Diana_in_Philly

Do not have the smoothie place make you things - put them in your own blender at home - you can control the amounts and quality of the items that way. It makes a huge difference. You can mix these ahead and put them in a blender bottle and leave them in the fridge at work at the beginning of your shift. Shake a few times before drinking and you're good.

There is no preventing it. It is going to happen. It is going to stop. Your hair is going to come back. Start making peace with that. The hair loss is triggered by many things, including, as the poster above said, the shock to your system. Mine was worst from Month 3 to Month 7. I'm almost a year out and my hair is coming back gangbusters right now.

Have you tried throwing the protein powder, some fruit and ice in a blender? I have rarely drunk the shakes straight up. One of my faves is taking a cup of cold coffee, a caramel shake packet, sugar free chocolate syrup (like from a coffee shop - I use the Torani brand) and some ice. Into the blender and I've got a 24 gram of protein shake. I still drink this to this day. Another version I like is Fairlife Skim Milk (13 grams of protein in one cup), a scoop of chocolate protein powder, one tablespoon of PB2 powder and a few pumps of sugar free caramel syrup. Say hello to your snickers protein shake with about 35 grams of protein. (Oh yeah - ice and blender.) You need to get the shakes in at this point otherwise you aren't going to get your protein you need to heal your body. Keep experimenting.

My team said listen to your body. My surgery was Tuesday. I was on the elliptical bike in the gym on Saturday for an hour pedaling and watching Breaking Bad. (IT was the only time I let myself watch - so I didn't binge and just sit on the sofa.) I had a pre-surgery workout routine I had down. My post-op visit was 9 days after surgery and I was cleared for weights as my body tolerated and I incorporated light lifting - my trainer and I had worked up a plan to include my surgery. Listen to your body and drink, drink, drink. I found I really liked the sugar free Powerade versus the Gatorade G2 after a workout. But that's why there's chocolate and vanilla. Listen to your body. It will tell you when.

I tried and it didn't work for me. I did not care for the taste when I mixed protein powder in with the oatmeal. Also, you have to be careful because protein powders will not dissolve but will clump if the liquid they are mixed into is more than 130 degrees.

Most protein powders will clump and get icky if the temp of what you are adding them too is in excess of 130 degrees. Do not try grits or farina yet. If you have been cleared by your team for pudding, get the prepared sugar free kind and stir your protein powder in, but that's not going to be much better. Right now, you should be concentrating on liquids. Sip, sip, sip. Sip water, sip shakes. Try the clear protein waters - they may sit better. Your diet is designed for very specific reasons to allow your body to heal. Don't mess with that.

Some physicians work with groups that offer financing - my insurance covered all by about $1,000 of mine.

The response is "my doctor has me on a very strict diet to deal with some stomach issues. I wish I could enjoy everything you are, but I have to listen to doctor's orders now or I will certainly pay for it later." Leave the rest to their imaginations. All of it is 100% true.

I have a massive, unopened container of unflavored protein on top of my freezer - never even broke the seal on that baby and bought it pre-surgery this time last year. So, with that lesson (about a $65 lesson) in mind, please get small packets or singles of things before surgery to see what you like and keep a few on hand for after, because what you loved before you may not be able to stomach after. For me, the Premier pre-mixed caramel and vanilla were go to drinks. I also use the salted caramel powder in single packets from Quest and their double chocolate as well. Now, I use Optimum Gold (available from Costco) for my everyday vanilla shakes I make with coconut milk and some fruit. (That's breakfast every morning - it keeps me honest.) I didn't order a single thing from any of the bariatric sites. I just wen to my local GNC.

I was 55 when I had my surgery last year - 5'3" and 271.5 pounds before my first consult. I had VSG and I've been very pleased. I have a family history of diabetes as well. My surgeon and I discussed the pros and cons of each surgery and decided that VSG was the right choice for me. I am 11 months out (surgery 8/23/16) and am down 99.5 pounds at this point. I want to lose about another 20 - my choice. My surgeon is happy with where I am. I am 1 pound away from moving from obese to overweight in the bmi chart and started with a BMI of 48.1. My BMI today is 30.1. I fence 5 hours a week. I take TRX classes. I will very likely be able to put off my knee replacement surgery. I'm thinner than I was when I got married 20 years ago! Investigate all the options, but do talk with your doc, as there are long term consequences for each surgery and you are quite young. While right now taking a large handful of vitamins might not seem like an issue, it will get "old" after a few years and if you have RNY, skimping on your vitamins is not an option. A good surgeon will evaluate all your medical conditions and make his/her recommendation based upon his/her years of knowledge. My surgeon has been doing this for 20+ years and his practice group does hundreds of bariatric procedures a year (like 600 ish across all the MDs in the practice.) I'm paying to trust that experience because I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV.

Give a call to your insurance carrier and ask to speak with someone about their process for bariatric surgery. They will likely put you through to a nurse manager who will explain their process. Every carrier has a different process. best of luck.

I'm not a runner, so I can't help with B and C, however, I was back in the gym and cleared for everything but lifting 9 days after surgery. I was told by my team to "listen to my body" and I did and it was fine. As to C, the carbonated thing for your water, by the time the race rolls around, you may be fine with it. I was sleeved 8/23 and by Thanksgiving I was drinking seltzer without a problem. Best of luck.

If your thyroid is off, that could cause all kinds of problems. it should have been part of the pre op and post op blood panels, but many hormone imbalances can cause exhaustion. Best of luck. (I had terrible thyroid problems for many years - turns out it was a benign tumor -which when removed resolved the problems.)

I just turned 56. Had surgery 8/23/16 at 55. I'm down 99.5 pounds and was hobbling toward knee replacement . I had no complications after surgery. I was back at work less than a week after (I'm a desk jockey and only go into the office 2x week work from home other days). Fear is OK. But, don't let it derail you. What can I do now? I fence 4-5 hours a week, do TRX, walk, run, jump all without narcotics, which I needed before for my knee pain. Last year, Memorial Day, went with daughter 1 to University of Pittsburgh for a tour and had to quit the tour half way through (she completed it) because walking hurt too much. This year, just a few weeks ago at orientation, I didn't move the car from the hotel for the three days we were there and walked 5-7 miles daily with no adverse effects. In fact, worked out in the fitness center both nights. Think about what you will be able to do. My orthopedic surgeon is stunned by the improvement in my knees - I still don't have cartilage in places (that won't change) but I think I'll be able to put off replacement for 10 years. Before, i was hoping to make it to 59. In part, I had the VSG so I could do my knees - he didn't want to do my knees until my BMI was under 40. You've got this.

The first few days just suck. There's no way around it. Try to find something to do to take your mind off it - binge watch something. And know that a year from now, everything will be so different you won't even remember how much this sucked.

I've been doing insurance-related legal work for 30-ish years. The odds of a carrier deciding to cover something that is specifically excluded is almost negative. Consider, from their point of view, the consequences - if they say yes to your bariatric, which was excluded, they will be in the position of having to argue that the exception made then should not apply to the plastics you will need related to bariatric surgery. So sorry it isn't covered by your plan. It's not like an experimental drug or new drug that may not be on the formulary. Best of luck.

Work the plan and the plan works. Go back to basics - protein and water first, everything else later. You did it once, you can do it again. Consider measuring your protein so you refresh yourself on portion sizes. Separate your eating and drinking. It will help. You've got this.

Yes, I agree. Join a gym and get a trainer. I joined the Y before surgery and found a trainer who helped me lose prior to surgery and after. We continue to work together. Right now, we are working on arms and upper back as well as agility training. Right after surgery, I'd do about an hour on an elliptical bike (I have bad knees - it was the most comfortable) and then do weights with machines. She set up a program for me. My training now, 11 months out, looks very different. I fence 4-5 hours a week over 2 days, do TRX for an hour, Pilates for an hour, strength and agility for an hour each week. I have at least one rest day each week. Tuned up with my trainer this morning. Get recommendations from folks in your area for the gyms they like the best.

Are you tracking what you eat and were you doing so after hitting goal and the gain? Were you weighing yourself regularly? I'm about six months behind you time wise - my surgery was on 8.23.16 and I'm still working toward goal, but I find if I'm not religious about tracking, weighing my food every few weeks to remind myself what portion sizes are supposed to look like and weighing myself at least once a week on the scale, it is very easy to get off track. I weighed myself before leaving on vacation on 7/1 and then again upon return on 7/9 - I knew I gained because I was drinking pina coladas, laying on a beach and eating way more, including snacks, than I should. I gained 8 pounds during vacation. Six of those came off in the first four days - I cut out alcohol and upped my activity and water intake. I figure and other few days and the remainder should be gone and I can get back to climbing over the 100 pound barrier I've been facing. From what I have read, not tracking and measuring portions can cause all kinds of problems. Best of luck.

I had to do all different temperatures. One day, I could only drink ice cold. Another, it would be room temp. The next it might be hot. I never knew from day to day. Also, adding Crystal Light or using Vitamin water Zero helped to have flavor. Keep experimenting. You'll find the Goldilocks of water for you that's just right!

Re: the secret - my husband, my two teenage daughters and two good friends know about my surgery. That's it. I'm 11 months out, lost 98 pounds and headed to that 100 pound mark soon. I hope to be over 100 pounds lost by my 1 year appointment. When did I tell my husband - We've been married for almost 20 years now. He and I both love to eat and drink and guess what, our lives haven't changed. He has a beer or a glass of wine or a drink and I had water or iced tea or selzer in the first few months. I have a glass of wine probably 3-4 times a week now -- if I stopped that would I probably have gotten over the 100 pound mark - you bet. But I told him as soon as I decided it was right for me. FWIW - you have been keeping a major secret from him for six months -- if he withheld a medical condition from you that he was seeking treatment for over six months how would you feel? Would you feel as if you weren't trusted? Betrayed? Feel as if you didn't count in helping to deal with things? If you are not willing to share everything with him - warts and all - then he's not the person you want to marry. Or if you aren't ready to share all of yourself with someone, maybe you need to re-think whether it is the right time in your life to marry. (I"m on my second marriage - I was too young and too stupid and didn't understand so many things the first time -- neither my ex or I because we were just too young). You love him. You would never want him to keep from you that he's been treating for high blood pressure for the last six months - so be prepared for him to be shocked when you tell him you are having surgery in a few weeks. You are ready for this and have had time to come to terms with what it means. He has not. You are springing it on him as a surprise so give him time and space to deal with that. My husband came to the first surgeon visit with me and was by my side and at support groups with me throughout. He hasn't told a soul. (BTW - my mother and sister don't know I had the surgery. And they never will, either, for a whole lot of reasons that aren't relevant to this conversation.) You need to bring him up to speed as soon as possible and stop thinking about what you won't be able to do (which you will - we dine out often and very well, thank you) but what you will be able to do - zip line? Parasail? Sports? Hike? I don't know what he likes but I'm sure there is some activity he'd love for you to be part of that you can't be right now as a result of your weight. Sit down and talk to him soon.

The first few days stink. There is no other way to describe it. Hang in there, you've got this. By day 3, you'll be in a much better place.

For me, it was at it's worst from 4-7 months. Mine is really starting to come back in now and I'm 11 months post VSG.

Are you having issues with reflux? Sometimes when I'm not religious about my Protonix, I get what feels like hunger but turns out to be acid. Also, depending on what you are craving are your deficient in a vitamin or mineral -- e.g. if you are craving bananas, your potassium may be out of whack - or spinach could be iron. Have you had bloodwork done recently? Try to go back to the basics - separate your eating and drinking, push more fluids in - water, water, water.

You have to own it -- you say: Thank you, the potatoes are very good, but I'm on a special physician prescribed diet right now and can only eat a bit at a time. I would have mentioned to the manager that the waitress was asking about the food in a way that made you uncomfortable so retraining could be done. My line, even now 11 months out, is Oh my, everything is delicious but I just can't eat another bite. Can I have a to-go box? With a really big smile. Only you can make yourself feel uncomfortable or awkward about your surgery. 99.5% of the people I know and don't know, have no idea I had surgery. If anyone asks about the way I eat, I just say I'm on a medically supervised weight loss program for health issues. Period. If anyone asks more, I repeat the same answer to make it clear that the discussion of this topic is over or go to - How Bout those Phillies?