Andi

Oh my.. I was already feeling a drink after 1.. even with all this body weight on me now! I don't drink often, but I'm curious too.. I don't want any nasty surprises in a year or so

I haven't had a chance to experiment with them yet (I have some Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard whey coming in the mail), but at my post op class they stressed that you need to make sure that you find one that says whey or soy isolates, and that it should be the first ingredient. Otherwise you may not be receiving all the amino acids that your body will need to build Proteins.

From what I understand it won't be forever, just the first stage and maybe a bit longer if you're taller. Our nutritionist is going to tell us on an individual level when we can give them up.

chewable Vitamins are better absorbed & I believe that they're pretty universally advised.

My hospital sells Bariatric fusion. 2 chewable Multivitamin pills, twice a day. They cost $25 for a month's supply & they cover all the supplements that my team requires & it has Biotin too. It's convenient & very cost effective.

I'd definately talk to your doctor/team about the fish oil. I'm not sure how well that would be tolerated.

I had that happen in the past when I lost a good chunk of weight. I've heard it called "extra insulation" as a joke, but um yup.. it definately changes things.

I haven't had my op yet, but when I make tuna now I try to use just a little mayo & use light italian dressing. It cuts calories & tastes way better (to me). I'm used to having some chopped pickles with my tuna, but maybe a little Pickle Juice wouldn't hurt to moisten & flavor. I'm going to have to remember to ask about seasoning with celery seeds too.

At my post op class they said 3 months, with the exception of lettuce & Tomato. I guess raw veggies aren't tolerated too well. She did say that peeling things helped with that though.

Wow, that sounds like a long liquid phase.

very cute dress, Congrats

Congratulations!!! Very inspiring progress

I'd recommend waiting just in case for a few reasons. I wouldn't do anything that would make anyone second guess changing your surgery date.

If you've decided on what you want & where to put it, well.. hopefully it will be there a long time so putting it off a little longer shouldn't hurt. Also, your skin is going to be changing. I've heard about how images get stretched out after people gain weight, but not so much about how it changes with losing it. It might not matter so much in a location like the ankle I guess. I'd still want it to look it's best though & wait a little bit.

Everyone is different, but that seems like a pretty safe # to expect. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! You're going to make your seamstress crazy with your dress though

Maybe your father is scared of a possible complication & can't just say that. I would suggest that the best way to "battle" this is to counter their concerns/fears/complaints with data. I've encountered quite a few people (even medical staff) that really don't know anything about WLS. Not that I'm blaming them. It's just been something that they haven't had to deal with directly, so just like anything else not really personally relevant.. they may know a bit here/there.. but honestly not what the path is like.

If they don't want to listen, well.. that is unfortunate, but you need to make the right decision for you & your health. If they can't understand that, then it's something that they need to come to terms with.

Are you taking B12 Vitamins? They may help with your energy.

2 week pre-op liquid diet (shakes, puddings & broth from HMR I think) for me coming up. This is supposed to help give your liver a bit of a shrink prior to surgery.

This is your first consultation at all with your bariatric team? or with your surgeon? If this is the beginning of your path then you may need to wait a while regardless, which might not be a bad thing. Having a nice break like that will probably be very beneficial for you.

If this is the beginning of your path, well places vary greatly with their timelines. Between pre-req appointments, weight loss requirements, tests (EKG, sleep tests, etc), and insurance requirements it's probably going to take a little while prior to your surgery date.

Where I'm going requires a 4 week post operative surgical skills group session. They fill up fast & if you miss any of the sessions you need to make them up prior to surgery. There's also a 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery. During this time people get a start on their weight loss, meet with the bariatric team & run any required tests. You don't meet with the surgeon until it's almost go time. It may take a while to get up on the table, but it's definately not just spent twiddling your thumbs

Changing brands will be not be an option for me (when the time comes in a couple weeks). Maybe try a couple drops of a sugar free extract/flavoring? If you're not using ice I would recommend that. It should help the texture & cold changes the taste of foods (usually dulls it a bit).

Hi, I'm another Northshore person going to Lahey Burlington. Surgery is scheduled for April 1st.