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I started eating in maintenance mode when I hit my surgeon's goal (BMI 26). I dropped another 22 pounds ((BMI 23) before my body finally stopped losing. I can gain 4-5 pounds by eating a lot of carbs and drinking alcohol (ie. holidays and vacation) but can lose it again just as quick going back to protein and veggies. I don't go to the gym or exercise, but I have a very active, physical job and lifestyle, so I didn't lose muscle mass. You can control what and how much you eat and how active you are, but in the end Your body is just going to find its new normal.

Started at 238. Hit surgeon's goal (160) at 6 1/2 months. Hit Personal goal (150) at 7 1/2 months. Hit lowest (138) around 9 1/2 months. Been 138-140 ever since.

I told my family and friends before surgery. Afterwards I've told anyone that asked how I lost weight. I just wouldn't feel comfortable letting people think I did it with diet and exercise alone. I've had lots of positive support, some jealousy (in a friendly, casual way, no offense taken) and at least two people have had WLS themselves after hearing about mine.

Read the posts on this thread.... Your question has already been answered.

16 days preop diet consisting of 3 high protein shakes and leafy green veggies. Optifast was NOT on my approved list of shakes. It has more sugar than protein. I used Syntrax Matrix and Nectar, Unjury, Premier Protein, Muscle Milk and Raw Protein products. If your surgeon doesn't give you specific instructions, read labels and look for products with at least 20g protein and less than 5g carb.

It was on the website and I clarified with Carolyn via email when I was asking my zillion questions before surgery.

My surgeon recommended.... CBC, platelets Electrolytes Glucose Iron studies/Ferritin Vitamin B12 Liver and Kidney Function Lipid Profile 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D I had my PCP add in Zinc and Folate after researching other potential deficiencies for Bariatric patients. My labs have shown no deficiencies, and I was actually able to stop taking iron and Calcium supplements after my 6 month results showed elevated levels. Everything was good at 12 months.

Jay Robb makes an egg Protein line, but I wasn't a big fan of the taste. I think you can get individual packets from their website, so you could try them for yourself. Spirutein is soy, pea, and rice protein and I've liked all I've tried...strawberry, vanilla and banana. They also make a chocolate and chai latte but I haven't tasted them yet. Raw Fit and Raw Protein are sprouted seed protein. I really like these (chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and original) but some people may not like the texture. Since it is whole food-based, it doesn't dissolve completely like other powders. It wants to settle out, but I just mix and drink from a Blender Bottle so I just give it a shake between drinks. Besides soy protein, Bob's Red Mill also makes a plain hemp protein and vegetable protein. You would have to add flavoring to them, but would provide the "purest" protein option. I have found the Spirutein, Raw Fit and Raw Protein in individual packets in several health food stores so you could try them before buying a big tub.

Ditto on the split pea soup Also bean soup huevos rancheros (refried beans, cottage or cheddar cheese, egg and green chili) Crab salad on a tomato slice

138

138

HW 238 SW 216 CW 138 TPL 100 TGP 88 Up a pound after my carb-filled weekend....cheesy bread, raspberry cobbler, pancakes, crackers, and wine. But that's what a bounce range is for!

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I just found the National Institute of Health's list of WLS qualifying comorbidities. One of the conditions listed is "premature death". Exactly how many medical experts did the government hire to come up with this list, anyways?

Talk to your surgeon about any and all supplements (including homeopaths) you want to take. A lot of them can be contraindicated prior to surgery due to increased chance of bleeding or interference with meds they may administer in the hospital. I am a vet tech and actually had a client kill their dog by administering arnica after a simple lump removal surgery. She didn't tell us she was giving it and she ended up giving about 200x more than the recommended dose, thinking it would be a good anti inflammatory. The arnica in conjunction with the injectable NSAID we had already given caused severe ulcers which perforated the stomach. By the time she told us what she was doing (5 days postop) the damage was done and there was nothing we could do.

Anywhere near Plainfield?

I posted this same complaint in the web assistance subforum back in October. It only does it on the full version on my iPad. My avatar (and many others) change almost daily. The full site also causes Safari to freeze when I'm typing responses. For this reason I started using the iPad app version of BP which sucks because I can't see avatars or tickers or profiles. I check out the full browser version occasionally, but the glitches are still there. Nothing is more frustrating than typing a long post only to have the whole thing freeze up and I have to shut down Safari and I lose the entire post. I also can't cut and paste within BP full version. I've spent hours with Apple tech support and even rebooted my iPad to default factory settings. Since BP is the only site that does this, it's likely a BP issue, not an iPad issue.

Glass of white wine 4 months postop. No problems and (unfortunately) didn't hit me hard like everyone else seems to report. Bloody Mary about a month later and couldn't finish it cause it was too acidic. Then went with a Mint julep (Kentucky Derby party) but it was way too sweet. Tried Mike's Hard Lemonade and it was too carbonated. But thumbs up for vodka/cranberry, Crown and Water, vodka/lemonade, White Russian, and straight Amarula. I miss a good Jack and Coke, but can't do the carbonation. I have no problem with 1 or 2 drinks, but if I drink more than that or more than 2 days in a row, I get gastritis.

I eat anything and everything in moderation....nothing is off limits. Lost 115% of my excess weight and maintaining easily. I did not have surgery to be on a diet the rest of my life.

I had surgery in Mexico and was supposed to arrive the day before. Here's my weather-related travel nightmare.... I got to the airport only to discover my flight was cancelled because the SLC airport was closed due to a storm and my connection was through there. Since it was Christmas time, all flights were booked and the next flight they could get me on was two days later! So I hopped in my truck, started driving and played phone tag with Delta on my way to the next closest airport...5 hours away. I finally got booked to fly standby on the LAST flight into San Diego. Arrived at 1:30am day of surgery, but had to get a hotel room because the OCC shuttle couldn't get me until until 7am. Meanwhile, my sister was already checked in to the TJ Marriott. I finally made it to OCC and ended up being the last surgery of the day. Talk about stressful, but where there's a will, there's a way. Just believe your surgery WILL happen and do whatever it takes.

I tried it but can't tolerate it because of the carbonation.