Fiddleman

My head is still achy today; it was hard to sleep because it was sensitive even on a soft pillow. I wish I could figure this one out. There are small areas about 1-2 inches that feel like they took a beating.

My rule of thumb is to target 3 oz of solid protein a meal or 25-30 grams of protein in shake form. If I eat 3 protein meals a day and 2 shake meals, I end up with more than enough protein per day, usually between 100-125 grams. Body is happy except for the hair; it is still falling like autumn leaves.

That is crazy good weight loss at 1.5 lb a day. I would be doing the happy dance. Most usually level out at 2-3 lbs a week afterbthe first month. There are exceptions, but that is to be expected.

My NUT said coffee is perfectly fine post-op. I enjoy a daily expresso or Cappuccino with splenda and no creme. It doesn't appear to mess with my appetite and it gives me some positive vibes or wakes me up when needed.

Anyone else who is greater than 3 months post op staring down at their mountain of vitamins wondering if there is a better way. Sure I take them out of habit every day, but there are some days when we have a long stare down.

I don't know. A lot of them were recommended by NUT during post-op.

Since starting solids a couple months ago, the food bills have really gone up and up. Protein is so expensive even though I am buying in bulk from Costco. Maybe it is just inflation. I primarily eat chicken products such as small sausage, large sausage, chicken pieces and more. I also have matrix protein shakes which takes me a week to get through 2 lbs. each one of the is about $23 on Amazon. I thought food costs would be less then pre-surgery when I used to eat out all the time. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the really great advice everyone. I am going on a walkabout to find my cheap meat.

I take daily: 2 c chewable (1000 mg) from costco ( orange flavor) 3 multi with Iron from Celebrate 1 krill ( used to take 2 huge Omega 3 gel caps, glad I replaced with 1 small krill) 2 citalopram ( not sure I need any more, but need to figure out how to get off it) 2 b12 under the tongue 1 energy blend from Gnc 1 d at 5000 iu ( used to take 3 so glad I found a 5000 iu ) 1-2 Prilosec 2 b-50 capsules from celebrate 2 Calcium chew from Bariatric Advantage ( actually take 6 a day spread out) I am not keen to remember to take them all unless done together in the morning. The exception is the calcium chews which I take 2 hours apart from the multi with iron in the morning and remainder 4 at other 2 meals. The calcium chews are about the once Vitamin supplement I can stomach from Bariatric Advantage. Don't get me started on the BA multi tablets. Those are long gone.

I got the same thrush at around 2-3 weeks. It was a thick white coating on my tongue. I gargled with mouth wash and took a tooth brush to it every day for a few days and then it was gone. I also believe that it may have been caused by drinking milk since thrush is basically a yeast infection of the mouth. To test this, I switched to soy and it cleared up in a day or two. I also stopped eating yogurts and switched to taking probiotics daily, i found a good one called Green Vibrance that has 25 billion probiotics from 25 different varieties per serving. It is kind of expensive, but helps with BM and general health when our food does not contain much vegetables. Hope this helps.

I order my shakes off Amazon currently. Free 2 day shipping and prices are usually $10 below a place like Vitamin world. Unfortunately, GNC does not carry syntax products. I tried the costco whey powders. They are ok, but I am not a huge fan of them.

Are you kidding?? I love the protein shakes by syntax especially when mixed with light soy. Oreo, chocolate truffle, vanilla bean, they are the best. I look forward to 1-2 a day to help out either with protein needs or when I just don't have the time to make something more solid. There are so many favors to choose from, but again, I am hooked on the sweeter varieties.

Thanks for the responses. Maybe I am seeing things with regards to all the costs. I'll definitely keep an eye on it because money does not grow on trees as they say, especially in the economy...

I've also noticed the top of my head is achy. Maybe this is related to the great exodus of hair or maybe it isn't. Anyone know?

Darn hair keeps piling up on my iPad screen. At least it shows me where some of it is going.

Keep up the great progress. I would not be overly concerned because you will hit a stall fairly soon and then you will be asking why you aren't losing fast enough. LOL! Everyone has different body types which results in a different loss rate.

I am glad I am paying the big bucks for premium insurance at work. Total out of pocket is 250 and the after care is amazing, especially the NUT. I have a 3 week, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 1 years follow up plus they have support groups 2x a month. I feel bad if your insurance does not have an after care, but do appreciate that VST is second to none and full of gracious, caring and knowledgable people ( well, except for 1 or 2 recently). We are here to help you.

How many fiber gummies do you take a day? I also realized my walking has been missing in last couple weeks, so am starting that up again. Hopefully that will make everything golden for both me and my dog.

It sounds like it is a really good idea for us to stop blocking ourselves from meeting friends and to put ourselves out there with a meetup or two. Thanks for the suggestion. Now I just need the courage to do it. I need a magic drink that would make make me an outgoing person in social situations. And I am not talking about alcohol.