DLCoggin

No. Gastric bypass is a major surgery and everyone that I have ever heard of has to have a psych eval prior to surgery. Let the doctors do what they do best. It is not uncommon for someone to be initially denied based on the psych eval and then be approved later following some period of time for treatment or counseling. My suggestion is simply not to give up too easily and certainly not before you have a good understanding of exactly what your options are and why you may or may not be a candidate for the surgery. Good luck in your journey!!

The stomach has stretch sensors in it that signal the brain when you're "full". That process is often temporarily interrupted following surgery. It comes back as healing progresses and your new pouch will start doing a lot of talking! Congratulations on your surgery!!

Stop for just a moment and think about what you've accomplished already. You've lost an average of five pounds a week for three months. If you maintain that average for six more months, you'll lose an additional 120 pounds. Total loss - 180 pounds in nine months. You are doing absolutely amazing! Celebrate your success every day!! Almost half of all gastric bypass patients never experience dumping. And yet the success rate is 85%. Gastric bypass is the most effective treatment for obesity known to medical science. It's not about dumping! It's about what I call The Prime Directive - lifestyle changes. You can read more in my post here . It's unfortunate that your husband is not supportive but no one, absolutely no one, can control your destiny - unless you let them. They can't take it. They can't demand it. They can't force it. You started this journey for your health, your self esteem and your peace of mind. And it will be your commitment, your determination and your courage that will take you where you want to go. You can do this and when you do - you're gonna love the new you!!

I know it is frustrating but - there is no such thing as "too soon". The worst thing you can possibly do is measure your success against someone else's experience. The fact that my weight loss is different from yours means absolutely nothing. Every one of us is unique and there are countless variables. Trust the process and give your body a chance to find its own way, in its own time. Stay focused on following the protocol, stay active, and stay away from the scales for at least a week and two if you can stand it. You're gonna love the new you!!

Well I'm originally from Texas and if eating protein was the key to avoiding weight gain, I never would have made it to 185 much less 285! Lol!! But the absolute importance of protein post-op is undeniable. Doctors vary widely on their recommendations - from 60g to 100g a day - but I've never heard of a bariatric surgeon that doesn't stress the importance of protein post-op.

I doubt that 1100 calories a day is too high with everything else you're doing. Sounds like a stall. How long have you been at 210?

It's important enough to get a second opinion. You never know!

I walk in a park near my home with my black lab. I'm up to three miles a day and I walk at least four to five times a week. No doubt in my mind that it increased my weight loss, reduced the time it took to lose the weight, and puts a smile on my lab's face every time! Love it!!

Right there with you joyce! If I go more than a day without walking I'm freaking out! It really is quite addictive!!

Tank, if you can mass produce it, find a cost effective distribution channel, sell it at a price competitive with folks like Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine, and secure a trial run from even one of the grocery chains - you'll make a fortune. Big (and costly) challenge but wow - over the top potential!! I can see it in the freezer section now - "Bariatric Bonanza!" "BIG Protein! BOLD Flavors! BEST Choice!" Let me know if you start looking for investors!

I have an iPhone and use "Tap and Track". It just happened to have the best reviews when I was looking in the Apple App store. It works great for me but there are any number of great apps out there. Lots of folks on the forum use My Fitness Pal (amazing database and other food/calorie tracking tools) and Spark People also has a great reputation. What's important is using a food log - the one you use is just a means to that end!

Hey Ms. Jen! I work from my home which I suppose is an advantage but I don't think it would be too difficult for me to do what I do almost anywhere. Breakfast shake before leaving for work. Brunch requires three minutes in a microwave for the frozen stuff. lunch tuna or chicken salad takes about ten minutes to make and I can eat off of that for several days - super easy to put in a plastic container and brown bag it. I split the shrimp up into small plastic containers of one serving each and freeze them - again easy to brown bag, the Babybels are pre-wrapped so not a problem. dinner is at home and we seldom eat anything during the week that takes more than 10 or 15 minutes to prepare. We bought a freezer for our garage so that we can make or buy large quantities of stuff and then freeze it into smaller portions. We make chili, turkey stew, turkey Soup, turkey shepherd's pie, etc. Divide them up into individual servings and then freeze them. We steam most of our vegetables which usually takes less than ten minutes. I suppose when you read it all in one post it sounds like a lot but honestly it really isn't that big of a deal. My wife and I have talked about the fact that we spend much LESS time now with cooking than we ever did pre-op. The extra freezer space has been a huge plus!!

92 pounds is a LOT of weight so sincere congratulations on that!! Hard to offer much in the way of suggestions without knowing things like your pre-sleeve starting weight, height, daily average calorie intake, Protein intake, Water intake, activity level, and even what your personal goal weight is. Quite possible that you just need a little more patience. But if you can give us some more details, we may be able to offer suggestions. There are a ton of very knowledgeable folks on this forum and we're all here to help each other.

ALL pre-op diets stink!! Lol. But when you are looking amazing and feeling better than you ever have in your life - it's going to seem like a very, very small price to pay. You're gonna love the new you!!

Incredible as it sounds, it is not that uncommon to actually gain weight immediately following the surgery. Your body is going through lots of changes and lots of healing right now. Trust the process and allow your body to find its own way, in its own time. Just keep doing what you're doing and before long you'll be posting how you lost XX pounds in a week! Stay focused on following the protocol, stay active, and stay away from the scales for at least a week and even longer if you can stand it. You're gonna love the new you!!

I haven't had any problems with spicy but I don't recall exactly how far out I was when I started eating spicy. I'd recommend checking with your doctor. Starting too soon before the healing process is complete or at least well on it's way could be an invitation for an ulcer. I'd love to hear the answer if you run it by your surgeon.

It is not easy to make crushed meds tasty. Best option that I found was sugar free chocolate pudding. Not terrific but I got them down.

Congratulations katie! For my money, you are the inspiring one - 400 miles for your doctor's appointment? That is inspiring!! You're gonna love the new you!!

My surgeon said no gummies. I take Centrum's multi.

Great job Bekki! You're doing absolutely fabulous. Trust the process and just keep doing what you're doing!!

After looking at their nutrition label - http://www.glennys.com/soy-crisps-barbeque.html - I don't see a problem with these at all. Low calorie, low fat, low carb and 4.5g of protein per serving. Heck, even the sodium is relatively low. However, take note that the "Servings Per Container" and "Amount Per Serving" are blank on the nutrition label shown on their site. The bag is shown as 3oz and the serving size on the label is shown as 18g. 3oz is 85g so there are 4.7 "servings" in one 3oz bag. The copy on the webpage says "9g Pure Non-GMO Soy Protein" but according to the nutrition label, you would need to eat two 18g servings to get 9g of protein. My point is not that even two servings would be out of the question, it would still be low calorie, carb, etc. But manufacturers often have an element of "confusion" built into their marketing - the devil can sometimes be in the details!

85 lbs at 12 weeks is 8 lbs a week - I wouldn't change a thing! Great job!!

I prefer the shakes with skim milk as well. I can drink them made with water but milk is also an excellent source of protein and Calcium and improves the taste. I have to confess to sometimes drinking the ready-to-drink shakes as well. I don't know what they do differently in the can that I can't seem to replicate with the powder but the cans still have the best taste - but about twice as expensive. Ugh!!

Breakfast is the Protein shake - 160 to 170 calories and 35g of protein. "Brunch" for lack of a better word, usually three hours after breakfast, is often half of a Jimmy Dean Delights Turkey Sausage Bowl (120 calories and 11g of protein), or half of a Jimmy Dean Delights Canadian Bacon and Egg Honey Wheat Muffin (105 calories and 7g of protein) or half of a Weight Watchers Smart Ones - Ham & cheese Scramble (220 calories and 10g or protein). As you can probably tell, I love eggs (actually egg whites in all of these) and turkey anything. lunch, usually three hours after brunch, is often 6 or 8 medium cooked shrimp (the packaged shrimp you can get at just about any store) with cocktail sauce (110 calories and 15g to 18g of protein), one or two Babybel light Mini Originals (50 calories and 6g of protein each), and five to seven Kashi Peta Crisps (60 to 90 calories and 1.5 to 3.0g of protein). Sometimes I substitute 3.5oz of canned tuna salad made with light mayo and diced sweet pickle for the shrimp (185 calories and 24g of protein). Other times I eat the second half of brunch. Still other times I make a canned chicken salad instead of the tuna. dinner varies all over the place. Chicken, fish and turkey are all great, high protein foods and we love all of them. Usually accompanied by steamed fresh vegetables, sometimes canned green Beans, or pinto beans, or spinach, or even new potatoes. Other times we make a fresh spinach salad with light balsamic vinegarette. Turkey burgers (without the bun - bread and I still don't get along too well) are great. Occasionally a pork roast. And maybe once a month or so we bbq some steaks - usually sirloin with all visible fat removed. Turkey chili, tilapia, scallops, salmon, turkey meatballs, and chicken are all great options. And about an hour after dinner, we have a cup of coffee with Splenda and flavored creamers (not sugar free) for dessert just about every evening. I have a food logging app on my phone and I record everything I eat. Occasionally I have a day where I fall short of protein for one reason or another. I keep a supply of Pure Protein chocolate Deluxe bars on hand for those occasions (200 calories and 20g of protein). But I know at any point during the day what my protein intake has been so I usually don't have to resort to the bars to get my 100g of protein or pretty close. Hope that helps!!

I'm trying to stabilize (doctor's orders) at about 165 so 120lbs lost. I know it sounds ridiculous but it has been much harder than I expected to increase my calorie intake after months of averaging just under 1300 calories a day. I must confess though - I love the new me!!