5 weeks out and have to ask some questions ,please.

Hello,
 I have posted the odd time but read this board everyday. I do notice a lot of the light weights had RNY but there are not too many VSGers....
I am just 5 weeks out  from VSG, lost only 27 lbs so far so consider myself a slow looser...shoot!
I have managed to over eat or eat too fast a couple of times and have vomited. I really don't know what caused it. Not someting I want to do often... I do have a few questions if anyone would care to reply.

1. when  you eat 2 oz of meat.... is that weighed 2 oz on a scale?or in a measure cup? What about things like an egg, or fish that is light?

2.What is protein coffee?

3. I bought some PB syrup.... what can I do with it?

4. Can I ever eat a green salad again?

Thanks,
Sal

Welcome and feel like you can post anytime.  We do have some sleevers on board and they may have different answers but here are some from an RNY.

We were told that our pouch or sleeve doesn't have a scale, so use a measuring cup.  2 oz is about 1/4c.  It took me a long time to be able to eat a whole egg.  I could eat more of somethings than others but especially in the beginning, measure your food and stick to what your plan says.

Protein coffee, yummm.  You start by mixing your protein in some water or milk, about 1/4c to scoop of protein, into a slurry.  Add that to your hot coffee.  Protein will curdle over 130 but I've never had it curdle when I do it this way.  I use all different kinds of protein, vanilla, chocolate, chocolate carmel, cookies and cream.  I use 1 scoop and use it like creamer in my 2 cups of decaf each morning.

PB syrup, hummmm.  I have had the powder PB2 but not the syurp but I imagine you could add it to hot chocolate (Swiss miss 25 calorie), a chocolate protein shake or even a vanilla protein shake. 

Salads.  Yes, hopefully you can.  It was maybe 2 months before raw veggies were only my ok list.  I used baby greens in the beginning and now use mostly spinach.  It will happen and it will be great.

Um, no offense, but losing 27 pounds in five weeks is not being a slow loser! That's more than 5 pounds a week you've lost! By pretty much any measurement system, that's being a fast loser.

Keep in mind that it's not the absolute pounds that matter. I lost 24 pounds the first two months. But I got to a normal BMI by 6.5 months and my lowest weight at 10.5 months. That is not remotely slow. Heavyweights dream of getting to goal that fast. That's why you have to look at the % of excess weight lost.

This is my standard example: You have 100 pounds to lose, I have 200. I lose 15 pounds and you lose 10. You've lost 10% of your excess weight but I've only lost 7.5% of mine. So you are losing faster than me in this scenario and will get to goal sooner.

1.) 2 oz is by volume. Our sleeves hold a certain amount of volume so what it weighs is somewhat irrelevant. What makes it complicated is that the nutritional info on the package is by weight. So you may have to do some translating. But things like cottage cheese are easy because 2 oz. of cottage cheese by volume weighs two ounces.

However, a lot of people can't eat 2 oz. at 5 weeks out so don't be surprised if you can't.

2.) It's coffee with protein powder added instead of creamer. You mix the powder with lukewarm water to make a slurry, then add it to your coffee. Or you can just buy Click and add ho****er.

3.) Is it no-calorie? I have some of that. I put it in my protein shakes to make new flavor combinations and I use it baking too.

4.) Most people can eat raw veggies in the 2-3 month timeframe. Everyone is different though. I was eating lettuce at 7 weeks out but some people can't do raw veggies for a long time.

gee when you put it that way, I guess I'm not that slow...( dim witted maybe, LOL)
So lettuce in a few weeks maybe..... I hope. I know that I have to stop weighing in every day..... it's lethal.
I have been looking for that signal to say I'm full but seem like I've had nothing.... maybe that's the key?
Thanks for the info.

I still don't have a good full signal.  I have sometimes had a runny nose, burped, hiccuped or whatever but nothing reliable and mostly it is too late.  maybe I still eat too fast.  don't count on that, weigh or measure, expecially in the beginning.  the key is, when you do feel full, STOP.  no more one more bite.  STOP.

 It can take a while for the signal to develop. Plus we have to  listen to it. Sometimes it's just a feeling.. .an "I'm satisfied" and it's easy to overeat that if you aren't paying attention.

I think it took me a long time to listen to mine. I do get hiccups but that's a "you better stop RIGHT NOW or you'll get the foamies" signal and I prefer not to get that full!

Daily weighing works for some people. It mostly worked for me but I did have a period in there where I was going insane so I had dh hide my scale and only bring it out on Mondays until I was sane again. LOL

Hi!

I am about 2.5 months out. I think you are doing great! I had the sleeve and I love mine.

1. As far as how much to eat. I can eat a whole egg, and maybe a piece of sausage or low carb toast with that, but no more at that time. Beef, chicken or pork, I can only have about 2-2.5 oz at a time. I do weigh on my food scale if it is a chicken breast, for example, so I can figure how much protein, etc I am getting in.

When I eat too fast, or am getting full, sometimes I have a heavy feeling in my epigastric area, or get hiccoughs. I have also started having raw veggies & salads once in a while. My NUT had said to have 5 bites of protein to one bite of veggies/fruits.

I have tried the protein coffee, but usually just make a berry smoothie in the morning.

It sounds like you are doing great!

Take care!

Lynn

Another VSG'er here!!! Hi!! I use a measuring cup mostly vs scales. I eat a tiny bit about 3 bites of salad most days -- be patient -- you will get there. I don't like lettuce as much as a combo of fresh chopped veggies w dressing. I have some s/f vanilla and pepoermint syrup and don't use them often. Wonder what pb would taste like blended with greek yogurt and a little skim milk??? Mmmm might need a little sweetener!

Good luck. Every week gets better! I went on vacation at 5 weeks!!! It was different packing all of my equipment but fun!!!!

Meg

You're not slow.  We're both at about the same place - we started at about the same weigh.  I'm a week ahead of you (six weeks out) and had an RNY so I have some malabsorption as well.  My weight last week was only about 25 lbs from my pre-surgery weight.  My ticker shows more loss, but I lost about 25 lbs prior to surgery.  I also had a big slow down for a couple of weeks, so you'll have to expect that as well.

VSG here as well!

With protein from meat you will find it is much more dense once it hits your stomach and you can eat a lot less of it than you could eat of yogurt or cottage cheese.  I would use a scale to dish out a portion and eat what you can of that portion so you know about how much you've eaten.

Not a protein drink girl, so protein coffee sounds really bad ;)

Not a syrup girl either.

I haven't had a salad yet but I am craving one so bad right now.  I have heard of several VSG patients who could not eat salad until 6 months to a year out.  I think it's something about the ruffage not sitting well. 

I'm about 10 weeks out and have lost 33 pounds since surgery.  While it seems slow to me I know that it is faster than I could have ever lost weight on my own.  You will be SO proud of yourself everytime you see those numbers change.  Every pound is one more you never have to have on you again.