SerendipityHappens

I have heard that the protein from porkrinds is not good quality protein and does not get utilized by our bodies. I haven't seen any scientific research to back this up though and I haven't looked for any since I don't like pork rinds so the whole thing is irrelevant to me... BUT if you're looking at them as part of your protein count, you may want to investigate a bit further to see if this rumor has any merit.

I have it too... I actually had norovirus (nasty stomach bug) for a week, just started feeling better from that and then came down with this flu and it's pretty bad. . GRRRRR.. oh well, at least it broke my stall. Feel better soon.

Snow in Nabatiyeh??? I have some friends in Sur, I'll have to call them. Thanks.

the shoulderblade pain Sounds like typical gas pain that can follow laproscopic abdominal surgery. It SUX. It doesn't feel like regular gas that you're used to... TOTALLY different animal.

If you are concerned about it.. talk to your doctor and see if it would be helpful for you to do it. My preop diet is supposed to be for 1-2 weeks but I started 14 weeks early! I'm doing 12 weeks of a 800 calorie high Protein diet and then two weeks nearly the same diet just with even MORE restriction. three days of clears and then surgery. Honestly I'm not really sure that this is all necessary from a "liver shrink" perspective.. When I had gallbladder surgery, my surgeon told me that I have very little visceral fat and normal liver and loads of empty space in there... but still, It will be good to have my BMI down below 50 and it's really helping me a lot mentally.. oh and I've dropped 24 pounds so far!

my home>goals>change>goals>custom set your Protein goal to whatever your doctor recommends. I'm presleeve and my current favorite protein source is microwaved flounder. four ounces of flounder is 25 protein grams... I'm also rather fond of adding Protein powder to sugar free pudding... but that's been triggering other sweets cravings for me, so I stopped that. Lately I've been adding a scoop of Jay Robb chocolate protein powder and 1/4 cup of milk to 12 ounces of coffee. REALLY GOOD.

Clearly she's admitted she needs help.. she's looking at a pretty intensive and well rounded non-surgical option but has not ruled out surgery. She is just 25. I think she's taking a perfectly sensible approach and is keeping an open mind. Where does it say she's trying to fool herself. It IS possible that she will not need surgery if the diet/exercise/therapy is sufficient for her.

Some people don't need it.. there was a time when I believed I didn't need it. I have lost a LOT of weight in the past.. YAY.. I'm successful. I DID IT ALL ON MY OWN... but then I GAINED IT ALL BACK ON MY OWN too! I know I could lose all this weight without surgery. I'm down over 50 pounds from my highest weight already.... BUT i also know that I won't be able to KEEP it off without surgery. If I was in your position, I'd make my best effort with the program, and if you're successful with that, then go for another six months.. and keep going until you are down to the weight you want to be. If you are able to stay at that weight then you don't need surgery. YAY! BUT if you are unable to lose the weight or maintain your lower weight don't beat yourself up over it, just take the next step and do the surgery.

passport card if you are crossing the border by land... you need an actual passport if you are flying directly into Mexico and it also works when crossing by land. I think a lot of people who cross frequently, have the passport card or enhanced driver's license for convenience purposes. If I was YOU, I'd just get the actual passport book even if you don't need it for your mexico surgery... CUZ, you never know when the option for international travel may arise in the future and it's just a good idea to have a passport.

Gallbladder pain can radiate up to shoulders and also to the left.. you don't always have the pain in the actual gallbladder until you get very near the end and you wind up with a ruptured gallbladder. It wasn't until my gallbladder ruptured that I knew EXACTLY where the pain was originating from.

AWESOME! Have I mentioned today how much I love this forum. I'm ordering my supplements now for after my upcoming surgery. I was about to get a huge bottle of chewables thinking I'd need them for several months. SO GLAD I checked here first! I HATE chewables and would prefer a horesepill ANY day.

I enjoyed the quiz. I got an 82!

BEST WISHES

I accepted you.. MFP is a GREAT tool for tracking your intake. I LOVE IT.

I was amused by the little old ladies who would sit in their white patio chairs on the side walk and smoke their argeeleh all all afternoon while gossiping. I don't speak Arabic, but I know gossip when I hear it

I'm pre-sleeve and I have been practicing not drinking with meals and It's going really well. I just don't eat really dry things. I thought it would be much more difficult but it's not a big deal.. and I used to drink 3 full glasses of Water with dinner! As far as the soda goes, I LOVE it too, but haven't had any for a long time. Last week I took some fanta orange zero and shook it up and let it go flat with just the teeny tiniest bit of zing to it.. I sipped on half and it was good. I used the other half as the base for a chocolate Protein shake.. the jury is still out on this combination. I'm really enjoying taking my time to practice my life in "post sleeve" world. I'm going to be miserable enough after surgery, I don't want to be going crazy suffering from food withdrawals or adjusting to new habits if I don't have to....The one thing that is giving me a REALLY hard time is careful chewing. I sometimes don't chew at all.. Even salad just gets a couple of chomps and goes down pretty much whole. I'm working on it but it's really REALLY difficult for me!

HOW FRUSTRATING!!! Reading stories like this makes me actually relieved that I was not covered for WLS by insurance.

I'd be willing to bet he's an obsessive pimple popper too!

I have a love-hate relationship with PF.. I LOVE that there are a lot of machines. The machines are clean and in good working order. I have never had to wait for a treadmill, elliptical or spin bike. I have had to wait for a recumbent bike but not for long. The clientelle is pretty much just people who go there to workout and mind their own business. I've seen a few grunters and "gym rat" types but very few. Mostly it's just lots of moms and people workingout after work. I feel comfortable there in sweats and a t shirt. The PF I went to in NY had a lot of muslim ladies who would go work out there in head cover and baggy clothes... nobody cared. I also liked the strength training equipment. I did have to wait a little to use it, but I was ok with that. I weighed 330 when I was going there and I could use everything no problem though that thing you have to push open and closed with your legs, I did get stuck on and some lady had to help me get out of it!!! We had a good laugh and she showed me how to adjust it so it didn't open as wide! What I didn't like about Planet fitness: NO FITNESS CLASSES.. no zumba, no step aerobics... not not really any help anywhere. the people who work there are just kids and they really don't seem to know what they're doing.. I also hated that they had pizza and bagles out for free to the gym patrons sometimes.. AAAK... I don't need that when I'm going to the GYM!!!

Thanks for the feedback. I booked an extra night at the hotel and have been kind of wondering if it was necessary. I'm pretty tight with my dollars and I didn't want to spend more than I had to.. Based on your experience sounds like I made the right choice. Feel better soon.

It's not actually that common.. only about 1% of the general population... BUT among the super-obese (those with a BMI over 50) 25% have night eating... so it's quite common among us fatties, but not overly common among the general population

Butter the bean is post op and has been doing some green smoothies and he loves it. I am preop, and I can say I'm hooked on juicing. I have an Omega 8006 horizontal slow juicer and it is very efficient at everything except carrots. Carrot leave a lot of damp pulp behind but I'm ok with that because carrots are so cheap to begin with and I don't juice a lot of carrots anyway. a 20 ounce portion of mean green takes the following: 1 lemon, 1 apple, 1 cucumber 4 celery ribs, 1 chunk of ginger, 1/2 of a big bunch of greens. For me living in Harrisburg, PA, that works out to 2.50 to 3.00 for a 20 ounce juice It's very nutrient dense and I don't feel l like I'm wasting money. My juicer rocks and as a plus, I also use it to make banana "ice cream" which is just a frozen banana run through the juicer.. yum. and also almond milk. My biggest concern is that postop I'm not allowed lemons for a very long time so I guess I'll have to quit juicing while my belly heals (I CAN'T drink it without the lemons, cuz it tastes like lawn clippings when I do)

Typical day for me on my pre-preop diet (like amanda, I started early due to BMI concerns) Breakfast Protein shake made with milk, Water or coffee, 110-200 calories 25-30 grams of protein lunch- same as breakfast but lately I have been drinking half my shake for breakfast and half for lunch and not wanting the second protein shake I'm still meeting my minimum protein intake for the day so I've been skipping it. Dinner: salad with lots of leafy greens and vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, etc with a small amount of low calorie dressing, a portion of lean meat (tonight was 4 ounces of 95% lean beef that I seasoned up with my homemade taco seasoning, but often I'll do 6 ounces of flounder) Snacks: choose from the following but stay under 800 calories total 1 egg ounce of nuts half of a piece of fruit lately I've been enjoying some juice as a snack.. before you get too excited, it's cucumber, celery, kale, lemon and ginger juice that I make myself and I add a bit of stevia for sweetness. I find the juice helps keep things "moving along" and I'm still able to stay under my calories with it.. Plus my nutritionist wants me taking in as much dark leafy greens as possible... my juice had 8 cups of raw kale in it!!! Once my actual 2 week preop diet starts it will be similar except I won't get the Snacks... Just two or three shakes, a lean meat and a salad. Then after the two week preop, I'm on clears for three days. They said no protein in the clears, just clear or translucent sugar-free fluids.

I regularly gain 7 pounds in anticipation of aunt flow. SEVEN POUNDS. Also, I'm not sleeved yet, but I'm on 800 calories a day and I lost a lot of weight rapidly, then gained back a few pounds and then stalled for two weeks and I HAVEN'T been cheating on my diet.. The scale finally started moving again and I lost the pounds I gained plus another one. I've read through these forums I KNOW that stalls happen I know that it's normal.. but it's something that is supposed to happen to OTHER PEOPLE.. NOT TO ME!

AMEN.