Bufflehead

I like the Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi's. The bariatric formulations, ironically enough, have too many calories and carbs for me to be comfortable taking them. I tried adding them up one time and it would cost me something like 60 calories and 12 carbs to get my vitamins, calcium, and iron from bariatric formulations. Instead I use Trader Joe's, Citracal Petites, and for iron, whatever is on sale at CVS or the grocery store. This gets my needs met for 10 calories and 2 carbs . . . and about a fifth of the price of the special bariatric stuff! Yes, I am cheap with my dollars, calories, and carbs. I get my labs drawn regularly and my vitamin and mineral levels have always been excellent.

I track my exercise on MFP just so I can go back and see what I've been doing. I also have to show my exercise logs to my dietician and exercise physiologist. But I manually change the calories burned for each exercise to "1" - that way I don't get any significant changes in how many calories I have allotted etc.

I think if it were me I would take the promotion and put the surgery off. I had to wait a year between starting out and actually getting my surgery, due to various insurance company snafus. I was really resentful of the waiting (almost took my own money and went right to Mexico) but in the long run I got my surgery and am really pleased with where I am right now. Being unhappy in your job is something that sounds like it could last longer than the six months you'd be unhappy waiting for surgery, if that makes sense. But only you can know what will be right for you. Good luck!

I would think your surgeon's office can definitely help you out. Either refer you to another psych they work with who does accept Magellan, or give you a sample approval letter to take to a psych that you find on your own. However, you may end up paying a fair amount anyway . . . my insurance farms mental health stuff out to Magellan and I had to pay $300 even with a psych that accepts Magellan, because my plan with Magellan didn't cover the testing portion of the visit, only the counseling and writing up the letter. Your plan with Magellan may be different though. Good luck!

Premier Protein has a locator website that will show you where to find their products near you: http://www.premierprotein.com/where-to-buy/

For four weeks after surgery I took all liquid multivitamins, calcium and iron - I used the Wellesse brand and ordered from Amazon. After that I switched to Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi (much cheaper than anything else I found, tastes great), Citracal petites, and regular iron supplements from the grocery store. It's funny, all the special "bariatric" chewable supplements seem to be loaded up with calories and carbs and designed to reinforce a morbidly obese person's sweet tooth . . . plus they seem overpriced. I stay away from them.

I've stayed away from protein bars since (1) I tried them (Quest) on the pre-op diet and found they were a trigger food for me and I couldn't stop eating them; and (2) my mother told me that her doctor recommended them to her as a healthy and easy way to gain weight -- she struggles with underweight and since adding a protein bar a day she has been able to maintain her weight rather than losing into a dangerous range. I know some people do great with them but apparently for me and my family they are not the best food for weight loss!

I did well with poached eggs while on purees, but I know many people have trouble tolerating eggs early on. I would encourage you to at least give pureed meat a try rather than just thinking you won't tolerate it. What I would do is puree meat with a very flavorful sauce, that made it taste better for me. So I would do something like puree spicy tuna with sriracha sauce, chicken with bbq sauce, etc. -- and make sure it is warm. It was more palatable to me that way. Cottage cheese was another good food for me on purees, particularly if I stirred in a little spicy salad dressing or some kind of nut butter (Peanut Butter, cashew butter, stuff like that). Just don't be afraid to try things, but start small, with just a few bites, so that if it doesn't agree with you it's not a huge disaster! For the Protein shakes, maybe try mixing them with half the amount of recommended Protein powder and something else added in to flavor them? Especially early on, that helped me get them down. Obviously you aren't getting the full amount of protein then, but something is better than nothing! I would do things like 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder + 1 spoonful of instant coffee granules, or 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder stirred into a big mug of warm (not hot) chai tea, or 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder + small amount of peppermint extract. Good luck!

Yes, welcome! But . . . I agree with the above comments, the sleeve will prevent you from overeating and will help you make better choices about food, especially at the outset. But if you currently don't overeat and are making good choices about food, I'm not sure what the sleeve has to offer you as a tool?

You'll learn to notice your cues better as you go along. Watch for things like hiccups, burping, or a runny nose. Until then, you should stop before you hit "satisfied." Honestly, are you really eating a whole cup of scrambled eggs and cheese? That sounds like a lot for a new sleever. I can't eat that much and I'm 8 months out. If you aren't weighing and measuring everything before you eat it, you should start. Did your doctor give you a plan as to how much you should eat? When I was on purees I was allowed 3 tablespoons of food for a meal, and 3 meals a day, no snacking. Did you receive any guidance like that? In any event, take note of how much was "too much" each time you hit it. Write it down if need be, but the next time you eat that food, measure it out and eat less than the time before, whether you feel satisfied or not. Good luck!

I got weighed and measured and had my blood pressure taken, all with the bariatric nurse. Then I moved on to the surgeon and spent time with him getting a thorough physical exam and talking about wls options and what would work best for me. After that I had blood drawn for standard lab work, had my metabolic rate tested, and got tested for h. pylori. I met with the dietician to go over the RMR test results and discuss an eating plan for me going forward pre-op, as well as the schedule for nutrition classes (required by my insurance) and support groups. Then I met with the staff exercise physiologist to talk about my current level of exercise (which ranged from pathetic to non-existent) and what I would do going forwards towards surgery to improve my strength and cardiovascular health. Finally I met with the insurance coordinator to talk about my insurance requirements, what I needed to do in order to meet them, and what the process would look like/how long things would take. All in all I think it took about three hours and I came out of there very well-educated as well as confident in my choice going forward.

Well you can guesstimate with amounts, or measure using your kitchen scale. If I made 3 tablespoons of pureed salmon, I would weigh it before eating. Then if I could only eat part of it, I would weigh the remainder and figure out how much I had eaten.

You should have a chance to meet and talk with the anesthesiologist before your surgery. Explain that having an oxygen mask makes you feel panicky and that it makes you want to flee or struggle. The doctor should be able to help with that, either by making sure you are completely relaxed with Versed (anti-anxiety drug) or by just knocking you out and putting the oxygen on after. That's what they did with me. Just explain your situation and ask for help and they will help you. Best wishes!

Don't order any tubs prior to surgery. Instead get several samples of many different brands and flavors and wait to order tubs until you try a sample after surgery. Too much risk of your tastes changing with the surgery. Places you can get samples: http://www.chikenutrition.com/chike-variety-pack.html http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-starter-kit.html http://www.jayrobb.com/protein/whey-protein-samples.asp https://vitalady.com/protein-supplement/ http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html My favorite brands from Vitalady and Nashua Nutrition were Syntrax Matrix, Syntrax Nectar, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, BSN Lean Dessert, and Gaspari Myofusion. The last two are kind of high calorie though. Once you get situated post-op and have a better idea of how much protein you are using, you'll be able to figure out how many tubs to order. Good luck!

I second the recommendation for the Eat Slower app. I set mine to chime every 45 seconds and then I am allowed a bite. So simple in concept but it is very effective.

My blood pressure was super high -- almost uncontrolled even on 80 mg/day of lisinopril - prior to surgery. For about a week after surgery it was still high but controlled - my surgeon attributed the remaining hbp to the pain from surgery. After that it fell into the normal range and my dosage was cut in half, then by a quarter, then down to 10 mg per day and always in the low end of normal range. After several weeks I stopped the lisinopril entirely and my blood pressure now ranges from the low to mid normal range. My doctor says I probably could have stopped it immediately after that first week but she thought it was safer to taper me off just to make sure.

If you have a recliner a lot of people find it easier to sleep in one of those for the first week or so. Also maybe try a body pillow or propping yourself up on lots of pillows. Good luck, I remember those first few miserable nights! It does get better though.

Unflavored just means they haven't added extra flavor like chocolate or vanilla to it. Whey protein has its own natural taste/flavor, so it is unflavored but not tasteless, if that makes sense. I found it fine to mix in small amounts with things that have their own strong flavor to cover up the taste of the whey, but overall I prefer using flavored proteins.

Yes, I have heard of it done in extreme cases. I would definitely get a second opinion from an excellent bariatric surgeon before going forward, assuming it isn't an emergency situation.

I had a romaine lettuce wrap with sirloin roast, bread & butter pickle chips, and garlic aioli mustard. Super delicious at 75 calories, 2 carbs, and 13 grams of protein.

I'm not allowed grains, starchy veggies, or sugar, so I don't know about things like crackers, chips, or cookies. But I suspect they will be sliders for me. I am allowed to eat nuts, and I feel like I could eat them forever. Like they don't engage restriction whatsoever. I have to weigh the nuts beforehand (no more than an ounce, usually less) and stick with that amount. If I let myself eat however much I wanted I feel like I could eat a whole jar of them. Not that I've ever tried it but that's what it feels like!

My doctor said as soon as I feel up to it.

I'm still losing. I just went over the 100 lbs lost mark earlier this week, 8 months from surgery (I lost 55 lbs prior to the sleeve on my insurance required diet and preop diet). My calories gradually increased up to 800 calories. I keep calories under 800 unless I have a big exercise day, then I let myself go up to 850. I go through spurts of exercising a lot and then several weeks with hardly any exercise. For me, whether I exercise or not has absolutely no correlation to whether I lose weight or not. I try to exercise for my overall health, cardiovascular fitness, and bone health, not for weight loss. Exercise is more important in preventing osteoporosis than Calcium is, for example. I do a mix of light weights, walking, and low impact aerobics. I track everything on MFP and stay within my program's guidelines. Calories as above, carbs under 60 (more is okay on heavy exercise days), minimum 75 grams Protein. No grains, no starchy vegetables, and no refined sugar. No grazing, defined meals and Snacks only. I know some people do well with moderation and not tracking what they eat, but for me the key has been following absolutely rigid rules and not wavering from them. I've still got a ways to go (probably 30 - 45 more lbs) and I intend to stick with this plan until it stops working. Good luck to you!

Yeah CarbMaster is a Kroger product so either Kroger or possibly one of their sister stores that sells Kroger products, depending on where you are. And the only place I know to buy Unjury is http://www.unjury.com and I think Amazon.

I have so much protein, mostly samples but some tubs too, in my pantry! Here are my go-to's: --Chike Iced Coffee Protein Powder. This stuff is expensive, but I love it! Their recommended serving is two scoops. I use one scoop and mix that in with CarbMaster Milk and a spoonful of instant espresso powder. So good! --Healthwise Hot Chocolate - I usually mix one packet of hot chocolate powder with 4 oz. water + 4 oz. CarbMaster milk, plus some sort of Torani Sugarfree syrup to punch up the flavor. My favorites are peppermint, cinnamon brown sugar, salted caramel, and gingerbread. --Unjury Chocolate Splendor - I use this as the base for all sorts of protein drinks. I mix it with milk (I always use the CarbMaster milk -- much better numbers than standard milk -- lower calories & carbs plus higher protein). When I run out of the tub of this I am thinking of switching to Syntrax Matrix Milk Chocolate, which I think is cheaper and tastes very similar. --Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100& Whey Vanilla Ice Cream - I also use this as a base for lots of protein shakes. It isn't as expensive as Unjury. I've also got sample sizes of tons of other flavors from Chike, Syntrax Matrix, and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard.