JamieLogical

No no. Don't worry. I got them covered. I buy $100 worth at a time!

But the truth is, unless something goes really wrong with the band, they would never remove it. And if something DID go really wrong with it and you had to have it removed, then you are way worse off than if you'd had sleeve or RNY to begin with. So the "reversible" nature of it is really just an illusion. Plus, even if you had a perfect band experience and nothing ever went wrong and you for some reason decided to have a second operation to remove it, then how well would you fair with no restriction? I can't imagine someone who has their band electively removed would then go on to actually maintain their weight loss and not regain. So again, what is the real value in it being "reversible"?

I really wanted one of those. Looked at all the options at Swimsuitsforall, because they have some very cute stuff. But, all of their high wasted bikinis have brief-style bottoms and I really really needed something that would cover the tops of my inner thighs.

Jamie what did you use post op? My surgery is soon and I'm trying to shopping for "food" post op Until I was allowed solid foods, I mostly just used EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control (rich dark chocolate) ready-to-drink shakes from Walmart and Target. I had bought a bunch of different protein powders and several flavors of Torani sugar-free syrups to make my own shakes post-op, but I really hated all of them. I just added a little unflavored whey isolate to the AdvantEDGE shakes to get a little more protein in and most of my flavored powders and the syrups I'd bought went to waste.

Why would anyone eat those over Quest Bars? They both use the same fake Fiber (isomalto-oligosaccharide), have similar nutritional info, but use egg white Protein instead of whey isolate. I was instructed by my nutritionist to always look for whey isolate in my protein supplements, since it is the best absorbing. So if they don't taste nearly as good and don't have superior nutrition/ingredients, what is the point?

Do you add cream or milk to your coffee? I was allowed coffee again starting at 30 days post-op, but was instructed to put a lot of cream or milk in it to help tone it down. Now that I'm 6 months out, I have no issues at all with coffee and have cut back to my normal amount of soy milk in it.

Not have wasted money on so many protein powders and flavorings that I didn't end up using post-op.

You aren't doing anything wrong (except maybe moving to soft cheeses and purees before you are cleared to?). Some people have more trouble than others with liquids and swallowing post-op. It's all about how your stomach tissue reacts to the trauma of surgery. Some people have a lot of swelling that makes even getting liquids in difficult. Some people have temporary damage to their nerves which make them just not feel full even when they are. We all end up in the same place a few weeks out, once things have healed up.

I wasn't allowed blended soups, but I was allowed strained cream soups. My favorites were cream of shrimp and Progresso Chicken Cheese Enchilada.

That will get better with time, I promise!

I needed the "lift" that boy shorts gave. Like the loose skin gets pulled up into the shorts and held in place... if that makes any sense? Plus loose shorts makes my hips look even more ridiculously huge.

@@Kindle Was Lucia your nutritionist? She's said 100 grams over and over again the whole time. Even in my most resent correspondence about my 6 month follow-up, the first thing she asked was whether I was getting my 100 grams of Protein. Seems weird she would tell you only to get 60 grams and constantly harp on me getting 100. I can't even wrap my head around how you could have room for all the fruits and veggies you are listing. I could eat maybe half an apple with some Peanut Butter, but that would only be 4 grams of protein. I can't imagine "wasting" one of my times eating for the day on only 4g of protein. That would mean having to make up for it somewhere else in my day and I really don't know how I could do that. I'm going to try the greek yogurt dip with peppers and zucchini in place of my string cheese, since I will only lose out on a few grams of protein if I do that. And I will try to get my hubby eating some veggies with his dinners so I can swipe some, though I can't imagine doing more than a bite or two.

I will give the greek yogurt dip a shot. Probably won't use the ranch powder, since that has a lot of sodium in it, but maybe some dill dip with fresh dill, lemon juice, and garlic? That sounds like it would be pretty good!

Luckily, grazing isn't an issue for me and wasn't pre-op either. My main problems pre-op were bingeing and very large meals. I'm very good about just eating on a schedule, and since I eat 6 times a day, I'm never hungry. I think the first step in trying to increase my fruit/veg intake will be to replace my morning string cheese with something else. I'll only lose 8 grams of protein and if I manage to add some hummus or peanut butter with whatever fruit/veg I eat, then I wouldn't even lose that much. I'll also talk to my husband about making more veggies as sides for his dinners so I could maybe steal some of them.

I was told by my nutritionist to start aiming for 100 grams of protein a day almost right out of the gate. Of course, it actually took me a few months to work my way up that high. I have two Protein Bars a day (one for Breakfast and one as an evening snack), a reduced fat string cheese for a morning snack, a greek yogurt with some kashi Cereal mixed in for an afternoon snack (only add the cereal on workout days), and then some sort of meat for lunch and dinner. Lunch is usually leftovers from a previous dinner and I try to always eat different meats for both meals (so never chicken twice in the same day or pork twice in the same day). My dinners are usually just the meat from whatever my husband makes. We usually split it in half, he eats his half along with his sides for dinner and I'll have half of my half for dinner and then package the other half of my half up for lunch another day. His sides are almost always grains or starches, though, so that doesn't help me with my vegetable predicament. So, to sum up, I get just over 65 grams of protein from the items I eat every day and then try to get 15-20 grams each from whatever my lunch and dinner are. On days I have my kashi cereal in my yogurt I get a little extra protein along with the carbs from the cereal to help fuel my workout.

Protein is definitely a challenge that early out. I'm actually impressed you're already getting your water in. It will get easier and easier. And your energy will definitely improve once you are getting more protein (and calories) in.

That's great. I think studies like that are very important and it's awesome you are going to get paid to contribute.

I'm in Rochester, NY, but I'm not sure I can help you at all. I do my workouts at home. I'd be happy just to talk, though, if you want to private message me.

I lost my ability to receive notifications via email ages ago. Apparently Yahoo blocked email from bariatricpal and there is nothing I can do to get it unblocked. I use the little Notifications bubble in the top right of the screen (desktop) and click "view all notifications" to just browse through all of them at once.

When you say 'Drink only what you are supposed to' What are you go to drinks? I'm very over Water and want other options! What are some options? I only drink water and coffee. But a lot of people do tea or do water additives like Crystal Light, Mio, etc. As long as it's sugar-free.

Back when I lost 90 pounds "on my own" I did Couch to 5k and even though I felt like I hated every second of it, when I had surgery and was no longer able to run for a long time, I literally dreamt of running. I missed it WAY more than I thought I would. I restarted Couch to 5k a few weeks ago (two workouts into week 4 now) and I am definitely back to hating every second of it! But at least this time I know I can/will get to a point where I actually enjoy running again and can call myself a "runner". Oh and the rush you get when you finish an actual race? It's AMAZING!

When I have lost weight in the past, I always stuck to a sort of "calorie cycling" model, where I would have really low days and then cheat days where I was really high. That definitely seemed to keep things moving. But post-sleeve, that's not really an option. I have to get pretty creative just to figure out how to get enough calories to sustain my exercise. Cutting back for a "low day" or adding more for a "cheat day" just isn't in the cards, unless I were to do something really crazy, like drink a milkshake or something really bad for me. I will see what I can do about trying to add in some fruits or vegetables. It'll be tricky, but maybe it will help shake things up a little. Any recommendations for veggies that aren't very filling and would still let me get Protein in at the same time? Also, what do you do about preparing the right amount of veggies or storing the leftovers, since I will obviously be eating very little of them?

There are many great brands, but they are not all created equal when it comes to your specific feet and your stride. That's why I recommend a running store that sells many different brands. That way you can try several different brands and consult with someone who works there about which brand is best for you.

Wow! Congratz!

The FMLA paperwork includes the duration of time you will need off. Mine was only for 15 days, because i have a desk job, but I am sure that if you explain to OCC about your job requiring lifting, they will complete the paperwork so you can take more time off. There is a section of the FMLA paperwork that pertains to job duties as well, so that is factored into how much time you need off.