Veterans what is your daily routine like?

[jmccape 25]

I'm interested in what you eat typically, how you take your Vitamins and supplements your Protein Shakes and Water. thank you.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

I'm hardly a "veteran" at 19 weeks post-op, but here's my somewhat usual routine:

8:30 am - I take my birth control, first multi-Vitamin, probiotic, and Vitamin B12 before leaving for work

9:00 am - at work I eat my first Protein bar of the day, almost always a chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavored Questbar

9:45 am - I have my first cup of coffee (I was allowed coffee again at 30 days post-op)

12:30 pm - I take my second Multi-Vitamin, Vitamin C, coq10, and Omega 3. I have lunch. Always high Protein. Today I had turkey chili, but I usually just have whatever leftovers I have around (chicken, sausage. meatloaf...).

2:30 pm - I have Dannon Light & Fit greek yogurt as a snack at work. Today I'm out of that, so I'm having an organic beef stick.

3:30 pm - I have my second cup of coffee.

5:00 pm - I get home from work and take my first dose of Calcium +D3, vitamin E, Beef Gelatin, and an extra D3 capsule (since it's winter)

7:00 pm - I eat whatever dinner my husband has cooked. I always just have the meat from whatever he's having, so if he makes chicken and rice, I'll just have some chicken. If he makes shrimp and Pasta, I just have the shrimp. If he makes meatloaf and mashed potatoes, I just have the meatloaf. You get the picture.

9:30 pm - I have my last cup of coffee, followed shortly by my last dose of Calcium +D3, my antacid (20mg prilosec), and my last Protein Bar.

I drink Water throughout the day. I keep a bottle full on my desk at work and I have a glass beside me at all times when I'm home. My surgeon only requires that I stop drinking 5 minutes before eating (I have it super easy compared to some people I guess) and not start again until 20 minutes after eating. So it's never really even a thought for me. Five minutes is really no time to wait before eating and I am usually so full after eating, that I don't feel like drinking anything until about 40 minutes afterward anyway.

[AvaFern 3,516]

So don't use my example as something that you should work toward or anything because it's not exactly aligned with the strict schedule a lot of people follow. If anything, this will show you that as a veteran, life really is normal again to some extent.

I usually have Breakfast around 10am. I eat a Quaker Weight Control oatmeal, mixed with about 2 spoons of granola for crunch, and a cup of sugarfree peaches. I eat maybe 1/3 of that.

For lunch I often eat a Panera chili cup, which at about 9 months I could finally eat the entire thing in one sitting without getting sick.

Those are pretty much the only things I regularly do. I keep track of everything I eat in MyFitnessPal, so I know where I stand with Protein and calories and such, but there are some days where I'll have fish or chicken for dinner, and some days where I'll have pretzels, because hey, I am a big girl, if I want pretzels for dinner, so be it. I also snack throughout the day. Sometimes a greek yogurt, sometimes Smart Puffs, and sometimes I'll eat a snack bag of Wheat Thins or Ritz crackers. I have no interest in scheduling my food for the rest of my life or always eating grilled chicken and vegetables, so while literally 99% of the time I am well under 1200 calories, there are days every once in a while where I bust right over that limit and pig out for about 1800 calories.

I have maintained around the same weight for awhile and I weigh myself everyday so I know if I gain a pound and then I just pay extra attention to what I eat the next day and I am right back where I was. I feel like the sleeve in the first 6 months is all about rules and then after that it's pretty much what you do with it. I can eat my 1200 calories in M&M's if I so please or I can eat it in healthy Protein like I should. If once a month I have ice cream and Peanut Butter cups all day, well then good for me, I don't freak out about it or end up on a week long binge like I used to because I know that physically my stomach won't tolerate eating too much of anything bad (it likes to puke if I feed it too much junk) and then I will go back to eating the way I should be because I feel better that way.

So...again, don't use me as an example to follow, but just as an example to see that after awhile, you really can eat however you want, it's just up to you what works best for you and your weight loss or maintenance.

[livvsmum 2,369]

I am about 14.5 months post op and have been maintaining my goal weight (though of course I would love to lose "just another 5 pounds....lol").

Breakfast: Typically I have a sugar-free latte along with something small....either a fat-free cheese stick or hard boiled egg.

Lunch: When I am working I have the same exact lunch every day. I'm a creature of habit. I have a small scoop of chicken salad (1/3-1/2 c.), with a small salad on the side (a little bit of spinach leaves (maybe 1/2 c.) a little shredded cheddar cheese on top, a couple cucumber slices, and a couple piece of broccoli. Topped with about 1/2 t. fat free italian dressing).

I have a snack in the late afternoon - usually dannon light and fit greek yogurt

Dinner: about 3-4 oz of a Protein (either chicken, fish, or beef), along with a veggie.... maybe a small starch last if I still have room.

Snack - I have a snack in the evening but usually limit it to a Protein hot chocolate or cheese stick.

Protein shakes: I will usually switch out dinner with a Protein shake a couple of times a week, or switch out a weekend lunch with a Protein Shake. So I would say I'm doing probably 3 Protein shakes a week, and probably 3-4 Protein drinks (ie hot chocolate).

Water - I drink tons of water.... between 80-100 oz. daily

Exercise - SO important to maintaining the loss. I run 4 times a week and cross train on off days with 1 rest day.

[jess9395 5,449]

@@livvsmum do you find that's enough to fuel your running? You're training for a marathon aren't you?

Would love to get your input over on the Marathon Training thread!

Ok to the OP, I guess I am officially a vet now, 13.5 months out and below goal. I don't know if my routine is helpful, because I am in the enviable (until you are in it) spot of trying to NOT continue to lose weight. So I am currently upping my calories weekly to try new levels to balance things out.

5:15am (DH leaves for work EARLY)

I am adding a snack here in the early am these days---TB Peanut Butter or a Greek yogert or a Special K Nourish oat/quinoa Cereal. Mostly Protein. coffee and Water after (I sue vanilla Protein shake as coffee creamer) I take my Vitamins (multi, bcomplex, Biotin, d3) now too except for Calcium which I take in the evening.

7am with the kids

Either an egg scrambled with cheese or a quesadilla on a low carb tortilla or PB on two graham cracker squares, turkey and cheese roll ups or something like that. Protein and fat with maybe some carb. More coffee (w "creamer") and Water after.

I also then make a Protein Shake (BSN Syntha 6 or Syntrax Matrix typically) which I sip through the late morning.

An hour before I run, usually mid morning or early afternoon so this changes time wise, I eat some complex carbs---banana with Peanut Butter, dare balls (I make them--dates, dried fruit and nuts), a kind bar or some of the things from my early am snack above. Then after my run I do at least half a protein shake. I run four days a week.

lunch is similar to Breakfast above. Usually 1pm ish.

Afternoon snack 2-4pm is usually a Quest bar or a snack from Graze or NatureBox or beef Jerky.

dinner is modified version (lower carb) of the family dinner---chicken, fish, meat sauce from the Pasta, Etc. I do eat some of the carbs like sweet potatoes or whole grain tortillas.

I often have an evening snack these days... Protein hot chocolate or a Greek yogert or another Graze/Naturebox/quest bar.

As I said, I run four days a week (occasionally 5) typically averaging 20 miles a week (which will be solidly increasing as I ramp up to the marathon in May I am training for) and do 1-1.5 hours of yoga 3-4 times a week. That's in addition to a family bike ride or hike on most weekends.

I don't know if that's helpful at all bc as I said, I am trying to NOT lose right now. I've dropped to 135 and 17% body fat and don't want to go below that, mostly bc it will decrease my endurance for the distance events (and DH keeps telling me a need to gain back 10 pounds or so!). My current goal is 1800 calories a day and it is so hard to do! I lost last week at my 1600 calorie goal.

[Qtpie28 51]

Good there here! Thank you op for asking

[livvsmum 2,369]

@@jess9395 Right now I would say I feel that it sustains me. On my long run each week I use energy chews. Once training picks up a bit more and the long runs get longer I will probably need to increase on the day before/day of a super long run. I usually feel pretty drained after them

[slvrsax 301]

I'm 13 months out tomorrow, I suppose that gives me veteran status

It's comforting to read other replies and realize that I'm doing pretty much what others are doing. Yesterday is pretty typical for me, here goes:

5:30 wakeup - take my omeprazole (2 20 mg script. capsules) before I walk out the door at 6:20. I take a 20 oz Water bottle on the bus with me, I don't have coffee until I finish this bottle on my way to work. I don't eat for probably an hour to let the antacid do its thing.

Breakfast of either a Protein shake or 2 eggs (on occasion I finish both eggs but usually not quite) around 7:30 - 8:00. If I'm living dangerously I'll add some feta to my 2 eggs. That's living on the edge people! Yesterday I had one egg and a couple bites of a sausage patty. An hour later I have some coffee with a bit of milk. Once a week or if I'm having a difficult day I'll have a non-fat latte with sugar free vanilla Syrup. I really try not to do the sugar free sweetners because I don't think the artificial is good for me but sometimes I give in. We have starbucks brewed and a full free coffee bar here at my workplace.

snack around 10:30 - yesterday it was a piece (1 oz) of swiss cheese. Might be string cheese, almonds, or a light in fit dannon greek yogurt, or cottage cheese. I wanted a banana but forgot it at home.

lunch at noon or 1:00. Yesterday I had probably 3 oz of turkey meatloaf left over from the day before and 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes. Sometimes it is a salad from our salad bar with greens, tomatoes, beets (love beets), almonds, chicken or tofu and my own dressing because I swear the dressing in our salad bar is full of sugar. I use Annie's organic low fat dressing I keep here at work.

Snack about 3:30 - yesterday it was about eight brown rice triscuits. I ran out of my little 100 calorie guac cups. Ate a Quest bar (the new s'mores flavor which I do not recommend) at 5:30 on the bus because I was planning on taking a class and knew I'd have just enough time to get my kiddo to work before I had to go to class. My plan was actually to do 2 classes but needing to get my kid to work canceled that, so just one class for me, an hour long dance class. Probably just as well, I was sore from the class the day before. Just getting back to strength classes after gall bladder surgery in November. Note on the Quest bars: I limit myself to 3 a week. I'm really aiming for whole, real food. A Quest bar is just a means to an end, like if I don't have time for a meal before class or I'm out shopping and I get hungry and figure a Quest bar is better than the food court. I also carry 100 calorie almond packs in my purse and 1 fun size bag of skittles. For several months my blood sugar was dropping unexpectedly at times and I'd get the shakes, sweaty, etc. The skittles are for those times to get my sugar up in a hurry. I haven't had to resort to that in a few months.

dinner 8:30 - eating late I don't really like but with my schedule, it is all I can manage sometimes! I was pretty hungry. I had several roasted brussel sprouts (I make a bunch and eat on them over a few days no one else in my house touches them), 3 oz of deli style turkey breast and a small piece of low carb cheesecake I made last weekend. I had a cup of sleepytime tea with bit of half and half before bed, and a small handful of pecans. Sometimes I'll have a yoplait frozen yogurt bar for an evening snack, or a few baby bel lights, or some beef Jerky but last night it was tea and pecans. Reading this I realize I'm probably eating too much too late

Exercise for me is 1.5 hours of Zumba on Monday, 1 hour strength class Tuesday, 1 hour Zumba Thursday, 1 hour Zumba Saturday. I need more strength training, thinking of adding a boot camp type of class on Friday lunch hour. I have access to a small free gym here in my building, a 24 hour fitness membership and unlimited classes at a dance studio, I have NO reason not to exercise except maybe a full workday with 3 hours of commuting a day.

I'm not good about my Vitamins, and Water I need to improve upon. I sip water throughout the day but honestly forget sometimes. I need to be better about both!

My weight loss is currently at a stand still, I guess I just keep on keepin' on!

[jess9395 5,449]

@@jess9395 Right now I would say I feel that it sustains me. On my long run each week I use energy chews. Once training picks up a bit more and the long runs get longer I will probably need to increase on the day before/day of a super long run. I usually feel pretty drained after them

Thanks for sharing!