lizonaplane

I wouldn't drink 5-7 of them. That would be a lot of calories! Each low-sugar or sugar free protein drink has between 100-160 calories about, so there is no reason to drink 5-7 of them AND have 2 additional meals. And while some are good with vitamins and minerals, while you can, try to get them from real food. Plus, you'll get sick of them, and for a while after surgery, you won't be able to eat solids, so you'll be living on them. I drink one a day (160 calories) that is premixed as a part of a meal when the meal is too small or for breakfast with fruit. I'm aiming for 1200-1400 calories; this was recommended by the bariatric nutritionist (i'm also pre-op). I used to drink about 5-6 diet sodas a day. I knew I wouldn't be able to drink soda after surgery, so I quit cold turkey. I thought that was going to be impossible, but I tried a soda after a few weeks, and I had actually lost my taste for it. Now I drink plain water and iced coffee (for two months I didn't even drink iced coffee!). I don't miss it. The harder part is not drinking with my meals and eating slowly.

I find this offensive and not at all true. We have trained men in this country to be dismissive of women and to treat them as though they are overly emotional. What about a man who "has a bad day" and shoots a whole bunch of people? Or gets drunk and beats his wife and kids? Is that not overly emotional? It's more that men's emotions are considered acceptable and "boys will be boys" whereas women who show emotions are considered "hysterical" and need to be controlled. OP is entitled to her feelings and what the church ladies and her husband said would hurt me too! They probably weren't thinking about what they were saying, in fact probably saw it as a "compliment" but my grandmother, who loved me soooo much, used to say that I had "such a pretty face" and in her eyes it was a compliment but it hurt so much. However, OP is facing a difficult situation at home and it's not clear whether the toll of bringing up her feelings is worth it. I would say that she should consider what @catwoman7 said; he may have just been trying not to be confrontational, in which case, maybe he is a little embarrassed about what he said but if he doesn't like to be disagreed with, confronting him could just make him dig his heels in which could lead to more hurt. I'm so sorry this happened to you @alissajs and I hope your relationship with your husband improves or you find a way to move on.

I actually like Mahi Mahi too! Could you cut the frozen portion with a sharp knife? What about tilapia or some other mild fish? Or shrimp? You can usually get tilapia fresh and always buy a very small portion of shrimp. I've heard that shrimp is easy at the beginning, although it won't help if you don't like it! Good luck!

That's strange that they told you it would take longer for the pregnancy results than the other test results. Some tests take longer but I haven't heard of the serum HCG taking a long time. It would take longer than a urine pregnancy test but not than other bloodwork that they would likely want results of before surgery. *I am not a doctor or nurse* but my job involves reviewing patient medical charts (I work in cancer pharmaceutical research).

I really hope fish works for me after surgery because I love seafood. Except white flakey fish that tastes like nothing. I prefer salmon, tuna, swordfish, shrimp, scallops, squid, etc. I am currently buying the 7 oz frozen salmon portions from Costco. I haven't found any other frozen brands I like, but I know I won't be able to eat a full 7 oz piece of salmon after surgery, so maybe I'll cut it in half and eat the other half the next day.

They can test your blood for pregnancy as well, and actually it's more accurate. Since they will be taking your blood anyway, they might just do a serum HCG (blood test for pregnancy).

Last night I was on a support group meeting (I'm pre-op) and they were talking about "banana protein pancakes". 1 banana, 1 egg, 1 scoop of protein powder mashed in a bowl then cooked like a pancake (apparently it also works in a waffle maker, but I don't have one). It makes two pancakes, they said. I'd never made pancakes before (yeah, I am normally a pretty good cook, but I'm not a breakfast person). I tried it this morning and it was pretty good, except that I cooked it at too high a temperature and the outside got a little too brown. I would recommend cooking on medium. I just made one big pancake because my pan is too small to separate it into two different pancakes. I didn't have an egg so I used 1/4 cup egg whites. I usually would eat pancakes with maple syrup, but that defeats the "low carb" so I used a little light cool whip. I know one woman in the support group used butter; I might try that if I make them again. I tend to make normal meals but don't make the "carb" portion. So, like I'll just have piece of broiled salmon with green beans. Or I'll eat a can of tuna fish with Suzie's Rice Squares instead of bread/crackers and a side of a red bell pepper. Or if I want lasagna, I'll replace the noodles with mostly eggplant that I roast in strips first. Chili is another good one. Top it with greek yogurt instead of sour cream (I can't tell the difference!) and some cheese. I have eaten cheeseburgers/turkey burgers without the bun. I don't like the feeling of eating them in lettuce so I just eat them with a knife and fork. I like the low carb tortilla wraps by Fiber One and Mission and I'll put deli meat and cheese in them and toast them in a pan with non stick spray for a sort of "melt" or "faux quesedilla".

I have traveled weekly for work for years (remote now due to COVID but travelling again next week!!) and I plan to travel again after surgery so I will eat most meals out. I don't need a card to tell the server my needs. Like others have said, I'm not going to order chicken nuggets because I don't like them and they're not healthy. I have eaten with coworkers who have had WLS, I've eaten with coworkers who over order and just like to try things but don't want to eat them, etc. Servers in general don't think too much about what you are or aren't eating, as long as you are polite and tip well. As long as you assure them there is nothing wrong with the food (they mostly want to make sure you're not going to complain to their manager), no one is really paying too much attention to how much food is left on your plate. You can always come up with a white lie like, "I had a late lunch" or "I have a headache". I plan to order things like grilled meat/fish and just eat the few bites I want and throw the rest out, or take to my hotel room if I have a fridge and microwave.

Do you have a "mychart" or "patientgateway" type system where you can send a message to your provider? I would ask them through the system or call or email them to ask your questions. I know it's so hard when we get excited to ask questions, and sometimes we just don't think of them at the time! I haven't heard of Tylenol causing issues if you're diabetic - I work in oncology clinical research and I know patients with diabetes are prescribed high doses all the time. (But again, I'm not a doctor or nurse.) Celebrex is an NSAID but some NSAIDS are safer for the stomach lining. Gabapentin is good for nerve pain but I'm not sure about single dose usage, as I haven't seen that. Gabapentin is the only one that I would say has side effects you would likely notice, and it would likely be sleepiness, so don't drive after you take it. Good luck!

Yes, I also use weight for baking and also cooking when possible. I wish more US recipes were developed that way. KAF is the best website! Their chocolate mousse cake with raspberries is AMAZING! I made it for Christmas Eve and then my brother requested it for his January birthday again. I use weight when measuring for tracking purposes too - like when I add milk to my iced coffee I'll weigh it, or I'll weigh how many green beans I'm roasting and the parmesan cheese I'm adding. (The 1 Tablespoon of olive oil is by volume and the salt and pepper are by eye). However, I just "guesstimate" what one third of it is each time I eat it, since eventually it all evens out if I'm the only one eating it.

Icing sugar is different than granulated sugar. Because icing sugar (called confectioners sugar in the US) is ground very fine, it's denser, so if you measure it by volume (cups/Tablespoons) you will be getting much more sugar/sweetener than if you measure by weight (grams or ounces). That's why your cookies came out too sweet, and why they came out softer too, because they would have had a different relationship in terms of liquid balance.

I have not heard a specific amount of weight, just "a few pounds". Actually, I couldn't get any information out of my insurance company and there did not seem to be any in my policy, so I'm just going by what the surgery center said.

I have like four more months and I'm getting so antsy. I just want to get to the "pounds melting off" stage! Welcome! I'm already feeling like I wish I had done this ten years ago but I know I wasn't ready. At the same time I'm still super nervous. Here's hoping these next few months are successful and quick for all of us!

Welcome. I have not had my surgery yet, but I have met with the surgeon, nutritionist, and psychologist. Each asked me a lot of questions about my history relevant to their particular specialty. In my case, the surgeon told me that it was my decision but he recommended the sleeve due to some medications I take (because they would absorb better). The information on the surgery was provided in an informational session with the Nurse Practitioner before I met with these specialists, and it was a group session over zoom. All of my appointments so far have been virtual. I have also had one of the four monthly nutrition classes that my insurance requires. They don't cover post-surgical eating, just general nutrition, which I think is kind of strange. It's exciting and I'm nervous too, but mostly I just want the surgery to hurry up so I can start dropping weight!

I have asked my surgeon what tests I will need before surgery and I have not gotten a reply (sent two messages through the secure system). I'm pretty frustrated but I'd rather he be good with his hands than good at replying to email. The problem is that my work schedule is usually set three months in advance, so scheduling tests that require a whole day can be a problem if I don't get them in my calendar.

Oh, the doctor made it clear that it was my choice. But after talking to him as well as my psychopharmacologist, it definitely seemed like the way to keep my mental health steady after surgery was to do the sleeve. That is more important, even though GERD is not a great outcome. The surgeon doesn't think what I have is really GERD, but we'll see.

I've never tried Swerve. I mostly use Sucralose (Splenda) in my iced coffee and yoghurt sometimes. I used to hate stevia but lately I've noticed I don't mind it as much in the protein shakes, so maybe I'm just getting used to it? I don't have much experience with Monk Fruit, but the few things I've had it in have been fine. I'm in a baking mood today and work is light... maybe I'll make cookies and see if I can have just one. I'm sure I have some neighbors who might appreciate some cookies on a rainy day.

I don't really remember what size a pencil eraser is, but I know some of them are definitely bigger than that, and I won't be able to stop at least 6 of them for even a day. 3 are for migraine prevention, so I would prefer not to stop those, but I could if I had to. I think splitting the ones I can't stop is probably an option. Thanks!

This is the combination I've been on for like 16 years and it really works for me. Not all are for bipolar, some are to prevent migraines, some are for nightmares (but I'm going to try stopping those since I'm not entirely sure they work), and one is for weight loss so I'll probably stop that. I'm glad I should be able to take them easily (I don't mind slowing down to 2-3 pills at once, but I've heard of people taking one pill every 20-30 minutes and that felt like a really bad situation. Thanks!

I thought about surgery many times over the years and the fear of complications plus worrying I'd never be able to eat "normally" made me shy away. Also worrying about having to take time off work (I love my job!). But this time is different. I got to the point where I wasn't even liking the way I was eating. I love food but I wasn't even enjoying it. And COVID changed my job and I wasn't loving it anymore. It's getting better, but it's still slow now. I'm still scared of complications, but I think I'll be okay. And I have changed my diet to more of a post-surgery diet (except I am still eating more than I would post-surgery - like 1200-1400 calories) and I'm fine with it. Now that I'm not eating a lot of sweets I don't crave them as much. I miss baking, but I don't miss the way I would feel after eating a bunch of baked goods. And maybe I'll get to the point where I can have 1 cookie instead of 6... but I'm not there yet.

I think one thing is that you might be weighing yourself at the doctor's office after eating/drinking all day in the afternoon and with clothes and maybe even shoes on. I would see if you can get an early morning appointment and go before drinking/eating too much and dress very lightly, see if that makes a difference. I always weigh myself first thing in the morning at home naked and right after peeing and if I step on the scale in the afternoon or at night it's several pounds more - even on the same scale! I am pre-op too and I also have to lose a few pounds during my 4 months of nutrition classes. I'm freaking out because my starting weight was my home weight first thing in the morning at home, and I think my final weight will be at the doctor's office.

Yeah, I was using chrome. I tried again a few minutes later and it worked!

I got the site to work. It provided a similar estimate to what my surgeon predicted, except that I've lost almost 20 lbs since I first saw the surgeon. Still a few months out from my surgery; hopefully I can lose a few pounds more

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. You have a lot on your emotional plate, if not your literal plate. I wish you calm and strength for your recovery.

This is me. I have checked after falling back asleep too. But the fluctuations don't bother me as long as I am in a downward trend, so I weigh myself every day if I'm home or at my parents' house where I know the scale more or less matches mine. I would say that if you find yourself getting panicked and wanting to do something extreme because of a 0.5 lb weight gain on any given day, probably you shouldn't weigh every day. I expect my weight might go up 1-2 days in a row but still be down for a the week. I just don't want to go a whole week without being accountable. YMMV.