catwoman7

oh yea -- forgot about that. I take K2 as well.

given it's only been six weeks since your surgery, it may not be due to the surgery - it may have just gotten worse on its own. I have osteoporosis. I don't know if I had it before surgery or not, because I didn't have a baseline done. But it runs rampant on both sides of my family, so it could be that, too. But that's neither here nor there. My surgeon's PA did double my calcium, but my endocrinologist had me do some 24-hour urine collection test and I was excreting calcium like crazy, so she had me cut back to my original dose. We'll see how my calcium and PTH levels turn out on my next set of labs. If they're OK, then I'll just stay at that dosage.

I can't see your excess skin - your clothes hide it well - so I doubt that's the reason. No one would know it's there when you have your clothes on, and presumably when guys first see you you're dressed! It sometimes takes awhile to find partners once you're out of school...keep looking!

like the above poster suggested, check "The World According to Eggface" blog. Her ricotta bake recipe is hugely popular, but she's got other recipes on there as well - some for all stages.

a TON of people have had lapbands revised to sleeve or bypass for the reasons you mentioned. It's either that or risk being miserable the rest of your life. I'd go with a revision if it were me. Either of those two surgeries would be a good option, although if you're suffering from GERD, you may want to consider bypass. It often improves GERD, if not outright cures it.

I did - although only because I did my required six-month supervised diet BEFORE I was accepted into the bariatric program (my insurance company required a supervised diet sometime within the previous two years, so they accepted the one I had).

white knuckle through this. It gets easier the farther out you go. Quitting smoking is tough (I've done it many times - and quit for the last time 25 years ago), but millions of people have done it. Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your health.

I don't think most surgeons use drains for bariatric surgery. Some do, but many of us never had them.

I've run into other people with bipolar disorder on this and/or other internet forums, and they've been approved.

it seems to be pretty common that people's hormone levels get screwed up for a few weeks or months after weight loss surgery. It should normalize after awhile. The reason is that estrogen is stored in fat cells, and it gets released and floods your system during rapid weight loss. Or at least that's the claim. Makes sense to me! At any rate, what you're experiencing is not unusual.

I pretty much lived in sports bras the first two or three months. I had some issues with my incisions, so wearing a regular one - and a compression garment - was tough.

Unjury makes a chicken broth-flavored one. Or you can get plain ones (several companies make them) and mix them into whatever you want

yes - sounds like it could be a stricture. I had one at four weeks out and another at eight weeks out. It's an easy fix - they'll just do an upper endoscopy and stretch it out. They knock you out so you won't feel anything - and you'll feel better right away.

after two long (a year or more) quits and then starting again, I learned I was a permanent addict and could never ever smoke again. I quit for the last time 25 years ago. I refuse even one puff because I know if I cave, I'll be smoking full-time again within a matter of days. Twenty-five years later, I still dream that I'm smoking (!)

yes - I crave sweets a lot more now than I did pre-surgery.

are you counting other fluids toward your goal, such as protein shakes? I counted all fluids.

OK - I didn't realize at what stage you were in with surgery. I remember talking about details about the surgery - what I needed to do to get ready (like washing with that special soap), what would happen, what would happen immediately post-op - although I think most of this was with a nurse. Anyway, let us know - I'm curious!

I'll take my turkey neck over weighing my previous 373 lbs any day, frankly. Besides, I could have it "taken care of" (through plastic surgery) if I really wanted to...

from your bariatric surgeon? No - those are tests that primary care doctors do. I think my bariatric surgeon just talked to me about my expectations and what he felt was realistic. He also talked about the different surgeries and which he would recommend for me (and why). Three hours is a lot - is the surgeon having you talk to a dietitian and/or a psychologist while you're there? If so, that would account for the three hours for sure...

I don't know what the statistics are, but a lot of WLS patients DO gain back weight. Maybe not all of it (although some do...), but big gains aren't all that uncommon. I think the biggest reason is that people start slacking off once they hit maintenance (if not before). You really have to keep on top of your eating for the rest of your life or you WILL gain weight.

I didn't....

lots of people have. Just go back to basics (not all the way back to liquids only - but the whole protein first, then veggies, then, if you have room, a small serving of fruit or "good" carb, like some whole-grain thing). And be sure to measure/weigh things and log everything you eat.

as the above poster said, tomato soup doesn't have many calories. It's probably the sodium in it that can be an issue, so that's probably why they limited how much you can have (they were the same way with me with tomato juice and chicken broth). But you're still pretty far out from surgery - you may be fine. It only takes a couple of days for the extra sodium and excess water to be flushed from your system.

every dietitian I've ever seen (3 of them, I think?) have said Egg McMuffins aren't a bad choice. Egg - cheese - Canadian bacon (a lean ham). Lots of protein, and 300 kcal. If you're doing low carb, just don't eat the top part of the English muffin. Of course, this isn't a great choice if you're early out, but for those of us pretty far out (or in maintenance, like me), you could do a lot worse.

I ate hummus a lot the first few weeks and never "skinned" the chickpeas (I always make my own). You should be fine.