Matt Z

I've never had them, don't really feel the desire to try them, but I just looked them up and, "Pork Rinds" aren't always made from Pork... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_rind "United States Pork rinds, sometimes cracklings, is the American name for fried or roasted skins of pigs, geese or other animals, regardless of the status or amount of pork in the snack" So, you could be eating geese, or any other animal .... LOL that's a pretty wide net they've thrown.

Sounds like the protein or issues from the increased lactose used to make the protein. Quick search found this Looks like you aren't the only one! Maybe try adding some GasX to your daily supplement regime to see if that helps you any.

Suggestions... Stop worrying! Stalls happen when your body needs to re-calibrate itself. If you know you are on your mark for calorie and water, and you are getting your exercise, then everything else doesn't really matter. You could be losing body fat and not see it on the scale (happened to me a few times so far, gained a pound or 2, but dropped body fat. Just keep on doing what you are and don't focus only one 1 measurement! You got this!

I'm using PatchMD patches as well, Still not 100% sure of their actual effectiveness, I'm doing a study right now with my surgical team, nutritionist and the head nurse at the teaching hospital I had my surgery at, I'm **STILL** waiting for PatchMD to give me their clinical trials, I've reached out to them, but they just don't ever respond. I'll post something up about it once I have my 3 month blood draw here in a few weeks.

That's that "Revision pace", slower, but supposedly more consistent. Guess we'll see! Congrats BTW, I know exactly what you are dealing with LOL And now back to your regularly scheduled forum posts.

Hey Kathy! CBD is the non-psychoactive component from Cannabis. IE it doesn't get you "high". It does have some amazing anti-inflammatory and pain revealing properties. No negative side effects at all and 100% natural. Sadly New York is really against anything to do with Cannabis, so CBD might not be an option for you. Talk to your primary though, they *should* know the details.

The stats in the post block are a little skewed. My starting weight was 370, way back in 2011. I got down to 300ish and then floated around 300-310 since, I'm down 48.2 since my surgery on March 21st. I tried to figure out how to add all the stats to denote the first "failed" WLS... but sadly this forum isn't configured to allow that. Sorry for the confusion!

Everyone will be different, and the sleeve is less of a punch to the system, but 2 weeks seems a little early even still. At 2 weeks you might still be on pain narcotics. You will certainly still have incision site pain, some folks are still getting blood thinners up to the 2 week mark, so there are a few factors that come into play. If you can't take the time off, that's understandable, but the longer you can rest and recover, without any stresses of having to go to work... will be beneficial.

My mother has Fibro... she was on all the nasty pain meds, dealt with the side effects of them, finally got her off of the addicting pharms and onto the natural stuff, works better and less complications!

It's important to note (mostly for RNY's) that not only is Caffeine a diuretic, it also binds to calcium and prevents calcium absorption, this is the main reason they tell you to drink decaf. Just something to be aware of for all the non-decaf drinkers.

This escalated quickly... but I have to agree. Opinion doesn't mean anything. Facts are the ONLY thing that matter here. Here are some facts... from the lawsuit against Musclegene (the makers of GenePro) "MuscleGen's claim that its GenePro product has 30 grams of protein in a 1 tablespoon serving size and its use of the term "medical grade" are likely to mislead and cause confusion among consumers in that the stated protein amount is false, and there is no "medical grade" protein standard provided by the protein powder industry or the FDA. Further, SI03 faces irreparable harm, as the continuing false advertising of MuscleGen's products that compete with SI03's products poses a risk to SI03's sales and reputation. Conversely, MuscleGen has no protectable interest in continuing to falsely advertise its GenePro products. Finally, the Court finds that the public interest is served by preventing Defendant MuscleGen from misleading consumers to believe that a one tablespoon serving size of GenePro contains 30 grams of protein when the actual amount of protein is 10 grams or less." https://www.leagle.com/decision/infdco20171213e89 So anyone's "Opinion" that GenePro is a good protein doesn't sway from the fact that people taking it are assuming 30 grams of protein when they are getting less than 10.... that's a dangerous assumption to make or to impose on anyone. In a WLS situation where getting 1/3 less protein then you are counting can cause some very harmful results. Personally I don't give a rats ass what you take for protein... but don't blindly tell people something is good, without also giving them the facts of the matter.... this protein DOES NOT contain as much protein as is advertised. You can't squeeze more grams of a protein into less total grams of product... It's just not possible. IE you can't fit 10 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket. So let's take a step back... clearly the difference between telling folks the truth and telling folks an opinion is vastly different and anyone getting upset over the truth... needs to reevaluate things.

Slightly controversial question, but... have you thought about CBD's for your arthritis and back pain? There have been quite a few studies done and the results are quite impressive.

For cheese, there are Whisps, Moon Cheese, and Just the Cheese for brands of cheese only snacks.

My job requires lifting as well, I was given 2 months off, wasn't supposed to lift over 10 lbs for like 6 weeks!

Whereas this isn't a "victory" per se, but about 3 or 4 weeks out of surgery, the wife and I went to a movie. It was raining and I went to jump over a puddle as I would any other time, total unconscious action. And I overshoot the crap out of the puddle. I just laughed at the idea that I had lost enough weight to accidentally propel myself too far in a simple puddle jump.

I honestly believe the pain was less after the bypass than what I remember with the band. I was under for WAY longer than I was expecting. I went into pre-op at 0630 and it was almost 4 when I was wheeled into Recovery. I didn't know until my wife told me. Your confidence in your surgeon is paramount! If you are questioning his decisions, NEVER feel that you can't challenge or question your surgeon, You shouldn't feel like you can't ask for more information or pose the "why" questions. If he won't be open with you about what he's going to be doing, what the risks are, etc... then, personally, I would look for another surgeon. But give him the opportunity to answer, it could have been a long or hard day. I've got a pretty solid rep with my surgeon, she did my band back in 2011 and we've been back and forth over stuff enough that I really wouldn't want anyone else doing the revision. Plus, she put it in, she got to take it out, so there couldn't be any "well your last surgeon..." comments. (not that she would ever, but, you know how that goes). Hope you find the answers you need!

Band to Bypass revision on March 21st. Loving my choice! Not as fast at dropping the weight as some folks due to having had the band already, but I'm so happy I did it. I haven't been this light in over 15 years.

Hey loosinit, I'm a band to bypass revision myself. So I can 100% relate! Lemme see if I can tackle these questions for you. - Most times, barring any major complications the band can be removed and you can be revised to either in 1 surgery. Having been through this with the band already, recovering from the revision to bypass was a breeze. To be honest, pain was minimum overall. Being familiar with the pain and restrictions in movement from the band, were pretty much the same as with the bypass. Your healing time will vary of course, but, it wasn't any worse than the band for me. -My surgeon refuses to do Band to Sleeve, because putting a high pressure staple line across the scar tissue caused by the Band, increases the risk of staple line leakage or failure. Plus, you aren't going to get the malabsorption with the sleeve that you get with the bypass, so going from the band to the sleeve, might not get you the results you want or expect. (My surgeon told me if I really wanted the sleeve that I could go to another surgeon on her team, but she wouldn't do it, I appreciated her honesty) -Hair loss is a personal thing. My primary walked me through the reasons for hair loss, and it's due some form of shock to the system from the surgery, she advised that as long as I kept my protein intake high and kept up on my required nutrients that I might not see any hair loss at all. I'm 2 months out and haven't noticed anything yet, but we'll see in the next month or 2. But yes, the hair loss typically isn't a permanent thing. -Yes, with the bypass you will be unable to absorb certain B vitamins from food as you normally do. So yes, you will more than likely be on some sort of supplementation for the rest of your life. However, the only real risk is a vitamin deficiency, which takes several months to even occur let alone become deadly. Unless you just never take any vitamins and never get your blood checked or never bother to pay attention to your health... then it's not really that big of a risk overall. Side effects, the Bypass has dumping syndrome if you eat things that are too high in fat or sugar. Most don't see this as a negative side effect as cutting high fat, high sugar foods is actually good for your health. So dumping can be a great "coach" or "punishment" for not eating what you should be. The Sleeve and the Band aren't drastically different in terms of how your body handles the process, there is no adjustment to your intestines so outside of the restriction there isn't much else going on. Overall, I'm VERY glad I decided to go for the Bypass over the Sleeve Something else to think about, because I didn't. Your surgeon won't know the condition of the band until they get inside you. For me, I had no real issues with the band itself, outside of typical pain with certain leafy greens or harder foods getting stuck, but when the doctor got in there, my band was 100% encapsulated with scar tissue and took like 3 hours to get out, 3 times longer than it should have, I wouldn't have been able to have the sleeve even if that's what we were doing. If I was going in for the sleeve, they would have had to do 2 different surgery's, one to remove the band, then after I healed up from that, one to create the sleeve. No matter which way you go, good luck!

What "stage" are you asking about and what surgery specifically? The rules around each are different (and you'll see differences between doctors as well) Typically VSG folks have to go a month on liquids, RNY are on purees before they leave the hospital and are on purees for a month. Then comes the soft solids, then full solids but no raw veggies, then you are cleared for raw veggies and are allowed to experiment with other foods (this is when the breads can come back in) But with all WLS, bread should be limited as much as possible and the focus needs to be on proteins and water. Will you be able to eat bread at some point. Maybe. Everyone is different. Typical breads don't sit well for me, but I can tolerate high grain content breads that have been toasted.

Congrats! I can vouch, I had a MUCH harder time on the pre-surgical diet than post. Post op had more mental struggles with food... but now, it's not even really a thought.

I snack on Kay's Naturals Protein chips and snacks as well as Simply Protein snacks. I make my own jerky, dried fruits, etc etc etc. Snacking with high protein and good fats is a great way to keep your metabolism up!

First, don't worry, stalls are normal. Your body will take time to re-calibrate. You mentioned your food intake, but how's your water intake? How's the exercise? Your body needs less and less energy the smaller you get, so you either have to eat less, or exercise more in order to balance it out. Also, weight is only 1 measurement. Are you able to track your body fat as well? This happens to pretty much EVERYONE! You just have to keep moving forwards and eventually the stall will break. Just make sure you are at or under your calorie marks, that you are at or OVER your water intake and that you are getting at least an hour of actual exercise a day (walking around work shouldn't count). Are you losing inches or any other noticeable, non-scale "victories"?

No worries! Some aspects of the site are a little less than intuitive.

Every time your body needs to re-calibrate itself... you'll get some for of "stall". These are frustrating, yes, but this is when you need to make those decisions to change your habits. Eating something bad, isn't going to help that stall in the way you want it to... sure, the scale will move, but not in the direction it should be. Make sure you are getting MORE water than you are supposed to, and make sure you are only eating what you have been instructed was cleared for you. And Exercise! You'll feel SO much better with some regular exercise. I know it sounds like a fluff piece, but, I honestly don't even recognize myself anymore, I'm feeling better, not just physically, but mentally! I haven't been this positive and hopeful in a very VERY long time. As I state pretty much everywhere a "stall" conversation comes up. Weight alone isn't enough to properly measure your progress. You can be losing fat and not losing weight. I'm lucky enough to have a scale that does body fat as well, and there have been plenty of times in the last 2 months where my weight has increased and my body fat has decreased, and if all I had was the weight to go off of... I'd be going crazy wondering what I was doing wrong. Stick to your plans, Stick to your exercise, and just remember, you are not alone, we will deal with stalls at some point in our journey. You got this!

I am a Band to Bypass revision. My Surgeon advised against Band to Sleeve due to the increased potential for staple line issues due to the scaring caused by the band. There were others surgeons in her office that would do it, but she won't do them. I trusted her inputs and went with the bypass. And yes, logically you will lose weight at a slower pace, simply because you are already used to the restriction. Now, that's not to say it's not going to be amazing or "slow" by any means. But you have the potential to not lose as quickly. Going from no restriction and no malabsorption to both is clearly going to be more of an impact than going from some restriction and just adding malabsorption. But, either way, it's still worth it. My band was not causing issues, but it took them WAY longer to get it out than it should have because it was totally encapsulated in scar tissue. Now, revision to sleeve, you are not going to get any of the malabsorption, just a different type of restriction. From what I read when I was researching Band to Sleeve, it can be rather slow. Whatever you chose, Good Luck!