Kindle

This last December. The very last surgery before OCC closed for Christmas! Dr. Ortiz took off for a winter vacation in Yellowstone National Park the next day, but Dr. So took very good care of us postop.

Just as a warning...the non-whey Proteins tend to have more " texture " than whey isolate. A little clumpier and some ( especially the Garden of Life) actually settle out and need to be shaken or stirred when drinking. This is because they are more " whole food" based and don't dissolve completely. I just use a Blender Bottle with a sippy top and shake it as I'm drinking. Jay Robb offers individual samples, so you can try them out before buying a whole jug. They were actually my least favorite as far as flavor goes, but they did mix the best. I found individual packets of the Garden of Life Raw Fit and Raw Protein products in my local health food store. As for spirutein, I just went for it and purchased a whole jar of the banana flavor and really liked it. I guess I'd just try and find all the ones you can that offer smaller samples to try and go from there.

There are tons of other non-whey protein products out there. Jay Robb has egg protein powders, Spirutein uses a rice, pea and soy protein blend, Garden of Life Raw Protein uses sprouted seeds. Those are just the ones I've tried and they are good. If you google hemp protein, soy protein, pea protein, egg protein, etc, and you will find a lot of options.

I mix a Fiber supplement in my Protein smoothie everyday. I mix it up.....heaping teaspoon of Metamucil + heaping teaspoon benefiber OR 2 heaping spoonfuls of Suprafiber OR 1 scoop of Garden of Life Raw Fiber (this one works the best but adds a significant thick texture). I also try to eat a lot of high fiber foods and have switched from high Protein Bars to whole grain/fiber bars. The key to natural fiber for regularity is to make sure you are getting plenty of insoluble fiber, not just soluble fiber. Even with all this, I still don't have a BM everyday. If I go two days without pooing, I take Milk of Magnesia that night and then I poo the next morning. The difference is that all the fiber at least makes my stools soft and "manageable" instead if rock hard and "ouchy".

To the OP.... you never said what your Fluid intake is. I count my Protein smoothie as both a meal (x number of protein grams) and fluid (x number of ounces). Even at 8 months out I have a 32oz protein smoothie with 30-40g protein everyday. That's 1/2 my fluids and 1/2 my protein in just one drink! After my 16oz coffee in the morning and my 8oz cup of Sleepytime tea at bedtime, I only have to drink another 8oz of Water to hit goal...And I usually end up drinking much more than that. But you're right, it's harder to get in both water and protein in the beginning. I had to sip ALL DAY LONG. I had a water bottle with me at all times. If I even stopped for an hour I would fall short of 64oz. Back then I made sure everything I drank had protein in it....I mixed up different flavors of powders, added unjury unflavored protein to all of my broths and Soups, etc.

Just FYI, I would consider splitting up your protein supplement. Our bodies can only absorb protein at a rate of 10g/hour. And this is best case scenario for whey isolate....other protein like casein, milk concentrate, eggs, meat, soy, etc is absorbed even slower. Do a search on this forum for "protein absorption" and you will find a bunch of threads that explain and discuss this. I started one called "changing the way I consume my protein" in the nutrition subforum.

Ditto to what Bittersweet said. A full blown attack is probably one of the most painful things you will ever experience. I've had two and they leave you absolutely inconsolable....curled up on the floor wishing you were dead, barely even able to dial your phone for help, much less actually speak. My mom said she'd rather have 100 childbirths than another gallbladder attack. And yet, here I am, still with my gallbladder. . I've had the bloodwork (totally normal) and an ultrasound (sludge and thickened walls, but no stones) it's not really a matter of IF I get it removed, but WHEN. Just figuring out how to fit it into my crazy busy work schedule. Maybe a third excruciating episode will motivate me to move it up my priority list.

I have to agree Quest probably has the best numbers, but I have a hard time with the texture. I sacrifice Protein for better texture. GNC Lean bars aren't too bad..15g protein, 7g sugar, 10g fiber....and like eating a rice crispie treat. And just for future reference, since I've passed goal I actually look for higher fiber and whole grain bars rather than focus on protein. regularity and a balanced diet are more of a priority for me than weight loss at this point. Fiber One Protein, Kashi, Kind Whole Grain, and Pure Ancient grains are ones I like.

That's so cool that you found each other! I, too found a fellow OCCer on here and we were actually on the same flight into San Diego. Brenda, don't be nervous about Mexico. You will be very well taken care of by the OCC and Marriott staff. The drivers were attentive and even took us shopping one days. Everyone was so nice and so helpful. Even the employees at Walmart and Starbucks and were super nice. My sister and I were kind of "regulars" because she's a Starbucks nut. The guys at Walmart asked us lots of questions about how their store compared to US Walmarts and one of the checkout guys was very concerned about making sure we handled our money properly and didn't look like "suckers" or venture into any bad neighborhoods. Good luck to all of you....you won't regret any of it!

I think your stats look just fine especially considering what your poor body has had to endure for so long. In fact, you've lost the same as I had at 8 months. At this point you should concentrate on eating as healthy as you can and letting your body heal. If you you stick with the basic plan you will definitely keep losing. It may take a year or two before your body hits it's new normal. But that sure beats remaining obese or years of more yo yo dieting. Just concentrate on the things you can control....water, Vitamins, what and how much you eat, and exercise. Focus on the positive and set NSV goals. Don't obsess over the things you can't control because there is no way to know how much or how fast you will lose. Good luck and here's hoping for a happysleever!

I've always just followed the program.... 1) minimum 64oz Water. (I usually get more like 70-80oz.); 2) eat when I'm hungry and just until satisfied, not full (this has become even more important the farther out I get because I can eat a lot more than before and if I tried to eat to fullness, I would probably stop losing and /or gain) 3) 60-70g protein/day (I can only do this with a 30-40g Protein smoothie in addition to regular food) 4) Snacks and meals are always protein first, then veggies, fruit and whole grains ( a balanced diet is important for proper nutrition and a healthy body) 5) whole food based Multivitamins and whatever additional supplements your bloodwork indicates you may need (I still take Extra Vitamin D and B12 sublingual, but discontinued Iron and Calcium after labs showed those levels were high) 6) stay active (I don't have a regular exercise routine, but my job and recreational activities are very physical) 7) don't obsess over the scale. (NSV's like how I feel, how I can move, How my clothes fit, how my knees and ankles don't ache everyday, and how my blood pressure is back to normal are all more important to me) At this point I consider myself in maintenance. I guess if I set my goals a lot lower, I might be frustrated, so you may want to readjust your expectations if this is happening to you. Since I was already eating healthy and as much as I want, I haven't changed a lot. I added more fruit and higher fat food options to try and slow my weight loss, but that was 17 pounds ago. I haven't lost anything in about 3 weeks, so I don't know if this is a stall or if I'm done. No way to know and no sense fretting over it. And yes, I do indulge in Desserts, breads, alcohol, and other "no-no's" but always in moderation and completely guilt free.

Stalls are normal and usually resolve on their own. Why do you think you need to eat less? Are you eating too many carbs? Fat? Calories? A lot of stalls are due to not enough water/ Protein /calories. Or it's just your body adjusting to all the changes you are throwing at it. If you are working out everyday you could be in starvation mode and suppressing your appetite and eating less is not the answer. Or you could be gaining muscle and losing fat, so your weight doesn't change. Are your clothes getting looser? The old rules of dieting don't always apply (and obviously never worked or we wouldn't need WLS). Whenever I hit a stall I either a) didn't do anything; b ) ate more; c) drank more; or d) ate different things. (More veggies/fruit/whole grains/different kinds of protein). Never did I eat less or take "magic" weight loss supplements that never work long term anyways. They will screw with your metabolism and any temporary loss they help with will just come back when you stop.

I eat Chobani or Fage plain Greek yogurt and flavor it with Torani SF syrups or Protein powders. Your flavor choices and level of sweetness are nearly endless with no added sugar. I also like mixing it with fresh fruits....peaches, strawberries, blueberries, mangos, etc. more suger, but not as bad as the pre sweetened/flavored ones.

So I was just reading about another skin toning treatment called thermage. It appears to be a one-time treatment with results seen in 2-4 months. The before and after pictures are pretty impressive. Nothing like a full face lift or plastic surgery, but does a decent job on wrinkly faces and sagging skin on necks, abdomen, knees and buttocks. Hmmmm......

I had surgery December 20th. I planned to take two weeks off through the holidays so I didn't miss that many days of work. But we got busy so I ended up going back to work on the 27th. It was kind of part time because of the weekend and New Years, but kicked it in full 50+ hour weeks by jan 2. That's the downside of owning your own business . We did have to tweek the schedule a bit though because I couldn't lift more than 20 pounds for 3 weeks. (Which sure was easier to deal with than my partner 's restriction of under 8 pounds for six weeks after her hysterectomy!)

I'm 45 and lost 95 pounds. I ended up with loose skin everywhere, but my tummy, arms and neck have firmed up pretty good already. I think I will always have loose skin on my butt and thighs. Nothing I'd want to show off at the swimming pool, but not enough for surgery. A pair of longish shorts or capris pretty much covers any sagging areas. My boobs are really the only problem area....I now have B cups hanging in very saggy formerly DD skin and I fall out of most bras when I bend over. But, like others said, I'll take fit and flappy!

You should give them a call or fill out their info request form.... http://www.obesitycontrolcenter.com/contact/ They were super helpful with all of my dozens of questions and never once pressured me to book with them or pestered me with unsolicited calls or emails.

Passed surgeon's goal at 6 1/2 months Passed personal goal at 7 1/2 months Still losing at 8 1/2 months, even though I am ready to stop. Wanna finally buy some new clothes!

I weighed 7 days postop and was still 5 pounds up from surgery day. I think I weighed again at 17 days but don't even remember what that number was. I've always been a big advocate of NOT weighing everyday. I just read too many posts on here about people all freaked out and depressed over the stupid numbers on the scale. Just follow the plan and you will lose. And you will be a lot happier without the obsessive weighing. Congrats on your surgery and good luck!

I'd ask your surgeon because everyone is different. I was told no nuts or seeds for 3 months. But since then I've had mixed nuts as a snack pretty much every single day.

Everyone is going to tolerate certain foods differently, but no, there's nothing off limits if you tolerate it. I'd never heard of the coconut thing and I eat pumpkin seeds several times/week. I'm all about maximizing fiber. The only thing I can't tolerate is carbonation....so no hard ciders, beer or soda for me. Other than that I enjoy every meal I eat. After the first 3-4 months of healing and food transitions, this has been quite easy, and I don't deny myself any of the foods I like.

I 've got a friend who had bypass 8 years ago. She still has to take Protonix everyday. Prilosec didn't work for her. Hope you find something that works for you.

I had my surgery with Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at Obesity Control Center. I can't say enough good things about them....credentials, experience and complication rates are outstanding, surgery is at their private hospital, and you get personal attention including great post op communication from their followup doctors. You book and deal directly with them, not a third party Medical Tourism company. Check out the thread "Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Obesity Control Center" on the self pay/Mexico surgery forum. It's very long, but has detailed posts from dozens of OCC patients. Or feel free to PM me if you'd like more info. Good luck!

GERD is one of the most common side effects of VSG. My surgeon required daily Omeprazole 40mg for two months, then weaned down to 20mg before stopping. Fortunately I have not had reflux, but I do get a burning sensation periodically. Usually a couple days of Rolaids will knock it out, but if not I do a week of Prilosec and then I'm good for several weeks.

Yes, sometimes I have a pig out day. But like you, it's good food, just plenty of it. I don't worry about it and just go back to my normal program the next day. Heck, I've even had a few alcohol and dessert binges, but it's ridiculously minute compared to anything I ever did preop. Heck, I'm human and I'm living my life like a "normal" thin person, so these things happen. Besides, like Recycled said, I like to mix things up and keep my metabolism guessing. Seems to be working for me.