Bufflehead

It really depends on your policy. What does your plan document say about requirements to be approved for surgery?

relatively standard: avocadoes, small honeycrisp apples, dried calimyrna figs, sesame honey almonds, chili lime chicken breast strips, frozen grilled chicken breast strips, frozen grilled cauliflower, frozen haricots verts, frozen broccoli florets, frozen brussels sprouts, frozen grilled asparagus, frozen artichoke hearts, canned sardines in Water, Omega 3 eggs. occasional/as needed: garlic marinara sauce, curry and masala simmer sauces, garlic sriracha bbq sauce, light champagne vinaigrette salad dressing, instant coffee (for use in Protein shakes),frozen turkey meatballs, frozen jumbo scallops, frozen Argentinian red shrimp, chewable high potency multi-Vitamin, sublingual B12, various shredded cheeses, European-style chocolate & mocha yogurt.

Many if not most have a pre-op diet that is not all liquid. I think the general focus is high protein, low carb, low calorie -- there is nothing magical about liquids pre-surgery, according to my surgeon.

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You could try foods that are both high protein and high carb, like yogurt, beans, and tofu?

Tracking what you eat accurately is always a good idea IMO. That said, it sounds like you are just having a standard-issue stall (if you are even having a stall -- you can't really call it that until it's been a few weeks since you lost weight). Just keep following your program and you will start losing weight again. Put the scale away if it is making you crazy. Stress is worse for weight loss than some diluted juice. FYI, your privacy settings on MFP won't allow others to see your diary.

I'll be the one going a bit against the grain here: most of the time, when people ask about my weight loss, I tell them I had surgery, watch what I eat, and exercise. I just feel like there are too many people out there that don't know about weight loss surgery, or feel like it is dangerous or can't be successful (everyone gains their weight back! My hairdresser's cousin's boyfriend had it and all his teeth fell out, his skin turned gray, then he died! you know that stuff). I want to show people that you can have weight loss surgery and be happy and healthy and successful. Maybe knowing me and seeing me be healthy and happy after surgery will get someone I talk to thinking about it, or give them a basis to talk about on a more realistic level if someone they know says they are considering surgery. I want to share how great this is, and I don't want to give people the impression that it's realistic to think a morbidly obese person can probably lose a substantial amount of weight, and maintain it, without surgery. Too many obese people think that and are beating themselves up about why they just can't seem to eat less and go to the gym more. I don't want to be even indirectly responsible for perpetuating that myth. That said, I absolutely understand why people want to keep details of their medical care private, and I completely support anyone's right to do so. I have pretty close to absolute job security and my IDGAF bone has gotten stronger as I have gotten older. People can talk about me all they want and my response is generally: LOL, eff you. I'm a gay atheist living in the heart of the Bible Belt. If people want to gossip about me or say hateful things, they've already got what they need, and I've already gotten used to not giving a rat's patootie about what people say about me or how I live my life.

I'm so sorry your family is going through this. It sounds like your daughter's surgeon is taking good care of her. I hope your daughter improves and gets to come home soon and put all of this behind her.

When I was at your stage I was eating 30-60 carbs per day.

I made sure my house was clean and all the yardwork was done prior to surgery. I had my housekeeper come for an extra visit in the first two weeks because I knew I wouldn't want to be doing heavy housekeeping like vacuuming or mopping. I also had her change the kitty litter because of the lifting restriction (for me it was nothing over 10 lbs for four weeks, if I remember right). Consider what you do on a regular basis and if it involves a lot of serious pushing, pulling, or lifting more than 10 lbs, you might need someone to help you with that -- or figure out an alternate way to do it that reduces the stress on your body. Other than that, I did not have any extra help and did not need any. I was fine to drive as soon as I was off narcotic pain meds, which was pretty quickly for me.

@@Inner Surfer Girl my dietitian says there isn't good evidence to support the idea that eating breakfast will boost your metabolism. Since my problem is that I tend to get hungry in the late afternoon and evening, I can eat less in a day if I push breakfast to 11 and lunch to 3. If I eat breakfast early, I'll end up eating those calories again later in the day. So instead of finishing at 1100 calories, I'll finish at 1300 -- and even if I did boost my metabolism a little by eating earlier, it isn't enough to make up for the extra calories I'll end up eating. So far it is working for me, I am losing steadily on this plan.

I have used Netrition, though I don't remember exactly what for. They are a reputable site and tend to have good prices. I like nashuanutrition.com a lot -- they have a wide range of products and great service. I also buy a fair amount of protein powder from Amazon, since I have Prime there and can get most of it shipped for free.

I use an immersion blender for Syntrax Nectar and all my other protein powders. Many other people like the shaker bottle, but I found it put too much air in the shake and dealing with the little wire ball thingy was just annoying to me. If you do use the shaker bottle, make sure it is completely full, no air at the top -- that will keep it from getting too much air in the shake. And yeah, stirring alone is definitely not going to mix it enough. You will pretty much always get lumps and clumps that way, sadly.

You might want to check out vitamin patches. They also make calcium patches and other supplements. They bypass your digestive tract entirely so no nausea or anything like that. I haven't tried them, but I know a couple of people who have, and their lab work has been excellent. Here is one place that makes patch vitamins and minerals: http://www.patchmd.com/

I say listen to your dietitian with respect to fruit juices. That's basically mainlining sugar right into your system. You'll get more nutritional benefits and less sugar issues by eating whole fruit. Also, you don't want to get in the habit of drinking your calories. Weight loss seems easy now, but it won't necessarily stay that way, and drinking calories is an easy way to derail your weight loss or maintenance. As far as your doctor wanting you to slow your weight loss down . . . I am not one to tell someone to disregard the advice of their medical team. But I can tell you, if I thought I had a health care professional who wanted me to lose weight slower than I could (in a healthy fashion), I might fire them. I would ask myself, am I being healthy? And be honest about my nutrition intake, energy levels, and ability to attend to all my obligations in a normal way. For example, if I were exercising so much that I was skipping work or ignoring my family, that would be a problem. If I were eating so little that I had no energy and was suffering nutrient deficiencies, that would also be a problem. But if I was feeling good and energetic, living a normal life, and eating in a healthy fashion, I would at the very least seek a second opinion from another doctor about whether I needed to "slow down" my weight loss. On the other hand, I think your words about how you "can't" slow down your weight loss, and that you are "addicted" to the gym and a healthy lifestyle are a bit concerning as well. Not being in control of your eating and exercise is not good, whether you are losing weight or gaining, IMO.

Bariatric Advantage makes chewable calcium as well as calcium you can dissolve in liquids: https://www.bariatricadvantage.com/catalog/categoryHandler?cat=Bariatric%20Advantage%20%3A%20Calcium For something very different and not involving your mouth at all, PatchMD makes calcium Patches you wear on your skin, as well as different multi-Vitamin patches: http://www.patchmd.com/Vitamin-D3-Calcium-Topical-Patch.html

I could only handle that stuff if I mixed it 50/50 with G2 or Powerade Zero. They don't call is Isopuke for nothing! I found the Syntrax Nectar flavors much, much better.

@@abtenney419 I don't think medical providers are allowed to withhold records because you have an outstanding balance with them. HIPAA gives patients a right to their records. http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/getting-medical-records-information-rights-32220.html Also, if I am understanding correctly, the psychologist you are going to see is the one wanting the records from a doctor you saw once, three years ago? If need be, call the psychologist's office and explain that you only saw this doctor once and his (? or her?) office is refusing to provide the records even though you sent the authorization. I would bet that the psychologist will be okay to go ahead without the records. Only pay what they want if your only alternative is hiring a lawyer and suing them, IMO. Obviously you don't want to have to do that -- or forego your surgery. But you might get more action from the first doctor if you call up and tell them very nicely that it is your understanding that under federal law (HIPAA) you have a right to your medical records. Good luck! eta: the American Medical Association has issued an ethics opinion which says "medical records should not be withheld because of an unpaid balance for medical services." http://www.texmed.org/Template.aspx?id=1619#sthash.aGIRh0Qf.dpuf also: http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/can-a-doctor-hold-medical-records-if-he-is-owed-a--1645744.html

3 ounces of chili lime chicken breast for me -- that's my standard breakfast. It is super easy (I buy it from Trader Joe's already cooked, just chop it up), extremely low calorie, low carb, high Protein, and very filling. eta: I start my day with coffee, 2-3 cups of black coffee. But that's usually about 5 AM and I don't eat breakfast until about 11, so I think of them as completely separate!

Wow, I think you are losing really quickly. I can tell you, you lost significantly more than I did in the first two months, and I am not a band to sleeve revision and I started at a much higher BMI than you did -- two factors that are supposed to mean that you lose slower than me! But I thought I did great and so did my surgeon and team. Being up and down 2 lbs and losing in an exaggerated stair step pattern is very normal, don't stress about that either. Overall, you are doing great except I will say maybe work on your expectations a little

What are you eating and drinking every day? How many calories/carbs/grams of protein etc.? It's hard to advise if we don't know where you are at as a starting point.

I had to provide proof of a flu shot before they would book me for surgery (hospital rules). My PCP makes sure I get one every year anyway.

Call your surgeon or primary care physician.

Sounds like a good plan to me. I would even cut out the junk on any birthday that isn't your own. You can do it!

If it's easier to drink warm fluids, drink as much as you can of that. Make chicken, beef, or miso broth and add in unflavored protein powder. If you have the Unjury chicken soup protein, try that. Right now what is most important is hydraftion. Protein is important but secondary. Sip as much as you can. Good luck!