catwoman7

a real sugar bomb. I occasionally make smoothies at home, but I never order them at restaurants anymore.

here it is: http://www.mexicalibariatric.com/home/

here's a thread from a couple of years ago with a couple of other names. I'll also find a link to Dr. Ungson's former clinic. Someone else is there now whom I think I read was pretty good http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/328780-looking-for-info-on-duodenal-switch-surgery-in-mexico/

I eat them. Botanically speaking, they are a fruit - although I would imagine most people would consider them a vegetable. They would have carbs - and fat.

be sure to do your research. This has been discussed on another bariatric forum I'm on (not in awhile, though). There was one surgeon named Dr. Ungson who was supposedly really great, but he's no longer in practice. There are another couple of good ones as well - but also some really not-so-good ones. They may have been discussed here as well - check the search feature and see.

Maybe I read this wrong. If you've been at 236 for eight months, you're in maintenance. If you're eight months out from surgery but are just saying you weigh 236 (and have been there for maybe a week or two), then it's just a stall. Just keep following your program and the weight loss will start up again. I'm still losing at 15 months out and have had several stalls along the way.

that's sort of hard to say - it's a big investment up front because you're buying all those supplements at roughly the same time, but you run out at different times so you're only replacing one or two things a month. I do know the drop in my food bill has more than offset the cost of the supplements, though. Plus you learn to shop sales and stock up when you find good prices. I buy at CVS and Walgreens during BOGO sales - or I get things online when places are having 20% off (or whatever) sales.

after eight months at the same weight you're definitely in maintenance. If you want to lose more weight, you'll have to cut calories. I just cut back to 1000 (from 1200) because I was afraid I was slipping into maintenance, and I wasn't ready to do that yet.

look at it this way - you have a much greater chance of dying of some obesity-related issue than you do of dying on the operating table. WLS is a very safe surgery - safer than hip replacement surgery, and they do those every day.

a few reasons - I wanted the malabsorption (I also started at 300+ lbs), I had moderate GERD pre-surgery and did not want to risk it getting any worse (it completely went away with surgery), and I liked the fact the bypass has been around for a long time and there's a lot of research on it - so they know what they're doing. I've been very happy with it. Other than two strictures early out (which are an easy fix), I've had no problems with it.

I just checked and it looks like it might be a protein blend. We were told early out to stick to 100% whey protein isolate. I think blends are probably OK after you're out a few months and are getting most of your protein from food, but you may want to check with your surgeon's office. If they're OK with the bullets early out, then who am I to say?

everyone stalls occasionally - and after the first month or so, weight loss slows quite a bit. After my initial drop, I lost 8-12 lbs a month for about the first six or seven months, then I dropped to about 6-8 lbs a month. Now I'm lucky to lose five (14 months out). But I've lost almost 200 lbs altogether, so it *does* add up! Just stick to your program and the weight will come off.

some exercises I really like - like yoga and Aqua Zumba - so I never mind going and in fact, often look forward to it. Any strength-training thing I hate, though, so I look at it the same way I look at flossing my teeth - something that simply has to be done.

my sense of taste became more intense after I had surgery (sweet things tasted sweeter, spicy things tasted spicier). I don't notice it anymore at 14 months out, though. I'm not sure if it's returned to normal or if I've just gotten used to it at this point...

my boss knew I was having surgery (because I used sick leave), but I told other people I was taking a couple of weeks off to do some major house projects

if you're on an ultra-low carb plan, then yes. But not all plans are ultra-low carb.

I started out at 373 lbs, but I never, ever saw myself as that big. I'm shocked - then and now - when I see pictures of myself at that weight, because in my head, I was never that big. In my head, I was in the 200-250 lb range, I think. When I got back down to that range, I felt like myself and what I saw in the mirror matched the image in my head. Now I'm 175, and I'm sometimes surprised when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror. And I'm surprised when I pull a regular-sized item off the rack (usually an XL) and it fits. So I think mentally I'm still 200-250 lbs. I'm curious to see if that ever changes. It didn't when I inched my way up to 373, though...so it might take a long time to adjust.

it might just be a stall. I wouldn't increase my calories

depending on your starting weight, you may have time to think about this. I had my surgery in June (2015), and it was Oct or Nov before people really started noticing the weight loss. By then I doubt anyone linked it back to my "vacation" in June. And it did give me a lot of time to decide whether or not to tell people.

I gained weight like crazy on it - but that was several years *before* I had WLS... and yes - heavy periods may be due more to the fat cells releasing their estrogen (which happens with weight loss)

if you had RNY, drinking with meals will wash the food out of your pouch. That's why you're able to eat so much. Let the food sit in there for awhile - at five months out, I was told to wait an hour after eating to drink (some surgeons say 30 minutes). At 14 months out, I only eat a cup to 1.5 cups of food at a pop, depending on what it is.

protein pump inhibitor - it's a type of antacid. Prilosec is a common one - or Protonix. A lot of surgeons prescribe them for the first few months after surgery

I didn't have the depression and mood swings, but a lot of people do. It may be hormonal - estrogen is stored in fat, so it's released when your body starts losing fat. as for hunger, most people lose their sense of hunger for several months. Are you on a PPI? It could just be acid.

it's a personal decision - some people tell, some don't. I just told family a few close friends. When others ask, I tell them I've been working with dietitian who has me on a high protein/low carb diet. I also say I've been exercising a lot. All true - I just don't tell them the part about the surgery - although some probably wonder...

doesn't this surgeon offer bypass or sleeve? Those seem to be more solid options - at least for now. Plication may turn out to be a good option, but it hasn't been around long enough to know. I'd be tempted to go with one of the two "tried & true" methods.