Kindle

Never counted carbs or fat or calories. I make sure I get in 60-80g protein, 64oz fluid and my vitamins. I try to eat veggies and fruit every day. I still eat sweets, pancakes, bread, pasta, rice, alcohol, etc, but in moderation and certainly not every day. Passed goal in just over 7 months and have maintained 10 pounds below for about 8 months.

Exactly! Thank you everyone. It's going to be a long road of sadness, guilt and anger. a hard lesson learned about what depression can do to an otherwise generous, loving man. @@kimpossible67 Sorry to hijack the thread, but just wanted to let you know it's OK to let your guard down sometimes and don't let it bother you. MHow is your mom doing?

I felt fine and would have gone apeshit sitting in a hospital bed. Instead I was out shopping, site seeing, hanging out with my sister, napping and watching movies in the hotel room. The surgical center and on all doctor was just a phone call away. OCC was very cautious about discharging patients and didn't hesitate to keep someone longer if they needed to. Other than my neck fusion, I have always had my surgical procedures done at a surgical center in the US, so it's something I'm comfortable with. And Even with being in the hospital with my neck fusion, I was discharged (at my insistence and surgeon's OK) about 26 hours after coming out of recovery, so it wasn't much different.

There are plenty of places in the US that do a one night stay and even some that release patients same day as surgery.

Even though I haven't had any complications directly related to surgery, i have had outstanding communication with both Dr. So and Dr. Martinez. Two weeks postop I developed a tooth root abscess and my dentist Rx'd Clindamycin. I spoke with Dr. So to make sure this would be OK to take with my new sleeve. 4 weeks later I developed severe diarrhea and again, Dr. So was available for consult, even over the weekend. Turned out the diarrhea was caused by a C. diff infection brought on from the Clindamycin. Both Dr. So and Dr. Martinez consulted with my PCP over the treatment plan. (Unfortunately the traditional treatments didn't work and I ended up getting a fecal transplant 2 months later). Most recently (well over a year postop) i contacted them with questions about the anesthesia, pain and antinausea protocol they used on me because it worked so well. Dr. Martinez reviewed my file with the anesthesiologist responded via email within 2 days.

My best friend committed suicide on Sunday. I couldn't begin to tell you what I've eaten in the last 3 days but pretty sure it didn't involve much Protein. Tons of food being dropped off and it's all about carbs. Just try and stay hydrated and don't worry about the rest right now. Hoping your mom recovers soon....

I believe no more than 5. There are only 6 patient rooms, and I was told they like to keep one available if anyone needs to stay extra nights. I was the last of 5 surgeries and was back in my room by 5pm.

I'm 16 months out, 10 pounds below goal and have had a protein smoothie (24-32oz fluid/30-40g protein) every day. I also usually have a quest bar at some point during the day. Knowing I've already gotten 50-60g protein, I am free to eat more veggies, fruit and whole grains instead of only protein for every meal/snack. But I still do eat a lot of protein foods, so I'm likely getting 80-100g protein daily. I feel a healthy, balanced diet is the key to long term success, both nutritionally and mentally. And I never bothered counting calories or carbs.

Arrive morning of surgery, so no preop stay. One night in surgical center, 2 nights at Marriott. Rechecks at clinic every day including drain removal and fluoroscopy barium swallow on third day before heading home.

I would NEVER have a dental procedure at the same time as another major surgery. Any dental procedure or oral surgery tends to release bacteria into the bloodstream and you don't want that bacteria seeding your surgical site. In fact, in the US, depending on the type of surgery, they advise against any dental work for 6 months postop. Of course you can take antibiotics, but it was the antibiotics I was given for a tooth root abscess that caused my C. diff infection 2 months post VSG. Not a fun experience.

I went in 2 months ago to have my varicose and spider veins checked. They protrude a lot more since losing weight. They verified that I have venous insufficiency via ultrasound. Turns out this is also the reason for my puffy ankles. I just assumed I had cankles cause I was so fat, but it turns out it's due to poor circulation. Insurance requires that I wear compression stockings for 3 months to see if this improves things before they will pay for the surgery. Well the stockings definitely make a difference with the appearance of my ankles, but my veins are the same. I go back in a month to have another ultrasound and will likely schedule the ablation at that point. The vein clinic I am going to said they will throw in one free treatment for the spider veins at the same time. I may need addition treatments, but that's on me.

16 months out, 10 pounds below goal (for 7 months). Maintaining with 1400-1600 calories (I don't count calories or track food, so this is a guess based on a few random spot checks) Basically eating a regular balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit and whole grains. I eat whenever I'm hungry (6-7 times/day) and only until satisfied, rarely till I'm full. I usually don't plan ahead, I just eat what looks good in the grocery store or whatever I'm in the mood for. Work days are 10-12 hours long (sometimes more) on the road with no lunch break, so I keep protein bars, mixed nuts and jerky handy, but prefer to try and find real food, even if it's a hot dog, a banana, an apple, or the toppings off a personal pan pizza. But I Always eat a healthy dinner and snacks when I'm home. I still drink a protein smoothie everyday....24-32oz fluids and 30-40g protein. That leaves me free to not have to focus on protein at every meal/snack. I also eat dessert, candy, cookies, chips, cake, potatoes, rice (mmmm-sushi), and drink alcohol, but all in moderation and certainly not every day. No exercise, but I have a physical job, strenuous ranch chores and active lifestyle.....skiing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, etc. with toned muscles and six pack to show it. Just livin a "normal" skinny life.....and lovin it!

Just got my brother's tattoo finished. It's taken almost 3 years, but I've finally reached a point where I can celebrate his life rather than mourn my loss. He was an amazing, talented musician and I still miss him everyday.

i'm so sorry Julie, you are struggling with so much. But good for you in seeking help. I spent over a year so miserable and depressed I didn't even WANT to feel better. I didn't want help. My grief was all I had and I didn't want to let it go. Then, somehow, I gradually crawled out of my despair. There are still times when his loss feels just as fresh as the day he died, but like the quote, I found that grief eventually changes into something we can bare to live with. It doesn't mean we don't still miss them and that we don't still love them, it just means we've learned somehow to accept it and continue to live our lives without them. Being happy is not a betrayal of their memory....that was a hard one for me to figure out.

Good luck finding peace @@Julie norton .

Being 16 months out, I thought it might be tough to come up with an NSV every week. Thought I might have to document some of my older ones. But last night I had one after all. Went to a friends house and after dinner his son wanted some batting practice. So my friend pitched and I played outfield....THE WHOLE OUTFIELD! Running back and forth catching fly balls and scooping up grounders. No problem...Agile as a cat!

So this morning I'm getting dressed and pull on my sports bra and undies. Something didn't quite look right in the mirror and I realized I had put my bra on backwards....and it fit fine! Thats how pitifully tiny my boobies are now. I literally laughed out loud and flipped it around the right way. But I don't think that's what they meant by "reversible".

That article is just another another opinion, trying to simplify a complex issue. And debating opinions is a waste of time. You eat your genepro, I'll eat my whey, and Julie will eat her hemp. Discussion over.

With your other health concerns, I certainly understand your nut's suggestion to limit fruit. But as for chemical laden Protein supplements, whey and milk protein concentrates certainly are not. Whey is simply the liquid part of milk that floats to the top when making cheese. Then it's dehydrated and becomes whey protein powder. No chemicals involved. The solid part is curd, which contains mostly casein protein. As for man made, GENEPRO definitely is. They take 100% whey protein, pass it through a gel electrophoresis process in order to strip the hydrogen atoms from it. Then they filter it some more and add on another molecule to stabilize it. As far as I'm concerned, this is no longer protein. It's like removing hydrogen molecules from Water....now it becomes oxygen, and the two are not interchangeable. Until I see actual clinic studies involving not only pre and post serum levels, but also urine and fecal protein levels, I am not convinced that this molecule is something the body's cells recognizes and utilizes as protein. So far the only "research" on genepro is coming directly from the manufacturer. No 3rd party support or verification whatsoever. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying there isn't enough scientific evidence to convince me it's good. I'll stick with real protein for now.

Just be aware that our bodies can only absorb about 20g protein/hour. Anything more than that is simply turned to glucose. So by taking in that much Protein in a short period of time, you are defeating the whole "no fruit" concept. (Which I disagree with, anyways.... Depleting your body of nutrients just to accelerate weight loss doesn't seem responsible or healthy). If you are burning more calories than you are taking in, your body will burn fat for fuel whether you are eating fruit or not. My protein smoothies are usually 30-40g protein, but I drink them over at least 2 hours in order to get the benefit of all the protein. And the GENEPRO throws a whole other wrench into knowing just how much protein you are really getting. I can find no published studies that actually confirm the absorption and utilization of this chemically modified molecule. Since your nut approves it, I would love to see any clinical trial results they may have read that actually supports the manufacturer's claims.

I found I had more energy on the days I added fruit to my protein smoothies starting 3 weeks postop. Bananas, peaches and mangos at first, and then berries after 3 months when I was OK'd for seeds. I ate apples and PB2 several times/weeks starting about 2 months out. (I eventually switched to real peanut butter after I hit goal). Once I got within 10 pounds if goal, I added a lot more fruit into my diet. My favorite snack during the heat of the summer was frozen fruit....pineapple chunks, orange slices, cantaloupe, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc. I always have and still do get all my protein in, but I make a conscious effort to eat fruit and veggies everyday. I've maintained below goal for 7 months, so obviously the fruit hasn't been detrimental to me. For me, a healthy diet means a balanced diet, just like "normal" thin, healthy people eat.

Your doctor sounds like an arrogant, bigoted ass.

That just doesn't make sense. Proteinuria is usually a sign of kidney disease, kidney or bladder infection, or some other medical problem such as diabetes (especially accompanied with the ketones), high blood pressure, and certain cancers. Some medications can cause it, too. I've never heard of excess Protein ingestion causing proteinuria if your kidneys are functioning properly. I know you are a GENEPRO fan, and it sounds like you consume more of it than the average WLS patient that is getting most of their protein from food. That, along with your proteinuria and the fact that genepro consists of highly modified protein molecules got me thinking of a possible scenario. What if the genepro molecule is, in fact absorbed through the intestines very readily like the inventor claims. Now it's in the blood stream, but because of its altered, stable structure the body's cells can't actually break it down and utilize it. And the kidneys can't filter it properly. The only thing left for your body to do is excrete it in your urine. One way to test the theory is to cut out all genepro and start taking in the same amount of protein from 100% whey isolate and food based protein sources. If your proteinuria clears up, that goes towards supporting the theory. If not, I would seriously get on your doctor about doing additional tests. Plenty of WLS patients, body builders, athletes, etc get well over 100g of protein daily without proteinuria. I'm not a doctor, of course, but being in the veterinary world, I've got a decent background in biochemistry and the basic bodily functions of animals are more or less the the same as people. We wouldn't just change the diet of a dog or cat who has protein in their urine. We would find out why, then come up with a treatment plan.

I've read lots of people rave about genepro, and seems like the perfect protein supplement. but after researching the company, the genetic process they use to create the stuff and failing to find any sort of scientific evidence to support the claims, I'm just not comfortable using it as a protein source. It may be the "miracle supplement" it claims to be, but then again it may just be modern day snake oil. (Look at the other fad supplements the company offers) In the meantime I'll stick with "real" protein, even with the temperature and taste issues.

Ditto. My PCP, OB/Gyn and gastroenterologist have all supported my decision and have provided any and all postop care I've needed. My OB/Gyn even got my surgeon's contact info to pass on to other clients. Not only that, but my Mexico surgeon's office is always readily available via phone or email and is involved in my postop medical needs, even those not directly related to VSG. They even return calls on weekends...try getting a US surgeon to do that!