Kindle

Actually, anyone that is obese and needs surgery to lose weight has an eating disorder. If we weren't addicted to food, and could make healthy food choices and eat appropriate portions we wouldn't have gotten fat in the first place. You need to seriously ask yourself why you do the things you do that led to your obesity. Do you eat when you're bored? Stressed? Depressed? Happy? Do you crave sugar? Can't stop at just one small plateful? Drink too much? All these things will still be there after surgery. They may go into "remission" while you are honeymooning, but they will reappear after awhile if you haven't addressed them and replaced them with new behaviors and coping mechanisms. If you haven't already, read this...... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/357439-bariatric-surgery-only-makes-your-stomach-smaller-otherwise-youre-exactly-the-same/

What are the sizes? Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App 16, 20 and 28. I used the 16oz the most the first few months, but now use the 20 and 28 oz ones the most. Whichever one is clean at the time.

I tell them I had surgery, follow a high protein/low carb diet and don't drink alcohol (much).

For the first 4 months I couldn't tolerate lactose, plain Water or artificial sweeteners. salad and coffee were uncomfortable for about a year. But at 2 1/2 years, there is absolutely nothing I can't eat or drink. Excessive sugar, coffee or alcohol will give me gastritis, but nothing Zantac or Rolaids can't fix. Carbonation is uncomfortable so I don't go there, but I COULD if I drank real slow. But that's no fun, so that's why I Drink whiskey instead of beer.

Bummer....glad you found someone to help out. Fortunately my horses are in a large corral, so I didn't have any stalls to clean. I Just needed to keep their water tank full (and thawed) and feed hay. I ended up making several trips carrying one flake at a time instead of the whole 40 pounds at once. Of course that went towards my 10,000 steps/day so it was all good. My downfall was shoveling snow. I could plow the driveway, but had to have someone else shovel the walkways for the first 3 weeks.

I used to be happy, even when I was fat. But Unfortunately I know too much now to ever be happy again. All I can do is learn how to be at peace with the unhappiness. And yeah, people can GFT.

I have three sizes, too. My blender bottles are my #1 postop goto gadget.

@@sharonintx I'm with you. I'm much more interested in having inner peace and happiness than I am in being a social butterfly or wanting other people to like me.

Nothing about my social life has changed because I really haven't changed. Same person as I've always been, same interests, same job, same hobbies. I still have the same friends and we do the same stuff. If I had my choice I'd be a hermit and never leave the house, and WLS find not change that. But as always, I say yes to the invites I have to and make appearances at the usual celebratory events. Everyone knows I had WLS and no one makes a big deal of it or treats me any different. My relationships with my family members are the same.....loving and supportive and we always have fun together. Probably the biggest change is that I am now the sober one. And that's a new experience for me, after being a fully functional alcoholic who drank every single day for years! I still hang out with the same people and go to parties, I just don't get sh**t faced while many of them still do. They are actually thrilled with my DD super powers.

I will be eating BBQ ribs, chicken, hot dogs, shrimp, elk steak, burgers, smoked brisket, salad, coleslaw, baked beans, 3 bean salad, potato salad, taco dip, cupcakes, watermelon, strawberry shortcake, ice cream and Twisted Tea.

I was getting 60-80g protein and 600-800 calories at 5 weeks. The goals set by your program seem awfully low. Setting you up for hairloss and a slow metabolism, which makes maintenance more difficult.

Of course it gets better. Do you think more than 10 people would have had this surgery if the result was nausea, dizziness, pain, and dry heaving for the rest of their lives? Have you had major surgery before? Seen anyone that's had major surgery before? How many are up bouncing around, feeling great within 24 hours of having the majority of an internal organ removed? Of course you feel like s***t. And like s***t, this too shall pass.

Yes, I'm still very obsessive when it comes to making decisions. I must research and contemplate every possible option before committing to anything. No such thing as an impulse purchase or impromptu activity for me. And this is exactly the way my dad is.

My PCP tested progesterone, estradiol, free testosterone and total testosterone. But none of this was done in conjunction with, or because of surgery. I'm 2 1/2 years out. The usual estrogen dumping you get postop is going to be transient and just something you've gotta ride out. I actually never experience any emotional or mood fluctuations immediately postop, I've only read about it online. I was happy as a clam for the first 1 1/2 years. Besides, any immediate postop hormone testing is likely going to give wonky results for awhile and not something you'd be able to base a diagnosis or treatment plan on anyways.

I love this part, too. I don't have to decide on just one thing. I get a couple bites of several different things. It's like a mini bariatric buffet! None of my friends or family mind at all.

Dilute the premier 50/50 with Water or milk. It may go down easier. Or try some of the water-based koolaid type Protein drinks like Syntrax nectar or Isopure. Or broth with unflavored Protein powder...warm stuff sometimes go down easier. Call your surgeon to talk about your pain Issues. He could Rx liquid Tylenol. Besides the Tylenol, what other pills are you taking? Perhaps you could get liquid or chewable versions or crush them (ask pharmacist first as some can't be crushed)

Turn the table on him. Suggest he just order his one meal and you will pick the Protein parts off his plate and he can have the rest. This is actually what I do with friends all the time. I get my teeny portion and they feel better about eating a little less. The most ironic combo is when I split an entree with my friend who's had bypass. Lucky for me she's a very bad bariatric patient because all she eats is carbs so I get all the protein.

When I hit my surgeon's goal (160) I started upping my calories in the form of more fat and whole grains. I kept losing and passed my personal goal (150) about 6 weeks later. I continued to increase my calories until I finally quit losing....20 pounds below surgeons goal and 10 pounds below personal goal. But I was still within normal BMI and OK with how I looked. I've recently lost another 5 pounds, but again, it's something I'm OK with. Basically, if you don't want to lose anymore You have to start eating more.... nuts, nut butters, fruit, whole grains, and full fat dairy products are easy ways to add healthy calories.

1000 calories a day? That seems like a lot. Tomorrow is my 8 weeks since surgery. People say snacking is really bad for us, but thats the only way i could imagine having more calories. I was getting 500 a day bc of the shake. With the limited amount i can eat diring 3 meals a day, it is just not possible.I eat 6-8 times a day. I've been doing this for 2 1/2 years. Its the only way I can keep my calories up. If I only ate 3 times/day I'd be sick and malnourished, too. Snacking on high Protein foods and veggies are perfectly OK. I also wouldn't have been able to meet protein goals without Protein shakes for at least the first year. If you don't like the ones you have, there are dozens of brands and flavors available and their palatibility is extremely varied.

Yes, what you are doing is very bad for your body. You should be getting way more calories...800 at least. You should be eating seafood, fish, chicken, turkey, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, Refried Beans, and soft cooked veggies, even some fruit. Really, you should be able to eat anything at this point except maybe seeds, nuts and skins. The shakes are fine, but they don't need to be your only source of Protein at this point. And it doesn't matter if you aren't hungry, you must eat anyways. Consider it a prescription just like an antibiotic or blood pressure medication or any other drug that you must take in order get well. You should also be taking your Vitamins....a multi, B12, Calcium, Iron and D3. Again, just part of your "prescription for health". Were you told about these? You are starving yourself, causing malnutrition, which is probably why you are sick. BTW, what hack did you goto in Mexico that didn't provide you with postop nutritional information? Thats ridiculous. I went to Mexico, too, and got a huge folder of guidelines. They even have a staff dietician I could call anytime with questions. At the very least, you will need followup with your PCP for bloodwork that should be done at 3,6,12 months and then at least annually forever.

Actually, that's exactly what my PCP's wife said once she finally got her hormone levels dialed in. She could focus better, was thinking more clearly and could make decisions easier. So no, it's not just OKCPirate saying that cause he's a guy. I'm still waiting for that side effect to kick in.....

What everyone else said...never ever ever stop sipping. Try different temperatures, flavors and textures. Make sure you have a drink with you at all times. Wake up.sip. Pee. Sip. Shower. Sip. Brush teeth. Sip. Get dressed. Sip. Drive to work and sip sip sip all the way there. Sip all day at your desk or whatever it is you do at work. Goto lunch. Sip sip sip. Repeat the morning. Drive home and sip sip sip. Then pretty much spend every minute until you go to bed sipping as you do laundry, grocery shop, take the kids wherever, mow the lawn, watch TV. Just always have something to drink within arms reach. Set a timer if you have to. Meet mini goals...8 oz before work. 20 oz before lunch. 20oz after lunch. 4oz on your way home, 16 oz before bedtime. WALA! You've exceeded your Fluid goal.

Actually, I've been using "transgender" bathrooms since college. Never a line for the guy's john and when you gotta go, you gotta go! And surprisingly I've only been asked to leave once (but it was by a cop)

I am gonna brush up on my transgender rights, just to be safe.

Kind of a long story.....At the suggestion of my therapist, I went in to talk about getting a prescription for wellbutrin. My depression was only getting worse. About two years earlier, My PCP's wife had been struggling with emotional issues....they actually thought she was bipolar. At some point they discovered she had really low testosterone. After consulting with specialists at the mayo clinic, they started her on HRT and she is a different person. All of her symptoms of depression and fatigue are gone. She's kind of become an expert on HRT at this point. So hormone levels and their effects just happened to be something my PCP was familiar with. I basically lucked out, no one else would have thought to test. Like @ said, it's just not something they check in women. It's too bad because there may be a LOT of women out there struggling with depression, exhaustion, weight gain, and low libido that are misdiagnosed and put on an antidepressant and diet instead of checking hormone levels. Ironically, OB/Gyn's are the number one prescriber of antidepressants when they should actually be the most aware of the effects of wonky hormone levels on women. And, BTW, my estrogen and progesterone levels were perfect, so the "normal" tests they do on women would not have indicated a hormonal problem.