orionburn

I did this a lot early on. I would do about 1/4 of a glass with diet cranberry or cran-grape and mix that with a Crystal Light flavor (usually grape or apple). Made for a nice change.

Throw that thing away! lol Seriously, there are better victories to be had. I see so many on here get in this constant fight with the scale. Weighing multiple times a day (which I will never understand why people do that) and freaking out because they gained half a pound since three hours ago. Not that my way is the right way, but when I was trying to get back on track I'd pick something to focus on. If it was getting back to the the gym on a regular basis I just did that. I didn't try to do that and completely rework my diet all at once. In time as I realized I'm doing all this working out I wanted to change my diet so it wasn't going to waste. If there's something you really can't give up right now or struggling with food wise then set a goal not to have it during a weekday and wait until the weekend. Those can be small victories as well. Just have to find what works best for you.

I've always enjoyed oatmeal but have come to enjoy it all the more after WLS. Interesting about the pears. That's one of my favorite fruits but didn't realize that it was one that was more carb friendly.

That's just it...that's why we're here. I managed to lose around 130-140 lbs through diet & exercise alone. Well, that and a lot of ephedrine back in the day...lol. Then I quit smoking. Then I got laid off and ended up in a really bad job. And slowly but surely all that weight started to creep back on (regained at least 80 lbs). If it helps try to set some small goals and don't rely on only having scale victories. It's like trying to quit smoking. We tend to beat ourselves up relentlessly when we cave in and have one after a few days of quitting. Yes, it's a lapse, but take some pride in going a few days without any at all. I think it's human nature to beat ourselves up for failings but we have to focus on the good things too. You stumble, then get back on track. If you fail again, so be it. Try again and again and again.

I've always liked salads, but damn I love them now...lol. That was one of those strange cravings I had as well after surgery. When I was finally approved to have them I was so happy. Luckily those were foods (veggies as well) that have never really bothered me after surgery.

I have BCBS but I'm in Indiana. You have to keep in mind policies are going to vary between states and whatever the employer/insurance company has worked out. One company may not include WLS in their policies while the next does. That being said my experience with BCBS everything was covered as it normally would be for a doctor visit or procedure. Basically you had your co-pays as normal and that was it.

That's the most common argument from doctors. The concern is that since it can be difficult as it is to get your fluids in early on that having a diuretic in your diet could cause you to flush water out of your system quicker than you should. There's a lot of debate on that and whether or not it truly impacts anything. Personally I think it comes down to people tolerating things differently and it's a matter of listening to your body. By the time I started adding caffeine back in I had zero issues getting my fluids in for the day, and coffee was always in addition to my usual 64 oz.

Agree on so many levels. Things I used to not enjoy I do. Things I used to love I hate, but typically those are things such as fast food, fried foods, sugary things, etc. One thing I take pride in is that I haven't had a McDonald's cheeseburger in over a year, and that used to be at least a once a week thing for me. I've eaten there a handful of times being out on the road with friends but have kept it to salads or chicken tenders. Otherwise fast food is a thing of the past. Veggies haven't changed much for me, but cravings for things I used to go crazy for such as breads or pastas are gone. Every once in a blue moon I get the urge for bread, and I may have a small piece, but that's it. And again I'm okay with that and don't feel like I've lost my best friend. My weird craving thing now is mixed nuts. I've always loved peanuts and any sort of mixed nuts container, but now it's like crack to me. I don't let myself have it that often but that's now become as much a treat to me as it used to be having half a cake.

Hahahahaha. My wife loves Panczis but knows she only gets to have one a year. I still love a donut but it doesn't love me back so it's really rare to even try a bit of one. I told a friend that yeah, I can eat it, but I pretty much have to do it on a day where I'm okay with being miserable for the next 6 hours...lol. We tried some Chinese food from a local place we always used to order from (this about a month or two back). Obviously I didn't eat much, but even the little bit that I did wasn't enjoyable. Gave me heartburn and made me feel blah for the rest of the night. Needless to say that'll be the last time I ever have it from there. I used to worry so much that these would be things I'd miss and couldn't live without, and here I am now not caring at all about it. That's a nice feeling to have.

I've heard many a time that the threat is real. That being said most articles, this one included, state something along the lines of "...seem to get divorced at a higher rate." Well, to be honest "seems" is not hard data. I'm not discounting that the divorce rates may in fact be higher amongst WLS patients but are have there been any hard studies done with actual data to back it up? Don't get me wrong - the article has very valid points and I can see how issues can be made worse from having WLS. I'm an engineer so numbers matter more than feels...lol

I go through craving phases as well, and I'm sure most of on here do as well. Some weeks I could care less about carbs. Other weeks I want bread wrapped in a tortilla...lol. When I started the process to quit smoking years ago it wasn't that different. As soon as you start thinking about giving something up or needing to cut back you start wanting it more. You're a bit further out than I am (just hit the year mark) but going through something similar. Getting back on the boards has helped motivate me to get back on a better track. I haven't gained anything but have been stuck at roughly the same weight for the past two months. It's easy to pass judgement and say there's always time for this or that, but I get it that there are times when any free time is limited. A few years back I was juggling a full time job, working part time, planning for a wedding, raising two kids, and taking two college courses. It was...hectic. Still I found time to do fun things and squeeze a few minutes out here and there to have fun. As to the depression thing...been there/done that. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Like you said it's still natural to have some ups & downs. That's life. I was on meds for a year or two as well to get through a difficult phase. Sorted it out, got off the meds, and haven't looked back since. Doesn't mean things don't get down from time to time but it's not letting it grab hold of you that matters. That's a good 15 years back and from time to time (usually the same seasonal bouts) I'll get a bit down, but nothing like I used to be. Don't fret about it. Anyway, probably don't have any real answers for you other than you're not alone...lol. Hit the board up for a few minutes each day. Even if you don't post read some recent topics for encouragement and remind you that you're not the only one struggling. Sometimes that alone gives some peace of mind.

Search the board for "coffee" and you'll get a billion threads on the topic. Most plans allow for decaf right away. Some want you to stay away from caffeine for several weeks to months. I started working in regular coffee after a month or so. I had to start out with 75% decaf and 25% regular. Would get the jitters something fierce despite being a major coffee drinker prior to surgery. Regardless just be mindful of creams/sugars as that can add a lot of empty carbs & calories if you aren't careful.

Not that I was doing this 6 months out, but you will find that you simply can't do things that you did before. For instance I went out with some friends to BW3 a while back. I could only manage about 1/2 a beer and maybe three wings before I felt stuffed. Just isn't room for both. There are some foods I still avoid being a year out. I may have a small bit of rice from time to time but can't eat much of it as it doesn't sit well. I can't do fried foods even in small doses either. I tried a small bit of Chinese food from a favorite local place in December and couldn't do it. The thing is I don't miss any of that stuff. It was a planned for treat that I wanted to try and realized I really didn't miss it that much. With all that being said I have no regrets. Sure it can be a bit frustrating at times when you fill up quickly and everyone else is still eating, but you learn to pace yourself and adjust.

Damn near everyone will go through a stall or multiple stalls. They're frustrating but once you come to terms with the fact it's normal it really isn't a big deal. More annoying than anything. Sometimes they last a few days or a week, other times a month. It's a good time to review your diet (keep logging your food) and see if some tweaks may be needed. For some cutting a few more carbs out will help, others it's a needed increase in exercise, and for some their calories may be too low. Unfortunately it's a situation where there's no single right answer for everyone.

It's like eating before surgery...just smaller portions. Some foods may not sit as well or you may not enjoy them as much as you did before. Everybody is different. For most they can eat anything that they did before, but others take longer. For the most part it's honestly eating like normal but not as much of it.

Clearly your surgery did not work. All hope should be lost. Give up now. Abandon ship! Relax! It's a common thing to happen. Hell I came home weighing 10 pounds MORE than I did the morning of my surgery because I was so pumped full of fluids and it took days for it to start coming off. This is a normal thing to happen. Stalls are going to happen. Weird ups & downs will happen. Stay the course, follow your plan, and you'll be fine.

I can see them wanting you to transition to getting most of your protein from food sources, but to be honest I wasn't able to do that for the first few months. Doc wanted us to only do 3 meals a day and no snacks. There simply was no way I could eat enough protein from lean meats to hit 60g/day. I had to do my 3 meals and supplement with a protein shake to get enough in. There really is nothing wrong with continuing to use protein drinks long term. As I wanted to work more greens into my diet that meant I wouldn't be able to eat as much meat. For that trade-off I'd have a protein shake so that I could get more variety into my diet and still hit my daily goals.

I really need to start doing this. I have to have some sort of creamer or flavor added to my coffee so this would be a better substitute.

Whew...lol. I've read some crazy stories on here where people got sent home with little to no info and it always amazes me that there are doctors out there that actually do that. The store here sells quite a bit of protein powders. I really, really love Unjury but it's pricey. Others are big fans of Premier. I often order my stuff off of Amazon. I use Body Fortress which isn't anything great but gets the job done.

lol...you aren't the first one that thought it was onion.

My local clinic often had free samples to try. Some companies like Unjury have single serve packets of their protein packets. You have to pay for them but at least you're spending $2 to try a flavor rather than wasting $25 on a tub of something you end up hating.

I can see it being somewhat pricey if you're taking some speciality vitamins. Some of the bariatric ones get salty on the cost. I've been taking regular calcium and multivitamin for the past few months. I just hit the one year mark and have to get updated bloodwork to make sure I'm still good, but haven't had any issues up to this point. During the first two months I was low on my iron and had to add an extra supplement but it eventually evened out.

Check this site out. It's a go-to for many on here: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html The Ricotta Bake was a Godsend during that time. It's seriously good and easy to make.

Generally, yes, both require vitamins long term but more so with a bypass due to malabsorbtion issues. Honestly that was a big factor in my deciding to get a sleeve rather than the bypass. Both surgeries certainly have their pros/cons so you have to look at the big picture and decide what's best for you.