BLERDgirl

Wouldn't touch the stuff personally, but if that 20 is important to you make sure you are closely monitored by your doctor.

Surgery should be when it's the best option, period. I never took a diet pill in my life. You have to weigh all options and the side effects were never something I was willing to risk.

If you need to lose 100 lbs, an appetite suppressant isn't going to cut it. When I was looking into programs I didn't ask my primary for a referral. I love my primary and have been with her for over 20 years, but I needed to do this on my own. I looked at 2 programs in the area, attended their seminars and only after I chose my program did I inform my primary. However, I would keep good documentation of this visit and how you fare on this medication. It will be helpful in justifying why you need the surgery. Especially if you primary is against it. I would even join a gym and have that documented as well.

Unflavored doesn't mean no flavored. Unflaovred means the whey isolate doesn't have any added flavorings. Depending on what you mix it with there may be a slight change in taste. I use Isopure unflavored. One of my favorite things to mix it with is adding it to soup or vegetable broth. It's not quite the same taste/texture as a creamy soup. The taste is mild but not milky. If I add spices it's barely discernible. I've mixed it with juices and while it wasn't unpleasant, I didn't particularly care for it. You might also want to look at Protein drink or waters. Isopure made ready to drink ones that are pretty good. Syntrax nectar makes powders that can be mixed with Water but are milky. Proasis makes protein shots. Even Special K makes protein waters. The protein count is not as high, but if you are looking to supplement they may work. There are literally hundreds of protein powders and shakes out there. Premiere Protein is really popular, I find it disgusting. I love Isopure unflavored and their ready to drink teas. A lot of people are turned off by the smell. You have to try them and see if they suit your taste buds. If you buy from a brick and mortar store like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods or even Target you can return any unused portion as long as you have your receipt. My advice would be to buy a few and try them. Be wary that some protein powders are not designed to be mixed with hot things. When mixing whether hot or cold I find it helpful to mix the scoop with a small amount of liquid at first. Perhaps 1 tsp. Once it's completely dissolved then add the rest of your liquid.

Typically the less weight you have to lose, the slower the weight loss may be. It might help you if you do some meal planning . This way you can add some variety and increase your Protein intake.

Deleting an online account does not make it disappear. If a hacker or any skilled computer savvy person wants your information, it can be retrieved. Rule of thumb is do not share anything online you would be ashamed or embarrassed if others found out about it.

I think the basic rules of the internet apply here. I don't share anything online that I would be embarrassed about. Deleting means nothing since there are far too many ways to retrieve deleted information if someone wants to. I came here because I wanted the extra support and accountability and FB wasn't cutting it.

What eating stage are you at? What are you currently eatiing/drinking?

Any large pills such as my multi had to be crushed or chewables until I was 6 weeks. Smaller pills like my omprazole I was allowed to swallow. According to my nutritionist the concern was that so soon after surgery the body might not be able to break down such large pills to properly absorb the nutrients. I would check with your program as to what their guidelines are.

You're welcome! I'd say on average I get 80-120 grams of protein a day. Some days I get a little more, some days a little less. My surgeon is vegan so he doesn't go for the whole high protein thing. He wants us to focus more on getting enough fiber. I do what works for me though. Best wishes to you! My life would have been so much easier if my surgeon was vegan. Initially I had to have a serious discussion with my nutritionist as to what how I would get my protein in. Thankfully once she saw I was serious, we had no issues.

Yes. It's fluids not Water. Although you should be drinking as much water as possible your other liquids count towards your total Fluid intake.

Are you on a PPI like omeprazole? You may want to start. Reflux/acid may be mild now, but can get uncomfortable as you add solid food back into you diet. It's best to be preventative.

I buy it from GNC. You can shop them in store or online. If you have the membership card, the deals are valid with both instore and online purchases. You can also buy Isopure from Amazon. GNC will accept any returns of unused product with a valid receipt. If Walmart was my only store I'd shop online. They are vile.

Check with your program as this is one of those areas that varies greatly program to program. My program doesn't allow gummie Vitamins since the nutritionist feels they are often not complete. They also base recommended vitamins on bloodwork. I never had to have additional Iron. Initially I was taking multi 2x's a day. I can't have the added dyes in most chewables & we aren't allowed to swallow any large vitamins or pill for the first 6 weeks because of concerns with proper absorption. I opted for a whole food plant based Vitamin by Kind that I crushed and mixed with a tiny bit of nut butter. After that I switched to regular Centrium. I also took a liquid sublingual B12 every other day, calcium citrate w/ D3 am/pm but separate from my multi. Iron and calcium become ineffective if taken together. Because of the trace amount in your multi you want to separate the time you take them by at least 2 hours. I also took D# supplement. I was also prescribed stool softeners and omeprazole from day 1 by my doctor. This was a big help in preventing issues with constipation and acid/heartburn. My first few weeks looked like this: 7am: multi, stool softener, D3 10am: Calicium Citrate 12:30 B12 every other day 3pm: Calcium Citrate, omeprazole 10pm mutli I stopped stool softeners 1 mth post op. I have never had any issues with constipation or diarrhea. I stopped omeprazole around 6 mths. At 3mths I had to increse the dosage from 20 mg to 40. By 6 mths I no longer needed it. Currently I take 1 multi a day, D3 and calcium.

Same. I use Isopure unflavored whey it's 26 gms per scoop. You may want to consider switching to a Protein powder that give you more bang for the buck. Other brands to try are Syntrax nectar, and GENEPRO. Personally I'm not a fan of Genepro's psuedo science method of counting their protein level, but others on this forum swear by it.

Perhaps try for Proteins that aren't as difficult for your body to process. I've heard some people can no longer tolerate certain animal proteins. chicken may no longer be an option for you. Try seafood and/or plant based proteins.

I have to second this. I was going to Vitamin Shoppe. They have a membership card, but it's one of those free ones like the supermarkets. In the 6 mth I used them I received exactly 1 coupon. GNC on the other hand gives rewards constantly and their prices a slightly cheaper than Vitamin Shoppe. @ - There are a million different varieties and brand that make whey Protein isolate at all price points. The brand I buy comes in 4lb containers (Isopure) for about $40 which is actually cheaper than what the evil empire (Walmart) is selling. However I'm sure if you looked around they likely have other brands that come in 2 lb containers. Syntrax nectar is sold there which I believe comes in 2lb containers. @ - I was told to look for whey isolate and not whey concentrate. Isolates are more potent than concentrates.

When I was newly sleeved I couldn't eat much as well. I needed to eat every 2 hours. I'm one of those people who actually does get full on liquids. I started combining things in to meet my Fluid and Protein goals. I mixed plain greek yogurt in my Protein drinks which upped the protein. I thin would serve them over lots of ice which helped increase my fluid intake. By adding a quarter cup of yogurt (13 gm protein) to my Protein Drink (26 gm protein) by 1 pm I was more than 2/3 of the way to meeting the minimum of 60 gms protein. I would then sip Water until it close to dinner. If I got hungry again, I had a small Protein shake or some kefir. I was able to meet minimum protein and fluid goals by week 2. Things got easier once I moved onto purees. Even then I still planned for 3 meals and 2 Snacks. However I always started the day with that protein drink.

I am not familiar with these places, but follow up care is also important post op. I read so many post by folks who had a good surgical experience but post op when they had questions there wasn't a good support system in place. Alex wrote a post about this earlier this week. Here's the link. Whichever program you choose, I hope all goes well for you. ETA: Another question to ask regarding follow up care is, "Who will you see for follow up care?" I've come across a few post of people who were surprised that they weren't seeing their surgeon at their follow up appointments. If that's important to you, find out if that's an option. I saw my surgeon on my initial consult, the day of surgery, and at my 2 week full up post op. The rest of my visits have been with the rest of the baritric team which included his surgical resident, a NP and my nutritionist.

I use coconut oil. Apply liberally and wipe off excess. I buy pure virgin unrefined from the supermarket. Inexpensive and all natural. Over 100lbs down and no sagging in my face. I'll be 52 next month.

So what are you drinking? Are you tracking your protein at all? High protein liquids: 1. Kefir or yogurt drinks 2. Boil a chicken breast. Puree it, thin it down with chicken broth 3. Black Beans, lentil or split peas pureed & strained. Again thin down as needed. 4. Instead of milk based Protein shakes, try Protein Drinks. Try brands such as Proasis, Isopure or even Special K Vitamin waters. You need protein to heal, protein to lose and protein to maintain your hair/skin & nails. You also need to keep your fluids up to prevent dehydration. If you are still having trouble, you should wait until the 24th. Call your nutritionist and speak with them about your concerns. In the meantime, keep working on getting in more protein, even if you have to literally sip all day.

When I first started taking aquafit classes/going to the gym I just wanted to be consistent. My initial goals was 2 days a week. I didn't aim for anything more. Once I was doing 2 days a week consistently and without feeling like I was dying on the days off, I added a 3 day. It took about 3 mths to get to 3 - 4 days a week. This was before I had WLS. However those habits were so ingrained that I was able to return to aquafit 3 weeks post op. I was actually itching to get back in the pool! As the weight came off, it was easy to quickly build up to 5, 6 and on occasion 7 days a week. My advice is take it slow. Plan for 2 -3 days of walking and maybe 2 -3 days of chair exercises.

I take medication that slows my metabolism. If I don't work out, I don't lose. My main workout is aquafit. My gym has classes 6 days a week. There are different instructors and each has their own style, some do more yoga like, some do high intensity, some focus on strength training/core work and some do yoga type movements. I go 5 -6 days a week so I get a little of everything. I love it. however there are days when I would rather sleep in or stay home. Unless I am sick, I go anyway. I just push myself. Even if I oversleep I go and then pool walk/jog to make up the time. I have a waterproof iPod shuffle with my favorite songs and books on it. I just plug in and get to work. We go to work when we don't feel like it. Why because we have to pay bills and take care of ourselves and our families. Now that I am retired I look at going to the gym and taking care of my health as my number 1 job.

Sure you can have them. Word of advice. Organic doesn't mean calorie free. I like Justin's and eat them on occasion. I can't eat the heavily processed stuff and sometimes you just want a piece of real chocolate. As long as it's truly a once in a while thing, ENJOY!

Forgot I also take Vitamin D. Edited my post.