Help!

[naturalbeautiful814 0]

Hi , I'm 8 months post op with gastric sleeve. Also, I am a pescotarian( eating fish only twice week.. Been vegetarian for 2 years only eating fish to get my Protein in). Post surgery I weighed 298. I now weigh 243 but I have gained 11 pounds in the last two weeks. I have had two spine surgeries and I have another disc issue. I cannot really exercise how I wold like. I can walk but I love to jog. It seems like walking take too long. Plus, now I can't jog because of the spine.

So , I am overrating because of the condition of my health( I'm an extrovert and now I'm not working at home all day because of the pain). I know this is not an excuse. Today, I began the five day pouch test. I am really struggling ..wanting carbs and splenda! I am wondering how much protein I should be eating a day? Also, when they say a cup of food is how much we should be eating , are they talking about the cup that comes with those spoons or the cup that is white and have calibrations? I just can't remember ?

I have been reading weight loss stories today, journaling my food, joined this site and asking for help? I know I eat and have probaly stretched my sleeve. I hope I can rebound. Please reply.

[PdxMan 4,292]

Wow! You are me ... or I am you ... or something ...

At 15 months post I had a micro-discectomy on L4/5 as I had numbness in my right foot which was emanating up into my right leg. Due to the disc leakage and now removal of said disc leakage stuff, the space between the vertebrae had lessened to the point where now bone was pressing against the nerve and now I had numbness in my left foot. A laminectomy 3 months later was the solution.

Prior to surgery, I had been an exercising machine. I would run ~30 miles a week and participated in many races even winning my age/division a few times. Then the numbness ...

So, as you are experiencing, my activity basically went to nil. I mean nothing. Everything was painful as pretty much any and all motion goes through your core and well ... yeah ... not going to happen. Walking, sitting or standing was painful after a few minutes. 2 months post second surgery, I began physical therapy which was a slow process. I was somewhat compliant with my at home exercises, but it was difficult as it was painful, but I knew it was the only way I could get moving again. I was finally cleared for exercise 4 months after starting PT, but wasn't able to do what I wanted as it was too painful, so I stuck with the basics from PT hoping I would strengthen. About a month ago I was finally able to run more than one block without having to stop due to pain. I attribute this to doing elliptical as it is very low impact. I am now able to run a mile and a half at about an 8 minute per mile pace. I also do an hour of weight training about 5 times a week at the gym focusing on lower back and core strength.

So ... what about eating? I had been at goal and maintaining for about 10 months when I stopped exercising. I quickly added 10 pounds as I did not change my eating habits, so I knew that I would have to change that. What I did was to get back to basics stringently. I ate Protein first, didn't drink with meals and chewed very well. I stopped eating before I was full and limited my "cheats". This halted my weight gain and I lost 5 of the 10 I had gained.

Since getting back into exercise I have lost the other 5 pounds and have eased how stringent I follow the guidelines as I do understand that I need calories to maintain my current level of activity. So, that is what worked for me. Follow the guidelines closer until you can get back to being active. If you need to, track everything in MyFitnessPal.

Just to let you know, my numbness has been reduced drastically, but I do still have a little, which I will probably have the rest of my life. It is by far tolerable compared to where I was, which was occasionally falling as I didn't get the feedback from my feet when walking. It takes time and did get worse before it got better. Good luck!

[deejay1383837872 17]

You should be getting 60 to 80 grams of Protein a day. You should be eating about 3/4 a cup and not a cup. You should have a 100 to 200 calorie Breakfast, 100 calorie midmorning snack, 100 to 200 calorie lunch, 100 calorie afternoon snack, and a 100 to 200 calorie dinner. That totals about 800 calories a day. Eating carbs makes you retain Water. My doctor told me this. Protein first, veggies/fruits second, carbs third in your 3/4 cup. Wanting carbs with splenda is Head Hunger. Learn to tell the difference between head hunger and real hunger. Remember, to gain a pound, you have to eat 3,500 calories a day, extra besides what you burn with daily activities. I suspect you are holding Water. Carbs do not keep you from being hungry. They feed hunger by raising your blood sugar then dumping you later, which makes you hungry. Vicious circle. Remember, a cup is a cup. Like a pound of lead is the same as a pound of feathers. A pound is a pound. Let your stomach be your guide to hunger and when you are done eating. Stop before you are full. Your surgery is a weight loss tool, not the whole picture. Your other tools are your calorie/protein book, your food scale, and a journal of what you are consuming.

[mamasanch 22]

Start logging all food on myfitnesspal. I am only 5 weeks out but it really helps. It has helped me track calories and protien. Very easy tool to use.

[naturalbeautiful814 0]

Thanks,for the replies. I did not know it was 3/4 cup. I really appreciate knowing there is someone out there that has back injuries and had o adjust THIER exercise. I will do better. Yesterday , I drank Protein Shakes all day and was weak and ate one bag and a half of popcorn lite. I was stuffed. Ate way to much but now there is no more in my house. I will,do better today and I did some home Pilates .

[deejay1383837872 17]

Protein Drinks aren't complete Protein. You should be eating meat, eggs and other forms of Protein as well. You are weak due to incomplete diet. And popcorn has no redeemable nutrition to it. If you only get 1/2 to 3/4 cup make it count with protein first, veggies fruits next and then carbs. Yogurt, Hummus, cheese......You need a balanced diet!

[McButterpants 2,846]

I agree with the above - I think the preference is get your Protein from food and not shakes