SpartanMaker

While it's probably fine to have, I get the impression your surgical team told you no caffeine at your current stage. (Otherwise why would you even ask this is question?) If my assumption is correct, you really should first talk to your surgical team about it. They probably had a reason to tell you to avoid it. Following their guidelines is best, even if they differ from what others have done or were allowed to do.

This is good advice. Not everyone knows this, but calorie estimates in food, even prepackaged ones are not super accurate for a couple of reasons: The USDA allows manufactured foods a 10% variance. In other words, if a packaged food states the calorie content is 500 kcal, it can be anywhere between 450 and 550 and still be within the allowed variance. The USDA simply does not have the staff to check that every pre-packaged food even meets that 10% standard, so manufacturers are given wide latitude here. They can be a lot further off and it's extremely unlikely anyone would know. It's even less likely anything would be done about it. Setting aside processed foods for now (those with nutrition labels), it's not all roses for unprocessed or minimally processed foods. Even these calorie counts can be way off due to the simplistic way we estimate calories. I'm simplifying a bit here, but to get calorie counts, we traditionally use something called a bomb calorimeter. Basically we burn the food in an enclosed space and measure how much heat is given off. Obviously, this is not how our bodies process food, so saying a particular amount of a food has "200 calories" as measured by a bomb calorimeter does not equal how many calories our bodies actually get from that food. Obviously I'm being a little US specific here, but I'd guess most of the above applies to other countries as well. In short, don't get in the habit of thinking calorie counts are as accurate as they might seem. They just aren't. Use the calories as a tool if you need to, but don't get overly dependent on them.

My point is you're probably looking in vain. You're hoping that there must be something out there that won't suck and that once you find it, that alone will be enough to motivate you to continue to do it. I'm just being honest here, but even if you do find something, I doubt that alone will be sufficient to keep you motivated to continue. You need other things that motivate you to exercise and if you can find and latch on to those, they can overcome all the objections you have even for things that are not as tolerable to you. I suggest looking back through all your replies in this thread. The are full of reasons why every single suggestion won't work. This absolutely screams to me that you just have not found sufficient reasons to exercise that can overcome the myriad of objections you have. Let's take walking, as an example. You stated you can't walk, because it's dangerous to walk in your neighborhood, but didn't address why you can't either drive (if you drive), or take public transportation to somewhere safer. You also stated you have a treadmill, but don't use it. I get it, it's boring. So is doing the dishes, but I bet you still do that? I believe if you were sufficiently motivated to exercise, you'd find a way to get past all the objections. I guess what I'm saying is maybe it's time to stop looking for reasons why you can't exercise and start looking for reasons why you can. I'll also recommend the Atomic Habits book again. I really think it's what you need to address what's keeping you from exercising. Best of luck.

This might be beneficial: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ This is the official USDA nutritional data for foods. Compare the Baritastic numbers to the USDA numbers. This should help you to know if it's raw or cooked.

Me! I love that feeling of accomplishment, especially after doing something hard. It truly is addictive (in a good way).

This is so true and the effect gets even greater the more you exercise! I linked some studies below for those of you that are interested. The first one is particularly interesting to me because it had over 750k participants in the study. If you follow exercise science at all, you'll know this is almost unpresidented. Many studies are on just a handful of people (mostly college age male athletes), so a study with this many participants is really compelling. Here's the most important part: Said differently, people that are not fit are 4 times more likely to die of any cause vs those in the most fit category. Note that it's not just cardiovascular risk, but all risk. This includes things like cancer, kidney disease, respiratory diseases, and even accidents. While it's not entirely clear why fitness impacts survival rates for seemingly unrelated causes, I suspect it has to do with the fact that the fitter you are, the more likely your body can recover from injury and illness. Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality Risk Across the Spectra of Age, Race, and Sex (Journal of the American College of Cardiology) Physical Fitness and All-Cause Mortality: A Prospective Study of Healthy Men and Women (JAMA Network) Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing (JAMA Network Open)

Based on your responses, I'd say the biggest challenge you have is overcoming your expectation that exercise should be fun. Don't get me wrong, it certainly can be fun at times, but that most likely will never be your main motivation for exercise. Frankly sometimes it may even be decidedly "un fun", yet you still CAN do it if you find a way to overcome your "hate". Simply put, you need one or more things that will motivate you that are stronger than the distaste you feel. Think about it: I bet you do a lot of things currently that you don't consider fun. You still do them because you know that not doing them will just make things worse. Activities like laundry, dishes, or brushing your teeth are likely some simple examples. I can't tell you what those motivators to exercise will be for you. You have to find those yourself. What I will suggest is reading a book that might help: Atomic Habits by James Clear. P.S. We don't call them "Aerobics Classes" anymore, so that may be why you're not finding anything? There should still be tons of Group Fitness Classes near you if you're looking for that type of structured class. Some that come to mind are Barre, Pilates, TRX, Yoga or any of the various Les Mills Classes like BodyPump, BodyAttack, etc. Best of luck.

Whatever app you're using to log should specify if it's raw or cooked weight.

Have you talked to the Mediaid people? They should have a list of surgeons.

It's probably best to discuss your dietary needs with your surgical team as every plan is different. Also, believe it or not, the size surgeons make pouches after surgery is not standardized. The point is they know best what's appropriate for you. I'll add that weight is not really a good way to measure your food this soon after surgery and most plans will provide amounts by volume (such as 1/2 a cup). The reason is that your stomach does not care how much something weighs, all it knows is if the amount of food you ate will fit inside or not. Later, there will come a time when you might start weighing food, but that's not something you really need to worry about yet.

I wanted to point out that many insurance plans will cover dietitian visits if you have certain health conditions, so it's possible that you can find someone to help without having to pay everything out of pocket. I'd start with your insurance company to see what's covered.

Lot's of good advice in your post! I wanted to comment on the above issue regarding proteins that seem like they just don't want to digest properly. I was advised by my surgical team to try papain (also known as papaya proteinase I). It was like a miracle in quickly easing that really horrible feeling and getting the food to digest. It might not be for everyone (I hear some people can react to it), but it worked so well for me I tend to carry some with me when I'm traveling or know I'll be eating out.

You didn't provide a lot of detail regarding your diet or activity level, but I'd be willing to put money on a couple of things: A relatively large percentage of your diet is made up of highly processed foods. You are not very active. Let's start with diet. You need to understand that it's not just about calories in vs calories out. Diet quality can be a huge factor in whether or not you can successfully maintain your weight at a lower level. If you do eat a lot of processed foods, start making really small changes and focus on just one sustainable change at a time until that change becomes the new normal for you. You can then move on to another sustainable change. Slow sustainable changes are the key, not quick-fix diets. As far as physical activity is concerned, there is significant body of evidence now that the vast majority of successful "weight loss maintainers" get an average of 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Yes, this is more than the typical recommended amount, but it's probably needed. (Discussing why is too big a topic for this reply). More detail would help. I hope you get it figured out.

You don't really have to worry about food safety if the food is frozen at 0°F (-18°C?) or lower. It technically can keep indefinitely. The problem is the quality will degrade over time and this is made worse if there is air in contact with the food. From my experience, freezer burn is the biggest problem. After a while in the freezer things will start to dehydrate and oxidize if exposed to air. That's why you want to get rid of as much air as possible. You'll know if it's freezer burned when it gets kind of a grey or white surface to any parts exposed to air. This will cause an off flavor that's not particularly pleasant. This may be happen in a few months, or much, much longer if stored properly. I once tried to grind up a ~5 year old roast that I "rescued" from the bottom of my freezer. I knew it was freezer burned, but I was hoping that if I made chili from if, the strong flavors of the spices would mask the freezer burned taste. It didn't. ☹️ 0/10, wouldn't recommend.

Wow, hunger signals could be a whole forum by itself! I suspect most of us understand being full, or even over full (I know I do!), but I think most of us as obese or formerly obese people just don't have a good grip on what true hunger feels like. I also think it's not the same for everyone. I'm almost 2 years post-op and I still struggle with this some. What I am learning is that hunger is not always the grumbling tummy sensation we tend to think of. Sometimes it's feeling weak or rundown, sometimes it may be a bit of a headache, other times shakiness or even an inability to concentrate. We all have to learn this for ourselves and it does take time.

I know I'm a bit late here, but if you're still having problems, please get hold of your surgical team ASAP. I'm not saying this is your issue, but there are some serious complications that could be causing this. Best to let the professionals evaluate your situation.

Ziplocks should be fine for that. I've done it before no problem. I'm sure you know this, but get as much air out as possible and it will last longer.

So sorry you're having some doubts right now. I didn't experience this, but I want to ensure you that you will lose post-surgery. It would be physiologically impossible not to. I suspect what you're experiencing is simply variations in your weight due to other things. Keep in mind that your weight is made up of a lot of things, not just fat. As an example, I'll give you an illustration that's top of mind for me. As a runner, I track how much sweat loss I'm experiencing (to make sure I know my hydration needs), so I weighed myself both before and after my long run today. The difference was 4.8 pounds! I obviously didn't lose 5 pounds of fat, I mostly just lost a bunch of water weight. My point is that fat is just one part of our overall weight, thus expecting that the scale will always go down as we lose fat is a fool's errand. Even unexpected things like hormonal changes, macronutrient balance, and the amount of sleep you get can all impact what the scale says. Were I you, I'd just stop weighing for a while. The scale is not your friend.

Physiologically, it's impossible to target fat loss in a specific area. That's just not how our bodies work. You can target specific muscles by doing exercises that load those muscles, but that won't have any impact on fat deposited in the same area.

Originally it was partly that meat didn't sit well in my tummy and I had a couple of bad experiences, so I started to avoid it. Since I don't miss it, I just don't add it to the menu much anymore. Frankly as this point it may be more of a conscious decision based on trying to eat a healthy diet. I wouldn't go so far as to say I've transitioned to a pescatarian diet since I do sometimes still eat red meat or chicken, but it's probably only 2-3 times a month at this point.

First of all, you are not lazy! Humans are literally genetically programmed to save energy whenever possible. You have to keep in mind that historically it took a lot of physical energy to procure food, so by default humans looked for ways to conserve energy as a survival mechanism. It's not a natural thing for actually look for ways to expend energy (a.k.a. workout). This only became common very recently in human history when food was no longer scarce and we didn't have to spend our days actively looking for or working for food. My point is that your body is doing exactly what it was programmed to do. So I guess your next question is what to do about this and why are some people more successful at overcoming this genetic programming? My belief is that you have to find a "why" beyond something vague like "I know I'm supposed to workout". For most people that are very active, they have found something that motivates them to overcome the inherent desire to conserve energy. If the motivator is stronger than the genetic programming, you'll be successful. For example, for me as an older person, dying an early death is, or at least was, a strong motivator to start being more active. As I progressed down that road, I've found that I actually enjoy some things that I never expected to like the "feeling" of being fit. Even at 60, I feel so much more capable and strong than I ever did when I was younger. That feeling is now an extremely powerful motivator for me to continue to improve physically. For you, the thing that might trigger the desire to be more active might be completely different. Only you can determine what that is. Who knows, it might be something simple like proving others wrong, or maybe because you want to look better naked! Shoot, it could even be to make sex more enjoyable! Searching out your why and making sure you really understand that first is really the most important step. Once that's locked in, then you can start eliminating barriers or stumbling blocks that prevent you from activity. For example, finding activities that bring you joy, adding your chosen activities to your schedule and setting out your workout clothes ahead of time can all really help. Best of luck.

Interesting question! I don't have a ton of routine when it comes to meals, with the possible exception of breakfast. Most days I eat a yogurt parfait with Greek yogurt, fresh berries & protein boosted Kind brand granola. That said, I'm not opposed to other things like banana nut pancakes (a favorite), or even cold pizza on occasion! Lunch is most often leftovers from dinner since we still haven't figured out how to cook 1.5 meals (half for me, whole for my wife). Dinner is super varied. We both like to cook and like good food, so it might be just about anything. That said, I have found that I just don't enjoy big slabs of meat anymore. We do occasionally have red meat, but it's probably once a week or less. I'd say we have seafood based dinners 3-4 times a week and 1-2 vegetarian meals per week. I also eat a lot more beans than I used to. Overall, I don't focus much on macros. It's more about eating a variety of healthy foods and enjoying what little I can eat. As far as activity, there is no typical day. It can vary from nothing at all (I do one dedicated rest day a week), to running 12-14 miles or more on my long run day. In a typical week, I run 30-40 miles (my main sport), but I also do strength training a couple days a week and do a little bit of cross training either on the bike or on a stationary rower. Later in the year I'm thinking of starting a marathon training block. If so, I'll be increasing my mileage up into the 50-60 MPW range. I think one of the main reasons my diet may differ from the "typical" post WLS diet is because of the high activity level I have. I just wouldn't be physically able to do that volume of running without eating a lot more carbs to fuel my runs. In fact, getting enough calories is my current challenge, not getting too many. That's another topic for another day however!

I'd love to help you find something, but first I need to ask some questions: What are you hoping to accomplish by starting to exercise? In other words, what's motivating your desire to make a change? When you say your hate exercise, what is it specifically that makes you say that? What parts about the process do you not like? You mention you used to enjoy "aerobics classes", but didn't explain why this won't work for you anymore. Can you elaborate?

Hopefully by now you've had a chance to talk to your team about your concerns. I just wanted to add that your basic assumption that you need to consume more fat is somewhat flawed. Our bodies are quite efficient at converting excess calories ingested via carbs or protein into fat, so dietary fat consumption per se isn't critical. That said, there is an issue you need to be aware of. There are substances called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), that our bodies can't manufacture, so we're dependent on consuming them to get the recommended amounts. If this didn't come up in your convo with your team, I'd ask about EFAs specifically and see what they recommend.

I love the outdoors, so hiking/backpacking and trail running are my main cardio exercises right now. I also strength train 2-4 times a week, depending on what routine I'm doing and what else I'm doing cardio-wise. Before surgery, I would have been pushing it to walk to the end of the block, so I mostly just didn't bother. To me, I don't think of any of the activities I do strictly as something to help me lose or maintain weight. Honestly, fat loss mostly comes from the kitchen, Instead, I partake in these activities because I enjoy them, but perhaps even more importantly, they make me healthier and will hopefully lead to more time here on this planet. Regarding loose skin, I have been able to "fill in" some of it on my arms and legs with muscle. I attribute this to my overall workout plan, not to any specific thing. You didn't really ask, but I wanted to share a few additional things with you: While as you've seen in this thread not everyone is active post-surgery, the data is clear on this: those bariatric surgery patients that partake in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity 5-6 days a week are significantly more likely to reach their goal weight and maintain their weight-loss long-term. That does not mean you can't be successful without exercise, but it does mean you can greatly tip the odds in your favor if you're active. Both cardio and strength training are important. While cardiovascular exercise has obvious heart-health benefits (that's why it's called cardio after all), it also helps with your overall physical endurance and energy levels, so everything else you do physically just becomes a lot easier. Strength training, in addition to helping you look and feel better physically also increases your metabolism so that you burn even more calories even at rest. It's hard to argue with the benefits of that on weight loss. Strength training will have no direct effect on loose skin. As I implied above, what it can do is help fill out that loose skin with some muscle instead of fat. This is probably going to be more in the arms and legs than in your belly for obvious reasons. Keep in mind though that your ability to add muscle mass is highly impacted by age, genetics, epigenetics, diet and biological sex, among other things. My point is that while some people can "fill in" that lose skin by adding muscle mass, it's by no means assured or even realistic for most of us. It's sometimes misleading to think of strength training as the only thing that builds muscle. Even just walking can help, depending of where you're starting from. Like all exercise, the key is continuing to progress. Once you stagnate, you'll stop improving your health. In short, I highly recommend partaking in both cardio and strength training. If you need help knowing what to do, seek out the assistance of a reputable trainer.