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Welcome to our group! There is a section on this site for recipes, I don't know if you have already seen it but you might find some ideas there. At the moment I can't think of anything specifically. I think I've been on the computer too long! o_O;)
 
Hello and welcome. 3 1/2 weeks .. so you're probably still on puree? Maybe soft foods? As Judy mentioned there are lots of recipes in the recipe forum. Although in the puree stage, I mostly ate scrambled eggs, yogurt and cottage cheese as they're easy and you don't have to cook. Soft foods I loved slow cooked chicken (just add salsa to the crock pot) with refried beans as a quick, easy meal. As for exercise, it depends on how you feel but walking is always good. Good luck to you.
 
Hello group I’m new just trying to get some tips on meals & exercise I’m 31/2 weeks post op from the gastric sleeve my surgery was 12/9/20 my starting weight was 232 on surgery day I was 206 now today I am 193.2 my goal is 165.

Hi Ts - welcome to the group!

If you're in the pureed stage - Oikos triple zero yogurt has 15 gs of protein in it. I ate egg salad, soups - homemade chicken broth with a scoop of plain protein powder - tuna salad, cottage cheese and things of that nature. I also drank/drink protein shakes daily too.

There are others in the group that put meat - like turkey with gravy, cranberry - in the blender. I'm NOT a turkey, gravy, cranberry shake kind of person. If that is something you'd like to try those recipes on on here as well.

Just remember to stick with the food plan your surgical team laid out for you. Best of luck on this amazing new life altering journey!
 
Consider HIIT (High intensity interval training) at least a couple days a week. HIIT usually combines resistance exercise with a fast pace to get the heart rate up. You can get a killer workout in 15 minutes. Try to avoid long periods of intense exercise. Overall, exercise does very little to create weight loss. Unless you are working out for hours each day, the total amount of pounds you'd lose over a year, solely due to exercise, is usually less than 5 pounds. HOWEVER, exercise has many, many other health benefits, that it really needs to be a part of our plan.

During the rapid weight loss phase in the first 6-12 months, or more, it is important to do some resistance exercise to stimulate muscle growth and repair. We all lose muscle mass during weight loss. It is unavoidable, and we want to try to limit that muscle loss, and the only way to do that is to work the muscles and get adequate protein to create new tissue. Unless you are full on body building, you won't gain any weight from working out muscles as your will still be losing muscle mass for a while, and it takes a long time to really build enough muscle to make a weight difference. Maintaining muscle mass also has a positive effect on maintaining a good metabolism as well.

Cardio exercise has many health benefits, but going too far can actually slow down weight loss when combined with a low calorie diet. If you are eating low calorie, which most of us are during this journey, extreme exercise can trigger your brain to really increase it's protective mode and signal your body that you are losing too much of your energy stores from fat and muscle. Your metabolism may slow down, and you may get hungrier for higher calorie foods.

Light to moderate cardio with some resistance exercise worked in will serve you well. It doesn't need to be over the top.

As far as food goes, once you start eating regular foods, don't be afraid to experiment a little bit to see what your body reacts to the best. The guidelines that most people receive are usually the same thing that's given out to every single patient, and it's not going to work optimally for everyone. We all have different gut bugs and bodies that metabolize food differently. It can take a while to find the right combination of things that your body reacts to the best. Don't get sucked into any particular "diet" other than using it as a starting point and tweaking as you move along.

Based on the research I've read, and what I do myself, I would recommend eating a wide variety of plants, choosing the highest quality protein (plant or animal based), and stay away from artificial sweeteners and ultra-processed foods as much as possible. Adjust a bit here and there based on what you can tolerate and what seems to work best for you.

Best of luck!!
 
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