ShelterDog64

@@Sammy1991 Your body stores estrogen in your excess fat, so when you start burning it, you mobilize all that stored estrogen. It can cause you to have breakthrough bleeding and affect your cycle. I had completed menopause, so over 12 months with no menses, and I've had a period (and ovulated) every month since my surgery

I don't care about the flak...I'm fed up. And I'm ranting about it. I see these people here, in my support group, in the waiting room at my doctor's office...they're everywhere. Complaining, whining, justifying their own crappy choices by asking others to validate them. I'm raising two sons to NOT be backseat drivers to their choices, to not blame their self-created misfortune on others...it's a personal peeve of mine. YMMV, of course.

Simple solution: stop after one minute. Best advice ever

@@rolosmom7 I had shoulder surgery in Sept, about 3 months after my VSG. My weight loss has just really picked up again...horrible timing for me but I trashed my shoulder loading a kayak on top of our vehicle. The surgery and recovery has really eaten into my honeymoon period with my sleeve

@@rolosmom7 One thing I did early on that helped me get the Protein shakes down was to blend them with ice. It increased the volume a bit, so the shake wasn't so heavy and it really helped me get my fluids in when it was so hard to do.

I agree with Blizair...you need to tell your surgery team. Nicotine use greatly inhibits healing and your surgeon needs to know what to expect post-op.

This! When I do order an entree, I always ask for vegetables in lieu of the starch. Or if there's something that looks really good but is clearly too large and won't reheat well, I ask if they can do a smaller portion. I was at a favorite restaurant the other day that does a gorgeous salmon sashimi appetizer, and the server remembered that I've ordered it several times as my meal. When I ordered it this time, she asked if I wanted it made as an entree with vegetables and rice...I said yes to the veg and no to the rice, and the restaurant didn't immediately go out of business

Are you walking? That's the single best thing to keep your bowels moving, honestly, as long as you're getting your fluids. Probably TMI, but I walk almost every night after dinner...by the end of 2 miles, I usually need my bathroom

Does your surgeon think you've already stopped smoking or does he/she know that you're still smoking?

I put GENEPRO into everything....coffee, lemonade, milk, refried Beans, cottage cheese, yogurt (if it isn't greek), Soup, etc. Pretty much anything soft/moist. The key to getting Genepro to incorporate well is to sprinkle it on the surface of whatever you're trying to mix it with, then use a FORK to mix it in. I have it in a cup of coffee every morning by pouring my half and half into the cup, mixing it with the Genepro then adding coffee. No lumps, just undetectable Protein.

I'm currently obsessed with finding the perfect pair (or 2/3/4) of cute flat-ish shoes to wear in the rain. I know, it SEEMS trivial but I live just outside of Seattle and shoes for rainy days are needed from October until May. Suede is out, and I want a slip-on that I don't have to wear socks with (I grew up in FL and have a deep-seated hatred of the way socks feel on my feet). And they have to have arch support...I like my shoes cushy. I wear lots of skinny jeans (and they're not such FAT skinny jeans anymore!) and slim-legged ankle pants, so my shoes really show and I need to look GOOD, darn it! The struggle, it's real, y'all!!

Damn...I waited tables for years and never got peeved because someone ordered soup and salad vs a full meal. I should have been mad at the elderly, kids and non-drinkers, too, eh? And not ordering apps AND dessert?? How rude, while filling all those seats intended for $40 meals. The nerve of them. Maybe restaurants should have a dollar limit that you have to reach or you get charged that much anyway. I think I'll keep ordering my soup and a glass of wine, tipping 50% and ignoring the fact that opinions like yours exist.

Sagging can happen with either surgery, so that really shouldn't be a point of consideration. What does your surgeon think is the best surgery for you? You don't mention any co-morbidities, like reflux, diabetes, PCOS, etc...all of those should figure in when you make a decision. Any of the surgeries can be successful or fail...it truly depends on you and your commitment to changing your lifestyle. If you don't feel that you can control your ability to eat or not eat certain foods, you may want to talk to a therapist to develop some techniques for when those cravings come crashing in. And they do...I had a VSG in June, and although I don't have any hunger, I still have cravings. Nice, huh?

@@Candygyrl We're both June surgeries, I think, and I do understand what you're saying. I've gained and lost the same 50/75 pounds over and over and over and over...and this is the first time the weight has come off the way it's happening now. I usually lose weight in my face, arms and stomach, with my butt and legs grudgingly releasing a few pounds, but never an amount in proportion with the rest of my body. THIS TIME, the first thing to go was my upper back fat, then my belly, but also my thighs, calves and butt. I've always had a generous, high-profile butt and it's disappearing. I'm not as pleased by that as I expected to be...it's nice to hear from someone else that they're feeling the same. And my upper arms! I have wings now, and I think if I'd lost that weight a bit slower maybe they wouldn't be so, flappy?, for lack of a better word. I had to have an unexpected shoulder surgery in September and it's really impacted my ability to go to the gym and do strength training. I really think that's key for us women who want to keep our butts/thighs looking healthy. I just got cleared to start doing leg and ab machines, I'm hoping some weighted squats and leg presses will help build more prominent muscle in those areas so I don't end up with a pancake butt Otherwise, congratulations to you...it's been fun being on this trip with a few names I see over and over, watching us all get healthier and more confident in ourselves

@@Dairymary **It is not an FDA approved product and Until this company proves their claims with clinical trials, she considers it just snake oil.** NO Protein powders or supplements are FDA approved. The FDA won't test protein supplements because they don't regulate them. And 'in situ' means 'in place' or 'on the premises'. I'm married to a physician and have access to an entire department of bariatric surgeons who have extensive real-world experience with patients using GENEPRO and they have no issues with their patients using it because a) it works. My personal 'proof' that it's effective is over 60lbs of weight loss in 5 months, with no loss of muscle and great healing from my sleeve surgery and a subsequent orthopedic surgery.

I set interim goals or objectives for myself to keep me motivated! For example, I want to lose about 100 lbs total with this surgery. Together, my surgeon and I came up with some time related weight loss goals that would help me get there, and striving for those goals gives me things in the near future to reach for vs looking waaaaaaay down the road at my largest, final goal. The celebrations design themselves...if I lose weight, I get new clothes. If I follow my exercise plan, I get stronger and can advance to new exercises/types of exercise. If I eat properly, I feel better and don't have any stomach pain/nausea. If I get my Water in every day, I don't get constipated

Genepro claims to make 30g of protein bioavailable in a 1T scoop. 1T is 14-ish g of weight, depending on what the item being measured is. People don't believe the electrophoresis process can refine the protein into a more bioavailable form. I have access to enough science-y people who say that it's quite possible and actually very likely. It's up to each person to determine whether they are Genepro fans or not, but what it boils down to for me is that it's at the very least 15g/T and it's the only protein powder I can stand the smell/taste/texture of, so I use it. I've lost 63 lbs since the end of June and am on track for my interim goals to my larger goal, so I consider it a good product FOR ME and will continue to use it unless something changes.

I've been using it for a few months now, and I've done great. I've considered the concern about grams of protein/grams of powder and count it as 20g instead of 30g, just in case. I use it every morning in my coffee, and mix it into most of my soft food when I need that extra protein. I've been VERY happy with it, despite the concerns about the science.

@@Butterflywarrior How are you feeling today? I hope the gas pains have subsided and your pain management is doing it's job. The second post-op week is LOTS better than the first!

Absolutely! I'd completed menopause, so had been over a year with no cycle...I've had a light period every month since my surgery. All the fat-stored hormones are wreaking havoc as I burn that fat. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@LisaMergs advice has been true for me as well. I started in a snug 16/1x, skipped 14 entirely and am rapidly heading out of 12s, too. I have to have some nice, properly fitting clothing and I'm not a dress wearer, so it's been essential for me to have 2-3 pairs of well-made, well fitting pants and maybe 6 tops. I went straight from a 1x top to mediums, so I purchased some sale and clearance items at Ann Taylor and banana Republic to get me through for a while. Luckily, I have a friend who will likely have a VSG in January and she's starting at about the same height/weight I did...she'll buy my lightly used items from me for maybe half of what I paid. That works for me! What she doesn't want I'll consign at a nice second-hand resale store to recoup some of my funds.

@@eso GENEPRO is my favorite. If you buy it, make sure you go to the Musclegen Research website, they have great instructions for how to best blend it into different temperature foods.

@@LisaMergs You go! That's awesome!!

@@LipstickLady **My second "issue" is that fact that there is still the thought process that food is a "treat". That's a road directly back to Fatty Mcfatpants, a place I never want to revisit. A treat is a concert tickets and fitting comfortably through the crowd and in your seat. A treat is a new pair of skinny jeans in the single digit sizes. A treat is newly found collar bones and hip bones. A treat is fresh flowers on the kitchen table or a new trashy novel to enjoy on the next rainy day. A treat is a session on treadmill or a hike up a mountain without losing your breath immediately. You aren't a dog. Food is no longer a "treat" and what exactly is it "rewarding"?** THIS is what I hate reading here. Food, post-op, really needs to be relegated to 'fuel' status and language calling food 'cheats', 'rewards' and 'treats' needs to leave our vocabulary. Most of us got fat because we used food for everything in our lives, for fun, for comfort, for socializing, etc. Just stop it. The surgeon can only remove part of my stomach...I have to do the rest.