65 and over

[Jswilbur 42]

Hi to all! Sue here, from Nevada. I am 65, had my surgery March 23, 2012, feel so much better, but still have some weight to lose. Congratulations to all of you who have made this wonderful decision! My biggest problem right now is ME! Since I have to graze, I make some bad choices as to what to graze on! Hence, I do not get my Protein in. ???? I love crunchy things, and guess what is crunchy? Not protein! ???? Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[sleeversue 93]

HI Sue,

I love to crunch too so I eat sugar free popsicles and crunch on those. It has helped a lot. I also try to do two shakes a day... strawberry lemonade with Unjury Strawberry Sorbet and Crystal Light lemonade add 6 ice cubes, and a half cup of Water and I mix it in my magic bullet. And the Unjury chocolate Splendor with milk and ice which makes it like a Wendy's frosty.

After you are two months out, you can try the Power Crunch bars which have 13 gms. of Protein. I love the mint chocolate, triple chocolate and peanut butter- chocolate. They also have a vanilla creme and strawberry that I haven't tried yet. I tried them first at the Vitamin Shoppe and now buy them by the box there.

From another,

Sue

[Jswilbur 42]

I never even thought of Popsicles! Great idea. I may have to give shakes another chance. I drank them prior to my surgery two years ago, but could not stomach them after the surgery.

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

SF popsicles are our go to snack, even in winter. My husband loves to chew. Jerky and smoked turkey wings are a favorite of his. I can nibble o a couple of unsalted almonds and like the crunch. Satisfies me and I keep on going. Another idea is the PB2 (powdered Peanut Butter without the fat and calories - just add a little water), spread on a piece of celery. Takes like real Peanut Butter to me.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Hey, fellow old broads and bros.

I have my surgery a week from today - August 18.

68 years old and still trying something new.

Please give me a woot!

[lilijo 187]

Woot woot! Good luck with your surgery!

[Sherry S 103]

Good Luck you'll do great.

[LivingFree! 478]

Hi to all! Sue here, from Nevada. I am 65, had my surgery March 23, 2012, feel so much better, but still have some weight to lose. Congratulations to all of you who have made this wonderful decision! My biggest problem right now is ME! Since I have to graze, I make some bad choices as to what to graze on! Hence, I do not get my Protein in. I love crunchy things, and guess what is crunchy? Not protein! Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Hi there crunchy things chewer:

That, by far, was my BIGGEST WLS challenge from the get-go. But there IS one crunchy protein--it's an acquired taste for most--I had to learn to love it, but offering the suggestion. KMart's Smart Sense brand of Healthy Energy Blend (soy nuts, cranberries, almonds, pumpkin kernels) = 7g Protein, 150 cal, 13 carb, 8g fat poly&mono, per 1/4c serving.

One of my favorites is 1T crunchy natural Peanut Butter and apple wedges and a cheese stick as a protein snack. I cut it up in small pieces because I like finger food and it makes me feel like I'm eating MORE when there's lots of pieces!!!

Forgive me--don't know much about lap-band--but why do you HAVE TO graze? Why can you not eat 3 meals + 2 Snacks per day = eating nutritiously about every 3 hours?

One more suggestion--I came across this wonder product (for me at least) in one of my bari support groups. It's like a giant rice cake but way better for us. It satisfies the crunch thing and there's lots you can do to doctor it up (with healthy things, keeping it very low cal but satisfying). They're round and about 5" in diameter, and called CocoLite Pop Cakes. One piece has 16 cal, 0 fat, 4g carb, 1g protein. Available online at cocofoods.com. Minimum order is 6 packs. cost is about $20, free shipping. I've heard tat they carry them at Whole Foods if you have a store where you live.

The only other crunchy processed carby thing I still allow myself is dry Cereal (either choc Cheerios or Fiber One 80 Choc). I have to keep it pre-portioned in baggies so I don't overeat it. Eating straight from the box was a big problem for me 'til I put a stop to that. Anyhow, for me, knowing I have these GO-TO crunchy things has really helped tame my CRUNCH MONSTER a lot.

Hope this helps, at least at a little . . .

[haleytrim 244]

Hi LivingFree,

Your post of July 5th was awesome! I am trying to put things together to have my WLS in November and am have been questioning whether or not I can do this at my age when I have never been able to do it before. I will be 63 in November. Your post switched on a light for me. I have been through many different diets and followed the instructions and did not cheat. Yep, I lost weight, but never enough and never was able to keep it off. I am beginning to see what posters mean when they say this is a tool. Kind of like when you buy a little kid a new pair of tennis shoes and he thinks he can run faster and jump higher! LOL So now in November, I will have my new tennis shoes and will be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I know I will have hard work to do, both physical and mental, but my magic shoes will be there to help me! Thanks again for your insight and inspiration!

[lindalue 70]

Hi LivingFree,

Your post of July 5th was awesome! I am trying to put things together to have my WLS in November and am have been questioning whether or not I can do this at my age when I have never been able to do it before. I will be 63 in November. Your post switched on a light for me. I have been through many different diets and followed the instructions and did notl cheat. Yep, I lost weight, but never enough and never was able to keep it off. I am beginning to see what posters mean when they say this is a tool. Kind of like when you buy a little kid a new pair of tennis shoes and he thinks he can run faster and jump higher! LOL So now in November, I will have my new tennis shoes and will be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I know I will have hard work to do, both physical and mental, but my magic shoes will be there to help me! Thanks again for your insight and inspiration!

Let me know how things go for you I am 67 and hopefully will have surgery in October or Nov

[Sandstress51 19]

I will be setting my date this Friday, Aug. 22 for some time in September, I hope. I'm excited, nervous, anxious, and a little scared. I am 5'4" and I weigh 255 lbs. My goal is 160 lbs. One of my concerns is sagging skin. My doctor says I seem to have good elasticity, however I'm 63 and wonder if it's going to hang a lot. Also, my biggest concern is leakage. But worse than that is the pain of RA which is degenerative and will get worse if I don't lose at least 100 lbs. I'm glad that people are doing this for medical reasons and not just cosmetics ... although ... again I say, "loose skin?" ... arghhhh.

[LivingFree! 478]

Hi LivingFree,

Your post of July 5th was awesome! I am trying to put things together to have my WLS in November and am have been questioning whether or not I can do this at my age when I have never been able to do it before. I will be 63 in November. Your post switched on a light for me. I have been through many different diets and followed the instructions and did not cheat. Yep, I lost weight, but never enough and never was able to keep it off. I am beginning to see what posters mean when they say this is a tool. Kind of like when you buy a little kid a new pair of tennis shoes and he thinks he can run faster and jump higher! LOL So now in November, I will have my new tennis shoes and will be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I know I will have hard work to do, both physical and mental, but my magic shoes will be there to help me! Thanks again for your insight and inspiration!

Hi haleytrim,

My pleasure! My surgery has been such an amazing life gift, and my gratitude for that will forever be "paying it forward" in any and every way I possibly can. Glad my words helped you make the connection you needed to bolster your confidence that you CAN do this!

All your other attempts at weight loss all your life were just that--DIETS. The difference now is that this is a LIFESTYLE, not a diet. You will be successful at keeping the weight off because you won't be "dieting" anymore--you will get up every day and make healthy decisions that will have become automatic (with a lot of hard work changing old habits in your first 6-12 months) because you remember each day that you are a WLS patient for life. We have the disease of obesity for life, but now we have the best tool to treat it that we never had before.

I am so happy for you that you have made the decision at this stage of your life to improve your quality of life with the sleeve. It is never too late. Your magic shoes will walk (run) hand-in-hand with your sleeve, and you have so much to look forward to. Congratulations on your decision--November will be here before you know it!

[19sweetness69 12]

Hi Everyone -

I'm fairly new to this site. I was just 68 years old. I had been thinking about getting the gastric sleeve for a while, but while my husband was working, our insurance didn't cover it. He lost his job and we're both retired with Medicare - and Medicare covers it as long as I qualify as an inpatient. So I've been through all of the requirements and I am scheduled for Sept. 16. I'm very excited and would appreciate any likes or dislikes regarding the Protein drinks. I have had 5 replacements - 2 knees, 2 hips and 1 shoulder. I still have 1 shoulder to go - but I'm waiting on that for a while. I have at least 100 lbs. to lose, so I am very committed to this. Any suggestions from you would be great.

[lilijo 187]

Hi Everyone - I'm fairly new to this site. I was just 68 years old. I had been thinking about getting the gastric sleeve for a while, but while my husband was working, our insurance didn't cover it. He lost his job and we're both retired with Medicare - and Medicare covers it as long as I qualify as an inpatient. So I've been through all of the requirements and I am scheduled for Sept. 16. I'm very excited and would appreciate any likes or dislikes regarding the Protein Drinks. I have had 5 replacements - 2 knees, 2 hips and 1 shoulder. I still have 1 shoulder to go - but I'm waiting on that for a while. I have at least 100 lbs. to lose, so I am very committed to this. Any suggestions from you would be great.

I like Premiere Protein ready to drink. You can get it at Sam's or costco. It's the only one I can tolerate. I'm 10 months out and still have a shake for Breakfast every day. Good luck with your surgery and let us know how you're doing. You'll find lots of support here!

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I'm 68 and just had VSG surgery on August 18 (two days ago). Compared to what I'd been expecting from board postsas surgical aftermath, this is (so far) quite tolerable.

(Knock on wood.)

I'm only at the beginning of my journey, but like everything else that I (and we oldsters) have ever done, it's just one step at a time.

Right now I'm sipping Water, and at mealtimes working very slowly on protein-powder-fortified chicken broth and Greek yogurt. A year from now, I may actually know how to do this.

Seriously, I have high hopes. I don't know why I can't do this at least as well younger folks. Because ..."Face it, girls, I'm older, and I have more insurance."