southernsoul

Hmmm...OK, thanks. I was thinking of what I do when I make hollandaise or something that needs to stay liquid-y, but I can keep heating once the eggs are in. Never measured the temp, though, so it's probably not that high.

Congrats!! You go on with your overweight self!

I haven't tried this with Protein powder, so it might not work, but what about tempering the powder first? A general cooking technique when adding a food that will clump (like beaten eggs) to a hot liquid is to take a small amount of the warm (not hot!) liquid & mix it with the clump-prone ingredient. You use only enough liquid to make a paste consistency. Once it is well-mixed, you can safely add the paste to the rest of the warm liquid & not get any clumps. You can even continue heating, if needed.

Yikes! That's awful...I hope the new place works out!

Could you mix unflavored powder into some chicken or beef broth?

Typically, you will have to see a licensed psychologist, not just a therapist. In addition, it will have to be a psychologist trained in certain specific assessment tools. If at all possible, use the one the surgeon recommends. It's a b***h to find one on your own. My surgeon is over an hour away, so I found one in my small town. She's awesome & I love her, but it was a pain in the ass to find her even though I know about this stuff!

Wooohoooooo!!!!!!!!

The surgery I think tigerbelle is talking about is called the duodenal switch. The 2 procedures are sometimes done separately, but also sometimes together. I have some good friends (a married couple) who both had DS, both done in one procedure. The wife says she would have rather had just the sleeve, but her insurance didn't cover it back then (about 6 years ago). I'm still preop, but I chose the sleeve because of the malabsorption issues & because I think the less stuff that gets altered, the better. I may not lose as much or as fast as with bypass or DS, but I'm OK with that.

that's awesome!!

I don't want to have to rely on shakes post op, so I've already started playing around with adding protein powder to regular foods, like newat52 did with pudding. The other night I added about 3 Tbsp of unflavored powder to a baked sweet potato with a little brown sugar & butter. It was yummy!

Gah...sometimes I feel like it won't ever end! But it will...and then we will all feel better than we do right now.

You're kidding, right?? The difference is very obvious! Your stomach area is much more defined because there's way less to pooch it out! Your thighs are not nearly as close together, and even your forearm holding the camera is much more defined. Girl, please..give yourself a pat on the back! Way to go!!

So, today was my last appt with my surgeon before submitting for insurance approval. Woohoo, right?? The psych has not sent her clearance in, but I emailed the assistant so I'm sure that will happen in the next couple of days. However, here's my "issue"...the nurse tells me today that they still need clearances for cardio, sleep, and upper GI. Seriously, woman...you're telling me this NOW??? All this time, I've been assuming (yes, I'm the ass in that equation) that I won't need those because I have no history of issues. They told me they always wait for the insurance company to issue the approval before they have the patient do those things, but I'm a planner!! I could have been getting ON this crap already! Arrrggghhh...it just makes me feel like I'm suddenly playing catch up or something. I know it's stupid, but it's just how I am. OK, the rant is over...we will now return to your regularly scheduled programming...

I hadn't thought about an assessment tool, but I will check that out. I think one of my biggest issues is portion control, and the sleeve will certainly help with that, but it's important to check myself for denial, too. Congrats to you on your progress so far!

I've been reading a lot about food addiction, and I'm trying to honestly assess myself. I have a huge passion for good food, but I don't eat a lot of junk or processed food. I haven't eaten fast food in probably 2 years. My husband has a candy habit, but I don't eat much of it. I love to cook, but my cooking style tends to be more Mediterranean than homestyle. I'm not much of a baker, so I don't make cakes or Cookies very often. When I get stressed or upset, I tend to cook and eat less than when I'm feeling good. I can get a little obsessive over food, but it tends to be more about individual ingredients. For instance, I'm always looking for new olive oils to try, and over the last few months I've probably bought a dozen types of sea salt. I have 2 lbs of French green lentils in the pantry that I'm excited to try. I'm looking forward to figuring out ways to up the Protein in everything I make post-op. Of course, I didn't get to this weight without over-enjoying a whole lot of great food. In my case, bad knee issues made it very hard to exercise, which just exacerbated the weight gain. But, I know I think about food a lot. I read cookbooks, watch a lot of cooking shows, and search out food blogs. I know that I will face head hunger and the challenges of all the life changes post-op. But how do you tell the difference between food passion and food addiction?

Thanks for sharing the start of your journey & I wish you all the luck in the world!

MrsG, I'm trying to hold off on double knee replacements, too. My knee issues actually began before I got heavy, but over the years the weight gain has made them so much worse. I've had 4 surgeries, and every kind of injection you can name. For the last few years, my ortho has been trying everything to delay knee replacements until I am at least over 50 (I turn 49 next week). About 6 months ago, he finally told me he had done all he could & said I needed to think about scheduling the surgery. I came home from his office & made a list of all the things I could do just 2 years ago that are impossible for me now. The list was MUCH longer than I had realized. I know that knee replacement surgery would definitely help my knees, but I also know it won't help as much as it could if I am carrying all this extra weight. WLS will help my knees, plus other things, as well. I will most likely still have to have my knees replaced at some point, but I'm hoping I might get another decade out of my OEM ones, once a bunch of this weight is gone.

Like luckysmomma said, my ortho surgeon told me that for every 10 lbs of weight I can lose, I'll take 40 lbs of pressure off my knees. My weight didn't cause my mobility issues, but it sure did exacerbate them. That damage won't disappear completely, but I definitely expect to be able to walk & move much better. If obesity has contributed to heart disease or diabetes or something like that, the same thing may be true...the damage may not be totally wiped out, but hopefully improved significantly.

Hey, everybody! I just stumbled on this awesome-looking blog that is 100% about all things Protein powder related & recipes made with all kinds of protein powders. When I am post-op, I really want to use Protein shakes only as a backup when away from home, and not as an everyday thing. That means I needs lots of recipe ideas incorporating the powders, so I was thrilled to find this blog...and of course I wanted to share with all of you! :-) http://www.proteinpow.com/

Like you, I have felt strong & ready for the changes that will come after I have surgery in June, but I'm also trying to be realistic about the difficulties. My hubby keeps swearing he's going to use this opportunity to try & eat better. I think that's great, but I'm trying to take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure his intentions are good, but he won't have the physical alteration I will have, and so it may not happen like he thinks. I've already told him he's going to be on his own foodwise for the first few weeks after surgery...I don't want to feel like I have to cook for him until I feel ready.

This is great information...thanks so much for sharing!

I haven't done it yet, but one thing I'm going to do is get down any old, smaller size clothes that are in boxes in the attic. I want to pull out as many useable things as I can & get them washed & ready. I know I won't be in them for awhile & would have plenty of time to do that after surgery, but there's just something about doing it beforehand that I think will help to calm any last minute jitters.

I've just read this entire thread & added as friends those of you who seem to still be active. I'm using Dr. Macik & am just finishing the pre-op reqs. I'm planning for June 19. I live in Athens now, but grew up in Decatur. Hotlanta babes gotta stick together!

That's wonderful...you go, girl!!

BAHAHAHA!!!! I love it! My husband is the same way. He fully supports the surgery & wants me to have better mobility, but he also loves the curves & specifically a whole lotta junk in the trunk. I keep teasing him that I'll probably end up with a flat butt.