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Hi. I am wondering if anyone is able to get enough protein, per day, by food. I am 10 weeks post op and have been on “normal” food for over a month. I absolutely detest protein powder, protein shakes, protein drink and any form or protein supplement. Not only do I detest, but it doesn’t sit well inside my stomach. I try to eat protein throughout the day (eggs, chicken, turkey, Greek yogurt, tuna, some cheeses) but I feel like I am no where near my protein gram goal. Wondering if anyone is hitting their protein goal with actual and food and what you are eating. Thanks.

I'm scheduled for VSG in August after having two delays already this year due to covid-19. I know from extensive research on the subject that the rate of loss in the first 6 months is determined, by and large, by genetics (and after that it's all on me for the rest of my life in terms of diet and exercise). Yet as I get closer to the date, I find myself thinking about my genes - something I have no control over... and it's not like there aren't already enough post-surgery things to worry about that I do have control over. I'm having WLS to lose a lot of weight that I haven't been able to lose and keep off on my own with diet and exercise. I'm already doing everything I can to prepare for life-long healthy psychological and lifestyle changes after surgery, but man, I would be devastated if surgery didn't give me the result I hope it will. I should add that haven't had DNA tests to confirm whether or not I have genetic variables such as the FTO gene that contribute to obesity, just because of the costs involved with the tests. Just curious if anyone else worried about this, specifically, before surgery. Or am I the only one? Also, if it turned out that you were genetically a slower loser (and by that I mean following instructions to the letter including exercising and keeping fat, carbs, and calories low for 6 months or longer), did you eventually reach your goal weight and if you did, how long did it take? Thanks for your replies.

Where n FL? I'm supposed to have surgery in Boca Raton on 7/21. It was cancelled once, but they moved me to another hospital. My Dr. is on vacation this week (7/12-7/19) so I'm not sure I'll find out until he gets back...yay. Liquid diet is not easy when you aren't sure that the surgery is going to happen. I know I will get it eventually and I understand there are others who need the hospital beds,,,but I still REALLY want it! -

Wow, thanks for putting this together! 😀 It is SO helpful, just what I was looking for! 🤩 I'm in a holding pattern with surgery due to covid-19, but have transitioned to a WFPB diet in preparation for a lifetime of health and weight maintenance after surgery. I've already lost 40 lbs since transitioning, and have more energy and feel better than I have in decades. Can't wait to reap all the benefits of WLS combined with this WFPB life!

I just got the results of my COVID-19 test and it's negative! That was a lot faster than they said it was going to be. I'm glad I can stop worrying about that. I'm working from home next week, so I don't plan to have any contact with anyone until I go to the hospital.

My surgery has been cancelled twice this year due to covid-19, and now I have yet another surgery date scheduled, this time for Aug 16. If it's delayed for a third time, I won't be bothered like I was the first time. I view these delays as an opportunity to give myself a head start on a new lifestyle and way of eating in preparation for making the most out of surgery. I've cut out processed foods, sugar, dairy, and animal products, found some vegan protein powders that I like, am practicing sipping water and chewing my food at least 45 times before swallowing, and have worked my way up to walking 10,000 steps a day. I've lost almost 40 lbs so far, and plan to keep on losing as much weight as I can before surgery, even though it's not a requirement in my program.

The program I'm in had made my routine fairly easy, if not a bit monotonous. I'm supposed to drink 1 ounce of fluid by sipping it over the course of 15 minutes, every 15 minutes. So I'm essentially always drinking fluids every waking hour. I text my doctor every night to update him on how many ounces I consumed and he's adjusted things every day by adding more protein shakes into the mix. For the exercise I've done, I have gone outside and walked for 10 minutes, timing it half way between fluid consumption so that I get back in time to finish the ounce and then start the next one.

I got my COVID-19 test yesterday... I’m terrified that it will come up positive and ruin everything. It’s not just a matter of having to wait longer; I have a lot going on in my life this year and a pretty narrow window to get the surgery. Somehow, everything came together for me to get the surgery during this window, and it feels too good to be true because nothing in my life ever works out the way it’s supposed to.

I hope they don't reschedule mine on the 16th. I've already started my 10 day pre-op diet and I'm on day 5, I'll go crazy!

Surgery was first thing in the morning on 7/7. Discharged from the hospital the following morning. Overnight at the hospital wasn't bad, if only a little tedious. Made good progress on my fluid intake while there. Pain was minimal once home, topping out around a 4. Liquid acetaminophen is all I've needed. Visiting nurse stopped by on 7/9 to check my vitals and see how I was doing. Did three 10 minute walks outside, which was overachieving because there was more discomfort on the last walk and I woke up exhausted the following morning. Drank 51 ounces of fluids, including 8 ounces of Celebrate 4:1 protein shake Removed the binder and took a very welcome shower before the VNA stopped by on Friday morning. She said that the swelling and inflammation around my incisions had subsided a lot from the day before. Also had first post-op bowel movement. That almost sent me running for the ER because I wasn't warned about how it was going to look. Doctor assured me that it was normal after spending a lot of the day in a mild state of panic. Consumed 53 ounces of fluids, including 16 ounces of Celebrate 4:1 shakes. Scaled back my activity to just two 10 minute walks outside. Did not put the binder back on as I didn't feel any added pain or discomfort from not wearing it. Today? Well, pain is pretty much gone. Haven't taken any liquid acetaminophen yet today. Still feeling tired. Doctor has said to not do any exercise today and simply rest. Am supposed to drink 16 ounces of Celebrate 4:1 and 8 ounces of Premiere Protein today, on top of other fluids. The biggest complaint I have at the moment is how itchy my stomach is. A combination of the incisions healing and all of the body hair that was shaved off starting to grow back in. Another VNA visit tomorrow and then 1st post-op followup with my doctor on Monday. So far so good!

Owned by the same family, but their parent companies split (not amicably) decades ago, became Aldi Sud & Aldi Nord. The operations of Trader Joe's & Aldi in the US are completely separate. Any overlap of products is a function of the private label industry vs. coordination. For example store brand hummus is likely to be either Tribe or Sabra. For most grocery categories there are a limited number of manufactures who have the scale to make private label in the quantities and at the price necessary. https://www.producebluebook.com/2019/07/19/aldi-and-trader-joes-are-they-related/# Way more info then I'm sure anyone wanted 😂 Oh, and the Everything But The Bagel is $1.95 at my local Aldi. I have found that similar or identical items are always a bit cheaper at Aldi vs. TJ's

--- Morning Update 7/10/2020 --- I was on my way to getting discharged. However my wife trusted her instincts and requested them to do another x ray. Thankfully she did because it looks like the fluid is back. Tomorrow they are going to be putting in a chest tube to continually drain the area and I will be here a few more days. Trying my best to stay positive, I'll admit a few tears have leaked out though.

I've never been a huge Jello fan and hadn't had it since my surgery five years ago (the pre-op diet...), but someone on another forum eats sugar free Jello all the time - with light Cool Whip - as a snack or dessert. Since I seem to be having trouble controlling my snacking lately, I thought I'd give it a try. It's not bad - and it's sweet - and super low in calories. I picked up this coconut whipped topping that I saw the other day at Trader Joe's (I noticed that they also have it at Aldi's) - it's even lower in calories than light Cool Whip (10 calories per 2 tablespoons), and it has a nice, coconut-y taste to it. Voila! Just had this as my morning snack...

I am so sorry your surgery had complications. I had a sleeve to bypass revision for GERD on 6/29. I was unable to stand up to begin walking without becoming tachycardic and dizzy on 7/1. My hemoglobin was 7.1 and I got 2 units of packed red cells. I felt much better afterward. My drain was left in for 10 days as I continued to produce a lot of blood from the chest. My surgeon suspects I bled from several areas as I had more than one procedure done. I feel much better now. I hope you feel better soon, you have been through a lot.

Have you tried nutramen protein drink. They are pretty good. And they will help you gain a bit of weight. This is what my daughter had to go on for 1 month prior to her major operation. She needed to gain at least ten lbs. She didnt gain the 10 but she gained 8 Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had the VSG on June 29th. So far my experience has been pretty rotten. I passed out on 6/30 while sitting on the side of the bed. The nurse caught me and called for a rapid response. My BP dropped to the 70/40 range. I became tachycardic with a HR of 180. The response team put a pad on my chest to shock it into rhythm but thankfully it was just rapid not out of sync Later that day they did an upper GI with barium swallow that showed I was leak free. The next morning on 7/1 my blood tests showed I had internal bleeding as my hemoglobin was 7.9 The surgeon did the wait and see game and started me on IV fluids at a bolus rate. The next day on 7/2 my hemoglobin was at 8.1. On 7/3 my hemoglobin was at 8.2. The surgeon said that the bleeding had stopped and that I was able to go home. While preparing to go home I was moving around a lot more and noticed that my right calf hurt. I asked the nurse about it and she offered me a heating pad. I also asked if there was anything the doc could give me for the cramps in my right thigh. She didn't seem to be concerned about any of the questions I was asking so I dismissed my symptoms as sore muscles. I was at home from the evening of 7/3 till the morning of 7/7. On 7/7 I woke up at 5 am with pain in my right chest area and a fever of 101. I knew something was wrong and had someone take me to the ER. They ran through a series of tests starting with an x-ray, a CAT scan, and an ultrasound of my legs. I was eventually diagnosed with a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in my right leg, multiple Pulmonary Embolisms in my right lung, and a Pleural Effusion in my right chest cavity. They started me on blood thinners and pain medicine. I will only briefly tell you about the pain of the PEs. I have never experienced so much pain before in my life. I was screaming for help as loud as I could and clutching my chest with both hands. I called for a priest and was prayed over because I thought I was on my way out. I spent the next day 7/8 getting drugged up with Dilaudid every 3 hours to keep the pain in check. On 7/9 I had a Thoracentesis to drain 600ml of red colored fluid from my chest cavity. It is now 7/10 and I've been up all night dealing with pain and insomnia. I am supposed to go home today on blood thinners and pain management. My plan is to apply for 2 weeks of FMLA and short term disability to go with the 2 weeks of vacation I've already taken. I plan to take the additional time to recuperate because my body is a wreck.. I walked into this a pretty healthy 41 year old male 5' 11" at 295 lbs who exercised every day for 45 minutes but just had a monster appetite. I will be leaving the hospital today feeling like a weakened old man traumatized from the whole experience. I am not ready to make a judgement call on whether it was worth it or not. It is way to soon. I realize I'm in the early stages of the process and have many positive milestones to look forward too. I have hope that in a year, the memories of pain and trauma will fade and I will look back and judge that it has been with it.

I doubt they will make you do everything again, so long as certain examinations are done within a specific time period. For example, with my insurance, my psycheval could not be older than 6 months. However, due to Covid they were ok with it being at almost the one year mark. I was approved in 2 days. I switched insurance in January 2020, began the process in June/July 2019.

Hi All, I am new to this group. I had lap band surgery in 2009, I was lucky and had the realize band. When I started this journey I was up to 280. I had got to 240 on my own and then I had surgery, well it didn't go as planned my port was up high and got infected and I had to have the port removed then put back in several months later. When I finally started getting fills I was 208 and did well for a while. I got down to my lowest 140 but after starting to run was about 165. Now I am dealing with Menopause and having a hard time. In October they decided to drain my fluid due to vomiting and not keeping food down. I had a upper GI no issues so they slowly and I mean slowly started to fill my band. Well COVID hit and I only had 1.5 cc in my band and I was not able to go in for a fill for 5 months. I went in earlier this week and I qualify for revision to a sleeve due to my BMI. The thing is I can't lose 5 lbs or I will no longer be considered. I started doing more protein this week and now I have lost 5lbs. I am kind of scared they wont approve me now. I am excited to be doing this. Honestly I am sick of being poked by people who hardly do this anymore. Anyone else have the band to sleeve after 10 years? Was it successful? I would love to hear your story.

7/10 was my surgery date. So i took these pictures on 7/9/2019. The after pictures are from 7/9/2020. The sleeve was by far the best thing i have ever done. I used it for what it was, and that was a tool to kick starting a healthy life style. I had a plan in mind and i stuck to it. Ive become addicted to working out. Which is much better than being addicted to food like i was. Food has come fuel for me. Its a necessity and i treat it as such. But ive learned what, good quality foods to eat, and to help my everyday performance. For me this wasnt about being on a diet and then going back to how i was, and just eating less. I took this opportunity to learn and to build a new lifestyle for myself. I never told people i was on a a diet, I would simply say im trying a new way of life. Because i know i have to stay on this course to maintain what ive earned. I think a lot of people believe the sleeve is a quick fix and will just lose the weight for you. ANd it will at first. But that only last so long. I think a lot of people dont necessarily get that going into surgery. Overall, ive never been happier. This page has been a huge help and ive met some pretty awesome people on here. I love my new way of life and i wouldnt change it for anything. Cheers.

My surgery is booked for 15th July! I'm on day 10 of pre op diet! It's been up and down and haven't done too well on the pre op diet. Feeling nervous as it gets closer. Has anyone else struggled or struggling through pre op ?

This is a history of my ferritin levels while taking iron supplements: OCT 2018: 8 (out of range low) NOV 2018: Received Infusion (Injectafer 1000 mg) DEC 2018: 101 (normal range) MAR 2019: 56 (normal range) APR 2019: 48 (normal range) FEB 2020: 20 (out of range low) Red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, etc, were all normal for all of the above tests. For menstruating women this is a more common condition, obviously because of blood loss. However, I am man with no sign of blood 'leakage'. I've had endoscopies, colonoscopies, MRIs, etc. You mention other conditions that can cause HWA -- could you name some?

breast lift, arm lift, and lower body lift. He also extended the arm lift most of the way down my sides (longer than he does with most people) to get rid of "side boobs" and some of the excess skin high on my chest that he couldn't get to with the LBL (the other option would have been a fleur-de-lis cut, but he decided to do this extended flank instead for a couple of reasons - as in it also took excess skin off my back & sides that the fleur-de-lis would not have). actually, now that I think of it, I don't think the breast lift was all that painful - the least painful of the three for sure. It was the LBL that was really bad - but that's not uncommon. But I love the result and I'd do it again! I had my LBL done in August of 2018 and the arm and breast lift done in March 2019.

I'd wait for a couple of reasons - 1) you don't know how much weight you're going to end up losing, or how long it's going to take 2) most people have a 10-20 lb bounce back in weight in year 2 or 3. many plastic surgeons want you to be at a stable weight for 6-12 months before having plastic surgery because of the common weight fluctuations the first couple of years (and because of the bounce back phenomenon). Also, some will tell you not to gain or lose more than 10 lbs after having plastic surgery or your results may be affected. I gained eight lbs after my PS (I spent a month in Asia last fall - and then, the holidays), and my plastic surgeon told me (at one of my follow-up appts this past January) to NOT gain any more weight and reminded me of the 10 lbs +/- deal. you definitely could start doing consultations, though. I went on three consultations (in Chicago) and also did an email consultation with a surgeon in Mexico. I learned a lot from those meetings - and I discovered different surgeons have different ideas on what to do. It was a pretty educational experience. I guess if you go ahead and decide to book regardless, make sure you can reschedule it without penalty. And they'll probably want you to reschedule it well in advance so they can stick someone else in the slot...

Hi all, My one year surgery anniversary is 7/31. Since surgery I've lost 84 lbs. Quarantine has not been helpful, I am working from home full time now and not getting much exercise. My doctor says I'm doing great in spite of everything. I'm in a size 10 pants size now. I'm pleased with my progress and I will keep going! Hope everyone is doing well, happy 1-year to all of my July siblings!! 5'4" HW 297 VSG 7/31/19 SW 266 CW 182 1st GW 170 2nd GW 135 "With God all things are possible" Matthew 19:26

My sleeve didn’t cause my GERD, the tearing of a new hiatal hernia did. I had one repaired when I had my sleeve done in December 2019 (264lbs) I ended up developing a new hiatal hernia mid March (232lbs). My surgeon sent me for a barium swallow. So along with the GERD to mid esophagus and the hiatal hernia I also have esophagitis from it. I'm just waiting on insurance approval for my revision. I honestly loved my sleeve but since the hernia happened I have only lost 10lbs in the last 4 months and am currently sitting at 222lbs. Some days I find it hard to eat because I feel so nauseous all the time and developed intractable hiccups because of the GERD. If I could do it again, I’d still have a sleeve.