1.5yrs post op-need help

[Leederz 49]

I had my sleeve surgery 3/2012. Within 6 months I lost 125 lbs and was down to my goal weight of 140. Within weeks I found out I was pregnant. Fast forward to now and I have a healthy 2 month old whom I am breastfeeding. My current weight is 165.

My problem. I've gone totally haywire and I feel like I've forgotten the essentials necessary. I still want to breastfeed so I know I can't restrict myself too much. But I'm just eating anything and everything and I have been binging. While I was pregnant I let myself eat how I wanted because before my pregnancy I was over restrictive to the point where I put my health at risk.

Anyone have any suggestions tips or anything to help me get back to the basics. Keeping in mind I still want to breastfeed. I feel out of control right now and this is a very scary place for me to be in.

[Sassygirl06 962]

You need an extra 500 calories a day to maintain your breast milk supply. It sounds like you are on the right track to getting back down to pre pregnancy weight...you are only 25 pounds away....that is not bad at all! I would enjoy this time period where you are able to eat those extra calories, but make those calories healthy ones for extra potent, rich milk. Once you decide that you are going to wean, I would slowly start reducing your calorie intake every 2-3 days, until you get back to your sleeve calorie range. Good luck to you! And congrats on the new baby!

[M2G 1,836]

Well, first and foremost, congrats on your new baby! That is awesome!

You recognize that you are out-of-control and that is great because now is the time to reign it in. I used my first pregnancy (12 years ago!) to indulge in ice cream every night. I also gained 65lbs which somehow did not magically disappear when I had the baby. So with my 2nd pregnancy I only gained +18lbs because I learned the hard way that I wasn't really "eating for two" and that the weight wouldn't just be "baby weight"...

With all that said I recently took a back to basics class offered by my surgeon. It's all the rules that we "know/learned" but it was nice to have a refresher course! I will share with you what was covered:

Rules of the Tool:

1. Fluids - stop drinking 10 minutes before a meal and try to go 45 minutes to an hour after eating...an hour is even better.

2. Meal Timing - meals should be every 2-4 hours, 5-6 oz after 1 year post-op is appropriate size, no Snacks or grazing.

3. Protein - minimum 65-80g per day and all meals are to be 75% Protein and 25% complex carbs (veggies, fruit, Beans, whole grains, brown rice, etc.)

4. Label Reading - for your food, per serving take your calories and divide it by the protein...you should have 15 calories per every 1 gram of protein. This is the best/easiest calculation tool to help you decide what is a good source of protein. For instance let's say a Protein Bar has 170 calories (per bar) and 10 grams of protein. When you take 170/10 = 17 calories per every gram of protein. So this bar is close but would be better at 15.

5. supplements - now that I'm pretty far out from surgery, most of my Vitamins can easily be absorbed from my food, but I still need to take at a minimum Multivitamins, Calcium and the occasional B12. Since you are breastfeeding, you might need to continue/up your Vitamins accordingly.

6. Exercise - Is this part of your daily routine? If so GREAT. If not, get moving. And when your exercise DOESN'T leave you sweaty and breathless you need to challenge yourself to do more so that YOU ARE SWEATY and somewhat breathless.

Finally we talked about ABC Planning. A Plan = you are doing GREAT, you are on target with your meals, your liquids, your exercise and supplements. B Plan = you hit some of your goals but fell short in a few areas. C Plan = you are off target in all areas.

So what will be YOUR Plan today? Check in with yourself and be honest. If you are slipping, where are you slipping and what do you need to do to get back to your A Plan?

[JessicaAnn 564]

I've only been sleeved for 11 weeks, but I've been breast feeding my son for 15 months now. My NUT suggested healthy fats like nut butters, avocado, etc. Make sure your getting enough fluids to keep your supply up, and eat every 2 hours. Just make sure you concentrate on Protein first, then veggies, then starch. I've had no issues with my supply, except when I was on my pre op diet. I eat about 800 calories per day, but nursing a newborn on demand, I would try to eat 1000-1200.

[Mkak 251]

M2G, such a great post!

[Old self 16]

Just go back to the way your supposed to eat and your baby will be healthy and you will lose weight. As long as your daily intake is 1500 calories or more of healthy foods your milk supply will grow with your baby. You don't need to eat extra you just need to eat enough, stay hydrated and nurse on demand.

[Leederz 49]

Thanx for all the posts. I'm trying to get back in the swing of things and not beat myself up anymore. I feel like I'm having nightmares of returning to my old weight but that's just my mind playing tricks on me.