Daisee68

It is very overwhelming in the beginning! You will get the hang of it! Promise! It just takes time. You are doing the best you can. Stay hydrated and get your Protein and learn to track and then it will eventually work itself out.

My favorite is Precision Engineered whey Protein Isolate. The chocolate is very good and the vanilla even smells heavenly. I originally got the suggestion from someone on this board nearly a year ago now and it is still the only one I buy. Oh also I sometimes mix 1/2 scoop of vanilla with Greek Yogurt (Dannon Light & Fit Strawberrry Cheesecake and then the Key Lime are my favorites). I also will mix 1/2 scoop of the chocolate with sugar free Chocolate pudding snack. I just ordered the powder in Fruit Punch for a change. Will report back to let you know how that one is.

I know you said you aren't interested in drinks, but the Hot chocolate (Amaretto flavor is my favorite) is very good. It is the only time I have managed to get a Protein powder in a hot drink without it clumping. I agree with @@Kindle on the Protein Bars.

I have tried recipes for Protein pancakes / waffles (even from Eggface website) and just never really found something I liked. I have never eaten pancakes or waffles very often, but now that I am eating Breakfast at home instead of drive through fast food I wanted to try real breakfast food occasionally. Anyway, I found this package mix at Target - http://birchbenders.com/shop/protein/. They are really pretty good! I actually make mine in to waffle sticks (with a Baby Cakes waffle maker). I use sugar free maple syrup and a couple of slices of bacon. Not something I would eat every day but nice for a change. Just thought I would share....

Not sure I really have any advice but thought I would share my experience thus far. I was always a C - a 46C for a long time and considered myself not overly endowed. When I lost and my band size went down, my cup size went up (most people already knew that - I did not). I am now in a 36DDD or 38DD BUT I also use what I like to refer to as "chicken cutlets" to boost the girls up a bit and try and fill in the cup. I don't fill the cup completely which is frustrating, but smaller cups definitely don't work either. I went to a Plunge (Push up from the outer edges) kind of bra and that really seems to help enhance. The balconette and demi bras I wore before (or full coverage) do not work at all. There is way too much gap at the top of the cup. Mostly I am all ribs (or breast bones - whatever you call that). I have a consultation with a plastic surgeon this month (May 20) and specifically want to talk about doing a lift without implants. I am not completely opposed to implants but I prefer to go without if I can just mostly because I do not want to have to have them redone in the future (which I understand is something that has to be done occasionally to replace the implants during your lifetime). If you haven't seen @@Elode 's posts yet about her life, go read through it. She gave a lot of great advice and experience. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/364350-3-days-till-plastics-tiiiime/ I will let you know what dr says to me about this too.

Agree @KristenLe. I have not heard good things about ThredUp. I like Poshmark because you set the price and you can accept offers but you don't have to or you can counteroffer. Poshmark takes a 20% commission (which is a little high), but it is totally worth it. I have shopped by brand and size and all sorts of options. And they have "parties" about 3 times per day which you can post your items too and you (or other people) can just shop those parties. The parties are either geared towards a brand or a theme. Last week, they had a Plus Size only party. It has also been good to open my eyes up to other brands that exist other than Lane Bryant (which I am seriously mourning as I really had developed a style there and now I am at a loss where to shop and get the same type clothes.) I have made $1000 in the last 8 months (although I have also spent about $500 of that on refreshing my wardrobe! Cool thing is when those items are too big, I just RePosh them....) I really like the website. My (much smaller sized) sister has made about $1200 selling stuff just sitting in her closet that she didn't use. She sold a lot of Lululemon stuff which went really fast for a good price. I also like using it for jewelry like Kendra Scott. I am a bit obsessed frankly....

Glad you have been on consistent dose for a few months. My point being that you what you did, you did consistently, so it didn't affect your TSH because that is the only way it was tested.

PS Apologies for the rant. You can see this is a very hot topic for me. ????. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

One more thing I was going to add is you have to be really consistent with this new and what you eat. I wait at least an hour to eat or drink (other than water). My endocrinologist also said not to have Calcium in the morning (within 4 hours of med) however that doesn't work for me so he said just to be consistent. If I am going to have milk in coffee or a shake with milk, etc just be sure to do it every day or if every other day to do it every other day. Of course we cannot always do or eat the exact same thing but his point is to be as consistent as possible so he knows how to change the med. If he adjusts the dose and then I say suddenly stop all dairy, it can affect the dose so say he changes it again in 8 weeks and then I suddenly start having milk every morning and HR checks it again in 8 weeks and has to change it again bit can't figure out why. I have watched my dad struggle with this for so long. His idiot Dr checks his at 4 weeks after a dose change and then doesn't check again for a year. My dad takes the generic version and has never been instructed to take on an empty stomach. In fact, his Dr has him take one in the morning and one at bedtime. And my dad will sometimes take it with other meds and V8. He is retired but sometimes does consultant work. When he isn't working, he eats maybe an hour after taking it. If he is working, he doesn't eat anything until lunchtime. His Dr even increased his dose to help him lose weight specifically which then led to AFib and a whole other world if problems. I hate this Dr but my dad won't listen to me. I give up. I have tried but I can tell when he is hyper bcs he is so damn mean and irritable. I have to gently ask him some of the other symptoms (like difficulty sleeping, heart racing, etc) and then suggest HR get his thyroid checked. And then his doctor overadjusts and the maddening process with being hypothyroid starts all over. All to say - be your own advocate. You know how you feel. If you cannot get a Dr to listen to you, change drs. I am on my 3rd endo and I really like him. The first one killed my thyroid, gave me a starting dose, tested at 6 weeks and said "do labs in a year and I will have the nurse call you with results". No interest at all in how I am feeling or symptoms or anything. Um no.... Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

I too have Graves Disease and had RAI (radioactive iodine) treatment to kill off thyroid function. I have had to increase my med dose since surgery though we are now starting to bring it back down (though my dose is still higher than it was pre-op). I have had to really learn the symptoms and adjust my dose very slightly myself as the drs opinions all vary. I feel best at around 1.0-2.0 TSH. My primary Dr ran a test and it came back at 4.59 and she told me I was fine. Um no. I was miserable. The last test I had was .74 TSH. My endocrinologist said it was fine. I knew I was feeling slightly hyper so I lowered my dose myself. I take 150mg per day and when I adjust I do so by cutting the pill and adjusting by 1/4 pill per WEEK so it is a very small adjustment but actually makes a difference. For what it's worth, my doctors have all required that I take name brand Synthroid and NOT the generic as the generic tends to not be as consistent. I know millions of people take generic but if you find it fluctuates a lot, it may be worth switching to brand name. Also my endocrinologist requires me to wait 8 weeks in between testing and dosage change. He says as you get older, the dosage change can take even longer. (I am 48.) So just wanted to throw out my 2 cents and what I have learned on this crazy thyroid journey. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Have you checked out Poshmark.com? I sold a lot of my clothes on there and made a little money as well as bought some new smaller clothes.

Lol @@ironpoorer - if only you could be that lucky! Fingers crossed!! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Yep. What @@LisaMergs said....

You came to the right place! The first few weeks are tough. It is worth it and it does get easier, but I know that doesn't help right now. I likened mine to my prior shoulder surgeries or my hysterectomy where I just had to "deal" and "get through" those first 6 weeks while my body healed. The food being unappealing really adds to everything though. My first food for pureed was Ricotta Bake http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html It seriously tasted like heaven to me. I could only eat maybe 2 Tbsp in the beginning so you aren't even getting that much nutrition from it but it makes you feel more normal. I also love fat free refried Beans with cheese melted on top. I still at almost 11 months post-op eat these some days. I also still have a Protein shake every day. I use Premier Protein ready made drinks mostly and I actually look forward to it. It's like drinking chocolate milk and it gives me a sweet fix. Don't worry about still relying on these for your protein. It is perfectly fine. I promise you will look back on this post in a few months or even in a year and smile. Best wishes to you! Hang in there!

@@cat.jackson89 - You are welcome! I didn't cook a lot during that time. I ate a lot of hummus (just with a spoon); sugar free chocolate pudding with 1/2 scoop of chocolate Protein powder mixed in; greek yogurt with 1/2 scoop of vanilla Protein Powder mixed in (Dannon Light & Fit strawberry Cheesecake and Key Lime are my favorites); pimento cheese (mixed in a little unflavored protein powder); chicken salad and/or tuna salad (try with 1/2 lite mayo and 1/2 greek yogurt); and Laughing Cow cheese wedges. I cannot think of anything else right now but will come back if I do! I ate a lot of refried Beans with the cheese. That really hit the spot for me. (I added in a little spices to it like garlic salt and onion powder). You can also look under the forum here for food and nutrition and I think there is a whole section about pureed foods that might give you some ideas. Good luck!!

I think what you are going to find is that you will get a lot of different opinions. It is certainly confusing when even your surgeon and NUT disagree. I think most drink coffee. If you could drink decaf coffee, that is probably even better. I think eventually we do our best to follow instructions and then just eventually end up doing what works for us individually. I think the reasons against caffeine are that it is a diuretic and that it can cause stomach issues (like reflux).For what it's worth, my NUT says no more than 16 oz of caffeine a day.

Welcome!! And what great progress you have made so far! A stall since November must really be frustrating. How many calories / Protein grams / carb grams / fat grams are you having daily? Have you contacted your NUT to see if they can help? It seems most folks either realize they have been grazing, taking in too many carbs or just need to actually up their protein to kick it in to gear. Also I have seen people try liquids (protein shakes) for a few days to kick the stall out. Give us a better idea of what you are doing currently and maybe we can help.

LOL @@Elode! I was thinking about you when I read this! I am in the same boat! I did walk yesterday outside and treadmill today but hadn't done anything in 2 weeks before. I just cannot get consistent!

I am resurrecting this thread. I am watching "where are they now" episodes and they are following some people in their 3rd year and beyond. It is REALLY inspiring! I still don't love Dr. Now, but it's cool watching these folks who have struggled but are still fighting the fight with much success!

Here is a link to a website page about pureed. The Ricotta Bake is amazing and I still eat it occasionally at almost 11 months post-op. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html My 2nd favorite during that time was fat free refried Beans with cheese melted on top.

Congrats and good luck!! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@shamale - You cannot have advil, motrin, aleve, aspirin etc. but you should be able to have Tylenol.

I have a consult scheduled for May 20 which will be about 2 weeks shy of my 1 year surgiversary. I am very close to goal (and honestly not sure I have a lot more to lose other than the skin). The dr I am going to says to consider consults as you near goal and he requires weight to be steady for 3 months. Will be curious what he says for when I will be a candidate.

I am almost 11 months post-op and still struggle with the same thing - though it is MUCH better than it was this time last year. I am still seeing a therapist and we talk about it every time I see her. She reminds me that I turned to food for so many years, that I cannot expect that to go away so quickly. She assures me it won't be like this forever. I got laid off in December for the first time in my life. I was really good at that job and they are losing business because I am gone, but I am still upset about it. I am so very thankful that I had the surgery last year (in June) or there is no telling how much I would have gained during the last few months! You are recognizing it and that is the first step. It will take time but it will get better!

@@yami17leth - Glad you got your foods progressed! It's amazing how much better you will feel with that! And yes, Premier does have chocolate. At almost 11 months post-op, I still have one everyday and look forward to it.