Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

SpartanMaker

Gastric Bypass Patients
  • Content Count

    636
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    19

Everything posted by SpartanMaker

  1. I concur with @summerset. I'm not really following what you mean by "more than recommended" or why you find it worrying? If you're eating more than your team said you should, stop doing that. Problem solved. Keep in mind that early on after surgery your stomach is inflamed and multiple nerves have been cut. In short, it's unlikely that you'd be able to feel all the appropriate signals to tell you when you're full. This is why most team's have recommendations on specific foods and volumes you should be eating at every stage. These are not only for the safety of your healing stomach, but also to keep you from eating so much you make yourself sick. They are NOT hard "limits" of exactly how much your stomach can hold. Please tell me if I'm wrong, but my suspicion is you were expecting surgical restriction to keep you from overeating and you're testing the limits. Because you are able to eat more than what your team suggested you eat, you are worried that this means you're going to fail later. This is an important point, so I'm going to bold it: Success or failure post-surgery probably has more to do with your ability to follow your team's recommendations than it does with you being restricted by a smaller stomach. Once you get past the initial stages, it's can be as easy to overeat as it was before surgery. If you are headed down this path, I highly recommend working with a therapist that specializes in disordered eating because surgery alone may not be enough.
  2. SpartanMaker

    Am I Broken??

    it's not that unusual to see similar results. You are likely just retaining fluid post-surgery (very common), which could mask any fat loss. Give yourself time and try not to stress. The weight loss will come.
  3. SpartanMaker

    New AAP Obesity Guidelines

    Here's my two cents: Obesity is a medical condition and bariatric surgery has proven to be the most successful long-term treatment option. I'm surprised that even among those of us that have had WLS, we sometimes still act like it was needed due to a lack of willpower or some sort of moral failure. We really have to get over that and acknowledge obesity as a disease state that sometimes requires surgical treatment. To me, it follows that many children also suffer from obesity and that it would be morally wrong to withhold effective treatments options. I wouldn't withhold cancer treatments from a child, so why would it be okay to withhold WLS from children if we know that it can effectively treat their disease state? Regarding all the comments about can a child understand the need or what's required long-term, that really feels like a red herring. Just like we all had to show that we were ready for surgery by jumping through various hoops like psych evals, nutrition visits, & documentation of past diet failures, I would expect the same to be true for children. Those children or parents that aren't ready would be disqualified, just like some people can't or won't complete all the requirements as adults.
  4. There are lots of diet plans, both pre and post WLS so it's hard to say exactly what you should do. Personal preferences also play into this a lot. I'd recommend talking to your team as they will have the best info regarding their plan and what they want you to do. As far as protein drink recommendations, I prefer the Fairlife Nutrition Plan pre-made shakes to most others. On the exercise front, sounds like you have a decent plan already, but I'd add a couple of things: Squats are great, but don't neglect your upper body or core. If you can, add in some planks, side planks, pushups and pullups. All of these can be modified to where you're at physically. For example, if you can't do a regular pushup, start with wall pushups. Progress to an elevated surface such as a bench, then move on to a pushup on your knees, etc. Make sure you keep in mind that you want to keep progressing in both the strength and cardio work. So maybe instead of walking just a mile and quitting, try to extend that a few minutes this week, then do a few more minutes next week, etc. Work up to 45 minutes to an hour a day. Instead of just increasing time, you can also vary your pace with walking "intervals". This would be maybe 30 seconds of all-out walking as fast as you can, followed by 2-3 minutes of a more normal pace to recover. Over time, make the all-out push last longer and/or shorten the recovery period.
  5. SpartanMaker

    Stalls

    Reposting something I posted elsewhere: First, the most common reason for any stall, including the dreaded 3-week stall is simply that you are retaining more Water. There are a few reasons this happens, but around the 3-week mark it comes down to the fact that your body is adjusting to a low carb intake after converting from glycogen to ketones for energy. More water is needed to burn glycogen, so you were retaining more water pre-surgery than you are now that you're using primarily ketones for energy. At about the 3-week mark, your body eventually recognizes that the water loss is long term, so other mechanisms have started kicking in to start holding on to more water. This water loss due to the change between glycogen and ketones is the primary reason for "keto flu", and something that increases your risk of dehydration early after surgery. The other "reasons" for plateaus really don't apply as much at the 3 week mark, but will become more important later in the process. Let's cover those too though so you're prepared: As you lose more weight, your overall metabolic rate will slow down. People sometimes think fat is not metabolically active, but that's not true. Less fat means your metabolism slows down, even if you retain the same amount of muscle. As you lose weight, it takes less effort to move, so the amount of calories you burn from activity also drops quite a bit. As you progress, you'll be able to eat more and especially if you're not tracking intake closely by weighing and measuring your food, you can easily be eating a lot more than you think. This one may be TMI for some, but you may simply be retaining more stool. This is going to be hard for some people to hear, but I can tell you one thing it's not, and that's hormones. Yes, various hormonal processes negatively impact weight loss in a myriad of ways, but they don't overcome basic physics: if you eat less than you are burning, you'll lose weight. What these hormones can do if they're out of whack, is not good things like slowing your metabolism, increasing your hunger, screwing with water weight, or even fooling you into thinking you're eating less than you are. So, with all that sciency stuff out of the way, what do we actually do if we're in a stall? Well, I think it depends on when it happens and how long it lasts: If it's early (a.k.a. the 3-week stall), just keep doing what you're doing and you should be fine. I know people don't like that advice, but as I said, it's just water, so don't worry about it. Later on, especially if the stall is lasting longer than 2-3 weeks. that's when I think it's important that you look closely at what you are actually burning, as well as really tracking what you are eating. If you don't know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), you should. The closer you are to goal, the harder it is to get the balance right between intake and output to make sure you're not eating too much, so fixing this starts with knowing your BMR and accurate food logging. There's a lot of anecdotal advice thrown around about "ways to break a stall", but there seems to be little scientific evidence for any of it. Most of it certainly won't hurt to try, e.g. breaking up your routine in terms of diet or exercise, but just understand that this change may or may not have had any impact. If it makes you feel better to be proactive, go for it. Longer term, there is one piece of solid advice that's backed up by lots of research: Even if you don't really like working out, do it anyway. Those WLS patients that make a regular habit of exercising for 45 minutes to an hour most days a week are significantly more likely to reach their goal and maintain the weight loss. (One caveat here: significantly changing your exercise routine can make you retain water and possibly even add muscle, so don't freak out if you see a stall or even a gain.) I'll take that exercise advice one step further and say you really should be doing some form of strength training. This is also backed up by lots of studies, but the great thing about strength training is that it makes your burn more calories even at rest (in other words, it increases your metabolic rate). There are lots of other benefits, but the metabolic benefit is the most germaine to the stall question. Those that do strength training are less likely to stall during weight loss.
  6. SpartanMaker

    exercise post op

    The U.S HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion created a generic recommendation for all Americans: For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Preferably, aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week. Additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond the equivalent of 300 minutes (5 hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity a week. Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits. To provide more structured advice, I'd need to understand a few things. First, what do you hope to accomplish from an exercise program? Some common goals might include: Improve overall health (e.g. lessen risk of heart disease, diabetes, etc.) Get stronger / Make day to day living easier Help control weight regain (notice I didn't say lose weight as you can't out exercise a bad diet) Improve mental health / reduce anxiety & depression Sleep better / Have more energy Improve body composition (more muscle mass = more calories burned even at rest) Look good naked Next, are their specific activities you like or don't like? Some people hate gyms, others love them. Some people like to "play" to get exercise (think sports/outdoor recreation), while others love the solitude of walking/running by themselves. Basically what I'm asking is for you to do some self-reflection and think hard about what you think might work best for you. Finally, can you be more specific about what resources you have available? You mentioned a gym (which is not entirely needed), but beyond that? Do you have or can you get: A heart rate monitor (e.g. fitness watch or strap) A place to walk outside or access to a treadmill Other exercise/recreation equipment such as a bike or stationary bike, kayak or canoe, Nintendo Ring Fit Wii Fit, etc. A set of exercise bands and/or dumbbells, Sufficient space to workout at home if you don't go to a gym I'd also really like you to fill out your profile here on Bariatricpal. Details matter. In addition to that, it would be helpful to know some things like: Your age How you'd rate your current fitness level If you have any specific physical or health issues that might impact what exercises/activities you're able to do In short, the more details you can provide, the more tailored I can make a recommendation. Best of luck.
  7. SpartanMaker

    Satisfying sweets cravings

    Rather than determine what you can eat to "satisfy" that craving, maybe it would be better to try and first understand why you're craving sweets at all? Some thoughts on possible things that may be driving this feeling: Forbidden foods: If you think of sweets as "forbidden", this can actually intensify your cravings for them. You might need to rethink your relationship with certain foods if this is true. Stress or a desire to self-soothe: Stress as well as physical and/or emotional pain can definitely drive you to crave things you see as comforting. For many, sweets may do this because eating them can trigger endorphins and dopamine in your brain in the same way powerful illicit drugs can. Contextual associations: We sometimes associate certain food with certain things. Examples would be people that feel they have to eat dessert or the meal isn't "done". Another example would be people that eat popcorn at the movies. Boredom: Typically boredom doesn't drive specific cravings, but can absolutely drive you to eat when you're not really hungry. Nutrient deficiencies/poor hydration: While there's a lot of anecdotal references for the idea that your body will crave certain things if you have a specific nutrient deficiency, there's not much scientific evidence for this belief. (In fact there's a lot of evidence that it's not correct. If that was actually driving cravings, we'd all be craving kale and broccoli instead of sugary, salty, fatty foods) That said, there are studies that show both poor hydration or insufficient protein or fiber will increase hunger. In this case however, your cravings would most likely be less specific and more "I'm hungry", vs. "I want sweets". i think once you understand the WHY, you'll be better armed on what you can do to address the craving. In some cases, distractions like @Arabesque mentioned may actually work better than finding a sweet thing that "satisfies" your craving. In other cases, you might be better off eating off plan if the "forbidden" food is the culprit. Only you can really know what's driving this and how best to deal with it.
  8. SpartanMaker

    So Why Don't We Talk About It?

    Can you explain what you mean by false equivalency? A lot of the things @Nepenthe44 mentioned seem to be listed as warning signs for ED: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/warning-signs-and-symptoms https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/8-signs-you-may-have-an-eating-disorder/ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders#signs It's plain to see that some of the things bariatric programs (and this forum), encourage are also listed on those pages. Certainly those things alone don't equal an ED diagnosis, but I do think some of them may cross the line into disordered eating, especially if they lead to or cause issues in other parts of our lives. For example: Do you worry about "messing up" on your bariatric program to the extent that it's causing severe anxiety issues? Alternately, if you do eat off plan, do you express self-disgust and make plans for how to "make-up" for what you ate through extreme exercise or fasting? Are you constantly worried about "going over" your calories and/or macros and do you spend hours every day (to the exclusion of work or family), tracking these things? Do you actively avoid eating or drinking in public because you don't or can't eat like a "normal" person? Do you compulsively weigh and measure yourself and freak out when something is off a bit? To me, these are just a few possible examples of how "what's expected of a good bariatric patient" may just cross the line into an eating disorder. Regardless of the reason or intent, when our relationship with food or our bodies becomes an obsession, we have an issue.
  9. SpartanMaker

    So Why Don't We Talk About It?

    I think we don't talk about it because what is there to say? I'm pretty sure we all recognize that WLS does not fix eating disorders and that therapy is the recommendation. Beyond that, what would we discuss? I don't agree with this assessment, but for what it's worth, the medical community seems to believe that full blown eating disorders are fairly rare in the obese patient population. This is one of the reasons the clinical recommendation is to screen for eating disorders prior to WLS. If an eating disorder is discovered during the psyc eval, it can be a contraindication for proceeding with WLS, depending on the severity and the behavior in question. My personal belief is that you just about can't become obese unless you have some level of disordered eating. Perhaps for many of us the level of disordered eating is sub-clinical (in other words, it's not to the point where we would formally be diagnosed with an eating disorder), or perhaps lots of people aren't fully truthful during the psyc eval to avoid being told we don't qualify for surgery. Either way, I think we have a lot of people that complete surgery and have disappointing results because they only treated part of the problem,
  10. SpartanMaker

    Just a "small" update lol

    I'm really worried that you're overtraining. While physical exercise is a good thing, it's absolutely possible to overdo it. Some possible warning signs for you to watch for: Feeling tired all the time Trouble sleeping Constant muscle soreness Symptoms of depression Mood swings and/or feeling irritable Feeling stressed all the time Why should you be concerned? Due to your weight, you are at a lot higher risk of injury when exercising. Overtraining ratchets up the likelihood of injury quite a bit more. A significant injury right now could set you back months. Due to reduced food intake, you are at a pretty significant disadvantage recovery-wise compared to someone that does not have to contend with a very low calorie diet. Calories from food (not just protein), is absolutely needed to help post workout recovery. Overtraining can actually be counterproductive to weight loss because it significantly increases cortisol levels. I won't spend too much time talking about why cortisol matters, but even slightly elevated levels of cortisol can negatively impact weight loss. Plus, if you're impacting your sleep levels, this negative effect is exacerbated. Overtraining can actually be bad for your heart. We tend to think that if some cardiovascular exercise is good, more should be better, but that's not always true. Among other things, people that overtrain can cause problems like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and AFib. While I don't think you're quite to this level yet, it's something to watch out for. Overtraining can actually impact your ability to fight off infection. Getting sick could also set you back quite a bit. If all of the above weren't enough, the likelihood of you stopping training altogether is significantly elevated if you overtrain. I certainly understand you think you're doing the right thing, but hardly anyone that's overtraining realizes it until they suffer the impacts of it. I also think many formerly obese individuals may be more likely to overtrain for a few reasons: We are typically starting from a poor base fitness level, so it does not take nearly as much to overtrain. Most of us have tendency toward addictive behavior. (Yes, overtraining can be due to transfer addiction.) We are trying to "makeup" for a previous lack of exercise. We think that this will help us lose weight faster. As I mentioned, this behavior can actually slow down fat loss, rather than speed it up. Instead, our goal should be to build a sustainable level of fitness that accomplishes a few things: To develop a good level of cardiovascular endurance that keeps our bodies and minds healthy To strengthen our muscles to make everyday living easier and more sustainable for the long-term To decrease the risk of illness and injury To burn more calories, both during exercise and at rest To look good naked (okay, for some of us, maybe that's pushing it!) One of the best ways to do all that is to ensure your current level of exercise is sustainable. From that sustainable base, we add in something called "progressive overload" to ensure we are actually benefiting from the exercise. When we overtrain, there's no room for progress, meaning eventually you either burnout, or your body adapts and the benefit becomes lost. Sorry for the long post here. I know to you I'm just some random person on the internet and you're not likely to pay much attention anyway. Even so, the risk is real, and I encourage you to research this to make sure I'm not just blowing smoke. More than anything, even if you don't think you're overtraining, I'd hate for others to come away from this thread thinking your exercise workload is what they should be doing too. For 99% of us it's not.
  11. Keep in mind that 'weight loss' does not equal fat loss. I would be skeptical that you lost 7 pounds of fat in a week, but some fat, some fluid, and possibly some muscle? Sure. We wrongly think there are only 2 types of "stuff" in our bodies, the good stuff that never goes away and the bad stuff (fat), that we want to go away. It's a lot more complicated than that, and scales are just not a great way to really know what's going on inside your body. Unfortunately, scales are the tool most of us have, so we have to make due. I guess my point is don't overthink what the scale is telling you in either direction. As soon as you hit a stall, you're going to start questioning if you're doing things "right", but you may be having the same issue with a scale not really telling you what you need to know regarding fat loss. If that happens, it's better to just stick to your program and remember that you're using a tool that's pretty lousy at measuring fat loss.
  12. SpartanMaker

    Advocare Spark

    I don't have any experience with this particular product, but it's probably best to talk to your surgical team. Some are a lot more strict about caffeine than others. For those plans that want you to avoid it, at least early on, the rationale given is typically based on a few things: Caffeine is a diuretic. Since most people struggle to get in sufficient fluids early after surgery, it's probably best not to make the problem worse. Caffeine can lead to diarrhea, also exacerbating problems getting in sufficient fluid. Most caffeinated drinks are acidic, which can contribute to gastric reflux. Note that caffeine can also contribute to reflux. Especially for sleeve patients, reflux can be a significant issue. although the effect is minor, caffeine can impair the absorption of certain minerals like iron, calcium & magnesium. This is more so an issue for bypass patients that are already at a disadvantage for malabsorption. Best of luck.
  13. SpartanMaker

    Weird tummy noise

    Interesting. I didn't have anything like this, so it's not universal. You might want to update your profile so we know more about your surgery. While some things are consistent between sleeve and bypass, not all are.
  14. From start to surgery took almost 3 years for me, but I know I'm an exception. From the time I completed all the requirements and tests, it was about 4-5 months until my surgery. My chosen center is the largest in my state and they have a serious backlog just submitting things to insurance. That alone took 6-8 weeks. After we got the insurance approval back (which took another 2 weeks), it took a few weeks to get on the surgical schedule. At the time, they were scheduling 2 months out, so I had to wait another 2 months before my surgery. In short, I understand the anxiety your feeling. It was nerve-wracking having to wait so long for a procedure that has been life-changing. I felt like I was waiting to get my life back and the constant waiting was very stressful. That said, it did allow me time to learn a lot about what to expect in post-op life, as well better prepare myself mentally for the upcoming changes. In retrospect, I think I would not have done nearly as well if I had rushed into surgery.
  15. SpartanMaker

    Weird tummy noise

    I'm curious, is this just a sleeve thing? I'm a bypass patient, but I've not had anything like this?
  16. Not sure about this one? Unlike most of the rest of your skin, your lips have no oil glands, meaning they don't rely on sebum for lubrication. I do think there could be something to the comments above related to protein drinks, especially if you find yourself licking your lips more. (Excess saliva can actually cause chapped lips.) In addition, this could also be due to nutrient deficiencies. If you're not currently taking a multivitamin, a lack of B vitamins can lead to dry, chapped lips.
  17. So in this sort of situation, as in many other human interactions, there are 2 things that took me a lifetime to learn. I want to share those with you in the hope it will help you if a similar situation happens again. The first is to always assume positive intent (until proven otherwise). What I mean by that is that most people don't intend to me mean or hurtful, it's a lot more likely they just suck at giving compliments. (Some also don't understand personal space!) In your specific situation, I suspect they thought they were being complementary to you and really just could not understand that you'd interpret it any differently. This is also likely why they responded awkwardly when you didn't do what they expected and acknowledge their "complement". Note that I'm not saying you were "wrong" for feeling how you did about this. I think comments like this can feel pretty cringy and it's normal to feel what you did. It's just that I've reached a point where I've both been on the receiving and giving end of these sorts of conversations. For my own personal wellbeing, I have found that if I assume they meant well, the overall interaction tends to go a lot better. The second thing it took me a lifetime to learn is that if I assume positive intent, I also need to approach human interactions with a heart of curiosity, rather than resentment. What I mean is that is that I like to strive to understand why they felt the desire to interact with me. Are they looking for weight loss advice? Are they flirting with me? Maybe they just were hoping to make me feel good, which makes them feel better about themselves? Maybe they were interested in starting a new friendship and this was a conversation starter? The point I'm trying to make is that taking a few moments to have an open conversation couldn't hurt and may lead to other positive interactions in the future. Best of luck.
  18. This is such a critical issue that my team literally put it at the very front of their bariatric pre-op binder. I'm attaching their guidelines for dealing with constipation. There are no copyright marks anywhere in their document, so I'm going to assume this falls under fair-use guidelines. Sorry for all the poop emoji's! I think it was their way of trying to lighten the mood on a serious subject that people feel strange discussing. One thing you'll see over and over in this is if you're having trouble, call your team. It may feel weird to talk to your nurse about this, but constipation is one of the most common questions they get. They are very used to talking about it. For what it's worth, my surgery was a few weeks before you and I still take one colace and one peri-colace daily. BM Guide.pdf
  19. SpartanMaker

    How to get started in this Forum

    If you're on the website, look at the top of the page for your profile name. Click on it. All the things you might want to update or change should be in one of the options that show up. Probably the most important one is labeled "My Surgery". This page has multiple tabs on the left-hand side. Different info is found on each tab. You may want to go through all of them to find the various items you're looking for such as weights, surgery dates, etc.
  20. SpartanMaker

    Post op complications

    It's not unusual to have trouble with certain liquids, so as long as you're able to keep at least something down, I'm guessing that's why your team isn't overly concerned. Now if you couldn't keep any liquids down and it lasted more than a day or so, that would be considered a medical emergency. Separately, the intense pain on eating is concerning. That's not normal at all, so I'd be pushing them on that. Especially when combined with the liquid issue, I have to wonder if you may have a stricture or maybe some other complication.
  21. SpartanMaker

    eating out at pureed stage

    This will depend on the restaurant, but your best bet is probably a soup of some sort. Even if it's not a pureed soup, most restaurants should be able to puree just about anything for you, including their soups. Just keep in mind that some restaurant soups can have a lot of fat, so make sure you know what you're getting if you have problem with fat content. Also remember that it probably won't have nearly enough protein for you so try to remember to supplement your protein intake some other way.
  22. SpartanMaker

    Post OP Pain

    Actually I think it is gas pain, just not the kind you may be thinking of. It's not gas in your intestines, it's from the gas (most likely carbon dioxide, a.k.a. CO2), that they pump into your abdominal space during surgery. This puts pressure on everything inside that space, and can irritate things like the peritoneum (the lining over the abdominal organs). That said, I think for most people, the worst pain is the pain they feel in the lower chest, or even up into the shoulder. This is again caused by the surgery gas putting pressure put on the diaphragm, which irritates the phrenic nerve. Eventually this gas will be reabsorbed back into your tissues, then into your bloodstream, and will eventually be processed out by your lungs. In short, you'll actually breathe it out. For most people this can take up to a week or so, but it should be getting better every day. In the interim, 2 things seem to help most people: Walking. This helps move things around, especially the CO2 that may have settled under your diaphragm, but keep in mind that when you walk, you are also turning over more oxygen & CO2, which speeds up the process of removing the CO2 from your blood. Most recommendations are you walk at least 15-20 minutes every 2 hours, but more is better. Hot pads. This can help as well, and it works for many of the same reasons walking does. You are dilating blood vessels which helps your body process the extra CO2 and pull in more oxygen. You may also be feeling some incisional pain, but for most people this is more minor in nature. I will close by mentioning that if it's NOT getting better every day, contact your team ASAP. There is a possibility something else is going on with you and they will be in the best position to advise you. Best of luck.
  23. It may not be, but please don't ignore the rest of what I mentioned. You need to get your RMR tested or you can't really know how much you should be eating. You also need to find out your current percentage of body fat, start tracking it, and stop guessing how much you should weigh based strictly on what a scale is telling you. % body fat will be a much better way to measure your health. Finally, start strength training. The first 2 recommendations are tools to better understand where you're at today and where you need to get to, but strength training is likely the "fix" for your issues. I didn't mention it before, but you may be a good candidate for intermittent fasting. There are plenty of resources online so I won't go into details here, but it's worth a try.
  24. SpartanMaker

    Am I overreacting

    Obviously from the reaction of others here, this is a common thing. I really feel that what your mother said was said out of love and concern. She probably had no idea how hurtful this felt to you. Now that it's been a few days and you've hopefully moved past the initial hurt, I wanted to give you a few thoughts on how do deal with this both now and in the future. Start by addressing your own emotional state. Even though, like I said, I doubt her goal was to hurt you, that doesn't lessen the pain you feel. There are a few things you can do to keep this from becoming a deep or long-term wound: Take some time to acknowledge your feelings. They are legitimate and NEVER bad or wrong (in other words, NO, you're not overreacting). Show yourself some compassion and acknowledge that your feelings are legitimate. Be as kind and understanding with yourself as you would a close friend or loved one that was hurting. Remember (as you've seen here), that this is incredibly common. Instead of saying "I shouldn't overreact" when you feel hurt, acknowledge that most people on this journey have had a similar experience and that every one of us felt hurt by it. Don't blame yourself for others inability to express love and compassion in a helpful way. This was a failure on your mothers part, NOT yours. Don't make it personal. Your mother was reacting to an action your took, not attacking who you are or saying she hates you. Again, show yourself some self-love and remember that she simply misunderstood. Her comment was coming from a place of concern. Here are some tips for ways you might be able to have a more fruitful discussion if this occurs again: ALWAYS start by assuming good intent. For example, you might respond by saying (with sincerity): "Thank you mom for your concern. I'm glad you're worried about my success and appreciate the support. These are actually a key part of the recovery process as recommended by my doctor so that I stay hydrated." If this doesn't help, or she reacts negatively (which is probable), take time to understand why she is concerned. You could say for example, "I know you love me and want to help, so I want to better understand why this is concerning to you. Can you explain? At this point you have to truly listen to what she is saying. Your job at this point is to understand HER feelings. (Yes, what I'm saying is you may need to be the grown-up in this relationship.) Where the conversation goes from here is up to you, but hopefully once your truly listen and understand her feelings, only then will you potentially have an opportunity to both explain your position, as well as (if you're lucky), use this as a teaching moment. This latter part will only come once she feels heard. You could, for example say something like: "Thanks mom for taking the time to share your concerns and for helping me through this journey. Would you be okay at this point with me explaining my reasoning for eating these? Good luck, on your journey.
  25. SpartanMaker

    Macros…..

    The 2019 clinical guidelines from the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons (ASMBS), calls for bariatric surgery patients in active weight loss eat 1.2 g/kg of bodyweight. For those in maintenance, the range should be .8-1.2 g/kg. I don't know how much you weigh, but 135 g a day sounds like it might be a bit on the high side based on those recommendations? There is research that intake levels between 1.2-1.5 g/kg may maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis, but there's not a lot a data to suggest rates over 1.5 g/kg are beneficial. Rates above that might be necessary in certain people such as if are a professional strength athlete or top tier fitness competitor trying to maximize muscle growth. Especially if you're just trying to lose some fat, you probably can't metabolize that much protein. I can tell you from experience that many trainers will push this recommendation up to 2 or even 2.2g/kg of lean mass, because they believe if some is good, more must be better. The reality is that your body can't store extra protein, so any above the minimal needed just gets converted to fat. My recommendation would be to follow the ASMBS guidelines for your weight. Unless your trainer has extensive experience working with bariatric surgery patients nutritional needs, I'm afraid their recommendation may be targeted more at a different population.

PatchAid Vitamin Patches

×