Bufflehead

Biotin won't prevent hair loss -- neither will protein -- though it may help re-grow new hair faster. My surgeon told me not to waste my money on biotin and I wish I had listened! It did nothing to help and neither did getting 75+ grams of protein starting the day after surgery (and eating high protein before surgery, too). Well, it "helped" if you consider extra hair growing on your eyebrows, chin, basically everywhere below the waist "helping." Not exactly what I had in mind!

For lunch I rotate between artichoke hearts (frozen, not the ones in a jar coated in oil), green beans, and grilled asparagus. I keep it super-simple with just light salad dressing or a bit of grass-fed butter to dress them. For dinner, I rotate between brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower. I roast them in the oven with olive oil spray and some herbs & spices. I also add some chopped dark leafy greens or avocado to tuna, salmon, or sardine salad.

I don't use protein bars, they are too high calorie and high carb for me. I eat chicken breast instead.

My hospital brought me a tray full of different drinks -- each with a straw -- and told me to start drinking maybe a couple hours after surgery. I've never had any problems with straws (though I hardly ever use them, I don't like them) and they didn't cause me any problems immediatley post-op.

I can eat anything other than bread with yeast (cake is fine) and can drink anything non-carbonated. You didn't ask but I'll go ahead and say I think your plan to "reward" yourself with cake is perhaps something you should examine. Do you want to continue to have the kind of relationship with food where it is a reward or a punishment?

Have you talked to your pharmacist to see if you can get them in chewable or liquid form? And you probably know this, but just in case -- don't crush anything without clearing it with a pharmacist or similar first -- many medications lose their efficacy if crushed. If they are safe to crush, I don't see any reason why a Ninja wouldn't work. I think it will probably just make whatever is coming out of the Ninja taste terrible though

Roasted jalapeno poppers: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/roasted-jalapeno-poppers-recipe.html Bacon-wrapped olives: http://www.popsugar.com/food/Bacon-Wrapped-Olives-37660364 Spicy parsnip wedges (delicious with guacamole): http://thingsmybellylikes.com/2013/02/01/spicy-parsnip-wedges/ Spiced edamame: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spiced-edamame-recipe.html Squash blossoms with pimento ricotta http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/squash-blossoms-with-pimento-ricotta

unjury dot com to find Unjury protein powder. It is only available online.

My surgical team says no gummies. What was most important to me was low calorie, low carb, and low cost. I went with Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multi's and my labs have always been great, and I am not wasting my daily allotment of calories on carbs on pieces of candy masquerading as vitamins, which is what the bariatric specialty vitamins usually are IMO.

I don't have Tricare, but I did have a similar requirement from my insurance provider: failed attempt at weight loss under doctor supervision. When I decided I wanted the surgery, I didn't have that in my medical records. So, I got it: 1. Arranged monthly meetings with my doctor where she counseled me about diet & exercise, checked my weight, and wrote this all up in my chart every month; 2. Failed to lose weight (this is not hard . . . if I am an expert in anything, it is in failing to lose weight. I wanted the surgery, so I put extra effort into failing, and failing hard). 3. Submitted to my insurance provider and got approved within 24 hours. Yes, it slowed down my process, but that's okay. I did a lot of research on post-sleeve life and actually did build habits that would help me, such as logging everything on myfitnesspal, not eating and drinking at the same time, etc., even as I failed in other aspects of weight loss. Good luck!

You will have a lifting restriction after surgery, so start planning for that. Every time you lift or carry your toddler now, try to think of an alternate. For example, if you are lifting your baby into a crib, set the bottom of the crib as low as it can go, drop the side down, and teach your toddler to climb in and out without your lifting. Transition to a booster seat from a high chair if you haven't already, or have meals on a blanket on the floor -- things like that. I was very tired after surgery for a few weeks -- I was able to care for myself, but if I had been in charge of an energetic little person during that time, I probably would have hired someone to come in maybe 4-6 hours per day so I could get a break, take a nap, and not have to be on the go quite as much. Your 9 year old might be able to help though, with things like lifting.

@@esskay77 I use my dvd player (connected to my tv, not a stand-alone) for the most part, although sometimes I will buy or rent a stream from Amazon Instant Video and stream it to my tv. I know a lot of people watch on their computers from YouTube or wherever, but I really prefer my tv for exercise. PS to the O/P, you have lots of good suggestions here but I would definitely say before you invest in anything Beachbody, make sure you view their workouts in a preview somehow. They are great workouts but the ones I have seen are not for beginners!

If I had problems with GERD that were not caused by a hiatal hernia (an upper GI series can confirm this), I would go for a bypass. When it comes to matters of health and happiness, extreme is good IMO. I guess it helps that I know several people who have had bypass and done great. Lost all their weight, maintained, and are living healthy, happy, normal lives.

For the first 4 weeks after surgery I was required to use liquids, and I used Wellesse liquid multi-vitamin, calcium, and iron supplements. I did a double dose of all of them. After that I switched to Trader Joe's High Potency chewable multi-vitamin (I did a double dose for the first six months then switched to a single dose), generic calcium citrate petites, generic Vitamin D, and generic iron supplements, sometimes adding the Wellesse liquid iron to that. I tend to have real problems with iron, and have since I hit puberty -- this isn't a weight loss surgery thing. My labs have always been great -- with the occasional exception of iron, though that tends to be better than before surgery, probably because I am more religious about taking my supplements. I do find that when I supplement with liquid iron I do really well. One thing I will say is to make sure you take your vitamins with your highest fat meal of the day. Many vitamins need fat for proper absorption. Also, I've stopped taking calcium supplements entirely, based on my personal assessment of risks and benefits, but I would never tell anyone else to do that.

Try eating nothing but lean, dense protein and green veggies for several days (yes, including for breakfast). Don't slather the food with sauces, butter, etc. Don't drink your calories and don't drink while you eat. You may find that you have more restriction than you think!

Check out the Leslie Sansone dvd's (I think some of them also stream via Amazon Prime and possibly on YouTube). Very gentle. If you can walk, you can do her exercise series.

Well, definitely talk to your ob/gyn and your surgeon, but it really shouldn't be an issue. A developing baby only requires an extra 300 calories per day. Add a protein shake made with protein powder, whole milk, and half a banana and there you go.

I was off work for two weeks after surgery. I didn't have any complications -- in fact I had a great and fast recovery -- but it did take me a while to get my energy back. For the first couple of weeks I was napping once if not twice a day, and I never, ever nap otherwise. Other people have faster recoveries in terms of getting their energy back, others slower. Good luck!

It's amazing how the scale knows and just mocks us, right? It did that to me too. I stayed off the scale for 3 weeks when that happened to me, and when I got back on it was at 196 or something.

I don't suffer from constipation but I do use the Equate Sugar Free fiber powder -- I add a couple teaspoons to my protein shake if I'm not going to get enough fiber for the day otherwise. I buy it on Amazon. A lot of fiber gummies and so on are loaded with sugar and carbs, so watch out for that. For constipation, my surgeon recommends using Milk of Magnesia. I only had to do it a couple of times but it worked like a charm. Good luck!

Your surgeon sounds like a complete asshole, to be blunt. I am sorry he treated you like that and sorry he didn't offer support and guidance instead of just berating you. Can you call his office and ask for a referral to a registered dietitian who works with bariatric patients? You might get more solid information and a much more helpful attitude from a dietitian than from a surgeon (some of them are notorious for being great at cutting, and not so great at anything else). Also, for constipation and vitamin concerns, you might check in with your primary care provider rather than the surgeon. That peson would also likely be more supportive and helpful, and they should be just as qualified to treat those issues as a surgeon (if not more qualified). Again, I am sorry your doctor is being a jerk. Don't let him make you feel like a failure! You are asking for help and want to do the right thing, you can't be a failure. Keep going!

I would do what my primary care doctor told me to do . . .

Each insurance plan is different. Some require 3 months of supervised weight loss or education, others 6 months, others none -- it looks like your insurance requires none, hence the "no wait time." Your surgeon will probably require at least some educational appointments before surgery, such as meeting with a dietitian, but it sounds like nothing that can't be taken care of quickly. Looks like you have excellent insurance -- my advice is to be happy and don't look this gift horse in the mouth

I had two weeks of high protein, low carb, low calorie diet as per my surgeon's instructions, but it was not a liquid diet.

@@Airstream88 like that on steroids.