Katcloudshepherd

I use GENEPRO unflavored Protein powder. It's a smaller amount of powder and the granules are smaller. You get 30 grams of protein per tablespoon. What I like about it is the unflavored part. It does add a very small amount of milk flavor. In the summer, when it's hot, I add it to milk and the juice from a package of thawed frozen fruit. The frozen fruit I buy is ONLY the fruit. The only sugar you get is from the natural fruit. I've added it to decaffeinated coffee as well, when I was unable to drink caffeinated coffee right after surgery. In the winter, I add it to my oatmeal. I make up a package of instant oatmeal, add some coconut manna, (it's basically a coconut in a jar), add some walnuts, almonds or pecans and a dash of milk. I add stevia if it's regular oatmeal and if it's the flavored low sugar kind no sweetener. I've also added it to the low sugar hot chocolate. I had some in some Soup yesterday. It was good. Like I said it adds a slight milk taste so keep that in mind. I've never added it to any citrus flavored fruits. I wouldn't advise you to purchase a large amount of the Protein shakes before surgery as my tastes changed and I got so sick of the super sweet ones. I order it on Amazon. Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I hope you have a routine surgery and super easy recovery. Blessings, Kathleen

Congratulations on getting your surgery scheduled. I hope you have a routine surgery and easy recovery. Sip, sip, sip when you are allowed and walk as much as you can. One of the biggest threats after surgery is dehydration. You can only drink such small amounts of Water at one time that you have to be sipping constantly to get the amount of water you need. Blessings, Kathleen

Congratulations!!! You look gorgeous. Wishing you continued success in maintenance. Blessings, Kathleen

McButterpants, Congratulations! So happy for you and I can relate--just a few more weeks and I'll be a year out. Wow, time sure moves quickly, especially the older I get . Thank you CowgirlJane for that advice about the 2nd year. I sure will keep that in mind. Blessings to everyone and hope y'all have a good one. Kathleen

I realize it's not scientific but I KNOW I'm a much better worker since having the surgery than before the surgery.

Congratulations! So happy for you. I've become a seasoned thrift store shopper. I decided not to spend a lot of money replacing clothes with a smaller size and a short time later, replacing the clothes recently purchased. Blessings, Kathleen

Ladies, I truly hope you feel better soon RJ. You are an inspiration to me. Chelenka, I hope your mother is able to fight the cancer and I pray you both have the strength you need. Those ugly "fat girl" habits which got me to 338 pounds are always right outside the door, doing pushups and fighting for the chance to come back into my life. I know it's going to be a lifelong battle to keep them outside that door. I wish you all well. You have all been so helpful to me in this journey. Blessings, Kathleen

jessiquoi, Very well stated. Yes, your life will change for the BETTER! I'm constantly amazed how much better I feel and how much more I move around than I did before surgery. I hope you have an uneventful surgery and quick easy recovery. I think it's fantastic that you are ahead of the game by realizing your current relationship with food is toxic. Blessings, Kathleen

yungshi, Good luck tomorrow. Hope everything goes well for you. When they clear you for liquids, sip, sip, sip. You'll be surprised how difficult it is to drink after surgery and dehydration is your primary concern after surgery. Walk as much as you can. Give your body the time it needs to heal. Takes a good 4 weeks for the sleeve to heal. Blessings, Kathleen

I had 5. Congrats on your surgery! Hope you heal quickly. Sip, sip, sip those liquids and walk as much as you can. Blessings, Kathleen

Wow, what a fabulous post! Thank you for that. So happy for your success!!!! My hubby is in the process of getting approval for surgery. SO HOPE he gets it and has success like you have had! Looking forward to the "sex" part especially Blessings, Kathleen

Congratulations on your life changing surgery. You got that right sister! This surgery and the behavior modification we must go through to be successful is not for the faint of heart! Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk as much as you can after surgery. I wish you an uneventful trip down the "loser's" highway! Blessings, Kathleen

Yes, I do the Low Carb High Fat, (LCHF), BUT my bad cholesterol was elevated in my most recent fasting lab work at my primary care doctor's office. I find the LCHF helps me lose weight BUT I may have a genetic predisposition to higher cholesterol. I'm going to cut the fat out and still do low carb and see what my next lab work shows. She didn't put me on statins because my "good cholesterol" was so high and my blood sugars were excellent. My liver and kidney function were great too. I REALLY don't ever want to take statins. I've done very little research and some people claim they are poisonous. I just don't want to go on ANY MORE MEDICATION. I had this surgery to become healthy and I would rather do it through diet, exercise and behavior modification and not chemicals which may have an impact on my liver. Blessings, Kathleen

Very nice article. Thank you for being so candidly honest. Takes courage to do that. Blessings, Kathleen

Hey very pretty lady! Congratulations Blessings, Kathleen

CowgirlJane, Congratulations! I know what you're talking about. In my "fat" head, I sometimes forget that I'm now more of a regular size. I keep having to put clothes back on the rack because they're too big and I've forgotten--I don't wear that size anymore . Kathleen

Thank you so much for the link! I'm going to have to make this. Blessings, Kathleen

My heart aches for you and all the suffering you have endured. I truly hope you can gain your health back. I think you are correct in your theory that extra large patients are treated differently than "normal" sized patients. I wish you had some legal recourse to go after the doctor that did the surgery. This surgeon should be held accountable for what he did to you and prevented from doing this to any other patient. Again, I am so sorry for all the pain and emotional trauma you have suffered. Thank you so much for sharing this information as I know it had to take a great amount of courage to do so. May you find a way to better health and soon. Kathleen

I agree with B-52. It only took ONE time where I ate too much and threw up to cure me of EVER trying that again! I got the slimies once too. I don't know if it happens with lap bands or other WLS. It's where you eat too much and a mucous like substance comes up. Maybe twice is enough to create an aversion to eating too much? I'd like to see more research into the gut flora related to cravings. I believe my gut flora has changed since surgery. I don't crave sweets like I did before surgery--now I want savory, salty and high Protein foods. Thank you for sharing the information with us! Blessings, Kathleen

Love all the great ideas! I forgot to add to my comment that I put some coconut manna in my oatmeal and stevia along with the Protein powder and a little milk. I use the GENEPRO unflavored protein powder that I order from Amazon. It is a smaller scoop for 30 grams of protein and the powder is finely ground. It does add a slight milk like taste to what you put it in but that works well with oatmeal. You could add walnuts for crunch, chia seeds for crunch etc. Have a good one everybody, Kathleen

Consult your surgeon for their advice first. I was able to take my Zoloft right after surgery in pill form--BUT again, check with your surgeon--everyone probably has different protocols. I purchased a 3 month supply of chewable bariatric vitamins so I used them up first. I was allowed to take capsule supplements after a month. Again, check with your doctor, they may have different guidelines. Congratulations on your surgery and I wish you great success! Blessings, Kathleen

Congratulations!!!! So happy for you Blessings, Kathleen

I can so relate to your comment of: "What I still struggle with is that I feel like I'm still a fat girl who has managed to figure out a way to fake it." Lord, that is me in spades. I've come to realize that people who never knew the larger me don't have the context of how far I've come. That's OK. I know how far I've come. I actually have a note taped to my bedside lamp that says: "Fake It Till You Make IT" "Make up your mind to be happy". That way I see it every morning when I turn my light on. I firmly believe in daily affirmations too. I am a worthwhile human being who DESERVES to be healthy and happy. I've basically had to re-program my brain. I was raised with negative bad programing--"bad code". I've worked for decades to change myself--FOR THE BETTER. I hope y'all have a good one, Kathleen

When it's hot, I do a cold breakfast shake. I use milk and unflavored Protein powder with some thawed frozen fruit. I usually just use the fruit juice from the frozen fruit. I drink my 1/2 bottle of Kombucha every morning to keep my digestive track healthy and moving. Now that it's cooling off, I'll switch to Hot drinks or oatmeal. This morning I had a low sugar hot chocolate with unflavored Protein Powder and my 1/2 bottle of Kombucha. I'm going to bring in some low sugar oatmeal tomorrow and mix protein powder in it with a dash of milk. I rarely have time in the morning to cook and eat eggs. It's just easier for me to grab something quick that I can carry to work and prepare there. I'm so lucky that my job allows me to eat at my desk and we have a microwave. Blessings, Kathleen

Hello, I didn't have a pureed stage. What if you put unflavored Protein powder in it? Then it's not a low protein food. Still a grain though and high in carbs double . I ate it when I was a child. I'll have to look at the carb content and see if it's too high even with unflavored Protein Powder. When I keep my carbs low--my appetite is less strong. Blessings, Kathleen