CyclicalLoser

My surgeon goes by the 15 min before and 30 min after rule. So if I'm thirsty, I drink now and push off eating for 15 minutes. Works for me!

I was a vegan a few years ago, so I understand what you mean, but I probably should have been more specific, animal-protein without lactose sugars There is small amounts of lactose present in Whea products (Unless Whea isolate) - right after surgery, I developed lactose intolerance to even the slight amount in regular whea protein drinks, so I had to switch to whea isolate. My digestive system is more "normal" now, so although I can tolerate regular whea much better, I still tend to get the smelliest gas (And breathe) from it.

Lately mine have been pretty bad. When I had the lap band, I had gas all the time, but it was odorless. I think part of it might be because of all of the dairy that we tend to consume. Protein made from whea, lots of emphasis on protein drinks, cheese, yogurt, etc. I don't know if incorporating more animal protein will help, I'm honestly lazy about cooking and frankly I find it easier to get the dairy based protein. For now, I try to hold it until I'm in a secure location (Bathroom/outside) and then pass the gas. If you find something that works, I'm all ears though!

Sometimes I feel that when I take the larger pills like ursodiol or prilosec. I still take chewable vitamins but I plan on switching to capsules when my stockpile dwindles I took tylenol extra strength tablets last night, but I did bite them in half before swallowing them. I'm less than 2 months out from surgery, so I don't know if it's normal, but I got similar kinds of swallowing issues when I had the lap band, so I guess I'm used to it.

Right after surgery my tastes and smells changed. They are better now, but still off sometimes. I do get the foul smell pretty often, but my breathe and sweat are atrocious! I think it is because of the ketosis, because on one of my past 100-pound losses (Without the band or RNY) my breath smelled the same way. I don't have one, so I can't say that it works, but have you thought about something lava navage where it rinses out your sinus cavity with saline? I'm allergic to pretty much everything (Not foods/drugs though), so my sinuses are always up to something. I've just gotten used to it to be honest.

I think I dumped tonight. I was stupid, and deserve it (And criticism) but I had a large serving of carb smart ice cream. Probably a cup to be honest. I noticed when I ate this ice cream before it kind of gave me gas, and overall I could feel it move throughout my system quite well. Ate it, and didn't feel so good afterward. About 30-60 minutes later, I felt very nautious and uncomfortable whether sitting up or reclined. I went #2 and it was loose, but not diarrhea. I felt like I was going to pass out a little bit, but chalked it up as my normal anxiety. Still not feeling well and having an occasional "verp" I tried unsuccessfully to vomit. As I layed back in misery, I noticed that all I wanted to do was go to sleep. I also noticed my pulse rate was up. I don't think I got any palpitations, but I get them all the time from my anxiety, so I tend to discard them. I did feel cold, so I put a blanket on. I kind of dozed off/light sleep for an hour or so, and then the diarrhea hit. Not explosive like others said, but yes it was what it was. About an hour after that, I started to feel normal again, although several hours later I still have gas pretty bad. Does that sound like a dump? I kind of hope it was, because although it was unpleasant, it wasn't as bad as the stories I've heard where people were flat-out on the floor thinking they were having a heart attack.

To the others in the thread, I do apologize if I am getting off topic here, but I think this is a useful dialog. I didn't include sideeye's response in here so as to not make my reply super long. On that note though, and regarding your second to last point regarding your mother. I think it's important to note that I am not a Catholic, and my understanding is almost entirely what others have told me, with exception to a Catholic wedding I went to. I grew up as a baptist, and now am an evangelical, or non-denominational if you will. I wanted to find a church which preached the Bible "as is" and didn't try to put a spin on it. I haven't found a "perfect" pastor, but the late Dr. J. Vernon McGee literally preached from the start to the end of the Bible instead of "topic based" preaching which is much more common today. Nevertheless, I think many people lump the term "religion" with "faith" and I would argue that they are two different things. People, by nature, tend to be religious. We start with a core idea/belief and then add-on to it ad nauseam. I think cars are great, so I join a car club. But then I get more focused and join a different car club only with xyz car manufacturers. Then I feel somehow lesser because I don't go to cars and coffee... I'm sure you know John 3:16, so I won't repeat it here, other than it promises heaven if you have faith in Jesus Christ. I'm also sure you are familiar with the criminals on the cross next to Jesus on Calvary. One of them, having done nothing good in his life (As far as we know) changes his belief into Jesus and is permitted into heaven. The Bible is full of rules as you noted, and there are people who believe that you must comply with all rules in order to enter heaven. Going by those rules, I am, without a doubt, doomed to hell. I am only a human, I make mistakes all the time, and I'm guilty of breaking the 10 commandments ("Thou shalt not covet" in particular, I love, love, love cars that I simply cannot afford). I think this obsession with rules is what puts genuinely-interested people off, and what leads genuine faith-based Christians into a OCD-like ritual instead of maintaining a relationship with their Savior. My belief is that you don't earn your way into Heaven, you simply must have real faith about Jesus. So I suppose it would apply to the "Personal loyalty test". I think that my belief (And the Bible, at least if read as written) puts people off even more. How could a "good" person go to hell and a "bad" person who accepts Jesus as their personal savior at the last minute enter into heaven? There are many possible explanations ranging from "Hey it's the rules, like it or leave it" to "What standard is good, what is the measuring stick based on since different regions/cultures define 'good' differently?" I will refrain on the subject not because I don't think it is interesting, but I'm trying to keep the focus on answering the questions that brought you into this thread, and that topic could be dissected for years. I do ask you to keep this in mind, these are my beliefs and thoughts, and I'm positive that not all of the Christians in here shares my opinions, so I would not take my word as fact. I think the offer to pray for people in a non-lounge forum should be okay, so long that it is exactly that, and I think you might agree we both have taken it out of the original intent. I suppose the title should have been different, such as "If you want me to pray for you, please post inside" but I think the OP was actually trying not to offend people by warning them. As far as any attacking on either side though, that shouldn't be in this thread either, as the original intent was just to pray for people. Again, my apologies to everyone else who just came in here for prayer and not to get involved in religious rhetoric. I didn't want sideeye, nor any other atheists who did view the thread to think that we all fit into the same mold

I appreciate your honest reply, I'll do my best to answer your initial questions, as far as how it works for me. Praying is an interesting thing even in the Christianity world. There are those that believe you say them over and over again for doing something wrong, there are others that believe you have to kneel down and pray in a formalistic way. In the bible, there is a "template" if you will, the "Lord's Prayer" (The one that is prayed in times of trouble, vigils, etc...). I believe some people believe you pray that exact prayer. I look at it as a template, however I suppose I am a bit "progressive" as I believe that I can have a pseudo conversation in the car "Hey Jesus, please help me remember what I studied for the test today". Obviously I wouldn't close my eyes. I don't mean to sound preachy, but I think this helps address why we pray. In the bible we are told that if one has the faith of a mustard seed, it shall be done. It also tells us that if two or more are in agreement, that God will answer your prayer. So we are not only told we should pray, but encouraged to pray. This next part will probably be hard to wrap your head around. I/we(?) believe that God always answers prayer, sometimes in the affirmative and other times not so much. One preacher has a saying (I'm paraphrasing here) 'Sometimes God says "go", sometimes God says "no" and sometimes God says "slow"'. One could question why we pray at all if God is omnipotent, and can answer any way in which He desires, and this questions ponder even Christians. One group says that because God is all-knowing, that he knew that John will not believe and therefore go to hell, while on the other side, he knew Sally would believe and go to heaven. Another believes that God gives us free-will. I believe in both actually, and when combined with the above reasons, that is why I pray. Praying is a comfort for us Christians. It gives us "hope" and allows us to "do something for" a person at any time, from any where, and in any language. I quote the above two words because I'm trying to explain this as how I think an atheist would view it. We don't believe it is hope, we believe that it seriously helps. Some people tend to pray last; I'm guilty of that sometimes, but that's not really the way it should be. I believe that sometimes Christians are guilty for using prayer as an excuse for laziness. We are told to give up everything to God, but I believe that if I am to lose weight (for example) I don't keep eating 10,000 calories a day, while praying for God to help me lose weight. Instead, I believe you pray about it, but do everything within your means to make it happen. I'll give you a real life example. I found a car that I wanted to buy on Craigslist. I prayed that "God's will be done" (So, I'm not saying God, gimme gimme). After that, I called, texted, and emailed. I didn't get a response, so I did it again and again. (Maybe once per day, not like a car stalker). After a few rounds of emails, I was set to go look at the car, however the person agreed to let another person look at the car first. Did I get it? Nope, the other person bought it. I'm okay with it and I rationalize it as God telling me "no" - but, I did everything I could do to make it happen. I believe you are 100% correct in how we feel the same physiological feelings when it comes to needing/providing prayer (good thoughts) for someone. I'm not sure how much stake an atheist might put into it. I think if they follow "principles" then it might have more substance, while I would imagine other atheists might think it's a nice thought but thinking something doesn't do anything at all. With Christians, we really believe that it helps. I also agree that a lot of the circumstances have atheistic analogues. For example we believe "Judgement is mine saith the Lord" whereas an atheist might(?) say "Karma gets you in the end". The afterlife is perhaps the toughest thing that I struggle with. I had a good friend die two years ago from brain cancer. He went through two intensive surgeries (They literally split his brain in half to get to the tumor). The entire time he went through it, he was comforted by the fact that if he died, then he would exist in heaven with his friends and families (Who were also believers). He was as calm as a cucumber to be honest. Many of his friends and family were very upset when it happened, but speaking for myself, I do find comfort in that I believe I will see him once again in heaven. So for Christians, death on earth is really a pause in existence. Some believe it is instantaneous "Gone with the body, present with the Lord" (I believe this) and others believe that the person's soul is not "released" until the rapture. I suppose one could look at it just like anesthesia in that time to the observer is not observed, but instead is nearly instant. As far as right vs. wrong, I think it is hyped up because of political-correctness, and the speed/power with which modern technology makes possible. If I go out there and say what I feel, then I feel like I am being a bit forceful. If, on the other hand, I am asked a question, and I answer it truthfully, I feel like there should be respect for my answer. Debates are great, but I have a problem with the fundamentals of them. If I say "Pluto is a planet" and use a publication which says so, and the other person rejects that book, then there is nowhere to go with it unless both sides can come to a mutual agreement on a particular text. How do I evangelize? If religion comes up, and I am asked about it, I give my response, and usually I will return the question. If said person answers (dare I say "not what I believe") then usually I will probe further and try to get a dialog going. Sometimes the other person is not interested and there is really no point to discuss anymore (And I believe I am halfway decent at sensing that) while others are genuinely open to talking about it. I am an introvert, and generally a pretty humble/non-confrontational person. I say that because while I can understand that you might be aggravated, honestly, who cares. I really like the quote of the fictional food-reviewer Anton-Ego ["Ratatouille", 2007, Pixar] "In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so..." (Emphasis mine). I fully expect other people, whether they ask for my opinion, or I freely express it, to discard it as they may - truth be told, most people tend to ignore what I say anyway. To clarify - I am not advocating for one to stop fighting for their right/cause, doing so would be foolish; however, for non issues (As I perceive this thread) and I will repeat myself "Who cares?" Again, I want to thank you for answering respectfully, (And putting some real thought into your response) and at the end of the day, although we have completely different opinions, I respect your opinion.

Thank you Matt, I'm seeing this now, but I did decide to try it out. I also decided to try out the bryers carb consious ice cream. The latter is probably bad I know it, but I'm under on my calorie goals, and I can only eat 90 calories at a time. It does have protein as well, but maybe I'm over-justifying it. They both went down fine. Well, the ice cream still makes my insides rumble, slightly more than a protein drink, but other than the weird sensation of food literally moving around my abdomen, there were no other issues. I am concerned about the stretch because I think I'm eating more than a 1/4 cup. I still don't know what should be a proper size post-op. Feeling full is a different feeling, but I think I have experienced it a few times, and I did put down whatever I was eating. As far as the portion size, I know that's on me, I just need to get out a measuring cup every time I'm going to eat. Thank you again for your reply!

Today was a very gratifying visit with my surgeon today. At 6 weeks, I got my 10# weight restriction removed, got cleared to consume my gall-bladder and prilosec meds in the capsule, and officially progressed to real foods. I was worried because it feels like my weight loss stalled, but the doctor told me I had lost 15 pounds since I saw him last. He also said that at 6 weeks out, people typically lose between 16-25% excess weight. He said I was ahead of that, almost 27%. But now onto the good stuff. What can I eat? For example, I was thinking about making taco meat with ground turkey and then mixing the meat with salsa. I was also thinking of making the meat (using ground turkey) sauce for lasagna, maybe with some low/no-fat mozzarella cheese in it. I know to stay away from the taco shells and the pasta in the lasagna. I guess my question is, I've heard that many people cannot tolerate ground beef. What about ground turkey? I buy 93% or leaner ground turkey (I think I usually get 97%) so I don't think there will be an appreciable amount of fat. I've been eating canned chicken (in water) with salsa, hot sauce and liquid smoke. It tastes good to me, and digests completely fine. Thank you for your thoughts...I'm taking this very slow, I don't want to throw up or dump, or stretch the pouch.

I'm not sure about the libido issues and SSRI's and how differently they affect women, but speaking from my own experience, they are all terrible, with the only exception being Luvox. It's one of the older, not commonly prescribed ones, as a matter of fact, you can only get it as a generic, but it has a minimal-to-moderate affect on me. Obviously Wellbutrin (Which hits the dopamine receptors really hard) improves libido many orders of magnitude. I wish it would work for me, but it makes my anxiety way, way worse. Going on a regular strength will probably help quite a bit. You could also see if you can get the smallest dose possible and take the meds several times a day for better absorption. Not sure if you realized it by your previous combo hit all three of the neurotransmitters, Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Dopamine. I just looked at the Trintellix wiki and it is a funky med in that it messes with the serotonin subtypes differently. Your current cocktail doesn't (appreciably) affect your norepinephrine receptors, so (In my non-formally-educated-in-pharmocology opinion), you might still lose the activation/energy that the norepinephrine provides.

I am a Christian and at the same time I understand your frustration. Let's be honest here, you attract bees with honey, not vinegar. If I walked up to you and asked you if you believed in God, and you told me no, if my next response was to tell you that you were going to hell, then that would not be tactful and I don't think that is the way to evangelize. I can also understand that the scripture we believe in may sound weird as you put it, just as if I started explaining how computer networks work to the lay person (Lots of terms are very strange and there is literally something called "promiscuous mode" that means something completely different than anyone might think). The logic that I don't understand, is why non-believers would come into this thread? I could understand it if said person were genuinely interested, but it seems as if you already have your mind up. Everyone here is not a captive audience, this is not required for you to get the surgery, your drivers license, or your social security card. If you are uninterested in the topic, then you skip it and go on to the next one. If you created a thread saying "Atheists, come in here" or something of that nature, I wouldn't bother going in the thread out of respect to you/your fellow atheists. I'll admit, I don't understand much about the atheist belief system other than it means one does not believe in God. I have atheist family members and I asked them what they thought happened when one died, and she told me that dead is dead, so you live your life to it's fullest when you're alive. But she also follows buddhist principles. She does say "Think good thoughts for me" when she is about to (or is currently) dealing with something stressful. Personally, it seems like a 1:1 for "Please pray for me" and maybe that is the PC atheist verbiage. My point is, if there is something, some set of beliefs, some common thoughts (Even if it is the "I can't stand those evangelicals") then I would go as far as to recommend creating your own post. I'll give you my word, I won't go in it and bother you. I will not apologize for my beliefs, but I do apologize if other Christians tried to "shame" you into believing in Jesus, they should know that even if said atheist utters a prayer out loud (To stop getting harassed), it doesn't mean anything because only God knows what's in one's heart. You probably won't believe me, but one of my best friends is an atheist, so yes, it's very easy for atheists and Christians to get along, my buddy and I just don't talk about beliefs and instead talk about other stuff. We've been friends for 16 years...

I haven't been on the boards in a few days, so I just saw this. I see no problem whatsoever if you made a post entitled with some indication of your beliefs. I'll be honest, I wouldn't click in it, and I wouldn't go in the thread and make comments regarding your beliefs. I believe in Jesus Christ, and maybe you don't. I will of course feel bad that you don't, but I'm sure you feel bad (perhaps angry) that I don't believe what you do. You may even feel that I am ignorant, a dreamer, idealist, a lemming, a cult member, or simply stupid - I'm okay with that, I really am. I know what (some) non-believers think of me, just as I know what (some) thin people think of me, so it's not something I haven't already heard. I realize that it is impossible to "coexist" as some may believe, because there are polar opposites in religions, and while some seek to convert the other, others choose to punish the other. Nevertheless, it should be a mutual respect thing. Although I do not share your beliefs, I respect that you believe what you believe. I'll say this though, if you ever honestly curious about it, I would be more than happy to chat about it offline.

Meatloaf does sound like a great idea, thank you. I hadn't hear of an instapot but I've been known to have my head in front of a computer long enough to not notice the world changing I'm definitely going to look into an instapot!

It seems that there are either far less guys getting bariatric surgery -or- far less that are on the boards. I have to Agree with Matt though, there are no plus sized stores that I know of for men. Yes, there are big and tall formal wear stores, but if it comes down to casual wear, you're typically out of options. Most of your typical stores max out with a 44" waist jean. Walmart does carry wrangler in a size 46, plus a few unheard-of jeans in as high as 50 -- but, it is very rare to actually find them on the shelf. When it comes to shirts, I usually don't have a problem finding up to 2X, but 3X and 4X is few and far between. K-Mart tends to have a bigger selection, but where can I find an open K-mart, LOL? As far as walmart goes, I think the "fat tax" is $2 or $3 over MSRP But to be honest, I agree with it. Clothing/Cotton/leather is a commodity, and let's be honest, they could make almost two pairs of 30" waist pants out of a 50" waist. Should the manufacturers have to "hold the line" on pricing? I don't think so. I see it no different than cell phone service where you pay by the data per month, internet service where you pay by the bandwidth, and steaks where you pay by the ounce. I travel a lot, and I honestly wish that there was a way to pay-by-the-inch (Width) for seats. You either have 17.3 to 18" of width in the cattle class, or something like 24" in the aristocrat section. All I want is a 20" wide seat and go ahead and give me a pathetic 28" pitch...and I'd happily pay for it. Nevertheless, with the average American gaining some girth, I have to wonder why stores seem to hold the line on Medium/Large and not venture into the larger-than-large sizes. If it's a "negative motivator" to obesity, then why are there dozens of brands of cigarettes when (out here in California) they are banned pretty much anywhere. I've gotten way off topic... I wish, and I feel that Matt and other men would agree, that there would be a nationwide chain that carries casual clothes (Looking at you Lane Bryant). Even if it was more money, I would shop there simply because I know that I could get a pair of pants and a decent shirt, instead of hoping to find something that will fit somewhere else. I guess my last point - Getting back to the "Fat tax". As I said before, the commodity and even the risk/reward for creating patterns for a smaller production run (ad infinitum) seems justifiable, but I do think there is a limit to that philosophy. The $2-$3 extra for pants at Walmart is a deal if you ask me, but, if it cost $20 more, or some multiple of the original price, then I would whole-heartedly agree that price gouging was taking place.

Boy what a terrible situation, and I'm so sorry for your loss. Depending on your views of the afterlife, that may offer a glimpse of hope (Reunion later on) or reincarnation of some sort (I'm nowhere near an expert on all religions). People say, and I agree with, that the battle is in the grocery store. So if your feel is overeating, then have someone do your grocery shopping for you, conveniently "forgetting" the bad things. Conversely, it seems like you handle stressful situations just like I do (Not eating). I have not had to experience such a loss, but I have been in extremely anxious situations where it took months/years to get back to the new normal. For me, a family member basically makes food for me and tells me to eat it. I usually don't eat all of it, but having someone put it in front of you (Not force feeding at all) helps because you don't have to "dredge up" the energy to fix it yourself. I would say to allow yourself some variance. Don't beat yourself down because you're not doing this as good as you were a few weeks ago, understand that like anything else, you need to recover. You wouldn't expect to play tennis after knee surgery, so it's kind of the same philosophy. A psychologist once told me a way of coping is to essentially busy one's self as it distracts you. I've used that technique quite a bit, and it does work, but I also think it disrupts the normal grieving (or in my case, anxiety) process. If you think you've went too long without progressing, then I would see a grief counselor or therapist. I will be praying for you, I am so sorry for your loss, and I hope you begin to feel better soon.

I'm sorry you experienced a bit of backlash here, unfortunately we know that the Bible tells us this will happen. I think it's great that you're doing this. I pray for family members who are atheists, and others who never want to talk about it, and usually they are okay with it, even if they tell me they don't believe in it.

I'm not exactly the opinion you requested because I went from the band to the RNY. At the time, 10 years ago, the band had a decent amount of fanfare (Can you say 1-800-lap-band)? The Sleeve was just coming out and my insurance wouldn't cover it. To be honest, I wanted the sleeve, but wasn't willing to pay out of pocket. I didn't want something as extreme as the RNY. I went from 293 to about 220, then up to 303. It never felt right, and the port flipped 90 degrees within a year or two. I choked all the time, and many times some extremely painful swallowing deals. To answer your question about GERD, I can tell you this. I've had a problem for as long as I can remember it...Way before the lapband. When I wake up in the morning, I sound like a beat-up pickup truck. I have to clear my throat several times, drink water, and even have to clear my throat several times a day. It was so bad my coworkers could tell when I hadn't "drank it out" because my voice would be raspy and out of pitch by a lot. Before I had the lap band, I had GERD really bad. After the lap band, the symptoms went away immediately. I talked to my RNY surgeon about the constant clearing of throat, and he said it might be silent gerd, and the surgery might fix it. I'm 6 weeks out today. Every morning when I wake up, my voice works perfect. No pitchiness, no clearing throat, nothing. It came as a great benefit to me. My surgeon does have me on prilosec for 6 months, he said it actually helps the pouch heal. I did a lot of research and intense thinking about my revision. When I went to the required classes, I would say 60-70% of the people were going with the sleeve. The doc "kind of" recommended the sleeve saying the take rate was very high. The (very) long term results just aren't there compared to the RNY. The 10 year results show that the greatest retained loss is from the RNY. At the end of the day, that's the whole goal of the surgery, so that's what I went with.

Missouri-Lee's Summit, I always enjoy your fact-filled post. I never thought much about the healing process, but it is incredibly interesting. To the OP: I have eczema flare-ups on my feet. When it happens, it is excruciatingly itchy. I once itched so much, that the doctor drew a line around it in fear that it was a flesh eating disease. I spent an entire summer trying everything from soaking it in alcohol, anti-fungals (It looked like ringworm), steroids, benadryl both oral and topical and just about anything else. I would suggest 2 things. If your doc will allow it, you might try benedryl oral. I'm not positive if that will help, but it's worth a shot. The second thing is an ice pack. Works like a charm. For me, I would ice it until the ice pack became lukewarm. The effect would last for the entire duration of the ice being on it, plus another hour or so. I would check with your doctor's office first because I think the ice pack reduces blood to the area, which slows healing. Just a few thoughts.

I think a great majority of weight loss individuals suffer from an anterior pelvic tilt, even though they don't know it. The weight of the belly naturally pulls the hips down in the front. Nevertheless, and ignoring that specifically, I've had back problems for the last decade, maybe more. I have disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, and disc bulges from L4-L5 and L5-S1. For the most part, I had a dull pain (Maybe 3-5 out of 10) on an average day. If I did lots of physical work (Working on my car, landscaping, building stuff out of wood, working on my home, etc...) then the next day I'd be 7/10 in pain. I would say a half dozen times I "threw it out" and it was a solid 10/10 in pain, I couldn't walk, had to crawl and sleeping was agonizing just to get into bed... But, pre-surgery, I was told to eat right and consume smaller servings. I don't recall exercise being on the table. Nevertheless, I was doing a lot of walking anyways. Walking is pretty easy to do (Being relative here) and the fresh air (Well, we don;t have fresh air in California, but you get the point) was good for me. I would think that if that causes you too much pain, you could either concentrate on upper exercises or water aerobics which usually takes the pressure off joints. I would say though, more important than the back issues, is to make sure you get your eating under control so that you don't have a huge letdown/withdrawal after you get the surgery. I think it's normal for people to eat a few of their "forbidden fruits" before surgery, but it sounds like this might be more than that. I hope everything works out for you!

I'm still waiting after 6 weeks...Just kidding. I think it was 3 or 4 days. I was scared to be honest. They gave me concentrated milk of magnesia to take every night. I still take it. I don't think I'm getting in enough fluids. I do have chewable fiber pills, but I'm hesitant to take because of the fluid issue. I noticed that I don't really get the "I've got to go" signal anymore. It's more of a "Oh, I might need to go in a few hours" type feeling. I used to be regular every morning, now I'm +/- up to 6 hours, some days I don't go at all.

I am almost 6 weeks out. Everybody is different, but I had a hard time beforehand. I will admit, I did end up cheating a few times. I will tell you this though, I am not hungry now. And I don't mind eating the exact same thing every day. I know this lack of hunger is only a limited time deal, but I really could handle this for the rest of my life. You'll make it! Try and distract yourself, works most of the time.

If this is not the appropriate place, I totally get it. I did a quick search and didn't see any "watercooler" type discussion areas, so I figured I make a thread and we could keep the off topic chatter in here? So that being out of the way, I'm a gearhead big time. Lived in the Motor City for a while and have 0w-40 in my veins LOL. Just figured we could talk shop here. LOL "Cars and Pouches" I suppose. I'll start first. I've had 31 cars so far, no I'm not loaded, and none of them have been spectacular by any means. When you live in the midwest a fun car has to be paired with a winter/beater though. I got tired of the beater idea, so I fixed it by moving here to California where the smog laws are incredible. I'll try and break down what I've had: 1980 GTI 8v 1982 Camaro Berlinetta with the T5 and the 305, the world's worst engine. That car I had to give away it was so bad. 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT. Oh how I miss that car. I loved it. Fun fact: The last Mid engine car GM made...(Well, until the c8 comes out next year and that will be awesome!). I sold it because of? Can't even remember to be honest. I was young, I was stupid. 1986 Ford Bronco II "Beater". Had the 2.9L v6, probably the 3rd worst engine ever made. 1986 Chevrolet Blazer (The S10 version). Had the 2.8V6 which was great in my 2800# Fiero...In a 4000# SUV? No way. Not that I recommend this, but I got it up to 83MPH on a very long downhill stretch of the road. That's how bad it was. 1988 Chevrolet Camaro RS/305. I thought it had the 350. It didn't, so I sold it. 1989 Ford Mustang LX 5.0. Now we're talking. The car was a POS, but man was it fast. I loved it, but I got rid of it because the oil pressure was getting low because I really did drive it like I stole it. 1987? Cavalier Z24. Can you say Torque Steer? Fast and fun, and cheap. Not bad on gas either. 1991 Chevrolet Beretta GTZ. Had the "Quad 4". Redlined at about 6800 RPM, which was really high for the day. 4 valves per cylinder, it was practically a Honda motor. I sold it because a mechanic lied to me about a bunch of stuff, and I didn't know how to work on cars at that point of my life. 1997 Dodge Dakota Sport 5.2. Leased it brand new. Also the last time I've leased anything. Ran great, really fast for a truck, loved the V8, but got terrible gas mileage. I sweat if you hit the gas, you could see the needle move on the gas gauge. I had an 80's Escort that was a real POS. I paid $500 for it though and it worked as a beater. I had an 80's Cavilier that was a "little" bit better than the escort. Not by much, but I paid $400 for it, and it was a better beater. I've had two more Camaros (So four of them). 1994 Z28 Automatic and 1994 Z28 Stick. The Stick one was built pretty good, had a cam and 4.11 gears in the back. I've had two SRT-4's. 2004 with a stage 2 turbo and a 2003 stage 3 turbo. These are great cars and the 3 that survive kids beating on them will eventually fetch a lot of money. I've had 2 more dakota's as well. 1994 5.2L to pull a boat and a 2001 4.7L to haul drywall and stuff. 2003 Nissan 350z. Pretty cool, but got tired of it. 2005 Hyundai Tiburon GT. I literally owned this car for 2 weeks. I broke even. I was happy. 2000? S10 with the 4-banger. What a POS. Every time I fixed something, somthing else broke. Had the top ball joint go out on me on the freeway. Try steering when the knuckle is floating around on it's free will. Amazing I didn't flip it or hit someone. 1990 Ford Ranger 4-banger. This was the goofy 2-sparkplug per cylinder engine. I literally bought it for $100. I put a lot of labor into cleaning it up, drove it around for 2 years and sold it for $1000. Not bad. Ran really well. 2006 Lexus IS350. Fast! Comfy! But it wallowed like a couch riding atop a mattress. Out it went. 2010 BMW 135i. First BMW. It really was the best driving machine I've ever had. Maitenance? Oh my gosh. $500 for a water pump? Just the part. I chipped it and had 400HP. Traded it in and bought a house. 2010 Kia Sorrento. Eh. A very light but nervous-handling SUV. But it was pretty quick with the V6. 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T. Yes they make an R/T version, but sadly no HEMI. Got tired of SUV's that couldn't transport large items like dressers or big screen TV's I know I'm forgetting some, but If I'm forgetting them, then you know how lousy or boring they were. Next cars: I'm thinking about buying am older Infiniti FX45. It's made from the 350Z but has a V8. Who can say no to that? I also plan on buying a 3rd or 4th generation Dodge Viper once I'm done paying for grad school loans. I love everything about the viper. I got to go to the factory before it closed, and I actually got to interview Bob Lutz (The person who started the idea of the Viper) as part of my Thesis. No traction control, no nagging stuff, no back seat? The car will literally burn your leg when you step out of it. And it has that huge 505 cubic inch V10. It has a horrible yet brutish sounding exhaust. Sign me up, seriously. I'd take it over a C6 Z06 or a C7 Z51. It gets like 8 mpg in the city. I'm surprised California even allows them in the state. I do almost all of my maintenance now. I don't have an alignment rack, nor tire mounting stuff and I don't do body repairs, but I do pretty much everything else. I bought a MIG welder (Little Lincoln 120v box) so I could widen the seat on my Neon. Hey! A benefit of the surgery is I won't have to do it anymore! But...Enough about me? What are you driving, what have you had in the past, and let's start the stories LOL. No beer, but we got protein drinks! Look forward to wasting time just chit chatting about cars

Congrats for both of ladies. You both have a week on me. I'm progressing very slowly into foods. Not that I'm having problems, but I'm just not that hungry and don't feel like pureeing chicken. My BP has went down quite a bit as well, it's amazing how much this helps. It's not like I am anywhere near what I should be at, yet my BP went from a solid borderline to basically perfect. I don't know about you ladies, but I definitely don't fit in my old clothes anymore. I'm too cheap to buy anything that I know will be transient, so I just cinch up the belt a bit. Most definitely stairs hurt less. Glad you're both having steady progress!

Could you get your protein from plants also? Beans and Lentils might work since you already seem to be eating a plant-based diet. As far as me, I need the protein drinks to get enough protein calories in. For right now, I'd be totally fine "eating" only them for a year. My desire for food has virtually vanished, a benefit I hoped I got before surgery. "Sliders". If you lived in the Midwest, they have a different meaning. For one, you have to get them at a castle painted white! Pre-surgery, I took a co-worker there. I warned him not to eat more than 2 because his body would not like him afterward. He didn't want to feel like a wimp next to my half dozen, so he got 4......The next day..."Oh my gosh, how can you do that and live?" -- "Titration my friend, had about 30 years to ramp up!". Scary thing was my boss put down a dozen or 18 once. Granted he's a very tall guy, but wow. It was actually a tradition whenever I had to fly into Detroit. Land, get rental car, immediately get white castle, then go to hotel. If I can tolerate meat later on, it might actually be a good choice, so long as I didn't eat the bun. There probably isn't more than 1.5 ounces of beef in that patty.