TheGamer

Gas X and Prilosec/Zegerid will do wonders. Post-surgery I discovered that gas, acid,and spasms all feel a LOT like extreme hunger >.<

I got approval without it, but I had a very high starting BMI. According to my insurance there was no exception to the requirement, but my surgeon's office went ahead and submitted even though they said there was, but a month later I'd gotten my approval.

How sad is it that I sit here going "I want to be able to eat seven triscuits!" and thinking of how good they would taste?

I use net carbs, especially if the carbs in it are dietary fiber, and not something like sugar alcohols.

I was every joke ever written about fat kids and cake, though really it just applied to food in general. I never met food I didn't like (or want to eat) and I would eat whatever was in front of me, portion size be damned. If I bought a gallon of ice cream, it was gone in a day or two. Same for any sweets, really. Or not sweets. I really wasn't picky about what I'd eat. Mentally I still have the desire to EAT ALL THE THINGS! (insert meme here) which has led to a few incidents of over portioning which lead to some sliming and discomfort, though never outright vomiting. That sensation was reserved for Bariatric Advantage Vitamins, may they rot, vile things. I have a lifetime of not knowing what full really feels like coming in to this with me, so it is still something I'm trying to figure out. I have no idea what being reasonably full feels like because to me, overly full was what full felt like. For me, the surgery changed my relationship with food. I am so scared of screwing up that I stick to my eating plan no matter what. I guess being terrified of failure is a pretty big motivator for me because if this doesn't work, what else am I going to do? There's nothing left to go to after this. I've turned in to a pretty regulated eater, eating 5 times a day, or 3 meals and 2 Snacks, however you want to play that out. It helps that by eating every few hours it helps me avoid that inherent sense of deprivation that I would otherwise have. Mentally, though, it's always a challenge. During the holidays I was picking up the box of chocolates in the office and just smelling them because the idea that they were sitting there drove me crazy. I've said before that I don't think I'll ever have a really healthy relationship with food. Right now, for me, food is always going to be the enemy. I don't know if that will change.

When I was post-op I loved Better than Bullion chicken and beef flavors. They're kind of midway between bullion cubes, which tend to be really salty and artificial tasting, and broth, which never had enough flavor for me. About the worst thing in it is sodium, but the taste was so good!

For me I was always able to have more liquids, really with no feeling of restriction. It kind of went Water > shakes > mush > soft foods > solid foods in terms of how much I can have before I'm done. I can down a whole cup of tea like nobody's business, but I can only eat 2 or so ounces of chicken or fish before my body goes "woah, that's enough." You'll find that as you move up to solid food, it takes less to get full.

That's why I'm just offering the suggestion to temper what is very good advice with a positive addition. Rather than being the protein shot doom and gloom guy, you can be the guy who's educating on why most protein shots aren't a good dietary choice (which you're doing, though the tone is a bit strident and seems a tad exasperated), and offering an alternative for those who want to use protein shots as a dietary addition. You can put it all in a nice, concise copypasta and then when the subject comes up? Done. We should be getting most of our dietary needs met through real, actual food. Life is busy, though, and we're all at different stages. Some of us are just recovering, some of us are still pretty new to this, and some of us have been at it a long time. What's going to help make this successful for all of us is by having solid, reliable information and resources to fall back on.

I can't speak for others, but the majority of my sleeve related dietary purchases, from sweeteners to Vitamins, bars and protein powders are done online to save expense. If someone wants to use protein shots (I find them hideous tasting, personally, but to each their own) then it seems far more constructive to point them in the right direction at least than to tell them that there is no acceptable alternative. The goal here is to educate, yes? We *should* be looking at the labels of what we eat. We *should* be discriminating consumers. While it does get annoying to say the same thing many times, each person that takes the information to heart is one more educated in the proper information who can, in turn, educate others.

My first few weeks were inaccurate as well. I experienced the week 3 stall with a couple pounds of weight gain right in the middle of it, yet my clothes continued to get baggier and my sizes went down. Now, though, a couple months out, I'm running at about a 2k caloric deficit per day and my weight loss is generally steady at an expected 4-5 pounds a week.

Then you need to update your information, OTR, to reflect that there *are* non collagen/gelatin Protein shots available on the market. You keep saying the same thing to people, but your information isn't accurate. While most of them aren't 100% whey, there is an all whey protein shot available. The Yes Whey protein shots by Protica were given to me in the hospital and are the only shots that my surgeon would let me have. They are 25g of protein per tube and they are 100% whey protein.

My only carb guidance was "no more than 19g at once". Having said that, when sticking to the bariatric eating plan of protein > veggies > carbs, my daily intake is usually under 25g, and most carbs are usually dietary fiber from beans or other sources, which I do not count. Basically carbs are the last thing you want to eat. They're unavoidable in any sort of normal eating, but just minimize them.

You have a pretty low starting weight, so you're not going to lose as rapidly as someone with a much higher starting weight. Start weight, metabolism, diet, and a number of other factors go in to how much weight you lose. What's important is that you *are* losing and that you will eventually reach your goal. Honestly, if you look at what everyone else is doing and get yourself in a negative mental loop of "Why am I not losing as much as this person or that person?" it's only going to put you in a bad space mentally. Instead, focus on the positive things that only relate to you and your weight loss journey like "I got in all my protein today." or "I walked for ten minutes longer this week than last week."

I've tried the Centrum ones and they sat about as well as the BA ones did, which is to say not at all. There's just something about the taste and consistency that my body disagrees with.

PB2 is a powdered peanut butter that has less calories and fat than regular peanut butter. I get mine from Amazon as it's usually cheaper.

Having tried and failed at multiple other vitamins (they make me want to puke), I finally figured it was either going to be gummy vitamins or no vitamins, so gummy it was.

What's worse is I've done it more than once. Just make sure there are no pockets of dry powder when you go to swallow >.<

I love to eat PB2 dry >.> Just don't inhale any, because ohhhh it hurts

Thankfully I've been surrounded by supportive people both in my family and by friends and coworkers. Nobody who's seriously struggled with weight would call this an easy way out. In fact, this, at least for me, was my last resort. Even then, I put it off because I didn't want to resort to such an extreme measure. If I could have done it the "right" way, I would have, but every time I would diet I would feel starved and deprived and miserable and every time I would fail and feel worse about myself because I couldn't do it. I have no doubts that this surgery saved my life.

I love the Progresso beef and barley soup. It's delicious!

Are you relying on Protein drinks/supplements to get your required protein in? What does your daily intake (diet) look like? My understanding is that there's really nothing we can do to stop the hair from falling out. Getting in protein and Vitamins is a start to help keep hair, but it seems that everyone loses some. I have heard that it will grow back, but many people say that it never is as full/thick as it was. Some people will supplement with Biotin to help, but there is no real scientific evidence to support using biotin to stop hair loss or promote hair growth. Most "evidence" is anecdotal one way or the other. The list of vitamins you shared sounds about right and minus the zinc, that's what I take. I've noticed some changes in my skin, mostly because it's looser now. The texture has changed. My hair hasn't changed... yet. I'm waiting for the inevitable, though. Most of us get in about 64 oz of water/fluid a day. That is enough to keep healthy and hydrated. As for the prilosec, I think it's pretty common for us to take. I'm currently taking Zegerid, which is basically prilosec with sodium bicarbonate in it, which my surgeon recommended. I think that the reduced capacity of the stomach along with the tube shape contributes to a greater incidence of acid reflux, which is something I never experienced prior to surgery. I had a post surgery issue with esophageal spasms that made a PPI a necessity. I've not yet bothered to try and not take it, because I'd rather not risk another stomach acid incident. The community here is a good one and I use it in place of a traditional support group. There's one in my area but they meet in the evenings when I'm at work, so I'm never available to go. I've found people to be willing to help and generally if there's a question, someone's experienced it and will pipe up about it. Welcome and good luck

Do a search for "week 3 stall" on the site and you'll see that a stall at week 3 is pretty much par for the course. It will pass. Stalling is a part of weight loss. Some weeks are better than others, but if you're sticking to your plan then you will lose. You probably won't lose it as fast as you want (who doesn't want to lose more than they're currently losing, amirite?) but you will lose and the weight will come off.

My favorite bars are the Quest bars, especially the cinnamon roll ones! They've got 20g of protein and usually 15-20g of good fiber. They're very filling.