DLCoggin

It is indeed in my signature and has been (and continues to be) an inspiration to me - "Persistence, along with absolute belief, can never be defeated." Some other favorites: "You're not ready until you're convinced." "It is of no use saying 'We're doing the best we can', success means doing what is necessary." "Change your thoughts and you change your world." "Think from the end." "Perfection is not a criteria for success." "It's not just about the weight you lose. It's about the life you gain." "Hold the vision and trust the process." You guys have a great day!

I'm curious what prompted your doctor's recommendation. Were you experiencing symptoms that he/she thought might be associated with Splenda (sucralose) and subsided with Truvia (stevia)? My doctor told me no more Splenda . I now use Truvia and real brown sugar instead of Splenda brown sugar.

<---- Mine are up-to-date as well!

Liquid Calcium Magnesium Citrate for me as well - surgeon's orders. I take LifeTime that I purchase from Amazon. Comes in several flavors - both the Natural Lemon Custard and strawberry are really quite tasty. I take it once a day in the evening and my blood work has been spot on for two years.

If you have any history of cardio vascular disease, chest pain should be treated as an emergency. Regardless of how subtle or severe the pain may be, treat it as an emergency. 911 and let the experts make the determination.

"Is there a safe one (or safer one)?" According to science, the short answer is "Yes". A Google search for "Safety of artificial sweeteners" returned 541,000 results. This link - http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/are-artificial-sweeteners-safe - is just one of several articles on WebMD on the subject of artificial sweeteners (there are links to many of them at the bottom of each page of this article). The bottom line is that all artificial sweeteners approved by the FDA for sale in the U.S. (including saccharin based sweeteners) are "recognized as safe". All have been tested. Some quite extensively, others less extensively. "Do you limit?" Other than avoiding ridiculously large quantities, there seems to be very little if any published information on any limits of consumption. That said, the debate over the safety of artificial sweeteners has been going on for a long time and will likely continue. Chemical content, processing, GMO and even the "natural" label are all controversial. The FDA, as of now, does not even regulate the use of the word "natural". The benefits of artificial, "low-calorie" sweeteners for diabetics and those on the weight loss journey are undeniable. They do not affect blood sugars and have either no calories or contain so few calories that they are not considered significant. "Reduced-calorie" sweeteners are usually sugar alcohols. They have about half the calories of sugar but some diabetics will experience an increase in blood sugars with sugar alcohols. So the decision to use or not use artificial sweeteners continues to be a subjective one. And for those who opt to use them, the choice more often than not will revolve around taste. Estimates are that 7 out of 10 people in the U.S. use artificial sweeteners.

Love the "Gotta Do Em's"!

Welcome Kharnick - glad to have you join us! What kind of practice do you have and have you decided on which surgery you'll be having?

AND welcome to the forum! Lots of great folks here! This is a very special place and you'll find lots of support in your journey. Congratulations on your weight loss!!

I don't know of anything that will get you back on track and keep you on track better than logging your food. My Fitness Pal highly recommended but there are other apps that do pretty much the same thing. I've been logging for over two years and would be lost without it. I manage my weight. Literally. It's been well over a year since I hit my maintenance weight of 155 lbs. In that time my weight has never been outside of a 151 to 156 window. This morning it was 153.8. And I never experienced any "bounce back" weight gain. Log your food, weigh yourself often (I weigh daily since reaching my maintenance weight) and respond quickly to weight changes approaching the limits of your window. If your weight is a little too high, reduce your daily calorie goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two and it will come right back down. Weight a little too low (it does happen), increase your calorie goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two and it will come back up. I've done both. Many times. And it works like a charm. But it all starts with logging your food. Commit to logging for 90 days and you'll be amazed at how fast, easy and effective managing your weight can be!!

No one knows better than the folks reading this forum that bariatric surgery is not an easy way out. And precious few of us are immune to the anger and frustration that this kind of judgmental nonsense produces. But the reality is that the obesity stigma is alive and well. Virtually all prejudice is based on either ignorance or hate and neither one is going to disappear any time soon. Obesity is a progressive, life threatening disease that is the number two cause of preventable death in the U.S. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment known to medical science for the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes and more than 30 comorbidities associated with obesity. Not only will we benefit from the discoveries that have been made and are continuing to be made, but our children and our children's children and countless generations to come will reap rewards that can only be described as priceless. I recently read one of the most powerful statements I have ever seen in an article titled "Safety of Bariatric Surgery" at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(14)70009-9/fulltext?elsca1=EMAIL-TLDE-SERIES-BariatricSurgery&elsca2=email&elsca3=YZ1YP7F . The quote is from Max Planck, the German theoretical physicist that originated quantum theory. "A new scientific truth does not does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."

Sounds delicious!

Welcome to the forum! Lots of very special folks here ready and willing to share their ideas. Was the consult with your surgeon? If so, did he/she give you any information on pre-op weight loss or any indication of a timetable? You're gonna love the new you!!

I would agree with everyone else that losing almost a hundred pounds in six months is hardly a failure! One suggestion for you. If you start maintaining a food log you'll never again say "Maybe I'm eating too much." Log your food and you'll KNOW if you're eating too much, too little or just right. No guessing. Logging puts you in the driver's seat. Whatever your goal is, your log is your compass to take you in the direction you want to go. Your confidence will go through the roof. You'll be managing your weight instead of your weight managing you. Other than the surgery itself, logs are the most powerful tool you can have in your arsenal. Commit to it for ninety days and you'll never go back to guessing again! You're gonna love the new you!!

I strongly second food logging. I've been using MFP for over two years and never leave home without it!!

My surgeon requires 100g a day for the guys (60g to 80g for the gals). I've been able to meet that requirement for over two years with one protein shake (35g of protein) every day for breakfast. Eating 1600 to 1800 calories a day, 100g of protein at 4 calories/gram would be 22% to 25% of my daily calorie intake. The Institute of Medicine recommends adults get at least 10% and no more than 35% of daily calories from protein. It should be noted that those numbers are for a "normal" healthy adult. Following surgery when your body is doing some serious healing for several months, higher protein percentages are often recommended for a temporary period of time.

Here's a list of questions (with recent updates) that I posted quite some time ago. Since you're coming up on your last appointment you'll likely have answers to some of these already but hopefully you'll find others that will prove useful. What are the risks? How often do patients have complications following surgery? What side effects are the most common? What are the benefits? What should I expect after surgery? Realistically, what weight loss should I expect following surgery and over what period of time? What are "stalls" or "plateaus"? How long do they last and if I do experience them, what can I do to shorten their duration? Will any new technology be used e.g. robotics? Is the hospital and surgeons office accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)? This is a combination of the programs formerly offered by two highly respected surgical societies - The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Beginning in 2012, this accreditation replaced the former Bariatric Centers of Excellence. Are you board certified in bariatric surgery? How many roux-en-y gastric bypass surgeries have you performed? Have you experienced any surgery related mortalities? Do you have patients that are willing to share their weight loss surgery experiences, positive and negative? What types of support groups and counseling will be available post-op? What information can you give me to help family and friends better understand the surgery? How often do you see your patients following surgery? What is the significance of Protein following surgery? Does your practice offer support services for psychological needs? What assistance is available for helping me secure insurance approval? Who should I speak with regarding insurance related questions? What pre-op testing will be done? What post-op testing will be done? Will I need Vitamins after my surgery and if so, what types? When can I start exercising after my surgery? How likely is it that I will regain weight after surgery? Think of the meeting with your surgeon as an interview. You're looking for an answer to "Why are you and your team the most qualified for the job?" You're gonna love the new you!!

Many doctors (and more all of the time) are very supportive of bariatric surgery for their patients who qualify. Particularly PCP's that have patients that have had bariatric surgery and so have seen the truly remarkable results that are possible. But there are still some doctors who are not up-to-date on the surgeries and others (unfortunately) who are simply biased against obese patients. You can read stories of all three "types" right here on the forum. You're on the right track. Discuss it with your PCP. Tell him/her why you think it would be the right choice for you and listen to their response and their reasoning for being for or against. Doing your own research is also extremely important. There is a lot of great information online including this forum. There is also a lot of misinformation online so choose your sources carefully. Harvard Public Health, Mayo Clinics, WebMD, National Institutes of Health, American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Institute of Medicine, the food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization are all excellent sources of information and there are many more. RnY and vertical sleeve are the most effective treatments known to medical science for obesity, type 2 diabetes and more than 30 comorbidities associated with obesity. Your PCP and/or your surgeon may recommend one surgery over another based on your medical history and your current medical status. If there is no compelling reason favoring one over the other, your surgeon may leave the choice up to you (mine did). Both surgeries are safe and effective and... You're gonna love the new you!!

Good video. I recently purchased "Stretching" by Bob Anderson, 30th Anniversary Edition. Reviews on Amazon were very good and I decided to give it a look. According the first page of the book, it is one of the most popular fitness books of all time with 3.5 million copies sold worldwide and published in 23 languages. I've only just started a daily stretching routine but have to say that I am most impressed with this book so far. The stretches are explained very well and the accompanying graphics are excellent. There are more than 150 stretches in the book for stretching virtually all muscle groups. The author stresses the importance of stretching properly (never bouncing and never to the point of painful) and of being aware of the muscle(s) you are stretching and how it feels. The book is organized with stretches for each area of the body e.g. back, shoulders, legs, hips, etc. and is fully indexed. Note that the main focus of the book is static stretching as opposed to dynamic stretching. Static stretching is geared more to ordinary folks with dynamic stretching more appropriate for athletes. Highly recommended!

Call you doctor. Could be the gall bladder, an ulcer or a number of other things. Time to talk to the big kahuna. At three months out anything that is preventing your from getting all of your doctor's recommended Protein and Water needs to be addressed. As music said, there are lots of treatment options but they all begin with your doctor. Congratulations on your weight loss so far!!

I'd say you are an ideal candidate but would echo what other members have said - do the research. There is a lot of excellent information online but there is also a lot of misinformation so choose your sources carefully. Harvard Public Health, Mayo, WebMD, National Institutes of Health, Institute of Medicine and American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery - all excellent sources and there are many more. You will read it again and again - the surgery is a tool but the key to success is lifestyle changes. The surgery does not make the journey "easy" but it does make it "easier" and that makes all the difference in the world! You're gonna love the new you!!

Great article! Attitude is not just something, it's everything. Lifestyle changes are not about what you "can't" do, eat or think - it's about what you "choose" to do, eat or think - or not do, not eat or not think. Choice is about control, not denial.

Yogurt, Babybel light cheese, cottage cheese, nonfat milk, almond or soy milk, hummus, edamame (chew well), Peanut Butter (lots of folks love PB2), eggs and of course shakes and powders. I'm sure you'll get lots of other suggestions as well!

Are you maintaining a food log? In my experience, nothing establishes accountability like a food log. And logs make you accountable to the single most important person in the equation - you. As ridiculous as it sounds, I have passed on eating "X" simply because I didn't want to log it. Now add the fact that your log is an ongoing daily reminder of what you are accomplishing and why. You don't think you're doing well, you know you are doing well and the scales will respond - an amazing confidence builder. An extremely powerful tool in helping you accomplish the all-important Prime Directive - lifestyle changes!

Possible stricture was my first thought as well. But I don't know if that would explain the high blood pressure. Definitely time to see your surgeon. Nausea and vomiting are pretty common and they are lots of options for treating that. The question is the cause. Welcome to the forum and please keep us posted on your progress!!