Allan is at it again...

A year or so ago I spent a week reading every post on an amazing blog about a man, Allan, who uses the gastric bypass diet/eating plan to lose weight. No, he hasn't had WLS and doesn't plan to -- but he eats based on a gastric bypass diet plan he picked up somewhere. Check out his blog: Almost Gastric Bypass His current blog only goes back to August 2006 ... I think he had another site where his earlier messages were, but they were deleted it seems. But even going back as far as this site goes is definitely a good read. What strikes me is how hard he works at this thing. Remember, this guy didn't have surgery -- he's got a big old normal sized stomach that can hold up to 4 liters of food (that's 16 cups!) - but he's still eating tiny portions (1 to 4 oz) that a WLS patient would consume. So his hunger level has got to be through the roof. I didn't start feeling hunger again after surgery until I hit about the 6-month mark. And even now when I'm "hungry" it's not the same type of hunger feelings I had before surgery. It's more like an "empty" feeling or a knowledge that my body needs nourishment. Not the knawing, ravenous hunger of pre-op days. I can't imagine eating 1oz to 4oz of food in those early days with a full-sized stomach and all the hormones that goes with it. Yes, he does add vitamins and supplements, so he's focusing on staying healthy during this process. The big thing that jumps out at me is his diet plan. It is so much more difficult than what I had to endure. His eating plan calls for: Day 1-3 --- water only through 3 weeks --- full liquids only through 3 months --- soft pureed food 3 months & beyond -- solid food My diet plan after my WLS was more like this: Day 1 (day of surgery) -- nothing Day 2 (after leak test) -- water, broth, protein shake (in the hospital) Day 3 - 8 -- all clear and full liquids Day 8 - 6 weeks -- soft pureed foods (added meat/tuna/chicken around week 3) through 3 months -- solid food (limitations on raw veggies, seeds, citrus) 3 months onward -- any food I have seen some pretty strict post-op eating plans in my travels on the WLS forums, similar to Allan's plan, but they are very rare these days. It seems that doctors are starting patients on solid food much sooner than they used to 3 to 5 years ago. When someone posts that they are eating pureed food for up to 3 months we are all shocked and amazed. Personally, my surgeon says that the longer a WLS patient waits to add dense food to their diet, the more likely they are to develop a stricture or other complications or difficulties in eating normally down the road. So anyway. This post isn't to criticize Allan's plan - just compare the differences. And also to show my support for his dedication and willpower. He's done this before and I have faith he'll do it again. It's a lot of hard work, but I know he's up for it! Go Allan! ~Pam