careya123

You should really go to counseling by yourself, in addition to marriage counseling.

Approval within 30 days? Ugh. I hope mine is closer to the 7 you mentioned.

I hate Protein shakes too. I've just started to experiment with them, and this is what I've learned. 1. GENEPRO Protein Powder is unflavored. It does have that whey protein smell, but it doesn't change the taste, consistency, or texture of what you put it in. I've put it in plain milk, stirred with a fork, and it just tasted like milk. I had a friend taste it, and she agreed with me. This morning I made a fake Starbucks hot chocolate with 2 T cocoa, 2-3 T Torani sugar free syrup, a dash of salt, 1.5 c 1% milk, and 2 tsp Genepro. Add the protein powder AFTER heating. Tasted just like hot chocolate, and the whey protein smell kind of blends in with the milk smell. I'm going to try it in Soups and broths too. Genepro has 30 g of protein for only 1 T, so it takes half the powder than most Protein drinks. It's not a Meal Replacement though--there's no Vitamins and minerals. I believe unjury is a similar protein powder. 2. Get the book Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Drinks. It's cheap and has lots of good ideas. She talks about how to get different textures and tastes depending on your food preferences. She also has good ideas for flavorings (Torani sugar free syrups; fat-free sugar-free dry pudding mixes). 3. If you are past the Clear liquids stage, try this super shake idea: 1 veg, 1 fruit, unflavored Greek protein yogurt, and liquid. For the veg, Kale or spinach adds the least amount of flavor. I usually use frozen berries, peaches, or mango. I use Water, but milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc would work too. Sometimes I'll add parsley or cilantro, but I've heard mint and ginger are good too. I might also add a small amount of fat such as Peanut Butter, nuts, or avacado. You can also add liquid vitamins, or other nutritive supplements. If I'm using fresh fruit, I'll add ice. If you use berries, it won't be very sweet, so some people might want to add a little Splenda, or apple, or carrot. If you need more protein, you can add a small amount of protein powder like Genepro without ruining the taste. 4. Juicing: I've learned to love juicing. Watery vegetables work the best, including cucumbers and celery. You can get some liquid out of kale and spinach, but not much. I haven't tried cabbage, but that might work. Regardless of the vegetables, I always add an apple for sweetness and ginger for kick. I've heard asparagus is to be avoided, because the flavor is too strong. You can add something like Genepro for protein; I haven't tried this one yet, but I have high hopes for it. 5. Do you like fish? I love salmon, so I'll be experimenting soon with salmon spread recipes. It doesn't work for the liquid phase, but it should be fine for the soft foods phase. 6. Bone broth: This is broth made with bones and other ingredients, cooked for 24 hrs or so, long enough to leach minerals out of the bones. Try making it yourself with celery, carrots, onions, and bay leaf. You can also buy it online. I've heard it tastes much much better than regular broth or stock usually available at stores, and is healthier too: lots of nutrition in there, including protein. Add a little protein powder like Genepro. (I haven't tried this one yet either.) 7. I've heard good things about Fit Frappe protein drinks, although they are a little high on carbs. You can mix it half and half with a zero carb protein powder. I've also heard good things about Syntrax Nectar: they have a lot of fruit flavors rather than the normal chocolate and vanilla. Good luck! I haven't had surgery yet, but I'm also worried about the abundance of Protein Shakes. Most of them are so gross and way, way too sweet.

Woo-hoo!!!! Congratulations!

When you work out your muscles, you are causing micro tears. The process of repairing them builds muscle. This process takes a lot of Water (and Protein, but that's another topic). This additional water is reflected on the scale as a stall, or even a gain. If you are working out and the scale isn't moving, you might well be losing fat and retaining water, resulting in no net movement. You can probably move the scale down by giving up weight training and drinking caffeine to remove the extra water, but you'd be shooting yourself in the foot. (People talk about losing fat and gaining muscle, but it takes 6+ weeks to gain muscle. The extra weight is water, not muscle.) Instead of measuring success by the scale, take your measurements: bicep, bust, waist, hip, thigh, calf. This is a much more accurate method of measuring fat loss. You might find that when the scale isn't budging, you are losing inches like crazy. If you aren't losing inches, then you might think about changing up your diet.

Do you have a good nutritionist and therapist to talk to? They can help you find solutions you may not have considered. They can also help you visualize being successful long term. That might be key for you. I have the same worries about maintenance. I've never maintained a weight loss for longer than five minutes. When I was researching bariatric surgery, the first thing I did was look up the five year outcomes of surgery vs diet and exercise alone. I was amazed at the long-term success of bariatric patients, especially considering that this is a group not known for handling food well. You are far more likely to be successful than unsuccessful. (The reverse is true for diet and exercise, according to medical research.) So this experience is not like what you've experienced in the past, and you should have every expectation of long-term success.

I'm in Sandy. What's the SLC store called? I'm thinking about getting some sugar-free Torani syrups to flavor the shakes. I also just got The Bariatric Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes. I haven't tried any recipes yet, but I am hoping it makes them edible. Is it rude to call your PCP 5 times a day to check on medical records? It's seriously making me crazy. I submitted my request a week ago, and still no word that the records have been received.

I have a friend who carries most of her weight on her abdomen. She lost ~40 lbs, had another 40 to go, and the only fat left made her look 7 months pregnant. She had super skinny arms and legs after the weight loss. She had people asking her multiple times a day about her "pregnancy." She got so depressed that she gave up and gained the weight back. Nobody looks great fat, but wow, I'm glad for my build. My butt may have its own set of zip codes, but nobody congratulates me on it. To quote a friend, "at least I'm fat everywhere."

Hey, our stats are almost identical! Let's keep in touch. In the patient portal, on the left side of the screen there is a button labeled Criteria. That's where they put all the requirements, individualized for you specifically. Each item gets checked off and dated. I've been on there every day to make sure things are moving along. I'm about to pester my GP again for medical records, today; it's the only thing left. I'm worried about the pre-op diet. I will often drink what I call a super shake: a fruit, a vegetable (spinach or Kale, usually), plain Greek yogurt, Water, and sometimes a healthy add-in. I asked if I could drink this instead of protein shakes; the nutritionist said that would be fine after the surgery, but not before. I've been getting into a more whole food diet lately, and I don't know how I'm going to choke down those fake Protein Shakes 3-4 times a day. Blech. Good luck to us both! I'm hoping for mid-March too. Keep me updated.

I went there a week ago, and I really liked it. You can tell that they have a lot of experience and know what they are doing. I liked that so much of the process is in-office, as opposed to running all over town for appointments. I also like their online patient portal. It's a little clunky, but it's nice to track where I am in the process, and know that they are too.

Ditto on the CPAP. I don't know how anyone manages to use them long-term.

I've spent a bit of time lately thinking about how and when I got so fat. I'm surprised by my own conclusions. 1. Sugar: Brownies and fudge for Snacks during college. Every day. Net Gain: +30 lbs 2. Weight Watchers*: I lost the weight and I gained it back, plus a little extra. I re-joined, lost some weight and gained it back, plus a little extra. I'm sad to say I joined many times before I learned my lesson. The end result was always the same. Net Gain: +15 lbs 3. Phentermine: I loved Phentermine. It made me happy, gave me energy, and completely destroyed my desire to eat; I shed pounds like rain off an umbrella. I gained the weight back faster than you can blink and it brought many many many friends. In retrospect, I think I lost a lot of muscle and my metabolism slowed way down. Net Gain: +40 4. Cyproheptadine: An anti-histamine. The doctor told me not to worry that it was also used to treat anorexia; I should have worried. Net Gain: +15 lbs You know what's not on this list? All my other bad eating habits (besides sugar). I have plenty of them, but I truly don't think they've played a significant role in my weight gain over time. My weight has been incredibly stable apart from the periods listed above. It gives me hope for the future. *I know I'm about to receive a lot of flak for this one!

That helps a lot, thank you.

I'm getting into yoga myself. I really like the channel called 'Yoga with Adriene' on YouTube. Here's a link to one of her beginner videos.

I'd recommend using an online dating site that is known locally as being reputable. For whatever reason, some sites attract better candidates than others. I've met some great people through online dating. I recommend being very upfront on your profile. I had a friend who was very blunt on her profile about her likes and dislikes and personality and history, and she found the best guy who is a great fit for her. She attributed it to not trying to attract everybody on the site, but just being very honest to weed out the ones who wouldn't be good dating candidates for her.

Now might be a really good time for marital therapy. I'm so sorry for your struggles.

It's so good that you're acknowledging it to yourself and making changes to improve. When I was deciding whether or not to get surgery, I looked into the five year outcomes of popular diets vs bariatric surgery. Five years after diet and exercise alone and almost everyone has gained the weight back. Five years after surgery, and almost everyone is still successful. That showed me that it's possible for people like us, who have struggled with our weight for long and have deeply ingrained bad food habits, to be successful. So you may not be perfect, but as long as you keep trying, everything will work out. Love this, and I totally agree.

I just did my psych eval. The psychologist asked about my weight history, my support system, what I do when I'm stressed, and my relationship with alcohol, drugs, coffee, tea, and soda. She also warned me about depression after surgery, why people get it, and how to deal with it. She seemed primarily interested in making sure that I know what to expect mentally after surgery and how to deal with it. I had to fill out two questionnaires also, and those will be evaluated later, and the results added to my file. The longest questionnaire (175 questions) seemed to be looking for signs of a variety of major mental issues. The second questionnaire was focused on depression only and was perhaps 30 questions. Overall, it was a very good experience and quite informative.

I'm in Utah and I have insurance, so no need for me to go to Mexico.

I went to my first consultation yesterday, and the insurance counselor assured me that BCBS-IL is a good insurer. No diet required. They are requiring medical records for proof of co-morbidities (I'm under 40 BMI). No other requirements for me other than nutritionist and psych eval, which the surgeon also requires. The insurance counselor did say BCBS-IL is slow, which is odd because I've heard the opposite on this forum.

Please tell me cellulite goes away at goal. Please.

I take everything as a compliment, if it can possibly be construed as one. I do it for two reasons: 1) I don't like the drama of wondering what the person is really thinking, and 2) my social skills are sub-par, so I'm forgiving of others. I think I have offended many when I was trying to be friendly or supportive.

Yeah that.

Mmm, cake!

I think that's a great idea too. Once you're in the smaller sizes, I've heard thrift stores can be great too. If you like skirts, that can work well for weight loss, especially knit skirts. In fact, knit anything works better than woven. If you have some nicer clothes, take them to a tailor to be sized down. Pants can only go 1-2 sizes down before you basically have to take them apart and re-cut them. Not worth it at that point. Also, see if you can shop a friend's closet. And clearance racks. Congratulations on the weight loss! Edit: Maybe dresses would work for a longer time too. Have a tailor narrow the arm, side seams, and deepen the front and back darts as you lose weight. Perhaps a shirtdress style would work well, or a wrap style.