SassySenior

Well, OK then Jean. But I doubt you'd ever find a nutritionist or m.d. to agree with you that Protein drinks is a good way to get protein. That was my whole point. Not that it hasn't worked for you, but for your health, real protein is the way to go. Personally, although you didn't ask , I think you could find a better way. BTW, I was only kidding about becoming a Vegan. However, you might find being a vegetarian is a good choice. Hmmm. All our Kansans stubborn? ROFL. Still love me?

Thanks, McButterpants. That is such a cute name. Oh, yeah, I'm actually on my 2nd pre-op diet in 1 month. yech. I've already dropped 20 lbs. for a total of 63 lbs. since last year. And Ringo, you have to be my sleeve buddy since we're on the same day!

There is a great article on another site that discusses all the surgeries and why the sleeve is best. I have a link to it somewhere. PM me and I'll look for it.

That's what the propaganda says. But I have lost 63 lbs. in the past year ... more than 20 in the last month. I actually completed one pre-op diet but had a row with my surgeon. Now I'm on my second pre-op, and get the same reasons. Well, folks, I've already lost the weight and "shrunk my liver." So the only reason is to lose more weight before the surgery with irrational scare tactics ... not because it's necessary, but because they can force me, scare me, or deny me surgery if I don't lose a prescribed amount this time around. I would much rather drop the weight when I'm not hungry after surgery. But they are the boss of me.

I don't know much at all about food addiction, but I do know about addiction in general. In most addictions, people do not really want to change until they reach their bottom. Or until the pain of staying the way they are is greater than the fear or pain of changing. When you just know you can't keep doing what you're doing. When you feel you absolutely must stop letting the addiction rule your life. For example, an alcoholic or drug addict craves the next drink or the next fix, but that craving has taken over and someone's life just keeps getting worse and worse. In these addictions, you must want to change, otherwise you're not ready and it won't work. While it's difficult to sabotage the sleeve, I guess if there's a will, there's a way. Unfortunately, some addicts never get ready and wind up dead, in jail or killing someone else. As was said above, you will be able to eat your favorite foods again, most likely, but it will be months before that will happen. One of the many reasons I'm getting the sleeve is because it will take away my hunger to a great extent. I am so tired of being hungry all the time.

There is a Mexican surgeon that has a bad rep, but I don't remember who it is. I just recall reading about a complication he had and someone posted, "I can't believe Dr. ??? is still doing surgeries?" If I knew a doc had a patient die, there is no way I'd go there, even if it was free. But that's just me.

Congratulations! You're quite a go getter. Happy your efforts paid off. You are gonna be one kick-ass sleever! I'm just a couple of days ahead of you on Nov. 1.

Chris - Hi, honey! I thought you died ... or were taking a really extended honeymoon. Did I read correctly that you've lost over 100 lbs? Amazing! Glad you spoke up. As you can see, I'm still trying to pump up interest in this group. I don't think it will ever be much more than a specialty group with an intimate number of members. Translate, small. ha ha I've directed people to post in the thread called "Boomer Chat Room" to make it easier for everybody to see and reply to posts. So, chickadee, hop on over there and meet your new friends. You are gonna like them, I guarantee it. While you're at it, how about an update on YOU? C'mon, it's been ages. xoxox p.s. I'm getting sleeved Nov. 1. Yay!

Hey members, I have to wonder if I am spinning my wheels here. Admittedly, this ain't my first rodeo. I've started groups before. Unfortunately, the results were similar. I am a creative. Before retiring I spent my professional career as a freelance writer. My mind can launch visuals to fill a video at a moment's notice, write poetry and prose and think up ideas, both practical and fanciful. I had a group on care2.com named Serenity in Sync. (It's still there if you want to take a look.) Started as a tribute to frontline animal rescuers as a place where they could go to, relax and take their mind of the gruesome realities they deal with every day, Serenity in Sync had a wild compilation of music for all ages, hysterical and deeply compelling videos, poignant posts, animal themed jokes, funny animal antics ... you name it. I even started a soap opera that was a lot of interactive fun for those who wanted to contribute to its ongoing saga. While the group was rich with content, I can't say it ever caught on. Seems the rescuers were too busy doing what they do to take a break. But we forged on until my co-host died. She and I had established a very close relationship, and her death was a heartbreaker for me. A couple of years later I became obsessed with weight loss surgery, first the lap band and later the sleeve. Along the way, I joined a few groups. Then I thought, "wouldn't it be great to have a group of peers communicating." You know ... like you and me, Faye and Cheryl, Jean and Coco, newcomer Linda. Baby Boomers! Yeah ... that's it. Baby Boomers launched in February and was slow going at first. But in talking with the moderator of another specialty group, she said, "wait, and it'll pick up." But you know, that never really happened. Like the stock market, our group has been characterized by fits and starts. For the past 2 weeks I have been tied up with a work project. When these come in, it takes every bit of my energy and concentration to do it. After all, I am 67 and while I like to think of myself as 40-something, my body refuses to go along. Heck, I've even fallen asleep "on the job." Now that's is more than embarrassing. Yesterday, I had an exhausting day with just a few hours of sleep and when I finally wound down, I crashed and slept for 6 hours. When I woke, my first thought was of you guys. How you'd been deprived of my involvement for 2 weeks, and although things were cooking a little when I left for work back on Oct. 10, they have since come to a dead halt. So I wrote a couple of posts to stir the fire once again. One of the posts specifically asked for your feedback. Guess what happened? Not much. Faye kindly replied to one of my posts and, Jean at least "liked" one of the posts, but that was about it. Several members have expressed the view that "I hope the group keeps going. It'd be nice to see people posting there" (or something along those lines). Those are the same folks who never post again. So, what's it gonna be, members? Does this group have enough value to you that you can make a commitment to write something every day, even if it's only, "Hi, how's everybody doing?" I'm going to have my surgery a week from Friday, and I don't know if I'll feel up to posting. Can you make a commitment or not? I realize everyone is busy and most belong to other groups. If you like them so much more than Boomers, is there any reason to keep this alive?

t - You give engineers a bad name. I personally like engineers. The ones I've met are very intelligent, witty and helpful, even if its hard to translate to regular language. But you, you wasted my time. Like others in the forum, in the spirit of camaraderie, I thought you actually needed help, and I spent a lot of time crafting my reply with that in mind. Lesson learned.

Dearest Jean, Well at least you're honest. I'm with you on the cereal and Desserts. Pasta, not so much. The wisdom I’d like to impart about what Dr. Meyers advocates is this: Find what works for you and do that. Doesn't sound to me like you've done that yet. Oh, yeah, you drink Protein Shakes. Wow-wee ... call “60 minutes.” LOL Plus, if you tell me one more time that you hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate meat and fish, I'm gonna search you out, tie you down and shove mouthfuls of meatloaf and mussels down your throat!! :-/ I gotta admit it was an insight out of the blue, a light bulb going off, a burst of brilliance ... or something ... that I figured out what I all I need to do to is find where I can order good food that someone else has already cooked. I don't have the answer yet. But 50% of solving a problem is acknowledging that you have one, and what it is. But making Protein drinks your repas par jeur doesn’t make the cut. C'mon, girl, put on your thinking cap, post about it, read others posts, become a vegan, talk to a rhino ... whatever. Find a solution. Think I'm being overly harsh? True confession: Jean and I have become really good friends, and this is how I treat my friends. LOL. Actually, my friends I don't put a leash on my mouth, even though that’s not a bad idea. The point is we have all agreed to get this life-altering surgery and make subsequent changes in our eating habits. I envy those of you who could do this by cooking. I do not cook, however. I just tried to this week. I bought all kinds of yummy food ... and my dog is deeply grateful, because he's the one eating this new food ... raw. I’m quantifying what I've been eating. It's easy to define. Pretty much it's stuff I get from Whole Foods and the frozen food aisle. I thought about this today. I'm going to talk to their nutritionist, food manager, deli chief or someone, explain my new restrictions and ask for recommendations. Plus, there's no reason to stop eating frozen food. I just have to find stuff that's healthy: low carbs, low fat, lowest sugar and nutritional. Sounds pretty simple? Well, it is. It's just gonna take time for me to do all that. But I spent the last 3 years jumping through hoop after hoop, having my surgery stalled time after time, interviewing gobs of doctors, attending tons of seminars and switching surgeons twice. Heck, figuring out the food is a piece of cake (ooooh) compared to all that. Okay, I'm gettin' pumped about changing my life in just one week. Yeah! It's really not all that difficult to make sure you get good stuff. Heck, a lot of it is on the label, you can Google anything ... just add "nutrition, i.e. “Frozen pizza Nutrition.” Oops. (Old habits die hard.) Google “Frozen Dinners Nutrition” or “Lean Cuisine Healthiest.” My Fitness Pal will take care of the rest. Who's gonna hop onboard my Fast Food Express Bus? The line forms right here!

Jean - Heh, heh

Thanks, Faye. Just following in your footsteps!

Sorry T, I forgot you said to be gentle. That's not really my strong point. I'm probably better in person (gentler). Ha! Anyway, I really dug my feet in when I did my research. First, I made a list of the criteria I wanted a surgeon to meet. I wasted a lot of time not focusing on insurance. because it turned out to be my #1. Then, for me, I had to have a highly experienced super surgeon since I was high risk.. So that was the 2nd thing I researched. Starting with surgeons were in my area, I made a list of possibilities, created a WORD file and inserted info about them as I found it. I went to their websites, but of course, I knew it was largely propaganda. So I checked what patients they had and looked for what they said. You'll be amazed how open patients can be. I did the same thing on several sites. I narrowed my list to maybe 4 surgeons, initially. I made appts. to either see them or attend their seminars. The first one I saw recommended Dr. Provost. The second one I met, Dr. Kuhn, and I did not mix. He got huffy with me, so he was toast. The third one was Dr. Provost. He met all my criteria at that point. Problem was distance. He's about 35 miles from me, I didn't drive, so I had to get someone to take me. This became a big problem. That's when I began my next phase of research to find the second best surgeon who was closer to me. True Results did not take my insurance, Medicare, although they had a lot of good doctors. I continued looking at surgeon info online. At times, I did a search, just for their name. Other times, I searched for "reviews, Dr. X." I checked any online site for sleeved patients, and checked out the patients' posts to see what they said about their surgeons. A few times I wrote to patients and asked them questions directly. The cream does rise to the top ... but it takes a while. Eventually, I had a list of surgeons I liked a lot ... Meyers, Cribbins, and Marsden. My search stalled again because only Meyers took Medicare and he wasn’t taking new patients at that time. Provost as my best option. One other thing you can do is check with the Texas Medical Board for any problems. Calling offices or attending seminars is a good way to find out experience and how many surgeries. Surgeons are very forthcoming about this as well as number of complications, etc.. You can also run across this info sometimes when you read a profile. So, make your list, check it twice, and then take a leap to the other side!

Hey guys, Can I get an attagirl for losing 13 lbs. in 2 weeks and a total of 63 lbs. pre-surgery?

Jean, Thanks for your tips. I have been using MFP for years. My problem is not keeping track. My problem is how to incorporate this new way of life into mine. I rarely eat fruit, though. The pineapple is for Shiki who’s constipated. L I just realized what my problem really is. I stopped cooking years ago. It's unrealistic to go from eating food pre-cooked and prepared by someone else, like the stuff I get from Whole Foods, to suddenly cooking my own. That's the crux of the problem - I just didn't see it at first. I probably won't ever go back to cooking my own food. My kitchen and my lifestyle just don’t support that. I'm single and live alone. Like a lot of people who don't cook any more, I rely on frozen foods. I know the requirements for this new way of life. I just haven't figured out how to modify my life to meet them. I will, though. I have to. But It's all new and will require a lot of adjustments. My favorite surgeon, Dr. Harry Meyers, recommends fruit with every meal on the pre-op. His attitude is to find a way of dieting and eating that works for you. And he's already a slim sleever. Dr. Meyers advice: “The only diet that works is one you will follow. Do what works for you. There are many options available. Pick something and stick to it. It is an important step in the whole process. The more you embrace this concept. the easier your post-op course will be.”

Weight loss surgery is not for sissies. In order to be content with the choices you ultimately make, you have to do your own research. There are a lot of one-stop-shop docs you can use if you want to make it fast and easy. Personally, I wanted the choice to be mine, so I did a lot of research. I disagree with you ... there IS a lot of concrete information out there. You just have to look for it. If you're not finding it, you haven't looked hard enough.

Thanks for the suggestions, Faye. I appreciate it. I just don't think like a cook, as you do, so these things don't occur to me. And I need all the help I can get. I only learned after I bought the squash that it had a lot of carbs. Haven't eaten it yet, so good to know. I'll probably give most of it to my dog, Shiki. He's loving my new diet and all the real food treats he gets like zucchini, pineapple and asparagus. He even licked a spoon with mustard on it last night.

It just occurred to me that my best solution would be to find a new place to buy pre-cooked food from. Sadly, my favorite Diet Gourmet closed their doors.

Pre-op Feedback, Please. My eating habits are so at odds with this new way of eating, that it’s gonna take substantial effort on my part to redo that. In preparation for my Pre-op Diet, I went out and bought all sorts of things that seemed like a good idea: Asparagus, Spinach, Acorn Squash, Shrimp, Sliced Turkey, String cheese, and of course Protein Drinks. It looks pretty and fills up my refrigerator. Then I just watch it all going to waste because, the shrimp, for example, has a deadline on how long it will last I bought a pound, and have at least ½ pound left. Did something like this happen to you guys? I really have to learn a whole new way of eating. What I was eating before was chicken salad, Mac & Cheese, Chicken Soup and pizza from Whole Foods, an occasional KFC dinner and frequent takeouts from a nearby restaurant. I always ordered a piece or two of pie, also from them, because they were so good. So, what did I eat today? I stopped at the restaurant on my way back from the doctor and got some chicken quesadillas. I know … off my diet … but down 13 pounds, I figure I could slide just for today. When I do through something together, it looks good, tastes good, but either doesn’t touch my hunger or leaves me with no desire to make it again. One day, I made an omelet with shrimp, spinach, cheese and onion. Tomorrow, I’m gonna have a salad with the same ingredients, plus zucchini. I’ll eat a side of Acorn Squash. Then I’ll have Protein Shakes for my other two meals. They weren’t kidding when they said we’d have to learn a whole new way of eating. Yeah, baby. Now, mind you, at the moment, I can’t get in my kitchen to cook. It’s too tiny and I’m not. So cooking anything is a chore, especially since I can’t yet stand or walk on my own. What really killed me, though, was the doctor’s staff today ignored my substantial weight loss and only wanted to know how many Protein drinks I had a day … checking to see if I had too many? Erggg. I think what I need is a tutorial on how to go from not cooking to eating right for my sleeve. Keep in mind I don’t cook now, and can’t do much because of the size of my kitchen. I saw Faye’s recipe for meatloaf, which she said was delicious. However it contained feta cheese, which I don’t like. (Don’t like blue cheese either.) Sounded like a great recipe, though. Any easy-to-implement ideas?

Have to share a NSV, even though I'm not sleeved. LOL The other day I dug out my tape measure because I thought I should get a baseline before surgery. I have in the past measured myself, and would put it away in disgust. So, I drag it out and start with my waist. I couldn't believe it. I am 7" smaller in the waist. WTH? I thought that was unbelievable, but then I was weighed today at the doctor's office. I have lost 13 lbs. in the last 3 weeks. I started my pre-op diet Friday, but still... I am dropping weight like a weightlifter. As of today I have lost 63 lbs. from my highest weight. I can't even imagine how much more I'll lose as I still have 10 days to go on the pre-op. And then surgery ... Wow!

Good luck! There are a ton of weight loss surgeons out there, and I have researched most of them. I'm using Dr. David Provost in Denton, TX because he was recommended to me by at least 3 other doctors. I was/am considered a high risk patient because of my weight and age, and Dr. Provost is one of the pioneers of weight loss surgery. He taught, "proctored," many of the doctors in the D/FW area. High on my list of great doctors are: Harry Meyers, John Marsden, and Joseph Cribbins. Met and disliked Kuhn. Others off my list include Kim and a doctor who practices either in Oak Cliff or South Dallas (Hispanic), A former patient told me they were money-centered and, in fact, had a pre-op seminar you had to attend for $300 (out of pocket). Heard good things about Hamn, Nicholson and others too numerous to mention. For me, #1 was a great surgeon #2 some kind of after care, #3 friendly office staff. Actually, I decided #3 was preferable, but not a requirement. I wanted the best doc. I would suggest 2 things for you: True Results doctors probably all have the same setup, prices, etc.. Ask a bunch of doctors what it costs for self-pay vs. going to a lot of seminars. I know my doc offers a reasonable price. Also consider going to Mexico. There are a couple of surgeons there who are highly recommended, and prices are much lower. Lastly, I loved Dr. Meyers, but I was too far down the road to start over.

Ooh, good to know. Blueberry is my favorite ... and it's sugar free? Great!

I've always heard that it is. I think Crystal Light would even be OK for clear liquids, just before surgery. Technically, clear liquids is anything you can see though, color doesn't matter. Liquids would include Crystal Light, coffee, tea, vitamin water, fruit flavored water ... anything liquid that doesn't have caffeine or carbonation and preferably no sugar.