WL WARRIOR

Darn, I wish there was a Planet Fitness near where I live! Have you done the red light therapy yet? Sounds like a great deal.

I use a Tanda skin rejuvenation device on my face. It uses red light therapy to boost overall cellular energy and production of collagen and elastin. You are suppose to use it three times a week for plumper, former, more youthful skin. My skin does look better, but I contribute it more to healthy eating and vitamins. I've only been doing the red light therapy for a few weeks, so I'm not sure it has taken a full effect yet. I'm 37 and don't have wrinkles yet, but I'm doing the red light to prevent them and possible future sagging skin. The red light therapy you mention looks like it works on the entire body, which is great. Red light is recommended by most dermatologists as effective and much less evasive than plastic surgery or botox. The only down side to it seems to be that it takes many treatments over a length of time.

I agree with CowgirlJane. You just have to suck it up for awhile. I've learned to appreciate over time what the protein shakes are doing for my weight loss and overall health. I had to go without my usual protein shake for 4 days because the shipment was late and I started to experience dizziness whenever I stood up to quickly. As for constipation, I still only go once a week even with Benefiber. I'm glad you mentioned the mash potatoes. It amazes me how many people eat that stuff during their puree/soft food phase. My nutritionist put potatoes on the "never eat" list because of the amount of carbs. It does get much better as time goes on. Those annoyances you listed become minimulized as you reap in the rewards of losing weight and feeling healthy. My skin has cleared up and I have a beautiful set of fingernails. I've never in my life had long fingernails due to blood sugar problems and a vitamin deficiency. Try to be patient and stay positive!

I am on a kindle-like device, so I have to type up my post as a reply. I can't see what I am typing otherwise.

Oh yes, that's much too fast. It takes me 2 hours to drink 12 ounces. I think the RTD isopure is 12 ounces as well. Since 12 ounces contains 50 mg of protein, you have to drink it much slower. I am also one of those that can gulp water. There have been a few times I forgot to slow down and regretted it terribly. It's funny that you hate the mango isopure because it is my favorite for the time being. I want to try the Premier protein shakes since so many people like them, but I still prefer Isopure because it is the only protein drink with addde vitamin and minerals.

I currently drink Isopure twice daily and have since the day out of surgery. It is the only protein drink that is also packed with protein and minerals. I've never had the ready to drink kind, however. You really have to drink it very slowly because it has a high concentrate of protein.

I am six days away from my two month mark. I have lost 19 pounds in my second month so far. I think 10 pounds is very doable for sure. Just stick to your eating and exercise plan and it should happen.

This site has compiled clinical evidence and research to show that vertical sleeve compares favorably to gastric bypass: www.gastricsleeve.us/research.html

I can't download the presentation on my device and the web address is way too long (not able to copy and paste). I will just give you the title and author so that you can Google it if interested. The upper part of the stomach is called the neo-fundus. On page 16 there is a picture of neo-fundus formation. It is a PDF document. SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY: OUTCOMES by Alex Gandsas

I just read a research article that stated that the top part of the stomach is more inclined to stretch. Therefore, some patients with gastric bypass end up stretching their pouch since their pouch is made from the upper part of the stomach. The stomach of sleeve patients can stretch due to chronic overeating, but not nearly as much as the gastric bypass pouch. Even though the sleeve can stretch, it will never stretch back to its pre-surgery size or capacity. I will try to find the article and post it later.

My son and I went to my parents for a big get together with close and extended family. Everybody noticed that I looked healthier and lost weight. I never got so many compliments in one day! I've had a condition (similar to edema) for the past five years that caused puffiness in the face and Water retention. Since surgery, my symptoms have diminished and my face looks like it did when I was a teenager. I never expected this to happen so soon after surgery, but it sure is a relief. It makes me feel so much younger. Even though there was a long table full of yummy holiday food, I only had 1/2 cup white turkey and 2 Protein shakes the whole day. I drank a Protein shake before arriving to prevent hunger that might have led to poor food choices. I even hiked 4 miles in the wilderness (my parents live out in the middle of nowhere) during mid afternoon. There is a place in the middle of the woods that contains a beautiful memorial where the ashes of past relatives remain. I haven't been able to find it the past few years because I would get too tired and turn back. The increased stamina I have gained since surgery helped me go the distance yesterday and I finally found it. It was very rewarding and relaxing.

Has anyone used the "Eat it Up" workbook? I was wondering how it is used with the book.

I worked at a bookstore before I became a reading teacher, so I like to comment about where to get a book at a cheap price. I do have Nook, but I still prefer a book that I can't hold in my hands and write notes in. You can find "Eat it Up" at Abebooks.com for $4.35 (2.30 shipping). When you are finished with the book they will even buy it back from you.

I am 6 1/2 weeks out. My surgery was on Oct. 7. I just hit 230, which makes a 40 pound weight loss since surgery and 50 pound weight loss since my two week pre op. I've been losing 5 pounds a week for the past three weeks. My daily intake and activity consists of: 100 grams Protein 50-64 Fluid ounces 0-5 grams fat 8-10 grams of carbohydrates 600 total calories 2-3 miles of speed walking everyday, Pilate's 20 minute video 3-4 days a week I'm not sure if my regimine is correct, recommended or the right way to go. I just know that it is what seems to be working for me now. I'm trying to work on not eating so close to bedtime. Although I don't see how much of a problem it truly is since I seem to be losing weight at an adequate pace. I've just come to realize that there will always be people that lose faster or slower than me.

I just watched the video posted by MyBariatricLife titled "Does the Patient fail the Procedure or does the Procedure fail the Patient?" The name of the post is the same name of the video. I would recommend everyone watch it because I gained so much insight from the newer research that was presented. The studies showed that VSG and DS were more successful because they do a better job controlling hunger. They back up this claim with physiological facts and research. According to the video, duodenal switch is the way to go with the sleeve coming in as a close second. I don't even know of a surgeon in my state that does DS because I was told it was too risky. Although lately I'm hearing that it has to do with more work for the surgeon for less monetary benefit. It's always about the money.

I kept most of my clothes as I grew too big for them. I know, people say to get rid of your pre pregnancy or way too small clothes, but I didn't. How can you get rid of something like a handmade vintage dress? So what if it's a size 8 and now I'm a size 18. I have a younger sister that is 15 years younger than me that has raided my closet a few times. She likes to remind me how I won't be wearing a size 8-10 anytime soon. There is just a lot of memories in my past clothes. I have lost 50 pounds in the past two months and it feels good to select clothes out of that abandoned closet. I went down from a 20 to an 18 this month. I had a pair of patchwork jeans that I couldn't wait to fit into again. But now they are already loose. I can slide them down over my hips without undoing the button. Oh well! I can't wait to get into 16 again. Most of my nicer work clothes are in that size. I dream of the day I can snatch back and wear the clothes my little sister took.

Samantha, What was the exact date of your surgery? Mine was October 7th at Univ. hospital. I'm assuming yours was there as well on a Tuesday since that is the only day of the week they do Bari surgeries. Did you have a male nurse that was bald? I am asking because he was terribly rude. He came in the middle of the night to teach me his "bariatric patient lesson". He said he was tired of patients coming back a week later because they didn't follow post op directions correctly. His demeaner was degrading like since I'm fat, I must also be stupid. He sat me at a table for an hour repeating the same kind of questions about fluid intake. Everyone else at the hospital was wonderful, but I couldn't wait until his shift was over.

Mr. McDreamy? Are you talking about Dr. Suttmoeller? He is hot stuff and very funny. His wife is the head nurse at the clinic and never smiles. I only saw Dr. Suttmoeller pre op. I kind of miss him. Although Dr. Strain (post op. bariatric doctor) is quite dreamy too and very young.

Samantha, Sorry, I just got you and the original poster mixed up. I got it straightened out now. I moved from Springfield to a much smaller town up north. Hope you are doing well, sorry for the mix up!

Hey, we had the same surgeon! Did he ever talk to you much? What was your experience? He talked to our pre op class for 15 minutes because the hospital got complaints that he never spoke to patients. I am pleased with the operation because I had no major complications. However, he really never spoke to me in the hospital. He said something in a really hurried fashion right when I woke up after surgery. I couldn't understand one word of it. Did he do your DS? I know that he does bariatric surgery in St. Louis and Chicago, but didn't know he traveled around that much. No wonder he was in a hurry!

I take a buprenorphine/naltroxone (16 mg) mix, also known as Suboxone, and bupropion (200 mg). Naltrexone is very similar to Suboxone and some doctors consider Naltrexone to be a generic form of Suboxone. I had to switch to Naltrexone for a brief time because it was cheaper and my insurance company wouldn't pay for Suboxone since it is terribly expensive. Anyway, I've been on both and never felt much of a difference between the two. There are a few problems that I have with Bupropion and Naltrexone. Bupropion seems to lose its effectiveness after a long period of time. I took it from 2000-2003 and switched to a SSRI because it just stopped working after a few years (even at a high dose). I have heard many others complain of the same thing. I just started taking it again last Nov. and noticed that it helped my mood improve. The problem with Naltrexone is that it is so addicting after you have been on it for a length of time. I read the Contrave clinical trials because I was curious how much weight people lost on it. I wasn't surprised by what I read. Most people notice that their mood improves and the average amount of weight loss was 5-15 pounds. It does seem to be a safer option than other prescription weight loss drugs.

Do you think there are too many recipes on this forum? I haven't seen that many pictures of cooked meals here, but maybe I just missed them. I have gotten a little envious of what post op patients declare that they are eating. I am not allowed cheese, mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, or beans. I confessed at my one month follow up that I ate a half a cup of lentil soup the day before. The head nurse made me feel so stupid for eating something with so many carbs. I was almost in tears. At seven weeks post op, my daiiy food intake is quite bland and boring. If I cook something too appetizing I'm afraid I'll eat to much of it. I know there are ways around this.

I didn't start taking Omeprazole until a month per op. I didn't have any symptoms, I just asked my Bari doctor why everyone else was taking it. He wrote a 4 month script and told me to take it for ulcer prevention. My insurance didn't want to cover it since it is available over the counter. However, the strength was 40 mg., which I couldn't even find. My pharmacist finally got my insurance co. to pay for it since it was such a higher strength.

I haven't had any sugar or fattening food for 2 1/2 months. I won't even eat sugar free candy. It seems the longer I go without it, the less I crave it. I want to get to the point that I almost forget what it tastes like. It sometimes is helpful to perceive it as poisen. I know that this strategy can be seen as a little extreme to others. I've tried being wishy-washy about eating sweets and it doesn't work. That is not to say it won't work for you. I'm just the type that might take a couple of bites of pecan pie for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon feeling guilty. By dinner time, I would go ahead and eat two large pieces since I blew the day to hell anyway. While I'm at it, why don't I eat a plate of mash potatoes, stuffing, and turkey. It's that dreaded black or white thinking that got me so fat in the first place. You have to figure out what is right for you. It's always good to plan ahead and strategize. Good luck!

My surgeon told my pre op group about a gastric bypass patient that had just came out of surgery the day before. The hospital accidently got the lunch trays mixed up and this gastric bypass patient got hamburger and fries as his first meal right out of surgery. He was a quarter of the way through the meal before the nurse questioned it. The patient thought it was okay to eat since that is what the hospital served him. If you make a mistake, I think you should own up to it and not look elsewhere for validation.