flavors I like into my day. This is one of my more successful ones. I am also trying to eat more vegetarian and vegan and this was a good place for that as I use Just egg and vegetarian sausage. If I had cashew yogurt I would have used that instead. 208 calories / 15 carbs / 12g protein (vegetarian) should yield 1/4 cup. If more only eat what you are prescribed. 1 Morning Star Farm vegetarian Sausage Link 1/2 cup Oat Milk 1 ts Low-fat Greek Yogurt (plain) 1/4 ts rubbed sage 1/4 ts garlic powder 1/4 ts dried chives (optional) Ground black pepper 1 ts corn starch disolved in 1 ts of water 1 egg or 3Tbl. Just Egg Over medium heat. Cut up one sausage link and, in a small pan sprayed with cooking spray, sauté until lightly browned. Add Oat Milk, yogurt, sage, garlic powder and chives if you are using and stir until the yogurt dissolves and the gravy starts to simmer. Let it start to cook down a bit. Stir the cornstarch and water slurry well to make sure it is fully dissolved and add it to the gravy. Bring up the heat and stir till thickened to the consistency you wish. If too thick, add some water. Remove from the pan and put the gravy into a small food processor. Blitz until smooth and the sausage is well incorporated. Make your egg or egg substitute scrambled fine so it meets puree standards and serve with the gravy on top. Though you are using about 1/2 cup of milk and such, out leaving you with approximately 1/4 cup of sausage gravy. This is decadent, has the flavors you want, has a good amount of protein and meets the requirements. Cheers J

My understanding from my surgeon is that the reason for the surgery is to stop dieting and just eat healthy. I hate calorie counting and what a pain it is and my doctor and nutritionist take the approach that as long as I make smart, healthy choices with protein first and listen to my body then stomach will do the rest.

Hi All New to the forum. I am post op and one day away from starting puree. I am a professional chef and I wanted to just answer your question from my experience thus far. I too was going nuts after day 3 but then I think I figured out why. The main problem with the pre-op and post-op liquid diets is they are antithetical to the way we eat from a taste perspective. We may be getting nutrients and protein and, sure, it's weird to drink all of your food but the biggest unaddressed issue is that most societies don't eat sweet over savory. With a regular diet we may eat a sweet thing for breakfast but mostly it is three savory meals punctuated by little moments of sweet. A dessert, a cookie etc. With this diet all the nutrients comes from things that are way sweet and we might punctuate it with savory. This may be the very thing driving you mad. Now, I will preface this by saying, check with your doctor first. My doctor approved the following. Rather than all sweet shakes I was able to buy unflavored Whey Protein Isolate. I bought a good quality with a high dissolve/absorption ability. I then was able to go to the store and find broth that was better than your Swanson chicken broth. I recommend, if you can find it, Zoup Chicken Broth or Bone Broth (bone broth has more protein which you will want to get as much as you can), Target's brand of Miso, Ramen or Pho starter broth. These are clear, low in calories and packed with flavor. Heat a cup of these to about 140ºF or lower. Any hotter and it does weird things to the powder. Add one scoop, stir till dissolved and give the cup another 30 sec of heat up in the microwave. You get everything you get in the shakes, clear liquid broth and tons of allowable flavor. My second recommendation is to look into a company called Unjury. They make a protein powder chicken soup that tastes like Mrs. Grass. They also do a Southwest Chilli flavor but I am actually regretting having bought that since it is just OK. Anyway, talk to your doctor and try it. I found that getting back to mostly savory punctuated by sweet was my saving grace.