Gastric sleeve and now gaining :( help!!

ClosetBayesian wrote: »

mykaylis wrote: »

first, opening yourself up here takes a lot of courage, so bravo

i don't have the sleeve yet, but a few things popped into my mind:
do not drink ANYTHING carbonated. it stretches the stomach and can make overeating easier.
do not drink your calories. they'll slide right into your hips.
avoid "slider" foods. to feel satiated i was told to always choose a thicker meal that would stick in the stomach a bit longer to encourage satiety.
increase MICRONUTRIENT density, not caloric density. sometimes we get hungry because we haven't eaten enough good stuff - if your stomach is the size of a banana, that's even more likely.

ManiacalLaugh wrote: »

songbird13291 wrote: »

HamsterManV2 wrote: »

Weight gain/loss is determined by one thing: calories in vs calories out. Simply go on google, type in "TDEE Calculator", and enter you age, height, sex, weight, and activity level.

Using that number, eat -500 calories of that daily to lose 1lb per week. No ifs or buts. That means you might have to buy a digital weight scale and have a myfitnesspal account, and start measuring every single thing you put in your mouth.

Remember, overweight people tend to underestimate how much they are eating (and inversely, underweight people overestimate how much they eat).

Additional tips:
Drink lots of water so you are not always hungry
Drink a glass of water before a meal, it will help fill you up before you eat
Replace sodas with diet sodas - 0 calories so that helps keep it low
Eat lots of single ingredient foods - fish, chicken, fruits, etc. Obviously dressed to how you like it, but beware - sauces with olive oil or ranch is high in calories.

Beware: Fruit juices (filled with sugar and calories), too many nuts, spreadables (i.e. peanut butter), shakes (400 calories?? That's 2/3s of my meal!), starbucks fraps, and frozen microwavable meals.

And remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint. The longer it takes for you to get to your goal, the more permanent it is.

No!!!!! The OP had bariatric surgery. Some of the advice you just laid out is 100% wrong for a person who has had bariatric surgery.

OP, you must have consulted a nutritionist prior to your surgery. Perhaps you should speak with that person regarding what you should and should not be eating.

How is that wrong? (Legitimately curious) Every person who I've spoken with who has had some form of stomach alteration surgery has still had to count calories and watch portion sizes. Is it a matter of forbidden foods or something?

yes, there are forbidden foods. if you let your stomach fill with water or any other liquid, you will not be able to ingest enough nutrients, so you time your water far enough in advance that it clears through so you can eat. "slider" foods are things like mashed potatoes or cream soups that get released from your stomach so quickly you can ingest a great deal of calories without realizing it. sodas stretch the stomach/pouch, thereby negating the restrictive aspect of the surgery. and single ingredient foods - good as long as you make sure the meal overall is balanced. she'll need to get protein at each meal but can get a small serving of chicken and a major variety of stir-fried or steamed veggies, it doesn't have to be one or two foods (i believe you may be referring to prepackaged food, but just in case i'm wrong).

a bariatric patient has to take extra care to get the micronutrients in and the protein to keep up healthy lean mass. a dieter that has a normal digestive system does not have the same considerations. hope this answers the question

Admittedly, I know very little about bariatric surgery, but I'm pretty sure the bolded part is incorrect.

It's a figure of speech, dude. People use them sometimes to make or illustrate a point, and that's okay. Most people understand that they aren't meant to be taken literally.

OP, I've never had WLS so take this for what it's worth: I think you need to be asking this question on either a dedicated WLS forum or one of the groups on MFP that deal specifically with WLS and its challenges. Otherwise you're going to get a whole lot of opinionating from people who have no idea how having bits of your internal organs removed or clamped off affects your ability to absorb calories, retain food in your system, prevent your stomach from stretching back out, or any number of things that you have to deal with that the rest of us don't.

What I have heard, though, is that if you start regaining, a good place to start is over - as in, go back to the way your doctors and nutritionists told you to eat when you first got the surgery, and work from there. Whatever you do, though, do it under the advice of your medical team.

JenBalderas wrote: »

I had the gastric sleeve in December of 2014. I had my fourth child in July of 2014. When I went in for my c-section I weighed 380 lbs. I was horrified. I had retained alot of fluid but knew I could get with big without being pregnant. My highest weight without being pregnant was 355. I was miserable. I got the sleeve and felt amazing!! For the first 6 months. My lowest weight was 244lbs. Then I let my old habits creep back in. Drinking pop, overeating, snacking. I'm now 276 lbs and I'm a year and 3 months out. I know if I don't change something I will get back up to my biggest. I find it hard not to munch. I've seen keto but that seems difficult and there's alot of mixed reviews. Just wanting some advice and if anyone has been in a situation like this before. Thanks!!!

If you want to drop weight fast Atkins does it....I was doing it for a bit, I am very fat and it is tough, it was a little too much for me so I modified it somewhat. I am still watching calories but also watching carbs, I dont eat bread products, no chips, cookies or anything like that, I do eat maybe one Atkins candy if I need a sweet. My blood sugar was running in the mid/high 200's and now 106 is a high for me. Breakfast is a couple eggs, lunch is salad and dinner is a meat and veg. I dont use sugar for coffee (add it to anything), dont use products with aspartame, I have lost 14lbs in 11 days(have to verify with original scale I used for original weight check)!!! I know many people will say it's not good, but my body told me if I didnt drop weight and change my habits quick fast in a hurry I would die very soon. I cheated and had breaded fried chicken one night and I felt so bad, headache, fuzzy head, had to go to sleep, had too, could not stay awake...Body has said no more...

I would look into Atkins they have a lot of free info, if need be modify it a little if its too much for you...

Bodybuilding.com also has a lot of free info too

@JenBalderas Fairly new sleever here. Was so glad to see amyk0202 's post! So many people respond with great intentions but without knowledge of the surgery, advice is often misleading. While her story isn't the happiest in the middle, it does show that you can go back and be successful! Her advice on starting over is perfect.

I've heard of others literally going back to day one with full liquids for a few days and moving through the post-surgical stages a few days at a time to let your head wrap around the idea of weighing, measuring, and satiety again. Definitely get out your surgeon's rules and make post-its if you have to. Go through the pantry and fridge and dump all the crap you know you shouldn't be eating. Look for the protein heavy foods. My plan isn't keto, but it is low carb. I'd suggest joining low carb forums for ideas. I know there are several on FB.

Meal planning is definitely key. I start slowly figuring out my meals for next week now. (sounds crazy, but it helps with my schedule) So over the weekend I can shop and prep most of my meals. I get everything portioned out by weight and measure and put in little piles by date. This morning, I just had to grab an ice block and shove a pile into my lunch bag and go. Tonight, I just have to reheat my dinner. That way there's absolutely no thought behind it which means little room to stray. Also, there's very few snacks in my house because I plan things out so specifically. Any snacks I do have on hand are all approved for the sleeve. (I do get not everyone lives alone like I do, but it's still important to have a handle on the food in your house.)

Definitely get into counseling. The sleeve is a tool. It's a drastic one, but that's all it is. You have to use it properly to make it work. Just as there are other tools to help you be successful. Counseling is a very important tool to help you get to the root of your issues.

Definitely LOG everything! It will help you keep accountable to yourself. Lying on your log helps nothing. If you see the amount of calories you are taking in, or carbs, or whatever, you'll (hopefully) want to make the changes! Feel free to friend me if you want! I'm only 4 1/2 months post-VSG, but if you don't mind a newbie I'm here!

____________________________________ A little education for the masses below_____________________________

For those saying carbonation is a no-no because it will stretch the pouch. This is NOT TRUE. Yes, many surgeons perpetrate this myth, and I have NO IDEA WHY. Please do research. The "Great Curvature" portion of the stomach was removed. This is the stretchy, spongiest part of the stomach. What is left is a firmer part of the stomach and a can of soda does not have enough pressure in it to stretch the stomach. Between what I've been told, debated, and researched, the reason for no carbonation is more complicated and really simple at the same time. 1 - old habits seeping back in are stepping stones to more seeping in. Many see soda as innocuous and try it. No problem? Great...try something else. (Not sure I buy into it, but ok) 2 - A diet heavy in sugars or sugar alcohols is not a good idea. There is a lot of controversy over sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners and the effects on the body and sugar cravings. As people who tend to "need" soda depend on it, there's no need to have that much in your diet. 3 - Most surgeons don't want us drinking alcohol. Calories AND the high chance of transfer addictions are serious. No carbonation means limiting the ability to drink beer, champagne, and mixed drinks with soda, seltzer, soda water, etc. So yeah, don't drink soda.

For those talking about eating and drinking before/after meals...this only applies to Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy patients, RNY patients do not have the pyloric valve so those rules are stricter. It is always best to eat on an empty stomach as our stomachs are so small. Better meals should lead to eating less often. Since we have the pyloric valve, if you are drinking water and thinner viscosity drinks (tea, coffee, etc) it really doesn't take long for the stomach to empty of the fluids. If you drank to completely full, 15 minutes or so. We definitely don't want to drink to help us feel full, there's not much space there. (For those unfamiliar, with VSG 75% - 90% of the stomach is permanently removed)

Drinking after eating is definitely a no-no. The food that's in there is good and solid, even when fully chewed. The density of the proteins (proteins FIRST) will keep the pyloric valve mostly shut. (It never fully closes, even when "closed" it's open about the size of a pen head). If you start drinking after you eat the liquid will mix with your foods, thinning it out allowing it to slide through the pyloric valve easier. The quicker the stomach empties the sooner you want to eat again. This is why surgeons will recommend anything from 30 - 60 minutes post-meals for drinking. I know after many meals I don't want to drink until more than an hour later!

All about stepping out of that comfort zone. Once you do, the results will enlighten you.

Work on you're perspective just as much (or more) than your diet.

It'll Happen.

ManiacalLaugh wrote: »

songbird13291 wrote: »

HamsterManV2 wrote: »

Weight gain/loss is determined by one thing: calories in vs calories out. Simply go on google, type in "TDEE Calculator", and enter you age, height, sex, weight, and activity level.

Using that number, eat -500 calories of that daily to lose 1lb per week. No ifs or buts. That means you might have to buy a digital weight scale and have a myfitnesspal account, and start measuring every single thing you put in your mouth.

Remember, overweight people tend to underestimate how much they are eating (and inversely, underweight people overestimate how much they eat).

Additional tips:
Drink lots of water so you are not always hungry
Drink a glass of water before a meal, it will help fill you up before you eat
Replace sodas with diet sodas - 0 calories so that helps keep it low
Eat lots of single ingredient foods - fish, chicken, fruits, etc. Obviously dressed to how you like it, but beware - sauces with olive oil or ranch is high in calories.

Beware: Fruit juices (filled with sugar and calories), too many nuts, spreadables (i.e. peanut butter), shakes (400 calories?? That's 2/3s of my meal!), starbucks fraps, and frozen microwavable meals.

And remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint. The longer it takes for you to get to your goal, the more permanent it is.

No!!!!! The OP had bariatric surgery. Some of the advice you just laid out is 100% wrong for a person who has had bariatric surgery.

OP, you must have consulted a nutritionist prior to your surgery. Perhaps you should speak with that person regarding what you should and should not be eating.

How is that wrong? (Legitimately curious) Every person who I've spoken with who has had some form of stomach alteration surgery has still had to count calories and watch portion sizes. Is it a matter of forbidden foods or something?

I had RNY in 2014, and there's actually nothing wring with the advice given.

Also I must say, that at 4 years post op I can eat anything I want to. My surgeon didn't have any rules about that. However, I must always go for the protein first, so that I get enough daily and it makes me satisfied for longer

chulipa wrote: »

Cant undestand doctors do these surgeries and dont follow up a dietitian should be in the Picture for a long time and the doctor should do long term follow ups and of corse your primary care doctor should see when there is a problem and help before it gets out of control.

my surgeon and nutritionish follow me for life every 3 months i get a visit