Djmohr

Hi Larry and welcome! I personally have found the best prices to be at two places. 1. costco - I buy my Protein shakes (Premier Protein), my multi Vitamins, Biotin, Protein Bars. Because I buy in bulk the prices are excellent. 2. I purchase other high protein products such as protein pancake mix, my favorite weight control oatmeal from Amazon.com I have noticed my grocery bill has been cut by more than half! It really helps with the above! Good luck with your surgery! I would recommend NOT stocking up on Protein Shakes or powder until you are post op. Your tastes change quite a bit and what you might like now may not be the case after. Also many Protein Powder companies have samples that you can buy and try before you buy the big containers if you choose to go the powder route. You might do that so you have them available. I spent a fortune at GNC only to find out I did not like nor did my tummy tolerate the $100.00 I had just spent on their protein powder. I opened both flavors thinking one might be better than the other so I could not return them. Try samples first post surgery, that would be my recommendation.

I would also suggest tracking your food using some kind of app. Myfitnesspal is a great one if you need a suggestion. It makes you accountable to what you are putting in your mouth. It sounds like you already know that you are eating some of the wrong things. That can slow you way down. Try going back to the beginning and starting fresh as if you had surgery this week. Begins with liquids and work your way back to normal food. This will help remind you of what you need to do to stay on track. Also, stick to the requirements, no drinking 30 minutes before and after a meal, do not eat for more than 30 minutes. Eat slow and chew your food a lot. All of these habits will help you get back to the basics. Don't get discouraged and give up, you have already taken the first step by! You might also consider going to a support group or making an appointment with the psychologist. They can help you break through some of this discourage,ent you are feeling. Good luck!

Or better yet, I am looking forward to buying my undies and bras at Vicortorias secret! That is one of my goals!

Oh I hope to simply look good in a bathing suit period. I think it will require a lot of plastics for me. I have a lot of extra skin and right now can only dream of a bathing suit longer term. The good news is I am actually dreaming about one, previously I was only focused on improved health. I already have that after only a short time so why not dream of seeing myself in a bathing suit or even a bikini!

Not sure but I am guessing there was a reason why he had to move to this procedure vs. the double loop?

I have been experiencing loss of hair and cracking nails. The hair loss is much more significant than the nail issue. I started taking Biotin about two weeks ago. The way I understand this works is that it does not stop the hair loss but helps with regrowth and healthy hair, skin and nails. The good news is I am Italian and was blessed with a very think head of hair. It does not come out in patches but falls out from everywhere so no bald spots. I had plenty to lose to begin with but hope it stops soon, just because it freaks me out a little. Good luck!

It his is a great question and can be frustrating at the same time. I am 3.5 months post op and doing great! I saw my bariatric nurse for a post op check in last week. She told me to focus on protein and water and not to pay attention to calories. This assumes that you are eating high protein, low carbs or shall I say the right carbs, and low fat. I personally use my fitness pal and I do track all of these to ensure I do not end up off track. I have learned that not eating enough and exercising too much will actually cause a weight loss stall. My opinion is you have to track and monitor or it can easily get away from you. You should absolutely work with your surgical team to understand their approach.

@@jillstl, I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with your support system. It could be that he is frightened for you. I do know that most people who think that you can simply exercise and eat less to lose the weight do not understand or recognize that obesity is a disease. It is a disease that slowly kills. As you have already experienced, you can lose the weight through less eating and excercise however you will be likely to gain it all back and then some making your situation even worse. WEight loss surgery is a tool that requires an extreme amount of work on your end to be successful. There is a reason most insurance companies have a required supervised period before approval. It is to ensure that a potential patient gets educated and begins changing their lifestyle long before surgery happens. It is that lifestyle change that will ensure success long term. The surgery simply helps you acheive it by making your stomach smaller so you can handle it. It is a lot of hard work, not the easy way out by any means. It might help if you can get your husband to a seminar or to your bariatrician so he can better understand this disease. And ultimately the surgery itself. I wish you the best of luck and please keep us posted.

Don't be so hard on yourself. It happens to everyone at some point on this journey. The great news is you recognized it right away and are getting yourself back on track! Most people who don't do well do not recognize when they slip, they just reintroduce their old behaviors little by little and before they know it they are in trouble again. Good luck on the next phase of your journey and hope you have a speedy recovery following surgery. Keep us posted on your progress!

@@Plynneb, welcome to the site! Wow, to have this surgery so young and not get the guidance needed to help you on your way. That has had to be challenging! Hopefully you are doing well now. This site is great for support and idea sharing. It has helped me through lots of unknowns since I had my surgery in September. Hopefully it will be able to assist you as well.

Another few more good ideas for dinner: - chicken stir fry - this is one of my favorite and I do not eat rice with it, just the chicken and any vegetable you like - Meatballs in marinara sauce & vegetables - you can make these with ground turkey, chicken or beef whichever agrees with you more - baked chicken hot wings with Lousiana hot sauce and light ranch dressing - grilled chicken souvlaki with zucchini and mushrooms - slow cooked beef with mushrooms - slow cooked pork chops and apples - Salisbury steaks with mushroom gravy These are some of my favorites and my family loves them as well. I usually will make a vegetable with my meals and stay away from starches however about once a week (Sunday's) I will make some type of starch. I only do this when the extended family comes over because I don't need the starchy carbs and neither does my husband.

Mine are very hard to find and they roll. The jabbed me 4 times before they were finally able to get a line in. Part of the reason it was so bad for me was because my surgery was at 2:00pm and was not allowed anything to drink since midnight the night before. I was terribly dehydrated which made finding a vein difficult. They tried with 3 different nurses and finally one of the or nurses was able to get one in.

Saying a prayer for you! Get well soon.

What type of surgery did you have?

Definitely a good move to go to the doctor at this point. Good luck and keep us posted.

I am a morning exerciser. I find if I don't do it right after a protein shake in the morning, I will be too tired by the end of the day. Also I use a Fitbit and I love the boost I get first thing in the day. It motivates me to keep driving my activity level up.

Welcome! I hope all went well with both of your surgeries! Keep us posted on your progress and certainly reach out if you want to talk!

My doc did not even want to talk about the scale. We set goals that resulted in my health improving. No more diabetes, Gerd, high blood pressure, sleep apnea. I do have a non scale goal I have been working towards and I am well on my way. My personal goal is to ride a bike this spring! I used to hate excercise which is part of the reason I got to this point. I excercise regularly now and I rather miss it if I skip a day.

I was very lucid within a few hours post op. I began walking as soon as I got back to my room from recovery. My surgeon did not use a catheter so therefore I had to get up with help to use the bathroom. I found very quickly that it was more comfortable to sit in the chair vs. stay in my bed. I walked constantly to get rid of the gas pain. I took a shower the very next day. I was on diluadid the first night and then we switched to liquid oral Vicodin as I don't tolerate Percocet well. The issue with that is that other than watching tv, the meds made it hard to read or use my iPad. Sleeping that first night was pretty much non existant but I was told that is normal. The amount of gas in your belly from the laporascopic surgery is what makes you most uncomfortable. I had surgery on Monday and was off all pain meds by Thursday. Also, I stayed in hospital gowns the whole time, it is easier to deal with IVs. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and hope you have a very speedy recovery!

Keep calling them. If everything is there it should not take them so long. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Congratulations on your approval! I remember heading into surgery with that same feeling of excitement. For some reason I was never scared. I have had a lot of surgeries in my life and most of the time I fret about them and don't even sleep well for a week before. For some reason I was so excited to get started on this new life that being scared or nervous before hand just did not occur. Hopefully your nerves will dissipate prior to surgery and all will go well. Keep us posted on your surgery date and I will say a prayer that all goes well!

Hi there! I had my surgery on 9/29/14. I too was dealing with constipation every day until about 3 weeks ago. The biggest change for me has been adding more vegetables, nuts and making sure I get a minimum of 60oz. Of water per day. I also get my protein in. I believe it is a combination of those that helped resolve my constipation. I am not taking any stool softener at this point and I hope my luck continues!

Congratulations on your tremendous progress! I too am one of the lucky folks that have not experienced dumping syndrome. I however do not like anything that is sweet which is great for me because I was a sugar fiend before my surgery. I simply stay away from it at all costs.

How exciting for you guys! I too had the RNY because I had uncontrollable reflux. I am now 3.5 months along and have never had a problem with reflux/Gerd and my case was very severe! They had me take my nexium for the first 30 days and I have been off all meds since. I wish you guys the best of luck and pray for a speedy recovery! Keep us posted on your progress!

@jeniker3. I ended up buying a recumbent elliptical which has the ability to add muscle endurance, chest presses and leg presses to. I purchased it for this very reason and am doing well with it. I chose a recumbent elliptical because I have psoriatic arthritis and a regular elliptical causes a lot of pain in my knees and spine. My elliptical is made by Octane and I purchased it from 2nd wind. Unfortunately I had to buy it new because ellipticals are apparently favored by most and I could not get a used one. I absolutely love it! I am on it most days if not every other. I have noticed a big difference in my arms and legs and I have only been using it since the end of November. I don't know how toned my arms and legs will get, I am 51 and have already lost a lot of weight since my surgery on 9/29. I have a lot of loose skin..... However I would rather have that than the 72 lbs I have lost so far. Good luck on your decision to purchase some type of equipment. I am so happy I have mine and it was worth every penny.