hermione53

Also meant to add that I don't want to stop Keto bc it really helps reduce cravings.

Just a suggestion: if you're really over drinking them, you could stop the order and give what you've got to a food pantry. Lots of elderly people need protein like that. My state hasn't approved Insure providing shakes even though I'm pretty sure I'd get covered. I'm hoping it gets approved soon bc I drink shakes 1-2 times a day. I'd hate to think that part of the hold up in concern over people abusing the prescription.

Yes! I had a lap band installed when I was 29. I'm pushing 50 now and so wish I'd been able to have this surgery to start with. It's been life-changing. Good luck whatever you decide! Only you know what's best for you.

181 today

Sure! Thanks for introducing the topic of resurgence of hunger at three months.

It's kind of like Atkins. Low carb, high fat, allows for the protein we need. There's a lot of great info on it on a Reddit keto sub thread. Read the FAQs section if you're interested. I learned a ton there. There are also great searchable posts here.@outsidematchinside is one of the resident experts. Her posts kept me from giving up on it because she's rocked it for huge weight loss and has a lot of knowledge and humor to share. I'm also doing a parallel effort in mindful eating, which is eating with awareness and non-judgment. The judgment part is what throws us into catastrophiizing one poor food choice into days or weeks or years of eating crap. My surgeon's office had a six week mindful eating class that was great. We used a workbook by Susan Albers, who I think is from the Cleveland Clinic. I thought it would be only minimally helpful, but it was really excellent. I'm also lucky enough to live near Jean Fain, who is an expert in mindful eating. She wrote a book called The Self-Compassion Diet, which is also excellent. I have just started seeing her for individual counseling because I've used overeating as a coping mechanism since I was six years old and it's high time I move on to a better existence. :-)

I'm having a similar experience. I measured myself this week and was surprised that I'd actually gained inches. Not a lot, but still I thought, what??? Then yesterday I tried on a skirt and a dress that were too tight 2 weeks ago and lo and behold, they both fit!

I think I felt more pain than with my gallbladder surgery. I took Oxycodone for about 2 1/2 weeks and then eased from it to Aleve Liquid Gels. Everyone experiences the pain differently. I was so glad to finally get off the Oxycodone because it tends to keep me from sleeping.

I got hungrier at three months, too. After some initial struggle with sticking to low carb (20-25g per day net carbs), I moved to a ketogenic eating plan. I found that's it's helped a lot in managing my cravings and old food addiction behaviors. I still slip every now and then, but I don't dwell on those times. I try to learn just one new thing each time- like that it's possible to make one not too great food choice in a day without saying, "Why not eat like crap for the rest of the day since I already started down that slope?" I find that I'm forging new behavior patterns and that helps me look at hunger with curiosity rather than fear.

I have a question: do those doing keto take Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)? If so, how much and in what form? Do you find that it helps? I bought some in pill form (big gel caps) and am wondering how many to take. The bottle says you can take three up to five times a day but to start at a low dose. I'm currently taking two a day. If it's helping you, what have you noticed? Also, is it better to take it at a certain time of day? Thanks! http://drjockers.com/5-reasons-to-use-mct-oil-for-ketosis/

I am doing keto and keeping my macros in line with what the calculator spit out for my stats. I find that it really helps in minimizing cravings for sugar and starches. I don't love cooking, but this week I made a spinach and ricotta bake that was very tasty! http://queenketo.com/low-carb-spinach-ricotta-bake/

I had both a catheter and a drain. The catheter was in overnight. I think I had both because I'd had 2 lap bands over 17 years. I don't recall how long the surgery was because I was alone in the hospital. The surgeon did say that they had to do a hernia repair and deal with a mess of stitches from the second lap band installation so I think it took longer than expected.

While this is primarily about health for me, too, the improvement in appearance is a close second. I want to feel confident enough to try dating again because I'm lonely. I've missed out on having kids, but I don't want to be single forever.

No. What is it?

I like Jay Robb Whey protein chocolate or vanilla mixed with unsweetened almond milk. I've recently gotten into SFH coconut flavor. HTH!

I got fitted with a CPAP two weeks ago and also have dry mouth problems. I now keep a bottle of water next to me. It's annoying because drinking more makes me have to get up to go to the bathroom more. I don't have a chin strap- I have a Panasonic Resperonics Dream head thing and a Panasonic base machine with a humidifier. It's Bluetooth enabled so sends out data on my usage. I don't think I'm sleeping with my mouth open because the guy said they'd be able to tell and I'd have to get a full mask. Anybody know if that's true?

Ok, so that provokes a question: have you seen that weird billboard advertising a Tony Robbins and Tom Brady event? Tony Robbins looks like a madman on it. I actually took a photo of it and sent it to my brother because our dad was a Tony Robbins fanatic- made us "walk on fire" and whatnot many years ago. On to the real topic, I wasn't crazy about the Unjury samples I got. The chocolate shake was so so and I screwed up the temperature of the soup. I like Jay Robb vanilla and chocolate flavors. I mix the powder with unsweetened almond milk and sometimes add the powdered peanut butter to the chocolate. I also recently found a coconut flavored protein powder by a company called SFH. I tried a sample size that I got from Whole Foods first. It was very expensive, but I ordered a big bag online because I love coconut and definitely needed to change things up a bit. When I'm on the go I take a Bananas and Cream Premier Protein with me.

I'm also experiencing wild "cycles." There is no regularity whatsoever. At one point I spotted for two weeks straight. I also experience weird pain that seems a bit like ovulation pain, but this has been pretty chronic since the surgery. I'm five months out and luckily that's eased up quite a bit. I was probably 2 years into perimenopause when I had the surgery. I'm wondering if it's sped up my timeline...

Oh, I can understand your fears given your past experiences. I'll be thinking of you. Please let us know how you're doing both pre and post op. You've done amazing!!!!

I got one post-op but haven't used it. One restaurant has grilled fish and broccoli on the kids' menu (alongside the typical kid junk food), but I realized that it's more cost-efficient to order the adult grilled fish with two full sized vegetables bc I get about three meals out of it. I got a similar card when I first got a lap band and even had it laminated. I never used that one, either. It was a strange little card that even had a diagram of a banded stomach on it. Lol [emoji23]

Good luck to you, bandy2sleeve! You'll do great!

186 today

@jbaker5d Not all band slippage is due to "user error." I got my first band (the one that slipped) during the FDA trial in 1999. It slipped around 2004. When I had a new band put in in 2007 I was told that the early bands weren't put in with some sort of special stitch to hold it in place and that's why it had slipped.

I'm five months post op and was just fitted with a CPAP last week. My pre-surgery sleep study showed mild sleep apnea so I didn't think I needed one. When the sleep specialist recommended it, I was skeptical so talked with my surgeon. She said to definitely get it and use it for a year. She said that patients stop using them way too soon. I'm still not sure that I need it and I can't tell if I'm sleeping better because it's taking some getting used to. My AHI levels have ranged from 4-14. Is that normal?

My cycles have been all over the place since surgery 5 months ago. They'd gone wonky over the last two years so I knew I was in perimenopause, but they seem to be even wonkier. At one point I spotted for two weeks. I also seem to get very short and light periods every three weeks rather than four. Then suddenly I once had a brief burst of heavy flow. I figure that this is perimenopause mixed with post-surgical/ weight loss hormone fluctuations. I haven't done a good job of tracking correlations of stalls and cycles, though. I hope you get yours and drop some weight soon. It sounds like you're doing great!!!