Bufflehead

oh yeah the foam -- I use an immersion (hand) blender and it leaves zero foam in the shake.

My program called for a minimum of 30 carbs and a maximum of 60 carbs for the first 6 months.

I collected shake recipes from various places (and concocted a few of my own) and uploaded them: http://www.scribd.com/doc/236442268/Protein-Shake-Recipes Some of them may have ingredients that you are not permitted, but hopefully you can find something you like and that works for you.

There is no normal, every program is at least a little different.

Trader Joe's has low-priced vitamins. I take their High Potency Chewable for my multi and my labs have always been great. Target (Pure Protein) and Wal-Mart (Body Fortress) both sell inexpensive protein powders that lots of people like. The downside is that you can't sample before buying a big tub, so if you end up being one of the people who hate them, you are out of luck. You can buy a lot of samples before surgery from NashuaNutrion.com. Then after surgery, you can test the samples and see what you like before committing to buying a bigger tub. Don't stock up on big tubs before surgery as your tastes might change. The protein powders they sell are more expensive than what you would find at Wal-Mart or Target, but at least you will be buying something you know you like. My favorite brands they sell are Syntrax Nectar, Syntrax Matrix, and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard. You can also buy these brands at most GNC and Vitamin Shoppe stores if you prefer to buy in person after testing some samples from Nashua. Most larger grocery stores will also have perfectly good protein powders for cheap. Just be sure to read the labels and that you are okay with the ratio of calories/carbs/protein. You can also go to GNC and see what they have on sale. Again, be careful about the nutrition label -- GNC sells a lot of products more geared toward people who want to bulk up and pack on muscle than to people who want to lose weight. Talk to a sales person and tell them you want low calorie and low carb. The good thing about GNC is that if you buy a tub, take it home, try it, and don't like it, you can bring it back for a refund. I believe Vitamin Shoppe works the same way, but of course ask in advance at any store.

Apparently there is no mod on duty who can disable accounts and delete posts? There's been a spammer running amuck for hours and no one has done anything.

I have seen plenty of people, both here at this forum, and at my surgeon's support group, who are older than you and getting surgery and doing fine. If your surgeon is comfortable with your health and ability to get through surgery, that's all you need to know IMO. As far as hair loss goes, I shared your worry. I also had super thin hair before surgery. And yes, I lost a lot more. Because my hair was so thin before surgery (thinner than most people's AFTER surgery), mine was pretty visible. I ended up with a topper, kind of like a mini-wig that blends in with my own hair. You know what? I love it! I get compliments on my pretty hair all the time now, and I sure never did before. Thinning hair is really something you can work around and find a solution for. Obesity and the associated health risks and lifestyle detriments, not so much. I have some saggy skin after losing almost 200 lbs, but not as much as I feared. Do I look like a shiny, glossy, playboy pet with my clothes off? No! But I look a lot better than I did at 300+ pounds. I am kidding myself if I thought I was some glamor puss then. When I was 300+ pounds, everyone could see all my body flaws, there was no hiding them. But now, the only people who can see the wrinkles etc. are people who see me naked -- partners and medical professionals. And they can handle it. And frankly, the wrinkles and sags are only noticeable at all when I am both naked and standing upright. That doesn't happen very often. Anyway, I love my new body, wrinkles and all. It gives me health and freedom and strength instead of being a prison. Never going back!

Unjury makes a chicken soup protein powder that I used a lot, even when on full liquids, not clear. I was dying for stuff that wasn't sweet. Other protein concoctions: vanilla chai tea with vanilla protein powder added, beef broth with steak seasoning and unflavored protein powder, Syntrax nectar fruit-type flavors made with water. I tried the Isopure drinks and found them horrendous, but I could choke them down if I split them 50/50 with a compatible flavor of G2, Powerade Zero, Vitamin Water Zero, or light fruit juice. Ginger miso broth (I bought it at Trader Joe's) with unflavored protein powder added. Just remember that if you are adding protein powder to hot liquid, you need to be careful. A food thermometer works well to make sure the liquid isn't so hot that the protein will curdle.

This sounds really unscientific to me. I wouldn't be interested unless someone can point me to scientific studies in a peer-reviewed journal supporting it. Why am I not surprised that the link above sends people to a shady-looking website that wants to sell you expensive "detoxification training"? This sort of malarkey is always promoted by people who want to sell you something. "The detox scam: how to spot it, how to avoid it" https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-detox-scam-how-to-spot-it-and-how-to-avoid-it/ (from the blog Science-Based Medicine

I think it's more like diet is 98% and exercise is 2%. Also, there is good evidence that exercise increases the appetite, not suppresses it. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/exercise-benefits_b_1777630.html http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/phys-ed-why-doesnt-exercise-lead-to-weight-loss/?_r=0 http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2015/01/15/4162890.htm "A provocative new study shows that a substantial number of people who take up an exercise regimen wind up heavier afterward than they were at the start, with the weight gain due mostly to extra fat, not muscle." http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/

My weight loss halted -- temporarily -- because I was eating too much and eating the wrong kind of food. I kicked myself back into gear and am losing weight again, at two years out. And losing at a pretty good clip, too. I don't think it's the number of months out that matters, it matters what you are eating and how much of it. People, including me, tend to get lax after a while. For me that was about a year out. But the good news is that my tool is still there and it works properly when I treat it with respect. Don't forget that as you get smaller, it takes fewer calories to sustain your body. So you will need to decrease your calorie intake even more to maintain the same level of caloric deficit. If you aren't losing weight, do a brutally honest assessment of everything you are eating and make any necessary adjustments.

There's no guarantee for or explanation of where you will lose first or fastest. I know my waist was the last to go. I saw loss in my butt and breasts and thighs way before that. Good luck!

This is so normal that I didn't even have to open your post to know what it said. Anything titled remotely close to "week 4 and concerned" is going to say something like "I lost a lot of weight in the first couple of weeks and haven't lost anything since. What am I doing wrong?" Seriously, do a search on this forum for "three week stall" or "week 3 stall" and you'll see multiple posts about it almost every single day. The best thing you can do is stay off the scale for a few weeks and keep following your plan. As the others have said, your weight loss will start up again and everything will be fine, but jumping on the scale frequently won't make it happen any faster! Rest easy in knowing that you are perfectly normal and doing everything right

I donated them to the local charity-based thrift shops. No need for them to end up in a landfill (other than underwear, stuff in really bad condition, etc.). I didn't want them hanging around as an invitation to get that big again. If I re-gain, there is going to be severe financial pain associated with that, and I *want* that as a disincentive.

Yeah mine was the cabbage Soup diet too. Didn't last long on that one!

Is there any way your husband can sit down with your parents and say something like: "Likelike is recovering from major surgery and she's working on getting stronger and healing. She's following her doctor's orders with respect to exercise and eating, but it's going to take some time before she gets her strength and energy back. She really needs all of our support right now. Can you please stop criticizing her and being sarcastic with her? It makes her feel really bad and she needs to feel positive right now. If you can't do that, could you please take a vacation for a couple of weeks?" Or you could have the conversation. But I think it's good to lay it all on the table, what you need, and how you aren't getting that *at all* from them, instead of picking back and forth about each individual instance of their being rude and non-supportive. Once they see the big picture of what is going on, and that what they are doing is truly hurting you, hopefully they will want to support you and lift you up instead of tearing you down. And since you said they live "with you," I assume it is your house and your prerogative to tell them to get lost for a couple of weeks if they persist. There is no reason you should be hiding away in your own home! But, if you know your parents well enough to know they would have an extremely hostile reaction, then yes, stay out of their way, avoid their company, talk to them as little as possible, and focus on your own recovery rather than whatever they are saying/thinking/doing. Work on making them irrelevant to you, at least in the short run.

Your neighbor could have died of an obesity-induced stroke or heart attack (let's face it: that's a far more likely outcome than dying from complications of bariatric surgery). If that had happened, I am sure your parents would be cheering you on even stronger than before. They are reacting in a very human, understandable way -- but not really in a logical way. If you have decided on this, tell them that you would love their support, but if they can't provide it, to at least not say negative, fear-inducing things to you. Good luck!

tuna single-serve packets hard boiled eggs tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter can of sardines mini carton of Greek yogurt individual serving of cottage cheese

I take Trader Joe's High Potency chewables. I also take supplemental iron, B12, folic acid, calcium, and D3 -- but I took all of those before surgery, too. I like the Trader Joe's because they taste fine (not like fake candy, but pleasant), and are cheaper, lower calorie, and lower carb than most specialty bariatric vitamins. I took 2 per day for the first 6 months or so after surgery, then switched to 1 per day. My labs have always been great.

Sounds like something stronger like Omeprazole or Protonix might be in order, and/or increasing your dose. Definitely get in touch with your doctor and ask for help!

I eat spicy food all the time and have since I was cleared for purees. No problems whatsoever.

Maybe try adding some Torani SF syrups to improve the taste? What are you allowed to mix these with? If you can change what you mix it with, that can improve things. I haven't tried them, but I've heard from people who really like the Celebrate brand. You can buy samples of it here: http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html I've also heard a lot of people like the GNC Total Lean shakes. Not eating for two weeks isn't an option. You need to follow your surgeon's orders. Refusing to do that because you don't like the taste of something? You are right, that is stupid. Now, if something is literally making you sick (vomiting, diarrhea) then you need to get in touch with your team ASAP and explain what's going on. You may have some sort of lactose intolerance or whey allergy that needs to be addressed. But if you just don't like the taste, then work on sucking it up and choking them down for a couple of weeks. It isn't the rest of your life, it's just two weeks. But you may also want to check out that Nashua Nutrition site and get some samples of other brands for post-surgery, if you haven't already found something you can tolerate. Good luck!

The best advice I heard before my surgery: don't over pack, it's surgery, not a cruise. The hospital will have virtually everything you need. Lip balm, a long charging cord for whatever device you are bringing, and make sure that you have a pillow to place between your abdomen and the seat belt for the car ride home. And if you are a woman, you might appreciate having a soft, cotton leisure bra that fastens in front. Often you end up with an incision right at the bra line and that HURTS with a typical bra, let alone anything awful like underwire. Your allergies shouldn't be a problem unless you are having constant asthmatic wheezing attacks or something like that.

If you are doing all that and still not losing weight, it seems like the bypass (or switch) would be worth exploring. Maybe that extra kick of malabsorption is what you need!

What does "eating the right stuff" mean? Are you: --weighing or measuring your portions --tracking everything you eat on myfitnesspal or a similar app, and making sure you are eating at a significant caloric deficit --focusing on lean protein and green veggies, and avoiding processed carbs, starchy veggies, and sweets, with fruits and nuts as occasional treats --avoiding liquid calories other than protein shakes --making sure you get minimum 64 oz fluids daily