maria pepe

Read nutrition labels. meal plan before you go shopping. Get with you Dr. Registered dietition...that is their job to guide you to getting a well balanced bariatric diet. Talk to them about Probiotics. Most stores have gluten free areas or sections now.

I had the rny. Best decision ever!! My surgeon only does rny or band. My orthopedic surgeon said no to the band because of my history of mersa and I am facing a knee replacement down the road. Regardless of the surgery you have to follow the diet and exercise plan they give you. I don't know anyone who didn't experience ups and downs prior to surgery. There were ups and downs post surgery also. I'd I had it to do again...The only thing I would change would be waiting so long to have it done. I am just shy of 2 years post surgery. 4 yrs. From my top weight...at my son's wedding. I am down 135 from that day. I have lost a whole woman! My quality of life has improved immeasurably. I can slide down slides with my grandson. I can dance for hours. I am comfortable on the back of a motorcycle! For the first time ever I know I am a sexy vibrant woman. You will always be able to find people who have struggled post surgery...my experience with them is that it is their inability to follow direction. Stick with those that are having success. That's what I am doing.

Keep doing the Protein shakes. I get about 1/3 of my protein from just the powder. I do add it to milk to give me 1/2. They are right it is far harder to meet protein requirements as well as other nutritional needs post suegery especially as a vegan. Good luck.

Self pay almost 2 years ago. No regrets at all. Best decision for my long term health.

I agree. Problem for me notification about a thread I posted on...Click on it and it doesn't take me to the thread : (

I had bloody stool post op. I was told that was because he didn't use a drain. All is well today.

I am in school to become a RD after my bariatric experience. We watched these movies. They make a great point. However, I personal eat meat. Since my surgery 4/18/12 I find that when I follow my food plan beef has very little appeal for my today. I get most of my protein from an am shake...I still am not a breakfast person so I shake. I eat a lot of seafood. I was told not to look at this as a low carb diet. The reality is my carbs now come from different sources. Fresh fruits (15g)/serving vs. 1 slice of bread. Eating much more nutrient dense foods today. I would struggle to eat everything I needed to on a strict vegan diet just because of the quantity that would be required to meet my protein needs. I am old enough to remember the egg being good and bad and now good again.

Shop! Thrift stores. Outlets (I am in Florida and get $50 Lee jeans for under $10). Wearing clothes that fit properly is empowering! There is no way I could still wear my "fat" clothes today. 20 months out...10+/- off goal. Went to a party tonight where I worked 10 years ago. Rocked the heels. People I waited on for years didn't recognize me. I had so much fun! [ATTACH]38986[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]38987[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]38988[/ATTACH]

Follow the food plan and move. I have found that I plateau frequently then bam drop 5-20 #s. good luck.

My surgery was 4/2012. The ONLY thing I count is grams of protein. I still use the shakes...ungery...for breakfast. It is the only way I get breakfast. It also give me 8 oz of fluid and 1/2 my protien requirement for the day. Tada! The biggest thing that helps me feel energetic and less depressed is increased vitamin D. My GP runs a full blood panel...focusing on iron...D...Bs. Remember the days are getting shorter. Stay hydrated! So important for everything. Get with your gp to run your blood work and work with your nutritionist. Journal your food. One of the biggest helps has been support group. If your surgeon/program offers it take advantage of it. Ups and downs are normal. some of the changes are scary. Some fun. Some exciting. Having to try on pants with no w after the size freaked me out!! That was 3 sizes ago. Seek help if you need it.

My surgeon defined failure as gaining the weight back. Which means I have to keep on track...food plan and so on. That being said I am human and sometimes I do stupid stuff then say won't do that again. Like eating ice cream then dumping. Don't do ice cream today. Didn't believe what others said...I just had to try it on my own.

I confess I still use ungery vanilla powder in 1% chocolate milk. Get my chocolate fix and my shake. I do it in the am because I still hate breakfast.

Ok. So take a deep breath. Start over. Remember why you started on this journey. It is about better health. Do you have support? The hospital I went to offers 2 support groups a month. There is overeaters anonymous. ..they have meetings on line. Start back at square 1. Journal what you eat when you eat and how you feel. Celebrate your successes. You are not alone. I still binge on chocolate and crave sugar when I pms. I drink caffine except when I want to sleep. Sometimes I take 1 bite of food and don't want to eat the rest of the day. Somedays I love my shakes somedays the make me want to puke. My taste buds have changed. The more open I am about the surgery the more people I meet who have had it.

Why?

18 months out and I can finally see my new self. True there are a lot of idiots that now want to chat it up now that I have lost the weight that couldn't be bothered talking to me before. There are also those who genuinely care about me on this journey. Consider the source. I am fairly open about my surgery. It makes a difference where we go out to eat and so on. I get some goofball questions and I get a lot of serious well thought out ones too. As a result of being open I have met some incredible people that have also had the surgery. My network of support expands all the time. My kids are my biggest support. Today I like the person I see in the mirror. It has been a bit of a journey to get here. Hang in.