JeanZ_RN

NMJG: Well said! A very concise and thorough answer!

Wow, you DO look fantastic. The surgeon worked magic! Congratulations on your weight loss - such a great success story!

Thanks! I did not know that, and I'm one who has been using the wrong term.

I just read an excellent short article on Fiber, in the current Readers Digest. It explains which foods have soluble fiber, which have insoluble fiber and what each of those types of fiber does in the body. Readers Digest is my go-to for short periods of killing time away from home. When I receive each issue I immediately put it in my car, so it's handy when I go out to eat alone, or have to wait for someone or something for a few minutes. The articles are short, so it's easy to put the magazine down and come back to it another time.

Quest bars are a staple in my diet - I eat them for at least 2 of my 4 meals each day, and sometimes 3 meals. I've tried most of the flavors, and my faves are vanilla Almond (that's Breakfast each day) and Cookies and Cream (4 PM each day). Others that I eat sometimes are Choc Chip Cookie Dough, White chocolate Raspberry and Coconut Cashew. There are several that I found just so-so, as in not bad but not good enough to buy again. Then there were a few that I really did not like. The consistency is not like most protien bars - Quest bars are more like a cookie dough consistency, and they're not dipped in anything so they are just a bit sticky to the touch. Not a problem to me at all, but it is different than other bars. For me 1 bar is a full and satisfying meal, and I think $2.75 for a meal is not pricey. Where else can you get a nutritious, yummy, satisfying meal for that price? And they're convenient to carry, too. I'm with gomekast about the carbs in them - there are only 3gms NET carbs per bar. As for fast food... There are some good choices at fast food places, but fighting the temptation of the not-so-good choices may not be worth it.

I tried several powders, and hated them all. I only tried one brand of pre-made: Premier Protein. I love the chocolate flavor, but did not care for the vanilla. They might be available other places too, but I only found them at Sams and costco. Best wishes!

I don't see anything there. I'm using ie 8 at the moment.

My experience, just for me, is that I can lose weight either of 2 ways - very low carb (Atkins diet) or low calorie. On the initial phase of the Atkins diet one can have unlimited amounts of Protein and fat, but no carbs. Once weight loss is going well you add a few carbs back in, then a few more, until you stop losing weight - then you back off the carbs a bit until you're losing at a rate that suits you. This is an over-simplification of it, but you get the idea. Some of the initial weight loss is Water weight, but that's true of many diet plans. This is the only diet I know of where calories don't matter. Research has shown that this diet does NOT result in higher cholesterol or triglycerides for most people. With low calorie you can have a more balanced diet, but you cannot have unlimited amounts of any solid food, except maybe lettuce / celery. Foods that are high in fat are also high in calories, which is going to limit the amount of fat you can include. I just read a very interesting post elsewhere on this site: There's an audio version and a text version - the audio version has more info in it, and a few of the numbers are not the same as in the text version. As someone else said - it's a good idea to consult with your surgeon and/or your nutritionist. Best wishes!

VERY interesting - thanks for posting!

Each day I eat 4 meals - 8am, noon, 4pm and 8pm. I always have a Quest bar (20 gm protein) for Breakfast. M-F I eat lunch out, and I usually don't decide which restaurant until I get in the car. No matter where I go, I order dense Protein - usually salmon, steak or chicken, once in a while tuna salad - and I order the dinner portion so I'll have plenty to take home. I order whatever side item they have that I like - carrots or coleslaw are faves. I almost always have a Quest bar for my 4 PM "feeding;" once in a while I eat leftovers from lunch. My 8 PM meal is sometimes a Quest bar, sometimes leftovers from lunches.

I too was told no carbonated beverages ever, but after several months of obeying I did try my fave -- diet Barq's root beer. I just took it very slowly. I've only had it twice since surgery, and although I did enjoy it and had no problems, I'm going to make it a very rare treat.

I resumed eating them immediately when I was allowed to advance from soft food to eat anything, and they went down just fine. I would be up a creek without my Quest bars!

What I've read on this forum is what DreamsComeTrue said, and my experience is the same -- I started noticing significant hair loss at about 3.5 months post op. Biotin won't stop the loss, but it is reputed to increase new growth. I take one Biotin extended-release tablet each morning (I think it's 10,000 mg). I'm not positive it's helping, but it's inexpensive so I'm going to keep taking it.

You look WONderful! Congratulations on coming so far! NO, you do NOT look fat in the least! And the idea that you might have excess skin that would account for the remaining 9 lbs is absolutely inspired; could it be correct? There are ways to exercise that won't adversely affect your knee. (This from one who HATES exercise, but that's a different issue.) Think Water aerobics and/or swimming laps, or using an eliptical machine that allows the knees to stay straight (I have one - it has clothes piled on it. ) And here's a link to a web site where you can find an exercise program that you can do sitting down: www.bobbywhisnand.com. Perhaps some therapy is in order? There are therapists who specialize in treating WLS patients... Best wishes!

Two possibilities occur to me - Could it be constipation? If your abdomen is full ... Or it could be a stricture in your esophagus. If the feeling persists, talk to your surgeon.

Congratulations! That is QUITE an accomplishment!

Interesting article from FoxNews: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/04/09/new-genetic-switch-technique-may-lead-to-accelerate-metabolism/ After reading it I was curious about ASOs -- antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology -- so I searched for that term and found a Wikipedia entry: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisense_therapy. Reading it I learned that ASOs are not a specific class of medications. The whole idea sounds very promising!

I would also be interested in learning more about a 400 calorie, 90 gr Protein menu. Thanks!

Just found this thread. Answer: YES, you should definitely date another sleever! ME!! LOL!! I live in North Dallas, and I've been single for several years. I keep thinking I should get on some dating sites, but the only one I'm on so far is LoveAfterWLS.com -- and there weren't many people on there when I last checked.

Some years ago I had a first date with a guy who told me over dinner that he'd had a kidney transplant, and he went into detail about his medical issues. I'm a registered nurse, so hearing it didn't upset me, but I did decide not to pursue / accept a second date. I could understand why he would put that out there -- probably he'd had some bad experiences -- but I would have advised him to wait just a bit longer to bring it up. WLS does not have the long-term implications that transplant patients have to deal with, but still, I think I will feel more comfortable waiting until the 2nd or 3rd date to talk about it -- and then only if it comes up. The guy I mentioned above just sort of blurted it out.

I hadn't heard about this!! I'm ready to try it! What probiotics, exactly, and what dosage? Thanks!

Calcium: I started out on the chewable tablets from CelebrateVitamins.com, but I didn't like the taste. Then I switched to their soft chews, the chocolate and the carmel flavors, 250 mg each, and those flavors were ok-to-good. Then I read on this site about chewy bites from BariatricAdvantage.com, which come in PB/choc and caramel flavors, 500 mg each, so I tried those. They were ok, but I found I actually like the Celebrate carmel flavor best, so I switched back to those and have stayed with them. My surgeon said to take 1500 mg daily, so that's what I do. But you might want to ask others on this site what dosage surgeons recommend for men - it might be different.

I was never told not to chew gum, and the statements about possibly needing surgery to remove gum don't make sense to me (RN since 1973). My impression is that our remaining stomach is about the size of a banana, and if that is true one chewed piece of gum should not obstruct it. Besides, ANYthing that lands in the stomach is immediately attacked by gastric acid, which is VERY potent.

If privately doesn't work, you and/or your hubby could confront these remarks with something like "Well that's a hurtful thing to say!" or "Ouch! That was mean!" or "If you are going to be rude I will leave the room."

I agree with PdxMan - you won't need it, because it is intended for those with a normal size stomach. I can't eat nearly as much as shown in the picture.