Escape_Pod

Emmas Mom, for hot cocoa, I simply add a rounded tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Ghirardeli) along with 1 scoop of chocolate Protein powder (I use Unjury) to 8 oz warm milk, with a dash of salt - makes it MUCH more chocolatey, and there are very few calories in the unsweetened cocoa powder. I have this most mornings - yum!

I agree 100%! I know this journey isn't always going to be easy, but it's so much easier than my weight loss attempts in the past, and this time I even have confidence I'll be able to KEEP it off, if I work hard and eat right, get some exercise, and take good care of myself. Before, keeping it off was simply impossible. I'll take possible over impossible any day!!

Navelbunnie, I'm amazed your tummy doesn't like chicken, but doesn't object to beef jerky, or lettuce! i haven't been brave enough to try those yet. Do you read the World According to Eggface blog? If you like frozen yogurt and struggle to get your Protein in, you might check out her recipes for protein ice cream. Haven't tried them yet myself, but they sure look yummy!!

That's pretty much what my nutritionist advocates, but I'll admit - it scares me! I'm 9 weeks out, have lost 27 pounds since surgery (in addition to 22 pre-op), which seems comparatively slow, but my BMI is already under obese and just in the "overweight" range, and I figure those of use with less excess weight will lose slower (and I'm in my 40s). I've tried to find a compromise. My calorie intake is probably around 900 most days, but I burn 250 - 300 with workouts. Carbs scare me - I know I have issues with them, so I'm nowhere near the 100 grams my nutritionist advises. If I'm counting net carbs, I'm probably closer to 30 - 40. Honestly, aside from the milk I'm blending into my Protein shakes, I just don't have room for many carbs these days. At this point, I'm working hard to remember that this is not a diet!! I'm planning to eat the way I intend to for the rest of my life. Right now, that's not quite achievable, because I'm so early out, but as I come closer to what will become "normal" volume for me, I want to be building good habits with protein, but also balance - fruits and vegetables, less in the way of artificial foods, minimizing simple carbs (because they're trigger foods for me). If I never permit myself the occasional treat, do I intend to keep that up for the rest of my life? I don't think so. I need to learn to handle them responsibly. I'll have to readjust as my weight drops, to find the balance of calories and exercise that get me where I want to be. So, I try not to build in new habits that would be hard to give up if I find I have to be stricter down the road. That said, I realize my circumstances are a bit different because I'm fairly comfortable I can get to my goal weight within the 12 - 18 months of prime weight loss time.

You might see if you can tolerate the unjury chicken broth Protein powder. You might have an easier time with warm liquids, and the salty can make a soothing change of pace. I think you'll feel much better once you can start getting your protein in (and you'll help your body lose fat instead of muscle), but at this point getting the liquids in is your top priority. Your stomach may just still be really swollen, and if you're not keeping something down, don't push it - that can make things worse. Back off, and give it a try again later. Honestly, you're not going to be able to eat enough volume to get the protein you need from food for quite some time. You'll be so much better off if you can find a supplement you can tolerate. Hang in there, those first weeks are really tough! I think you're doing great - don't forget the first few weeks you have to drop all that Water weight from the surgery! I get discouraged too when I read posts from people who are losing SO much faster than I am. But at 9 weeks out I'm losing steadily, and it really does begin to add up. I may not get to goal as quickly as I'd like (heck - I'd like to be there tomorrow!), but I WILL get there, and so will you!

GREAT thread idea - thank you! I'm 9 weeks out... First thing: Protein hot cocoa (Unjury chocolate splendor, 8 oz warm milk, 1T unsweetened cocoa & salt) Breakfast: 3 egg bites (Eggface recipe), or 1 egg / cheese "omelet", or 3 oz chobani greek yogurt Lunch: 2 T Peanut Butter w/ 3 mini crackers, or tuna/cottage cheese / lemon pepper, or sliced lunch meat / cheese, or 3 oz grilled salmon from the salad bar place downstairs (my new favorite!) Snack: Protein shake of some kind - usually a nectar one Dinner: Some kind of saucy meat. (probably need to add a few veggies / carbs here) I usually get 40 - 45 minutes of cardio exercise / day - stationary bike, treadmill, or hill walking. Some days I think I'm lower in carbs than I really want to be. Like, under 20 grams. I'm still tweaking...

Wow - you look fabulous - way to go!! Do you have a favorite NSV??

My surgeon wanted ice on my incisions for the duration of my stay in the hospital, and I continued to ice when I got home because it was comforting. Welcome to the losers' bench!!

I believe it's the diversion of the bile in combination with the reduction of the stomach size that makes RNY so effective at eliminating GERD. I'm grateful I was able to have the sleeve, but personally I'd rather have had RNY than no surgery at all, and ultimately, I think you have the trust the judgment of your surgeon of what's the best option for you and your medical situation. Particularly if you're already seeing damage to the esophageal tissue, which can put you at higher risk for esphageal cancer down the road. Having lost my mother to that form of cancer less than two years ago, I can tell you that's not a risk I'd want to take lightly. Just my two cents. SMKeller, you're correct that we take calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate it is better absorbed by post-surgery patients, but that's independent of the reseach on overall calcium absorption when on a PPI long-term. Scientists are still trying to determine exactly what's going on, since recent studies don't show a marked difference in calcium absorption, but there's still a subtantially higher risk of bone fractures. Since my surgeon is also a gastroenterologist and keeps up with the latest medical literature, I'm going to trust his opinion that ideally it would be best not to be on a PPI long-term.

Ugh, what a difficult decision! I had issues with GERD prior to surgery, and an upper endoscopy indicated I had a (probably large) hiatal hernia. One surgeon advised me that I could proceed with the sleeve if that was my preference, because the hiatal hernia was likely the cause of my reflux and could be fixed during surgery. A different surgeon strongly advised me to go with bypass, despite finding the hiatal hernia, because of the reflux issue. My impression was that the second surgeon was more cautious, because he's had a few sleeve patients with really awful reflux after the sleeve, which can be extremely difficult to manage, and can possibly result in having to do a revision to bypass to resolve it. (My understanding is that the patients were experiencing more extreme reflux, uncontrolled by medications. One was having regular pyloric botox injections -helps reduce the pressure in the sleeve, not sure what the side effects of that are - seems like you'd be prone to dumping like a bypass patient?, which is not a viable long-term solution. I took my chances and decided to go ahead with the sleeve, but it was a very difficult decision, and I do think it was a risk, all the more so for me because I had to self-pay, and I'm not sure where I would have come up with the money if I'd have to have a revision!! So far, so good. I will admit, the Pepcid I was on immediately post-op didn't control my stomach acid, so I'm back on a PPI for now, which is working very well for me. My surgeon doesn't want me on it long-term though, because of the Calcium absorption issues. I can certainly sympathize, I think with your need to take NSAIDs and the doubt over the hiatal hernia, your decision is much more difficult than mine was. Presumably they'd know for certain about the hiatal hernia once they're in doing the surgery, and you could have your surgeon make the final decision at that point based on what he finds, but I'm sure that's not a comfortable compromise either.

Wow, sounds like he's really been through the wringer, and I'm so sorry for both of you! How wonderfully fortunate for him to to have you there to help and support him, it sounds like he really needs you! Bless your heart for being there for him. Hoping for smooth sailing from here on out ... for both of you.

Somehow for the first month I completely overlooked the label on my Actigall that said to avoid taking antacids within 2 hours of it. Since I had to take it and Pepcid twice a day, I was taking them together. After several weeks of breakthrough acid reflux, my doctor switched me to Prilosec, which I now take once a day - again, I was taking it in the morning with the Actigall. I'm thinking maybe this isn't what the label meant by "antacids", and no harm done. I tried to call the pharmacist and ask, but they're closed for the evening. Does anyone know? Are they ok to take together? I keep forgetting to take the Prilosec now because I'm not used to taking a pill midday.

I think it's great that you recognize that you binge eat, and that you may need to seek counseling post-op. I've struggled with binge eating myself, and I'm continuing to see a therapist and to work on emotional eating issues. The surgery will completely change your focus, and you simply won't be able to eat huge quantities without hurting yourself. The high Protein focus also helps with sugar cravings and appetite supression. But you've become accustoming to stuffing down your feelings and comforting yourself with food. What will happen when you can't do that? It can be an uncomfortable process, and if you can get support going through it, you'll be much better off. Some people unfortunately transfer to a new addiction - alcohol, gambling, shopping... other ways of distracting themselves from their feelings. I don't think you'll be a wreck, but it's something you'll still have to work on - just one more thing your new tool will help you with! Good luck - you'll do great!

JaspersGirl, don't give up on yourself yet!! 57 pounds in 6 months is AWESOME! You are NOT a failure. You're going to see some fluctuations in your weight, but if you keep focusing on the long-term trends, you'll see progress towards your goal. Sure, it's frustrating, but hang in there!

So, I've tried out MyFitnessPay and FitDay so far. MyFitnessPal is cool, but the food search tool is quirky. If I search for Chobani it doesn't recognize it, if I scan the barcode on my yogurt, it doesn't recognize it (dang, I had such high hopes for that!), but if I search for greek yogurt, sure enough, there in the list is the Chobani nonfat peach yogurt I'm eating half of for Breakfast this morning. Hmm.... Beyond that, I like the detailed breakdown of my nutritional intake for the day. I'm hoping if I keep using it, I eat the same things often enough that it won't seem so tedious to enter foods every day. I'm new to FitDay, but the food database appears to be very small - it doesn't recognize Chobani or greek yogurt. Any other recommendations? If there's an app you'd recommend, please indicate what you think are its best features. Thanks!!

The other thing to be aware of when you're comparing Multivitamins is that it's not just the amount of each Vitamin / mineral, it's the source. As I understand it, Bariatric-formulated Vitamins are manufactured using the most easily accessible forms to maximize absorption (just like we absorb calcium citrate better). Of course, if you can't keep them down, or they're irritating your stomach, that's obviously no good, I'm just noting that there can be differences beyond the straight mg counts on the labels. I did read recently that one company has started making Protein powder with the multivitamin built in, but it might irritate your stomach just as easily. I think it's Bariatric Advantage - it was mentioned recently on the World According to Eggface blog. It's pretty pricey, but if you add the cost of regular protein and the cost of the vitamin together, it may price out reasonably. Have you spoken with your surgeon? I wonder if it could be that your stomach is irritated, and you just need to pause in taking the vitamin for a week or two to let it get back to normal. Good luck!

I started by attending several weight loss surgery seminars held at hospitals in my area. That gave me a chance to meet several surgeons, find out their background, and get a feel for their personality, opinions, and surgery preferences. I also got a good sense of their program, pre-op requirements, and post-op support. I thought I might have to self-pay, so I asked at the seminars about pricing for self-pay patients and was surprised but gratified to get approximate price quotes. Some of them were willing to contact my insurance company for me, others wanted me to do it myself. I'm surprised at the response you got from your family doctor - hope it was a sincere "good luck", not the sarcastic response I'm envisioning!

I bought those little snack packs of tuna, and some mayo and/or cottage cheese to mix in. I also brought peanut butter (tread carefully here - it's pretty thick). I made a batch of egg custards (you can do either sweet or savory) - one lasts me two days for breakfast. Also, Chobani makes a childrens greek yogurt now with no fruit chunks, that's a perfect size. I love the strawberry flavor. Pack lots of protein shakes - baggies work. Make sure you have extras - there's nothing like the day you discover you forgot to pack lunch. :-(

DoOver, I wonder if you could boost your calorie count (and weight loss) by mixing your Protein shakes with milk (or are you not able to tolerate Protein Shakes?) My nutritionist said I should be making them with skim milk for awhile because otherwise I can't get enough calories in. So, I do 3 protein shakes a day - two with milk at about 200 calories each, one with Water for 100 calories, and then my little 2-tablespoon "meals" 3 times a day, mostly consisting of protein. I'd estimate I'm at about 800 calories / day 90+ grams protein. I haven't stalled yet. I'm not losing really quickly, but I do lose a pound every 2-3 days pretty predictably, and right now my BMI's about 30. I do feel something I'd call hunger during the day, but it's different from what I used to feel when I was hungry. I just feel sort of empty. Especially first thing in the morning. My mini-meals or a Protein shake takes care of it right away. After 2-3 hours I start to feel empty again. I suspect I'll feel full longer once I move out of the pureed food stage.

I'm getting towards the end of a 6-week stint on pureed foods. My favorites so far: Pureed refried Beans, spiced up with salsa and cheese, a dab of greek yogurt on top Peanut Butter (with a very small cracker or two) Tuna - I like the bumblebee lemon pepper seasoned tuna the best, mixed with cottage cheese and a dab of mayo Egg scrambled very soft with a little cheese Cheese "crackers" (on the recipe page - it's basically just shredded cheese baked 'til it gets crispy) - goes great with the tuna or the beans sugar free egg custards - make a very easy to eat breakfast. Also workable as a savory custard with herbs and cheese, though the cheese tends to sink. Lemon "fluff" - (lemon Jello dissolved in hot Water, then blended with greek yogurt and a scoop of vanilla Protein powder - yum!) Chobani makes a greek yogurt that's marketed for children that has no chunks in it - I loved the strawberry flavor, and the little cups are just the right size! There's a honey-banana flavor too, but the packages at my local store were all past their expiration date, so I haven't tried it. I also tried variations on what my husband was eating. My favorite: bbq chicken "unpizza" - chicken pureed very fine with broth, topped with a squirt of bbq sauce and a sprinkle of pizza cheese. Mmmmm.... I might have to try that souffle!!

These are SO GOOD! I didn't bake mine quite long enough, but I discovered i could nuke them in the microwave one at a time for a little bit to get them to that crunchy point. Cheese ... yum!!

Wow, what a huge victory, and you're only just getting started! Here's to many more wonderful SV and NSVs to come. Congratulations!

I'm sorry, that must be so hard. I could tell my decision to have surgery worried my husband, and he wondered whether it was really a good choice, but I was fortunate in that he still supported me. I worred more than he did about how he'd do if something terrible happened and he was left alone. Are there surgical seminars in your area? I went to several to educate myself, and a lot of people brought spouses with them. I think sometimes to hear it from a surgeon, to understand the very real medical risks of not having the surgery, and to hear the surgeon talk about how the success rate of maintaining weight loss by more "traditional" methods is in the 3 - 5% range can be enough to help the light dawn. My husband has seen me diet and regain so much weight over the course of our marriage, and he understands how devastating that has been to me emotionally, and I think that helped as well. If you can acknowledge his fears, but counter them with facts, maybe he'll come around. You'll both be so much happier if he can find it in his heart to support you.

I lik Ocean Spray's on-the-go sugar free powdered packets really nice - Crystal Lite is generally too sweet for me. I bought Cran-Pomegranate, and White Cran-Peach, and half a packet my 24 oz sipper of Water is enough to give me some variety. I've quickly tired of the Protein shakes, but I converted my morning one to a protein hot cocoa, which hits the spot for now. I add some unsweetened cocoa to it to make it actually chocolatey, plus a pinch of salt. If you want to get really fancy you could add some caramel sugar-free syrup. :-) I also enjoy the variety of using the Synthrax Nectars. Lemon Tea, Lemonade, Fuzzy Navel ... there are a bunch, and it's a really nice break from chocolate or vanilla. I found a website that will let you pick out up to 11 different flavors and they send you single-serving sizes of whatever you pick out as an 11-pack, cheap shipping. (Good idea because the bulk coontainers are HUGE!) Bryn, I totally hear you on the head hunger. I encouraged my hubby to grill ribs last weekend because the weather was gorgeous (after the WORST Spring ever!), and ribs are his favorite and he'd been craving them. No sweat, I thought. I haven't been missing "real" food that much, I'm never really hungry. Well, by the time they were done and all that garlicky goodness was wafting through our living room I would have just about killed for one of those ribs. I actually settled for sucking on a bone, just for a taste of garlic and rib juice. Pure torture. Clothes: any chance there's a decent plus-size consignment shop near you? I need to do some laundry and pull together a few things that are too big for me and check out a consignment shop some friends have raved about. Even if I don't find anything I want to buy, I'm looking forward to trying to sell some of my nicer work clothes. I've got about 5 sizes worth of my old clothes I can shrink through for awhile (serial weight loser-gainer), but nothing's fitting the same as it did last time I was at this weight. Things are too baggy in the legs and hips, too small in the waist. I thought perhaps it was just post-op swelling, but at nearly 5 weeks out I think I have to say sayonara to that theory. Frustrating! Those first few weeks really stink - I envy you moving on to soft foods so early. I'll bet your energy levels will be up quite a bit as you start to consume more real foods. I'm still on puree for another month, and I'm pretty pleased with my energy levels most days, and I'm just a couple of weeks ahead of you. Welcome to the roller coaster ride!! :-)

Stalls are SO frustrating! It feels like your body is rebelling, when really it's just checking to see if everything's ok, and waiting to see if this whole starvation thing was maybe just temporary. I know someone in my surgical support group who stalled for 6 WEEKS! Can you imagine? At this point, I'm still managing to be amused by the whole thing. I bought a new digital scale before surgery, and I think it's hysterical that I can way EXACTLY the same thing, down to the tenth of a pound, day ... after day ... after day. Seriously? I mean, if I was bouncing around within a .2 - .5 pound range, that would just be frustrating. But EXACTLY the same? The longer it goes on, the harder I laugh. I'm with Cam - if I lose a bit more slowly, maybe I won't end up with so many shrinkles and bat wings. Hey, I can hope anyway. It's WAY too early to worry that I won't get to my goal.