5 months post op help

In the beginning you'll be having nothing but liquids. So what go "in" as liquids comes "out" as liquids. Plus (trying not to be gross) what you think may be gas may not be gas, but more "wet" .. understand?!?!?!?!?

Tom- You are the best- I don't think you realize how much we count on you! Thanks!

 Thanks for your advice, everyone. I began today with no liquid rule. since surgery i have been drinking with every bite cause i am very uncomfortable with the tight feeling in my esophagus above the band after  swallowing food. today went good and i let the feeling set in at each meal. It was a little refreshing knowing that i didnt need to rush when eating, obviously because i could not force food down without the liquid, but i also felt out of sorts because it took me 45minutes to finish a small sandwich. 

maybe this will work for me after all....

Another reason you may not be losing weight is because you are eating (a) too much (b) not enough. I know it sounds a little contradictory, and I will try to explain.

 

Too much: While we need to make sure we hit our protein requirements (60-80 grams, or whatever your Doctor told you), we need to make sure the carbs, calories, etc are “acceptable". Remember, you don’t want to make your 80 grams of protein by eating 4 gallons of ice cream or a starchy carb.

 

Not enough: Again, make sure you are meeting your daily protein requirements. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO WEIGHT LOSS. The body is a marvelous machine, and it will protect itself. If one doesn’t eat enough, the body’s metabolism will slow down - in order to keep itself functioning. If a person intake is less then what it expels, the body will start to “store" food.

Make sure you are hitting your numbers.

This was a great read! Thanks for posting the list Tom. It is always a good reminder for us and I'm definitely going to save the list. I did have a question for you guys-#2 on the list-I haven't had any luck finding protein drinks that meet those requirements-any recommendations would be great. Thank you!!

 

Protein drinks should be: between 20 and 30 grams of protein per serving (25 is recommended), contain less than 150 calories (110 recommended) contain less than 10 grams of carbohydrates (5 is recommended) (your Doctor/Nutritionist may have different rules – so follow their recommendation).

There are many of them, you need to just go and look around and/or ask.

Some suggestions: – these do not include if you make with skim milk, then you need to add that.

Cytosport Complete Whey (Low-Fat Lactose Free) has 18 grams of protein; 90 calories; 1 carbohydrate

http://www.cytosport.com/products/specialized/complete-whey- powder

Dymatize ISO 100 is another good choice with 25 grams of protein; 106 calories and 0 carbs

http://www.dymatize.com/products/protein/73/iso-100/

At WalMart, try Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein which has 26 grams of protein; 140 calories (kinda up there); 3 carbs. Don’t be scared by the label which reads 52 grams of protein, because that’s for 2 scoops

http://www.bodyfortress.com/SUPER-ADVANCED-WHEY-PROTEIN-VANILLA

http://www.bodyfortress.com/vf/labels/L044315-AE.pdf

Thank you Tom! I'm finally getting a fill on Tuesday so I'm going to try one of these out and hopefully start losing again.

I know exactly what you were doing, because at first I did it too! Now I'm 8 months out (down 50!!) and my band is at 9ml (11ml capacity). I now physically CAN'T push food through with liquids like I did before! I think once you have a few more fills you will get to the right tightness, and you too will find the weight dropping off more quickly. I think the biggest key is realizing (no pun intended haha)that every single calorie we eat we will digest and store! Everything in moderation, and remember the rules are there to help us. Like Tom said, they put a band around our stomachs, not our brains, and it's taken me this long to really embrace that! Good luck on your journey!