WL WARRIOR

This question has been posted many, many times. If you use the search bar, you will find some excellent posts from the past few years debating this question. This is a pretty good article that provides some new insight: Gastric Bypass vs. Sleeve: Who's the winner? http://guidedoc.com/gastric-sleeve-vs-gastric-bypass-surgery

The two free online cookbooks below have a variety of recipes for your food stage. The books are organized into food stages liquid, full liquid, pureed, soft foods, normal, etc. Each cookbook can be printed out (no copyright) and is a few hundred pages. I went to Kinko's to print it out, punch hole all the pages, and place in a binder for easy viewing. It's a great resource to have when you want something a little different to eat or feel creative in the kitchen. http://www.chicoweig...ookJuly2014.pdf http://www.mybaribud...46/cookbook.pdf

When I student taught 16 years ago, I was quite the health nut and very thin. I'm assuming that you bring your own lunch instead of eating cafeteria food? Are you eating at the teacher's table or with the students? I always brought my own lunch and ate the same thing everyday: an orange, yogurt, and a small sandwich. The other teachers may have made a few comments about my eating the first week of school, but it soon just became "how I ate" and old news.

Reality: I've had hypothyroidism for the past eight years and have been on psych meds. I never mentioned steroids, which I know contributes to weight gain. My last blood panel still showed my thyroid was still low and it does make weight loss a struggle, but not impossible. I had surgery almost 11 months ago and I remember how frustrating it was the first few months post op. Like you, I had to reduce my calories to around 600 for the first 6 months. I never mentioned that hypothyroidism and meds mean nothing. In fact, I mentioned that they do contribute to weight gain. If the two are combined with crappy eating (overeating, junk food), then it is quite easy to get 100 pounds overweight. The point I was trying to make was that there are SOME people that are somewhat reluctant to recognize faults or problems in themselves. In other words, denial. You have to be honest about the kinds and amount of food you ate before surgery. You have to come to terms with your denial. If you stay in denial, it may keep you from having the responsibility for yourself. If you fool yourself into believing that you don't eat much everyday, then it is easy to deny responsibility for your obesity. This will keep you from changing behaviors that are necessary in order to successful after weight loss surgery. Then there are those that rationalize their obesity (excuses, excuses, excuses) or create defense mechanisms. Unpleasant emotions are created when we realize what we have done to get morbidly obese and many create excuses (blaming morbid obesity solely so on genetics, society, a medication) to keep these emotions at bay. We all know that it is hard to lose weight and keep it off. Learning all those new behaviors and giving up your favorite food is difficult. A healthier body will result from your having a healthier mindset.

Boogirl6, Finally there is someone else that wears a size 12 around 140 pounds. I've read so many woman on here that can fit into a size 4-8 when they weigh 140. I currently weigh 128 and can fit into an 8 or 6. Others at my same weight claim that they can fit into a size 4. I would have to break my hip bones to get into a 4 or smaller.

I agree with you on that one completely! There was a post the other day from a lady arguing that she was tired of hearing that your stomach capacity increases after you hit the one year post op mark. I can't remember the exact words used, but she went on to say that your restriction stays the same even many years after surgery. Was this from her own personal experience? Nope. She hadn't even gone through surgery yet. I mean, how do you really know if you haven't experienced it for yourself?

It sounds like you are overdoing it quite a bit. I lost 140 pounds in 8 months by following the bariatric diet and walking an hour a day. I'm just now signing up for a membership at the YMCA so that I can start doing strength/resistance training. I'm not a huge fan of lifting weights, but I know it will help tone and strengthen my body. Start an exercise routine that is simple and enjoyable. Well, enjoyable enough that you will actually stick to it. During your pre op stage, you might want to start out slow (swimming, walking, biking) and work your way up. It's difficult to do high impact exercise when you are morbidly obese, but nevertheless, its still very important to get some type of exercise in. Try to keep your body in motion throughout the day by taking the stairs or parking your car far away so that you are forced to walk more. They say things like walking around Wal-Mart doesn't count, but it's still better than sitting in one of those mobile carts while grocery shopping.

I've been doing the plant based diet for the past month after hitting goal three months ago. It felt strange to not be eating all that Protein throughout the day, but I'm now getting use to it. My protein intake is still 50-65 grams a day on the plant based diet, but that's still not near the 100 grams I was taking in daily during the first 6 month pre op. I've been eating all the fruits and vegetable I want throughout the day. However, I will admit that I have been eating too many pears lately because we have an overabundance of them from our pear trees right now. I need to kick that mentality that I must eat them up now because they will all go bad in a few weeks. The thought of all that food going to waste still bothers me, but it shouldn't give me a reason to overeat. As far as salad dressing, I'm a huge fan of the Walden no calorie (no carbs or fat, as well) dressings. You can get them at most supermarkets and Wal-Mart. The bacon ranch is my favorite and it seems to be quite popular because it usually sells out quickly. I usually go through about 2-3 bottles a week, so the price is starting to add up. I'm searching for low or zero calorie dressing recipes. I will post one if I find a good one that I like.

I keep meeting people that are morbidly obese, yet say that they hardly eat anything everyday. What? It really comes down to an overabundance of daily calories and lack of exercise when you are more than 100 pounds overweight. It just seems that some have the hardest time admitting that they are an overeater. Even on this forum, I have read posts from others saying they never over ate and got very obese from psych meds and hypothyroidism alone. Sorry, no. Meds and thyroid problems will not cause more than a 10-25 pound weight gain. Such denial will really get in the way of weight loss success after surgery.

Below is an email sent to me regarding this matter from my nutritionist. I agree with her on many points and have decided to keep taking my Pro Care Bariatric Vitamins until Pro Care comes out with a statement. I have also seen this email and due to the fact that it is a competitor, it automatically made me think it was just a way to get more business for unjury. However, we also know that Procare follows the ASMBS guidelines (the standard guidelines in the bariatric world) and because we regularly draw vitamin/mineral labs, we can monitor this more closely. We do often see deficiencies, however it is not necessarily consistent across the board. Also remember that some people require more vitamins/minerals and based on a person’s diet, that may also dictate which vitamins/minerals the body needs more of. I also received a response from the owner of Procare vitamins stating that they have their vitamins tested regularly and the statement from Unjury does not provide information on who performed the testing of the vitamins, so it may not be reputable from that aspect as well. Procare will be coming out with a statement probably sometime in the near future. All that being said, we are still recommending Procare Multivitamins and we are staying on top of the recommendations and results comes out with a statement.

I had my surgery done through the University of Missouri Bariatric Center in Columbia, Missouri. The clinic really pushes the Pro-Care Vitamins because a dietician employed through them helped develop/formulate them many years ago. According to the staff at the clinic, the Pro-Care One a Day bariatric Vitamin is suppose to be top notch. As pre-op patients, we were given free samples and had the opportunity to purchase them at a low cost. I've taken the Pro Care One a Day bariatric vitamin everyday for the past 11 months and my blood work has been fine. I will be investigating this matter further and contacting my bariatrician .

I am close to 11 months post op and have been at goal since May. I am willing to mentor anyone that is close their surgery date or just needs a little help.

I don't see it really as other people being inconsiderate. In life, you will be in situations when cravings are triggered. It's going to happen A LOT. These situations (like getting breakfast for everyone) are great practice for proving that you can make cravings go away. The more practice you have at resisting, the easier it gets. You have to be very decisive and tell yourself that you will absolutely not eat your trigger food. If you see it as unfair or sabotaging, then you may end up caving in. Dr. Beck refers to it as strengthening your resistance muscle and weakening your giving in muscle. I learned early on that I can not expect others to change what they normally do regarding food when I'm around. I was the one who decided have surgery and lose weight. Therefore, it is I that must learn the skills and strategies of resisting any tempting food that isn't on my food plan.

I agree with McButterpants. Over time, I've realized that almost all people are egocentric. They really care mostly about themselves. You may feel anxious that others are noticing how little you eat, but it really can be all in your head. You can't be a mind reader and most other people have other things on their mind than you and what you are eating. As far as restaurant eating with others, I've learned to change the "left out feeling" to a sense of empowerment. I can choose healthy food in small quantities and not be tempted by dessert or crab ragoons. Focus on the positives of this eating out experience. You stuck to your plan and are on your way to success.

I've been leaning towards a more plant based diet the past few weeks. At 10 months post op, I should be still getting 65 Protein grams daily like my nutritionist recommends, but I've been slightly below that with the plant based eating. I've watched Dr. Wiener's videos where he recommends post op bariatric patients lay off all the protein after a few months. I have been wondering lately why we need so much protein even after a year post op. In order to increase my daily protein, I need to add in extra calories. Right now I'm getting around 50 grams daily from fish and a Protein Drink.

I actually had to use one of those claw sticks to grab things out of reach. It actually helped a lot so that I didn't have to reach, twist, or bend. Its quite beneficial if you have no one else at home to get things for you.

I spend more because I mostly eat fresh produce now, which is much more expensive than processed, packaged foods. My main staple Protein is frozen fish and tuna. I do my best to buy large quantities of that when it is on sale. Also, my Protein powder is quite expensive. I don't buy as much of it as I use to, but it does add up, nonetheless. Before surgery, I could buy a weeks worth of food for myself under $15, which consisted of ramen noodles, spaghetti sauce and noodles, cheap Cereal, pretzels/chips, and various snack food that you can get for $1 a box at Dollar Tree.

This sounds normal to me as far as what I went through. I could not rise from a sitting position or reach to grab anything without terrible stomach pain. Rising from a laying down position was just about impossible. There were a few times when I fell asleep on the couch and had to drop to all fours in order to make it to the bathroom. I slept on my back for at least two weeks because it was too painful to sleep on my side. You could call your bariatrician/surgeon to see if you are experiencing anything abnormal. It should get better in a few days, however.

The book, "The Zone" you can find extensive information about the carb and sugar content (glycemic index) of almost all fruits and vegetables. It's also a great resource for anyone wanting to lose weight and keep it off.

Why does Miralax make you gain weight? Does it cause you to retain Water? I'm just curious because I have started adding it to my Protein shake in the morning.

My 10 year old son admitted yesterday that he "would give anything to live one day as a skinny person." Ouch. Where did I go wrong? He is only about 5 pounds overweight and its mostly baby fat that may very well go away during puberty. While I can't control the media or his friends, I need to do a better job influencing a healthy body image. Thanks for posting this article.

How are Prilosec and Zantac different? I have a script for generic Prilosec, but I forget to take it often because it interferes with my other meds (levothyroxine). Does anyone take their PPI before going to bed? I've done this a few times to help with that acidic feeling in my stomach I get sometimes in the morning. I've heard others find relief with Diet Ginger Ale. I know, we aren't suppose to have carbonated drinks. However, now that I am 10 months post op, I find that my stomach is not nearly as "touchy" as it use to be. I've noticed that I can eat larger quantities if I really wanted to as well. However, I have yet to eat any breads, grains, rice, potatoes, Pasta, junk food, or basically anything with starch. I have no idea how my stomach would react and I hope I'll never find out one way or the other. The longer I stay away from it the less I crave it. The closer I get to that one year mark, the more I realize that all that talk about the "honeymoon phase" is actually true. It's not as easy as it use to be and I have to rely more on making smart food choices and sticking to the plan no matter what. When your restriction isn't what it use to be, then all you can do is eat like a skinny person to help maintain your goal weight. Although I've never done the sleeve reset, I do believe it works. I had a severe sinus infection that caused stomach upset because of all the draining of mucus. My intake for a week was mostly liquids. Once I felt better, I noticed much better restriction.

My sister just got approved for food stamps ($100/month) because her family is struggling. This was so surprising to me since her and her husband own two businesses that I thought were thriving. Although its great that she got some assistance, $100 does not go very far for her family of four. I'm using some of the suggestions posted in response to this topic to help her find a food pantry in town that gives out more nutritious food. We found a church that gives out fresh produce once a month, so that is hopeful. I was with her yesterday when she used her EBT card at Wal-Mart for the first time. The rules regarding what she can buy with her card are somewhat surprising. Like the previous poster mentioned, she couldn't purchase any ready made food, however, the two bottles of muscle milk were covered. I don't know if EBT covers any other Protein supplements or drinks, but I'm glad they cover some brands for those that can't afford it.

I am assuming that this sale was for the ready to drink Premier Protein. I bought a 3 pound jug of the chocolate milkshake powder at Sam's. I've tried it twice and I'm not a fan. The taste is watery and I'm using the right amount. There are 50 more calories per serving than the ready to drink kind and I'm racking up the calories by adding extra powder. I'll have to go ahead and drink the rest of the jug even though I don't like it because I hate wasting money. The jug was purchased from Sam's and they won't exchange or refund an opened jug. My mistake was buying so much of it at one time. On the other hand, the ready to drink bottles do taste better, but not as fabulous as many on here rave about. Chocolate flavored Isopure taste much better than Premier (powder and RTD) and it has 20 more grams of protein per serving and the same amount of calories. I guess this just goes to show you how different individual tastes are. I'm a little hesitant about trying anything new like Syntrax. I've stuck with Isopure for the first 6 months post op because it worked for me and the only reason I wanted to try something different was to save money. I'll probably take the advice of many on here and order sample packets of different brands and flavors. How many different brands of Protein drinks did you go through until you found the one that works best? Do you stick to one kind or have a variety on stock?

losing_the_band, Is whey Protein concentrate the same as whey protein isolate? I was always told (bariatrician, nutritionist) that whey protein isolate was better. I guess I will have to research this myself. I only posted the question here because I know there are a few on here that really know the ins and outs of whey protein.