Sajijoma

@ don't be so hard on yourself sweetie! I've done that with my protein shakes too! I think I went on for about a YEAR before I actually noticed it said 2 scoops! I had one brand that was just 1 scoop so I just ASSumed that all of them were the same basically. Don't beat yourself up over it. It's a small tiny mistake and you've corrected it and undoubtably feel a lot better now that you have!

My psych eval was rescheduled to this coming week, so I don't know how the process goes exactly, but I do know it's just 1 visit for an hour so it can't be THAT much stuff. My surgeon's office is a center of excellence so there is a psych in the office, along with a NUT. They said we could choose others, but these are his preferred because they know what the process involves and how to get you want you need to be successful and get through the insurance hoops.

I have a book I'd like to recommend to anyone who would like to read it. It's called the Gabriel Method by Jon Gabriel. First off, I can tell you first hand, that it's not a solution to everyone's weight problems otherwise I'd be thin right now, but what I can tell you is that in his book he makes some good points about obesity, nutritional starvation, mental starvation, using food as a protective barrier in the case of abuse victims etc and it's a good resource to add to your arsenal. I don't think we can have too many weapons against our weight. I really don't. To over simplify things the basic premise is that people are obese because their bodies are starving for the correct nutrition, they have suffered mental/physical abuse, or they are stuck in a miserable life that is making them unhappy or an ugly combo of all 3. To solve the nutritional side he recommends every meal consist of quality easily assimilable Proteins, omega-3's, and live uncooked fruits and veg. And to not deprive oneself of anything they desire in the beginning. There's also recommendations on how to feel safe after suffering abuse including a nighttime hypnosis type thing, and recommendations or inspiration to just go out and change your life to make yourself happy. I couldn't help but notice he was unhappy in his old job so he went into business making money off of people like us to solve his problem, but it really does have some good info in there and some lessons to take away from the whole thing. I have followed the Gabriel Method for several years in the past, and in the beginning, I did lose a massive amount of weight following everything, but as I got pregnant over and over and my doctors took me off of things like the whole gram of Omega 3 supplements, told me the digestives could be harmful and to stop them, and changed around things etc, and the weight began to stick back on and with a vengeance so it's not something to quit if you start. It's not a diet to conform to, but things you can work into your already going routines. I'm having a Reread of the book now during pre surgery, as most of what is involved also applies well to life post wls, so I thought I'd share for anyone who cares to pick up a copy. In the back there's actually a testamonial from Kaliah Ali talking about how she started using this method about a month prior to getting her lap band and believes it helped her lose weight in addition to the band alone. When I bought it at Amazon years ago, I paid like $11 and I know a lot of libraries own a copy or two as well. But just wanted to throw that out there. I know a lot of nutritionists and dietitians haven't ever seemed to hear about the Gabriel Method, so it's not likely that they would recommend it to their patients to read. But just wanted to pass it along I case anyone wants to read along with me.

You can buy them online at Kingsizedirect.com, but I have to warn you, they do what I call "therapeutic sizing" meaning they usually size it up so a 2x fits like a 3x everywhere else etc. so make sure you are aware of that when ordering.

@@BeautyInProgress I'm so very sorry to hear about your dad. My dad is in the same boat basically and a few months ago, we nearly lost him to a massive stroke when he took a nap without his CPAP on. I haven't gone to Mexico myself, but I did have a former neighbor and friend who went down for a Lap band and she said it was quite affordable. She went in like 2006 I think. They travelled down to the border basically and there was someone there to pick them up and take them to the hotel where they stayed. There was a guide who was responsible for getting them anything they needed really. Then she had the surgery and her husband was allowed to watch while it was done even and then she recovered at the hotel for a few days and they drove them back to the border. She had no complaints at all and said she would do it again.

I'm pre op. I've got about 45 days til we submit to insurance for approval. Looking at a late Oct. time frame probably.

Congratulations and good luck!

First of all, I am so sorry for your loss and that you are going through a tough time. Good for you for not being "too proud" to get some help! I'm sorry you guys didn't have better food being offered to you. I know, I am guilty of this too, of going through the pantry to donate to our local church and picking either things I'm not a big fan of, or all the unhealthy sweet "treats" thinking that I was being nice because "they probably don't get much of these" type mentality. Next time I donate, I'm going to do better. Thanks for reminding me that nutrition is important in donations too!

Congratulations! I don't think I was 125 since like 4th grade maybe! I can't imagine how good it feels to reach that goal! So glad for you!

I can't really get to a pool. We have one about aisle away at the Rec center but I can't take my children and go there and by the time my husband gets home it's closed so whatever I do I have to be able to do at home and with kids all about. That's why walking is great. They are starting to enjoy our "forced death marches" as my oldest calls them. LOL I let my body tell me how far we make it on the walks, but I also make goal posts to aim for. Like the first week, I aim at 3 houses down(we are tuna packed tight in our subdivision). Each day I aimed a little farther. Until I just realized wow, I made it that far and I'm still alive! LOL I have to adjust my times to walk though since school has started and the neighborhood bus driver keeps trying to kidnap my kids(we homeschool)! Haha

I can't speak for everyone, but having been severely overweight most of my childhood and adult life, I would have LOVED to have to opportunity and support to do this back then. Yes, it's a life time of change, but when I was 17, I was definitely more capable of coping with those changes than I was in my twenties when I went running in the other direction in fear. Had I had an emotionally supportive family to help me through and cheer me on, I could have done it then and be a lot healthier and happier than I am right now. Obviously, you cannot just go have WLS without the proper steps anyway, so maybe guide her through the process. Go to a seminar, go see the psych, talk to the NUT and see if maybe this is the right thing for her right now or if she isn't emotionally ready, she'll at least know what it fully involves when she is.

I've seen it used on the show Fat Doctor in the UK for patients who needed to drop weight to be able to qualify for surgery. It did seem to help them in the short run, but I can't see this being a viable option for losing weight long term. In the end, how is this any different than Liposene or konjack root "belly fillers". They work great short term in filling the belly, but for me at least, the moment I quit them I gained every pouf back and they got married and had a few children along the way! ???? I think it just won't ever work as anything substantial other than a guided weight loss to move on towards something more permanent.

I thought about telling people, but I do like my business to be my business and not the subject of chats without me being present and my family are the kind who torments me with food anyways and tries to derail progress so it's probably for the best that they don't know otherwise they would do their best to try to ruin it for me. So, I've only told my husband(obviously), our 7 kids just so they are comfortable with all the new changes that are happening with mommy and so they don't worry about me dying of some disease, my best friend since I was a kid, and then my college room mate who also had the surgery and is a year out and doing fabulous! I think that's enough people. Everyone else can speculate all they want, but I don't have to give them any info to use. I mean, I am working my butt off(literally) trying to lose weight and get in the best shape even pre operation, so the fact that I'm putting in a lot of work exercising and eating a high protein, low carb diet is already yielding me some results so who's to say I didn't lose it all on my own without surgery. They can't prove anything! as a doctor though, you do have a unique opportunity to reach out to patients who could benefit from surgery and who might be afraid. It's easier to know someone who had it and survived and looks great vs no real knowledge of how things will be after. I'd say if you've got a couple of patients who could benefit from this, maybe in confidence you could tell them your own experience and they can learn from your example if that's something they are ready to pursue. I have to be honest, if my college room mate hadn't had it and looks so healthy and happy, I'm not sure I would be going through it, because it does scare the crap out of me when I think about how it's done, but I see that she survived and isn't just telling me beautiful lies to lure me in, so I know I can do this too!

Thanks everyone! I was so proud of myself I wanted to scream it from the rafters(but all I could do was sign it for the first 20 mins LOL) today was a little better still a gasp and cough, but I was a little faster. My knees aren't too happy with me though. Tonight they basically screamed at me to not go for the night time walk. I took an Epsom salt soak instead and hope to get going again tomorrow morning.

1999 is the default date. I haven't had my surgery yet. Probably be Oct.

My surgeon recommends everyone getting the bypass have their gall bladder out because the risk of stones is so high after surgery and it saves having a follow up operation in the next year to remove it. I've already had mine out so for me, I'm ahead of the game.

Try a different brand of protein shake or maybe mixing it with ice to make it more like a milkshake instead of flavored milk.

I've been using whole foods 365 protein powder for years but I recently tried the Pure protein shakes and they are kinda gross. It's like pudding flavored with Splenda with an extra shot of mucus thrown in. I'm NOT a fan! I'm still looking for one that meets my needs and tastes great/has good consistency. There are some sample packs at bariatricpantry.com that I'm thinking about ordering and trying.

is it possible that you aren't excited because you are afraid of getting your hopes up and failing? I know how you describe feeling is how I feel now about diets. Like you want it to work, but you have just been burnt so many times you cannot allow yourself to do that again...to hope. It's hard to get past that experience when that's all we have to go on. I hope for you, that this is the one that works and that you've got the right amount of support and people to kick your butt when you need it(I need butt kickers when I feel like giving up).

I have to admit, I am terribly nervous about the whole thing. I mean, not only am I sure I already made a "great" impression as a flighty airhead after he called to set the appointment while I was laying on my front step sucking air after attempting to walk around the block for the first time, but I'm kind of a quirky person and sometimes people mistake my quirkiness as being stupid and then try to talk down to me. I can't stand that. Whenever someone does that, my first instinct is to either talk in a baby voice back to them or otherwise get really defensive and I'm praying that doesn't come up in the process. I'm just worried that I won't pass or I'll be referred for more councelling. I mean, what exactly are they going to be asking about? Obviously this isn't something I can "study" to pass. There is no faking "normal" I guess. But I am very aware of the real risks and possible problems associated with the surgery and I'm more than capable of understanding that this is for life and there's no going back-which I'm glad about. I don't want to go back to this. I want to leave this far off in the dust. I guess this is turning into more of a rant than an actual question about anything. God I hope I pass. LOL

Looks like I get a reprieve from the whole thing...the psych's wife(I think) called 20 mins before my appt time and said he was sick and couldn't make his appts today and would call back when he was well.

My NUT is a gem! She's been specializing in Bariatric surgery prep for over 20yrs so she really knows her stuff. She doesn't insult me with the basics of how to be on a diet. She's seen my extensive history and knows I know that crap. Usually we sit down and chat and talk about what's going on in my life and at home and then she mentions little ways to sneak in stuff. Like I used to skip breakfast because my bedroom is upstairs and I hate going up and down multiple times so I do all my upstairs work before heading down. That's getting the baby washed and dressed, cats fed, laundry collected, get the kids up and on their morning cleaning, make the beds, take a shower and THEN go down stairs and feed the kids first and then myself if there was anything left over. Sometimes it's nearly lunch time before I make it to breakfast at this rate, so she suggested a 20+gram protein bar. I keep them in my upstairs cabinet and have it for breakfast when I get up and it revs my metabolism up to start burning. We also talked about easy to do exercises that don't cost anything and we set goals on what we want to accomplish like protein first, at least 20 grams of protein per meal, only eat 25-30 mins and not more(I'm a slow picky eater and can drag a meal out over an hour eating peas in single file) and we set a goal for exercises and that was it the first appt. the second appt we did a lil more and I'm already down 12lbs so that's pretty cool! The best part for me is that I don't feel like I'm dealing with a carb nazi. I mean, we talked about donuts and the various kinds and what makes them all so great even. It's just really friendly and helps make the process a lot easier than saying "go home and lose 20lbs over the next few months somehow".

I'm trying to take my whole family paleo as well. Some of my younger ones are really starting to become sugar addicts and I don't want them to end up like me. Since this will be a lifestyle change for me for life, it won't hurt them to follow along as well. My husband has wanted us to go paleo for a long time, but I've always been resistant because of my sugar addiction and I know how I get when I don't have my drug of choice. Hopefully by making slow gradual changes that my NUT has suggested we can transition less painfully. LOL

I found Splenda sweeten jello online recently. I bookmarked it for later, but since I'm on my phone I won't remember that. I just typed in Splenda gelatin into google and it popped right up. Amazon also sells some Splenda sweetened pudding by the name of loving spoonfuls I believe. I looked it up awhile back because I can't have aspartame because it causes severe migraines.

I have negative emotional attachments to cottage cheese from an abusive mother putting me on extreme diets at 4yrs old. I've tried to break that, but just not successful. You don't have to have cottage cheese to be successful at any stage in the process of WLS so if the taste is that bad for you, just eat something else. I hear sometimes taste buds change post surgery and things that bothered us before, we actually might like post surgery, so I think I'd just table it altogether til after surgery if I were you. Well, I'm not you, but that's what I've decided on.