DLCoggin

You may want to try a Protein supplement with whey "isolate" as opposed to whey "concentrate" if you haven't already. The difference between the two is the amount of filtering. Whey isolate is 90 to 96% pure protein with most fat and lactose removed. Most folks who are lactose intolerant can tolerate whey isolate. The bad news is that isolate is usually more expensive as the ultra filtering process is costly. As others have pointed out, there are many soy products out there to chose from. The trick, whether whey or soy, is finding a product that you like the taste of. Always a good idea to buy small quantities until you find the right one. Be persistent and don't give up until you find a way to get ALL of your daily protein. You'll be glad you did!!

Soy and whey are both excellent sources of Protein. Both are complete Proteins (meaning they have all nine essential amino acids which the body cannot produce on its own) and both have a perfect 1.0 score on the PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) which ranks proteins based on their digestibility and has been adopted by the Institute of Medicine, the FDA and the World Health Organization. Soy is a plant based protein which makes it ideal for vegetarians or folks who are lactose intolerant. Whey protein is made from cow's milk and may or may not be tolerated by those who are lactose intolerant depending on the how highly the whey is filtered. If you're not vegetarian or lactose intolerant, you really can't go wrong with either soy or whey protein. There is a difference in taste so a good starting point might be to buy one of each and see what you think. I always caution folks to stay away from most (not all) products marketed as protein "shots" or "bullets". With one exception that I am aware of, all the rest are made with collagen protein which has a PDCAAS score of 0.08. These products are attractive to bypass patients because they are low volume - usually around 3 oz, and high protein - usually 30 to 50g. But any amount of protein, high or low, is useless if the body can't absorb it. The one exception which I learned from another forum member is "Yes Whey" which does not contain collagen protein. Hope that helps!!

I haven't tried them yet but I have seen them. They are definitely on my list!

Everybody heals differently so it's tough to put a time line on when your pouch will start talking but rest assured it will. For now, measure everything you eat, and never eat less than two hours or more than four hours apart. Before you know it you'll be amazed at how little you can eat before feeling full!!

When I hit 165 about two months ago (from starting weight of 285), doctor told me to increase calorie intake and if I lost more than 10 additional pounds to call her. I've been able to more or less stabilize it around 162 but ridiculous as it sounds, it hasn't been easy. After months of averaging about 1300 calories a day, it's been much harder than I expected to increase that to my goal of an average of 1500 a day. Frankly, I think it would have been impossible without my food log. Highly, highly, highly recommended! It takes all of the guesswork out of the equation! Good luck on the butt! It took gastric bypass surgery and losing 120 lbs to discover, for the first time in my life, that I have no butt! Women say that size doesn't matter but we all know they're secretly thinking "He'd be a nice looking guy if he had a butt!" Lol!

Consider it this way - a cup of ping pong balls vs. a cup of ball bearings. Both are a cup - by volume. But one weighs 2oz, the other 2lbs. "Full signals" to the brain are triggered by stretch sensors in the stomach. Reading between the lines, I think your doctor is making the point that those sensors are more sensitive to volume as opposed to weight. Congratulations and great job on the weight loss!!

Costco sells Pacific Gold Teriyaki Turkey Jerky - 80 cals per 1 oz serving and 11 grams of protein. Much more tender than most beef jerky and I think this one is delicious. Like all things Costco, you may have to scrounge around for it a little but it's worth the effort. I buy multiple bags and always have it on hand for snacks. Now as much as I like Pacific Gold, Wal-mart sells Old Wisconsin Turkey Bites and I love these things - 80 cals per 6 bite serving with 7 grams of protein. If you like savory stuff, these things are over-the-top good. Totally addictive!!

Just a quick note from Libbi (my lab) and I to thank you for your kindness. Libbi wanted to send her own message but we've found that paws don't work very well on a laptop. Her typing speed's not bad but her spelling is atrocious! When you get right down to it, a "forum" is nothing more than software and an Internet address. It's the members, all of the members, that make it either a waste of time or something quite special. Individually, any one of us is just a single voice. Together, we are an invaluable resource for all who are on this life changing journey. I thank all of you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences and suggestions and support. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it! Stay focused, stay active and stay away from the scales!!

"Bloomberg calls it “the single biggest step any city, I think, has ever taken to curb obesity.” But this step was not necessarily one in the right direction. Yes, Bloomberg's move sends a message to the New York and American public that obesity is a big problem and that we want to stop it; however, he has undermined that very message by suggesting the only way to fight obesity is through government micromanagement of people's eating habits." First time that I have read this blog but some may find his comments thought provoking - I did. Full Article

Count me in Ms. Jen! I'm in South Bay but my wife works in O.C. as well. There seem to be a lot of folks who either live or work in O.C. and there are tons of great parks (maybe Mile Square, Irvine Lake, Disneyland?). I would love to meet everyone and exchange experiences on our journeys!

Take it from me, she has that down!!

Haven't figured out the before and after profile pics yet but let's see if I can add another picture or two...

I'm the one with the hat. Lol!

OK. As you guys have noted, I promised you a picture. The plan was to do a “photo shoot” with number 2 son on Saturday. But life has a way of changing your plans. In this case, the world’s cutest grandson came down with a cold and along with it, a major case of very cranky little person. After Mom had pretty much reached her wits end, Dad was called on to carry on the battle. So the shoot had to be postponed. But hey, a promise is a promise. Right? So I get this idea for plan B. “Honey, you know what we should do? It’s such a beautiful day, we should go for a walk in the park! As a matter of fact, I just remembered that I promised the guys on the forum a picture. So we could have a nice walk, get some fresh air, a little sunshine, and you could take a few shots at the same time. Great idea huh?” Now as plan Bs go, I thought this one was pretty good. Then again, maybe not. The war department promptly pointed out to me that in spite of the fact that we live a couple of miles from the beach, Saturday was well on its way to near record breaking temperatures that eventually topped out well into the 90’s. With humidity very close to the same. I didn’t quite catch everything she said but there was little room for doubt that she didn’t think much of plan B. I’m pretty sure there was a reference on the order of “when pigs fly” in there somewhere. “Babe, I know it’s a little warm out but hey, there are lots of trees and cool shade in the park! We could take black lab, have a little picnic, it will be fun! You know how you love picnics! Nice walk, nice lunch, communing with nature…it will be great!” Now I’d like to say that she was simply overcome by my charming personality and quick wit. But truthfully, what followed was a considerable amount of groveling which quickly turned into just plain sucking up. As many of you husbands out there know, sucking up has a way of becoming very expensive. It has been suggested that in return for “saving your butt”, I should expect to see a world class shopping spree appear on our credit cards in near future. I think her exact words were - “Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.” These photos may well go down as the most expensive in history! But hey, a promise is a promise! You guys have a great week!! P.S. Still trying to figure out how to post a couple of more photos. Will let you know when I figure it out!

I agree. It will make for a long day with an evening appointment but I've found that even having a morning cup of coffee before weighing increases my weight. It actually increases it by more than a cup of coffee could possibly weigh which makes no sense at all. Lol. But I've checked it any number of times and the results are always an increase in my weight. Empty stomach is the best way to go!

My surgeon said no alcohol until 6 mos. post-op. Internal healing takes quite a long time and drinking alcohol too soon could be an invitation to an ulcer. All forms or alcohol are also essentially sugars which could result in dumping as well. I enjoy a glass of wine before dinner but I didn't go there until I was 6 mos. post-op.

Or buy two smaller ones. Lol. There are a lot of eyes on this and it will be interesting to see what kind of results the ban has. Safe to say the soft drink manufacturers will be watching closely.

Check with your doctor. I was told not to lift more than 10lbs for three months following surgery. The G-forces on some rides could effectively exceed that. I'd be careful and perhaps limit your rides to the ones less likely to possibly cause a problem.

New York became the first city in the US to ban the sale of large sodas and sugary beverages in restaurants, a move that Mayor Michael Bloomberg said will help combat the "obesity epidemic" that kills 6,000 New Yorkers every year and is destroying the health of Americans. A step in the right direction or an infringement by government on personal rights to make individual choices? Full article

Bekki, it sounds to me like you're doing absolutely fantastic! Remember - realistic, sustainable expectations. I started walking on a treadmill for 20 minutes at a time. Slowly worked my way up. Eventually I got bored with the treadmill so I started walking in the neighborhood. Eventually got bored with that and decided to walk in a park close to my home. The park turned out to be the ticket for me. I've slowly increased my walking from 20 minutes to about an hour and three miles - four to five times a week. Every time I've increased my exercise goal, I set it to something that I knew I could do. Every time. If I do more, great. But I believe that it is so important to set realistic goals that you are confident you can accomplish AND celebrate accomplishing them every time! It is so much more realistic, sustainable, and just plain fun when you choose to live your life celebrating your successes than it is to live your life always choosing "the nagging feeling that I should be doing more". Notice that I said "choose" because that's exactly what it is, a choice. I know exactly how you feel. I am a perfectionist by nature and I have to fight it every day. But with practice you can make the choice to feel good about yourself and to enjoy every delicious moment of all of the great things you are accomplishing. Make the choice! You're gonna love the new you!!

Beautiful! Just sent you a PM.

If you spend some time reading the posts on this forum you'll see that doctors vary widely in many, many aspects of their practices. There isn't just one way to do most things and doctors care for their patients based on their experience and the success of their patients. You already have seen that you can get two totally different results from two different practices. You just want to be absolutely certain that your doctor is a board certified surgeon and if possible, the hospital is certified as a Center of Excellence by the American Society Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

That's what I'm talking about!! Congratulations!!

Wow! I can't believe how much we have in common. The surgery scared the c**p out of me. AND I don't like to be in pain either! Small world!! Lol! Seriously, the anticipation is so much worse than the real deal. When I look back on how nervous I was pre-op, and how little pain I had post-op, I still to this day have to laugh at myself. Hundreds of thousands of folks have had this surgery and I'm sure there were a few that are like us and don't like pain. You'll be fine and you're gonna love the new you!!

Lol! She is the best fur covered friend anyone could possibly ask for! She makes me laugh every day of the world. She's "only" 95 lbs but we've been walking since she was a puppy and she is an absolute dream on the leash. Labs are amazingly intelligent. I think the key is a short leash and using a prong collar when you walk, and only when you walk. The collar looks intimidating but it absolutely doesn't hurt her. Cesar Milan says that the prongs simulate her mom's teeth when she was a puppy and mom had to correct her. She wears her regular collar (red of course!) most of the time but when we're going for a walk, I put the prong collar on and she's like a machine - right by my side the whole time!! With a little practice and a little patience I bet your lab would be the same!!