QueenCityGal

Sure. They are called New whey Protein shots. There are a bunch of different flavors; fruit punch, apple, blue raspberry, acai berry, watermelon and grape. I buy them at the Vitaminshoppe. Most times I just dump them in water, but other times like what I'm drinking right now, I've mixed the apple shot with a pack of crystal light lemonade--very delicious and refreshing. I've also mixed the grape with Milo grape squirts and water, and another fav is crystal light raspberry lemonade and the blue raspberry protein shot, or and hmmm the acai berry and Milo berry. It's the easiest way for me to get my protein in besides my premier Protein shakes. You kill two birds with one stone, water and protein :-) Nut said it was a very good idea because I sip in over a period of time.

There are other ways to get your Protein in. Buy some of the Protein Shots or Isopure drinks and dilute them with Water and just drink it that way. I'm doing that now, I buy the protein shots, raspberry and apple are my favorites, and then grape. I take the whole shot and dump it into 32 oz of water and finish it off... it's 42 grams of protein. You can make it stronger or weaker depending upon how much water you use. I've used less too..and it works just as well.

I questioned my decision for a good month and a half after I got it done. You grow into your new life.
Trust the process. What you're feeling is normal.

The last few days have been tough. I have had a rough few days. Pain, difficulty breathing, and a few moments of WTH did I do to myself. The mental aspect of this surgery is just as tough as the physical healing. I heard it over and over, read about it but could not figure out the reason why. I figured that would not happen to me I have been in therapy for a few years I'm in a good place mentally. But the last few days I have figured out that my brain needs to heal as much as my body.
So for those that are healing with me right now, know you are not alone when u have moments of doubt or struggle with just the day to day healing. This is going to be a long journey and I love the support I get from everyone here and wanted to know that I am here for anyone else who needs support.
You can send me a message and I will answer if you don't want to express anything out in the forum. Sometimes you don't want to put yourself out there.

I have to be honest here, because you all know I am honest. I have NOT been closely monitoring myself as I should. I don't measure or weigh. I haven't been counting Protein grams or liquid intake. I have been living. And yes, it is probably not the best way to proceed. But I am just the person I am, no more or less. When I learned to drive I was so focused on the lines on the road and lining everything up just right that I damn near wrecked several times. I get anal about things. But when the day came I thought " I am just going to point myself down the road and go, and try to stay in my lane" I got it. I have never had a ticket and the only wreck I have been in was caused by another. That is sort of how I am living with my sleeve. I am just pointing myself down the road and trying to stay in my lane. I pick healthy 98% of the time. ( And I won't lie to say I NEVER eat something I should not, because I have) I eat Protein first, and in many cases it is all I have. I still cannot consume a "meal", just an entrée. At times my mind gets carried away and I think I am eating like a horse. Then I stop and really ponder what has gone in my mouth and realize it is really, really not as bad as I was giving it credit. I drink when I can, period. I tend to drink more week days sitting at my desk because it is routine. On the weekends I don't do quite as well. But I can tell from my own body signals when I need more and when I am hitting the mark. And I have been very strongly working on getting ALL my Vitamins in daily. Again, easier on week days than week ends. Could I be doing better? Sure. I will be the first to admit I have not followed the rules of the sleeve down to the last letter. But have I been trying hard? Yes. Will I continue? Yes! Am I human? YES!!!! We all are. And to thine own self be true. No one is accountable for anything but me. I live with the body, I live with the consequences. I know I have to fight this fight, and I am. I completely understand the overwhelming feelings being a food addict brings with. I will face them the rest of my life, as I have to this point. The thing is now I feel I can do this, I can win. And if there was any way I could give strength to anyone out there who needed it, I would in a heartbeat.

Got my final medical clearance today, and I'm good to go. Feeling much better about everything. Bases are loaded... batter is up, ready for a home run! Woot!
Oh and off topic for those still on pre-op diet, I have a tip for fighting the urge to eat: rub a bunch of Vapo-Rub or Mentholatun under your nose! My husband just HAD to cook dinner for himself last night, and it smelled so good it was driving me mad (he kept apologizing lol). I went to the bathroom then the idea sparked. It surely blocked all the good smells! Haha it works
Best of luck to everyone having their day today!!

Yes. Me. I'll be that one. Not so much as dying from the actual surgery but complications thereafter.
On the other hand, I keep convincing myself things will be ok because I've seen people who were a lot more unhealthy than me who have woken up from the table and are keeping on with life, losing weight, and doing great. Not to mention all the great success stories here on the boards. Also when you have people who depend on you, the instinct is to be a fighter and pull through anything as hard as it may get, so yeah I guess we shouldn't worry, we will be fine

You need to change your name to Wonder Woman! Holy moly you rock. Good for you. In my dreams I can only say "I no longer care about food!" BIG LOL... actually I really don't have a desire to eat, I just can't stand the hunger pangs!! Hopefully after tomorrow the hungry monster will give up and just lay still for a few days before he is pulled to his death next week

Thanks to all for helpful and insightful responses. Much appreciated!
I am worried because I've had serious metabolic issues for years. Its so damn hard to lose even if I starve and kill myself working out. I'm a freak of nature what can I say I have expressed my concerns to the doc already, and he seems to think the surgery will help. I suppose I should trust him since he's been very successful. And ohhh yes I have done my research for months now! My biggest fear above all (dying of complications is second), is going through with it and not seeing results (or very minimal results) and then being sorry that I ever did it. I'm not expecting the pounds to melt away quickly. I know it's a process, and I'd prefer it to come off gradually at a slower pace anyway. Its not that I have no faith in the sleeve - I do or else I wouldn't have contemplated it. I just have no faith in my body cooperating with it!

I am on day 11 and I no longer care about food! lol Yesterday, I could see my husband's food and think "I want some of that." Today I saw it and thought, "I want some of that." but when I actually thought about it, I couldn't even picture myself eating it or what it tasted like! lol I had no feelings about it at all! It was chili. Hope this lasts through next week and hope that all of you just starting on the diet get to this point too!

I would like to see a section to the forums for people who have failed to lose weight any differently after the sleeve than before. Outside of impatient folks that expect too much too soon there would be few legitimate cases I dare say. I have been on this forum for over a year and a half and cannot cite one person that said the sleeve made no difference after a year of following directions.
There are, however, many, many that have claimed a big difference, including myself. I don't know if it's the forced consistency, the ghrelin reduction, or other factors but that is the case.
But that is an anecdotal argument. You should bring these concerns before your doctor and do research on the difference sleeving makes. If you have no faith in it perhaps reconsidering would be in order.

I know it is hard in these early phases. You keep feeling like you should lose a pound an hour...haha! You come on here and hear a story of someone who lost 60# in 2 months and you wonder how it is that you can't have that kind of amazing success.
Truth of it is that most of us lost weight at more of a long slow grind not a rocketship. In the end, what matters is that you do lose weight and you have a prayer of maintaining it. I don't know about you, but I could always lose at least SOME weight but couldn't keep it up. Now, I seem to be able to and have lost 160# in total, but it didn't really happen that fast.

First like you said stay off the scale for now....
Second your body is not used to this so it is storing what you are putting in. Once it figures out this is the new norm then it will regulate and start to shed the pounds.

I'm thinking it goes back to how each of us is different. Maybe some of our bodies take a while to see if this is really happening and really going to be this way before it starts letting go of its fat and maybe others loose quickly initially and then pause to see if it's really going to continue!
I'm on day 11 and I lost almost 2 pounds a day last week but only 1 pound this week. I think my body stopped to ask what the heck was going on?! lol
At some point, existing on those numbers has to work with the increased activity through exercise as well.

Hi all, a question for the pre-op dieters or this month's sleevers. Have any of you NOT lost any weight on pre-op, or lost very minimally? Going on day three here and gained two pounds even though I'm peeing like a race horse! I swear I could eat a sheet of drywall if it was put in front of me right now. Trying very hard to stick to the plan, this is a ton harder than I thought it would be

I have only lost about 5lbs thus far and I am on my last 4 days of preop diet and it is hard to stick with but you can do this just think of the goal at the end.

Oh yes! I guess I forgot to add that, woops
I am going in 12/17, I start the LRD tomorrow... Armed with all the shakes, other Protein mixes, and sugar-free Jellos I could conjure up. I've done a couple days of it already this week and oh boy it's not going to be easy.

Two things I tried and really like are the Syntrax Nectars and Muscle Milk (Cytosport) whey isolate Fruit Drinks (the Cytosport is comparable to Isopure Zero Carb, but tastes WAY better and a little cheaper). These will help break up the thick milky shakes routine I hope. Game on... Wish me luck!

I know most if not all people here agree with the sentiment that anything with collagen Protein is not good. I have to disagree, having extensive experience with a protein deficient family member who was hospitalized for over a year. Nothing that the hospital gave him to increase his protein levels worked. Beneprotein, Juven, etc. I took it upon myself to bring in some Protein Shots. Like mentioned in the quote below, we needed the most concentrated bang of protein per volume. I started with Sunkist Protein shots, also switching up between Proasis, Profect, New whey, and Dymatize liquid Aminos. Within 6 months, patient's pre-albumin levels rose from severely deficient numbers (3-5) to staying stead around 28-30 (normal) upon release from the hospital. Not to mention that wound healing increased exponentially during the time of supplementation. The NP's and doctors asked me what I was giving him. They were pretty impressed and in fact almost banned me from giving supplements because they weren't on the "approved meds list" - more likely because they weren't happy that they couldn't solve the protein deficiency themselves

Now I'm not a nutritionist by any means, but I've seen proof that protein shots DO WORK (in myself as well when I had a recent minor surgery). So my point is, do not disregard any sort of concentrated liquid protein just because there is hydrolyzed collagen in it. As long as the product contains sufficient aminos, it is a good protein, IMO.

New Whey is a good one. Dymatize Elite shots are excellent as well and have no mention of collagen (just whey/casein). Dymatize Liquid Aminos taste amazing and have 25g protein in 50ml. Definitely a good protein bang in small volume.

Another mention - Cytosport whey isolate drinks. Comparable to Isopure Zero Carb but taste WAY better and cost less. 32g whey isolate per 16oz bottle.

I start my LRD tomorrow. Game on... I am definitely using all the above mentioned - now and after surgery as well. Just my 2 cents and hope this helps!

I am thinking of looking into those Protein Shots but I need to find a good easily absorbed and digestible one like the 100% whey isolate. Has anyone had any experience with those? I was thinking a could drink that since it is significantly less to consume then the 8 oz shake they want me to drink.
My surgeon insisted I drink the New Whey Liquid Protein the day before surgery and then the first week after. They also gave it to me the day after surgery in the hospital. The grape flavor was tolerable but it's definitely no treat! Try using half of the bottle and diluting it with Water and then drink the rest a few hours later.
Good luck!!!

Three weeks ago today I was sitting in the hospital admitting area thinking to myself, “You can walk out of here right now and you’ll only be out $500.” I was terrified – terrified of the surgery, terrified of the recovery from the surgery, terrified of the future, terrified of my life post-op; I could go on and on. I was outright scared.
Today, three weeks later, I’m at peace. I haven’t second-guessed my decision to have this surgery (it wouldn’t do me any good anyway). I’m at peace with my new tiny tummy. I try to make sure to drink/sip slowly and take tiny bites that I chew, chew and chew some more. I consider myself fortunate – I haven’t had any complications, I haven’t had nausea, no incision pain, etc. I have had an uneventful recovery – I get tired easily, that’s about it.
I’m still on a pureed diet for the next week, then at weeks 5 and 6, I move to soft foods. I am really looking forward to having a Carb Balance whole-wheat tortilla for some reason! I’ve been eating a lot of pureed chicken salad (whiz up some canned chicken and add a little mayo and mustard in the food processor), a lot of fat free refried Beans (top with melted cheddar and add some salsa and Greek yogurt), and last night I had some pureed Wendy’s chili (it’s not as bad as it sounds). Breakfast usually consists of a scrambled egg and a Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patty (I can eat about ½ of each). I’m eating about ¼ cup of food at a time and I have to drink three shakes. It’s exhausting sometimes, calculating what time I have to stop drinking Water in order to have a shake or meal. I’m eating/drinking between 600 and 800 calories per day. I am amazed at how little food I need to fill me up; sometimes I simply lose interest in eating, so I stop. I downloaded an app for my phone called Eat Slower. You tell it how often you want to take a bite and your phone will make a sound or vibrate when it’s time. I set mine at 1 minute. When it dings, you take a bite. Pavlov’s dog, anyone?
I’m trying to walk at least two miles every day. Now that there is about 8 inches of snow on the ground, I have to move inside to the gym. I’m only allowed to walk on the treadmill, which is tedious, but I’m moving and that’s what counts. I’m looking forward to the release to the elliptical and maybe even some light weight lifting.
One thing I am frustrated with is coffee – I’ve written before how much I love coffee, real coffee, not Decaf. So, I have one cup of decaf coffee per day and it takes me about an hour to drink an 8-ounce cup. I really miss coffee with my breakfast – it was one of my vices pre-op and I really do miss it. Let me clarify - I miss drinking it like I used to drink it.
Some other things I’m working on:
· I am still trying to figure out the signals my body is sending. Is it true hunger I’m feeling? Am I full?
· I am trying to figure out my meal/shake planning and how to get in 80 grams of Protein.< /p>
· I found that stopping drinking 40 minutes before eating and 40 minutes after works better for me (rather than 30 minutes).
· I am doing the December Fitness Challenge on VST – Walking 50 miles this month.
· I am working on some ideas for meals that are sleeve friendly and family friendly. My husband and son aren’t particularly fussy; I would just like to keep things as “normal” as possible. It’s hard being on puree right now, but they are doing OK.
· I am working on keeping my emotions in check, not being so volatile…yeah, we’ll see about that.
Today was weigh in day...I'm down a total of 34 pounds total with 16 pounds since surgery. I'll take it!

Wow that is awesome. A diet like that is already pretty typical for me on a daily basis. With an occastional bad day or two here and there haha... Which is why I second guess this surgery because if I can't lose by staying by under 1200 calories a day then I must really need to completely starve. But that's a whole other topic :/
Anyway good luck to you, sounds like you're gonna do fine.

My understanding is that the purpose of the pre-op diet is to deplete the excess glycogen and fat storage in the liver, thereby shrinking it to make it safer for the surgery. Therefore a high-Protein, low-carb, low-fat liquid (or semi-solid) diet must be followed for 10-14 days prior. Although I have since learned that not all surgeons require this... some require more, almost a month. Some require none at all. Mine is ten days and I start this coming weekend. I've heard stories of people going in and being opened up, only to be closed again because the liver is still too large... erf!
Maybe you should consult with your surgeon and ask for clarity on their instructions, regardless of what other info is out there, especially since you are a diabetic and may have special dietary requirements.

I have it too, but I am also still pre-surgery. I have two weeks to go. I have wondered the same thing, and have asked around, but I cannot get a definitive answer. My doc seems to think the sleeve will help. I, am not so sure. I do not eat horribly or consume copious amounts of food either, but the weight crept up due to the thyroid issue - and being less active and in pain because of the weight, has led to the weight staying on. Ugh.

I do not expect to be one of the fast losers. I'm keeping my expectations low and sticking to the plan though. Maybe then if things go well I will be pleasantly surprised
I am hoping someone in the same shoes can chime in here with their experience.

Glad you mention this!! I have been wondering the same thing as well! I just sent a support email yesterday on this (there is a form somewhere on there to be able to do that). Maybe you should too.

Because right now no matter what your info and anything you put on here is visible to EVERYONE, including non-members. Which I assume is somewhat good for lurkers, seeking info... but we should be able to keep some things private or visible only to certain members. This issue is preventing me from fully using this site and it's features

Are there settings that I can put in place to allow my information/pics/post only be viewed my members and not just by anyone on the internet?