CyclicalLoser

Thank you I appreciate it and yeah, someone needs to make a $64000 "dump detector" that we can wave over the food I really have a hard time with veggies - always have. I'm trying to incorporate them by "hiding" them in other foods. A lot of time I'm the guy in the grocery store spending an uncomfortably long time comparison shopping 4 cans of chili...Only to put all four back on the shelf and walk away. I've had a single slick of whole grain toast with smart balance light and sugar free grape jelly (Or sugar free strawberry jam) and it was quite good. I was able to tolerate a piece of french toast (Made it myself, no sugar) and some sugar free syrup. I'd like to incorporate some flavored instant oatmeal, but I'm a bit apprehensive to try it because even the sugar free stuff has more carbs than I'm currently willing to try.

I'm curious here, even though I've had the RNY since July, I'm a bit of a slow-adopter. Meaning that I haven't "ventured" out much because when I have dumped, well let's be honest, it's no fun. We're all different I know, and there are dozens of ways to calculate carbs, but at the end of the day anything other than fiber carbs is going to make some of us dump. So, while I know that eating a majority of protein and fibrous carbs are best, when one is at the supermarket thinking about a chicken noodle soup, or brown rice, or any of the moderately high carb foods, how much is too much? This is not to try and see how much junk food one can eat, but on the same regard, can one eat a half can of chicken noodle soup, or have a waffle with sugar free syrup, or even a whole wheat sandwich at Subway. Just throwing out some types of food which are admittedly higher on the carb percentages than normal, but sometimes (not always) it is nice to break up the monotony of (in my case) almost nothing but nuts and protein drinks. Feel free to qualify your answer - I'm still trying to figure out what works for me. I have eaten apples and I had half a banana the first time today and it did not make me dump, so I know I can incorporate foods quicker than I am. And yes, I do know that "sugars added" (When listed) really help with assessing the "dumpability score " of a food. Because it's not listed, I'm trying to go off the total carbs minus fiber carbs. Thank you for your feedback! I think this would be really helpful for people just starting out as well.

I take a magnesium citrate pill (so no carbonation) every day and it helps quite well. I take it before bed and in the morning I'm ready to go.

I developed very bad lactose intolerance about a week after surgery. It went away after a month or two. My smells are still messed up - lots of things smell like popcorn to me for whatever reason - and it's not like I loved or hated it beforehand. I have yet to find a drink that I like the taste of, but I've found that the further out I go, the more the wierdness goes away. Sometimes I feel like what Pregnant women have told me - their tastes and smells are wacko. Bottom line though, it will pass, just give it time. Work with it and not against it. If "X" doesn't work, then try "Y", but do so very slowly and keep your nutritionist aware of what you are doing because they can be a Huge help. For me, unflavored isolated whea was all I could use to get in protein during my out-of-nowhere lactose intolerance.

I second milk of magnesia. If you google "sugar free gummi bears" you will find that they have incredible laxative effects. I'm not suggesting you make them a regular staple, but on the "it's been 3 days" day, maybe eat some of them and let the bears work their magic. https://www.amazon.com/Albanese-Candy-Assorted-Sugar-Free-Flavor/product-reviews/B00DE4GWWY Whatever you do, eat them in small quantities!

I thought about it for a while - I live about 3 hours from the border. Even so, I wouldn't do it, it's too risky if you ask me. And I could not imagine how rough the flight back would be. Before I went to MX, I would see if there are any US teaching schools that would do cash pay (Or installment plan). I went to a teaching hospital even though my insurance could have went anywhere. In my case, the surgeon did all the work while the students observed. Even if it was a student that did the surgery, the surgeon/professor would observe the entire time - this is what is happening right now for my dental work being performed at the same school (And my dental insurance isn't very good).

No, but if the psychiatrist is concerned about the extended release absorption then unfortunately you have to. Mine was, but none were extended release before surgery, so it was simply tweaking the dosages post surgery. I'm assuming the same could apply with extended release, but the absorption might be so low that you might have to take many multiples of the original dose to compensate for it. I believe most of these drugs can be tested for in the blood (Not in the brain, but that's a different story). Pre and post surgery, it would probably be a good idea to test the blood to make the dosing process more accurate/scientific. But, the process itself can make the mental issues change (food depression or anxiety) so even getting the same blood levels may no longer be what works best. I wish it was easier than this. 😕

I live in a similar climate actually, I love it. Does it get humid there? The humidity is fairly dry here. If I drive 25 miles west though, the temps drop (in the summer) to about 80 degrees with more humidity from the Pacific ocean. I hope to one day visit your country, it seems like such an amazing place to live. Side note (I'm a car guy) Oh how I wish car companies would sell "Ute's" here. There was talk that a Holden (Commodore?) Ute was going to arrive as a form of the Chevrolet Impala or Pontiac G8, but it never panned out. I believe we did get a Commodore as a GTO back in the mid 2000's and the four door version as the Pontiac G8 later on. I use software from a huge Australian software company. Every year, in July (Our summer) they hold a user conference (Where a ton of their staff attend) in Huntington beach, a beach known for surfing. I think the CEO is a surfer actually.

I know this is a bit unusual, but I don't like the taste of them, and I can't bear throwing them away. I bought four bottles, but three of them are unopened and still have the tamper-proof shrink-wrap on them. This community has helped me a lot over the ~last year and I'd like to give back. I'll give these away if you don't mind helping me out a bit on the shipping. PM me if you're interested and we can figure out the shipping rate. These are what I'm referring to: https://www.unjury.com/opurity-calcium-citrate-plus-chewable.html For those that are interested, I went back to the celebrate carmel soft chews. They are a lot more expensive, but at least I take them!

Sorry, United States. But, man, I'd love to be in your summer right now!

Yep, I hit 100 pound weight loss in 6-7 months, can't remember. But, I think BMI is more important as a 500# male is going to lose 100# much faster than a 200# female who is much closer to normal BMI.

The SSNRI's are really hard on me. I gave effexor a shot for a couple of weeks, and my anxiety was literally off the scale. Blood pressure was outrageous. But yeah, since it is an sustained release, they might want to put you on effexor, which is the "father" of cymbalta, and is available in an immediate dose. They might break it into multiple smaller doses so the GI tract doesn't become coated/overwhelmed by the medication - but I'm not a doctor, so I'd talk to yours about it. Boy did the SSNRI's wipe out my back pain though, that was an immediate and really nice side effect! You could try to switch over now (If your psychiatrist won't let you stay on cymbalta) to get through the transition to effexor, but, remember that even then you will have to tweak the amount of it after surgery.

I think it is very normal. At some point, you have to relinquish control (or lack thereof) and let the Good Lord (Or surgeon, if you will) take the wheel for you. Yeah, it's scary - and there are tons of opinions out there. I was asking lots of questions before I pulled the trigger. Motivation? Watch "My 600# life". That worked for me. Can I eat the yummy foods I used to? Maybe. Have I tried? Nope. Why? Well, I won't be the first to say this, but my body literally doesn't crave them (* most of the time). I've lost 100# in 7 months, lost 10 inches off my waist, I can walk up steps to my office, and I can work on my car without feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack. Also, I can fit in amusement park rides now, something I couldn't do before.

Outstanding. Seriously, outstanding. Losing weight fast initially is easy. Keeping it off is where the battle is, and you ma'am (or sir), have destroyed the enemy on that front. Well done, and I hope in 16 years, I can say the same thing.

I take things really slow. Right now if I'm honest with myself, I'm addicted to sugar free junk food. It's terrible, but we come here to tell the truth and not sugar coat it (pun intended). Nevertheless, I had problems at first as well. I still have constipation pretty bad. I chew a magnesium citrate pill in the afternoon, which helps me (um...you know...go) in the evening or next morning. It helps a lot. Getting in enough fluid does the best though. Calories is what makes you feel sluggish, and maybe low B12. Check your calories, my doc wanted me at 800 cals a day at 3 weeks out. I was at about 450 (No lie) and I felt pretty bad. 3 protein drinks and that was pretty much it. I still need to incorporate more fiber into my diet - I have veggies, so I try to eat a fiborous fruit like an apple (With the skin one....can be rough, so chew chew chew!). Bottom line is: part of your depression is probably because you wonder why you did this & you feel still pretty lousy & you might not be seeing the weight loss you expected & you miss your old food. It gets better, trust me. I've had a gallon of sugar free/low carb ice cream in the freezer since probably before Christmas. It's still unopened. I just don't want it any more.

I have a post on it if you search by my name. I think each person and each med varies significantly. That being said I'm a LGB to RNY convert and here's what I did: Old Dosage: Lamictal/Lamotrigine: 75mg morning (3 x 25mg tablet) - I'm not bipolar, I have cyclothymic disorder which is kind of like mild bipolar. Luvox/Fluvoxamine: 25mg morning (1 x 25mg in morning, 1 x 25mg at night). This is for panic disorder / generalized anxiety (With some depression thrown in for fun ) New Dosage: Lamictal/Lamotrigine: 100mg morning "ODT" (Orally disentigrating tablet) [Under the tongue]. Many, Many, Many thanks to a member here that helped me. I remember her username had "missouri" in it. Lamictal is highly absorbed in the stomach, so ODT was a necessity and even then, I had to bump up the meds. Luvox: 100mg total, 50mg morning/50mg at night. Regular tablet. Part of this was because of absorbtion issues, but I think part of it is because I've been more stressed than normal. Is it "real" stress or just "the meds aren't working as good"? Hard to use a defective brain to diagnose itself. Whatever the cause is, the doubling to 100mg has helped out quite a bit. Not that it matters in the slightest, but I spent 20 years to find what works for me. Lamictal is probably the best mental med I've ever taken, and I was prepared to chew the pills up if I had to (And did for a while, which tasted horrible). Luvox is the best of the worst LOL. SSRI's for me have tons of side effects, but Luvox has the least. Even better than Lexapro, which is arguably one of the newest "pure" SSRIs. From one person on mental meds to another: I really hope you are able to get your doses working. Only us know how horrible/hard life is when the meds are off. Last bit of advice: Get with your psychiatrist, and explain what surgery you're having done. They know the pharmacology, how it is absorbed and so forth. Then, since they are usually a royal pain to get in to be seen, I would schedule a few appointments maybe 2 weeks apart for the first 2 or 3 months. That way you can tweak as needed and not have to "hope" that they have an opening available. Dialing in my meds above/post surgery took two dosage adjustments.

Well, although it feels unusual to celebrate being "overweight" but I'm positive y'all know how that is an improvement from Obese. 5'9" and yesterday weighed 202.0 on the scale for a BMI for 29.8. I'm shooting for the "1" by the end of the month. It will be awesome to say I weigh "One hundred xx" Weight loss has slowed quite a bit, but I was 303# this time last year, and didn't get the surgery until July of 2018, so it is shocking how fast the weight is falling off.

Thank you both. Went down from a 48" s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d waist to a 38" waist. I literally have no more work clothes that fit, and I got this job in 2008 and had kept all sizes in between 😎

So far: (Good) Major BP reduction Back pain reduction Exhaustion/chest pain for exertion Less Palpitations Much less urinations per day (Previously they were way too frequent) For guys: My testosterone levels are normal (I think). Things are working the way they are supposed to. I'll leave it at that. (Bad) I get dumping. Probably 4 times in 6 months. It's a blessing disguised as a curse though and it's the main reason I chose rny over vsg...I wanted the dumping to remind me not to consume sugar. "Bat wings" but I'll take them over being "full" Getting antidepressants absorbed right is a little bit tricky. Supplements aren't cheap I would gladly do it over!

I just got back from another trip from work and am packing for yet another this Tuesday. I fly all over the US and US Territories for my job. Typically a Tues-Thurs deal, at most Mon-Fri. Most of the time I could stay at a residence inn and cook for myself, but I work very long hours when I'm on the road, so planning on it is really foolish of me. Thus far, I've consumed only protein bars, peanuts and protein drinks, but it's pretty lame after a few days. I'm 3 months out, but approach "real" food extremely slowly. What works for fast food? I know red meat, pasta, rice, bread ist verboten. Here's what I've compiled, but curious if these are good or not (Good as in healthy enough choice, and doesn't make one dump or feel terrible). I haven't tried any of these yet. Oh, and sometimes I don't have a car/ride, so the delivery options get extra credit. Chic fil a: grilled nuggets Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap (No flatbread)...Is the Honey Mustard going to cause me to dump? Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No Bun) Chicken Noodle soup (Don't eat the noodles) Spicy Southwest Salad (Don't eat the tortilla strips, or dressings) Market Salad (Don't eat the granola, and dressings) Diet Lemonade? Chicken Tortilla Soup (If you can find it, no tortilla strips) Wendy's : Chili (? It does have meat) Grilled Chicken Wrap (No wrap) Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No Bun) Taco Bell: Chicken Soft Taco (Minus tortilla), Shredded Chicken Quesodilla (No Chipotle sauce, no tortilla) Chipotle: "Salad" with black beans, fajita veggies, chicken & salsa McDonald's Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (No tortilla strips, no dressing)...Is the corn okay? Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No bun, no dressing) Burger King Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No bun, no mayo) Chicken Garden Salad (Would the croutons make me dump or get stuck?) KFC Do they sell grilled chicken ala carte? Shows how much I go there Any of the $5 meals with grilled chicken, but eating only the chicken Domino's Pizza (A bonus because they deliver to hotels) Chicken Parm sandwich (No bun) Buffalo Chicken sandwich (No bun, No blue cheese sauce) Cheese pizza, robusto tomato sauce, premium chicken, pretty much any other topping (But no pizza crust...e.g. "scrape" off the sauce, cheese, chicken & toppings and eat only that) Jimmy Johns subs (They also deliver++) #4 Turkey Breast (Unwich, no mayo) Slim 4 (Unwich)...This is pretty much just a slice of turkey #12 Turkey breast, provolone & Avo (Unwich, no mayo) Subway Salad with either Turkey or Chicken Breast

Have you considered a triptan for the migraines? I have a family member that has them and she gets migraines (Often from menstruation) and the triptans help. Not a preventive measure, but a possible solution. I have a bad back. L5-L6-S1 stenosis/bulged discs with a touch of arthritis for good taste. I used NSAIDS like crazy before I had my lap band. Obviously now I have the RNY, but I've gotten used to the almost-useless tylenol. The keys are to only use it when you really need it. I've found that TENS units like Quell or much cheaper versions from Amazon (Or even icy hot OTC) work surprisingly well. Obviously I cannot comment on menstral cramps though. I hope you find something that works for you

In fall of 1997, I went on a particularly bad/embarrassing date. After a bit of humiliation, I realized that in order to impress the ladies, I needed to lose weight. I weighed 220 pounds at the time. I got down to 180, then worked my way up to around 263 by around 2004. I then went on a huge diet and got down to 163 towards the end of 2005. I then gained weight again and got up to around 290 around 2010 when I had my lap band. I was able to get down to 220 sometime in 2011, and that was the lowest I got with the band. I was 303 Late December of 2017. I had surgery in July, and was discharged ~ July 11th at 287#. Today I weigh 219.6 This is the least I've weighted since the beginning of 2005 (Almost 14 years) and in a way a significant event in that I'm where I was in late 1997 (19 years ago). I started this journey with a waist of 48" (Really 49 because it was a very tight 48). Today I'm wearing 40-42" depending on the brand. I went from 4X to XL shirt size. I am still obese, and I'm not done with my journey, but this is the first of a series of goals. Specifically, my next goal is 202 (I'll be officially overweight) Then 199 (Get rid of the infamous "2") Then 169 (Upper end of normal weight) Then 150 (Comfortable "Normal" BMI of 22.2) For those that know me, I'd like to consider myself as a humble person. I'm not posting this to get attaboy's or as a means to show off. I suppose it is just a big deal to me, and if nothing else, to encourage those just beginning the journey. When other people tell me what a great job I've done, I place emphasis on "Congratulate me when I've held the weight off" because as my history indicates, I'm halfway decent at losing weight, but absolutely horrible at keeping it off. I'm really trying to learn how to use my very-unforgiving pouch to permanently change my ways.

Separ, congratulations to you as well. And hello from a former Michigander!

Thank you all, it is such a fantastic feeling!

I agree. The worse I felt, the more it hurt, the happier was (My first round of losing weight). When I went from 263 to 163, I felt terrible most of the time. When I would stand up, I would have to hold on to something because I would get very dizzy. When I went to the doctor, he (seriously) tested me for Meth, Cocaine and AIDS. When all tests came back negative ("Duh" was my response) he didn't know what to say/diagnose. This time is different. I'm older. Being heavy hurts more, and now I have good friends who generally care about me and I'd like to retire with them and still be alive LOL.